Floral Tricks

"Tang Keke just saw you two," Ye Shuang said.

"Is that so?"

"Weren't you trying to hide this? Why are you so calm?" Seeing An Shiyu's unruffled expression, Ye Shuang couldn't help but add, "She almost took a picture of you guys."

"Why would I hide it?" An Shiyu gave him a blank, dot-eyed stare.

Ye Shuang: "..."

Huh?

Wait, no.

"Then why do you guys rarely appear in front of us together?"

"Oh, about that. It's because we implement a shift system for attending classes. Think about it, only one person needs to go to school, and the other can find a place to slack off." An Shiyu spread her hands.

"One day on, one day off. Isn't that great?"

Ye Shuang: "..."

Pinching his cheek and the bridge of his nose, Ye Shuang decided not to dwell on it any longer and instead asked, "Do you want to walk around with us?"

"It's no fun with too many people. If you ask me out alone next time, I might consider it." An Shiyu crossed her arms, then waved her hand dismissively. "Go on, go on. I don't like chatting with people standing at the restroom entrance."

Being shooed away by the girl with such disdain, Ye Shuang felt a bit helpless but still turned to leave.

However, before leaving, he asked, "That yukata looks pretty nice on you. Did you bring it yourself?"

"Bought it here."

"Is that so?"

After Ye Shuang left, An Shiyu stood where she was. Her head drooped slightly, and she twirled a strand of hair around her finger, lost in thought. She then looked down at the yukata she was wearing and reached out to smooth out the wrinkles.

At this time, Chao Yiyu strolled out of the restroom under the gazes of a large group of boys. She adjusted her belt and, seeing An Shiyu spacing out, asked curiously,

"What are you doing? Oh my, are you blushing?"

"It's a bit stuffy in here."

"Really? I feel like the AC is blasting pretty strong."

...

After Ye Shuang returned to Bai Yuyou and the others, he found that the girl had seven or eight more small bags in her hands, mostly filled with various kinds of snacks.

"Are you full?" Ye Shuang asked.

"Here."

"I'm not hungry anymore."

"I feel like I'm about done, though I feel like I haven't eaten much. I was totally planning to eat until I had to hold onto the wall to walk out," Tang Keke muttered.

"If you don't walk out of a buffet holding onto the wall, you're doing a disservice to the price."

"Don't go in with the mindset of eating enough to get your money's worth, or you'll easily make yourself sick," Ye Shuang said with a smile. "A buffet just offers a wider variety of choices, it's not meant for you to forcefully stuff your stomach."

"Alright." Hearing Ye Shuang say that, Tang Keke stopped obsessing over trying to eat more.

On the contrary, Bai Yuyou was still eating.

Naturally, she didn't have any thoughts about getting her money's worth.

She simply wasn't full yet.

At a little past nine o'clock, the three of them finally left the food street. Because they were quite full, they decided to take a walk outside to digest their food.

The night view here seemed quite beautiful, giving off the feeling of strolling through an ancient Japanese-style street.

Ye Shuang slightly raised his eyes to look at the fireworks in the night sky, suddenly feeling that days like this were quite wonderful.

Although the hot springs here were most likely not natural, it was a suitable place for a family to visit.

If his parents were still around, how great would that be?

As Ye Shuang thought about this, he suddenly took out his phone, aimed it at the sky, and snapped a picture.

In the photo—the moon, the eaves, and the fireworks formed a perfectly balanced composition. It was just a casual snapshot of a moment, yet it seemed capable of evoking certain emotions.

Festive seasons always amplify the longing for loved ones.

His fingers suddenly tapped the screen, and he sent the photo to Chen Qin.

The moment he lowered his phone, it vibrated.

Chen Qin: Wow, pretty.

Chen Qin: Yi Er Bubu clapping.jpg

Chen Qin: Ah Ye, it's a new year again. When I get back to the country, let's go visit our parents together, okay?

Ye Shuang tapped on his phone—

Ye Shuang: Sure, it'd be good to bring some gifts and visit Uncle Chen and the others. We can check on Zhou Min's situation while we're at it.

Chen Qin: Dummy.

Chen Qin: I meant Uncle Ye and the others.

Ye Shuang looked at the messages on his phone and paused for a moment.

He silently typed an Mm and then put down his phone.

Beside him, Bai Yuyou seemed to sense something and suddenly leaned forward. "Ye Shuang... what are you thinking about?"

"Nothing."

"You always do this when you're thinking about something." Bai Yuyou made a gesture, like an expression, but it gave the impression of doing something while doing nothing at all.

Ye Shuang didn't quite understand what she meant. Was she imitating him?

Then Bai Yuyou suddenly asked, "Ye Shuang, should we go visit your parents?"

Ye Shuang froze.

"It's a new year. Will they be lonely? Would it be better if we went over to see them?" Bai Yuyou asked curiously.

Seeing the girl's pure, concerned gaze, Ye Shuang felt a mix of complex emotions welling up in his heart.

"Am I that easy to read? Her too, and now you." He reached out and pinched Bai Yuyou's soft cheek, unable to hold back a soft chuckle.

He really was too selfish, actually attempting to have it all.

"Let's go, it's time to head back to the hotel to rest."

"Oh."

Under the fireworks, the three of them walked slowly.

Before going to sleep, everyone soaked in the hot spring for a while longer. However, this time, Bai Yuyou didn't try any of her little tricks. Instead, she sat obediently on Ye Shuang's lap, watching a movie—though perhaps because the soak was too comfortable, Bai Yuyou half-closed her eyes and dozed off in Ye Shuang's arms for a bit.

"She actually fell asleep." Ye Shuang shook his head.

He reached out and poured himself a glass of wine from the tray beside him. These were taken from the hotel's mini-fridge, but he knew he couldn't drink too much. He had heard of people getting drunk while soaking in a hot spring and ending up drowning.

"Ooh, a sleeping Yuyou is pretty cute." Tang Keke watched from the side, even wanting to take a picture of the scene.

Ye Shuang reminded her, "Keke, from now on, you can't use a camera for scenes like this."

"Got it." Tang Keke nodded obediently, and with her movements, the "schoolbags" floating on the surface of the hot spring water bobbed along as well.

"Also, don't teach Yuyou those weird things," Ye Shuang continued.

If she dared to play with fire today, she'd be trying to go all the way tomorrow.

Tang Keke scratched her head. "Weird things..."

Does he mean that romance knowledge?

Even though it's stuff from shoujo manga.

"Brother, she's going to learn about that stuff sooner or later anyway," Tang Keke said. At the very least, Yuyou needed to know how a romantic relationship should progress, right?

Ye Shuang said sternly, "No way. Normal stuff is fine, but no fancy tricks."

Tang Keke tilted her head.

Normal stuff is fine, but no fancy tricks?

What's normal and what's a fancy trick?

Could it be that kissing is normal, and doing a handstand while kissing is a fancy trick?

"Ah, so that's it. I understand!" Tang Keke pounded her fist against her chubby palm, then gave Ye Shuang a thumbs-up.

Even though the two were talking about completely different things, they somehow inexplicably managed to get on the same wavelength.