Chapter 31 Reluctant to Part

"...Who, who's staring at you!" Peng Chengyi suddenly snapped back to reality, hurriedly lowered her head, and her thick, long eyelashes fluttered a few times like startled butterfly wings.

She snatched the firework bag back, but her fingertips accidentally caught on the loose cuff of his sweater, creating a slight static charge.

"If you didn't look, you didn't look," Chen Yubai glanced at her and said slowly, "Why would you shock me?"

"It's your own fault for not tucking your sleeves properly, and you're blaming me." Peng Chengyi forced herself to calmly walk towards the door, then retorted as if to cover up her embarrassment, "Besides, the way you look right now, you're more suited to holding a thermos and soaking goji berries in it. Handsome my foot, hurry up and leave."

Chen Yubai smiled noncommittally and reminded her, "You're not turning off the TV, and you're not even wearing a coat?"

"..." Peng Chengyi paused, awkwardly turning around, "Then you go downstairs and wait for me."

Chen Yubai's smile deepened: "Oh."

Thinking that there weren't many fireworks left in the bag, and that once they were all gone, she would have to come back and face that suffocating argument, Peng Chengyi turned off the TV, put on her down jacket, grabbed her bicycle keys, and hurriedly went downstairs.

“Let’s go to the riverbank to set it off.” She caught up with Chen Yubai, who had just walked out of the building. “There are fewer people there, and it’s not easy to blow up someone else’s car.”

Chen Yubai paused, turned around, and said, "I didn't bring my car keys."

"It's okay, I just rode a shared bike back a while ago, it should still be parked at the entrance of the residential compound." Peng Chengyi said, tossing the firework bag into the basket of her bicycle parked in the stairwell, and bending down to unlock the bike.

When she pushed her bicycle and walked with Chen Yubai to the entrance of the family compound, the shared bicycle had already disappeared.

“Uh…” Peng Chengyi pursed her lips slightly, then simply patted the back seat of the bicycle, “Fine, I’ll give you a ride, it’s not far anyway.”

Chen Yubai glanced at her dilapidated bicycle, raised an eyebrow with amusement: "Are you sure? Didn't you say it would fall apart if you carried someone?"

Peng Chengyi choked for two seconds, then laughed awkwardly and said, "It was just my imagination. My mom took me to the market to buy New Year's goods a couple of days ago."

"Oh—" Chen Yubai paused for a moment, then said bluntly, "But I'm still worried about your cycling skills."

Peng Chengyi glared at him with displeasure, flicked her ponytail, and nimbly straddled the seat: "Who do you think you are! My driving skills are excellent, so hurry up and get on."

Chen Yubai steadied her crooked back seat with one hand and chuckled, "I've never seen anyone with such good driving skills that they can barely put their feet on the ground."

Peng Chengyi paused, then said angrily, "What do you know? It's only because I can control it even when I can't reach the ground that it proves my skills are superb."

"Alright, then I'll experience your superb skills." Chen Yubai lazily lifted his long legs and casually straddled the back of her bicycle.

The bike slumped slightly under his weight, and Peng Chengyi quickly gripped the handlebars to steady the bike.

"Hold on tight." She slammed on the pedal, and the bicycle wobbled off.

The person in the back seat instinctively supported her waist. Even through the thick down jacket, she could almost feel the warmth of his palm, which made that small patch of her skin feel slightly hot.

The night breeze brushed past her ears, and she heard Chen Yubai chuckle behind her: "Is this what you mean by 'good technique'?"

"Shut up!" Peng Chengyi slammed her foot on the pedal, her face flushed. "If you keep making noise, I'll throw you off!"

The wheels rolled over streets littered with firecracker debris, winding their way towards the riverbank in the night, illuminated by fireworks that flickered in and out.

Chen Yubai suppressed the corners of his lips that were turning upwards, and his long legs would occasionally and subtly help her steady the crooked bicycle, while his well-defined hands would always rest lightly on her waist.

It's as if she's always ready to catch him as he sways, yet stubbornly insists on carrying him forward.

-

The riverside was much quieter than usual on New Year's Eve. The music for square dancing had disappeared, and the children playing on scooters were nowhere to be seen. Only a few passersby, wrapped tightly in their coats, hurried by.

The lights of the new city on the opposite bank are reflected on the dark, inky surface of the river, like scattered diamonds, gently swaying with the ripples.

Peng Chengyi leaned his bicycle against the railing on the embankment, took the bag of fireworks out of the basket, and strode towards the open viewing platform in front.

Chen Yubai followed slowly behind her, his loose cotton coat billowing in the biting river wind, outlining the boy's slender figure.

"Let's do it here." Peng Chengyi chose a secluded corner and stopped.

