Chapter 62: Preparing to Learn to Be a Couple?
Before we knew it, the sun was setting and dusk was deepening.
Various lanterns lit up both sides of the road, and everyone carried lanterns in their hands. The lanterns were diverse in style and dazzling in their light.
The streets were already bustling with people, and now they were even more crowded and lively.
Sheng Zhiyi looked around curiously, not noticing the person walking towards her. When she finally saw him, she instinctively dodged the lantern and took a half step back, only to fall right into a wide embrace.
The willow branches swayed in the breeze, and the two figures stopped by the riverbank. Sheng Zhiyi quickly separated from Ji Fuguang's embrace.
Just then, a vendor setting up a stall by the river spoke up cheerfully:
"Excuse me, gentlemen, please make way. I'm about to pack up my stall."
He bent down to tidy up the things, quickly hanging the lanterns one by one on the carrying pole frame.
Sheng Zhiyi secretly breathed a sigh of relief, half trying to start a conversation and half expressing her doubt, "Shopkeeper, this is the busiest time of day, why are you leaving?"
Could there be some hidden story behind this?
Upon hearing this, the vendor smiled and replied, "It seems you two are from out of town. Once it gets completely dark, you'll start releasing river lanterns. I've already written my lantern down and am looking for a good place to release it."
Behind him lay a lotus-shaped river lantern on the ground, with faintly visible words of blessing written on its petals.
The vendor glanced at the two of them, then picked up the river lantern and handed it to them.
"At this hour, most of the stalls in the city have packed up. These two river lanterns are for you. It's a rare occasion to catch the River Lantern Festival; it would be a shame not to release them."
Sheng Zhiyi quickly took out her purse, but the vendor waved his hand and refused to accept it, smiling kindly:
"I will treat this as an act of good deed. May the River God bless me and grant my wish for this year."
Seeing this, Sheng Zhiyi took a lantern from his carrying pole, held it in her hand, and smiled:
"You can always sell lanterns, right? I'll take two."
The vendor thought for a moment, then said, "Then I'll just give you ten copper coins, at cost price."
Sheng Zhiyi opened her purse and then realized that she had already given her only copper coin to Ji Fuguang, so she nudged his arm.
Ji Fuguang took out a small piece of silver and placed it in the vendor's palm. Before the vendor could refuse, he said:
"You have already done a good deed by giving us both river lanterns today. How about we do one too?"
Upon hearing this, the vendor could only smile and accept the loose change.
Sheng Zhiyi casually handed the lantern to Ji Fuguang and then took down another one.
The vendor glanced at the lantern Sheng Zhiyi had chosen, then gave a meaningful look to the two of them before carrying his load away.
Sheng Zhiyi watched the vendor's departing figure, then looked Ji Fuguang over and praised him:
"You're quite the smooth talker. With you saying that, the vendor has no choice but to accept the loose change."
Ji Fuguang held the lantern handle with his slender fingers, his expression calm.
The copper coin that Sheng Zhiyi had just given him was still lying quietly in his purse.
Sheng Zhiyi looked down at the lantern. It had bamboo branches as its frame and various colors were applied to the rice paper. Inside the lantern, candlelight flickered, and the colors were sometimes dark and sometimes light, making it quite vivid.
The lantern she chose this time was again a lotus flower, and next to the lotus flower was a bird with rather plain plumage, bowing its head to preen its feathers.
Looking at Ji Fuguang's hand, it was also a lotus flower, and the bird next to it had emerald feathers all over its body and a red beak pointing to the sky.
Is it a duck?
Thinking of the vendor's eyes as he left, Sheng Zhiyi suddenly had a flash of inspiration.
They are mandarin ducks!
The two lanterns she randomly chose turned out to be a pair: a mandarin duck and a lotus flower.
She even handed one of the lamps to Ji Fuguang.
Sheng Zhiyi froze. She pretended to walk forward naturally, but silently moved the lantern to her side, trying to hide its shape as if she were burying her head in the sand.
After taking a few steps, she secretly glanced to the side.
Very well, Ji Fuguang's expression remained unchanged, seemingly unaware of this at all...
"Sheng Zhiyi".
A clear and gentle voice suddenly rang out.
Sheng Zhiyi trembled, her voice trembling slightly.
"W-What's wrong?"
But then I saw those hands, white as jade, reaching closer and closer...
Oh no, is this person enraged after discovering the problem with the lanterns and now wants to kill her, the person directly involved?
His hand landed on her forehead.
"Why do you walk with your arms and legs moving in unison? It looks like..." Ji Fuguang's voice carried a hint of mockery, his gaze pointed, "like you're feeling guilty?"
"I didn't, don't talk nonsense!"
Sheng Zhiyi jumped three feet away and immediately waved her hand.
As soon as he saw the lantern being held up in front of him, he quickly lowered his arm.
Before she could continue to explain, Ji Fuguang grabbed her arm and pulled her over.
"Don't move around, or you'll fall into the river."
Sheng Zhiyi was pulled into his embrace, and a delicate fragrance immediately filled her nostrils. Having been used to the scents of various cosmetics today, smelling the pear blossom scent now gave her a feeling of a long-awaited reunion.
"Or perhaps..." Ji Fuguang's voice was unhurried, "that you're planning to become a pair of mandarin ducks and jump into the river for a swim?"
It’s over!
This guy must have discovered it a long time ago.
I deliberately didn't say anything, just to see how she would embarrass herself.
Sheng Zhiyi's cheeks were flushed, whether from embarrassment or anger, it was hard to tell.
"Even if I jump in, I can swim."
She pointed to the arched bridge not far away, "Even if I can't swim, there are so many people there, someone will definitely save me."
To make her argument more convincing, she walked quickly toward the arched bridge.
