Chapter 145: A Single Kiss Conquers the Realm

As the midnight bell tolled, the square instantly erupted into jubilation. Fireworks burst across the lawn ahead like totems, meteor showers, and scattered celestial flowers, their crackling sounds blending with the cheers and screams of the surrounding crowd.

Many people stood there, making wishes to the fireworks and the night sky. Huang Juan was no exception. Yang Tian was also making a wish, but he finished much faster than Huang Juan. Before she even opened her eyes, he had already handed two gifts out to her.

One was a withered jujube blossom. It was from shortly after his rebirth, when Huang Juan had given it to him. He clearly remembered it was the day he skipped a grade from kindergarten to the third grade, the very first day he became desk-mates with Huang Juan, when she had quietly handed it to him. He had pressed it between the pages of a book and kept it until now.

He felt this jujube blossom held extraordinary meaning; it was the witness to his renewed beginning with her after his rebirth, and also the first major step in the advancement of their relationship.

The second gift was the One Ring. Since this ring could neither resolve his past nor his future with He Wan'e, he felt the person most qualified to wear this special ring was none other than Huang Juan.

When Huang Juan opened her eyes and saw these two items, she was instantly stunned, especially by the jujube blossom. Seeing that flower immediately brought back a flood of childhood memories: going to school and walking home together with Yang Tian, stealing peaches from the neighboring village's peach orchard, digging up roots in the pine forest, and roasting stolen sweet potatoes.

Watching *Huluba* together, collecting *Water Margin* trading cards from Little Raccoon noodles—the warm sentiments of childhood surged into her heart like a spring of warm water.

She seemed to never have expected that Yang Tian had actually kept that jujube blossom all this time. When she reached out to take it, tears fell uncontrollably, yet her face beamed with smiles.

"Xiaojuan, tell me, should I put this ring on your middle finger or your ring finger?" Yang Tian gently wiped the tears from her cheek and asked with a smile.

Wearing a ring on the index finger indicated a desire for marriage and being single; the middle finger meant one was currently in a relationship; the ring finger indicated engagement or marriage; and the pinky meant singlehood.

"I don't want to wear it on any finger!" Huang Juan naturally understood Yang Tian's meaning; girls researched these things more thoroughly. Her face flushed with a smile, and she stopped crying.

Yang Tian tenderly took Huang Juan's hand. She initially wanted to resist, but ultimately yielded, gently raising her right hand for him. Thus, Yang Tian slid the ring onto her ring finger.

"We aren't even engaged yet!" Huang Juan said in surprise, though a warm ripple of happiness bloomed in her heart.

"Didn't our families arrange a childhood betrothal long ago? What, are you trying to back out now?" Yang Tian tapped the tip of Huang Juan's nose and said with a smile.

"Then tell me, why on earth did you apply to Binhai University?" Huang Juan seized the opportunity, as she still felt somewhat sensitive about the matter concerning He Wan'e.

"Of course it was for you. If you gave up on Binhai University right now, I'd definitely quit immediately! I only have two wishes in this lifetime: first, to make my family happy and fulfilled; and second, to keep you happy forever!" Yang Tian said sincerely.

"You certainly have a way with words! But I've noticed that He Wan'e seems to have a thing for you, and there's also that Miss Zhang. What do you plan to do about them?" Huang Juan first offered a tight-lipped smile, then continued to probe Yang Tian's thoughts.

"What do I plan to do? Nothing at all! Some people can only ever be friends. With a larger social circle, of course there will be all sorts of friends, but I want you to remember: I will always be the little Tian you've known!" As he spoke, Yang Tian naturally pulled Huang Juan into his arms.

He placed both hands on her waist, applying gentle pressure to pull her body tightly against his. Then, he slowly stretched out his neck, pressed his lips against hers, and locked them tightly.

Huang Juan was startled at first, her breathing quickening as she stared at Yang Tian with wide eyes. A moment later, she slowly closed her eyes, savoring the ethereal and intoxicating moment.

