The five hundred firecrackers finally burnt out. The air was still filled with festive red smoke, and its smell was permeating into everyone’s noses. The boys put down their hands that covered their ears, but they could still hear a faint buzz.

  Zheng PingQing removed his hands that were covering Lin Qian’s ears and moved down to rub his earlobe. Zheng PingQing softly asked: “Are your ears uncomfortable?”


  Lin Qian touched his warm ears and turned to Zheng PingQing with a smile. “I’m alright. Are you ok?”


  Zheng PingQing didn’t reply.

  “Are your ears alright?” Lin Qian asked again.

  Zheng PingQing gave Lin Qian a wry smile. “Damn. Sorry, this master can’t hear what you’re saying.”


  Bent on protecting his boyfriend’s ears, Zheng PingQing bravely left his own ears exposed to the deafening sounds of the firecrackers. Unfortunately, he now suffered short-term deafness because of this.

  Lin Qian: “.……”


  Lin Qian gave Zheng PingQing a funny look, then reached out to rub Zheng PingQing’s ears. Lin Qian also took this opportunity to pinch Zheng PingQing’s ears. “Can you hear me now?”


  Xu Yao, who had just uncovered his eyes, was met with this scene. He couldn’t help but hiss at them: “Hey, pay attention to your surroundings and the impact of your actions, will you?!”


  The shameless Zheng PingQing had no ounce of fear in him. In fact, he was even a little smug. “You’re just jealous.”


  Xu Yao:”.……”


  Meanwhile, Guo DangLi and Li Gao were in a dilemma. They were watching Lin Qian and Zheng PingQing and didn’t know what to do. Li Gao was unsure and couldn’t help but ask: “Brother Li, do you want to rub my ears too?”


  Just thinking about it gave Li Gao goosebumps.

  Sure enough, Guo DangLi was also very disgusted. “Get lost.”


  Although Li Gao didn’t want to get his ears rubbed by Guo DangLi, he still felt a little sad when he heard this. Guo DangLi had been a big brother for a long time now, but he clearly didn’t care about his lieutenant as much as Boss Lin does.

  After cleaning up the firecrackers, Guo DangLi commanded his little brothers to move the rest of the boxes. With a loud voice, Guo DangLi said: “Teacher Ke was a great pain in the ass. It isn’t enough to just send her off with a string of firecrackers; we have to do a party……”


  As he said this, he couldn’t help spelling the word: “p-a-r-t-y，party——”


  Suddenly, a familiar voice exclaimed: “That’s right! Student Guo has made some great progress in his studies, ah.”


  Everyone was startled. Guo DangLi’s voice was sharp as he yelled: “Principal—— why are you here?”


  Principal Qiu smiled. “I heard the sound of firecrackers and was curious.”


  Guo DangLi looked past Principal Qiu’s shoulder and saw the little brother behind him. Guo DangLi gave the little brother a meaningful stare. You were supposed to be keeping watch! Why didn’t you stop the Principal?!

  The little brother gave him a look full of grief. Who in this entire school can stop the Principal?!

  Fortunately, Principal Qiu didn’t seem to be angry. He simply asked: “What’s the happy occasion that prompted these firecrackers?”


  Lin Qian calmly stepped forward and said: “It’s to celebrate the remarkable progress everyone showed in the second monthly test and to encourage everyone to continue their efforts in scaling new heights.”


  Others nodded like chickens pecking at rice.

  Principal Qiu gave Lin Qian a deep look. In the end, he could only helplessly smile. “You……”


  Zheng PingQing put his elbow on Lin Qian’s shoulder and helped the Principal finish his sentence. “He’s wonderful, isn’t he?”


  The Principal looked at Zheng PingQing and Lin Qian. Then he looked at the little hoodlums behind them. These were the troublemakers that used to give the teachers constant headaches. Feeling a little emotional, Principal Qiu replied: “Yes. During this semester, Student Lin has been wonderful.”


  The Principal then noticed that Guo DangLi’s younger brothers were moving boxes around. “What’s that?”


  A little brother that was holding a box shrunk his head. He muttered. “Just some firecrackers.”


  Guo DangLi immediately said: “Principal, we were just going to get rid of it.”


  The Principal shook his head and with a huge smile, stretched out a wrinkled hand. “Give me some.”


  Guo DangLi: “&#k2026;.”


  The little brother silently handed over the box. The Principal opened the box, took out a firecracker, and skillfully threw towards a free space on the ground. Listening to the popping sounds, the Principal happily said: “When I was young, I was pretty good at these.”


  Students: “.……”


  With a look of nostalgia, the Principal continued. “Time has gone by so fast, ah. The era now belongs to you youngsters……”


  Zheng PingQing tried comforting him by saying: “Cheer up, Principal. No matter what, the school you molded and cared for will still be here.”


  Principal Qiu smiled and nodded. “Yes.”


