After Cheng Mingjiao left, Zhang Xiyue and Chen Mingjiao fell into a long silence.
Chen Mingjiao had no idea what he was imagining, but the rims of his eyes grew redder and redder, and he looked as though he were on the verge of exploding.
“Stop right there,” Zhang Xiyue said. “Whatever you’re thinking, it’s not like that.”
Chen Mingjiao paused. “I haven’t even said what I’m thinking.”
“It’s probably some melodramatic scenario where I sacrifice myself to make him leave you alone.” Zhang Xiyue turned and walked ahead. “You’re overthinking it. Nothing like that happened.”
Chen Mingjiao hurried after her. “So you really made up with him? You were with him the whole time you disappeared? You…”
Zhang Xiyue stopped. “How is Grandma Zhao doing?”
The moment Chen Mingjiao heard her ask about his grandmother, the rest of his questions died in his throat. “She’s doing all right physically, but she’s confused more and more often… Though she’s been lucid these past two days. I even called her just now.”
Zhang Xiyue nodded. “Go change. We’ll bring the legal team to see Grandma Zhao and secure your shares.”
Chen Mingjiao froze for a moment, then nodded.
“Oh, and arrange a position for me. Starting today, I’m going to work with you.” Zhang Xiyue continued.
Chen Mingjiao’s eyes lit up. “You can?”
Zhang Xiyue smiled. “Mm.”
She had wanted to join the Chen Group before, so that he wouldn’t have to face everything alone. But in order to avoid Cheng Mingjiao, she had been forced to stay behind the scenes and offer advice. Now, she no longer had to hide.
The moment Chen Mingjiao heard that she could fight alongside him, his mood finally improved. He immediately set about making the arrangements.
While Zhang Xiyue had been away, no one had been there to offer him advice, and life at the company had been extremely difficult. Still, he had the ability to place one of his own people in the company.
In less than half an hour, Zhang Xiyue’s position had been arranged.
The two of them went to see Zhao Yuzhen first, then headed to the company.
In the car, Zhang Xiyue briefly familiarized herself with the obstacles Chen Mingjiao had recently encountered. When she learned that an order they had been pursuing for a long time had been poached, she gave a short laugh.
“The owner of Deye is one of Mingjiao’s downstream partners. I have his secretary’s contact information. I’ll talk to her later, and if things look promising, we can set up a time to pay him a visit.”
At that, the corners of Chen Mingjiao’s mouth dipped slightly.
Although the two names sounded almost identical, Sis Yue either called him Chen Ming or Little Ming. So it was obvious which “Mingjiao” she was referring to in that sentence.
A subtle sense of displeasure rose in Chen Mingjiao’s heart, and he said nothing.
Zhang Xiyue glanced at him while driving. “What’s wrong?”
“…Nothing.”
Even if Sis Yue was familiar with the owner of Deye, she would still have to invoke Cheng Mingjiao’s name to secure a meeting with him.
Chen Mingjiao didn’t want to benefit from Cheng Mingjiao’s connections, but he also knew that Sis Yue was only doing this to help him. Though reluctant, he didn’t object.
His emotions were written all over his face. Zhang Xiyue smiled silently. After parking the car and turning off the engine, she said gently, “I know this makes you uncomfortable, but we need outside support. So we may have to ask him for help fairly often from now on…”
The grudge between the two of them could be traced back to the previous generation. Cheng Mingjiao had told her about it a few days earlier.
When Chen Mingjiao was born, his parents were still deeply in love. Although the Chen patriarch disliked his grandson, Chen Mingjiao’s father genuinely treasured him.
He hadn’t been given this name at birth. Before he was even a month old, he fell ill twice. A metaphysics master who was a close acquaintance of Chen’s father said that the child had the fate of dying young. If he wanted to survive, he would have to borrow someone else’s good fortune.
The way to do that was to choose a child with the best fate among the families in the same city and give the baby the same name, borrowing that child’s blessings to help him survive his own ordeal.
There was no child in all of Phoenix City more blessed than Cheng Mingjiao.
