I turned reality into a romantic comedy.

"Well, because some people can eat spicy food and some can't, some people like scallions, ginger and garlic and some people just can't eat this, it's pretty normal, I don't even eat cilantro myself."

As he said this, Chen Junqian pushed the plate of meat skewers that had been brushed with honey but not chili, making them much milder, towards Shen Nianqiu:

"Sister, you also have to record a song in a couple of days, so you should take care of your voice."

"So, is this considered special treatment just for me?"

"Hmm, if we count the number of people, it should be the middle stove."

"Okay, thanks for your hard work."

Shen Nianqiu answered with a smile, then reached for the honey chicken wing skewer, took a small bite, and savored the sweet honey perfectly complementing the tender chicken. The cooking was flawless, making her squint her beautiful almond-shaped eyes in satisfaction.

"It really is delicious, and it's been a long time since I've had my brother's cooking."

"Won't my sister be completely free by this time next year? It'll be less than a year. Keep it up!"

"Come on, everyone, let's raise our glasses!"

Gu Linguo, a natural at livening up the atmosphere, raised her sparkling water to follow the topic:

"Celebrating our perfect getaway from the city, and also celebrating that our predecessors failed to get CPR and now have to be our free five-star barbecue chef."

"What the heck is the second half of that sentence?"

Although it seemed like the same way they always interacted, Chen Junqian could still sense that Gu Linguo was a little unhappy tonight. But the next second, seven glasses and cans clinked together in mid-air, making a pleasant sound while also obscuring the other person's expression.

Xu Youwei chewed her vegetables with a hint of exasperation; Lin Mu held her cup with a smile; Zhu Wenyun seemed to have her eye on the last oyster; Chen Xi pursed her lips, still looking annoyed; and Shen Nianqiu, as she withdrew her hand, intentionally or unintentionally tapped her cup, which was still covered in icy steam, against Chen Junqian's can. Only Gu Lingguo couldn't see it clearly.

They should have been sitting together.

Chen Junqian subconsciously turned his head, looking at the girl's profile, which seemed no different from usual, under the warm yellow light. The sea breeze ruffled her hair, and as if sensing his gaze, Gu Linguo also turned her head. So Chen Junqian looked away again, tilted his head back and took a sip of iced cola, feeling the carbonation explode in his throat, while at the same time he seemed to hear the other person murmur:

"I'm definitely not... a girl from the world of anime and manga."

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Chapter 122: Will the male protagonist be a white-haired fetishist? Yes! (Two-part summary)

As the last spark on the barbecue grill gradually died out in the cooling charcoal, the seven young men and women, having enjoyed their meal, all fell into a lazy and contented silence.

The sound of waves crashing on the beach was exceptionally clear in the quiet night, like nature breathing evenly. Lin Mu, unusually unladylike, sprawled out in the soft beanbag chair, rubbing his round belly and letting out a long sigh:

"Ah... I feel like my life is complete, but I'm afraid I'll gain weight if I eat too much."

"It's okay for Mu Mu to gain a little weight now, right? It's fine to indulge once in a while."

"It's mainly because Qinqin's cooking is so good that I ate a lot without realizing it, and I felt like I didn't want to move at all."

"Is that so? I even prepared some activities for after the meal."

"Those small fireworks, right?"

Thanks to the constant mentions from the others during dinner, Xu Youwei also learned about this mysterious little game that is supposedly a must-do whenever you play at the beach. Resting her chin on her hand, she asked with some doubt:

"But it feels weird to set off fireworks in the summer. Fireworks and firecrackers are usually something we do during the winter, like Chinese New Year, right?"

“Many fireworks festivals in Japan are held in the summer. This is just a derivative activity. It feels like the goal is to highlight the atmosphere of ‘this is a fireworks display that belongs only to you and me’ or ‘no matter how small the fireworks are, as long as you are by my side, it’s the whole world.’”

