The Liuyun Street at night is completely different from what you see during the day.
The paper lanterns, which were dark during the day, were now all lit up, illuminating the entire market with a hazy beauty under the pull of the strings stretched to the ends on both sides.
A gentle evening breeze swept by, filling the air with a sweet fragrance.
It looks like a multicolored mooncake, or a purple sweet potato that has just been steamed.
Laughter and cheerful voices echoed throughout the bustling crowd.
The squirrel plush toy was held in Li Tangyan's arms, its bright eyes filled with curiosity, as if it wanted to remember everything it saw.
On the other side, children carrying lanterns were chasing each other as they ran towards them.
In the midst of their playful antics, one of them bumped right into Li Tangyan.
Li Tangyan stumbled from the impact, barely managing to catch the lantern that was about to fall to the ground with her other hand.
Wen Zhaonian caught her, his arms around her shoulder slightly cool: "Are you alright?"
Li Tangyan shook her head before turning her gaze to the person in front of her.
Under the light, the boy's face turned pale as he realized he had made a mistake.
At the same time, the boy's mother caught up from behind.
As she pressed her hand to her chest, panting slightly, she looked at the two of them with a hint of apology: "I'm so sorry. Tao Tao, have you apologized to your sister?"
The boy called Tao Tao nervously twisted the hem of his clothes, his gaze constantly drifting towards the lantern in her hand as he spoke: "Big sister, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to."
Looking at the little boy in front of her, Li Tangyan smiled and then squatted down in front of him.
She placed the lantern handle back into the boy's hand: "It's okay, just be more careful next time."
After saying that, she pointed to the lantern in the boy's hand, the flickering candlelight making her expression even more gentle: "We can't let such a beautiful rabbit lantern get burned before we even finish shopping at the market."
"I understand, thank you, big sister."
The boy nodded heavily, and then, led by his mother's hand, he gradually disappeared from her sight.
Li Tangyan stood there for a long time, watching the direction the two had left, momentarily dazed.
When he came to his senses again, a barely audible sigh escaped from his throat.
She turned around but couldn't find Wen Zhaonian.
At that moment, Li Tangyan felt a jolt in her heart.
It was as if, amidst the surging crowd, she was the only one left behind.
Li Tangyan looked around but found nothing. In her panic, she even forgot that she could contact him by phone.
As if drawing on the last bit of security, she hugged the squirrel plush toy in her arms tighter and tighter.
A slight soreness could be heard in his deep voice upon closer listening: "Wen Zhaonian."
After a while, Li Tangyan was about to walk forward with her head down when she felt a heaviness on her head.
The next second, someone gently ruffled the hair on the top of her head.
A metallic voice slowly approached from behind, the familiar scent of soap lingering in the air, giving a sense of inexplicable peace: "I'm here."
Li Tangyan turned around and saw Wen Zhaonian standing right behind her.
The evening breeze brushed against his face, blowing a few strands of hair at his temples, and his black sweater clung to his body, outlining his silhouette.
Li Tangyan's eyes welled up with tears.
Even in the noisy environment, her raised voice clearly reached Wen Zhaonian's ears the moment she opened her lips.
"Where did you go? I almost couldn't find you—"
The sound of the wind brushed past her ears, awakening Li Tangyan's rationality.
Realizing that her tone had been a bit too harsh, her neatly trimmed nails unconsciously curled and sank into the ball of fur.
The white spot on her fingertips betrayed her regret: "I'm sorry, I spoke a little too hastily."
Under the gaze, Li Tangyan lowered her head slightly, making it impossible to see the expression on her face.
She was holding a plush toy in her arms and wearing only a thin coat.
In the moment of bowing one's head and looking down, a night breeze blows, giving one a sense of solitude, detached from the hustle and bustle.
Without realizing it, my heart felt as if it had been hit by a muffled sound.
By the time he realized what had happened, he had already stepped forward and pulled the person into his arms: "It's alright."
As Wen Zhaonian moved, Li Tangyan leaned forward and instantly crashed into his arms.
Her free hand gripped the hem of his shirt tightly.
Before I could sort out the jumbled thoughts in my mind, I felt the clear, cool voice slowly coming from above my head, and the vibrations coming from my chest became more and more obvious.
His voice was deep and resonant, instantly numbing the tips of my ears: "It's my fault for not giving you a heads-up beforehand, I deserve to be scolded."
"..."
After a while, noticing that the person in his arms had calmed down a bit, Wen Zhaonian let go and pulled back a little to create some distance between them.
Li Tangyan kept her head down, but the light pink tips of her ears revealed the reason.
Li Tangyan sniffed, then looked up at Wen Zhaonian.
The voice sounded a bit muffled: "So where did you go just now?"
The words were still accusatory, but the tone was completely different.
Against that backdrop of her slightly red nose, she appeared even more charming.
Wen Zhaonian rubbed his fingertips by his side for a moment, then looked at Li Tangyan, his Adam's apple bobbing slowly.
As she looked away, she barely managed to resist the urge to reach out and gently stroke the softness of his hair again.
Then, he took out the things that had been hidden behind his back.
Through the thin paper walls of the hexagonal lantern, the small flame cast a faint halo around the entire lantern.
As your palms come close together, you can feel a slight warmth.
Wen Zhaonian placed the lantern handle into Li Tangyan's hand, looking at the man who was still in a daze.
His bent knuckles finally couldn't resist lightly flicking her forehead.
Despite the continued noise around them, Li Tangyan looked at Wen Zhaonian and heard every word he said clearly.
He said, "Play whatever you want, eat whatever you want, don't worry too much."
"In this short life, we should be the ones influencing our emotions, not the other way around, understand?"
At that moment, his reflection was perfectly clear in his eyes.
His dark eyes were like a bottomless abyss; if you weren't careful, you would be completely captivated by them.
Li Tangyan wasn't sure if there was any other meaning hidden in his words, so she just shook her head.
Her slightly parted lips still bore faint marks from being lightly bitten: "I don't quite understand."
As their eyes met, a rustling sound broke the noise of the surroundings. The branches and leaves of the crabapple tree swayed slightly in the breeze, and a petal fell onto her shoulder.
In an instant, a white wrist came into view, and a familiar scent mixed with the faint fragrance of crabapple blossoms spread through the air.
He brushed the petals off Li Tangyan's shoulder.
As she stepped back, her soft voice, tinged with an ambiguous emotion, soon dissipated into the night breeze: "It's alright, I understand."
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