TDLVSC 31

"Let's go, we still have the fireworks show to watch."

After a brief moment, Noland spoke those words and gently took Jin Shiya's hand, guiding the disoriented woman through the bustling crowd to their pre-reserved VIP front row seats.

Jin Shiya sat down, still wearing Noland’s jacket, but she felt a chilling coldness spreading through her body. Despite the warmth of the jacket, it seemed as if her heart and lungs were freezing, completely numb.

She wasn't sure why she still had the capacity to think about this, but as her emotions began to overwhelm her, a coat was suddenly draped over her head. The dark cloth shielded her from the world around her, and for a moment, everything went black.

She was still lost in thought when she heard Noland's voice.

“If you want to cry, go ahead. Your expression looks awful.”

“I’m not crying, that’s too embarrassing.”

“Then fix your expression before you come out.”

Hiding under the coat’s cover of darkness, the sounds of the crowd’s cheers and the rising fireworks filled the air. The long “whoosh” of each firework burst, followed by a resounding “bang” as it exploded in the sky. She couldn’t see the colorful display, but she could hear the fireworks soaring above, one after another.

Maybe it was because others couldn't hear her crying in this setting, or maybe it was the sense of safety the darkness provided, but Jin Shiya couldn’t hold back anymore. Tears streamed down her face. Why had Bai Yongyan chosen someone else? She had always been by his side, always been the one who truly liked him. Why couldn’t he see that?

She didn’t know if she was crying over Bai Yongyan’s feelings for someone else or over the fact that her years of unrequited love were now wasted. She wept deeply, feeling as though all her efforts, all her ambitions, were just a joke.

She had worked so hard, all for the day when she could stand proudly before him and say, "Yongyan, I really like you."

At that moment, Jin Shiya felt incredibly wronged.

But then, just as she was crying, a large hand rested on her head. Even through the fabric of the coat, she could feel his warmth.

Amid the fireworks and the sounds of the crowd, she heard the man’s voice clearly, "Didn’t you say you wouldn’t cry? Aren’t you embarrassed?"

Noland may have never learned how to comfort someone, but Jin Shiya’s tears stopped nonetheless. A few minutes later, she pulled herself out from under the coat and wrapped it around her shoulders. Noland's coat was warm, just like his jacket, carrying his warmth with it.

In most stories, when a woman feels cold, the man would take off his coat and put it on her. But in Jin Shiya’s case, she ended up wearing two of Noland’s.

She looked up at the fireworks as they bloomed in the sky, the cartoon characters dancing in the light. For the first time in a while, she smiled.

Turning to her side, she glanced at the man next to her. Under the colorful glow, his chiseled features looked even more striking. He rested his chin in his hand, gazing at the fireworks, his gray-blue eyes reflecting the dazzling lights.

It seemed as though Noland had noticed her gaze. He turned his head, his eyes meeting hers.

"What are you looking at?"

Despite her pale face, red eyes, and hair tousled by the wind from the coat, Jin Shiya was smiling, her eyes curving in a way that made her look unexpectedly beautiful.

"You’re really handsome."

Noland, at that moment, couldn’t help but wonder if Jin Shiya had taken too much of a hit emotionally and if she had become a little… slower in her thinking.