Chyou sniffled, her head slightly lowered. "You don't have to be so understanding. Now that I retrospect upon it, I might have unconsciously thought along that way, which was definitely unfair to you."
Yating wiped her cheeks and pulled her in his embrace. "Nothing was unfair, Chyou. It was the situation that put everybody in a difficult position. But that was the past and it doesn't affect our present anymore. It's time to celebrate now."
Chyou nodded. "Yes, yes! It's not time to bring gloomy things onboard. So, so, how should we celebrate!"
"Well, provided your stomach still has some space left for dessert, we can go to a special place."
She beamed. "I always have space for some dessert!"
"As I thought you would say," he laughed.
—
As Chyou stepped out, she blinked twice at the ice cream parlour and her lips formed an O.
"This ice cream parlor."
He smiled. "Yes the same ice cream parlor where we visited that one evening. The same fireworks evening. And then a scandal greeted us the next morning."
She shook her head. "It's so hard to be a popular celebrity, you know~"
He rolled his eyes. "Let's head in."
A small bell chimed in response to Yating opening the entrance door. A familiar face spotted them and gasped.
"The King and the Queen!"
Yating coughed. "Well Chyou is definitely the Queen but I am not any King."
The attendant behind the desk, Xiang Xiu, grinned and waved her hand. "Everybody saw your performance, Mr. Gu. I believe that title is not so far away."
She was the very same attendant who insisted upon letting Yating and Chyou have the couple ice-cream set the last time they came here.
Chyou waved her hand eagerly. "How are you doing?"
"I am doing great!" She flashed her ring finger coyly. "I am engaged!"
"Yes, I do remember you had a boyfriend," Yating said. "Congratulations."
Her gesture and bright demeanor touched their hearts and they thanked her from the bottom of their hearts.
Chyou raised her brow at him. "Last time, you let me eat all the ice cream so this time..."
She scooped a big bite on the spoon and dumped it in Yating's mouth. His eyes widened for a bit but then a smile laced in them. He, too, buried the spoon in the ice cream and fed her a bite.
"Hope your manager doesn't chew me out for feeding you ice cream."
Chyou blinked. "Oh she definitely will. But," she blushed, "my boyfriend is strong so I have full faith in you facing her wrath with courage and determination."
His jaw dropped in speechlessness. "How about all the food your stuffed back in the mall with Grandpa Liu?"
"Shouldn't you sacrifice yourself for your girlfriend's wellbeing?" She pitifully blinked.
"..."
"So you want me to willingly jump into the bubbling volcano?"
She sheepishly grinned. "You did jump into the fire to save me before. Do you know how much touching that was?" She sniffled. "I don't mind being touched by that gesture again and again~"
"I don't know about the gesture but you should definitely stay away from Grandpa Liu. For some reason, he makes everybody shameless."
She pouted with her puffed cheeks.
After having their fill of the delicious ice cream, they waved goodbye to Xiang Xiu and stepped out. They walked towards the lake where the fireworks festival was organized the last time.
The only difference was that last time, they walked with hesitation and distance between them.
But tonight, they held hands without reservation.
Standing at the corridor near the lake, they stared at the water flowing in peace and calm. They remembered how that one evening had changed a lot of things between them. Though the sky didn't shine tonight with the colorful fireworks, the beautiful imagery was still fresh in their minds as if it was yesterday.
He held her hands slightly tighter and leaned to her level. She froze, her heart skipping several beats.
"I love you, Chyou."
She trembled. There wasn't a need to explain anything. The significance of this place or how special it meant for them.
She slightly tiptoed and wrapping her hands around his neck, she kissed him hard. "I love you too, Yating."