Night had already fallen, the sky was pitch black, but the ground was ablaze with lights, as bright as day.
Yingzhou City grew increasingly lively. The dazzling parade of the daytime had dispersed, replaced by a long stream of people heading towards the water's edge. Every household, young and old, carried a meticulously crafted river lantern—made of paper, carved from wood, folded from lotus leaves… each with its own unique shape, its candlelight flickering.
Many people squatted by the river, gently placing their river lanterns into the water, then remaining on the bank to watch them gradually drift away.
As the river lanterns converge, the entire water surface resembles a flowing galaxy.
It was the first time either of them had ever seen such a grand occasion. Sheng Zhiyi was momentarily stunned, then turned to look at Ji Fuguang.
Ji Fuguang didn't speak, but the flickering candlelight reflected in his eyes enveloped him in warmth.
Just as Sheng Zhiyi was about to say something, a voice suddenly rang in her mind:
[Good evening, player Sheng Zhiyi!]
[A new strategy guide has been released. Please check your inbox.]
[Strategy Task: During the festival celebration, invite Ji Fuguang to participate in the festival ceremony to gain his favor.]
[Task Reward: 100 points]
[Punishment for failure: Extinction of existence]
[Task completion countdown: 04:00:00]
[Please complete the current strategy mission as soon as possible!]
Sheng Zhiyi's expression froze for a moment.
She remembered the special hint she had received that time.
Back to reality.
If she manages to win over Ji Fuguang, she must immediately return to reality.
Even if she can't win over Ji Fuguang, she still has to return to reality after completing all the tasks.
If she refuses to complete the mission, her existence will be erased.
An unsolvable deadlock.
She was like a weak insect, forcibly thrown into this world by the system, forcibly assigned to complete various tasks, and forcibly sent away. From beginning to end, she had no way to express her opinions, and her fate was always in the hands of the system.
Whether out of embarrassment or anger, Sheng Zhiyi lost all interest in anything.
She mustered her spirits and tugged at Ji Fuguang's sleeve, "Let's go release river lanterns."
According to the system task description, releasing river lanterns should just meet its requirements.
Ji Fuguang nodded. "Let's go."
The riverbank was bustling with people, forming layers upon layers around the water.
The two walked along the river to the side, and gradually, the night grew deeper, the crowds thinned, and it became more secluded.
Ji Fuguang took out two river lanterns from his pocket, handed one of them over, and said, "Write your wish on it and put it in the water."
His words were concise and to the point, and his voice was exceptionally clear in the quiet night.
Sheng Zhiyi took the lantern, looked up at the river lanterns floating on the water in the distance, and felt a mix of emotions.
The excitement belongs to others; she can only have this one wish.
Ji Fuguang had already written his wish on the lamp and handed the pen to her. His profile, illuminated by the candlelight, was so handsome that he seemed otherworldly.
Sheng Zhiyi took the pen, quickly lowered her head, and swiftly wrote down two words:
go home.
Her handwriting was messy yet forceful, as if it carried all her hopes and struggles.
What else could she write besides this?
Let's go with this one. Wasn't this her initial wish?
Just as she finished writing and was about to put the lamp into the water, Ji Fuguang suddenly turned his head and looked over.
His gaze seemed to casually sweep over the lamp wall she had just written, and his dark eyes instantly darkened, like a stone thrown into an ancient well, rippling out a deep, unfathomable pool, and the surrounding air seemed to freeze for a moment.
Sheng Zhiyi's heart skipped a beat, and she subconsciously pulled the river lantern closer to her chest, trying to remain calm: "What are you looking at? Don't you dare peek at other people's wishes!"
Ji Fuguang didn't speak immediately, but stared intently at her, his gaze sharp yet complex, making her feel uneasy. After a long while, Ji Fuguang gently parted his lips and slowly said:
“Sheng Zhiyi…”
Her intuition told her that what Ji Fuguang was about to say was very important.
Sheng Zhiyi felt extremely uncomfortable. She subconsciously lowered her eyes and avoided Ji Fuguang's gaze.
Even she herself didn't know whether she wanted to hear it or not.
Just then, a loud "plop" sound suddenly came from the shore not far away.
What heavy object fell into the water?
Someone jumped into the river!
Almost reflexively, Sheng Zhiyi shoved the river lantern in her hand into Ji Fuguang's arms and rushed to the side.
After running a few steps, I saw a young woman floating in the water.
The place was very secluded and sparsely populated. In the deep of night, if they hadn't been nearby, probably no one would have noticed that the woman was trying to commit suicide.
Sheng Zhiyi rushed to the shore and, without the slightest hesitation, jumped into the water.
The icy river water instantly enveloped her entire body. She held her breath and swam with all her might towards the light-colored figure.
The woman seemed determined to die; she sank to the bottom of the river like a stone.
Sheng Zhiyi grabbed her arm and struggled to drag her to the shore.
Ji Fuguang reached out his hand, and Sheng Zhiyi extended the woman's arm. Ji Fuguang avoided taking it, grabbed Sheng Zhiyi's arm, and pulled her up.
Sheng Zhiyi paused for a moment, clutching her wrist, which was red and sore from being gripped, and felt inexplicably guilty.
Immediately, a violent coughing sound came from beside me.
The woman who jumped into the river was soaking wet, her face was deathly pale, and she lay on the bank, coughing up a lot of water.
She looked no more than seventeen or eighteen years old, with delicate features, but at this moment her face was filled with despair and numbness.
"Miss, are you alright?" Sheng Zhiyi asked.
The woman's eyes were vacant. Hearing the concerned voice, she was stunned, and two hot tears streamed down her face. She sobbed uncontrollably.
"Why save me!... Let me die... If I live, I'll just become a plaything of the demons sooner or later... be devoured alive by them, and suffer a fate worse than death..."
Demons?!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
