“Are you ready? What in the world did you bring out…”

“Alright, alright.”

Far away in Mingzhu City, Jiangg Ning and Jiangg Yao came running out the open front door, each bundled up in a heavy down jacket.

One in front, one behind.

A biting cold wind howled outside—the kind that would give you a runny nose. Their pajamas were clearly visible beneath their down jackets, but they were still carrying some residual warmth from the house, which was just enough to keep them from shivering all over.

The two of them hadn’t snuck out in the middle of the night for some secret mission.

It was just that they had already showered and were about to snuggle into bed together when Jiangg Yao went to hang up her clothes. Suddenly, a pile of small, unlit fireworks tumbled out of her pocket.

She picked them up in surprise, only then remembering that she had gone to the amusement park with her younger cousin’s son and had casually slipped these into her pocket for him.

Looking at the boxes of Fairy Wands, Star Whirlwinds, and fountain fireworks…

Jiangg Yao turned to look at her sister, who was wearing a face mask.

And just like that, the two had snuck out the door.

“What’s that you’re holding?” Jiangg Ning asked curiously.

“I’m not sure. I think it’s an incense stick I grabbed from the living room.”

“Don’t tell me that’s the aromatherapy incense Mom usually uses?” Jiangg Ning froze for a second, then leaned in for a closer look. Sure enough, Yaoyao was holding a small wooden stick that was emitting wisps of smoke and a mesmerizing, woody scent. “It really is!”

“So it is incense. No wonder it took so long to light on the stove. What a pain.”

Jiangg Yao waved the wooden stick, its tip glowing like a red-hot ember.

There were no men in the house, and certainly no smokers.

She had rummaged through every drawer and cabinet in the living room but couldn’t even find a lighter. In the end, she had to grab this stick and take it to the kitchen; otherwise, she wouldn’t have had anything to light the fireworks with.

“This stuff is really expensive. Isn’t this kind of a waste?”

“I guess so…” Yaoyao pondered for half a second. “Who cares? As long as I’m happy, that’s all that matters. It’s our stuff, anyway.”

She only paused for a moment before casting aside her fear of Jiangg Ruxue finding out. She pulled a slender Fairy Wand from the box and handed it to Jiangg Ning.

“I’ll light yours first, Sis.”

“Mm… I’m ready.”

Jiangg Ning rarely played with things like this. She had only ever watched others do it, so now that it was her turn, she felt a small thrill of excitement. Though her expression was calm, her shuffling feet and her stance—as if facing a great enemy—betrayed her nervousness.

It was quite amusing.

Even a six- or seven-year-old girl would know that a Fairy Wand was completely harmless—a firework purely for show.

Jiangg Ning held her arm out straight and turned her head to the side, her eyes fixed on Yaoyao as she brought the smoldering stick over and touched it to the tip of the Fairy Wand.

The next second.

With a FIZZ, the Fairy Wand lit up, sputtering sparks in a tiny circle. The sizzling light traveled down the stick, its faint, gorgeous glow illuminating Jiangg Ning’s exquisitely gentle face.

“It’s so beautiful…”

The tiny circle of sputtering sparks was reflected in her pupils, and she felt her heart melt as she murmured to herself.

“And this one, and this one…”

Jiangg Yao lit a Fairy Wand for herself as well.

“WOOHOO~~ WOW~”

The adorable Yaoyao waved her Fairy Wand back and forth, raising it high in excitement. “Sis, look at me!”

“I’m looking. Be careful you don’t fall, it’s so dark out.”

“I won’t! I’m going to light a few more… Sis, don’t I look like a Flower Fairy!”

Jiangg Yao spun in place on her tiptoes, her face lit with a radiant smile. It was just like when she was a little girl, many years ago, showing off a new dress and telling her sister she was a princess.

The princess from a fairytale… waiting for her prince to come and save her.

Jiangg Ning’s expression was gentle, a soft smile playing on her lips. She watched her sister’s hair fly about, watched the warm puffs of her breath instantly dissipate in the cold air, and watched the high-held Fairy Wand trace an arc like a fleeting shooting star.

But for these few seconds…

…even that shooting star had no desire to roam the cosmos. Instead, it was content to orbit the binary stars at the center of the system, constrained by some unknown gravity to travel slowly along its track.

It was just that easy to make Jiangg Yao happy. The moment she saw the Fairy Wand in her sister’s hand fizzle out, leaving nothing but a bare, scorched wire, she started giggling.

“Mine can still go for a long time.”

“Lame.”

Jiangg Ning rolled her eyes at her, tossed the wire into a nearby trash can, and folded her arms, ignoring her sister’s smug look.

“Here, you play with this then. Why don’t you try lighting one yourself?”

Jiangg Yao placed a Star Whirlwind on the ground. As she squatted down, she handed the smoldering stick to her sister.

“Here, take it,” she said.

“I don’t want to play.”

“Don’t tell me you’re scared, are you? I remember you’ve been afraid of fireworks ever since you were little. Fine, I’ll do it myself… Aww, whose little scaredy-cat is this, afraid of every little thing.”

“What are you muttering about, Jiangg Yao?”

“Nothing. I didn’t say a thing. You’re hearing things, Sis.”

“You little pest… Give it here. Who said I was scared?”

Jiangg Ning took a deep breath and held the smoldering stick firmly in her hand. She licked her moist lips, her gaze locked on the firework sitting on the ground.

