Upon hearing He Xiang's name, the few people who had been chatting turned to look.
Or rather, nearly everyone in the vicinity was staring in that direction.
When the five exceptionally striking figures walked over, it was impossible not to glance their way.
From their clothes to their shoes, everything screamed luxury.
A doll-like girl with black hair and green eyes, a golden-haired boy with silver eyes—so handsome he seemed otherworldly—a sweet-faced girl with an enigmatic smile, and a young man who looked every bit the wealthy young master.
And among them—
The most familiar face to them: He Xiang.
His tall frame stood out prominently, and they spotted him immediately.
He Xiang also noticed their gazes right away, glancing over briefly.
But just as quickly, he averted his eyes, as if he hadn’t seen them at all, completely ignoring them as he walked into the restaurant they had just been critiquing.
After they entered, the group could even see a man in a suit—likely the manager—rushing forward with his staff, grinning from ear to ear as he greeted the five.
"What's going on...? I thought that guy was from some backwater village?"
"Damn, he totally ignored us."
"Money sure makes people arrogant..."
Though the last comment lacked conviction.
...
Inside the restaurant, Ji Nian asked He Xiang, "Do you know those people from earlier?"
He Xiang tilted his head slightly. "No."
Ji Nian nodded.
Those people clearly recognized He Xiang. Lu Jinghuai was right there, yet they barely spared him a glance, too busy gaping at He Xiang in shock.
The five of them rarely got together, so dinner was lively.
Later that evening, they escorted He Xiang back to his dorm, with Gu Xiuyuan and Lu Jinghuai helping carry the gifts they’d brought for him upstairs.
As He Xiang unlocked the door, he suddenly seemed to remember something and glanced at Gu Xiuyuan.
Gu Xiuyuan was already grumbling internally about the lack of air conditioning in the hallway.
Noticing He Xiang’s look, he raised a brow. "What?"
He Xiang paused. "Nothing."
Once the door was open, he let them inside.
Soon, Gu Xiuyuan understood why He Xiang had looked at him earlier.
Because on He Xiang’s bed, he found—
A T-shirt with his own face printed on it.
Gu Xiuyuan: "……"
Lu Jinghuai, ever the diplomat, asked, "Why did you bring this?"
He Xiang replied matter-of-factly, "The AC’s too strong. I use it as pajamas."
He wasn’t lying—the fabric’s softness made it obvious he’d been wearing it regularly.
A vein twitched at Gu Xiuyuan’s temple.
He Xiang swiftly hid the shirt.
"If you take it, I won’t have anything to wear."
Gu Xiuyuan smirked without warmth. "I’ll buy you a hundred replacements."
"I want this one."
"Are you a child!? Give it back!!"
"No."
"He! Xiang!!"
As the two seemed on the verge of a scuffle, Lu Jinghuai settled into the chair by He Xiang’s desk, casually grabbing a handful of sunflower seeds he’d bought at some point and started snacking.
Hmm. Caramel flavor. His favorite.
...
After visiting He Xiang, they all went their separate ways.
Shen Qingtang and Gu Xiuyuan returned to their studies.
On the last day of New Year’s break, Ji Nian wasn’t idle either. Though Bruce and John Qiao didn’t celebrate the holiday, she gave them the day off anyway, spending half the day alone in the lab.
That evening, Ms. Li arrived with Wei Junze.
She already knew about Ji Nian’s relationship but didn’t mind in the slightest. Even if romance wasn’t in the cards, she hoped the younger generation could remain friends.
After dinner, they even played a few rounds of mahjong.
Ji Tingzhou didn’t join, opting to sit behind Ji Nian and offer occasional pointers.
She’d known he could play, but she hadn’t realized he was this good—so good that the others refused to let him join the table.
Ji Tingzhou didn’t insist, comfortably settling into a chair beside Ji Nian instead.
With his occasional advice, she won several rounds.
Since Ms. Li was present, they didn’t gamble—just played for fun.
And she lost the most.
"Haven’t played in ages. Not one of you kids went easy on me."
She shook her head, amused.
Out in the world, no one would dare win against her like this.
But these kids? The moment competition was involved, they went all out.
When it came time for fireworks, Wei Yang insisted on dragging Zhiliao out to Shen Rushan’s grave to set some off.
Zhiliao couldn’t refuse, so they went.
After mahjong, Ms. Li and Wei Junze said their goodbyes, leaving only Ji Nian and Ji Tingzhou at home.
Ji Nian, wearing her little chick hat, sat with Ji Tingzhou in the courtyard, watching the fireworks set off by the staff who’d volunteered to work through the holiday.
She held up her phone, recording.
Ji Tingzhou noticed and smirked coldly. "Filming for the blond brat?"
Ji Nian: "……"
She paused the recording, sent the video, then turned the screen toward him.
The chat window read: Qingtang Qingtang
It was Shen Qingtang.
Ji Tingzhou huffed, seemingly appeased.
Ji Nian: (Actually, I already sent one to Lu Jinghuai.)
After a brief chat with Shen Qingtang, she set her phone aside.
Holding out a hand to Ji Tingzhou, she said, "Look, Dad."
Ji Tingzhou side-eyed her and stayed silent.
Clearly, he’d learned his lesson—this wasn’t the same Ji Tingzhou who fell for her tricks anymore.
Unfortunately—
"This is the hand I picked my nose with."
Ji Tingzhou: "……"
He couldn’t stop her from saying it herself.
"...Shut up."
But it was a festive occasion.
"Alright, fine. Actually, I’m doing a magic trick."
With a flick of her wrist, a small vial appeared in her palm.
"Anti-wrinkle serum. Don’t worry—it wasn’t originally meant for faces, but my tests confirm it works just as well."
Having studied the Book of Ji Nian extensively, Ji Tingzhou knew his daughter’s habits all too well.
He didn’t even need to think.
An anti-wrinkle solution not originally designed for the face? Either for heels or... something less savory.
Given Ji Nian’s track record, he leaned toward the latter.
Taking the vial, he shook it lightly.
"So this was your inspiration after that nightmare?"
Ji Nian noted how he didn’t even ask for details—this version of him was far harder to tease than the one from that place.
She hummed in confirmation.
The fireworks in the sky had faded, leaving a brief silence before Ji Tingzhou spoke again, tone casual—
"That wasn’t a nightmare."
"What did you really encounter?"
His gaze, sharp under the flickering light, locked onto hers.
Ji Nian’s heart skipped a beat.
She turned to meet his eyes.
In the dim glow, his stare was piercing.
As if being found out was inevitable.
Ji Nian hesitated.
"Actually..."