She excitedly rummaged through the firework and found the first one, but suddenly stopped and looked up abruptly: "Oh no, I forgot my lighter!"

She glanced awkwardly at Chen Yubai, who had followed her, and simply shoved the fireworks into his hand, saying, "You wait here, I'll ride my bike to a convenience store nearby and buy a lighter."

"On New Year's Eve, what convenience store is still open?" Chen Yubai called out to her as she turned away in a hurry, and slowly pulled a lighter out of his pocket. "Don't worry, I have one."

Peng Chengyi was stunned for a moment, then looked at him with surprise and worry: "...Why do you carry a lighter with you? You're not secretly smoking, are you?"

Chen Yubai chuckled: "Do you smell smoke on me?"

Peng Chengyi subconsciously moved closer to him and sniffed at his collar.

"Ah! Just a little! You actually smoke!" She suddenly raised her face, her hair brushing against his chin as she moved, the sweet scent of shampoo filling his nostrils.

Chen Yubai's Adam's apple bobbed almost imperceptibly before she chuckled and reminded her, "Please, I'm wearing your dad's clothes right now."

“…Oh right.” Peng Chengyi then realized what he meant, took a half step back awkwardly, and asked him to make amends, “Then what did you make me smell?”

Chen Yubai gave a helpless twitch of his lips: "What I mean is, have you ever smelled it before?"

Peng Chengyi thought for a moment and said, "It seems not."

Chen Yubai: "Then that settles it."

As he spoke, he put down the fireworks in his hand and squatted down.

"Take the rest of the fireworks and step back." He pressed the lighter in his hand, and the flame flickered on his fingertips.

Peng Chengyi quickly picked up the bag of fireworks from the ground and took a few steps back.

She forgot to ask him why he had a lighter, and just watched nervously as he raised his hand to block the wind and bent down to light the fuse.

Sparks flew up and drew a bright trail in the night.

Chen Yubai quickly stood up and pulled her even further away.

Fireworks spun in the open space, bursting into colorful sparks that illuminated the two people's faces.

"Huh? Does this thing just spin around on the ground?" Peng Chengyi was taken aback.

"Didn't you buy the fireworks?" Chen Yubai turned his head and glanced at her.

Peng Chengyi shook her head: "My dad bought them all. I just randomly picked a few with nice-sounding names. Surely none of them are actually auspicious?"

Chen Yubai held out his hand to her: "Let me see."

“Hmm…” Peng Chengyi handed him the plastic bag.

Chen Yubai lowered his eyes and looked through the remaining fireworks inside, then chuckled, "Unfortunately, there really aren't any."

Peng Chengyi reluctantly tugged at the plastic bag a couple more times: "This is called a spinning butterfly, can't it fly? Butterflies can fly, can't they?"

"Didn't it say 'spinning' in front of it?" Chen Yubai took out the box of fireworks, shook it, and confirmed, "So it's similar to the one we just set off, the one that spins on the ground."

"This is...a total rip-off! I was hoping to see those fireworks that explode in the sky!" Peng Chengyi pouted in disappointment.

"Those fireworks are all quite large; you can't carry them over in such a small plastic bag," Chen Yubai explained to her.

Peng Chengyi: "Ah, I did see two rather large boxes, but I gave up on them because they were difficult to carry."

Chen Yubai glanced down at his watch: "It's okay, let's wait a bit. Other families might put them out, and we should be able to see them clearly from here."

"What time is it now?" Peng Chengyi asked.

"10:30," Chen Yubai said.

"Then let's wait about an hour and set off the fireworks I brought first." Peng Chengyi blinked her bright eyes, her excitement returning.

People in Linbin have a tradition of staying up all night on New Year's Eve, so the time close to midnight is the busiest time in the entire city.

Almost every household would set off fireworks and firecrackers, so much so that even when she used to watch the Spring Festival Gala, she never heard the New Year's bell on TV.

The last ten minutes of the skit and crosstalk performance felt like watching a silent film.

All I could hear was the deafening sound of firecrackers.

After releasing the peacock's tail feathers, the fallen pearls, and the spinning butterflies from the plastic bag, Peng Chengyi took the last few sparklers and sat down on a bench by the river.

"I'm still willing to put this in, could you mark it for me?"

She raised the fairy wand in her hand towards the boy in front of her.

Chen Yubai lazily pressed the lighter, lit it for her, then turned it off and sat down next to her.

"I'll give you one." Peng Chengyi handed him the sparkler in her left hand.

Tiny sparks illuminated his angular face and reflected in his deep eyes.

She saw him raise his eyebrows slightly before silently accepting it.

The sparklers hissed in the night, their golden sparks flashing like a miniature meteor shower.

Peng Chengyi gently shook her wrist and casually asked him, "How long will your dad be back this time?"

