He Mu, dressed in a cream-colored trench coat, walked slowly towards Bai Xi, his eyes full of tenderness. "Xi'er, do you like this fireworks show?"
Bai Xi looked at him, a faint smile gracing her features. "It's alright."
He Mu took another step closer. "Then, can Xi'er accept my apology because of this ordinary fireworks display?"
Bai Xi raised an eyebrow, a hint of mischief in her clear eyes. "Since it's just alright, I naturally cannot accept it."
He Mu didn't seem angered. He reached out, intending to tuck a stray strand of hair behind Bai Xi's forehead.
Bai Xi, however, took a step back, evading his touch. Her face held a touch of proud defiance. "I haven't forgiven you yet!"
He Mu smiled. "Alright then, may I know what exactly it will take to earn your forgiveness?"
Bai Xi's gaze flickered, and she remained silent for a moment.
Just then, two girls walked by not far away, pausing at the sight. "Wow, what's today? There's even a fireworks show!"
"Today isn't a special day. Otherwise, this area of the sea would surely be plastered with advertisements for a fireworks display to attract tourists. There are no advertisements now, so it must be the tourists themselves setting them off."
"Wow, it must be some boy setting them off for the girl he loves. How romantic! If I had a boyfriend like that, I'd be the happiest person alive."
"Haha, whether it's romantic or not, I don't know. But I do know it's definitely expensive. A large-scale firework like this costs dozens, even hundreds, of yuan per shot. In these two minutes, over ten shots have been fired, which amounts to thousands of yuan. You'd need to find a rich second-generation boyfriend for that possibility. For ordinary people like us with plain looks, it's best not to dream about it. We can only watch others' romance from afar."
"Ahhh, you're so annoying! I can't even indulge in a fantasy without you bursting my bubble!"
"Alright, alright. Then you stay here and continue dreaming. I'm going to eat barbecue nearby. For ordinary people, what's more important than filling your stomach? Romance and splendor are secondary!"
"No, wait! I want to go eat barbecue too!"
With that, the two girls linked arms and walked hand-in-hand towards the barbecue stall not far away.
Bai Xi raised her eyebrows and tilted her chin slightly. "Did you hear that? Such fleeting romance is not a necessity for people who truly want to be together. If you want my forgiveness, you'll probably need to show a little more sincerity."
He Mu's eyes remained fixed on Bai Xi, a doting affection radiating from them. "Is that so? Then it seems you might not like the preparations that are coming next."
Bai Xi's expression faltered slightly. "The preparations that are coming next?"
He Mu smiled and took out a sparkler.
He clicked on his lighter, igniting the sparkler, which released scattered points of light.
At that moment, a group of children flooded into the area, each holding a rabbit lantern in one hand and a sparkler in the other.
The oldest among them was the one who had given Bai Xi the paper with the star. She held a thick candle in one hand and placed it in the center to light it. The other children then brought their sparklers to be ignited.
Suddenly, the small plaza was filled with the bright lights brought by the children, along with their joyous laughter.
"In my past life, I wanted to invite you to the Lantern Festival, but we ended up on different paths. This time, I want to make amends, as an apology to you and to fill the regrets we left behind. However, if you don't like it, then so be it."
He Mu spoke earnestly, his eyes never leaving Bai Xi, as if wanting to capture her entirely within his gaze and engrave her into his heart.
Bai Xi looked at the increasing specks of light in the plaza and smiled. "I like this."
He Mu's expression momentarily stiffened upon hearing this, and he moved to embrace Bai Xi.
But at that very moment, Bai Xi directly took the sparkler from his hand and began playing with the children.
Sparklers were beautiful, yet fleeting.
But it was precisely this brevity that etched their beauty deeply into everyone's hearts.
And the carefree laughter of the children was a divine balm for the soul, allowing one to forget anxieties, repression, and worries in that instant.
He Mu watched Bai Xi playing with the sparklers alongside the children, his gaze soft and subtly luminous.
After playing for a while, Bai Xi returned, a slight sheen of sweat on her brow from her exertions.
He Mu took out a handkerchief, intending to wipe the sweat from Bai Xi's face, but Bai Xi took it from him and wiped her own forehead. "Dr. He, do you want me to forgive you completely?"
He Mu smiled. "Naturally, I do."
Bai Xi raised an eyebrow, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "Alright, I'm going to do something now, and you are not allowed to resist."
He Mu's expression remained unchanged. "You can do whatever you want..."
Before he could finish speaking, Bai Xi reached out and pushed He Mu into the swimming pool behind him.
In an instant, He Mu plunged into the water, sending ripples across the surface.
The swimming pool was not deep, but it was enough to drench He Mu from head to toe.
Bai Xi stood by the edge of the pool, looking down at the man in the water, a faint smile on her face. "There. I said before that if you dared to leave, I'd break your legs. I've fulfilled that. You also erased my memories, and I only remembered after taking a bath in the Geocentric Lake. Now it's your turn to take one. Now, we are even."
He stood up steadily, looked at Bai Xi, his eyes filled with helplessness and indulgence. "Alright, we're even."
Bai Xi finished speaking and extended her hand to He Mu.
He Mu took Bai Xi's hand and was pulled ashore by her.
On the shore, He Mu dripped water everywhere, looking somewhat disheveled.
Bai Xi smiled and stepped forward, reaching out to help him take off his trench coat.
He Mu looked a bit awkward and held Bai Xi's hand. "I can do it myself."
Bai Xi smiled. "What, you can't look at me just because I've changed bodies?"
He Mu's gaze was intense, and he released Bai Xi's hand. "If you want to look, you're welcome to do so. However, this body's physique might not be as good as those youngsters from the border defense forces in Haidao City."
Upon hearing this, Bai Xi's smile widened even further. "Is that so? Then I must look even more."
As she spoke, she began to tug at He Mu's trench coat. He Mu stood there motionlessly, letting her fuss, a smile on his face.
Beneath the trench coat was a white t-shirt, now completely soaked and clinging to his body. It seemed as if there was a mark on the back of his neck... a scar.
Bai Xi's brow furrowed slightly upon seeing the scar.
He Mu's voice sounded from in front of her. "Xi'er is truly mischievous."
Bai Xi then released her grip and smiled. "Dr. He, your back injuries seem to have healed, but on your neck... there appears to be a new injury. Did you get it in the Ice Ridge Mountains?"
He Mu reached back and pressed on his back, smiling. "This happened earlier when I was administering medicine to those mutated patients. One of them struggled too fiercely, and I accidentally injured myself."
Bai Xi frowned. "I'm sorry, I didn't know..."
He Mu smiled. "It's alright. Nothing is more important than Xi'er forgiving me."
Bai Xi raised an eyebrow. "I've noticed you've become even more glib than before."
He Mu once again extended his hand towards Bai Xi, intending to gently stroke her cheek.
Bai Xi dodged him again, glancing around before saying, "Wait for me here."
With that, she ran off.
He Mu watched Bai Xi's retreating figure, his gaze slightly darkening. The metal rims of his glasses reflected the lights from the barbecue stall nearby, obscuring his expression. He subconsciously reached back and touched his own back.