Xu Xiuwen picked out a white ghost mask.
At first glance, it looked scary.
Upon closer inspection, it was still scary.
Many customers in the store were renting costumes, but Xu Xiuwen decided against it.
He thought a mask was enough; there was no need to rent a costume as well.
Upon leaving the shop, Xu Xiuwen put on the mask.
Unless someone knew him very well, they wouldn't recognize him at first glance.
He couldn't help but think: if he ran into Cheng Lu later and she didn't recognize him, that would be amusing.
The lantern festival in Tianyun Town was incredibly lively.
Everywhere was adorned with lanterns and decorations.
Rows of red paper lanterns hung above every street, evoking the phrase "thousands of colorful lanterns."
The closer he got to the town center, the more crowded the streets became.
The roadside was lined with various vendors selling everything from clothing, hats, fans, and curtains to bonsai, flowers, fresh fish, pigs, sheep, cakes, candied fruits, and seasonal produce.
There were even candy sellers surrounded by children, whose laughter created an incredibly warm and harmonious atmosphere.
Occasionally looking up, one could see sky lanterns rising from different directions.
Every scene in Tianyun Town at that moment felt dreamlike and unreal.
Before he knew it, half an hour had passed.
Xu Xiuwen had been wandering around the streets of the town, weaving through the crowd, but had not encountered anyone familiar.
Being a lantern festival, it naturally featured many lanterns.
Along the way, he saw several stalls selling flower lanterns with riddles attached by the vendors.
Feeling tired, Xu Xiuwen stopped in front of one of the stalls.
A crowd had gathered around, watching a young couple solving the riddles.
They had successfully solved two riddles in a row but were stumped by the third.
The defeated couple received two flower lanterns from the vendor and left amid applause from the crowd.
New tourists stepped up to challenge the riddles but soon gave up.
Xu Xiuwen watched for a while and then decided to move on.
There were many people around, and he was caught in the crowd.
"Ah!"
Suddenly, he bumped into someone.
The person let out a cry.
Xu Xiuwen looked in the direction of the voice and saw a woman in a dress looking at him through a mask.
"Song Siyu?" Xu Xiuwen recognized the voice but wasn't entirely sure, so he asked tentatively.
He then saw the woman's pupils enlarge beneath the mask.
"Xu Xiuwen?" the woman asked uncertainly.
At that moment, Xu Xiuwen confirmed it was Song Siyu.
Song Siyu also recognized him.
Both fell silent.
Then Song Siyu glanced around Xu Xiuwen and couldn't help but ask, "Haven't you seen Youran?"
Xu Xiuwen was taken aback and reflexively asked, "Youran is here for the lantern festival too?"
Song Siyu muttered to herself, "So you really haven't run into Youran."
Then she paused, realizing that she might be the first woman Xu Xiuwen had encountered.
She remembered what the waiter had said.
Shaking her head, Song Siyu said, "That rumor is completely inaccurate. There's no way we're destined to be together."
Xu Xiuwen agreed, "I think the same. The rumor isn't true."
Song Siyu said, "Then let's part ways."
"Okay."
"And you can't mention this again."
"Don't worry."
After reaching an understanding, Xu Xiuwen walked north, and Song Siyu walked south.
Xu Xiuwen had just taken a few steps when Song Siyu called him back.
Surprised, he turned around.
Facing him, Song Siyu said, "If you meet Youran later, don't mention you saw me. She really believes in that saying, and I don't want her to be upset."
"Okay, I promise."
Song Siyu nodded and then walked away.
After parting from Song Siyu, Xu Xiuwen continued north.
He reached an intersection.
Standing in the middle, he hesitated about which direction to take.
He didn't want to go north anymore; should he go east or west?
After thinking for a moment, Xu Xiuwen decided to go east.
As he was about to step forward, he noticed a girl standing directly in front of him.
Amid the bustling crowd, she stood still, looking in his direction.
From her gaze, Xu Xiuwen felt she was looking at him.
The girl wore a plain white T-shirt with a blue short jacket over it, and light blue jeans, giving off a pure and innocent vibe.
She also wore a mask, but it was more like an eye mask.
The mask barely covered the upper half of her face.
From her eyes and the lower half of her face, Xu Xiuwen recognized her immediately.
Xiao Youran!