Before Gu Linguo could speak again, Zhu Wenyun, this time, offered an explanation from her perspective as a romance novelist, and Shen Nianqiu chimed in:

"I heard you have to wear a yukata or something, so it feels a bit like going to a temple fair?"

When the two of them said that, Xu Youwei also remembered her first confession a few years ago. She suddenly felt that compared to the grand and magnificent but also too noisy large-scale fireworks display that blooms in the night sky, the scene of two people playing with small fireworks together was indeed more touching. At least her voice of confession would not be drowned out by the sound of fireworks blooming in the sky.

"Now that you mention it, it does sound quite interesting. I want to play it later too!"

"Weiwei just loves playing with these kinds of fireworks and firecrackers."

Seeing that everyone's interest was still high, Chen Junqian stood up and walked straight to the trunk of the jeep parked not far away on the beach. He took out the bundles of cigarettes that he had prepared in advance and neatly stacked them, and put them aside for later use.

"It instantly creates a certain atmosphere!"

Gu Lingguo finally found a chance to squeeze next to Chen Junqian, pretending to check the sparklers, but her eyes were fixed on Chen Junqian, as if she would cry on the spot if he didn't play with her.

Having noticed this, Chen Junqian was the first to hand over a bunch of sparklers.

The moonlight and the warm orange glow of the camping lamps met in the girl's pupils. Gu Lingguo, who was still immersed in the aftertaste of some negative emotions, looked at the fireworks handed to her and felt that the small grievance in her heart had disappeared without a trace. Just as a mature reader needs to be able to find sweetness between the lines, a mature romantic comedy heroine should also learn to create her own personal episodes.

"Does Lin Guo want to play now?"

"Yeah, I've only ever seen it in cartoons before, I've never actually played it in real life."

"Isn't this basically no different from the sparklers we have in China?"

"Then let's add another qualifier: I've never played on the beach with you in the summer. Is that alright? Let's go."

When Gu Lingguo reached out and pulled Chen Junqian away, most people remained calm. Shen Nianqiu and Zhu Wenyun, who were essentially just amateurs, were waiting for the veteran's teaching method to be replicated. Chen Xi was still thinking about what excuse Gu Lingguo would use and how she would charge in if they encountered the same situation again. Only Lin Mu was still poking her best friend:

"Weiwei, aren't you going to play with us? You seem quite interested in these fireworks."

"Hmm, I think these kinds of fireworks are better enjoyed by two people together. Let's wait for Qinqin to come back. Where's Mumu? Aren't you going to go and check it out?"

"Since I think Lin Guo thinks the same way, I'll just let it go."

After saying that, Lin Mu yawned wearily again:

"And I really am quite tired, I just want to go back to sleep."

"A lot happened today, so it's good to get some rest early."

On the other side, Chen Junqian, who had been pulled to the beach by Gu Linguo, also noticed the unyielding nature of her actions. After briefly checking the various values ​​that had begun to decline, he let her do as she pleased.

It's a complicated situation.

The two of them were about to do one of the most romantic comedy things, but the female lead's romantic comedy adaptability was gradually declining as they went along, which was something Gu Linguo had never experienced before.

"Hold this carefully. These fireworks should be held at an angle and not swayed around."

Chen Junqian patiently gave instructions, as if he were teaching a child.

"I know, my brother is even more nagging than my mom."

Once out of sight of others, Gu Linguo switched back to calling him 'brother'.

"It's because someone just said they'd never played it before."

"There are various modifier prefixes as well."

After making this rebuttal, Gu Linguo muttered to herself again:

"But for my brother, all sorts of modifiers and prefixes are absolutely necessary."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Literally, because there is only one first time and one first time, only by adding various adjectives and prefixes in front of them can they become many, so that I can get one or two of them."

This time, Chen Junqian did not choose to answer, but simply lit the few cigarettes in his hand with a lighter.

"Thorn-"

A crisp, delicate sound broke the silence of the night. A tiny, golden spark burst forth from the tip of the paper twist in his hand. At first, it throbbed violently like a startled bean, emitting a brilliant amber light. Then, the sparks began to branch out, like a blooming golden double-petaled peony, unfolding layer by layer and burning intensely in the air.

