At this moment, it was midnight on January 1, 2016. A new year, a new day, a new second.
New Year's Day.
The New Year atmosphere Shanming City had been brewing for so long had reached its richest peak, especially in this most special second.
To some, snow represented silence and extinction, but there was also a saying: "A timely snowfall promises a fruitful year."
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Countless dazzling fireworks shot into the sky all at once in that second, bursting brilliantly at their highest point. Their multicolored radiance replaced the dark clouds hanging overhead.
The heavy snow that had fallen for so long became beautiful and festive beneath the blazing red fireworks.
The crackling of Firecrackers rang beside his ears. Before his eyes, neon lights flickered across towering buildings. What filled his lungs was the scent of gunpowder permeating the entire city.
At midnight, vehicles streamed through the streets, and there were even so many pedestrians, despite this being a relatively quiet street in Qingtian Campus.
Ji Li stood outside the gates of Tiannan Academy of Drama, leaning on his cane. He stared blankly at the fireworks and snow in the sky without saying a word.
He did not find it beautiful. All he felt was noise—grating noise that made him restless.
A young girl in a white down jacket, holding two sparklers, hurried past him and bumped her shoulder into Ji Li's handbag.
The girl did not stop. She merely looked back while running and gave him a smile filled with the unique charm of youth.
Ji Li's gaze followed the girl as she ran from one end of the road to the other.
A taxi happened to stop in front of him. The window rolled down, and the young driver revealed a face bearing a warm