Chapter 1496: 1496: Believe It or Not, I'll Kick You Into the Lake

Chapter 1496: Chapter 1496: Believe It or Not, I’ll Kick You Into the Lake

“Damn, the results are so bad,” Luo Ziling looked at Wang Zhenjun beside him in discontent. “I told you to handle things better, didn’t I?”

“Young master, I’ve already tried my best,” Wang Zhenjun also looked a bit dejected but then quickly let out a cheeky laugh. “Anyway, they all understood your intentions, so it got across.”

“Little brother, I’m very happy,” Luo Yuqing held onto Luo Ziling’s arm, her smile radiant like a blooming flower. “You’ve really surprised us.”

“Only you’re surprised?” Luo Ziling glanced at Yang Qingyin and Ouyang Feifei.

After a soft snort, Yang Qingyin also linked arms with Luo Ziling’s other arm. “To save your dignity, I’ll just say I’m pleasantly surprised.”

Ouyang Feifei didn’t say anything, but she flashed a smile that looked genuinely joyful.

Luo Yuqing didn’t hold back, keeping her grip on Luo Ziling’s arm as she chatted non-stop along the way. Naturally, her focus was on how Luo Ziling managed to pull off such an unexpected surprise for them. However, Luo Ziling didn’t spill the details, leaving Luo Yuqing feeling slightly frustrated and embarrassed.

After a while, she let go of Luo Ziling’s arm and went hand-in-hand with Yang Qingyin instead.

“Qingyin, aren’t you particularly happy? Putting you first and leaving certain people after me, his older sister—surely you understand what that means, right?”

Yang Qingyin didn’t reply, merely chuckling softly.

Soon after, the three women were greeted by another surprise: a set of lanterns designed in their likenesses.

Although they weren’t based on photographs but rather illustrations, they instantly recognized their own images.

Yang Qingyin was depicted as a classic beauty, Luo Yuqing donned a traditional student outfit from the Republican era, while Ouyang Feifei was portrayed as a professional career woman. The three figures each occupied one face of the colossal lantern. As the lantern rotated slowly, their elegant images were showcased to the audience one after another.

“Is this also one of your surprises for us?” Yang Qingyin couldn’t help but express amazement after recognizing the classic beauty illustration as herself.

“Haha, I discovered that I look really lovely in the Republican-era student outfit!” Luo Yuqing exclaimed in delight.

Ouyang Feifei didn’t say a word but her face, brimming with uncontained excitement, revealed her joy.

Tonight, Luo Ziling hadn’t forgotten about her, which provided her with some reassurance. However, being placed behind Yang Qingyin in most instances still left her feeling somewhat irked. Nevertheless, this Lantern Festival surpassed any previous ones in both excitement and memorability.

Each of the three women posed in front of the lantern while standing beside their illustrated likenesses for photos.

After taking the photos, Luo Yuqing couldn’t resist asking Luo Ziling how he managed to set up lanterns featuring their images within just one day.

Luo Ziling explained to Luo Yuqing that it was all part of Wang Zhenjun’s arrangements—he had coordinated the preparations.

“At the end of the day, it’s all about making everyone happy. After all, we traveled all the way to Chang’an to celebrate the Lantern Festival.”

The group lingered for quite some time in front of the lantern featuring their images before continuing onward.

Large lanterns were set up along both sides of the road, with smaller lanterns hung overhead along the pedestrian pathways. At the lakeside promenade, they entered a dazzling world of lights. In addition to the stunning array of colorful lanterns, there were numerous riddles hanging on red paper lanterns.

If you could solve the riddles, you’d get a chance to claim a prize from the staff.

“I know this one,” Luo Yuqing eagerly pulled down a lantern riddle where the clue read a single character: “思” (Thought), asking you to name another character. She then smugly turned to Luo Ziling and asked, “Can you guess what the answer is?”

