New Year's Eve Dinner

Night fell.

The Chen family estate was exceptionally lively tonight. Not only was the entire manor decorated with lanterns, but even the lake outside was rigged with light strips and similar decorations, giving off a particularly festive atmosphere. Of course, all of this had been prepared by the butler well in advance. After all, such a massive project couldn't be completed in just a day or two.

"Crack, crack, crack." Ye Shuang sat in the living room cracking melon seeds, then asked the young girl beside him to hold out her hand so he could place the melon seed kernels into her soft, white palm.

Bai Yuyou didn't know how to crack red melon seeds, so Ye Shuang peeled a few for her to taste. Naturally, these things barely had any flavor; they were eaten purely because they looked festive and red.

It was just like "fat choy" back in the day, a vegetable whose name sounded like "getting rich," which nearly led to it being eaten to extinction.

"It has no taste," Bai Yuyou said as she ate the melon seed kernels.

"Right?" Ye Shuang smiled faintly.

Just then, Chen Qin's voice came from across the living room, "Ye, turn on the TV and put on the Spring Festival Gala."

"Sure." Hearing this, Ye Shuang picked up the remote and turned on the television.

The gala happened to be broadcasting a dance performance, so Ye Shuang and Bai Yuyou started watching it. For them, things like the Spring Festival Gala usually served as background noise. They wouldn't actively watch it; at most, they would just listen to the sound to build up some festive atmosphere.

After all, the dances were still watchable. As for the skits and cross-talks, those belonged to the cringe-inducing category. It was all forced laughter, forced family reunions, and forced profound messages. They aimed for both depth and comedy but achieved neither, so most of the time, when those segments came on, people would just change the channel to watch a regional Spring Festival Gala.

"Hey, Happy New Year, Happy New Year."

"Uncle."

Many people came to the Chen family tonight. Most of them were Chen Qin's relatives, and there were even some familiar faces. Some were high-level executives in the corporation, and others were people Ye Shuang had met when he previously visited as a guest.

Upon seeing Ye Shuang, some people even spoke up to greet him.

"Shuangzai, brew some tea for the guests." Over in the kitchen, Father Chen called out. This wasn't him ordering Ye Shuang around; it was purely because he treated Ye Shuang as one of his own. After all, the visiting relatives fell into the category of "guests," whereas Ye Shuang was considered family.

Hearing this, those relatives couldn't help but look at Ye Shuang, as if they understood something.

Actually, without Father Chen having to say it, Ye Shuang was already holding a teapot and brewing tea for the visiting Chen relatives. There were no butlers or maids in the manor today, as they also needed to go home for the New Year. So, after finishing the Spring Festival decorations, Father Chen had given everyone time off.

"Little brother Ye is young and promising. When are you marrying Ah Qin?" The one asking was Chen Qin's uncle, teasing as he sipped his tea.

"You guys aren't young anymore, and the old man at home is waiting to hold a baby."

Ye Shuang smiled faintly but didn't say anything. Instead, he took a sip of tea and smoothly shifted the topic elsewhere.

After a while, all the dishes were served—twenty-six dishes in total. Most of them were delivered from a hotel, while the soups and similar items were personally cooked by Father Chen and Mother Chen.

Just as Ye Shuang was counting the number of people, headlights lit up at the nearby gate. He took a look and saw a familiar person step out after the car parked. It was a middle-aged woman wearing a coat, and the jewelry she wore was relatively low-key.

Aunt Xian.

"Aunt Xian is here too." Ye Shuang walked out the door to greet her briefly. "Aunt Xian."

"Shuangzai." Aunt Xian smiled faintly upon seeing Ye Shuang, then noticed Bai Yuyou not far behind him. "Daughter, did you miss Mommy?"

Hearing this, Bai Yuyou spoke, "I don't think so."

Wasn't she being a bit too honest?

Aunt Xian pouted, looking somewhat hurt, but her upturned mouth indicated she was actually in a very good mood. Moreover, she could now communicate normally with Bai Yuyou; the rest simply needed to be left to time.

"Come, Aunt Xian, sit here and chat with Yuyou." Ye Shuang arranged for Aunt Xian to sit down first, then got up to brew her some tea.

Seeing Ye Shuang bustling about, Aunt Xian said, "Oh my, I can do it myself. With so many people here, you don't need to help me."

At this time, Chen Qin, who came out carrying a dish, also glanced over at Chen Hai. "Chen Hai, can you come over and help out too? All you know how to do is eat."

"Uh..." Chen Hai was playing a mobile game with his daughter. Hearing Chen Qin calling him, he responded, "After I finish this round."

"Honestly."

After another ten minutes or so, they finally sat down to eat.

"Come, come, Happy New Year, may everything go smoothly." Father Chen raised his glass, and the others also raised their glasses, echoing Happy New Year. Although it wasn't twelve o'clock yet, it didn't matter.

"I was just asking Ah Qin when she's getting married," a relative suddenly said with a smile at the dinner table.

"Shuangzai is great. He's tall, handsome, and capable. He's a perfect match for Ah Qin."

Father Chen was naturally very happy to hear this. His gaze then fell on Ye Shuang and Chen Qin, and he asked, "You two should hold your wedding after the New Year. It happens to be the Year of the Dragon—if you time it right, you can have a Dragon baby."

Hearing this, Ye Shuang exchanged a glance with Chen Qin beside him.

"It depends on Ye. After all, the company has been quite busy lately," Chen Qin said. She didn't want to put Ye Shuang in a difficult position, so she let him arrange the time himself. Given their current situation, Chen Qin was already very satisfied.

Since she was satisfied, she shouldn't be too greedy, lest the more she wanted, the less she would get.

"I'm also looking at dates for this matter," Ye Shuang said. Since Father Chen had asked, as a junior, he had to answer the question properly.

"We already found a master to calculate your birth dates and pick a good day," Father Chen said cheerfully, then stated a date. "If you guys think it's okay, I'll go book the hotel."

"Let the young people handle it themselves," Mother Chen chimed in.

Father Chen, however, felt that settling this matter sooner would bring more peace of mind. Hearing Mother Chen's remark, he instead suggested, "How about you guys just get your marriage certificate first?"

"Ah, get the certificate first?" Hearing this, Chen Qin's face instantly turned red.

Ye Shuang smiled and nodded in agreement.

However, at this moment, he was thinking about An Shiyu. He couldn't help but ponder for a few seconds. If he married Chen Qin... what would happen to An Shiyu and the others? Break up?

Ye Shuang got a headache. Why did he confess his feelings to An Shiyu in the first place?

His slightly conflicted appearance fell into Father Chen's eyes. Father Chen glanced at Bai Yuyou, whose cheeks were bulging with food beside Ye Shuang, and then said, "Make your own arrangements. Actually, many troubles are just trivial matters."

Ye Shuang heard this.

What did Uncle Chen mean by this? Did he know about An Shiyu?

Ye Shuang's expression began to look guilty.