One hand maneuvered its way down her jacket and underneath her sweater. His palm was warm against her skin. As the palm moved upwards, Song Yu inhaled sharply, flattening her belly but puffing up her chest.

His tongue drew across her teeth and invaded her mouth after melting her nervousness away. It found her warm, silky tongue, and began its twirling suction. At the same time, his hands pushed her bra up and grabbed the softness beneath it.

The fireworks outside were still exploding continuously, but the car separated both of them from the outside world. The sounds of explosions could be heard, albeit not so loud that it is ear-piercing. Light of various colors was faintly reflected on the fair skin of Song Yu's face.

The world inside the car felt unreal because of the illumination, making it seem like a dream or an illusion. She watched as a preoccupied Qi Chengzhi held her waist with his hand and propped it up while moving his body toward her.

Song Yu's face became red. She moaned softly and held his sweater tightly. She then subconsciously wrapped her legs around his waist.

Qi Chengzhi did not hold back: he kissed her forcefully and sucked her lips with zeal. His own lips were swollen, and they traveled down to kiss her on the neck as he implored, "Come home with me."

Song Yu's body turned weak and she shuddered. Her forehead was pressed against the contours of his neck. The parts of her skin that had been brushed over by his lips were so hot that they nearly went up in smoke, and bursts of numbness begin rising to the top of her head.

"I told my parents I'll stay there for the night. And tomorrow morning I need to make visits for the new year…" She shook her head in disorientation. Her faltering voice reached Qi Chengzhi's ears and made him curse for not being able to have her right then and there.

He buried his head in her neck and sucked with all of his strength. That left a red, rhombus-shaped mark, and because he still could not bear to let her go, he kept her in his embrace after he sat up.

Song Yu sat on his lap, and all of her weight was placed on him because she felt extremely weak.

His arms wrapped tightly around her as though he wanted to knead her into his body. His hips rocked, and with his pants being the only barrier between them, he thrust himself in between her thighs.

"Then help me. I can't drive like this." His warm and husky voice entered her ear along with a breath of warm air.

Song Yu felt incredibly warm. Even though the heater was switched on in the car, she would not have sweated so much in normal conditions. At that moment, all she wanted was to take off her down jacket, but then again, she was afraid to do so.

She had helped him once in the past. Evidently, there were no other alternatives to a woman's touch. If there was a first time, there would also be a second time, and it was obvious that he was addicted to it.

"If you let me go off like this, something might happen to me on the road." He pressed her waist down on himself and urged her. His voice was so hoarse that it seemed to be only a matter of time before it broke.

Song Yu's face was unbearably hot since she was buried in his neck and breathing in his bodily scent.

She was touched that he would leave his family behind just to be with her for the New Year's countdown, so touched in fact, that she was willing to do anything for him.

With regards to his subsequent attitude, there was simply no way she could feel disdain for him.

In her heart, however, she felt a bit irritated, so she asked somewhat timidly, "Do you think you can simply have your way with me because I helped you last time?"

Qi Chengzhi did not move all of a sudden, and she could feel his hardness with extreme clarity.

He held her shoulders abruptly, pushed her away, and pursed his lips sternly. "If I really did think that I can simply have my way with you, I'll take you right here and now. And I guarantee you'll be willing."

Song Yu did not doubt his words.

While in his embrace, she was really struggling to control herself because he had all the power in the world to make her lose her thoughts.

The next moment, she was placed back onto her seat.

His expression was stretched taut and he leaned back as though he was suffering. He closed his eyes and did not look at her. "Go home."

Song Yu found the sudden cold shoulder hard to bear. Could she have liked it even more when he seduced her whenever and wherever?

When she misunderstood him in the past, he gave her the cold shoulder for a few days and did not even pick up her calls.

Song Yu bit her lip and sat back on his lap. She held his face with both her hands. His subsequent action of looking up allowed her to she leaned onto him and be close with him

She kissed his stern, delicate lips gently and allowed her fingers to slide into his belt.

Qi Chengzhi opened his eyes abruptly, looked up sarcastically at her, then curled his stern-looking lips. "Are you simply having your way with me, now?"

Song Yu glared at him in bashful anger. He was the perfect example of someone who took for granted an undeserved gain, and he was never one to be the loser.

Qi Chengzhi's gaze turned deep, and after stifling a gentle groan, he placed both hands on the back of her head and kissed her forcefully once more.

…

…

Qi Chengzhi took out some wet wipes from the glove compartment in front, then wiped her hands clean. He held her hand, smelled it, and realized that his manly smell was still present.