Upon hearing this, Chen’s father immediately changed his son’s name to “Mingjiao.” Coincidentally, after the name change, the child’s health gradually improved, while Cheng Mingjiao fell ill instead.
There were no secrets that could stay hidden forever. Although the name change had been carried out in secret, the Cheng family still found out.
The Chengs were not superstitious, but they were deeply offended by such a malicious name change. Cheng Mingjiao had been born prematurely in the first place, and they had devoted years to raising him from a scrawny little chick into a strapping young bull. How could they possibly allow someone else to trample on him like that?
They immediately terminated all cooperation with the Chen Group. Even after Chen’s father was dragged to their home by the Chen patriarch to apologize, and even after “Mingjiao” was changed to “Mingjiao” with a different character, the Cheng family still refused to resume their business relationship with the Chens.
If not for the lifelong friendship between Zhao Yuzhen and Qian Xiulan, who had grown up together, even their superficial social ties might have been severed.
Not long afterward, Chen’s father fell out of love, cheated, divorced, and remarried. He went on living freely enough, but the rift between the Cheng and Chen families could never be repaired.
As for Chen Mingjiao, although he himself had been innocent as a baby, five-year-old Guo Fengnian and Cheng Mingjiao were convinced that their failure to attend summer camp that year had been caused by Chen Mingjiao borrowing Cheng Mingjiao’s good fortune. From then on, the nickname “Counterfeit” stuck to him.
Zhang Xiyue thought it over carefully before choosing her words. “Of course, if you really can’t accept it, I won’t contact him. We’ll find another way.”
Chen Mingjiao was silent for several seconds before looking at her.
Zhang Xiyue smiled. “There’s more than one road to Rome. We’ll figure something out.”
It might take a little longer that way, but she truly didn’t want to force him into doing something he was uncomfortable with.
Chen Mingjiao held her gaze for a long time before turning away. “…Let’s borrow his connections, then.”
“Are you sure?” Zhang Xiyue raised an eyebrow.
Chen Mingjiao pressed his lips together. “Mm… He and his friends are annoying, but whenever other people called me Counterfeit, he always made them shut up immediately. Strictly speaking, apart from giving me that nickname, they never actually did anything to me. In fact, they’ve helped me plenty of times…”
As he spoke, he suddenly grew indignant. “Besides, I’m fighting those people in the Chen family for their assets so I can give them to you. As your boyfriend, shouldn’t he help out?”
Zhang Xiyue had never expected that the words she had said back then to help him regain his spirit would stay with him all this time. She was touched and amused at once.
“Well, if you’re sure it’s fine, I’ll make use of his connections.”
“Use them. Use them as much as you like.”
Chen Mingjiao had already convinced himself completely and firmly believed that Cheng Mingjiao was obligated to step in. Having made up his mind, he flung open the car door and strode toward the company elevator, brimming with fighting spirit.
Zhang Xiyue stared after him in surprise. She had no idea what he had imagined this time to make his mood change so dramatically.
Seeing that he had already pressed the elevator button, she quickly got out and followed him.
The two of them entered the elevator. Zhang Xiyue had just opened her mouth to speak when Chen Mingjiao began sneezing. A faint flush appeared at the corners of his eyes.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
Chen Mingjiao cleared his throat and calmly pulled some medicine from his pocket. “Nothing. Just a little allergy. I forgot to take my medicine before I left.”
Zhang Xiyue glanced at the bottle and confirmed that it was the regular medication prescribed by his doctor. She took a bottle of water from her bag and handed it to him.
“Set an alarm. The doctor said you have to take it at regular intervals and in the prescribed dosage. How can you keep forgetting?”
“All right.” Chen Mingjiao obediently pulled out his phone and set several alarms right in front of her.
The two of them soon arrived at the company. Although Zhang Xiyue had been running things from behind the scenes for so long, this was her first time visiting the Chen family’s headquarters.
Chen Mingjiao led her on a tour of the entire building, then had someone add a desk and chair for Zhang Xiyue in his office.
The setup looked awfully familiar.
