Chapter 251 - 132: A Toast to Lingering Concern

Chapter 251: Chapter 132: A Toast to Lingering Concern

Seeing Song Jianye, the wrinkles at the corners of Li Huiping’s eyes crinkled with a wide smile.

"I remember you. You two were the ones who went to the botanical garden to dig up dandelions last time, weren’t you?"

"Mhm."

Without Chen Yuan by her side, Song Jianye was much more timid, feeling nervous and awkward.

"You’re on break now, so come visit when you have time. Auntie will make you something delicious."

"Mhm, thank you, Auntie."

"You two go ahead and chat. I’ll be leaving now."

Li Huiping could tell Song Jianye was a little nervous, so she left after a few words, not wanting to be a third wheel.

"Mom, tell my sister I’ll come play poker with her in a bit."

"What poker? Have you got no sense? Just sit here and talk. Don’t go out, and I won’t let anyone else in."

"Uh..."

Li Huiping closed the door and left breezily. Through the door, he could hear her telling their relatives that Chen Yuan wasn’t playing poker anymore.

"I’m doomed! What do I do?" Song Jianye said in a panic.

"What do you mean, what do you do?"

"I’m still in my pajamas! Your auntie must think I just woke up. Will she think I’m a really lazy person?"

"We’re in different time zones. It’s only a little after nine where you are. It’s normal not to be up yet."

"Your auntie probably doesn’t know I’m spending the New Year abroad, right? Explain it to her later. Tell her I’m in Paris, and there’s a seven-hour time difference... No, no, that won’t work!"

Song Jianye quickly shot down her own idea. "Just tell her I’m in Africa. The time difference is nine hours, so it’s just past seven in the morning local time. That way, your auntie won’t overthink it. And then you can explain that I was studying hard last night and didn’t sleep until the early hours of the morning, otherwise I would have woken up even earlier."

Chen Yuan: ...

’With a brain as sharp as hers, if she weren’t suffering from depression, wouldn’t getting into Qingbei be a piece of cake?’

"So, what were you doing last night?"

"Hehe, I was binge-watching a drama."

"Aren’t you just teaching me to lie?"

"You have to protect your friend’s image! I don’t want to leave a bad impression on your auntie. Just do as I say. Tell her I’ve been studying hard and haven’t even taken a break for the New Year."

Song Jianye sat cross-legged on her bed. "When you tell her, don’t be too obvious about it. The important thing is to make your auntie believe me. I have to leave a good impression."

"I’ll just give her the phone and you can explain it to her," Chen Yuan said.

"Besides, what’s wrong with sleeping until after nine? When I’m home, I don’t get out of bed until at least ten."

"I’m a girl, it’s different for me! Anyway, just explain it to your auntie, or else I’ll be poking you with a little stick when we’re eighty."

Chen Yuan: "..."

"Okay, I’m hanging up now. Go explain to your auntie. Just say I’ve been studying the whole time."

After giving her instructions, Song Jianye hung up the video call, catching Chen Yuan completely off guard.

After finishing his chat with Song Jianye, he checked his other unread messages.

He chatted with Jiang Wanyi for a while longer before finally going out to play poker with his relatives.

The rest of the time was spent playing poker. Chen Yuan’s luck was pretty good, and he won over 200 yuan.

Around eight in the evening, the Spring Festival Gala began. The adults in the family started making dumplings—whether you liked them or not, everyone had to eat some every year.

Around eleven o’clock, the dumplings were served. On his fourth one, Chen Yuan bit into a 50-cent coin, a staple tradition of New Year’s Eve dinner for northern families.

And as the song "Unforgettable Tonight" began to play, New Year’s Eve came to a close.

...

The differences in New Year’s celebrations between the north and south were quite obvious. At Jiang Wanyi’s home, there was no tradition of eating dumplings and watching the Spring Festival Gala; everyone just did whatever they wanted.

But because of Mili, this New Year was very different from the rest.

The baby became the center of attention. Relatives who smoked were all shooed outside to have their cigarettes.

Jiang Wanyi also had a rare moment of relaxation. With others helping to make the baby’s food, she was completely freed up. She lay in her room alone with fruit beside her, eating and chatting with Chen Yuan, rediscovering a long-lost feeling of ease.

"Sis, why have you been so absent-minded all day, always glued to your phone?" Fu Siyao said as she came in.

"I haven’t been absent-minded," Jiang Wanyi said, putting down her phone.

"Still won’t admit it? You’ve barely looked at the baby all day, and that phone hasn’t left your side," Fu Siyao said with a grin.

"You must have a new boyfriend! Quick, let me see what he looks like."

"The baby’s only one year old, why would I be looking for a man?"

"What does the baby’s age have to do with it? You’re not old, you have a good job, and you’re pretty. It’s normal for men to pursue you."

"Oh, stop it, don’t talk nonsense. There’s nothing going on," Jiang Wanyi said, her voice lacking conviction.

"Whatever, you’re not acting normal. Ever since you came back for the New Year, you’ve been on your phone chatting all day. You were never like this before."

"It’s the New Year. A lot of people sent me greeting messages. Don’t I have to reply to them?"

"Fine, you wouldn’t admit it even if I asked. Anyway, since Mili is a girl, you’ll definitely have an easy time finding someone if you want to," Fu Siyao said, adopting the tone of a grown-up.

"Stop worrying about my affairs and think about your own thesis paper."

"It’s the middle of the New Year. Let’s not talk about such downers."

The two sisters chatted for a while. Fu Siyao didn’t leave, but instead squeezed into a spot on the bed, cuddling up with Jiang Wanyi.

Unconsciously, an image of Chen Yuan surfaced in Jiang Wanyi’s mind.

’Some things, some feelings, are just impossible to put into words.’

’When he was here before, I didn’t feel anything special. Now that he’s gone, it’s only been a little over half a month, and I’m always thinking of him.’

’Jiang Wanyi didn’t understand why, either. He would be back soon, she knew, but she just couldn’t help it.’