All of a sudden, he felt remorse and disinclined. Everything that she said moments before was the truth. If he kept on doing what he did, he would really be having his way with her as he pleased.

Even though her hands were clean, he could not forget the feeling when they held his boner, and yet, he still felt as though he did her wrong.

He looked up and saw her reddened, bashful face.

She was always so reserved and full of self-control when she was young. It must have been extremely difficult for her to put on a brave face so suddenly!

He grasped her hand and kissed each fingertip. He then moved to the rest of her fingers, then finally on her palm. There, he gave her a flurry of gentle kisses.

As he kissed, his gaze was directed toward her face, and he watched as the redness on her face became beautifully tender.

Song Yu wanted to retract her hand because she felt weird looking at him kiss an area that was smothered in his scent. Before she could do it, however, Qi Chengzhi held tight and did not let go.

Song Yu could not take the sight in front of her. She lowered her head and bumped into him, causing him to slowly rise up again. At that point, she made her hand into a fist and did not allow him to explain. "I won't help you a second time if you're still like this!"

Qi Chengzhi's lips curled into a slight smile. A gentle chuckle seemed to resonate from his throat. After she raised her fist, he kissed the back of her hand and the outer area of her fingers.

Her phone rang, but he still held onto her and kissed her.

Song Yu looked at the phone and saw the number of her house phone. Yu Qianying probably called because Song Yu was nowhere to be found.

At that moment, a thought came to her, and she uttered almost voicelessly, "Damn it!"

Qi Chengzhi finally stopped what he was doing because he wondered what was going on. He looked up at her and asked, "What is it?"

"When I went back just now, it was to cook the dumplings, and I brought those that had been cooked for you to eat. I forgot the ones for my parents. I just left a whole bunch of uncooked ones there and came down." Song Yu's voice became quieter and quieter because she was incredibly scared.

Those words made Qi Chengzhi's expression soften into a puddle. He finally let go of her hand and relieved her of the pressure before smirking. "You can pick up the call."

Answering Yu Qianying's call in front of him was a weird thing to do for Song Yu.

She turned her back, lowered her head, and picked up the call. "Mom."

"Where did you go?" Yu Qianying's voice did not sound happy.

Even though Song Yu's back was facing Qi Chengzhi, she could still feel his insistent stare, burning onto the back of her head.

"To…watch the fireworks…" Song Yu was rattled because of Qi Chengzhi, and in that momentary confusion, re-used her earlier excuse because she could not think of another one.

"What kind of fireworks made you so engrossed that you'd forget to cook the dumplings? It was nice of you to let me watch the gala, but the dumplings never arrived when I finished watching! Are the fireworks so amazing that they can turn you into a real flower1?" Coincidentally, there were no firecrackers, so for that short moment it was completely silent. Yu Qianying's words were transmitting loudly from the phone, and Qi Chengzhi was able to hear them extremely clearly.

"I'm going home now." Song Yu hung up, turned her head, and noticed Qi Chengzhi's teasing smile.

He propped himself against the chair with his elbow and placed his palm to his head. "Surely I'm more entertaining than the fireworks!"

"…" Song Yu got down from the car immediately. She was about to leave when she stopped and turned to say, "Be safe on the road. Let me know when you're home."

Her lowered gaze inadvertently focused on his pants. His zipper was not fastened properly, and his black underwear was exposed, revealing a bulge.

Song Yu's ears felt hot. Dreading to stay there any further, she turned away immediately.

Qi Chengzhi sat lazily in the car and watched the silhouette of her running away. He pulled his zipper up only after seeing her disappear from view, then he promptly returned to the driver seat.

…

…

As soon as Song Yu stepped into the house, she saw Yu Qianying blocking her at the door.

"Mom, you're not yet asleep?" Song Yu tried distracting her in an attempt to slip past her and into the bedroom.

Yu Qianying, however, was clearly not having any of it. She stopped Song Yu again. "I was confused and angry, I didn't have the chance to think clearly. You said you went to see the fireworks, so what happened to the dumplings you cooked earlier? Did fireworks eat them up?"

'Qi Chengzhi ate them up.' Song Yu tensed up her shoulders and did not dare to spit out the truth. She simply said, "I took them down to eat while watching, there were quite a lot of neighbors around so we all ate together."

"Well, you do know how to enjoy. What about the plate?" Yu Qianying saw Song Yu's empty hands and asked. "You ate the plate too?"