Visions of touching scenes floated through her mind: Yang Tian working hard as a tutor to buy her a bicycle, working as an internet café attendant to earn rent money for her place—these accumulated moments of emotion had long since made her yearn to hold Yang Tian tightly, and at this moment, her wish was fulfilled.

Meanwhile, Yang Tian was carefully tasting the sweetness of the young girl's lips. Having lived together for all these years, seeking out joy and emotional resonance to make up for the regrets of his pre-rebirth life, he had long since grown fond of this childhood-sweetheart girl who had walked this path alongside him.

He had wanted to kiss her for a long time, but feared it might affect her studies. Furthermore, she was still young. Now that they were both nearly high school graduates, it was time to put adolescent ignorance to rest. Perhaps the passionate romance they were about to experience should be something different from ordinary couples.

This kiss lasted a long time. It wasn't until the fireworks in front of the square finally ended and earth-shattering cheers erupted from all around that Huang Juan shyly pushed Yang Tian away, turned around, and stood there with her head bowed.

"Xiaotian, you're so bad, getting naughtier by the day!" Huang Juan said softly.

"This is called sealing the empire with a single kiss. After this, you won't go around wildly guessing that I have a thing for other girls, right?" Yang Tian laughed heartily.

"Who knows? Anyway, if I ever find out that the person you actually love isn't me, but someone else, I'll return this ring to you and never want it again!" Huang Juan gave a flushed smile, then quickly ran off.

Yang Tian chased after her, and the two returned to the center of the square. Yang Bao and the other adults had already returned home after watching the fireworks, leaving instructions for Yang Xueling and Zhang Xinyu to tell Yang Tian not to play too wildly and to head back to bed early.

After relaying the adults' messages, Yang Xueling and Zhang Xinyu exchanged mischievous grins as they looked at Yang Tian and Huang Juan, making Huang Juan blush with embarrassment.

"Sister Xiaojuan is smiling so shyly, looks like big brother succeeded!" Yang Xueling and Zhang Xinyu whispered with giggles.

"You can tell, look at big brother's mouth—it's practically crooked from smiling! In that case, we need to offer our early congratulations to big brother and sister-in-law for tying the knot and having a baby soon!" Zhang Xinyu added, her smile full of mischief.

"You two dead girls, see if I don't beat you up!" Overcome with shyness, Huang Juan glanced back at Yang Tian, then started chasing after Yang Xueling and Zhang Xinyu.

Yang Tian threw his head back and laughed. Now that it was the new century, bringing a new atmosphere, he felt it was time to let go and fulfill his dreams. In the past, he had been too young and many things were inconvenient, but now he no longer needed to hold back.

At that moment, Zhao Shilei's figure appeared in the plaza to the right. He looked somewhat dejected; his suit jacket was discarded, and he walked through the cold wind wearing only a thin shirt.

Seeing this, Yang Tian and Huang Juan exchanged a brief, startled glance. It seemed his confession had failed.

"Hey, buddy, are you alright?" Yang Tian and Huang Juan approached one after another, Yang Tian asking loudly.

"Bro, tell me honestly from the bottom of your heart—do I look like the kind of casual, careless person?" Zhao Shilei didn't directly answer Yang Tian's question, instead speaking with a trembling voice.

Yang Tian and Huang Juan immediately understood. Zhao Shilei had definitely been rejected, and the reason Zhang Xiaoshan gave him was likely that he looked like someone who didn't care about anything, lacked a sense of responsibility, and failed to provide any sense of security.

"I'd just say you two aren't quite a match!" Yang Tian patted Zhao Shilei's shoulder. Zhang Xiaoshan wasn't entirely wrong; Zhao Shilei was playful and looked somewhat laid-back, but that only meant he hadn't fully matured yet since he was still a student. It didn't mean he lacked a sense of responsibility.