Zhang Xiyue took a picture and sent it to Cheng Mingjiao.
Cheng Mingjiao: ?
Cheng Mingjiao: Why are you working in a bathroom?
Zhang Xiyue: …
Cheng Mingjiao: So shabby, so shabby, so shabby.
He followed that with a picture of his enormous, ultra-luxurious office. Zhou Ce was still working inside; apparently, the boss had suddenly taken the photo, because the bewilderment on his face was impossible to hide.
Zhang Xiyue let out a laugh, but when she looked up and saw Chen Mingjiao watching her, she immediately straightened her expression.
Chen Mingjiao had no idea what was going on and went back to work. Zhang Xiyue secretly continued messaging Cheng Mingjiao.
Zhang Xiyue: The chairs at the Chen family’s company are uncomfortable.
Cheng Mingjiao: Got it.
Zhang Xiyue: ?
Zhang Xiyue: Got what?
Zhang Xiyue: Don’t do anything crazy!
Half an hour later, a brand-new chair, wrapped from top to bottom, was delivered to the office.
Facing Chen Mingjiao’s puzzled gaze, Zhang Xiyue gave an awkward laugh and was just about to explain when he made a look of disdain.
“Cheng Mingjiao did this, didn’t he?”
Zhang Xiyue: “…Yes.”
“Such an ostentatious move. Only he could come up with something like this.”
Though he sneered, Chen Mingjiao helped Zhang Xiyue unpack the chair.
There were layer upon layer of wrapping. Once it had all been removed, the chair’s true identity was finally revealed—
It was the same model as the one in Cheng Mingjiao’s office.
Zhang Xiyue remembered how, a very long time ago, she had sat in his chair and remarked that it was more comfortable than hers. Her expression shifted slightly. She was just about to message Cheng Mingjiao when her phone vibrated.
Cheng Mingjiao: I ordered it a long time ago, but the production cycle was too long. It didn’t arrive until last month.
Cheng Mingjiao: I originally ordered it because I wanted to put it in our office.
Cheng Mingjiao: And don’t say we need to keep our office romance low-key. It’s already very low-key. To avoid drawing attention, I replaced all the chairs at headquarters with this model.
Zhang Xiyue had still been smiling as the messages appeared one after another, but her expression froze when she reached the last one.
After a moment of silence, she asked: I remember your chair costs more than two hundred thousand yuan.
Cheng Mingjiao: Yes.
Zhang Xiyue: “…”
If she remembered correctly, there were several hundred employees at headquarters.
Zhang Xiyue did the math and felt the world go dark before her eyes.
“This chair really is comfortable.” Chen Mingjiao tried it out and looked up. “How much is it? I’ll buy one too.”
Zhang Xiyue’s heart was still aching. “T-Twenty-something thousand…”
Chen Mingjiao nodded. “That’s pretty cheap. I’ll place the order now.”
Zhang Xiyue: “You think replacing all the chairs in the entire company with these is cheap?”
Chen Mingjiao stared at her in astonishment. “I only have depression. I’m not insane.”
Zhang Xiyue: “…”
Cheng Mingjiao suddenly sneezed and immediately sent Zhang Xiyue a message.
Cheng Mingjiao: Come keep me company. I’m sick.
Zhang Xiyue took a deep breath and replied: You were perfectly fine when you left this morning.
Cheng Mingjiao: I’m really sick.
Zhang Xiyue frowned and asked: What do you have?
She regretted it the moment she sent the message.
Sure enough, the next second, Cheng Mingjiao replied:
Cheng Mingjiao: Lovesickness.
Zhang Xiyue: “…”
To avoid seeing anything else that would corrupt her innocent mind, she blocked him outright and turned her attention to work.
The order that had been snatched away was now in the hands of her stepmother. If she managed to secure the deal, she would be able to enter the board of directors.
Zhang Xiyue contacted the secretary of Deye’s general manager and learned that the order was currently being handled by their top salesperson. Before Chen Mingjiao’s stepmother took it away, however, another salesperson had originally been following up on it.
