CHAPTER 173: CHAPTER 173: IS THIS OUR FUTURE?

September 13th... Suddenly, the memory of a past September 13th flashed in his mind. A young girl with a ponytail, dressed simply in a clean white T-shirt and jeans, pushing her suitcase, crashing into his view.

He nodded with a smile and replied, "Sure."

"It’s a deal."

"Ah, do you have any New Year wishes?"

"I hope the restaurant business will do well, that the girl Senior likes will accept him, and that Senior will be happy."

Her off-the-cuff New Year wishes made Yuan Chengmo chuckle silently. With a tone of helpless indulgence, he laughed, "Silly girl."

"What about you, Senior?"

"Senior hopes... all your wishes come true."

Just as he finished speaking, Qin Muni heard a knocking sound on the other end of the phone.

Upon hearing the knocking, Yuan Chengmo spoke to Qin Muni in a slightly anxious tone, "Munni, Happy Chinese New Year, I have to go now."

After saying that, he immediately hung up the phone, not even giving Qin Muni time to say goodbye.

This was probably the first time since knowing Yuan Chengmo that Qin Muni was hung up on. In the past, Yuan Chengmo would always politely wait for her to hang up before hanging up himself.

Thus, Qin Muni slightly furrowed her brow in confusion at the disconnected phone, then placed it back in her pocket and turned to head back to the attic.

The mercury-colored moonlight streamed through the glass window, shining on Xu Yisen, who was quietly sitting on the armchair. A layer of dreamlike light seemed to envelop him.

Qin Muni walked to the armchair across from him and sat down. Between the two chairs was a glass round table, and on the table lay the book The Chronicles of Strange Birds that she had read to him that day.

Xu Yisen raised his wrist to glance at the time and smiled, "It should be time for the fireworks."

As soon as he finished speaking, a loud bang suddenly sounded outside the window.

Instinctively, Qin Muni glanced out the window, where brilliant fireworks blossomed in the sky. After a brief pause of a few seconds, they gradually faded into the night.

The vibrant, crisscross fireworks outside the window lit up the dark night exceptionally brightly for a moment. The night sky seemed to transform into a sea of flowers, with a mesmerizing and diverse display.

Though the population within the villa area was not large, since it was a holiday, each family had prepared a lot of fireworks for the festivities.

The fireworks continued to blossom in the night sky for quite a while. As the time approached midnight, Xu Yisen withdrew his gaze and looked warmly at Qin Muni beside him, "Munni, Happy Chinese New Year."

Qin Muni also withdrew her gaze and gave Xu Yisen a subtle smile, "Yisen, Happy Chinese New Year."

Xu Yisen turned his gaze back to the night sky, dyed red by the fireworks, but his thoughts wandered far away.

During their first Spring Festival after marrying Qin Muni, they also stayed in the attic on New Year’s Eve to watch the fireworks.

At that time, Qin Muni gradually awoke from the illusions of marriage, gradually realizing that Xu Yisen did not like her at all and had always kept her at arm’s length.

Back then, she sat on the armchair, looking out at the fireworks with a confused expression, and then asked Xu Yisen in a choked voice, "Yisen, you said we would have a future. Is this our future?"

Xu Yisen glanced at her. The clear cold moonlight poured over her like water through the window, casting a hazy glow around her. A faint sadness spread across her delicate brows.

Xu Yisen knew that the future she imagined was different from the future he could give her.

Therefore, he spoke softly, "I think I might not be able to give you the future you want."