  Although the Principal never intended to scold the students for lighting firecrackers, his presence obviously made them unable to relax. So after throwing two more firecrackers, the Principal said: “You brats are lucky that Vice-Principal Huo left early; otherwise, he definitely would’ve called your parents.”


  Everyone bowed their heads and looked suitably repentant. Lin Qian sincerely asked: “Principal, please don’t tell him.”


  Principal Qiu knocked Lin Qian on the head. “Give me two boxes of firecrackers, and I’ll keep quiet.”


  Students: “.……”


  Lin Qian respectfully handed him two boxes of firecrackers, and with a serious expression, said: “Principal Qiu, with this, we now have a secret together.”


  Principal Qiu accepted the bribe with a smile. “I asked Mr. Wang to close the school a little later than usual today. You kids have a good time.”


  Guo DangLi, who had never been treated so favorably by his teachers, was excited. “Thank you, Principal.”


  Principal Qiu put a finger to his lips. “Just this once. Don’t do this again.”


  The Principal then patted Lin Qian on the shoulder. “With you taking care of these boys, I can rest assured.”


  Lin Qian nodded. “Yes. Don’t worry, Principal.”


  The Principal reminded them to clean up after themselves and to ensure that no evidence would be left behind. Then he took the two small boxes of firecrackers and leisurely walked away. Just as he was about to leave the area, he looked back. He saw the youngsters happily throwing firecrackers and covering their ears. In the distance, the sky had already turned an orangey-red, it’s glow enveloping the old and decrepit teaching building. It felt like he was seeing a curtain falling after the end of a show.

  Principal Qiu couldn’t help but put on a smile filled with conflicting emotions. He was feeling a great amount of happiness, but he was also feeling reluctant at the same time.

  At the same time, Lin Qian and Zheng PingQing were also feeling sentimental about the past as they waved the Principal goodbye.

  A touched Lin Qian leaned on Zheng PingQing for a moment and said: “Principal Qiu is a really great person.”


  Zheng PingQing nodded. He knew what Lin Qian was thinking. In their previous life, they gave Principal Qiu so much grief during his last year of tenure. That year, college acceptance rates hit a new record low. During the graduation speech, despite his attempts to look lively, Principal Qiu was obviously full of melancholy and was constantly sighing.

  “He’ll certainly retire without regrets this time around.” Zheng PingQing said.

  Lin Qian smiled. He opened his mouth, intending to say something, but was abruptly cut off by a scream that suddenly sounded nearby.

  “Fuck, there’s actually some sky monkeys here! Quick, give me two!” Fu YiFei was yelling for people to pass him some. Truthfully, he had already pounced on the poor boy and snatched a few.

  Soon Guo DangLi and Dong MingEn crowded in front of Lin Qian and Zheng PingQing. Guo DangLi said: “Boss, you be the referee, judge us and tell him my firecracker is better!”


  Dong MingEn elbowed Guo DangLi on his side. “No, mine is!”


  Guo DangLi, who had never let go of his dignity as a small-time boss, refuted him: “Mine is!”


  In the end, the two turned their eyes towards Lin Qian, unwilling to admit defeat. They both said: “Come be the judge!”


  But Lin Qian coldly refused them. “No.”


  Xu Yao quickly jumped between them. “I’ll do it; I can be fair.”


  Although he wasn’t the Boss, he was the eldest uncle. So Guo DangLi and Dong MingEn reluctantly acquiesced. “Alright.”


  So the three boys started to light firecrackers in a nearby empty space.

  “Hehe, there’s actually a secret to lighting up the perfect firecracker, you know. Let me teach you……” Meanwhile, the hooligan Li Gao, who rarely had anything he was good at, was teaching Yang ZongJie and Zhang QianJian how to play with firecrackers safely.

  On the other side, other students were also lighting up snakes and ground spinners. Guo DangLi and his younger brothers had really outdone themselves this time. They had collected a wide range of firecrackers. Fortunately, with the current pressure from the fire ban policy, there weren’t any dangerous products on the market. So while the firecrackers looked colorful and intense, if one looked carefully, they would see that they were playing with……something actually quite childish.

  Zheng PingQing looked at the young people around him, all looking like they were intoxicated by the bright lights. Somewhat incredulously, he asked Lin Qian: “Were we like this at their age?”


  Lin Qian firmly refuted Zheng PingQing’s thoughts. “Of course not. Unlike these children, we were already handsome, cool, and exceptional since childhood. We already grew out of such childishness by our senior year.”


  Zheng PingQing agreed with Lin Qian’s words.

  The two men were quite tall, and as they stood side by side, the evening wind swept around them, ruffling their hair and making them both look beautiful. Their temperament really was different from the rowdy group of kids they were watching.

  “Shit, why are there gold drops here?! Who bought it?” Guo DangLi pulled out a long package from the bottom of the box. He scolded: “Who wasted so much money!”


  A little brother explained: “That’s something the shopkeeper gave to us as a freebie because we bought a lot.”


