Love Has Fireworks - Chapter 32

Chapter 32: A Warm Winter

December 30th, evening

Qian Fei and Li Yifei took a taxi to the National Theatre of China, preparing to watch Da Peng's talk show How Are We Supposed to Live On. When the two of them entered the venue, some young girls beside them were chattering away, speaking in the kind of voice that allowed others to hear yet still fell within the range of a whisper.

"Look quick, look quick! Are those two star celebrities invited by Da Peng as guests? I saw the host Da Changlian from Liaoning TV just now, could they be hosts too?"

"Probably not, I can't tell who they are, ah!"

"But the two of them are so good-looking, ah! Especially the man, he must be some new star, he's too handsome! I want to go ask for an autograph!"

Qian Fei saw that Li Yifei had a face full of an expression as if he hadn't heard a single thing, yet he kept his spine perfectly straight, and the steps beneath his feet were taken just like a male model walking a runway, becoming more and more artificial.

She couldn't resist whispering, "Would it kill you if you didn't put on airs? Could you not live on if you didn't act handsome?"

Li Yifei slanted a glance at her. "Have you ever been mistakenly recognized like this before?"

Qian Fei shook her head.

"This young master was frequently chased by people asking for autographs in the past, saying I was some Won Bin." He looked at her, letting out clicking sounds. "Therefore, following me, how much reflected glory have you enjoyed! Standing together with me, you've become prettier than usual, making people with bad eyesight mistake you for a celebrity!"

Speechless, Qian Fei rolled her eyes at him.

This boy's narcissism had already reached the terminal stage and was beyond saving.

●︶3︶●

From the moment the show started, Qian Fei entered an excited state, no longer caring whether the person sitting next to her was Li Yifei or Liu Yifei.

Li Yifei discovered that her entire spirit was concentrated on that man on the stage ahead who wore a black glasses frame and talked absolute nonsense.

He felt a bit hurt. He was the constant focus in the eyes of girls in real life, so how could this silly dead girl ignore him to this extent? If he brought any other girl along, their eyeballs would definitely be glued to his body the entire time like they were admiring a perfect piece of art or their most heart-stirring idol.

However, he gradually could no longer care to feel jealous.

Because when he saw the silly big sister laughing out loud, her two eyes glowing with light, he suddenly felt that the performance of that man on the stage was indeed quite interesting.

Thus, he also laughed along, laughing from the beginning to the end together with her.

He quietly discovered that her laugh—no, not just her laugh, her person itself, her various emotions, were all very infectious, capable of driving the emotions of the people around her to be consistent with hers.

Previously, he had always believed this silly big sister was quite a plain and tasteless person, a spineless, edgeless good-for-nothing, a professional Holy Mother actress; whenever anyone got angry with her, her first reaction always seemed to be that it was her own fault. Within the trajectory of his life, the people he disliked most were precisely like this. He felt that for a person to live, they had to have personality, had to be flamboyant enough, had to have untouchable principles and an appropriate amount of pretentiousness; only then would a person have charm, have a strong sense of presence, be unforgettable to others, and make people jealous and want to get close while slandering them under their breath.

Yet he hadn't expected that as they gradually interacted, those things on her body that he previously looked down upon, he actually felt were the manifestation of another kind of charm and infectiveness now.

He followed her laughing out loud, thinking while laughing that this masculine woman was so suitable to be a brother, ah; she was more resilient against ruin and easier to bully than grown men, her hands and feet were nimble, and her cooking was delicious. There was just one thing that wasn't good: she stubbornly refused to believe he was a rich second-generation.

He wondered what kind of expression she would have when she found out he really was a rich second-generation one day?

Would she, like how it was acted out in television dramas, hold back tears, slap him across the face, and say: "You lied to me! What do you take me for?"

He shuddered.

He felt she would definitely not have this kind of reaction. He had seen it clearly; previously, whenever Gui Lili acted spoiled, she would secretly tremble on the side. She couldn't stand this kind of maiden-style routine the most.

Then what would she be like?

As he thought and thought, he discovered that he actually held a small amount of anticipation for her reaction at that moment.

●︶3︶●

When the performance ended, Qian Fei squeezed to the front of the stage and took a group photo with Da Peng. On the way home in the taxi, she cradled her phone and looked at the photo with a face full of contentment.

