People began setting off firecrackers sporadically around three or four in the afternoon. By the time the evening gala's midnight countdown started, the entire city was utterly drowned in their roar.
All sorts of fireworks exploded in the sky, as if the whole night had been set alight.
Yan Xixi had been standing on the terrace, watching others set off fireworks.
There was no floor heating on the terrace. She was standing barefoot but didn't feel the cold.
In the past, she detested the sound of firecrackers; it echoed throughout the night, making sleep impossible.
But this year, she hoped the sound of the firecrackers would never stop—she knew she could not sleep tonight anyway.
However, perhaps due to the sluggish economy, the sound of the firecrackers this year didn't last until dawn as in previous years. By two in the morning, it had become sparse, and eventually, there was almost no sound at all.