  Guo DangLi wanted to throw the package back into the box. “That shopkeeper, really……”


  However, before Guo DangLi could finish his sentence, he heard Lin Qian’s calm voice: “Bring that to me.”


  Guo DangLi was surprised. “Boss isn’t this for girls……”


  But in the end, Guo DangLi didn’t dare finish. This was because the Second Boss’ murderous eyes were pointed at him. So Guo DangLi immediately changed his tune and said: “T-this thing is especially manly. I loved playing with this ever since I was a kid!”


  After saying this, Guo DangLi respectfully handed the package over to Lin Qian.

  Lin Qian opened the box and stretched out his hand. “Lighter.”


  Guo DangLi immediately offered up his lighter.

  Lin Qian took the lighter then pulled Zheng PingQing to the edge of the concrete floor, saying: “Let’s go play.”


  Gold drops, also known as sparklers, with its safe, harmless, and elegant display, had an enduring popularity with girls.

  Although Lin Qian was a cool, handsome man, he unfortunately had a small weakness. He had been injured by firecrackers when he was a child, and it gave him a small psychological shadow. So from then on, he never participated in lighting firecrackers on New Year’s Day. But occasionally, if his heart itched to play, he would light up one or two sparklers.

  Although Zheng PingQing had played with huge and intricate firecrackers ever since he was young, it certainly wasn’t any fun playing with all that if Lin Qian wasn’t with him. So after the two got together, Zheng PingQing gave up on his bad habit of playing with powerful firecrackers and joined the ‘occasional sparklers club’ with Lin Qian.

  It seems that these dopey teenagers now evoked an itch in Lin Qian’s heart. He and Zheng PingQing crouched on the edge of the concrete floor, and Lin Qian lit his sparkler first. Lin Qian watched as the tiny fire he had lit transformed into a blooming flower. He then gave the stick to Zheng PingQing. “Since you gave me a grand fireworks show last time, I’ll give this to you.”


  When Zheng PingQing was pursuing Lin Qian in their last life, Zheng PingQing had once put on a massive fireworks display for him, causing a sensation all over the city.

  Zheng PingQing accepted the stick, the white light reflecting on his eyes and lighting up its dark depths.

  Lin Qian continued: “Back then, I remember telling you that if I did end up liking you, you wouldn’t need to spend money to get me to date you.”


  Zheng PingQing remembered the conversation. Wrinkling his nose, he bitterly replied: “You just didn’t get it.”


  “You’re right. I didn’t understand at the time.” Lin Qian readily admitted this. As he lit up another sparkler, he said: “But now I get it. If you like someone, you would want to give them the best things you could offer, even if perhaps you wouldn’t be rewarded for it.”


  “Un.” With his head lowered, Zheng PingQing watched his sparkler burn and eventually extinguish. “When I first started liking you, I thought that maybe you would never forgive me for having such feelings, or that you wouldn’t ever feel the same way as I did. But even then……even then, I wanted to give you all that I had.”


  “Even if those fireworks disappeared in the end, its best moments, when it was bright and dazzling, are yours.” Zheng PingQing turned and looked at Lin Qian. “And now, all the best moments of my life, they’ll also belong to you.”


  “I know.” Lin Qian passed Zheng PingQing the sparkler he was holding. “Although I can’t give you an awe-inspiring fireworks show, all the best moments of my life are yours too.”


  Zheng PingQing suddenly revealed a meaningful smile. “Not just those, but also your best places and your best person, they’re all mine.”


  Lin Qian calmly lit another sparkler, then vigorously shook it in front of Zheng PingQing, trying to blind him. “Why is it that you can’t say anything without giving off a sense of promiscuity?”


  Zheng PingQing shamelessly put on a wronged expression and said: “Maybe you just have a dirty mind……ah, I know you want to have sex with me~ so obscene!”


  Xu Yao, who had been attracted to the elegant and dazzling lights of the sparklers, unfortunately heard Zheng PingQing’s words. “.……”


  Xu Yao placed a hand over his chest and gulped down the blood that threatened to spew out of his mouth. “You two! Youngsters! How can you talk about such lewd things in broad daylight!!!!”


  Zheng PingQing turned and looked at his dying uncle. He then looked up at the sky. “But it’s already dark.”


  Xu Yao’s hands were shaking as he pointed at Zheng PingQing: “You……you……”


  Lin Qian gave Zheng PingQing a look and corrected his bad thoughts. “I’m not an adult yet, daytime or night, I can’t have sex either way.”


  Zheng PingQing slapped his thigh, his expression full of regret.

  However, Xu Yao’s ability to grasp the key point of anything he studied was unparalleled. A shocked Xu Yao yelled: “What! Don’t tell me you’ve already prepared to do it the moment you become an adult?!”


  Lin Qian: “.……”


  Zheng PingQing: “.……”


  The author has something to say:

  Zheng PingQing: dei

  That was incredibly sappy and I love it.