Just as he was about to call her name, he heard a female voice behind him.
"Xu Xiuwen!"
It was Cheng Lu's voice.
He turned reflexively.
On the western street stood another girl.
The tourists around her moved like a stream, while she stood firm like a rock.
She wore a light green dress and a cat mask.
Just one look and the sound of her voice made Xu Xiuwen recognize her instantly.
At that moment, at this intersection, the tourists moved hurriedly in all directions.
Only Xu Xiuwen, Cheng Lu, and Xiao Youran stood still.
Xiao Youran was the first to approach.
Cheng Lu also walked over.
"Youran, Lulu."
Xu Xiuwen hadn't expected to meet both girls almost simultaneously.
He greeted them awkwardly.
Neither girl looked at him.
Their gazes met in the air, almost sparking with intensity.
Cheng Lu was the first to look away.
She took Xu Xiuwen's arm and greeted Xiao Youran with a smile, "Good evening, Xiao Youran."
Seeing Cheng Lu and Xu Xiuwen together made Xiao Youran furious.
She thought for a moment and said, "Xiao Xu, I'm the first girl you saw, so we must be destined."
Cheng Lu immediately retorted, "You're mistaken. I saw Xu Xiuwen first and called his name."
Xiao Youran laughed, "No mistake. You may have called him first, but Xiao Xu saw me first, so I'm his destined one."
Cheng Lu was at a loss for words.
She couldn't argue because it was true; Xu Xiuwen saw Xiao Youran first and only turned after hearing Cheng Lu call him.
After a few moments of calm, Cheng Lu smiled and said, "Looks like that saying isn't accurate."
Xiao Youran quickly countered, "Who says it isn't? It's very accurate."
"It's not!"
"It is!"
Despite normally avoiding conflict, Cheng Lu didn't back down from Xiao Youran this time.
Xiao Youran also shed her usual demeanor, standing her ground against Cheng Lu.
The two girls stared at each other for a long time.
Suddenly, Xiao Youran turned to Xu Xiuwen and asked, "Xiao Xu, do you think it's accurate?"
Cheng Lu also looked at Xu Xiuwen and asked, "What do you think?"
Both girls threw the dilemma at him.
Xu Xiuwen felt both helpless and speechless.
Instead of answering directly, he tried to change the subject. "Come on, don't argue. What's the point of fighting over this?"
Neither girl was satisfied with Xu Xiuwen's response.
Xiao Youran pouted immediately.
Cheng Lu also looked at him expressionlessly.
However, Xiao Youran soon realized that Xu Xiuwen hadn't sided with Cheng Lu.
Logically, he should support his girlfriend, but he didn't.
Realizing this, Xiao Youran felt happy again.
Cheng Lu also thought about how Xiao Youran had been Xu Xiuwen's childhood friend for eighteen years, and their bond was strong.
But it was indeed true that Xu Xiuwen saw Xiao Youran first.
He didn't help Xiao Youran either, which showed that she was more important to him.
This made Cheng Lu feel better.
She remembered that she was already Xu Xiuwen's girlfriend, and no matter how hard Xiao Youran tried, it was futile.
Realizing this, Cheng Lu smiled and said, "Dummy, let's go see the lanterns."
"Okay."
Xu Xiuwen agreed.
Xiao Youran quickly added, "I want to go too."
Cheng Lu gave her a sidelong glance but didn't object.
Seeing that Cheng Lu had tacitly agreed, Xu Xiuwen naturally didn't oppose it either.
Xiao Youran thought Cheng Lu had given in, feeling secretly pleased.
Shishi's advice was right; love needed to be fought for.
By striving, Xiao Xu would gradually come closer to her.
The place to release the lanterns was by the lake where they had spent the afternoon.
The three of them walked towards the lake.
At this moment, Tianyun Town had completely transformed into a festive sea.
The lanterns and moonlight, the bustling crowds, gave a feeling of "thousands of trees bloom with lanterns in the east wind, and stars fall like rain."
Both Xiao Youran and Cheng Lu were immersed in the lively, harmonious atmosphere, becoming unusually quiet.
"Xu Xiuwen!"
Suddenly, a female voice came from the left.
The three turned to look.
By a candied hawthorn vendor stood a lively girl.
She wore a fox mask, but her clothes were enough to reveal her identity.