Sitting beside her, Li Yifei said sourly, "A silly girl loving a diors, beyond saving!"

Qian Fei was displeased. "He is an inspirational talent acting as a diors, unlike you, a Diors Fei acting as an inspirational talent!"

Li Yifei slanted a glance at her. "Qian Fei, do you plan to return kindness with enmity? Who got the tickets for you tonight?"

Qian Fei ignored him, looking out the window and shouting, "Driver, just stop right here!"

Li Yifei also followed her gaze outside. "Why stop right here?" They were currently at the entrance of a supermarket quite a distance away from home.

Qian Fei paid the money and dragged Li Yifei out of the car. "I'm a bit excited tonight, let's fix up some alcohol to drink! Anyway, neither of us has to work tomorrow, it's fine even if we get drunk!"

Li Yifei was dragged by her into the supermarket. "Big Sister Qian, you are truly becoming more and more like a man, ah! You've actually started to proactively ask for alcohol to drink!"

They lugged a crate of beer home.

Opening the television, several channels were broadcasting New Year's Eve galas. They spread a mat in the living room and sat cross-legged on the floor, drinking beer while watching the programs. The atmosphere was exceptionally good, practically harmonious, beautiful, and happy.

Qian Fei suddenly turned her head, looking at Li Yifei and saying, "Li Yifei, thank you for your New Year's gift, ah! I feel especially happy! I have a premonition that I can be happy for the entire upcoming year!"

Li Yifei raised a brow. "Don't mention it, a small matter!" He drank a mouthful of beer, narrowing his eyes thoughtfully as he licked his lips.

Qian Fei felt that matching this kind of teasing movement and expression onto a good-looking face was practically a sin.

She trembled. "What are you doing, twitching your brows, winking your eyes, and biting your lip, trying to seduce someone?"

Li Yifei hooked up one side of his mouth, letting out a sneer: "Shouldn't you fulfill your promise and change your surname to match mine?"

Qian Fei blanked for a moment, recalling that she did seem to have made a bet with him before: if he really could get the performance tickets, she would change her surname.

"My original words were spoken like this: if you really can get the tickets settled, I'll change my surname!" Qian Fei rolled her eyes. "I said changing my surname, I didn't say changing it to match yours!"

Li Yifei raised his brow-tips and eyed her. "Playing word games, are you? Qian Fei, you really are a smelly rascal!"

Twisting her shoulders in a very hyped manner to vex him, Qian Fei said, "It's your own lack of clear consciousness, filling in too much in your brain, who is to blame!"

Li Yifei gave a ferocious smile. "Anyway, even if you don't change your surname to match mine, you still have to change it! Choose, what kind of surname do you want to change to!"

Qian Fei blinked her eyes. "How about I just change to my dad's surname!"

Li Yifei was startled for a moment. "The surname you have right now isn't your dad's surname?"

 

Qian Fei blinked her eyes until they were watery and nodded, "Un!"

Li Yifei rubbed his chin. "You took your mom's surname?"

Qian Fei slapped the table. "Li Yifei, how are you speaking!"

Li Yifei thought about it and changed his phrasing, "You took your mother-empress's surname?"

Qian Fei nodded proudly. "Didn't expect that, right!"

Li Yifei went silent for a moment, saying with a face full of sympathy, "Your dad and your mom divorced, right? Poor child!"

Qian Fei gave him a fierce glare. "You're the one who divorced! When my mom was alive, the two of them lived exceptionally well together!"

Li Yifei's expression was perplexed. "Then why on earth did you take your mom's... take your mother-empress's surname? Is there another child in your family, with one person taking one surname each?"

Qian Fei patted her chest. "I am an excellent only child with deep roots and a straight sprout under the family planning policy!"

Unable to stand her posturing appearance, Li Yifei extended his foot to nudge her. "What's going on, don't leave me hanging, speak quickly!"

Kicked by him, Qian Fei tilted to the side. "Li Yifei, have you grown tired of living! You actually dare to use your foot on me!" She kicked back a step, drank a mouthful of alcohol, and an expression similar to constipation that was hard to put into words appeared on her face.

"Li Yifei, let me ask you a question," she suddenly shifted the topic. "Have you ever been troubled because of your own name? You share the exact same name as a nationally renowned beautiful young lady!"

