Dripping Stars Converge into the Lake

After Shen Yi put down his phone, the traffic light turned green.

With a press of the accelerator, he merged into the flow of cars.

It was already past six o'clock, and the sky was gradually darkening.

"Honey, there are quite a few people," Fu Nanzhi said, glancing at her phone while sitting in the passenger seat.

Shen Yi was focused on driving and asked her, "Where are there a lot of people?"

"At the scenic spot," Fu Nanzhi replied.

"I'm watching a live stream of the place, and it's just a sea of heads as far as the eye can see."

"Good thing I booked the boat tickets in advance; otherwise, we'd be stuck in endless lines," Fu Nanzhi said, sticking out her tongue.

"There's no helping it. Songping Lake is popular; it's suitable for all ages, has beautiful scenery, and is close by."

"Not only do we think this way; others surely do too," Shen Yi added with a hint of complaint.

Going out during holidays means preparing for crowds, especially at popular tourist spots.

The car headed toward the outskirts, and as the daylight completely faded, Shen Yi turned on the headlights.

Fu Nanzhi was still watching the live stream when she suddenly exclaimed with excitement, "Honey, they say there's a fireworks show at nine-thirty tonight."

"Is that so? That's great. It's not easy to catch a fireworks show these days," Shen Yi responded.

Fu Nanzhi chuckled, thinking how romantic fireworks were, and felt they were quite lucky.

With anticipation, they drove for nearly an hour before the scenic spot finally came into view.

Shen Yi gradually slowed down, looking for a parking spot in the lot.

Suddenly, Fu Nanzhi patted Shen Yi's arm and pointed eagerly, "Over there, over there, a car is just leaving."

Seizing the opportunity, Shen Yi quickly maneuvered the car into the spot, finally finding a place to park.

After securing the car, the couple joined the crowd entering the scenic area.

First came the pedestrian street of the scenic spot.

The crowd was bustling, shoulder to shoulder, weaving in and out, with stalls selling souvenirs and fried snacks lining the street.

The vibrant colors and dazzling lights created a lively atmosphere, blending the mundane with the cultural, offering a fresh perspective even in the midst of the city.

Fu Nanzhi held Shen Yi's hand, her smile radiant as she walked ahead.

They strolled along the cobblestone path, listening to the sound of flowing water, taking in the sights as they went.

"Wow... so beautiful," Fu Nanzhi said, admiringly as they passed a group of young women.

The girls, looking like college students, were all dressed in traditional Hanfu, holding round fans, floating by like a fragrant breeze.

Their attire and demeanor sparked a sense of longing in Fu Nanzhi, who murmured regretfully, "If I had known, we would've worn Hanfu too..."

She had recently seen a video of a horse-faced skirt that looked stunning.

Fu Nanzhi had always been fond of traditional cultural attire; she even wanted a Chinese-style wedding.

"If you want, we can wear it next time," Shen Yi said, patting her shoulder.

Fu Nanzhi pouted, "Who knows when next time will be..."

"There will be a chance," Shen Yi assured her as they continued to browse.

Ahead, a small stall had a tall bamboo pole with all sorts of masks hanging from it.

Some were finely crafted, others rough, painted with various designs.

Fu Nanzhi’s playful nature kicked in the moment she saw the stall, and she pulled Shen Yi over, saying:

“Honey, let’s buy one too.”

Shen Yi had no objections and accompanied her as they browsed through the masks on display.

With a quick glance, Shen Yi noticed that the masks varied widely in style. He even spotted an Ultraman mask at the far end of the stall, which made him realize that not all of them were traditional crafts as he had initially assumed.

Fu Nanzhi spent quite some time debating between a fox mask and a cat mask.

After hesitating for a while, the cat mask ultimately won her heart. She picked up a pale pink mask of a squinting raccoon cat.

Shen Yi’s gaze landed on the remaining fox mask, and it reminded him of an anime he had watched long ago. Though he couldn’t recall the specific plot, the mask had stuck with him.

However, he didn’t choose the fox mask. Instead, his hand reached for a mask hanging high on the mast.

