Chapter 101: New Year’s Eve
Tonight’s events exceeded expectations. Lian Li’s emotions had been a rollercoaster, and now she was incredibly sleepy, her mind unwilling to process anything.
She groggily opened her eyes, and upon seeing a familiar figure, closed them again.
Although she couldn’t clearly discern who the figure was, her instincts told her: familiar, safe.
Jin Shi Yue knelt down on one knee, cupped Lian Li’s face with one hand, and watched her for a moment. Confirming she wasn’t pretending to sleep, he leaned down and picked her up. His strong arms hooked around her waist and the back of her knees, gently cradling her.
Lian Li leaned into Jin Shi Yue’s embrace, unconsciously reaching out to wrap her arms around his neck. She seemed to feel a slight tickle on her cheek and nuzzled his shoulder.
Jin Shi Yue carried her into the bedroom and noticed her movements, lowering his head to take a look.
Lian Li’s sleeping face was serene, causing the corners of his lips to curve upwards.
Lian Li only felt herself being lifted, needing to hold on tight to avoid falling.
The next moment, her dream shifted.
She lay on soft cotton, habitually reaching out to grab something to hug. Once she had it, she turned over to find a comfortable position.
Jin Shi Yue stood by the head of the bed, looking down at Lian Li sleeping soundly with the quilt. He gently brushed a strand of hair from her cheek with his long fingers, then turned off the light and left.
In the early morning, Lian Li woke up naturally. She had slept soundly and felt refreshed. She stretched lazily, her dark eyes rolling as her consciousness returned.
Remembering that Jin Shi Yue had come to find her last night and that she had hidden him, Lian Li got out of bed, slipped on her shoes, and left the bedroom. She walked around the house but couldn’t find Jin Shi Yue.
He had probably left.
Lian Li reached for her mobile phone and opened WeChat, but there were no messages from Jin Shi Yue.
There were three unread messages from her Senior Sister.
Xue Shufan: 「I’m home now~」
Xue Shufan: 「Lili, I support you being with the Second Young Master.」
Xue Shufan: 「Go on a date. Even if it doesn’t work out in the end, it doesn’t matter. Your Senior Sister will be waiting for you at the nursing home.」
If Jin Shi Yue couldn’t even do the most basic thing of not hurting Lian Li, then he was not qualified to like Lian Li.
Xue Shufan’s current support was because she had received a promise. Although she didn’t have much experience in relationships, she knew that true love was when one’s heart and actions were aligned.
Harm was harm; no amount of excuses or deep affection could erase it.
Were these the words her Senior Sister had hesitated to say last night?
Lian Li tapped her fingertip on the phone screen and slowly typed a reply: 「Nursing home: Don’t you dare come.jpg」
Exiting the chat with Xue Shufan, Lian Li casually swiped the screen. The WeChat group chat had been very quiet these past few days.
People like Zhong Yang, during festivals, needed to put away their carefree demeanor from outside and return home, adopting good upbringing and posture to face elders of higher or lower status.
Prominent families typically based their power and wealth on generational succession, placing particular emphasis on etiquette and propriety. During major holidays like Spring Festival, they were expected to be by their elders’ side to receive guests and pay respects.
Lian Li replied to a few messages and then put down her mobile phone.
Today was New Year’s Eve. She changed her clothes, put on a coat, scarf, and beret, and decided to go for a stroll near Tiananmen.
The central axis of the Capital City was filled with the grandeur of ‘World Heritage’ sites. Qianmen Street was brightly decorated with lanterns, their designs pleasing to the eye, creating a strong festive atmosphere. Most shops were closed. Lian Li browsed the two streets opposite the pedestrian bridge, took some photographs, and then bought two books from a bookstore.
As night fell, she visited a New Year’s blessing temple fair. She watched handicraft displays and folk performances, and even learned to make a large red lantern on the spot.
