When the clock ticked down to 11:59, the ssages on her phone started flooding in.
Countless people were sending "Happy New Year," and every now and then, soone would throw in a red envelope.
The Jiang family had long since abandoned watching the Spring Festival Gala in front of the TV—the more they watched, the duller it got.
Jiang Zhiyao ran out to the yard, holding a lighter as she stood guard by the fireworks.
Yu Songsong stood beside her, shielding her from the wind.
"Is it midnight yet?"
Jiang Zhiyao looked at Jiang Linyuan, who was clutching his phone, and asked eagerly.
"You can light it now."
Jiang Linyuan said.
The fla ignited, and Jiang Zhiyao and Yu Songsong covered their ears as they scurried over to Jiang Linyuan's side.
In the night sky, a ball of fire rolled and soared, trailing a long tail of fla before bursting with a thunderous roar into a scattering of starlight, drifting down with the falling snow.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
After that brief, brilliant flash, the sound of fireworks rang out in quick succession.
"Senior! Happy New Year!"
Yu Songsong clung to Jiang Linyuan's arm, her lips curved into a smile, her voice shouting loudly, as if trying to drown out the fireworks.
"Don't get so close!"
Jiang Zhiyao pulled her away, annoyed.
The new year had arrived.
Jiang Linyuan's phone rang—it was the Departnt Head calling.
He calmly answered, laughing:
"Happy New Year, Departnt Head."
"It's not Sister Wanyu! It's !"
The excited voice of Shen Guoguo ca through the line:
"Brother Jiang, Happy New Year! Are you setting off fireworks over there? It sounds so lively!"
No wonder it was a perfect timing call—I thought the Departnt Head was being so proactive, but it turned out Guoguo had hijacked the phone.
"Well then, Happy New Year to you too, Guoguo!"
"Give the phone."
Shen Wanyu's voice rang out as she took over, with the faint sound of Shen Guoguo's discontented muttering in the background.
"Happy New Year, Deputy Minister Jiang."
She responded softly.
"Happy New Year."
Jiang Linyuan repeated the greeting, then noticed that soone was calling him on WeChat via his tablet.
Xiao Su, huh? Wait, weren't we supposed to call on the phone? Why WeChat?
Jiang Linyuan thought for a mont and answered both at once.
"Hehe, I just tried calling your phone, but it was busy."
Su Muzhi's voice ca through, laced with amusent.
"The signal's a bit weak out here in the countryside."
Jiang Linyuan explained.
"Is it the signal that's weak out in the countryside, or is it your heart that's not so strong?"
Though Su Muzhi's tone was full of laughter, it carried a sharp edge, like a knife hidden behind a smile.
Even though he guessed he'd be calling plenty of people, how dare he let soone else cut in front of ?
"Are you talking to Su Muzhi?"
Jiang Linyuan hadn't deliberately lowered his voice, so Shen Wanyu heard clearly.
"Yeah, yeah, Xiao Su, co and wish the Departnt Head a Happy New Year!"
Jiang Linyuan grinned—friends were straightforward, nothing to hide.
"Hehe, wish her a Happy New Year? Is that a New Year's joke?"
Su Muzhi didn't bother to hide her disdain.
Xiao Su and the Departnt Head's relationship was still terrible, huh.
Jiang Linyuan thought to himself:
"Then I'll wish Xiao Su a Happy New Year! Happy New Year! Alright, Xiao Su, your turn."
With that, he moved his phone a bit closer to the tablet.
Su Muzhi paused for a mont, then said:
"Happy New Year."
After that, she added:
"Classmate Jiang, today I'm going to get my revenge, and it'll be brutal."
"What revenge? I don't get it."
"You put others ahead of , especially Shen Wanyu."
"Oh co on, Xiao Su, the Departnt Head and I haven't even said Happy New Year yet."
Jiang Linyuan chuckled, then shouted into the phone:
"Happy New Year, Departnt Head! Alright, alright, Departnt Head, it's your turn—quick, say Happy New Year."
Shen Wanyu was silent for a mont, but she didn't call out his lie. This guy was really dense.
"Happy New Year."
"Hehe, I'm hanging up. How disappointing. Classmate Jiang, see you tomorrow... no, I an today. I'm going to sleep."
Su Muzhi's voice ca through coldly, and then she hung up.
Then the WeChat call rang again. He looked—oh, it was Xiao Yilin. She'd already called once, and this was the second ti.
Man, so busy.
"You really are a busybody."
Shen Wanyu said that, hearing the WeChat ringtone from Jiang Linyuan's side, and added:
"Really busy, huh. Is it like this at school too, or is it the sa even on break?"
The Departnt Head was just looking out for , not being sarcastic.
"Good night."
Shen Wanyu didn't give Jiang Linyuan a chance to respond and hung up directly.
Jiang Linyuan then answered Lin Yilin's call:
"Happy New Year, Xiao Yilin."
On the other end of the line, Lin Yilin had originally wanted to ask why he took so long to answer, but hearing that one sentence, her heart suddenly settled.
"Senior, Happy New Year."
She replied softly.
...
Su Muzhi hung up the phone and lay in bed.
Happy New Year? I never thought I'd hear those words from her mouth again.
You're really interesting, Jiang Linyuan, trying to patch things up between and Shen Wanyu, huh?
Hehe, bold move—it almost pisses off.
Want to ddle in my past? Then you better be ready to trade your future for it.
When we et today, I'll take a little sothing back as compensation first.
...
Xiao Yilin was really a good woman.
After chatting with Lin Yilin, Jiang Linyuan felt deeply sentintal.
He hung up and noticed Yu Songsong and Jiang Zhiyao staring at him.
He hadn't deliberately tried to hide anything, so they'd both witnessed his actions.
There was nothing to hide anyway—just simple New Year's greetings between friends.
"What are you looking at for?"
Jiang Linyuan didn't seem bothered at all, eting their gazes openly.
Jiang Zhiyao glared at him, while Yu Songsong pouted.
"Aren't you going to say sothing?"
Jiang Zhiyao asked.
"Say what? Didn't you hear everything you needed to?"
Jiang Linyuan said.
What a clueless guy!
Jiang Zhiyao wanted to punch him in the chest, but then thought—if she broke him, she'd have to take care of him herself.
Huh?
Actually, that might work.
Yu Songsong felt a knot in her stomach hearing Jiang Linyuan's reply.
But then she thought again—if Senior was so open and aboveboard, didn't that an his relationships with those won were truly innocent?
At least what she saw was innocent.
Seeing their expressions, Jiang Linyuan yawned:
"Alright, I'm sleepy. Let's get so early rest."
With that, he ran into the house and went to sleep.
Jiang Zhiyao and Yu Songsong exchanged glances.
"With him like this, do you still like him?"
Jiang Zhiyao asked bluntly.
Yu Songsong shot Jiang Zhiyao a surprised look—she'd thought her sister-in-law was the naive type.
Didn't expect her to be so sharp.
She thought for a mont, then her eyes curved like crescent moons:
"I do."
"Why? He's practically stringing you along, playing with your feelings—he's a jerk!"
"Then I'm fine with that."
Yu Songsong said, as she'd already prepared herself for everything.
Senior had never abandoned —that was enough.
Jiang Zhiyao was silent for a mont, then could only let out a sigh.
"You're such a fool."
So am I.
---
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