The Spring Festival

After finishing dinner, everyone sat around the dining table and continued chatting. After a while, Father Chen and a few others pulled Ye Shuang and the rest to the entertainment room to play cards and mahjong. Naturally, playing cards and mahjong involved some small stakes.

It wasn't much, just a hundred yuan for fun. No one present was worth less than ten million, so a hundred yuan was truly just for entertainment.

Ye Shuang played mahjong with the elders, while Bai Yuyou and Chen Qin played cards elsewhere with Qiaoqiao and the others. However, judging from the increasing number of paper slips stuck to the young girl's face, Bai Yuyou's card skills had not improved at all.

Playing mahjong with the elders inevitably led the conversation to the topic of marriage. Because Ye Shuang was preoccupied with thoughts of An Shiyu, his answers seemed somewhat absent-minded.

He realized he didn't know how to handle the situation with An Shiyu.

Judging from the jewelry, he had been the one to proactively confess his feelings to An Shiyu. Moreover, if they really had gone all the way in the hotel, breaking up with her so abruptly would be an incredibly hurtful thing to do. It wouldn't be surprising if such behavior earned him the title of a scumbag.

Furthermore, that old man, Anshi Yilang, had also asked him when he was going to marry An Shiyu. This meant Anshi Yilang knew about his relationship with An Shiyu. From the fact that marriage was being discussed,

Ye Shuang's relationship with An Shiyu must have been very intimate. It wouldn't even be surprising if they were deeply in love; otherwise, why would there be a gaming console sitting at his workplace?

Thinking of this, Ye Shuang's headache worsened.

"Chen Hai, you take over." Ye Shuang was no longer in the mood to play cards, so he looked at Chen Hai nearby.

"I'm playing auto chess, do you understand the true value of a seven-bounty synergy?"

But the next second, Chen Hai suddenly cursed,

"Fuck, the opponent eliminated three players?!"

Finally, Chen Hai walked over looking unhappy and handed his phone to Ye Shuang. "Help me rank up to Platinum."

"Sure, you play cards for me."

Ye Shuang took Chen Hai's phone, feeling it was a bit hot to the touch. He glanced at the Apple logo on it and wasn't entirely surprised.

He chose to sit near Chen Qin and the others to play his game. By now, Chen Qin and Bai Yuyou had played several rounds. Bai Yuyou had the most paper slips on her face, followed by Qiaoqiao, while Chen Qin only had two.

"Uncle Ye, you play."

Qiaoqiao wanted to eat some snacks at that moment, so she handed her cards to Ye Shuang. "Win for me, my hand is super good."

Saying that, the little girl happily trotted away.

Ye Shuang took Qiaoqiao's hand of cards and glanced at Chen Hai's phone again. He really wished he could grow two extra hands.

"Hmm..." Ye Shuang looked at the cards Qiaoqiao had handed him.

Great hand.

A 3, 4, 5, and 6 but no 7; a 10, J, Q, and K but no A. It was as fragmented as it could possibly be, and she was the landlord to boot.

Unsurprisingly, Ye Shuang ended up with two paper slips stuck to his face.

"Again."

Chatting while playing cards made the time pass quickly, and in the blink of an eye, it was midnight.

The moment the bell struck, fireworks bloomed across the city.

In the courtyard of the Chen family estate, pre-prepared fireworks were also lit, flashing one after another in the sky above. The ink-blue night sky was no longer dim; it was bright and reassuring.

"Happy New Year!" Qiaoqiao's childish yet energetic voice rang out, and everyone present couldn't help but laugh.

"Happy New Year."

Perhaps for most people, the Spring Festival was the true New Year.

Ye Shuang couldn't help but look at the fireworks outside the window—

This year had passed rather quickly. In just one short year, Yuyou had grown so much.

What would happen in the new year?

Ye Shuang had no way of knowing.

And in the city beneath the fireworks, others also turned their eyes to the windows.

...

"Ahahahaha." Tang Keke was at home watching an ACG-themed Spring Festival Gala, holding a pillow and propping up her slime plushie, giggling from time to time. When she noticed the fireworks outside and the host's greetings, she picked up her phone and sent Happy Spring Festival text messages to Bai Yuyou, Ye Shuang, and the others.

Then she continued eating snacks and watching TV with great relish.

...

"Darlings, look at the beautiful clothes I prepared for you. They are all hand-sewn, super beautiful clothes." In another place, Fugui was wearing an exaggerated bright red dress. However, his makeup was much more normal; he wore red lipstick and lacked his usual deadly eyeshadow.

He was currently handing out clothes to the little girls in front of him.

"So pretty, thank you, Auntie Li." The girls, lined up in ascending height like signal bars, spoke sweetly, clearly loving the clothes Auntie Li gave them.

Although Auntie Li's own clothing style was quite exaggerated, the clothes he made personally were very normal, even looking much better than most display samples in stores.

"You're welcome, darlings. There will be more every year from now on. Come, here are big red envelopes." Fugui looked at the sisters in front of him, couldn't help but smile, and then handed one to Taozi beside him.

"Darling, come, this is yours. Clothes and a red envelope."

"Thank you, Mother." After taking them, Taozi looked at Fugui's face. Her nose tingled, and she clutched the clothes in her hands. "Thank you."

She rested her forehead against Auntie Li's chest.

"Oh my, why is my little darling crying? What a clingy child." Auntie Li reached out and gently hugged Taozi, smiling faintly.

"Work hard in the new year, and don't let the past hold you back anymore."

"Mhm!"

"Well then, in the new year, maybe I should find a boyfriend too," Auntie Li said, cupping his face.

"Eh?"

"Just kidding."

...

The Anshi household.

"Move over a bit, you're crushing my hair, hey."

"Wouldn't it be fine if you just kept your hair short?"

The two fishes were curled up on the sofa munching on potato chips, with the TV in front of them broadcasting the Spring Festival Gala. At that moment, An Shiyu spoke lazily,

"This is nice. I actually thought the two of us wouldn't live to see the New Year."

"Exactly... Hmm?" Anshi Yi seemed to remember something. "I remember last year you said that if we could live past eighteen, you'd buy me a sports car?"

"You remembered wrong." An Shiyu gave her a blank stare.

"Are you questioning my memory?" Anshi Yi kicked at her.

"Your memory is probably stuffed full of garbage, and you can't even clear the cache."

"Better than you, you meanie."

The two sharp-tongued girls bickered with each other. Conversely, Anshi Yilang, who was sitting at the nearby dining table drinking tea, looked at this scene with a face full of happiness.

Another year.

If only he could watch this for a few more years.

Thinking of this, Anshi Yilang couldn't help but think of Ye Shuang. "Hmm..."

At the very least, he had to see the birth of Little Fish, right?

He needed to hurry things along.