When Jin Yan Ting called, Lian Li was eating sugar shortbread. She pulled her scarf down to expose her chin, took out her Bluetooth headset from her pocket, put it on, and answered the call.
“Brother.”
“Zhang Sao made tangyuan and dumplings. I’ll bring them over later,” Jin Yan Ting’s voice sounded both unfamiliar and familiar.
Lian Li was taken aback for a moment and replied, “Oh, okay.”
Having explored enough, Lian Li hung up the phone and took a taxi back to Qing Teng Road, number 21.
She took the elevator upstairs and, after turning a corner, found Jin Yan Ting unexpectedly at her doorstep.
Jin Yan Ting was wearing a custom-made suit under his coat. He looked Lian Li up and down and asked, “Where did you go?”
“I went to a temple fair.” Lian Li had thought someone else was delivering something, not Jin Yan Ting.
She entered the house after entering the password, took off her scarf, turned on the heating, and took the food container, placing it on the dining table.
Jin Yan Ting watched her back and asked, “Did you eat out?”
Lian Li nodded, “Yes, there are still quite a few shops open outside.”
Most of the time Jin Yan Ting visited her, there was no particular reason. Lian Li answered all his routine questions.
Jin Yan Ting sat on the sofa, his long legs crossed, his left hand resting casually on his knee, while he slowly took a puff from a cigarette held in his right hand. He looked at the young girl sitting upright through the thin haze.
“Have you been hanging out with Zhong Yang often lately?”
His voice was as gentle as ever. Lian Li truthfully replied, “Senior Sister Shu Fan knows Pei Qingji, and Brother Zhong Yang happens to be good friends with Pei Qingji, so we occasionally get together unintentionally.”
Jin Yan Ting nodded slightly and said calmly, “Be careful of your safety.”
Lian Li: “Okay.”
Jin Yan Ting usually stayed at her place for about half an hour, and this time was no different. When the time was almost up, He Shu arrived, carrying a delicate gift box. He handed it to Lian Li, “Miss Lian, this is President Jin’s New Year’s gift.”
Lian Li turned to look at Jin Yan Ting, whose expression remained unperturbed.
“Thank you, Brother,” Lian Li said as she accepted the gift. She asked them to wait a moment, then went into the bedroom, opened the left drawer of the dressing table, and took out a square box and a red envelope.
The square box was a New Year’s gift she had pre-ordered for Jin Yan Ting at the end of last year. If he hadn’t given her a gift, she wouldn’t have felt the need to reciprocate.
After all, it would have made her seem overly attentive.
Lian Li handed the gift box to Jin Yan Ting, a smile on her face, “Brother, a return gift.”
Jin Yan Ting opened it and glanced inside. It was a custom-made pen. He reached out and ruffled Lian Li’s hair.
Lian Li was turning to give the red envelope in her hand to He Shu and didn’t notice Jin Yan Ting’s action, so she didn’t dodge.
He Shu: “Thank you, Miss Lian.”
Jin Yan Ting returned to the Jin Family Old House to have New Year’s Eve dinner with his family and did not linger.
Perhaps because Jin Yan Ting wasn’t a man of many words, Lian Li didn’t feel the house suddenly become empty or desolate after he left. There was no sense of plummeting loneliness.
She placed the gift on the coffee table, turned on the television to watch the Spring Festival Gala, and then went to take a hot shower.
After coming out of the bathroom, Lian Li dried her hair and went to the living room. She curled up on the sofa, watching the Spring Festival Gala and looking at the photos she had taken today.
She was wearing a red scarf today, a very festive color, which complemented the large red lantern behind her, creating a strong sense of the New Year.
Bored, Lian Li clicked on Moments and scrolled through.
Xue Shufan had posted a set of photos. She was arm-in-arm with her uncle, wearing the high heels Lian Li had given her, exuding a graceful charm.
Lian Li gave it a like and glanced at the top left corner of her phone screen.
Time: 22:50.
There was still one hour and ten minutes until the New Year.
This year, she would once again usher in the New Year alone.