"Plate?" Song Yu was not able to react in time. As soon as the word 'plate' escaped her mouth, she remembered that the container and chopsticks she brought down were left in Qi Chengzhi's car. She was in such a rush that she forgot about them.

"The plate for the dumplings? I don't suppose you brought them down with your bare hands?" Yu Qianying became more and more suspicious. She looked at Song Yu up and down, wondering why her daughter was acting so odd that night.

Then, she remembered what Lao Xu said earlier that day. Could she have had a boyfriend, but chose to keep it a secret from her family?

She could not possibly have gone on a date secretly!

Once Yu Qianying thought of that, her mood improved. 'This child, if you have a boyfriend, tell your family! Why hide it?'

"I gave the rest to one of the neighbor's kids. I forgot to bring the container back with me. I'll get it back some other time," Song Yu explained.

She thought that Yu Qianying would continue to nag, but it came as a surprise when Yu Qianying let the question slide without a fuss. "Hurry up and get ready for bed. We need to wake up early tomorrow for those new year visits."

Song Yu nodded and went to her room.

Yu Qianying spotted black leather gloves jutting out from Song Yu's down jacket. The size of its fingers seemed to suggest it belonged to a man, and the gloves certainly did not look like it was designed for a woman.

She ran into the bedroom and grabbed Song Donglin, who had just worn his pajamas and was about to sleep. "Our daughter has a partner!"

"How do you know? Did Song Yu say so?" Song Donglin took off his glasses, switched on the table lamp, then went to the door to switch off the lights before wrapping himself in his blanket.

Yu Qianying then followed suit and told him everything that she had noticed moments ago.

"If you don't have proof, it's best not to jump to conclusions." Song Donglin gave her a heads-up to prevent her from complaining endlessly if she found out that her happiness was in vain.

Yu Qianying then thought of something, and her excitement extinguished immediately. She had a concerned look when she said, "Say, it's a good thing for her to find a partner, but why is she afraid to tell us? It couldn't be someone that she knew we won't agree on, right?"

"We won't know anything if she doesn't bring him back to meet us. I'm worried that Song Yu might be tricked. This morning Lao Xu told me that the car Song Yu entered was a huge SUV. He knew it was an expensive car just by looking at it. In Song Yu's line of work, she probably met many bosses, could she have…"

"Enough, enough. All those bosses are not young anymore, and they surely would have families. Song Yu wouldn't be so pessimistic that she'd decide to become a mistress now would she! Even if the man's single, at that age, they're either widowers or divorcees. Song Yu's young. She's a young woman who's just like a delicate flower. If she found someone like that, wouldn't it be like pairing a beautiful flower with cow dung?"

"No wonder she didn't admit it when I asked. Rich people are useless. They wouldn't take Song Yu seriously and be responsible for her. Don't all of them only care about a young woman's beauty? One of these days, a younger, prettier girl would appear, and they'll just cast aside the one they have now. How can Song Yu be so pessimistic! No, I must talk to her about this! A woman's reputation and integrity is important. It has everything to do with the major turning points in her life, and she can't be taking it lightly." Yu Qianying's temper was like a storm. She would simply go ahead and do something if she thought of it and decided she wanted to do it. Although it seemed like she was just saying those things, she was about to jump off the bed and look for Song Yu.

Song Donglin grabbed her and pulled her back. "Hold your horses. Don't just jump to your own conclusions. You're just guessing blindly here. What if you're wrong when you question her? Wouldn't it hurt her if the whole thing is a misunderstanding?"

"Don't you trust Song Yu's character? Song Yu didn't even pursue Jian Yi after he had a girlfriend, so what makes you think she'll decide to be the mistress of some rich guy?" Song Donglin wanted to tell Yu Qianying that she was also one of the rich ones in the past, but he was afraid to bring up other ancillary things that might hurt her, so he refrained from saying them.

Yu Qianying slapped hard on Song Donglin's thigh, making him reach for the spot and massage it as he grimaced in pain.

"Song Yu turned pessimistic precisely because of Jian Yi's rejection! In other words, even though she hasn't promised anyone anything, some rich man is sure to be chasing after her. What if he keeps up his pursuit of her and she finally can't take it anymore? What if the rejection provoked her, and she did those things just to spite Jian Yi?" From the very beginning, Yu Qianying was scaring herself on the basis of groundless fears. "No, I need to think quickly and find a boyfriend for her, someone who we know the background of."

Song Donglin shook his head because he could not take it anymore. He remembered that Yu Qianying was undergoing menopause, and there was no use for him to argue with her. He did not say anything further but simply went to sleep.