In the past, Zhang Xiyue would certainly have investigated whether the top salesperson and her stepmother had reached some kind of agreement, then looked for a way in through their private dealings. But now that she had the strongest ally imaginable, there was no need for so many twists and turns.
She could simply be direct and ruthless.
That very evening, Deye’s general manager took the initiative to call Zhang Xiyue and invite her and Chen Mingjiao to dinner.
“Are you ready to enjoy the most satisfying meal you’ve had since starting work?” Zhang Xiyue asked mysteriously.
Chen Mingjiao looked puzzled, but he soon understood what she meant.
Deye’s general manager was far too enthusiastic. The moment they entered the private room, before they even had time for the usual pleasantries, he announced that the order had to be handled in cooperation with Chen Mingjiao. He even asked the salesperson who had originally been following up on it to take over again.
There was no smoking, drinking, or vulgar joking throughout the entire meal. Everyone got to eat the dishes they liked, and when dinner was over, Deye’s general manager even patted Chen Mingjiao on the shoulder with a hearty laugh.
“Young man, you’re truly impressive,” he praised.
Even now, Chen Mingjiao still had trouble accepting this kind of physical contact. He gave an awkward laugh, then saw the man to his car.
He and Zhang Xiyue watched as Deye’s general manager’s car drove away. Only then could they finally drop the smiles that had nearly frozen onto their faces.
They exchanged a glance and saw the exhaustion in each other’s eyes.
“That wasn’t quite as satisfying as I expected,” Zhang Xiyue sighed.
Chen Mingjiao nodded. “Dealing with people is exhausting.”
Zhang Xiyue nodded in agreement, then suddenly smiled.
In all the time Chen Mingjiao had known her, this was the first time he had ever seen her smile so happily.
As if guided by some sudden instinct, he looked ahead.
Sure enough, that person was standing ten meters away, dressed in a suit and trench coat, devastatingly handsome.
“…Show-off,” Chen Mingjiao muttered.
Zhang Xiyue was already walking toward Cheng Mingjiao.
At first, Cheng Mingjiao managed to maintain his composure as she drew closer. But once she was only five meters away, he could no longer keep it up. He charged over and threw his arms around her.
The impact made Zhang Xiyue stagger, and she quickly grabbed hold of his trench coat to steady herself.
“What are you doing here?”
“You didn’t answer my messages.” Cheng Mingjiao sounded a little aggrieved.
Zhang Xiyue: “…”
She had almost forgotten that she had blocked him that morning.
Seeing that she wasn’t responding, Cheng Mingjiao was just about to continue acting spoiled when he caught sight of Chen Mingjiao. He immediately let go of her and put on a haughty expression.
“Did you get it done?”
“…Yes,” Chen Mingjiao answered reluctantly.
Although he had successfully brainwashed himself that morning, the fact remained that he had benefited from Cheng Mingjiao’s help. There was no way around it.
He pressed his lips together and said, “Thank you…”
“What?” Cheng Mingjiao hadn’t heard him clearly.
Chen Mingjiao assumed he was deliberately making things difficult for him, so his voice instantly rose.
“I said, thank you!”
“Why are you shouting?” Cheng Mingjiao jumped and immediately turned to complain to Zhang Xiyue. “He really has no manners.”
Chen Mingjiao: “…”
Zhang Xiyue: “…”
To keep the two of them from getting into a fight in the parking lot, Zhang Xiyue immediately suggested that they go home.
Chen Mingjiao’s expression relaxed at once.
“I had Auntie tidy up your room this morning. You should go back and see if there’s anything else—”
“Tidy what? Zhang Xiyue is coming home with me.” Cheng Mingjiao interrupted him without even lifting his eyes.
Chen Mingjiao was furious. “Why should she go home with you?”
“Why?” Cheng Mingjiao seemed to find the question hilarious. He leaned over and planted a kiss on Zhang Xiyue’s lips. “Because of this.”
Chen Mingjiao’s face flushed red. “D-Do you even understand what it means to respect women?!”
