Ye Zhenzhen, Give Me Your New Year's Greetings

Chapter 72

Ye Zhenzhen's room was filled with the faint scent of osmanthus. She was leaning against the headboard reading a book, the warm yellow light from the desk lamp casting a soft halo on the side of her face.

The door was pushed open gently, and Gu Ran poked his head in with a smile on his face.

"What are you doing here?" Ye Zhenzhen cast a sidelong glance at him, her tone carrying its usual aloofness, though her feet unconsciously shrank further into the blanket.

Gu Ran didn't stand on ceremony. He walked right in and sat on the edge of the bed. "Looking for a chat with you."

"Who wants to chat with you?" Ye Zhenzhen raised her foot and gently tapped his leg with her toes. "Go back to your own room."

Gu Ran took the opportunity to grab her ankle. It felt icy cold to the touch.

He frowned. "Why are your feet so cold?"

"None of your business." Ye Zhenzhen tried to pull her foot back, but he held on even tighter.

Ye Zhenzhen pursed her lips and stopped struggling.

It was true that her feet were prone to getting cold in the winter. After reading for a while just now, they had already frozen to the point of numbness.

The heat from Gu Ran's palm seeped through her skin, and a sense of warmth spread up her calf.

She turned her face away, the tips of her ears slightly red. "...Nosy."

Gu Ran laughed and gently rubbed her foot. "Still so stubborn."

The two fell quiet for a moment. The only sound in the room was the occasional turning of pages.

Gu Ran pulled a red envelope from his pocket and waved it in front of Ye Zhenzhen's eyes.

"Look, what's this?"

Ye Zhenzhen glanced at it and gave a soft hmph. "A red envelope. So what?"

"Prepared just for you." Gu Ran raised an eyebrow. "But, you have to wish me a Happy New Year first."

Ye Zhenzhen immediately turned her head, glaring at him with her cold, clear eyes. "You want me to wish you a Happy New Year?"

"Yeah. I'm the younger brother, and you're the older sister. It's totally reasonable for the older sister to give New Year's greetings to the younger brother." Gu Ran spoke with a straight face, but his eyes were brimming with amusement.

"In your dreams." Ye Zhenzhen lifted her other foot and gave him a light kick. "That's completely backwards."

Gu Ran didn't dodge; instead, he caught the foot she kicked at him.

Now both of her feet were in his hands. Ye Zhenzhen was entirely trapped on the bed, unable to move.

"Let go!" Her cheeks flushed red as she tried to struggle.

"No." Gu Ran held her feet, feeling their temperature gradually rising, which made him feel a bit more satisfied. "Not unless you be a good girl and wish me a Happy New Year."

Ye Zhenzhen stared at him for a few seconds before suddenly saying, "You wish me a Happy New Year first. I'm the older sister."

"Nope." Gu Ran shook his head. "I'm the one holding the red envelope."

The two were at a stalemate, yet the atmosphere was inexplicably relaxed.

Ye Zhenzhen looked at the red envelope in his hand, then at his smug expression, and suddenly felt the urge to tease him.

She exerted some force in her feet and gently stretched them forward—

Caught off guard, the top of her foot bumped right into Gu Ran's chin.

He froze for a second, then looked at her, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. "Ye Zhenzhen, did you just kick me in the face?"

"It was an accident." Ye Zhenzhen said that, but a hint of mischief flashed in her eyes. "Who told you not to let go?"

Gu Ran looked at her, suddenly let go, and lunged forward.

Startled, Ye Zhenzhen instinctively tried to dodge, but he pinned her shoulders down.

"What are you doing?" She widened her eyes.

"Getting revenge," Gu Ran said seriously, though his hands merely patted her shoulders lightly. "You dare to kick me in the face? You've got some nerve."

Looking at his face so close to hers, Ye Zhenzhen's heart inexplicably skipped a few beats.

She reached out and pushed him away. "Get off, you're so heavy."

Gu Ran sat back up smoothly and took out the red envelope to wave it around again. "Are you going to say it or not?"

