On Chinese New Year’s Eve, Sienna Thornton got up early, planning to spend the morning cleaning the house and hanging couplets. She intended to go to the fresh market at noon to buy so food for the evening’s hot pot. Unexpectedly, Quentin Thorne also arrived early, carrying two big red bags filled with various wild ats, precious herbs, and dried goods.
Seeing him appear, Sienna was a bit surprised. After closing the door, she asked, "It’s New Year’s Eve today, how do you have ti to co over?"
Saying that, she stepped forward to help Quentin carry things into the kitchen.
Quentin took off his coat and put on an apron, starting to handle the two big bags of food: "Mina and her mom went to the Grant family for the New Year, I’m alone and lonely, so I ca over to join the fun with you all."
"This..." Sienna looked at the fish jumping lively in Quentin’s hands, "So you plan to spend New Year here?"
"Just for these two days."
Quentin started scaling the fish, with a few silver scales flying onto his face and hair.
Sienna took a tissue to help him wipe them off and assisted in handling other ingredients.
While dealing with the fish, Quentin instructed, "Annie, wash that butchered duck first, I’ll chop it up to make soup later. This duck is ho-raised in the countryside, perfect for soup. Drink plenty tonight..."
"Got it!"
By the ti the two had prepared the ingredients for the evening’s hot pot, it was already noon.
Quentin used the boiled duck soup to quickly cook noodles, which Sienna ate before starting to clean the house. Quentin accompanied linda Linton to bask in the sun outside, returning in the evening.
The house was already clean by that ti, so Quentin set up the hot pot while Sienna helped bring out the prepared food to the table for the family gathering.
As the sun set, it gradually got colder outside. Being by the mountain, the wind was harsher than in the old city.
Sienna made sure all the windows and balcony doors were tightly shut, took a shower, and ca out to see the hot pot steaming. linda and Quentin were sitting in the living room, watching TV and chatting occasionally.
Outside, the wind howled, piercingly cold, while inside was as warm as spring. Red window decorations were festive, her parents were safe and healthy, and she was about to walk down the aisle with her beloved.
Sienna suddenly felt uneasy, fearing this was just a dream. When she woke up, she’d still be living alone in her old shabby apartnt, solitary.
She tried to move toward her parents but felt incredibly heavy, unable to move even an inch despite using all her strength.
Just as she was about to call out "Mom, Dad," a lodious chord rang out.
Quentin went to open the door, urging as he passed her, "Hurry up and dry your hair."
The door opened, and she turned to look.
Wearing a navy wool coat, Simon Forrester walked in, carrying several gift bags. He bent down at the entrance looking for his slippers, possibly not finding them, and shouted over, "Where are my slippers? Did you take them out to wash today?"
Quentin said, "Wait a mont, I’ll check the balcony." Saying that, he ca over from the entrance, urging her again as he passed, "Hurry up and dry your hair."
Sienna stood dazed at the entrance, watching Simon, who was hesitating to move for lack of slippers. He was looking down at his phone.
linda ca over, smiling as she asked, "Why’s Rex here? Aren’t you having New Year’s Eve dinner with your grandparents at ho?"
Simon looked up, smiling brightly, "Our family does lunch instead."
"That’s good, that’s good," linda was delighted, "have dinner with us here tonight."
Quentin brought over Simon’s slippers. Simon put them on, brought several gift bags to the storage room, and saw Sienna still standing dumbfounded in place. Her hair was wet, and she wore light ho-clothes.
He walked over and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, "Co on, let’s go to the room so I can dry your hair."
She could finally move when he held her, but her mind seed still in another realm, sowhat confused, montarily unable to discern if this was reality.
.
Once in the room, Simon locked the door, started undressing — taking off his coat, jeans, and sweater. He pulled out a pair of cotton pants and a V-neck long T from the wardrobe, ones he usually kept there, and put them on.
He tossed the jeans and sweater into the bathroom’s dirty clothes hamper, instructing, "These jeans might bleed a bit, so rember to wash them separately from light-colored ones..."
Sienna felt unable to speak, just watching him.
He kept moving in and out of the bathroom, washing his face, then his hands, finally erging with a hairdryer, seating her at the foot of the bed to dry her hair. While drying, he said, "I’ll be staying here tonight and tomorrow night, heading back to the old house the day after."
Noticing Sienna staying silent, he gently pinched her shoulder, tilting his head to look at her, "What’s the matter? You haven’t spoken since I ca in. Not happy to see ?"
Sienna wanted to say, "No," but her throat inexplicably choked up, no sound would co out.
Simon assud she was acknowledging, pinched her side, and said fiercely, "Doesn’t matter if you’re not happy, I’ve already co in. No going back now."
Sienna winced in pain, softly shouted, and slapped his hand, "Ow, that hurts, why pinch ?"
Simon gave her a sidelong glance, continued drying her hair, "Not happy I’m here?"
Sienna shook her head, still looking a bit lost, holding her neck as she coughed a few tis, ntioning what happened just now.
Hearing she was almost immobile and speechless earlier, Simon beca slightly worried, asking, "Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere else?"
Sienna twisted her neck, feeling around behind her ear, "These past few days this spot has been a little sore."
Simon brushed aside her hair, got closer to check her ear, using his phone’s flashlight, pressing around various places including her forehead and scalp. After a while, he asked, "Do you feel the skin in these areas tightening intermittently?"
Sienna nodded confidently, "Yes!"
"Probably lack of sleep. When I used to do design work and stayed up too much, I’d experience sothing similar. You couldn’t move standing in the living room, while I couldn’t move lying in bed, couldn’t make a sound but it’d pass after a while."
Feeling she t a kindred spirit, Sienna excitedly grabbed Simon’s arm, "Why does that happen? What’s the cause?"
"Too much stress, irregular schedule, often staying up late, insomnia, anxiety, and such," Simon explained, gesturing for her to lie down on his lap.
Sienna obediently lay down, resting her head on his thigh. He started massaging her scalp; after a while, it indeed relieved a lot.
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