Ye Linchen turned her head and saw Feng Linlin running over, with her good friend Lin Xiaojuan by her side.
"Happy New Year, Xiao Chen!" Feng Linlin took Ye Linchen's hand. "How have you been lately?"
"Happy New Year!" Ye Linchen replied with a smile. "You've had a great year. What are you doing here?"
“I just heard your dad and Aunt Meng arguing at home. Your dad slammed the door and left. I peeked in and was surprised that they didn’t let you come home even though it’s Chinese New Year.” Feng Linlin said with a hint of heartache. “I was thinking of coming to find you to set off fireworks together.”
Feng Linlin waved the sparklers in her hand as she spoke: "Brother Gu bought them all. Let's go, Xiao Chen, let's go together."
Ye Linchen was reluctant to go after hearing that the Gu family was there.
"No, Linlin, you guys go ahead, I want to go home and read some books."
“There’s no rush to read books.” Feng Linlin insisted, “Your grades are so good, don’t put too much pressure on yourself. You need to balance work and rest, and you should rest when you need to.”
“Yes, Xiao Chen, let’s go together. I haven’t seen you in so long. I even told Linlin that I wanted to come and see you.” Lin Xiaojuan smiled from the side. “It’s fate that we met here today. It’s God’s arrangement.”
"That's right, it's fate, you can't refuse it."
When Ye Linchen heard that the two of them had even invoked the will of God to persuade her to go, she immediately laughed.
"I don't want to see Gu Yifei."
“I don’t want to see him either.” Feng Linlin immediately agreed, then glanced at Lin Xiaojuan, who looked embarrassed. “Actually, even if you wanted to see him, you wouldn’t be able to. Guan Minghao just pulled him away. Only his brother is here. He’s the one who lent you the money.”
Gu Jingran?
Gu Jingran had helped her several times, and Ye Linchen was grateful to him.
She smiled and readily tossed her head: "Then I'll gladly accept your offer and let's go!"
"Very good!"
Feng Linlin and Lin Xiaojuan cheered, grabbed a bunch of sparklers and handed them to Ye Linchen, then pulled her along as they set off.
The three of them walked and chatted.
They tacitly avoided mentioning the Ye family and talked only about their studies.
Ye Linchen happened to have some questions, so he asked them for help.
Feng Linlin and Lin Xiaojuan both had excellent grades and spoke logically, explaining the problem that Ye Linchen couldn't understand in just a few words.
Ye Linchen said happily, "Among three people walking together, there must be one who can teach me. The ancients were truly right."
The three chatted and laughed, and soon arrived at the place where fireworks were set off.
They chose an open space behind the steel plant as the location for setting off the fireworks.
There are no residents or trees around, so there's no need to worry about safety.
From afar, Ye Linchen saw Gu Jingran half-squatting in the center of the open space, arranging the fireworks.
The soft moonlight shone on his profile, as if veiling him in a light gauze, adding a touch of gentleness.
"Brother Gu!" Feng Linlin called out to Gu Jingran, "Xiao Chen is here! Are the fireworks ready?"
"Alright!" Gu Jingran quickly stood up and looked at Ye Linchen.
He was wearing a black leather jacket today, with a red turtleneck sweater peeking out from the collar, looking both energetic and festive.
Under the moonlight, his eyes shone brightly, and a smile played on his lips: "Xiao Chen, Happy New Year!"
"Brother Gu, Happy New Year!" Ye Linchen replied with a smile.
Gu Jingran raised his hand and waved the incense sticks in his hand at them: "You can just stand there, you don't need to come over!"
After saying that, he bent down and lit the fireworks.
The fuse burned out quickly, and fireworks rose into the sky, exploding with a "bang" and bursting into colorful light, instantly illuminating the dark blue night sky.
Ye Linchen was completely mesmerized.
This was the first time she had ever seen fireworks in her memory.
In my past life, I celebrated the Lunar New Year in the countryside, where very few people set off fireworks.
On her few occasional trips to the city, she was always busy trying to pay for her tuition.
Later, when she moved to the city, although there was a tradition of setting off fireworks during the Lunar New Year, she was always busy with housework and had no time to look up at the night sky.
Meng Xueyun and Ye Zhenghua never invited her when they went out to watch fireworks.
Unexpectedly, in this second life, she not only had the chance to have a family reunion with her neighbors, but also the chance to watch fireworks with her friends.
She stared blankly at the fireworks blooming in the night sky, her eyes stinging with tears.
She didn't even notice when Gu Jingran walked up to her.
Ye Linchen only came to his senses when the fireworks had faded and the sky returned to silence.
"Let's set off the sparklers too."
Feng Linlin, still wanting more, took Ye Linchen's arm and gestured for Gu Jingran to light the fire.
Ye Linchen was in high spirits and did not refuse again.
Small sparklers may not be as dazzling as large fireworks, but when several people gather around to light them, it still has a unique charm.
In the firelight, a bright smile appeared on Ye Linchen's fair face.
His eyes sparkled like stars, like the brightest stars in the night sky.
Together with Feng Linlin and Lin Xiaojuan, she gently waved the sparklers in her hands, drawing golden arcs like nimble dancers gracefully dancing in the night sky.
Gu Jingran's face was also full of smiles. He took the sparkler that Feng Linlin handed him and waved it with them.
The four people formed a small circle, their sparklers weaving together to create a dazzling net of light, their cheerful laughter echoing in the night sky.
It wasn't until all the fireworks had finished that everyone reluctantly prepared to go home.
On the way back, Feng Linlin kept talking to Ye Linchen about the fireworks that day.
"It's a pity we went to buy fireworks a little too late this year; we missed out on the most beautiful blue fireworks. That one was truly gorgeous."
"It looks beautiful today," Ye Linchen said with a smile that brightened her eyes. "This is the happiest New Year I've ever had!"
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