I'll Be Your Girlfriend Next Year

Sneaking back to his room, Shen Nian quickly went downstairs to wash the rice and cook.

Sigh.

He was rejected after confessing his love today, so he was unhappy. Shen Nian had read some posts about curing heartbreak, which said that eating three pounds of braised pork ribs, a plate of steamed oysters with vermicelli, and roast goose, followed by some fruit at night, could cure it with immediate results.

Shen Nian didn't know if it was true, but he could only buy some to try.

There was roast goose in town too. Roast goose legs were thirty-five yuan each. Shen Nian bought three, crispy and dripping with oil, hoping the roast goose legs could heal his weather-beaten heart after being rejected.

Braised pork ribs were the easiest to make. Shen Nian followed a tutorial and whipped them up quickly. However, the steamed oysters with vermicelli took a bit of time, so Shen Shi and Chen Minyue had to wait about ten minutes after coming home before they could eat.

Oh my god, what a miracle cure.

Taking a bite of the roast goose leg, Shen Nian's devastated heart immediately felt better. Do you have any idea how that works?

At night.

Shen Nian was still on the phone with his older sister, asking her what time she would be back tomorrow and what she wanted to eat, so he could prepare early. Some ingredients would be sold out if he went to the market too late.

The bus ride took time, so Shen Yue wouldn't be back until the afternoon at the earliest.

"I want to eat a whole roasted sheep."

Shen Nian: "..."

Haha, his sister's sense of humor was still going strong.

"No?"

"Where am I supposed to get a whole sheep for you? Can you be serious, or else I'll just treat you to Fuling mustard tubers with rice when you get back." Shen Nian couldn't hold it in; it turned out she was being serious.

"Fine, then you just cook whatever, as long as it's delicious. Also, I want to drink Pupu Miemei milk tea."

"Can't you grab two cups in the city and bring them back? Get one for me while you're at it, thanks."

"That requires me to make an extra trip and wait longer. I'm lazy."

"You might as well die of laziness. Just come back first, otherwise you'll be eating plain steamed buns with Lao Gan Ma tomorrow."

Shen Nian hung up the phone after saying that. Lao Jie was really something.

Fun fact: The reason Shen Yue didn't win the national laziness competition was that she was too lazy to sign up.

There was no more sound downstairs.

It was getting late. Shen Nian gathered his wits and switched accounts; right now, he was a melancholic handsome boy who had just been rejected after confessing his love.

He started getting into that melancholic mood for the day.

Naturally climbing out the window, naturally sliding the window open, and naturally slipping into the covers right in front of Xia Yanchun, Shen Nian didn't say a word.

Xia Yanchun, who was still looking in the mirror, looked bewildered.

Who provoked him this time?

Quickly finishing up, Xia Yanchun also scrambled onto the bed. She reached out and turned off the light, plunging the room into darkness.

"Humph, the pig is here." Xia Yanchun nudged Shen Nian's arm, her small head slowly poking out from under the blanket to rest on his arm.

Two question marks popped up over Shen Nian's head. "Are you admitting you're a pig?"

"I'm talking about you!"

"Tsk." Shen Nian curled his lips. "May I ask if you are Ms. Xia Yanchun, who rejected my confession but still wants to hear it again?"

"Hey, today isn't over yet, no messing around."

"Damn, why didn't you say so earlier."

Shen Nian scratched his head. My bad, I didn't pay attention to the time. I thought I could mess around a bit and get a proactive kiss from Chunbao.

He quickly switched his account back. Haji Nian was online.

"Sleep, sleep, I'm already sleepy." Xia Yanchun hugged Shen Nian comfortably.

Her small face pressed against Shen Nian's arm, squishing into a cute curve, as soft as cotton.

His Adam's apple bobbed unnaturally as Shen Nian's wicked thoughts surged up uncontrollably. A three-day pause in their mutual affection couldn't be satisfied by just one afternoon of cuddling.

"Are you sleepy, Chunbao?"

