Chapter 4

New Year's Eve was approaching, but Jiang Huaiyang still hadn't been discharged from the hospital. Aunt Jiang told me that the recent checkup had found some abnormalities, so he needed further observation. I was startled, but Aunt Jiang reassured me, "It's nothing serious. Look at Huaiyang—he can eat and drink just fine. Don't worry, okay?" When I asked him on WeChat, he also said it was nothing, just that they needed to run some additional tests. He promised to tell me the results as soon as he got them. A day later, he messaged me, saying it was just some low test values, and he needed to get IV drips for a few days. Only then did I finally breathe a sigh of relief. I thought he'd be spending New Year's in the hospital, but unexpectedly, on New Year's Eve, Aunt Jiang and Uncle Jiang brought him over to my house. My mom came out of the kitchen, delighted to welcome them in. When I heard the commotion and stepped out of the living room, the first thing I saw was Jiang Huaiyang stretching his neck, peeking inside. Our eyes met, and he grinned widely. After greeting Aunt Jiang and Uncle Jiang, I pulled him into the living room to snack on sunflower seeds and watch TV. Xu Xinning and Xu Xinyi saw him and greeted politely, "Hello, Brother Huaiyang." "Hello, hello!" he waved at them enthusiastically. He looked a bit silly, and I couldn't help but laugh at him. Then I handed him a peeled orange I had just finished preparing. He ate them one by one, very gracefully. I found his eating style a bit unusual. "What is it?" he whispered, glancing at Xu Xinning and Xu Xinyi. "The drama I watched this morning had a male lead who was the gentle, handsome, and considerate neighbor brother." I gave him a weird look. "And what does that have to do with you?" "How does it not? After some careful analysis, I've realized the reason you don't have feelings for me is that we have no sense of privacy. You always know what I'm thinking with just one look… But! Even though Xinning is three years younger than me, there's a saying, right? 'A man three years older is like holding a gold brick!'" Oh, so he finally figured it out—he's moving on. I encouraged him, "Go for it! You got this!" After all, if he could come up with something like 'a man three years older is like holding a gold brick,' he must be serious. "Thanks for the encouragement! I'll do my best!" He spoke so confidently, but strangely, I didn't see him get close to Xu Xinning at all. Instead, he just kept stealing the peeled oranges from my hands. That, I could tolerate. But when he started taking the peanuts I had shelled, that was crossing the line. "You're going too far." "Come on, we're close! Oh wow! This woman is spitting out so much blood—won't she die?" He blinked innocently at the TV drama, genuinely curious. "How would I know?" A smart woman doesn't argue with a fool. This time, I focused on cracking sunflower seeds noisily, challenging him to steal some. Jiang Huaiyang rolled his eyes dramatically and finally started shelling peanuts for himself. He gathered a handful and stuffed them all into his mouth at once. I whispered to him, "Your image! Your gentle, handsome, and considerate image!" "Oh, oh, oh!" He quickly covered his mouth. I nodded approvingly and glanced at Xu Xinning, who was completely engrossed in her drama. Looks like Jiang Huaiyang won't be finding a girlfriend in my house anytime soon. I have to admit—I was quite pleased. Cheerfully, I peeled another orange for him. This year's New Year's Eve dinner was unexpectedly grand! Aunt Jiang had specially prepared some of her signature dishes, and Uncle Jiang brought his treasured liquor, ready to drink the night away with my dad. In our house, adults and kids sat at separate tables. Even though Jiang Huaiyang was already eighteen, in the adults' eyes, he was still a kid, so Aunt Jiang and my mom sent him over to sit with us. As soon as Xu Jingchen saw Jiang Huaiyang, he wouldn't stop talking. He had been chatting nonstop even before the meal started. I really couldn't understand where Xu Jingchen found so much to talk about with Jiang Huaiyang. Jiang Huaiyang, too—why couldn't he just chat for a while and be done with it? Instead, he kept going. Annoyed, I smacked his leg, and he looked at me innocently. "Eat." "Oh." He obediently picked up his chopsticks and took a bite of the fish in his bowl. Seeing him eat, I refocused on my own meal. Xu Jingchen warned him, "Brother, be careful of the fish bones. My dad bought a type of fish with a lot of tiny bones. Even Xinyi got pricked earlier." Jiang Huaiyang finished the entire piece of fish without spitting out a single bone. Xu Jingchen's eyes widened in disbelief. "That's so weird!" He refused to believe it and picked up a piece himself. After just one small bite, he started spitting out bones. He turned to Jiang Huaiyang and exclaimed, "Look! Look!" His loud reaction made me accidentally drop a piece of fish while picking out bones. I shot him a sharp glare, and he immediately quieted down. Jiang Huaiyang laughed beside me. Feeling wronged, I glared at him too. "Hurry up and eat before it gets cold." Xu Xinning, who had been sitting next to Xu Jingchen, knew what was going on. She tugged on Xu Jingchen's sleeve under the table and whispered in his ear, "Brother Huaiyang is only eating the fish that Sister Yue picked out for him." Then she covered her mouth and giggled. She had only ever seen this kind of scene in novels and dramas. "My sister is so biased! She's never picked fish bones for me!" Xu Jingchen complained, glaring at Jiang Huaiyang, who was happily enjoying his meal. Feeling indignant, he called out to me, "Sis, I want to eat fish too." "Then go ahead." "I want the ones with the bones picked out." I gave him a perfect fake smile and ignored him. Our table was lively as always. Someone must have provoked Xu Jingchen, as he looked as angry as a pufferfish. Xu Xinning and Xu Xinyi kept looking at me and giggling, making me feel awkward. When I turned to Jiang Huaiyang, I found that he was laughing too. I didn't get it. What's so funny about eating dinner? Are they all crazy? After the meal, Jiang Huaiyang wanted to take me out but wouldn't say where. When I kept asking, he just said, "Don't ask, I promise it's a great place!" Then he urged me to go upstairs and change. I put on a scarf, a hat, and stuffed two hand warmers into my pockets. As I came downstairs, I saw Xu Jingchen clinging to Jiang Huaiyang. "I want to go too!" But Xu Xinning, thinking she was being perceptive, pulled him back. "Why aren’t we taking Xu Jingchen with us?" "If we bring him, he'll be a third wheel." "Tsk, why does everything sound so ambiguous when you say it?" I nudged him lightly with my elbow. He clutched the spot dramatically, taking two steps back. "Such powerful martial arts!" Maybe it was the enchanting moonlight that night, but somehow, I played along. Raising my fist, I threatened, "Then surrender at once!" He clasped his hands together and bowed. "I surrender to your command!" I proudly placed my hand on his. "Then your punishment is to buy me milk tea!" He grabbed my hand and led me forward. "Just one cup? My little moon is so easy to please. What kind do you want?" "The most expensive one, of course!" He wailed, "What? I'm so poor! Anything over ten yuan is beyond my budget!" "Then I'll get just the right amount." "Just the right amount of what?" "Just the right amount—ten yuan!" "...Truly, the most ruthless of all is a woman’s heart!"