Cheng Mingjiao looked baffled. “I kissed my girlfriend once, and that means I don’t respect women? Aren’t you being a little weird?”
Chen Mingjiao said, “She’s your girlfriend, but you still need her consent before kissing her!”
“What kind of nonsense are you talking about?” Cheng Mingjiao couldn’t be bothered to argue with him.
“Cheng Mingjiao!”
Zhang Xiyue said, “…Both of you, shut up.”
The two men fell silent at the same time.
Zhang Xiyue looked at Chen Mingjiao, and he immediately understood what she meant. He felt a little wronged.
“All right, see you tomorrow.” Zhang Xiyue smiled.
Chen Mingjiao bit his lower lip and said nothing.
Cheng Mingjiao, on the other hand, wore a smug expression. After looking down at Chen Mingjiao several times, he said, “Counterfeit.”
Zhang Xiyue: “…”
You’d better not get too pleased with yourself.
Wasn’t he the one who had cried and insisted that he was the real counterfeit?
Cheng Mingjiao caught Zhang Xiyue’s warning look and reined himself in a little, but he still maintained the posture of a victor in front of Chen Mingjiao. He put an arm around Zhang Xiyue’s waist and led her toward his car.
“Sis Yue!” Chen Mingjiao suddenly called out.
Cheng Mingjiao clicked his tongue and turned around. “What now?”
Chen Mingjiao ignored him. “Sis Yue, will you go with me to see the doctor this Saturday?”
Zhang Xiyue nodded and was just about to agree when Cheng Mingjiao said, “No. We have plans this Saturday.”
“I’m talking to Sis Yue,” Chen Mingjiao said, his expression darkening.
Cheng Mingjiao thought for a moment, then suddenly pitched his voice high. “No. We have plans this Saturday.”
Zhang Xiyue: “…”
Chen Mingjiao: “…”
“Let’s go home, Zhang Xiyue.” Cheng Mingjiao returned to his normal voice.
The corner of Zhang Xiyue’s mouth twitched. She shoved him into the car, then turned to Chen Mingjiao and said, “Don’t worry. I’ll go with you.”
Cheng Mingjiao immediately tried to stick his head out of the car, but Zhang Xiyue pushed it back down.
Chen Mingjiao took the opportunity to shoot him a provocative look.
On Saturday morning, Chen Mingjiao was so furious when he saw Cheng Mingjiao standing at his front door that he couldn’t get a word out.
“Hurry up and get in. You’re a grown man, yet you still need someone to accompany you to the doctor. How precious.” Cheng Mingjiao urged him impatiently, completely unaware that he was the most precious one of all.
Chen Mingjiao had been about to refuse, but the next second, Cheng Mingjiao said, “After I take you to the doctor, I need to go to the west side of the city.”
“What are you going to the west side for?” Chen Mingjiao asked instinctively, regretting his big mouth the moment the words left him.
He should have ignored him and let him perform his one-man show.
Cheng Mingjiao, who could put on a one-man show better than anyone else, said, “There’s a pastry shop there. Zhang Xiyue likes their pastries, and they sell out after eleven.”
Chen Mingjiao didn’t dare waste any more time and quickly got into the car.
Cheng Mingjiao slammed on the gas, and the car practically flew—at low speed.
When they arrived at the hospital, Chen Mingjiao began throwing up the moment he got out. Only after he had finished did he ask weakly, “Did you do that on purpose?”
Cheng Mingjiao looked confused. “Do what?”
Chen Mingjiao stared at him gloomily for several seconds before turning around and entering the examination room.
“Bored,” Cheng Mingjiao pronounced. He was a little disappointed that the first person he had ever driven around had turned out to be Chen Mingjiao.
Zhang Xiyue simply liked him too much. She refused to let him suffer even the slightest inconvenience, so she had always insisted that he not drive.
Zhang Xiyue was always like that.
Cheng Mingjiao sighed.
Chen Mingjiao stayed in the examination room for two hours. When he came out, he was carrying a large bag of medicine.
Cheng Mingjiao took a casual glance at it and frowned. “Hadn’t you already gotten better? Why did they prescribe you so much?”