After paying and leaving, Shen Yi noted how pricey things were in tourist areas. The two masks had cost nearly a hundred yuan.

“Ew, it’s so ugly! Why’d you pick such a weird foreign mask?” Fu Nanzhi said, peering at Shen Yi through the gaps in her raccoon cat mask.

Shen Yi was holding a peculiar mask painted in bold colors. Its face was fierce and grotesque, but it didn’t evoke fear—just a strange fascination.

He waved the mask and chuckled, saying:

“You’ve got it all wrong. This is called a Nuo mask, a bona fide piece of traditional culture.”

Then Shen Yi pointed at the pale pink raccoon cat mask covering Fu Nanzhi’s face and added:

“On the contrary, yours is actually an imported design, you know?”

Wearing the mask obscured their vision, and holding it wasn’t convenient either. Fu Nanzhi decided to follow the example of other pedestrians and fixed the mask to the side of her face. A thin elastic band held it in place, juxtaposing her delicate features with the playful raccoon cat, creating a harmonious and adorable look.

No matter how long the pedestrian street was, there was always an end to it.

By the lakeside, the crowd grew even denser, the air buzzing with voices and activity. People strolled leisurely, released floating lanterns, and queued up for boat rides.

The two of them blended into the bustling scene by the lake like stars merging into a constellation.

…

The taxi driver hit the gas, darting forward.

He had fallen behind earlier because he was picking up passengers, and now he had to rely on speed to catch up.

Though it was challenging, his exceptional driving skills allowed him to weave through the traffic with precision.

“There are quite a few cars on the road, miss. It might be tough to keep up,” the driver remarked, his eyes fixed on the vehicles around them.

Following wasn’t impossible, but the heavy traffic made frequent lane changes difficult.

Shu Yunyi was seated in the back, clutching her phone while keeping her eyes on the road ahead. In the distance, she could still see the Porsche they were trailing.

Hearing the driver’s comment, she replied:

“No problem. Just keep following. I’ll pay you extra.”

The driver’s demeanor turned serious as he straightened up in his seat, muttering:

“Well, this… Oh dear, it’s not just about the money.”

He stubbed out his cigarette, rolled up the window, and added:

“Don’t worry. I’ll make sure you catch up today…”

“Cough, cough… I mean, successfully catch up. Smoked too much—my throat’s a bit irritated.”

The driver cleared his throat and gave his assurance.

Since the car ahead maintained a steady speed without sudden lane changes or acceleration, keeping up wasn’t overly difficult.

The car drove for nearly twenty minutes, leaving Shangyang District and heading toward the outskirts.

The driver gradually realized something and said:

"This road either leads to Tianxia City or Songping Lake."

Shu Yunyi hesitated upon hearing this and asked:

"Are you sure?"

The driver chuckled and replied:

"I'm very familiar with the routes around here. Once you're on this road, you can't turn around. There's no other destination besides those two."

Just as the driver had predicted, the car slowed down near a scenic area and gradually turned in.

The road to the parking lot was crowded with people and vehicles, making movement extremely slow.

The car ahead suddenly seized an opportunity to take a parking spot. The taxi driver wanted to follow suit, but a departing car blocked his way.

The space was too tight to maneuver, and the open-air parking lot was poorly lit. Helpless, he could only reverse to make room for the departing car.

"Miss, this is as far as I can take you. It's hard to get any closer," the driver suggested to Shu Yunyi as he stopped the car. Going any further would make it difficult for him to get out.

Shu Yunyi nodded and took out her phone, saying:

"Alright, how much is it? I'll pay."

"Look, there's the meter. Whatever it shows is the fare," the driver said casually, pointing at the meter.

Shu Yunyi lowered her head, entered her payment password, and thanked him before stepping out of the car.

The driver glanced at the payment notification and realized she had paid an extra hundred yuan. Just as he was about to look up, she had already disappeared from sight.

Shaking his head, he lit a cigarette and silently wished her success before turning the wheel and reversing out of the parking lot.

Meanwhile, Shu Yunyi got out of the car and started walking along the rows of vehicles, checking license plates.

Finally, in the fourth row, she spotted a familiar car and strode toward it.