Chen Yubai, with his long legs spread apart, stared at the fireworks in his hand and replied casually, "I don't know. Judging from their condition, they probably won't even make it through the first year of junior high."

"..." Peng Chengyi slightly tightened her grip on the fairy wand in her hand and tentatively asked, "Do you want your dad to stay at home more often?"

"That's their business, it's not up to me to decide." Chen Yubai paused, then said indifferently, "I actually hope they get divorced soon."

"..."

really.

His idea was the same as hers.

Peng Chengyi pursed her lips and continued, "Have you discussed your thoughts with them? I heard from my parents that they seem to be against divorce because of you."

"For me?" Chen Yubai chuckled as if he had heard a joke, his eyes lowered as he said, "They don't want to divorce each other, but they're too proud to admit it, so they're just using me as an excuse."

"Huh?" Peng Chengyi paused, a little confused, and asked, "Then Uncle Chen, he..."

“He didn’t cheat on me, but my mom doesn’t believe me,” Chen Yubai said succinctly.

Initially, after his father's company started to do well and he hired a beautiful and capable secretary to help him with his work, he had his doubts.

But he later discovered that there was absolutely no trace of any woman living in his father's villa.

He was indeed extremely busy with work, spending most of the year traveling abroad on business, and had never taken his secretary with him.

Therefore, the biggest problem between his parents is that both of them have too strong personalities.

When two strong-willed people fall in love, it's inevitable that they will fight each other.

Especially after his birth, someone needed to take care of him, but no one was willing to sacrifice their career for the family.

They could only blame each other, and the argument escalated.

He hadn't seen this before, and thought it meant their relationship had broken down.

So when the two were arguing at home again, he simply pushed open the bedroom door and said, "Can you two hurry up and get a divorce?"

After a moment of silence, all the criticism suddenly turned against him.

Whether you call him ignorant or meddling, it doesn't compare to Chen Jianye's words, "If it weren't for you, your mother and I wouldn't be arguing like this. Go back to your room."

After cursing, he still wasn't satisfied and threw the fork in his hand at him.

Chen Yubai quickly turned his head, but the fork still grazed his eyebrow, leaving a bloody mark.

Enraged, Lin Qingying grabbed the plates of leftover food from the table and dumped them all over Chen Jianye's head.

...

"Didn't you try to clear things up for your dad?" Peng Chengyi asked cautiously.

Chen Yubai chuckled: "It's no use clarifying it. My mom said I'm siding with outsiders, so if I'm so biased towards him, I might as well go live in a big villa with him."

Peng Chengyi paused for two seconds, then couldn't help but ask, "Isn't living in a big villa nice? Why don't you go? Even if you live in the family compound, Aunt Lin rarely has time to take care of you, right?"

Chen Yubai glanced at her briefly before lowering his eyes and saying indifferently, "I'm used to living in the family compound, I'm too lazy to move, and besides, I can still come to your house for a free meal."

"Oh, I thought you were reluctant to part with your childhood friend, but it turns out you're reluctant to part with my mom's cooking." Peng Chengyi pouted, then took apart a new sparkler and handed it to him. "Quickly, light it for me again."

"Why would I be reluctant to part with a childhood friend who's so good at ordering people around?" Chen Yubai smiled casually, pressing the lighter in his hand with his slender fingers.

"..." Peng Chengyi paused, unable to refute for a moment.

The tiny sparks bloomed again in her hand. Chen Yubai put away the lighter and leaned back lazily in her chair: "So you don't need to worry about my parents. They're like two hedgehogs now. It hurts when they get close, but they can't bear to separate. But one day they'll be too tired to argue anymore."

The wind by the river ruffled the stray hairs on his forehead, making his handsome features even more striking.

His raven-feather-like eyelashes cast a faint shadow in his eyes, making it impossible to discern his emotions.

Peng Chengyi's heart tightened involuntarily. When the last spark in her hand went out, she finally couldn't help but ask softly, "And what about you? It must be very uncomfortable being caught in the middle."

Chen Yubai paused for a moment, then lazily raised his eyes: "I'm used to it."

Peng Chengyi moved her lips, as if she wanted to say something more.

His cool fingertips suddenly reached out and pinched her chubby cheek, turning her head towards the night sky on the opposite bank: "Watch the fireworks."

Peng Chengyi was stunned for a moment, then raised her eyes, and a streak of light had already pierced the night sky.

The next second, with a loud "bang," dazzling fireworks burst into the sky.

It illuminated the girl's bewildered pupils.

It also illuminated the boy's delicately upturned lips.

-----------------------

Author's Note: [Fireworks][Fireworks][Fireworks]

Thank you uoow, 75981039, 73403844, ahrun, and Sunshine for the nutrient solution! [heart emoji]