Feeling the little person in his arms nod her head and yawn, Shen Nian suppressed his wicked thoughts.

A deep-rooted sense of decency suppressed his lust.

"Go to sleep."

"Mhm..."

...

The next day, the warm sun filtered through the curtains, casting a warm hue over the room.

Feeling the soft and delicate girl in his arms squirming around, Shen Nian slowly woke up. Having already returned from a morning run, taken a shower, and gone back to sleep, he didn't have any grumpy morning mood from being woken up. He just cast a suspicious, sidelong glance at Xia Yanchun.

"Wu..."

Xia Yanchun poked her head out of Shen Nian's embrace, still having sleep in the corners of her eyes. The newly awoken girl subconsciously stretched her body.

"And you say you're not a pig."

"Hmm...?"

Xia Yanchun paused, sat up, and pulled a tissue to wipe the sleep from her eyes. After her vision cleared, she softly threw herself across Shen Nian's body.

"You went to work out again?"

"Yeah, did you think I was like you?"

"What do you mean? Try calling me names again."

"Pig, I'm talking about you."

Xia Yanchun secretly vented a bit of her morning crankiness by giving Shen Nian a pinch on the waist.

It was hard to exert any strength right after waking up; even as a massage, the force was a bit lacking.

"I hate you. I was going to agree to be your girlfriend today, but since you insulted me first thing in the morning, I've decided to keep you hanging for another day."

"Then I'm going to cause a scene!"

"No messing around!" Xia Yanchun hummed. Not having brushed her teeth yet, she didn't dare kiss Shen Nian directly on the lips.

Thinking quickly, she pinched Shen Nian's lips together with two fingers to keep him from speaking.

Shen Nian effortlessly grabbed the girl's hand and held it in his palm. Propping himself up to sit, he asked in an exasperated tone, "Are you ready to get up yet?"

"I'm up, I'm up. Wait for me to brush my teeth, and no messing around, okay?"

"Alright, alright, I won't mess around before you wash up."

Xia Yanchun slipped into her slippers and padded over to the sink to brush her teeth.

There was a large mirror above the sink. Xia Yanchun looked at her messy hair and loose collar. Catching a glimpse out of the corner of her eye of Shen Nian walking over, she quickly pulled her collar tight, took a mouthful of water, swished it around, and spat it out.

Shen Nian stood right behind Xia Yanchun, comparing their heights. He was a head taller than her. His last physical exam recorded him at 1.82 meters, and he didn't know if he would grow any taller.

He pinched Xia Yanchun's small face and chuckled, "You're so short."

"In eighth grade, you weren't even as tall as me. You had to jump to hit my knees."

"I just hit puberty a bit late, that's all."

"Big deal."

"You're so short."

"..."

Xia Yanchun was so mad. She slapped his hand away and took a towel soaked in hot water to wash her face.

She still had to use facial cleanser, hydrating cream, face oil... Shen Nian thought it was incredibly tedious, but it kept her skin in great condition. Xia Yanchun's face was fair and clear now, looking awfully cute.

He was liking her more and more.

"Be my girlfriend, or I'm going to start causing a scene."

Twirling her hair, Xia Yanchun quietly turned around and looked up slightly to meet Shen Nian's eyes. Whether it was the warmth from the hot water or an inner shyness acting up, a faint pink hue colored her small face.

"Do you want me to be your girlfriend that badly?"

Xia Yanchun stood on her tiptoes and then dropped back down. Her face was slightly turned away, but her eyes were fixed on Shen Nian's face.

"I do," Shen Nian said with absolute certainty.

"You really, really want it?"

"I do. How about I confess to you again?"

"Humph, no need." After Xia Yanchun spoke, she wagged her finger and poked Shen Nian's chest. "Since you insulted me right after waking up today, I've decided to keep you hanging for the rest of the year."

"Is that so? Then I won't confess to you for the rest of this year, and you can just be my girlfriend next year."

People like Xia Yanchun were the shrewdest, actually wanting to keep Shen Nian hanging for three days.