Cheng Lu asked, "Shishi, what are you doing here?"
An Shishi chuckled, shaking the candied hawthorn in her hand, "I'm buying candied hawthorn. Do you want some?"
Seeing the crystal clear candied hawthorn in An Shishi's hand, Xiao Youran felt a bit greedy, having not eaten much at dinner.
Cheng Lu was also tempted.
Xu Xiuwen saw their thoughts.
He walked up to the vendor and said, "Two more candied hawthorns, please."
"Sure thing!"
The vendor handed him two more.
Xu Xiuwen took them and gave one each to Cheng Lu and Xiao Youran.
Xiao Youran immediately took hers and licked it.
The sweet taste made her eyes squint with pleasure.
It was delicious.
Cheng Lu took a bite.
The sour taste of the hawthorn mixed with the sweetness of the sugar, creating a tangy, sweet sensation that delighted her taste buds.
Her eyes lit up as well.
An Shishi laughed, "Tasty, right? Hehe."
Xu Xiuwen paid and was about to leave.
An Shishi asked, "Where are you going?"
Xu Xiuwen replied, "To see the lanterns."
An Shishi immediately said, "I'll go too."
"Okay."
So, the group of three became four.
After just a few steps, Xiao Youran suddenly lifted her candied hawthorn and said to Xu Xiuwen, "Xiao Xu, try this. It tastes great."
Whether intentionally or unintentionally, the top hawthorn had a bite taken out of it.
Feigning innocence, Xiao Youran brought the candied hawthorn to Xu Xiuwen's mouth.
An Shishi, seeing this, immediately guessed that Xiao Youran did it on purpose.
She chuckled inwardly but didn't say anything.
Cheng Lu remained silent.
Xu Xiuwen swallowed hard, looking into Xiao Youran's clear, innocent eyes.
He wasn't sure if Xiao Youran did it on purpose, but emotionally, he felt she didn't.
If Cheng Lu wasn't there, he would've taken a bite without a second thought.
Whether she had bitten it or not didn't matter.
But with Cheng Lu right beside him, eating it would surely upset her.
After hesitating for a second, he said to Xiao Youran, "Thanks, but I'll eat Lulu's instead."
Then, he turned to Cheng Lu and took a bite of her candied hawthorn.
Cheng Lu was very pleased with Xu Xiuwen's response, unable to suppress a smile.
Seeing this, Xiao Youran pouted, feeling dejected.
She withdrew her hand and took a bite of her hawthorn, finding it less sweet than before.
Like a little rabbit, she took several quick bites, as if the hawthorn was something else entirely.
Xu Xiuwen secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
The four continued toward the lake.
After just a few steps, An Shishi suddenly asked, "Youran, Lulu, how did you three end up together?"
Xiao Youran, still upset, didn't respond.
Cheng Lu explained, "We just happened to run into each other."
An Shishi gave an "oh" and then asked, "So who met Xu Xiuwen first?"
This question made the atmosphere tense again.
This time, Xiao Youran was happy.
She immediately said, "Shishi, it was me. Do you think the rumors here are accurate?"
An Shishi, surprised, looked between Xiao Youran, Cheng Lu, and Xu Xiuwen.
Seeing that neither of the latter two denied it, she realized Xiao Youran was telling the truth.
She hesitated for a moment before responding, "If everyone says so, there must be some truth to it."
Xiao Youran, even happier, exclaimed, "Right? I knew Xiao Xu and I were meant to be. Some people just don't believe it."
Now it was Cheng Lu's turn to be unhappy.
Xu Xiuwen suddenly felt the temperature drop by at least ten degrees.
He shivered involuntarily.
He glared at An Shishi, thinking that if she hadn't asked, the atmosphere wouldn't have turned cold again.
He also suspected that An Shishi did it on purpose, enjoying the drama.
Noticing Xu Xiuwen's look, An Shishi gave a playful wink.
Xu Xiuwen knew he had to intervene.
He said in a deep voice, "Youran and Lulu saw me at the same time. Does that mean I'm meant for both of them? So this idea isn't accurate."
Xiao Youran pouted, "Why isn't it accurate? You don't get to decide."
Cheng Lu, however, felt pleased again.
Xu Xiuwen had clearly expressed his stance, which made her happy.