Chapter 1495: 1495: Surprise

Chapter 1495: Chapter 1495: Surprise

By the time the group returned to the city, it was already 5:30 in the evening.

Thankfully, at this time in Chang’an, it was not yet dark.

The group had dinner at a high-end hotel near Tang Dynasty Everbright City, which wasn’t far from Tang Paradise.

The dinner was hosted by Luo Ziling.

During dinner, Luo Ziling called Wang Zhenjun aside and whispered, “Is everything ready?”

“All ready, but the result might not be as great as expected,” Wang Zhenjun chuckled.

Luo Ziling simply smiled and didn’t say much.

During the meal, Luo Yuqing kept pestering Luo Ziling about the surprise he had for them, but Luo Ziling wouldn’t spill the beans.

Ouyang Feifei and Yang Qingyin were equally curious, but their reserved nature kept them from asking.

The other women, even more so, wouldn’t ask.

Frustrated by not getting an answer, Luo Yuqing grew a bit irritated.

To change the subject, Luo Ziling smiled and said to Luo Yuqing and Yang Qingyin, “How about this—later by the lake, we’ll play a round of Feihua Order. Let’s see who can recite the most poems related to the Lantern Festival. Are you in?”

“What’s the reward?” Luo Yuqing was intrigued.

“What do the winners get?” Yang Qingyin was interested too.

After thinking for a moment, Luo Ziling said, “The winner can make one request to the other two, any request at all.”

“Wow, that’s thrilling,” Luo Yuqing’s face lit up with excitement. “If I win, I’ll make you streak naked around the lake in Tang Paradise. Are you okay with that? Or maybe I’ll make you make my bed and serve me every day. How about that?”

“As long as you dare to make the request, I won’t mind. But can you even ensure your victory?” Luo Ziling shot her a teasing look. “Someone who can’t even memorize the ‘Song of Everlasting Regret’ thinks they’ll win against the two of us?”

“You wouldn’t make me streak naked if you win, would you?” Luo Yuqing looked completely innocent.

“Pfft,” Yang Xiaodong couldn’t hold back and spat out the tea he had been drinking.

This immediately annoyed Luo Yuqing. She picked up her teacup and pretended to splash it on Yang Xiaodong. “What’s so funny?”

“I just choked, I wasn’t laughing at you,” Yang Xiaodong quickly apologized and sat upright to show contrition.

“I just don’t want to memorize those long poems,” Luo Yuqing huffed and rolled her eyes at Luo Ziling. “‘Song of Everlasting Regret,’ ‘The Ballad of the Pipa Player’—I really don’t get why Bai Juyi had to write such long poems.”

“I bet Yang Qingyin can probably recite both of these long poems,” Luo Ziling pointed toward Yang Qingyin.

Yang Qingyin wore a smug expression but didn’t say a word.

Noticing Ouyang Feifei’s slightly strange expression, Luo Yuqing didn’t leave her out. Smiling, she asked, “Feifei, what about you? Want to join this game?”

“I’m not as talented as you guys. I’ll just watch you compete,” Ouyang Feifei said indifferently. “But I wonder if there’s a part of Luo Ziling’s surprise that’s meant for me. If not, you guys can just play by yourselves.”

“How could that be?” Luo Yuqing jumped in before Luo Ziling could answer, “Tonight, we must all have fun together. It’s always better with more people, right? We can guess riddles, watch lantern displays, and I hear there’s a water-screen movie at Tang Paradise. Later, there’s even supposed to be a fireworks display! It’s the Lantern Festival; how can we not celebrate with some fun?”

“How can we not hang out together tonight?” Yang Qingyin looked at Ouyang Feifei. “You were going to return to Yanjing this afternoon, but since you stayed, you should join in the fun. I’m sure that without a beauty like you around, a certain someone’s mood wouldn’t be too good either.”

“Exactly, exactly, the more beauties, the merrier. Just looking is good for the eyes,” Luo Ziling nodded vigorously like a chicken pecking at rice.

This earned him a collective look of disdain from all the women, but Luo Ziling didn’t mind in the least.

After dinner, the group headed to Tang Paradise.

After getting out of the car and walking toward the entrance of Tang Paradise, Luo Ziling spotted a roadside stall selling sugar figurines. He immediately asked the women, “Want some sugar figurines? My treat!”

“No!” Ouyang Feifei declined outright. “It’s unsanitary.”

Wang Qing, Ye Xiaoli, and Lin also shook their heads.

“I want one!” Luo Yuqing eagerly followed Luo Ziling’s side, asking for a sugar figurine in the shape of a little dog.

“That’s not a sugar figurine; that’s a sugar dog,” Luo Ziling corrected. “Why a little dog shape?”

“Because some people belong to the dog zodiac.”

Luo Ziling was taken aback before realizing that he belonged to the dog zodiac, making him a bit annoyed.

“I’d like one too, same shape—a little dog,” Yang Qingyin joined them at the stall and made her request.

“Ugh, you two have such wicked minds,” Luo Ziling protested indignantly.

But the two women ignored him.

Seeing Luo Yuqing and Yang Qingyin willing to eat roadside stall snacks, Ouyang Feifei seemed a bit surprised.

Watching Luo Ziling, Yang Qingyin, and Luo Yuqing teasing each other, she realized that creating joyful moments could be as simple as buying snacks at a street stall. Her restrained demeanor often made her miss such spontaneous pleasures.

But her inner pride kept her from lowering herself to buy a sugar figurine. In the end, she simply stood quietly to the side.

Holding their little dog-shaped sugar figurines, Luo Yuqing and Yang Qingyin took small bites, while Luo Ziling chose a Sun Wukong-shaped one. The three of them ate contentedly as they walked back toward the crowd. Laughing, Luo Ziling said, “Later, I’ll treat you to something even better. If you’re worried about hygiene, you can tell me, and I’ll save some money.”

“Cheapskate!” Luo Yuqing took a vicious bite of her sugar figurine, leaving only a tiny remnant. She rolled her eyes at Luo Ziling again but quickly smiled. “Coming all the way to Chang’an was absolutely the right decision. I’m sure this Lantern Festival will be a happy one.”

“If a sugar figurine makes you this happy, won’t you jump into the lake if I buy you more treats later?”

“If I’m not happy, I’ll cut you into eight pieces!” Luo Yuqing rolled her eyes at Luo Ziling once more before grabbing Yang Qingyin’s hand and then linking arms with Ouyang Feifei. She called out enthusiastically, “Let’s go! Time to see the lanterns!”

Just as they entered Tang Paradise, a firework suddenly shot up into the sky without warning and exploded.

The firework burst into a smiling face and lingered in the air.

Looking up, people quickly noticed that a colorful banner was hanging amidst the smoke of the explosion.

“Happy Lantern Festival, Little Lamb!” Luo Yuqing’s sharp eyes spotted the not-so-clear text and shouted it out.

But before she could react, another firework exploded. Again, it formed a smiling face, followed by another colorful banner.

This time, the text wasn’t very clear, but faintly, the word “Qing” and “happy” could be made out.

Then came another firework, again a smiling face with a banner.

This time, the text was even blurrier, with only the character “Fei” barely visible.

“I get it now. This is your surprise for us!” Luo Yuqing grabbed Luo Ziling’s arm and exclaimed happily, “Little Lamb is Qingyin! The next one is wishing me a happy Lantern Festival, and the last one is wishing Feifei a happy Lantern Festival, right?”

Hearing Luo Yuqing’s exclamation, Yang Qingyin and Ouyang Feifei both turned their gazes to Luo Ziling.