Chapter 256: Summer, Beach, Fireworks, and Confession

For the first time, Lin Yu’an realized with such clarity that the light shimmering in this quiet girl’s eyes, a light of wonder and joy at the world, stirred his heart more than the magnificent colors pouring across the sky. He couldn’t look away.

Watching the magnificent fireworks bloom, Zhao Yuanyuan was jumping, clapping, and cheering with excitement, completely ignoring Huang Mao beside her, who was on the verge of speaking.

He was so nervous he’d completely missed the spectacular fireworks, his attention focused solely on the vivacious, jumping girl beside him.

But she was lost in her excitement, and Huang Mao couldn’t find the right moment to speak, so he could only swallow the words that were on the tip of his tongue.

On the giant rock at the very tip of the cape—

Chen Mo and Su Yuqing stood side by side, bathed in the golden torrent.

With every explosion of fireworks, the dazzling light perfectly outlined Su Yuqing’s slender yet graceful curves. The evening breeze lifted stray strands of her hair, brushing them against Chen Mo’s bare forearm and bringing a faint, ticklish sensation.

Chen Mo’s hand hovered protectively behind Su Yuqing’s waist. Through her shawl and thin clothes, he could clearly feel her body tense slightly with each massive boom.

His gaze greedily devoured every detail of her in the shifting light and shadows—her long eyelashes, traced in gold; the delicate tip of her nose; the slight flare of her nostrils from either excitement or nervousness; and her skin, which seemed almost translucent and lustrous under the brilliant light.

The beat of his heart had long since lost its rhythm.

While the eight of them watched the fireworks with varying emotions, the display itself was reaching its climax!

The rhythm grew faster, the light more brilliant!

A volley of silver projectiles, dense as a sudden downpour, shrieked as they tore through the night sky, transforming at their apex into a reverse meteor storm!

Countless silver-white bolts of light trailed long, brilliantly cold tails as they whistled downwards, streaming out in every direction!

Immediately after, a colossal, multilayered chrysanthemum of interwoven red and gold erupted violently in the heart of the night!

Its petals unfurled wantonly, a cascade of flowing light that seemed to nearly burn up the entire night sky!

And amid this breathtakingly brilliant zenith of interwoven red and gold—

Su Yuqing and Chen Mo’s hands found each other, seemingly of their own accord.

Feeling the warmth spreading from his firm, hot palm, Su Yuqing’s heart began to beat even faster.

Before coming here, they had heard from their B&B owner that as tonight’s fireworks festival reached its end, there would be an incredibly lavish, romance-themed fireworks show.

At that time, countless heart- and rose-shaped fireworks would bloom in the sky.

And the grand finale would be the beautiful scene of Niu Lang and Zhi Nv meeting on the Magpie Bridge.

The pyrotechnic design needed to create such a scene was incredibly advanced.

This time, they had hired the top-tier technical team that had once designed the Olympic fireworks show in the Imperial Capital.

All for this final, romance-themed fireworks show.

Years ago, Bikong Island had already become a must-visit destination for couples, and it was an even more perfect spot for honeymoons.

So every year, there were activities designed around the theme of love.

This year, they had incorporated that activity into the fireworks show.

The B&B owner had seen that the four men and four women looked like four couples, which is why he had made a point of telling them about it.

Just as the brilliant light of the interwoven red-and-gold chrysanthemum began to fade, a strange silence briefly fell over the cape—as if the world itself were holding its breath, waiting for the final act to begin.

"Next up is the final act of tonight’s fireworks festival, ’Magpie Bridge Rendezvous’! This is a fireworks show that our top-tier team only managed to create after breaking through significant technical barriers. It’s premiering tonight on Bikong Island, and you absolutely cannot see it anywhere else in the world.

Next is a blessing that the pyrotechnics team, Dragon Dance, asked me to read to all of you!

With this one-of-a-kind work of firework art, we wish for all the lovers in the world to end up together!"

"FWEEE—FWEEE FWEE FWEE FWEE—!"

The moment the host’s voice faded, a series of whooshes filled the air—softer and more melodious than any before, yet with an incredibly clear direction.

They were no longer sharp arrows piercing the heavens, but streaks of light that ascended with a lingering tenderness, like the whispers of lovers.

Countless pink points of light, trailing dreamlike tails, rose gently into the high sky in clusters.

"POP! POP POP POP!"

At the same altitude, they bloomed in perfect, coordinated succession!

Suddenly, the night sky was filled with countless huge, full, shimmering—heart-shaped fireworks!

Giant hearts of pink, light purple, and soft gold appeared in layers. They nested within one another, shone brilliantly alone, or leaned together in pairs, instantly turning the entire sky into a boundless, utterly romantic sea of love.

The outlines of the hearts were sketched by countless tiny, twinkling beads of light. Inside, a halo like the Milky Way flowed, spilling gently downward as if to tenderly envelop all the love in the human world.

"Wow—! They’re hearts! They’re all hearts!" Zhao Yuanyuan’s shriek was filled with dreamlike wonder. She subconsciously gripped the arm of Huang Mao beside her, completely immersed in the visual spectacle.

Her grip sent a jolt through Huang Mao. The words "I like you," which he had rehearsed a thousand times, once again rose to his throat. But as he looked at her upturned face, her eyes filled with the pure joy of the fireworks, he opened his mouth and failed to make a sound. He simply let her hold on, feeling the warmth and the flutter in his arm while berating himself with a mix of annoyance and sweetness. ’I’m so useless.’

’But luckily, an even more perfect moment has yet to arrive.’

’The special firework effect of Niu Lang and Zhi Nv meeting!’

Huang Mao decided to wait for that moment!

Beneath the light of the giant hearts, Zhou Hao and Qu Danwan smiled at each other, a silent warmth flowing between their intertwined fingers.

Lin Yu’an found he could no longer tear his gaze from Zhao Yuanyuan’s profile, made exceptionally soft by the light of the hearts filling the sky.

Her clear eyes were filled with pink and purple starlight. Her lips were slightly parted, her expression one of pure, dumbstruck awe at the beautiful sight.

The unfamiliar warmth in his chest swelled with each heart-shaped firework that bloomed in the sky.

At the very tip of the cape, upon the giant rock.

The overwhelming, supremely romantic light of the heart-shaped fireworks acted as a powerful catalyst, instantly igniting the tide of emotion that was already surging between Chen Mo and Su Yuqing.

Su Yuqing suddenly felt the undeniable heat and strength from Chen Mo’s hand at her waist. His protective hovering had turned into a firm press, an act full of possession and declaration.

Chen Mo’s Adam’s apple bobbed sharply. The pounding in his chest was already as deafening as war drums, drowning out the roar of the fireworks.

The words he had been mulling over for two whole days—or even longer—finally broke through his last vestiges of restraint, ready to spill from his lips.

He turned slightly, leaning closer to Su Yuqing. In the light of the heart-filled sky, his deep eyes swirled with an emotion deeper than the ocean and hotter than fire.

"Yuqing, I..." His voice, low and slightly hoarse, carried a do-or-die resolve. Amid the shriek of a giant red, rose-shaped firework soaring into the sky, his words reached Su Yuqing’s ears with perfect clarity.