‘It’s just touching it with the stick to light it. What’s so hard about that…?’

She exchanged a look with her sister.

Then, with a trembling hand, she reached forward.

The next second.

She jabbed at the ground with lightning speed—so fast you could almost see an afterimage—then immediately jumped back two steps.

She stared at the motionless Star Whirlwind as if facing a mortal enemy.

“Did you even touch it, Sis?”

“Did I miss?”

“It’s pretty obvious you missed.”

“Alright, fine. I’ll try again.”

Jiangg Ning clenched her fist, her palm already a little sweaty. She squinted and crouched down again, using the faint glow of the stick to inch closer and closer to the fuse of the Star Whirlwind… until she couldn’t see the minuscule gap between them anymore.

FWOOSH—

FIZZZZZZZ!!!

The instantaneous flare of light made Jiangg Ning recoil. She snatched her hand back as if she’d received an electric shock, her mind going completely blank.

Since she was squatting, she lost her balance as she scrambled backward and fell right on her butt.

Less than half a second later, the firework on the ground spun to life with all its might, spewing dazzling sparks as it shot crazily across the pavement.

“Sis, hahaha,” Jiangg Yao clutched her stomach, doubled over with laughter, tears welling in her eyes. She pointed at Jiangg Ning, mocking her. “Look how scared you were…”

“You’re still laughing? You’re asking for a beating!”

The normally gentle Jiangg Ning scrambled to her feet, a little mortified and annoyed. Her cheeks flushed red in the darkness as she grabbed Yaoyao’s arm and pinched both her cheeks.

“Ow~ It hursh, it hursh,” Yaoyao mumbled indistinctly, struggling to get free. “I’ll shtop laughing… hehehe, I really will shtop.”

One after another, the Star Whirlwinds were lit, transforming the empty space in front of their gate into a field of shimmering, flowery lights.

They flickered with a mesmerizing halo, zipping tirelessly through the air just above the ground. They skimmed past the sisters’ feet, and the hot sparks forced their two pairs of fair, slipper-clad feet to dodge back and forth as if performing a duet.

The fuse of a fountain firework was also lit.

With a series of CRACKLES and POPS, a jet of sparks erupted from the conical opening, showering the ground. It built up into a fountain of fireworks half a person tall, its vibrant, multi-colored light illuminating their identical faces.

Jiangg Ning’s long hair was unbound, and she reached up to smooth the strands as they were tousled by the wind.

Another winter had arrived.

“So beautiful! I’m going to make my New Year’s wish. It’s New Year’s Eve today, you know.”

“Then make it quick. They might burn out soon.”

“Okay, okay.”

Jiangg Yao crouched down, pressed her pale palms together, and slowly closed her eyes.

The firelight illuminated her thick, trembling eyelashes, casting a flickering shadow beneath her eyes.

She silently recited her New Year’s wish.

‘Heavens above, if you really exist and can hear my wish, please grant this one insignificant prayer. If you can, please let me win this game of hearts. All I want in this life is to be by Chen Yuan’s side, even if it’s just the most ordinary life imaginable. Please don’t think I’m being too selfish… it’s only because I love him so, so much.’

Jiangg Yao opened her eyes.

“Alright, I’ve made my wish!”

“Then I’ll make one, too.”

Jiangg Ning put her hands in her pockets and silently watched the fireworks, which were about to fizzle out.

“Done.”

“You’re done already?”

“Of course.”

“What did you wish for, Sis?”

“I wished for you to be healthy and for our family to be healthy… and for Chen Yuan to have a long, healthy, and peaceful life.”

Jiangg Ning bent down, picked up the discarded firework husks, and tossed them into the trash can before dusting off her hands.

And Jiangg Yao just stood behind her, watching in a long silence.

“What are you spacing out for? Let’s hurry back inside before we catch a cold!”

“Okay.”

Jiangg Ning took her sister’s hand, and they walked back toward the house together.

“Sis, do you think Chen Yuan is asleep yet? Should I message him and ask?”

“He’s asleep by now. He has to get up early tomorrow to go back to his hometown, so don’t bother him.”

“Oh… Sis, have you ever thought about it? If you lose this time and lose Chen Yuan to me, what will you do afterward?” Yaoyao’s question made Jiangg Ning, who was just starting up the stairs, stop in her tracks.

After a moment, she said lightly, “Nothing special. I’d probably focus on learning new things, and maybe finally achieve the dream I had in college to do something meaningful. Like find a career I could devote my life to, and then stick with it until I’m old.”

“I see,” Jiangg Yao said, lost in thought.

“Don’t just think about me losing. What if you lose?”

“I…” Jiangg Yao’s face suddenly paled, and her voice trembled as she spoke. “I’d probably leave. I’d go somewhere far away, to the bustling, Neon-lit Tokyo City, and I’d never see Chen Yuan again for the rest of my life.”

“To find someone new there?”

“No. I won’t marry anyone else. I’ll only ever marry him.”

“Don’t say such foolish things. A lifetime is a very long time.”

“It’s not foolish. You would choose the same, wouldn’t you, Sis?”

“Enough of this nonsense,” Jiangg Ning averted her face and pushed open the bedroom door. “You silly Yaoyao, look at the time. Hurry up and get to sleep.”

She pulled Yaoyao inside.

CLICK.

The bedroom light went out.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep