Chapter 297 - 294: Dog-Skin Plaster

Chapter 297: Chapter 294: Dog-Skin Plaster

The winter morning was bone-chillingly cold. As the first rays of light illuminated the land, the bugle call for the flag-raising ceremony sounded from the Tian’anmen Gate Tower.

Watched by countless eyes, the magnificent tri-service honor guard marched out of Tian’anmen with powerful, resonant steps. They crossed the Jinshui Bridge, carrying the five-starred red flag to Tiananmen Square.

There were even more people watching the ceremony than Jiang Xia had imagined. The entire square was packed to the brim. Even though the outdoor temperature had dropped to five or six degrees below zero, it did nothing to dampen the crowd’s enthusiasm.

Jiang Xia held Lin Yanwan protectively in his arms. As the melody of the "March of the Volunteers" played, the crowd spontaneously began to sing the national anthem, watching the red flag rise gracefully in the morning light.

As the national flag reached the top of the pole, thousands of doves of peace soared into the sky, circling above Tiananmen Square. Cheers erupted from the crowd—"Long live the motherland!" "I love you, my country!" "Happy New Year!"

Many people had tears in their eyes.

Watching the entire flag-raising ceremony left Jiang Xia deeply moved. His patriotic fervor had never felt so strong.

"Is there anywhere else you want to go for New Year’s Day?" he asked, turning to his girlfriend.

"No, I just want to go home and sleep." Lin Yanwan yawned. They hadn’t slept at all, having made do in an underpass for the night, and now they were dead tired.

"Then let’s go home and sleep."

Jiang Xia nodded. He was tired too. After the ceremony ended, the rush of excitement faded quickly. Now, a wave of weariness washed over him. All he wanted was to crawl into his soft, big bed, hold his girlfriend’s fragrant body, and get some good sleep.

The two of them hailed a taxi by the roadside back to their apartment complex. They grabbed a casual breakfast of soy milk and fried dough sticks downstairs, then went home, washed up, and went to sleep.

When they woke up again, it was already past four in the afternoon.

Lin Yanwan’s clothes were crumpled on the floor, and a string of bright red hickeys decorated her shoulders and back.

He checked his phone and saw several missed calls from Li Weiya, so he called her back.

"What’s up, Godmother?" his voice was lazy, like someone who had just woken up.

"Still sleeping?" Li Weiya frowned slightly.

"Yeah, Yanwan and I went out for New Year’s Eve. We were up all night," Jiang Xia said with a yawn.

Hearing this, a strange expression crossed Li Weiya’s face. ’Youths these days have so much stamina,’ she thought. ’They can go at it all night without knowing the meaning of moderation.’

"Godmother, is something wrong at the company?"

"It’s nothing, just get some rest. But don’t overexert yourself," she said, her words carrying a hidden meaning.

Jiang Xia didn’t catch the innuendo. After hanging up, he started slowly grinding against her bottom again.

"What did Godmother want?"

Lin Yanwan opened her eyes. Seeing that her clothes had been taken off again at some point, she felt a wave of exasperation.

’This guy is never well-behaved when he sleeps; he always loves to run his hands all over me.’

"It was nothing. She probably had something at the company that needed handling, but it’s fine now."

The two of them cuddled in bed for a while longer before Jiang Xia reluctantly climbed out of that warm, gentle embrace.

"Babe, I’m heading to the company."

"Mm, come back soon..." Lin Yanwan nodded, making a nasal sound. He had worn her out, and she was still a little sleepy.

"If I’m not back in a bit, just order some takeout for yourself."

Jiang Xia leaned down and kissed her on the forehead.

The office was a short walk from his apartment complex. After about five minutes, he arrived at Tsinghua Science Park.

He took the elevator up to the company. Even though it was a national holiday, many people had still come in to work overtime. It couldn’t be helped; triple pay was just too tempting.

He first went to check on the progress of the *Cat and Mouse* animation team. The fourth season was already halfway done and should be finished by the end of the month, just in time to air during the Spring Festival. The scheduling was perfect.

Additionally, the recording for the Si Chuan dialect version was in its final stages. If all went smoothly, it would be completed after the three-day holiday, ready to bring a new round of laughter to the entire country.

"What are you doing here today?" Jiang Xia asked, looking at Wang Ming.

Seeing him approach, Wang Ming deftly pressed ALT+C to close his QQ window.

"I was bored at school, so I figured I might as well come to work."

Wang Ming lowered his head and continued drawing his storyboard. After more than two months of practice, his storyboards were now barely passable, but it was clear he still had a long way to go before he could take over for Jiang Xia. He needed much more practice.

There was another reason: after dawn, Zhang Yuanyuan had been pestering him to go out. Annoyed and out of options, he had told her he was going to work.

"Someone was messaging you on QQ. Who was it? Don’t tell me it was Shen Ying?" Jiang Xia winked at him, glanced toward Li Weiya’s office, and whispered, "Did you two talk yesterday?"

Wang Ming hesitated for two seconds. He thought about the steamy events of the previous evening and how he had chatted with Shen Ying for a long time afterward, so he nodded.

"What about you two yesterday?"

"We celebrated the new year at the Tian’anmen Gate Tower, then waited all night with a huge crowd to watch the first flag-raising of the year this morning. It was a little tiring, but totally worth it. I strongly recommend you go see it sometime," Jiang Xia said with a smile.

You really can’t get the same feeling if you’re not there in person.

"Okay," Wang Ming nodded slightly.

"Alright, you get back to it. I’m going to check on the *Slam Dunk* team."

Only after he saw Jiang Xia turn and leave did Wang Ming move his mouse to click on the flashing penguin icon. Then, his eyes widened in shock.

[Zhang Yuanyuan]: Senior Brother Ming, I’m downstairs at your company!

[Wang Ming]: I’m at work! What are you doing here!

[Zhang Yuanyuan]: Hehe, I just wanted to see where you work. And by the way, I’m a fan of *Cat and Mouse* too~

[Wang Ming]: No, you should go back.

[Zhang Yuanyuan]: Isn’t it almost six o’clock? I came to pick you up after work.

[Wang Ming]: I have to work overtime today.

[Zhang Yuanyuan]: That’s okay, Senior Brother Ming. I’ll wait for you. We can go back to school together then.

Wang Ming was at his wit’s end. ’Why won’t this woman listen to reason?’ he thought. ’I’ve already rejected her, but she’s still sticking to me like glue.’

The key thing was, his mom and Jiang Xia were still at the company. If they ran into her, it would be a huge hassle to explain.

Besides, he had just spent a long time chatting with Shen Ying last night. If she found out about this, his image in her eyes would definitely take another hit.

[Wang Ming]: Don’t wait. Just go back by yourself. I have a social engagement later.

[Zhang Yuanyuan]: But I’m already at the entrance. I just wanted to thank you for taking care of me last night, Senior Brother Ming. I drank too much and probably said a lot of things I shouldn’t have. I hope you won’t hold it against me.

Wang Ming subconsciously craned his neck to peek outside. Through the glass door, he could indeed see a girl standing at the entrance.

He scratched his neck, fidgeting. He couldn’t go out, but he couldn’t just leave her standing there either. It wasn’t a solution.

Just as he was hesitating, Zhang Yuanyuan tentatively pushed open the glass door to Qitian Animation.

"Hello, does Wang Ming work here?"