“You came with him?” Zhou Zhe knew Qiao Li was here for a date, but he hadn’t expected it to be with this teenager.

Qiao Li stood up, walked to Feng Yi's side, and said to Zhou Zhe, “Let me formally introduce you. Feng Yi, my boyfriend.”

Zhou Zhe was genuinely surprised. Once he realized Qiao Li wasn't joking, his smile faded. He glimpsed the bag behind Feng Yi and saw the shoes inside, shoes that he found ridiculously silly. He almost laughed. Buying Qiao Li these shoes showed how little he knew her.

They’d been together for seven years. He'd never seen her without makeup, never heard her swear, never seen her let her image slip. Her composure was ingrained; even if the sky were falling, she'd calmly reapply her lipstick.

He tossed a water bottle at Feng Yi, who instinctively caught it. Zhou Zhe patted Feng Yi's shoulder, adopting a condescending air. “Don't buy her sugary drinks next time.”

Feng Yi seethed. He wanted to retort, “Who do you think you are?” but he held back.

Watching Zhou Zhe walk away, he snatched Qiao Li’s sweet drink and downed it in one gulp. “I was dying of thirst.” As if nothing had happened, he twisted open the cap of the water bottle and offered it to her. “Water?”

His attempt at nonchalance was clumsy. She pushed the water bottle back to him. “He’s my ex-boyfriend.”

Feng Yi froze, taking a second to process the information. “Oh, uh, I see,” he stammered, flustered.

Qiao Li didn't want to avoid the topic. “We were together for seven years.”

Feng Yi’s panic intensified. Before he could overthink, Qiao Li continued, “I thought you deserved to know. If you mind…”

“I don’t mind! Of course not!” His voice rose instinctively, then softened. He slumped, like a golden retriever whose fur had lost its sheen after wandering too long.

“I’m just… jealous,” he mumbled. “You’ve already moved on to another relationship, and I’m still playing in the mud.”

Qiao Li chuckled. “Playing in the mud at this age?”

“Well… you get the idea.” He squeezed the water bottle until it crackled. “It feels like I missed a really important part of your life.”

Uncomfortable with the conversation, the vulnerability and uncertainty it brought to their relationship, he abruptly changed the subject. 

“Oh, by the way, I saw a shorter line over there. Of course, if you don’t want to wait, we can just wander around. That’s fine too.”

Qiao Li didn’t push the subject further.

Feng Yi kept the bag hidden behind him, wishing he could dispose of the Donald Duck shoes as quickly as he’d finished the sweet drink. Despite his inner turmoil, he maintained his usual energetic demeanor, seemingly tireless.

They passed the time, and Qiao Li finally, finally, made it to the evening fireworks display. It wasn't that she particularly wanted to see the fireworks; she was simply exhausted from a day of walking. No matter how used to high heels she was, standing in them all day was torture.

Feng Yi, anxious all day, also felt a wave of relief. They both looked forward to the end of this less-than-perfect date.

Fireworks burst into the sky, scattering brilliant light across the heavens like a vast, star-studded river. Reflected in the starlight on the castle, they created an illusion of a fairytale realm.