It all pointed to one simple fact: Zhang Xiaoshan simply hadn't fallen for Zhao Shilei. And understandably so, as the two of them belonged to completely different worlds.

"That's right, we're still young, and the road ahead is long. We'll meet the right people!" Huang Juan looked at Yang Tian and then softly comforted Zhao Shilei as well.

Zhao Shilei was already weeping uncontrollably. He slumped onto Yang Tian's shoulder and sobbed out loud.

Yang Tian continued to pat Zhao Shilei's shoulder while looking up at the firmament, pondering in his heart. Perhaps this turned out to be a good thing for Zhao Shilei. Without the tether of Zhang Xiaoshan, Zhao Shilei would surely be able to fly freely, choose the university he truly wanted, and forge his own new life.

At that moment, Chen Ming and Angela walked out from a nearby pavilion, holding hands and chatting with smiles. Clearly, the two of them had a very harmonious conversation.

Suddenly noticing Zhao Shilei weeping on Yang Tian's shoulder and the absence of Zhang Xiaoshan, Chen Ming and Angela immediately understood what had happened. The two hurriedly let go of each other's hands, reined in their smiles, and walked over one after another to comfort Zhao Shilei.

"Oh, stop crying. I'm not surprised by this outcome at all. I told you long ago not to take it too seriously; you two never stood a chance!" Zhang Xiangxiang walked over slowly from a distance. This person seemingly immune to romance never seemed optimistic about any couple.

"He's already like this, and you're still pouring cold water on him? That's too harsh!" Angela gave Zhang Xiangxiang a sidelong glance.

"Pouring a bit of cold water on him to wake him up is for his own good. Look at the time—the college entrance exam is imminent, it's time to let go of what needs to be let go!" Zhang Xiangxiang let out a long sigh, then walked up to Zhao Shilei and gently patted his head.

"How about this? Tonight we'll go sing K all night, what do you say?" Yang Tian proposed.

"Great, I'm in!" Chen Ming and Angela raised their hands in agreement. As for Huang Juan, it went without saying that she would follow wherever Yang Tian went.

"Can I bring a few bottles of alcohol?" Zhao Shilei asked with a choked-up voice.

"Yes, but only beer!" Yang Tian stared at Zhao Shilei for a moment before replying. Drinking some beer was fine, but drinking hard liquor to excess could easily harm the body.

"Alright, tonight we're going to sing until our lungs give out and drink until day breaks!" Zhang Xiangxiang paused, made up his mind, and rushed to the front, ready to find a nearby karaoke lounge to belt out some tunes.

Yang Tian suggested going to Parisian Romance. Parisian Romance was Binhai City's largest and most luxurious theater and entertainment venue, as well as the most formal and secure. Yang Tian didn't want them getting into trouble.

The group took a taxi to Parisian Romance. Both the owner and his wife recognized Yang Tian because he had previously visited with Mayor Lang Ping, so they treated him with utmost politeness and assigned him a large private room for him and his classmates to sing to their hearts' content.

*"I, who cannot hold onto love, always watch helplessly as she slips away. Happy people exist everywhere in this world, why can't I be one of them? Fighting a lone battle for love, I've long since tasted the bitterness of romance. People lost in love are everywhere, and I am merely one of them. Love must grow stronger with every setback, love requires certainty and perseverance; every single person must see through it all and not fear the pain if they wish to love. Find a most beloved, deeply loved, mutually loved, cherished person to bid farewell to singlehood, let a fickle, ambiguous, ruthless person leave me scars. So many lonely people, yet so few happy ones—don't love, miss out, and leave the single me behind to sing sad love songs all by myself..."*

Just as Zhang Xiangxiang had put it, Zhao Shilei sang "Single Love Song" until his throat felt raw. Yang Tian and the others sang along until their mouths were dry, but once it was over, everyone felt an inexplicable sense of release—an ethereal, thrilling euphoria!