Curling his lip, Li Yifei let out a snort: "For a period of time, wasn't I annoyed to death! Right when that woman acted in some television drama and became popular, the people around me all used my name to crack jokes at me. This young master has grown up handsome since childhood, so they said that if I draped a white bedsheet and leaped down from the second floor toward the ground, I would definitely be more of a fairy sister than that woman!" He drank a mouthful of alcohol, clenched his hand into a fist, and said while grinding his back molars, "My fists were practiced back then, that's what you call hard, whoever mocked me, I would beat him!" Looking at Qian Fei, his expression shifted, and he said in a posturing manner, "Oh right, I had a nickname handed down from back then, called the Handsome Flower Boy Iron Fist King. When you have time, you can go to the High School Affiliated to Renmin University of China to ask around, nobody there doesn't know it!"

Qian Fei let out a murmur.

This boy never forgot to brag and show off for a single moment.

Seeing her face full of an unconcerned expression, Li Yifei asked unhappily, "What, do you not believe the words I said?"

Qian Fei hurriedly shook her head. "No, no, no, I just sympathize with you!"

Li Yifei threw a white eye at her. "Sigh, you tell me who this young master provoked or offended, when I was born and named, who knew who Liu Yifei was! Had I known earlier, I should have let the old man register a patent for my name, from then on, whoever was called Yifei would be committing infringement, and everyone would have to change their names for me!"

Qian Fei said, "Then why do you still insist on being called Yifei, wouldn't it be over if you just changed your name!"

Li Yifei raised his chin. "On what grounds should I change my name? Let me tell you, this young master spent a massive amount of effort getting this name! My family's old man specially invited a famous scholar to pick a date and calculate it before giving it to me! Saying something like 'yi shi yi fei,' don't care too much about everything, in the future there is guaranteed to be a great achievement!"

Qian Fei let out a "ha." "If that's the meaning, wouldn't it be over if you changed it to Li Yishi!"

Li Yifei was startled for a moment. "That is also true!" Pausing for a moment, he discovered that he had actually been led astray by Qian Fei, and slammed his beer can down onto the table. "No, wasn't what we were talking about just now the matter of your name? How did it get dragged onto my head?"

Qian Fei shrunk her shoulders. "I just wanted to strike a chord. Look at how many good names in this world have been thoroughly ruined alive!"

Li Yifei narrowed his eyes and slanted a glance at her, suddenly clapping his palms together and asking excitedly, "Qian Fei, your dad wouldn't happen to have the surname Su, right!"

Qian Fei's expression collapsed instantly, and she wailed, "Li Yifei, what are you doing being this smart at a time like this, ah!"

Li Yifei widened his eyes. "Holy fck, no way, no way your dad really has the surname Su, right? Then if you took your dad's surname, wouldn't you be... Sanitary Pad?!"

After speaking, he hammered the table in explosive laughter.

Qian Fei's head throbbed from his laughing. In a fit of anger, she raised her foot and kicked him. "What are you laughing for! What standpoint do you have to laugh at me! Didn't you also get given a woman's name! Would it kill you to sympathize with my feelings for a bit!"

Li Yifei dodged her foot to the side, yet still couldn't resist laughing.

Qian Fei straight up sighed: "You tell me what choice I had, ah! When I was named, I also hadn't expected that a lifetime of heroic fame would be ruined on a sanitary pad in the future! When I was born, I took my dad's surname, but ever since that sanitary pad came onto the market, my bitter days began! Don't even mention how much mockery and humiliation I received because of my name! Therefore, before I took the college entrance examination, I courageously and unyieldingly made the biggest resistance in my life, demanding to change to my mom's surname, otherwise I wouldn't take the exam! I absolutely didn't want to still be laughed at by people after entering university! You don't know at all how much effort, hardship, and sweat I paid just to change my name! What is contained in my name is all my blood and tears, do you understand!"

Wiping his tears, Li Yifei echoed hypocritically, "I understand, I understand! That bitterness in your heart, ah, it's just like your tongue has licked coptis root!"

