Sister Yang Shows Her Cards

Sister Yang and Lin Xiaoyu cast strange glances at my way; in truth, they found it all rather incredible.

To break the awkward tension, I deliberately called out, "Look, the drone show is starting!" At my words, everyone's attention instantly shifted back to the night sky.

By this time, the fireworks had completely faded, leaving the crowd with a lingering sense of longing. Fireworks were breathtaking, yet their beauty lay solely in their fleeting moment.

Hundreds of drones, adorned with colorful lights, ascended into the night sky, drawing the awestruck gaze of the onlookers.

First, the drones arranged themselves in the night sky to form the characters: "Happy Lantern Festival." Then, they shifted to spell out: "Blessings for the New Year," before transforming into various other dazzling and intricate patterns.

Xiaoyu squealed with excitement, "Look at that, it looks like a snowflake!" "Oh! That's the shape of a bird!" "Quick, look, the drones have turned into a puppy!" She clapped her tiny hands together and cheered.

I watched as the drones continuously morphed into different shapes in the night sky, finally displaying the messages: "Welcome to Qingxi" and "A Brighter Tomorrow."

Just as the drones began to descend and everyone assumed the performance had concluded, hundreds of drones suddenly shot back up into the air, forming a new message: "Feng, I'm waiting for you!" This was immediately followed by the formation of a giant heart.

The surrounding crowd instantly erupted into a buzz of whispered discussions: "Goodness! Could tonight's fireworks display be the eldest daughter of the Han family publicly confessing her love to someone named Feng?"

"I wonder what kind of background this fellow named Feng has, to make the Han family's heiress go to such painstaking lengths to declare her love in public?"

"The man is truly the object of envy!"

Another person even joked, "My name has the character for Feng in it too. Could she be confessing to me?!"

His companion burst into laughter and retorted, "Then you should march right over to the Han residence and propose marriage!"

Fatty patted my shoulder and lowered his voice, "Ah-Feng, I'm truly envious of you. Damn, to think you tried to force yourself on her back then, only to somehow force your way into her true love."

Iron Head cuffed him on the head and scolded, "Damn fatty, stop talking nonsense. Ah-Feng was framed back then."

Fatty muttered, "Damn it, to be loved so wholeheartedly by a wealthy and beautiful heiress like that—I'd gladly be framed ten times over."

Lin Xiaoyu chimed in with envy, "Brother Feng, was the Han family's heiress really confessing her love to you tonight?"

I replied, "Little sister, don't listen to Fatty's nonsense! That Feng is definitely not me. If people hear us talking like this, they'll laugh at us for being toads trying to eat swan meat."

Lin Xiaoyu smiled and said, "Brother Feng, don't try to fool me. Brother Fatty's words can't be completely baseless."

I awkwardly replied, "Little sister, these are matters for adults. You're a student, so you should just focus on your studies and stop letting your imagination run wild!"

Sister Yang's captivating eyes swept over me. She remained silent, but I knew her heart was filled with doubts. Once we got back, she would undoubtedly want to interrogate me about what was really going on.

By this time, the drone show had ended, and the crowd at the venue began to disperse in a steady stream.

Fatty, Iron Head, and Lin Xiaoyu were heading back. The fireworks show had taken place near the Qingxi Ancient-Style Film and Television City, which was relatively close to the Oasis Residential Compound where Iron Head lived, so the three of them decided to walk back.

As for me, I was returning with Sister Yang. Her factory was located near the economic development zone in the suburbs, quite a distance from the film city. Sister Yang had driven here, so I took over the driving duty for the trip back.

Sister Yang and Xiaoyu sat in the back. Xiaoyu chattered away nonstop, bubbling with excitement, but Sister Yang kept quiet, clearly weighed down by her own thoughts.

Upon reaching the factory, the elderly night watchman spotted the boss's car and quickly swung the gates open.

The moment our car came to a stop, Lone Shadow bounded over excitedly, wagging its tail around us! Over these past few days, Lone Shadow had completely adapted to life here. Thanks to the good feedings, in less than half a month, the dog had grown much plumper and seemed a bit taller too.

Seeing Lone Shadow, Xiaoyu wanted to go over and play with it, but Sister Yang reprimanded her, "Go get to bed early, you have school tomorrow."

Since Sister Yang now entrusted the daily management of the factory to me, she personally took charge of dropping off and picking up Xiaoyu for school.

Xiaoyu could only pout, wash up, and head off to bed.

Considering that Xiaoyu needed a quiet space to do her homework, Sister Yang had recently arranged a separate, independent bedroom for her.

The room was quite spacious, complete with a bathroom, washroom, and a study desk to make doing her homework convenient. At first, Xiaoyu had been somewhat reluctant, but she gradually grew accustomed to it.

The ambiguous relationship between Sister Yang and me was already an open secret within the factory. Most of the employees were well aware of it, though they dared not discuss it openly. They worried that if word reached us and we grew annoyed, I might make things difficult for them at work, which simply wasn't worth the trouble.

After Sister Yang tucked her daughter into bed, we lay side by side on the bed half-reclined. Sister Yang turned to me and asked, "Feng, tell me honestly, what kind of relationship do you really have with that Ling Xue? I remember you ended up inside precisely because you wanted to violate her back then."

I replied, "How should I put it? We certainly know each other, but whether she actually has feelings for me or wants to pursue me, I can't say for sure."

Sister Yang remarked, "With tonight's fireworks show, hasn't that Ling Xue already made it clear to the entire population of Qingxi City that she loves you and wants to pursue you?"

I said, "Sister Yang, you know I've served time in prison, and at least everyone in our factory knows about our relationship. Do you really think I'm worthy of someone like her?"

Sister Yang pressed on, "Then what is the purpose of that Ling Xue going to such painstaking lengths to arrange a fireworks display like this?"

I smiled and said, "I genuinely don't know what Ling Xue's specific motive is, but I suspect it's probably for publicity! Once the buzz starts, it serves as free advertising for the Qingxi Film and Television City."

Sister Yang pondered this for a moment and said, "What you're saying makes some sense, but I have a feeling she might actually have fallen for you. If she really does love you, will you abandon me and leave?"

I chuckled, "Stop letting your wild imagination run away with you. Tomorrow morning, you still have to take Xiaoyu to school."

Sister Yang said worriedly, "Feng, us being together in this ambiguous, undefined state is certainly not good for your reputation... How about... we... well..."

Seeing her hesitate and stammer, I couldn't help asking, "Sister Yang, what is it you actually want to say?"

Sister Yang looked disheartened as she said, "Feng, if that Ling Xue really does love you, perhaps we should break up early so as not to hold you back."

I was stunned for a moment. "The thing you were hesitating to say... was asking me to leave you..."

Sensing that her words didn't match her true feelings, I wasn't surprised when Sister Yang quickly continued, "Feng, if you aren't willing to leave me, then can we make our relationship official and public, so we can put an end to all these gossip and rumors?!"

Curious, I asked, "How do we make our relationship official?"

Gathering her courage, Sister Yang said, "For instance... marry me!"