Confess your feelings

Along with this familiar and gentle voice, the hustle and bustle of the crowd and the burst of sparks became an illusory background. Cheng Yayin looked back at Pei Songsheng and saw the familiar tenderness in his eyes.

"Why did you change back at this time?" she murmured.

Pei Songsheng raised the corner of his mouth, held her hand and left the crowd, "Don't want to see me?"

"No." Cheng Yayin said quickly, her face flushed again when she remembered what nonsense she had said in front of him. "I was just talking nonsense. The words about buying out your next life were just a joke. Just pretend you didn't hear it."

"That won't do. I didn't force you to buy it. Now that I've heard it, there's no way I'm going to take it back." Pei Songsheng looked at Cheng Yayin seriously, with some stubbornness in his usually gentle eyes.

Cheng Yayin was stunned at first, staring at him intently for a moment. A thunderous drumbeat seemed to echo in her ears. It took her a long time to realize it was her own heartbeat, like a rapid drumbeat, like a turbulent current. Yet, in his eyes, which were as gentle as the tide, it softened into a soft cotton ball, carried by the gentle breeze and filled her heart.

Pei Songsheng said nothing, but the answer was in his eyes. In his eyes, Cheng Yayin instantly read all the endless emotions, and her heart felt like it was filled with honey, so sweet that the corners of her mouth couldn't help but curl up, unable to suppress it.

Pei Songsheng looked at her and smiled too.

The night sky is filled with stars, blinking their bright lights, gazing at the quiet world and the pair of lovers from afar.

Pei Songsheng shook Cheng Yayin's hand and asked, "Do you want to go home?"

Cheng Yayin shook her head. It was rare for her to be out with him, and she wanted to see more of him. And tonight was so wonderful, she didn't want it to end.

Pei Songsheng obviously shared the same idea as her, so he took her hand and strolled down the long street together. This time, their fingers were intertwined.

Passing by a lantern shop, Cheng Yayin was drawn to a revolving heron lantern hanging from the highest shelf outside. The inner tube of the lantern was painted with various historical allusions, and the eaves-like canopy was adorned with colorful tassels, giving it a delicate appearance.

Pei Songsheng noticed her gaze and asked the shopkeeper, "How much is this?"

The shopkeeper shook his head and said, "This is our most valuable treasure. I won't sell it. But if anyone can guess all the riddles here, I'll give it to them as a gift."

Cheng Yayin looked in the direction the shopkeeper pointed and saw a whole wall of riddles posted on the outer wall of the shop. There were many people standing in front of it, pondering over the riddles on the wall.

Seeing the frowns on the faces of the people, the shopkeeper said proudly, "I've hung this lantern for a month, and so far no one has been able to solve all the riddles."

Cheng Yayin thought to herself that this shopkeeper was truly an oddball, not in business for the sake of money, but actually taking on academics. But she was lucky, after all, when it came to scholarship, few in Shengjing could match the man beside her.

Pei Songsheng led Cheng Yayin to the wall of characters, paused briefly, and scanned the entire wall. Then he calmly took the paper and pen offered by the shopkeeper and wrote the answers to the riddles one by one on the table beside him. Cheng Yayin watched him write, and when she matched her own answers one by one, she felt relieved.

After finishing, Pei Songsheng handed the paper to the shopkeeper. The beautiful handwriting amazed the shopkeeper. After reading the entire paper, he was completely impressed and praised, "I can't believe you are so young and so knowledgeable. I offer you this lamp with respect."

The shopkeeper called the shop assistant to take down the rotating egret lamp on the top. Pei Songsheng took it and handed it to Cheng Yayin.

When they saw that someone had solved all the riddles, all the people who had just stopped in front of the wall of words in deep thought gathered around Pei Songsheng and couldn't help but let out bursts of exclamations.

"What a handsome young man, and so knowledgeable, it's really amazing."

Cheng Yayin's ears caught every word of praise for Pei Songsheng, and she smiled with curved eyebrows as if she was being praised herself.

The shopkeeper squeezed in front of the crowd and said to Pei Songsheng, "It's our shop's rule that anyone who solves all the riddles and wins the prize must add another riddle for those who come after him to guess. Would you be so kind as to leave a calligraphy?"

Pei Songsheng looked at Cheng Yayin, and when he saw her nod, he let go of her hand and followed the shopkeeper to the table. He picked up the pen again and rolled up his sleeves. He pondered for a moment on the blank scroll the shopkeeper had brought, then wrote two lines in a fluent manner:

Bamboo stands tall, string waves compete for clarity

Finger whisking sound through the clouds

The shopkeeper read out the words word by word, and couldn't help but wonder what they were. The onlookers also discussed it, but no one could figure it out for a while.

But the moment he stopped writing, Cheng Yayin's heart began beating like a drum again.

The shopkeeper thought hard but to no avail, then said to Pei Songsheng with a wry smile, "I am not well educated, so please enlighten me, sir."

Pei Songsheng looked at Cheng Yayin, his eyes shimmering with warmth: "It's Zheng."

Even after leaving the crowd, Cheng Yayin's face was still red. She held the lantern in her hand, unable to let it go. She stared at it intently, her heart beating like a happy little bird, wishing it could flap its wings and fly out of her chest.

She looked so adorable and childish. Pei Songsheng smiled and said, "Don't just look at the lights. Watch your steps and be careful not to fall."

Cheng Yayin shook their tightly held hands and said, "You won't let me fall."

Thinking of the riddle, Cheng Yayin couldn't help but curl up the corners of her mouth and said, "I take back my previous thought that you don't understand romance. You are actually quite good at it."

Pei Songsheng looked at her and asked, "You don't like it?"