“I don’t want to come back next week, so I asked the doctor to prescribe more.” Chen Mingjiao looked listless.
Cheng Mingjiao’s brows slowly drew together. “These medicines have strict dosage limits. The doctor shouldn’t have given you this much at once.”
Chen Mingjiao was silent for a few seconds before saying, “Then report him.”
Cheng Mingjiao took out his phone.
Chen Mingjiao stared at him in shock and stopped him. “Wait… You’re actually going to report him?”
“What else?” Cheng Mingjiao didn’t understand what stupid thing he was talking about.
Chen Mingjiao took a deep breath. “The doctor inside is my grandmother’s cousin. He’s only making an exception for me because of my grandmother. Mr. Cheng, could you please stop meddling in other people’s business?”
Cheng Mingjiao stared at him for a moment, then put his phone away.
Chen Mingjiao had just started to breathe a sigh of relief when he heard him say, “You don’t even want to come to the hospital on schedule. You’re really lazy.”
Chen Mingjiao: “…Oh.”
Cheng Mingjiao continued, “Are you this lazy at work too?”
Chen Mingjiao raised his eyes to look at him.
“You’d better put in a little more effort,” Cheng Mingjiao warned him loudly. “Don’t make Zhang Xiyue wait too long.”
Chen Mingjiao frowned. “Wait too long for what?”
Cheng Mingjiao abruptly shut his mouth.
“For the inheritance?” Chen Mingjiao guessed. “Don’t worry. I’ll work hard and get all the shares as quickly as possible. I’ll give them all to Sis Yue.”
Cheng Mingjiao shot him a sidelong glance. Zhang Xiyue didn’t even care about his money, so how could she possibly care about the pots and pans from Chen Mingjiao’s family?
When he thought about how the ultimate purpose of lecturing Chen Mingjiao over and over was to send his own girlfriend away as soon as possible—and that he might never see her again in this lifetime—Cheng Mingjiao began to feel miserable.
Chen Mingjiao watched him shift from haughty to gloomy before finally asking after a long silence, “Do you want to go inside and get some medicine too?”
Cheng Mingjiao snorted.
Another rainstorm came, and the weather in Phoenix City turned completely cold.
Once the twelfth lunar month arrived, time seemed to suddenly speed up.
With Cheng Mingjiao as her powerful ally, Zhang Xiyue’s progress bar seemed to be riding a rocket. It soon reached ninety percent.
Their parting was right before their eyes. And arriving even sooner than the parting was the New Year.
It wasn’t until the windows had been covered with festive paper cuttings that Zhang Xiyue realized in a daze that she had already been in the novel’s world for nearly a year.
After so many days and nights, she wondered how everyone in the real world was doing. Were they worried? Would they be able to celebrate the New Year properly?
Zhang Xiyue desperately wanted to return, but whenever she saw the progress bar that was almost full, she fell into a struggle she couldn’t resolve.
As the weather grew colder, Cheng Mingjiao became especially clingy. A few times, he even followed her to the Chen family’s company.
At long last, the Spring Festival holiday arrived. Cheng Mingjiao had made up his mind to stick to Zhang Xiyue twenty-four hours a day, but his parents firmly insisted on taking him to his maternal grandmother’s home for the New Year.
His maternal grandmother lived in another city, a full two-hour flight away. Cheng Mingjiao had originally wanted to refuse, but after hearing that she was ill, he had no choice but to go to Zhang Xiyue.
“You should go. I’ll wait for you here.” Zhang Xiyue smiled, pretending not to notice his hesitation.
Cheng Mingjiao desperately wanted to invite Zhang Xiyue along. But ever since the progress bar had reached eighty percent, Zhang Xiyue had begun deliberately avoiding everyone and everything in this world except him and Chen Mingjiao, as if doing so would keep her from feeling sad when that future moment arrived.
Cheng Mingjiao could be very arrogant sometimes.
But he could also see every subtle emotion Zhang Xiyue displayed.
