This is the surprise you prepared?

Before the two of them reached the restaurant entrance, Xie Wenyun rushed over. "Junior Sister, are you all right? Are you hurt? Are your eyes okay?"

Seeing how his concern had flustered him, Gu Yi felt a trace of warmth in his heart. "Senior Brother, I'm not hurt. Don't worry."

Only after hearing Gu Yi say that did Xie Wenyun breathe a sigh of relief. He had been the one to suggest going out to unwind, yet they had ended up separated. If anything had happened to his junior sister, he would never have forgiven himself.

Lin Yuan raised an eyebrow at the "flirting" pair, then stepped into the restaurant.

"Why were you with him, Junior Sister? Did he do anything to you?" Xie Wenyun thought even less of Lin Yuan, that "lecher," than he did of Jiang Lingzhou.

"Senior Brother, he didn't do anything to me." He had merely tested whether "I" was really "me"...

"Where's Junior Brother Jiang?" Gu Yi looked around but saw no sign of Jiang Lingzhou.

Three of them had clearly come out together, yet only two had returned.

"He..." Xie Wenyun looked a little awkward. "He lost his temper just now, and I don't know where he ran off to. Go inside and rest first, Junior Sister. I'll look for him."

Although Gu Yi was a little puzzled, Young Master Jiang Lingzhou had always had a bad temper, so throwing a tantrum was nothing unusual. "All right. Make sure you bring him back, Senior Brother."

After escorting Gu Yi back to his room, Xie Wenyun hurried downstairs.

Before he had become separated from Gu Yi and Jiang Lingzhou earlier, Jiang Lingzhou had already sent him a voice transmission: "I'm going to prepare a surprise on my own. Don't follow me!"

Though Xie Wenyun felt bitter, he had still replied, "All right, understood."

Later, when the crowd separated the three of them, Xie Wenyun instinctively assumed Gu Yi was with Jiang Lingzhou. After all, Jiang Lingzhou had said he wanted to give his junior sister a surprise.

So he followed the crowd to the riverside alone, watching couples release floating lanterns, a bitter ache in his heart.

Ever since his junior sister had received that azure sky jade, Xie Wenyun had seen him wear it at his waist every day without ever taking it off. He must truly have liked it.

Perhaps Jiang Lingzhou really could win him over.

Yet he himself had spent three years by his junior sister's side, and his junior sister had never felt anything for him beyond the affection between fellow disciples.

After an unknown amount of time, Jiang Lingzhou suddenly sent another voice transmission: "Xie Wenyun, my surprise is ready. Bring Senior Sister over to the pleasure boat!"

Pleasure boat?

Xie Wenyun jerked his head up and saw an especially conspicuous, showy pleasure boat moored on the opposite bank.

Dressed in flamboyant finery, Jiang Lingzhou stood aboard, waving at him.

He wants me to bring Junior Sister over?

He wasn't with Junior Sister?

Didn't he say he wanted to give Junior Sister a surprise alone and tell me not to follow?

Jiang Lingzhou was also taken aback to see Xie Wenyun alone. Before he could react, Xie Wenyun had already leaped into the air and landed steadily aboard the boat. "Where's Junior Sister?"

"Isn't he with you?" Jiang Lingzhou could hardly believe it.

Xie Wenyun normally treasured Gu Yi beyond measure. How could they not be together?

Xie Wenyun's expression darkened. If his junior sister was not with Jiang Lingzhou, then they had become separated. He had to go find him immediately.

"I told you we'd compete fairly. Did you hide Senior Sister Ye because you didn't want me to give him a surprise?" Jiang Lingzhou seized Xie Wenyun's wrist, stopping him from leaving.

"Let go!" Xie Wenyun shook his wrist, but Jiang Lingzhou only tightened his grip.

"Didn't we agree to compete fairly?" Jiang Lingzhou's temper flared too.

"Junior Sister is missing! He wasn't with me!" Xie Wenyun said anxiously.

"Didn't I tell you I was going to prepare a surprise on my own? Why didn't you keep an eye on Senior Sister?" Jiang Lingzhou had assumed that while he prepared the surprise alone, Xie Wenyun would come over with Gu Yi.

Xie Wenyun, meanwhile, had assumed Jiang Lingzhou wanted to show Gu Yi the surprise alone, so he had not followed.

Both immediately understood what had happened and fell silent.

Just then, dazzling fireworks suddenly burst across the sky. Multicolored sparks streaked past like shooting stars, weaving a dreamlike painting across the night sky.

The fireworks were beautiful!

But Jiang Lingzhou and Xie Wenyun both froze at the sight.

Jiang Lingzhou said, "It's over. My surprise is ruined."

Xie Wenyun said, "Oh no, Junior Sister's eyes are sensitive to light!!!"

Jiang Lingzhou released Xie Wenyun, his brows tightly furrowed. What was wrong with the sect's disciples? Hadn't they agreed to wait for his signal before setting off the fireworks?

Why had they set them off already?

Xie Wenyun's face, however, was livid. "I told you! Junior Sister's eyes are sensitive to light! Don't you understand? This is the surprise you prepared?"

Jiang Lingzhou froze at his words. "I thought that meant sunlight... Do fireworks count too? Hey, Xie Wenyun, where are you going?"

He stepped forward to grab Xie Wenyun again, only to be struck away by his palm. "Get lost!"

Jiang Lingzhou had not expected Xie Wenyun to attack him. Without fighting back, he was shoved into the river by that palm strike.

With a splash, Jiang Lingzhou surfaced and furiously wiped the water from his face. "Xie Wenyun, once we find Senior Sister Ye, you'll answer for this!"

Xie Wenyun glanced at Jiang Lingzhou in the water, then turned and left. Now was not the time to be angry with him.

He had to find his junior sister quickly. He did not even know whether those fireworks had hurt his eyes.

Trembling with rage, Jiang Lingzhou slammed his fists into the water twice. That Xie Wenyun-he was the one who had misunderstood the voice transmission! It was not Jiang Lingzhou's fault Senior Sister Ye was missing!

A while later, the disciples who hurried over hauled Jiang Lingzhou aboard. Looking at the crowd of disciples surrounding him, he roared, "Stop crowding around me! Hurry up and find Senior Sister Ye!"

"Young Master, should we keep setting off the fireworks?" one disciple asked quietly.

"Like hell you should!" Jiang Lingzhou stripped off his glittering finery. "Did I give the signal just now? Who told you to set them off?"

"Young Master... didn't you say that once the person boarded and you held... held hands... that would be the signal to set off the fireworks?"

Jiang Lingzhou's expression stiffened at the disciple's words. He seemed to have grabbed Xie Wenyun's wrist just now.

His face instantly turned scarlet, and he slapped the back of that disciple's head. "I meant holding Senior Sister Ye's hand! Why the hell would you set them off when I held Xie Wenyun's hand?"

Besides, that had not even been holding hands...

"Get lost, all of you! Don't come back to me unless you find Senior Sister Ye!" As he spoke, he stepped off the boat. He would only be at ease if he searched personally.

"Young Master, Young Master, your clothes are still wet..." The young disciple behind him chased after him, carrying clothes.

"To hell with changing! Finding him comes first!" With that, he sprang into the air and flew straight onto the bridge, disappearing from sight in two bounds.