Yu Qianying was in a pitiable state. She tossed and turned the whole night, unable to sleep because her eyes were wide open and she was thinking about all sorts of unsavory possibilities.

Yu Qianying thought about how Song Yu was a genuine darling daughter, but sadly, a forty or fifty-year-old man was going to stain her. Yu Qianying wiped her tears in silence.

Song Donglin could not stand Yu Qianying's incessant tossing and turning, which caused the whole bed to rock. He could not fall asleep, and coupled with Yu Qianying stifled tears, how could he possibly fall asleep?

It was the new year, yet there was all that commotion.

With no other choice, he carried his blanket and pillow into the living room and slept on the sofa.

…

…

The next day, Song Yu woke up early, only to be given a shock when she saw Song Donglin sleeping on the couch.

"Dad, why are you sleeping here?" Song Yu shook him and watched his eyes opening slowly in confusion.

Song Donglin rubbed and cleaned out the dirt in his eyes. He then sat up on the sofa and yawned.

"No, it's your mother's menopause. Makes her act unreasonably quite often. She was guessing last night that you became the mistress of a rich old man in his forties or fifties. She believed that to be the reason why you didn't dare to admit that you had a boyfriend. She got really worried." Song Donglin tidied up his quilt and pillow before getting ready to go back into the bedroom.

Song Yu did not know whether to laugh or cry. She never expected to cause such a big misunderstanding and was quite amazed by Yu Qianying's imagination.

"Dad, tell Mom and reassure her that I probably can't get married in my entire life. I can't possibly be a rich old man's mistress." Song Yu shook her head. Explaining the entire situation was untenable.

Song Donglin also understood. He sighed and patted Song Yu's shoulder without saying a word.

Song Yu went to the kitchen. There was some porridge in a pot, so she took out last night's leftover dumplings from the refrigerator. She fried two plates and paired them with porridge for breakfast.

She had no clue if the message she had Song Donglin convey had any effect, but Yu Qianying did not mention anything about it.

Some time after they had some breakfast, Yu Qianying's mahjong friend, Mrs. Wang, brought her husband and son to pay them a New Year's visit.

They all sat down and talked, but the conversation started to take a different turn after a while.

"Song Yu's already an architect at such a young age! It's not easy at all! I heard that you'll be designing a seven-star hotel this time? I've read it in the news. Lao Song, your family is quite well-regarded and you have such a good daughter. My son says that such important buildings are mostly built by famous foreign designers. Song Yu's capability is really evident!" Mrs. Wang looked at Song Yu with a smile, "You're capable and beautiful. Lao Song, your family is blessed."

"What's the use of being beautiful and capable? Even now, she's still single!" Yu Qianying was proud of the flattery lavished on her daughter, but was afraid of being thought of as arrogant. She thus shook her head and made that remark.

"Don't only talk about Song Yu. Yifeng is quite accomplished too! Yifeng, I heard from your mother that you're a designer at a gaming company? I don't understand these high-tech things, but you're both designers. You have that in common at least," Yu Qianying added on.

"I don't know about any of our domestic mobile games, but I was told that Yifeng is one of the designers of a more popular game, some sword game. There's like a ranking for these, and internationally it's ranked second most popular."

"Hehehe, it sounds a bit unsophisticated to say that youngsters always produce heroes, but I think this sentence is very suitable for Yifeng." Yu Qianying looked at Wang Yifeng as though a mother-in-law would look at her son-in-law. Each look made her feel more and more satisfied.

Song Yu guessed that Wang Yifeng was likely single, and that it was an unofficial blind date that day.

Both Mrs. Wang and Yu Qianying were making it so obvious. There was no way Song Yu could overlook that.

"Yifeng, how old are you this year?" Yu Qianying asked.

"I'm twenty-eight this year. According to what Auntie said, Song Yu and I really do have something in common. There are also many buildings in games, each of which has to be designed uniquely. If there's ever an opportunity, I'd like to consult Song Yu more. Maybe you and I could strike up some partnership," Wang Yifeng said with a smile and looked at Song Yu with admiration.

He was not too happy at first after being dragged along for the New Year's visit. He heard his mother said that the family they were visiting had a young woman who was single, but he was not expecting much because his standards were high. He was a very proper person, with a stable job, a good salary—he had a home and a car too. He did not fancy most women.

Herein lies a pun that can only be understood in Chinese; hence, an explanation is necessary. Fireworks in Chinese is煙花. The second character (花) means flower, an allusion to the shape produced when it explodes in the sky.