He wished he could have eighty hours in a day so he could cling to Zhang Xiyue, but in the end, Cheng Mingjiao didn’t voice the invitation.
Because he didn’t want to put Zhang Xiyue in a difficult position. Even more than that, he didn’t want her to worry about the world where he existed after she left, just as she worried about the world she had come from while she was here.
Zhang Xiyue didn’t go to see Cheng Mingjiao off on the day he left.
She was alone in the empty villa, looking at the suddenly quiet house and optimistically telling herself that she might as well treat it as an early adjustment.
Of course, she didn’t have a house this big in the real world.
Zhang Xiyue smiled, then found the thought rather pointless. She turned around and went back to her room for another nap.
When she woke up, her phone had 300 unread messages from a certain someone.
Zhang Xiyue: “…”
Although Cheng Mingjiao wasn’t in Phoenix City, his messages could arrive at any time.
With her phone needing to be charged three times a day, Zhang Xiyue officially declared her early adjustment a failure.
Because of Cheng Mingjiao’s relentless barrage of messages, Zhang Xiyue felt that vacation was more exhausting than work. Every day, the moment she opened her eyes, she had to reply to him—and she couldn’t be too perfunctory about it, or he would immediately book a flight back.
Once, she had replied with nothing but “Oh.” He had come straight to the airport. In the end, his two cousins from his uncle’s family had forcibly dragged him back, and it had taken her two hours to persuade him to give up on coming to see her.
Zhang Xiyue was exhausted in both body and mind. And just like that, New Year’s Eve arrived.
From Cheng Mingjiao’s excessive openness, Zhang Xiyue knew that his maternal grandmother’s family was also a large clan. Since everyone from the Cheng family had gone there as well, the house was even livelier than usual.
A family that lively was always especially busy on an important occasion like New Year’s Eve.
Cheng Mingjiao was probably too busy, because he stopped sending her messages that afternoon.
Zhang Xiyue checked her phone several times, but there were no new unread messages. Thinking that she couldn’t keep wasting the holiday away, she decided to go out alone.
Phoenix City was usually packed with young people who had come there to make a living. But now that the New Year was approaching and everyone had gone home, the city was quieter than usual.
When Zhang Xiyue entered the supermarket, there were hardly any customers inside. She strolled around at her leisure, picking up a little of whatever caught her eye. Before she knew it, she had filled an entire cart.
I’ll make myself a New Year’s Eve dinner.
The idea came to her on a whim. She quickly searched for a pile of recipes, then returned home in high spirits.
The small town where she had been born placed great importance on the Spring Festival. Every New Year’s Eve, her father would get up early to prepare the ingredients, and he wouldn’t have time to go out for a walk until the afternoon.
Around eleven that night, he would start cooking all the prepared dishes. Once midnight arrived, he would wake her to set off firecrackers, then call the whole family over.
After her parents passed away, she and several elderly relatives had continued the tradition. It wasn’t until the elderly relatives passed away as well that she stopped following those customs and began spending New Year’s with friends and teachers who invited her over.
Thinking about it, it had already been two or three years since she had made a New Year’s Eve dinner herself.
As soon as Zhang Xiyue got home, she rolled up her sleeves and began preparing the ingredients, imitating the way her father used to do it.
Now, with no family waiting for her, she didn’t have to serve dinner at any particular time. She took her time, resting for a few minutes whenever she felt like it. Before she knew it, darkness had fallen.
The distant sound of fireworks began to echo through the night, and the phone on the kitchen counter started filling with New Year’s greetings.
Every now and then, Zhang Xiyue would wipe her hands and reply to the messages. But when she checked her chat with Cheng Mingjiao, there was still no activity.
Mr. Busy himself. He doesn’t even have time to send me a message.
Zhang Xiyue pursed her lips and decided not to message him either.
The clock on the wall crept along at a snail’s pace, finally reaching midnight.
Zhang Xiyue had also finished preparing all the side dishes and began stir-frying them one by one.
She was working on the third dish when the doorbell suddenly rang outside.