"So beautiful..."

Gu Lingguo squatted on the ground, her eyes wide open, afraid of missing any detail. Unlike during the day, in this environment where only the two of them were together, her voice and tone unconsciously lowered, making her appear unusually quiet.

Just like Xu Youwei during the New Year, when setting off fireworks, the female protagonists would always choose to borrow a light rather than directly use his lighter. When his sparks reached their most brilliant stage, Gu Lingguo would also reach out and gently bring the tip of the sparkler in her hand to his.

"Compared to borrowing fire, I feel that calling this method 'borrowing light' would be more appropriate?"

"When did you become so artistic, brother? No, you've always been quite artistic, otherwise Sister Wenyun wouldn't have fallen for you."

Gu Lingguo chuckled and made a sarcastic remark, while staring blankly as the two sparks collided and merged in the darkness, finally giving birth to a golden flower that belonged only to her in the crystal-clear amber.

At that moment, the world seemed to be so quiet that only the faint crackling of sparks could be heard. Golden fragments fell on the beach and went out instantly, making her unconsciously become the little match girl in the fairy tale, repeatedly lighting one firework after another, prolonging this time alone between the two of them time and time again.

During this process, Chen Junqian looked down at her, the light of the fireworks casting a small shadow under his thick eyelashes. As a result, from Gu Linguo's perspective, his eyes were as gentle as those of the male protagonists in those stories, or even more so.

"I feel that my brother is indeed quite gentle."

"You wouldn't let me use 'cute' before, even though it's such an overused adjective, but now you're using it yourself?"

"Because at certain specific times, you just feel that only this word is the most appropriate. Actually, my views on gentleness are completely different from those of Teacher Da. Instead of thinking about how gentle people are gentle to everyone, I think that if someone is not gentle to everyone, they certainly wouldn't be gentle to someone like me."

"It feels like 'The Lost Daughter'."

"If I hadn't met my brother, maybe I really would have become like this? But probably not as much as her, uh, should I say repressed? Repressed in all aspects, both physically and mentally, it feels like it's even reached the point of sexual repression."

In 2015, a time when repression was not yet synonymous with sexual repression, Chen Junqian couldn't help but chuckle as he listened to Gu Linguo's earnest explanation. He simply held the firework in his hand close to her eyes:

"Lin Guo, would you like to make a wish?"

"A cigarette spark isn't a shooting star..."

Despite her complaints, Gu Lingguo obediently closed her eyes.

When she opened her eyes, she saw Chen Junqian looking at her mockingly.

"What did Lin Guo wish for? Did she hope that things would always be like this?"

"I won't tell you... but I just think people's thoughts really do change so quickly, or maybe I've just reached that age."

"That statement sounds like something out of a chuunibyou (middle school syndrome)."

"Because I feel that my thoughts are completely different now than they were a year ago, if the lock wasn't still with my brother, I would have wanted to rewrite the contents of that note inside."

"If that's what you're saying, then I'll have to use the key to open it and take a look tonight."

"Never mind then, but maybe I'll change my mind later. After all, no one can predict the future... Phew, there aren't many stars tonight."

Gu Linguo looked up with her small face, her tone sounding a little regretful.

"That's what happens when the moon is bright and the stars are few, which is why the moon is especially bright tonight."

"Why didn't you say the moonlight was beautiful tonight, brother?"

"The moonlight is beautiful tonight."

"...Completely boring."

"Because it's essentially someone else's confession."

"Ah, does that mean you used to find it boring when I played those female leads and said those classic lines?"

"I don't think they can be confused. Setting the atmosphere is very important, and the scene also needs to be appropriate."

Despite having already used up all their fireworks, the two of them stayed on the beach, watching the waves roar and surge past their feet, sometimes distant and empty, sometimes suddenly close at hand, thanks to Gu Linguo's coaxing.