Ye Zhenzhen hugged her knees and buried her face in her arms, her voice muffled. "...Happy New Year."

"Can't hear you." Gu Ran leaned in closer.

"Happy New Year, Gu Ran." She raised her voice slightly.

"Call me 'brother'." Gu Ran pushed his luck.

Ye Zhenzhen lifted her head, her cold eyes glaring at him. "In your dreams."

"Then I'm leaving." Gu Ran made a show of getting up. "And I'm taking the red envelope with me."

"Wait." Ye Zhenzhen reached out and grabbed the hem of his shirt. She bit her lip, her voice as quiet as a mosquito. "...Happy New Year, brother."

After saying it, she looked like she was about to burn up; her cheeks were flushed crimson, and even her neck had turned a shade of pink.

Gu Ran was stunned, not expecting her to actually say it.

Seeing Ye Zhenzhen's embarrassed and flustered appearance, his heart softened, and he handed the red envelope over. "Here you go."

Ye Zhenzhen took the red envelope and pinched it to feel its thickness, looking a bit surprised. "So much?"

"It's New Year's money, after all," Gu Ran said with a smile. "Remember from now on, you have to call me brother when you see me."

"Dream on." Ye Zhenzhen hugged the red envelope to her chest, but the corners of her lips curled up involuntarily. "Just this once, for today."

"Once is fine too." Gu Ran nodded in satisfaction, his gaze falling on the envelope in her arms. "Aren't you going to open it and take a look?"

Ye Zhenzhen hesitated for a moment before tearing open the red envelope.

Inside was a stack of crisp new banknotes, along with a neatly folded piece of paper.

She unfolded the paper. On it was Gu Ran's somewhat messy handwriting:

A checklist for Ye Zhenzhen's New Year's money:

1. Buy things you like (No being stingy)

2. Remember to wear thick socks in the winter (Tell me if your feet get cold)

3. Stop staying up late reading (It's bad for your eyes)

4. You can come to me when you're unhappy (Anytime)

5. We have to spend the New Year together next year too

Ye Zhenzhen stared at the note, remaining silent for a long time.

Under the light, her eyelashes cast shallow shadows on her cheeks.

"Gu Ran," she called out to him softly.

"Hmm?"

"Thank you."

Gu Ran scratched his head and awkwardly looked away. "What are you thanking me for? It's what I should do."

Ye Zhenzhen carefully folded the note back up, slipped it back into the red envelope, and then cherishedly placed it under her pillow. After doing this, she looked up at Gu Ran. "Where's yours?"

"What?"

"Your New Year's money." Ye Zhenzhen got out of bed and pulled a red envelope out from her desk drawer as well. "I prepared one for you too."

Gu Ran's eyes lit up. "Really?"

"Yeah." Ye Zhenzhen handed the red envelope to him, the blush on her face still not fully faded. "But... you have to wish me a Happy New Year first."

Gu Ran smiled, took the red envelope, and stood up straight and proper. "Happy New Year, sister."

"Can't hear you." Ye Zhenzhen mimicked how he had acted earlier.

"Happy New Year, older sister Ye Zhenzhen!" Gu Ran raised his voice, his eyes curving into smiling crescents.

Ye Zhenzhen nodded in satisfaction. "Good boy."

"Ye Zhenzhen, want to watch the fireworks?"

Ignoring the fully satisfied girl, Gu Ran walked over to the window and pulled open a corner of the curtain.

Ye Zhenzhen walked over hugging her pillow and stood shoulder to shoulder with him in front of the window.

In the night sky, fireworks bloomed one after another, their brilliant colors illuminating their faces.

"Another year," Gu Ran said softly.

"Mhm."

Ye Zhenzhen nodded. "Time goes by so fast."

"Next year..." Gu Ran paused, "we have to spend the New Year together too."

Ye Zhenzhen turned to look at him, the colors of the fireworks reflecting in her clear, cold eyes. "Of course."