Confusion crossed Zhang Xiyue’s face. She couldn’t imagine who would come at this hour.
She wiped her hands and hurried over. The moment she opened the door, she saw a familiar face.
“Happy New Year, Sis Yue!” Chen Mingjiao greeted her with a smile.
Zhang Xiyue smiled too. “What brings you here?”
“It was boring at home. Grandma went to bed, so I snuck out.”
Chen Mingjiao shivered as he stepped inside. Only then did Zhang Xiyue notice that it was snowing outside.
“It smells so good,” Chen Mingjiao exclaimed.
“I’m cooking.”
“I’ll help!” Chen Mingjiao immediately raised his hand.
Zhang Xiyue agreed and was just about to lead him to the kitchen when the doorbell rang again.
She turned around to open the door, and Youyou’s rosy little face appeared before her.
“Aunt Xiyue! Happy New Year!”
“Youyou!” Zhang Xiyue greeted her happily. Then, seeing Liang Xiao and Wei Chengfang behind her, she was even more surprised. “What are you all doing here?”
“‘All’?” Wei Chengfang raised an eyebrow. “Who else is here?”
“Sis Chengfang, it’s me,” Chen Mingjiao said politely.
Wei Chengfang laughed. “Well, well, Mingjiao, what are you doing here too?”
Chen Mingjiao still wasn’t used to interacting with people. At her words, he gave an awkward smile.
Liang Xiao said, “Let’s get inside. I’m freezing.”
“Right, right. Come in quickly.” Zhang Xiyue hurriedly stepped aside to let them through.
As expected, the moment the three of them entered, they smelled the food. When they heard that Zhang Xiyue hadn’t finished cooking yet, Liang Youyou and Wei Chengfang immediately rolled up their sleeves, eager to help.
“I can peel some garlic at most,” Liang Xiao said elegantly. “A surgeon’s hands need to be taken care of. Isn’t that right, Counterfeit?”
Chen Mingjiao let out a cold laugh. “What a poser.”
“Exactly,” Wei Chengfang agreed. “What a poser.”
Liang Xiao gave them a look that said they simply didn’t understand him, then went to sit on the sofa with perfect peace of mind.
Half an hour later, another person appeared at the house.
When he saw the crowd filling the room, Guo Fengnian shouted, “You bunch of bastards! How dare you have a party behind my back!”
“Who had a party behind your back? Everyone came on their own,” Liang Xiao said, rejecting his accusation.
Guo Fengnian was still indignant. “How is that possible? Who else could have been thoughtful enough to remember that Xiyue was spending New Year’s Eve alone?”
“Unless something unexpected happened, everyone thought of it,” Liang Xiao shot back.
Guo Fengnian was about to argue again when Chen Mingjiao passed between them and casually tossed out, “Two Counterfeits.”
Guo Fengnian: “…”
Liang Xiao: “…”
The kitchen was already packed with people, forcing Zhang Xiyue to give up her position as head chef. For a moment, she didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.
Fortunately, she had bought plenty of ingredients that day. Otherwise, cooking for so many people would have been a complete disaster.
Wei Chengfang was teaching Chen Mingjiao how to make typhoon shelter prawns, and the two of them were equally skilled. Meanwhile, Guo Fengnian and Liang Xiao were still bickering in the living room, looking as though they were about to come to blows.
Dr. Liang, who was always so polished and gentle, seemed to develop an entirely different personality whenever he was with his longtime friend. As for Dr. Guo… the impression he gave people was consistent from beginning to end: completely unreliable.
Zhang Xiyue watched their antics for a while before wandering over to the floor-to-ceiling window by herself.
The light snowfall from earlier had turned into a heavy flurry. Snow drifted down like tufts of cotton, covering the ground and the ornamental trees in a layer of white.
Zhang Xiyue stood in front of the window, lost in thought for a long time. It wasn’t until she heard Wei Chengfang call for her that she suddenly came to her senses.
“Okay, I’ll be right—”
Her voice cut off.
Because in the distance, through the snow-covered landscape, she saw a tall figure steadily making his way toward her.