Cheng Yayin's face flushed again, and she whispered, "I like it."

These two words were drowned out by the roar of fireworks soaring into the sky. Cheng Yayin looked up in surprise and saw bunches of fireworks bursting into life under the night sky, shining brightly and gleaming, rivaling the stars and the moon in brilliance.

Seeing the amazement in Cheng Yayin's eyes, Pei Songsheng took her to a place with a better view and watched the fireworks with her.

Cheng Yayin stared intently at the fireworks overhead. She wondered whose wedding it was, but it perfectly matched her mood. She felt the bright flames trailing their long tails into her heart, making her leap with joy.

She also appropriately thought of what happened the last time she watched fireworks with Pei Songsheng.

Pei Songsheng felt his sleeve being gently pulled. He lowered his head and looked at Cheng Yayin inquiringly.

Cheng Yayin looked at him seriously and asked, "You are Pei Songsheng now, right?"

There was also a small spark in her eyes. Pei Songsheng looked into them and smiled, "It's me."

Because the fireworks were so loud, they moved very close to each other in order to hear each other clearly. After getting his confirmation, Cheng Yayin no longer hesitated and stood on tiptoe to kiss his lips.

*

Late at night, Cheng Yayin lay in bed, unable to calm down.

Everything that happened under the fireworks flashed through her mind. How she kissed Pei Songsheng passionately, and how Pei Songsheng hugged her tightly and kissed her back. They lingered under the fireworks...

There was still a tingling sensation on her lips. When she thought of Pei Songsheng's strong hands around her waist and his hot lips and tongue when he kissed her, Cheng Yayin couldn't help but wrap herself tightly in the quilt and twist around on the bed, her whole body numbing as if it were electrified.

After taking a bath, Pei Songsheng lifted the bed curtain and saw this scene.

Cheng Yayin twisted like a long worm on the bed. When she turned her head, she was caught off guard by his smiling eyes. She immediately stopped, coughed awkwardly twice, then loosened the twisted quilt and moved to the inside of the bed with a normal expression.

Pei Songsheng had a happy smile on his face. He spread out the wrinkled quilt, then got on the bed. His hand suddenly reached out to Cheng Yayin's neck.

Cheng Yayin shuddered and moved away, then sat up hugging the quilt and said, "Not now!"

Pei Songsheng looked at her in surprise.

Despite her excitement, Cheng Yayin remained rational. Although she and Pei Songsheng had already communicated their feelings to each other, and since they were husband and wife, it was natural for them to do the things that husband and wife should do, she was really afraid that in the current situation, he would suddenly become a different person...

Seeing Cheng Yayin's fearful expression, Pei Songcheng realized that she had misunderstood something. His ears turned red and he laughed, "I just wanted to fix your hair."

Cheng Yayin raised her hand and touched her tangled hair. She must have looked like a leopard after rolling around in bed so passionately just now. She awkwardly combed her hair a few times, afraid that her resistance would cause Pei Songsheng to misunderstand her. She fumbled and explained, "It's not that I don't want to be with you...it's just that your poison hasn't been cured yet. It's not that I dislike you, it's just..."

The more anxious she became, the more confused she became. Pei Songsheng sat up, suddenly approached her, and sealed her words with a kiss.

Cheng Yayin immediately felt dizzy again.

Pei Songsheng rested his hand against her forehead, a smile on his face: "A Zheng."

"Um?"

"You're so cute."

“…”

Cheng Yayin's heart was filled with an indescribable sweetness. She blushed and burrowed into Pei Songsheng's arms, mumbling, "You're so talkative now. How come you were so silent before?"

Pei Songsheng held her and lay down, letting her head rest on his arm. "Because I always didn't know how to get along with you before. I was afraid that if I talked too much or did too much, it would make you bored."

Cheng Yayin said unconvincedly: "You haven't even asked me, how do you know I would be annoyed?" Then she thought, it really wasn't his fault. She used to avoid him like she was avoiding something. Although they lived under the same roof, they were very frugal with words and never said a word that was unnecessary.

Pei Songsheng hugged her tightly and said, "I'll know later. From now on, I will do anything to make you happy."

Cheng Yayin felt sweet in her heart for a moment, but suddenly she remembered something, half-propped herself up, and asked angrily: "Then why did you ask for a divorce from me?" This matter had been lingering in her mind for a long time. She had no position on it before, but now she can finally get an answer with confidence.

Pei Songsheng's smile froze, and he blinked twice slowly, saying bitterly, "I'm sorry. At that time, I felt that you were unhappy with me. I thought that instead of letting you be trapped with someone you don't like for the rest of your life, it would be better for me to let you go and live freely."

The desolation in his tone washed over Cheng Yayin like a tide, and she was also infected by the loss. She whispered, "Don't you think so now?"

Pei Songsheng shook his head: "I overestimated myself. In fact, I am not as open-minded as I thought. In fact, I have liked you for a long time. I can't let go of you easily."

Cheng Yayin's eyes widened slightly: "Very early? Did you fall in love with me when we got married?"

"Sooner than you think."

Cheng Yayin thought back to the time when she had met him before they got married. It could only be when he was a child and studying in the Cheng Mansion. But at that time, they had barely met a few times. How could he have fallen in love with her?

Cheng Yayin was indeed too charming. She felt a little smug, but then she felt melancholy. She rested her head on Pei Songsheng's chest and sighed, "How much time have we wasted before?"

Pei Songsheng lowered his head and placed a kiss on her forehead. "As long as you are willing to look back at me, it's never too late."

Cheng Yayin felt a little sad, and she hugged him tightly without saying a word, and the two fell asleep in each other's arms.