Qian Fei threw a forceful white eye at him, let out a long sigh, drank a mouthful of depressing alcohol, and said, "But well, after changing to my mom's surname, it wasn't too good either. I feel that I've started to be unable to hoard money in my hands! Qian Fei, Qian Fei, sounding like 'qian fei' for owing fees or money flying away, either the money flew away or it was owed out! Being called this by people every single day, it's a wonder if your mother can keep any money! No, you tell me why my mom had to find someone with the surname Su back then, why my dad had to marry someone with the surname Qian back then, and why the two of them just had to name me Fei, ah!"

Li Yifei began to hammer the table in wild laughter once again.

"Then when you changed your surname, why didn't you change the character Fei along with it?" he asked while laughing.

Qian Fei said hatefully, "My family's old man is just like your family's old man, saying that my name was also begged for after finding someone to calculate it, saying that my five elements lacked something, so I had to be called Fei, refusing to let me change it no matter what! But you tell me, isn't Fei under the grass radical? Which of the five elements does it connect with? Could it be that my five elements lack grass?"

Li Yifei splurted a mouthful of alcohol with a "pfft." "Big sister, I sincerely beg you not to use the word grass so casually in the future, I thank you!" Wiping his mouth, he held back his laughter and said, "The way I see it, ah, your five elements lack common sense!"

Qian Fei kicked over toward him fiercely once again. "I see you are the one whose five elements lack virtue!"

This kick of hers was caught and stopped by Li Yifei grasping her ankle. "I've already told you before, don't always act like a big grown man, can you take my golden words of advice to heart for once!"

Grasping Qian Fei's ankle, he lifted it upward. Qian Fei was lifted by him until she couldn't sit steadily, her person falling backward.

The loose and baggy pajama pants slid downward along her ankle, sliding down to her knee.

Li Yifei narrowed his eyes, letting out clicking sounds. "Didn't expect you to be quite fair and tender; logically speaking, shouldn't a masculine fellow with such booming male hormones like you be covered in leg hair?" he spoke while aiming his gaze at Qian Fei's calf.

Qian Fei's ears grew hot. Sitting up, she gave a forceful tug and retracted her foot. "Get lost! You even flirt with a fellow, you are simply worse than a beast, you!"

Li Yifei shook his shoulders with laughter.

After laughing enough, he approached with his beer can, resting one arm over Qian Fei's neck, and said, "Look at how those famous people and refined scholars all love to give a name to the place they live, what-and-what residence or what-and-what pavilion, it sounds especially stylized and high-end! Hey, what do you say is a good name to give our home?"

Qian Fei swatted his paw away, slanting a glance at him. "Young Master Li, I say you've thought too much, right? This is my home, my home! Whether it has a name or not, what does it have to do with you, ah?"

After taking a blissful gulp of alcohol, Li Yifei continued to speak to himself thick-skinnedly, "No matter how you look at it, I contributed popularity, right! Look, ah, you are called Fei and I am also called Fei, why don't we simply call our home 'Xiang Ru Fei Fei,' meaning fantasizing about each other! Xiang Ru Fei Fei, un! Not bad, not bad!"

Looking at that self-intoxicated virtue of his, Qian Fei let out a fierce, cold snort: "I see you are also a bit full of wild fantasies!"

●︶3︶●

On the second to last day of the New Year, the two of them sat on the floor. The television was on, inside were countless stars singing and dancing, and within the singing and dancing of the stars, the two of them drank beer while bickering.

In the end, both of them were a bit drunk.

In her daze, Qian Fei said, "Li Yifei, thank you for letting me not spend the first New Year after my breakup completely alone!"

In his daze, Li Yifei said, "Qian Fei, you've gone stupid, right? Today is only the 30th, December still has a 31st, the day after tomorrow is the New Year!"

Qian Fei let out an "oh." She had truly lived herself into a daze.

She let out another "sigh." Tomorrow, Li Yifei would have to go accompany his girlfriend to ring in the New Year.

It seemed that on the final day of this year, she still had to spend it completely alone.

Standing up full of emotion, she prepared to totter back to her room to sleep.

When she walked to the doorway of her room, she suddenly heard that person behind her say, "Big Sister Qian, make me stir-fried eggplant strips with meat tomorrow evening; I'll come back early, and we can eat dinner and watch the Xinwen Lianbo news together!"

Qian Fei pressed her head against the door and smiled. She didn't have to be alone anymore.

She suddenly felt that this winter was the warmest winter she had experienced in all her years in Beijing.