Unable to figure it out right away, Luo Ziling was met with Luo Yuqing mocking him. “As expected, you’re clueless. Let me tell you—the answer is ‘十’ (Ten).”

“Oh! The heart of a field,” Luo Ziling suddenly understood.

Next, Luo Yuqing pulled down another riddle of a similar type. This time, the clue was “武” (Martial), asking for a corresponding character.

After pondering briefly, Luo Ziling successfully guessed, “It should be ‘斐’ (Elegant), right?”

“Huh, seems like you’re not entirely useless,” Luo Yuqing remarked grudgingly. She then grabbed Yang Qingyin, who had also picked a few riddles, saying, “Let’s go exchange these for gifts.”

Yang Qingyin waved one of her riddles in hand and teased Luo Ziling, “Let’s test you—using the scene in front of you, guess a riddle. What would your answer be?”

Without hesitation, Luo Ziling blurted out, “It must be ‘侈’ (Exorbitant), right? So many people here.”

Luo Yuqing immediately noticed that the clue on Yang Qingyin’s riddle was “熙熙攘攘” (Bustling), and exclaimed, “You two are so in sync! How did you come up with the same answer just like that?”

Her comment made Yang Qingyin break into a wide grin, but Ouyang Feifei, who was standing calmly on the sidelines watching, slightly stiffened at the remark.

Though Ouyang Feifei solved quite a few riddles herself, she didn’t exchange any of them for gifts. While she envied Luo Yuqing’s carefree demeanor, she found it difficult to relax and join in the fun due to Yang Qingyin’s presence.

As Yang Qingyin and Luo Yuqing headed off to claim their prizes, Ouyang Feifei tilted her head and asked Luo Ziling, “Do you think I’m just a spare part tonight?”

Luo Ziling shot back bluntly, “Why act so uptight when you’re still young? It’s a day for celebration—stop treating yourself like a corporate president. If you want to play, then play. If you want to laugh, then laugh. Don’t overthink it; do you think every Lantern Festival will be as fun as this one?”

“What role am I supposed to play, and with what mindset?”

“Just approach it like a young woman—simple as that. You’re not even thirty yet, and you certainly haven’t settled down with anyone. Stop thinking that being called a president means you need to act more dignified or live more rigidly than others,” Luo Ziling said with open disdain.

“Alright then, take me to exchange some gifts. I solved a few riddles too,” Ouyang Feifei replied, grabbing Luo Ziling’s arm and casually pulling down a couple of riddles before heading to the prize booth.

Luo Ziling found himself both amused and helpless, but in the end, he followed her to the redemption counter.

Yang Qingyin and Luo Yuqing had just collected their prizes, and Ouyang Feifei handed over her solved riddles as well. The three women received their prizes together, ending up with some small but charming souvenirs. All of them beamed joyfully, and Luo Ziling promptly took photos for them.

What surprised Luo Ziling was what came next: the three women started playing the Feihua Order game, themed around the Lantern Festival. He was excluded from their game, assigned the role of judge instead.

What astonished everyone was the revelation of Ouyang Feifei’s solid grasp of classical literature. She proved that her knowledge of festival-related poetry nearly matched that of the other two women.

In the end, Yang Qingyin emerged as the champion, while Luo Yuqing was the first to be eliminated. The final round saw Yang Qingyin and Ouyang Feifei facing off against each other.

“Who would’ve thought?” Luo Yuqing remarked in surprise after her defeat, standing beside Luo Ziling and watching the other two women continue their poetic duel on the lakeside rocks. “I had assumed she wasn’t into things like this—totally underestimated her.”

Luo Ziling muttered, “Being around women like you gives me so much pressure. Can you dial down the excellence a bit?”

“Then just make yourself more exceptional!”

“If I get even more exceptional, more women might flock to me—what then?”

“Go die already! Will you stop bragging for a second? Do you want me to kick you into the lake?”

“Hahaha,” Luo Ziling laughed heartily and dashed away.