Chapter 210

Xin was having a great time in the countryside, and Grandpa's complexion was rosy, probably from the lively atmosphere. Xia Fen thoughtfully didn't send any photos of her parents, only a picture of her and Grandpa, and the dishes on the table. His fingers flew across the screen, quickly replying to several messages. Since he didn't go home for the New Year... he'd call Grandpa later. After Xiang Guan Mu Feng also sent their New Year's greetings, Xia Yan's lips involuntarily curved into a slight smile. "What 'a long and happy marriage, and many children'..." He shook his head inwardly with a slight chuckle, then his expression changed instantly. Well said. He'd get a bonus when school starts. But after seeing the next message, his smile gradually disappeared. Liu Ruoyun also sent New Year's greetings, but surprisingly, it was just a New Year's greeting, without any other implications. He replied politely in return, and then nothing more. Lin Qingyu's messages, unlike Liu Ruoyun's, came in a continuous stream. Xia Yan replied to two but stopped checking. Meanwhile, Hua Xin, who had previously been alone and had no one to send New Year's greetings to, had gained quite a few more in just six months. Sister Li Xue and Brother Shan Qing sent photos of themselves holding Landmine, with a cute "Happy New Year" message photoshopped onto them. Hua Xin happily replied with "Happy New Year, and I hope your business continues to thrive," prompting the seemingly drunk Li Xue to ramble on about wanting to run a cat café with her for life. Xiang Guan and Mu Feng's replies were more polite, as they hadn't had much online communication after only meeting a few times in person. The girl mainly contacted Mu Feng, because Mu Feng would occasionally ask her to help him level up some accounts... But now... Hua Xin looked at the message Mu Feng sent, "Brother Hua, why did you delete the account you were leveling up?" with a guilty conscience, and could only lie and say that she didn't need that account anymore. Otherwise, if he accidentally found out after school started that Xia Yan and her leveled-up account were a couple... the girl could only wonder why Mu Feng send blessings to her leveled-up account as well. "Want some drinks?" Xia Yan smiled and handed Hua Xin a can of something, making her look up from her phone. Without thinking much, the girl took it. But after seeing the packaging, Hua Xin couldn't help but twitch her lips. No... Xia Yan was still trying to trick her with some kind of... thing! Did he really think she didn't know that this thing, like alcohol, is easy to drink too much of! A lone man and woman under the same roof, and they'd even been drinking... "Glug glug." Xia Yan clearly wasn't thinking anything of the sort; he was simply drinking because the other alcoholic beverages weren't good, while Qiang Shuang, though somewhat industrially mixed... had many flavors and was tastier. He downed a can right in front of Hua Xin, and the greasiness from the meat he'd eaten disappeared. "..." Okay, Hua Xin watched silently as Xia Yan downed the can in one gulp, no longer wary, and opened the can to take a sip. A faint grape flavor filled her mouth, clearly much better than plain water. Since Xia Yan was drinking too, she wasn't afraid of anyone when it came to drinking! Heh heh, the last time she acted drunk was because she drank too much at once; this time, as long as she drank slowly and gradually, she'd make sure Xia Yan vomited and passed out. Then... a rather daring idea suddenly rose in Hua Xin's mind. For example, taking pictures of Xia Yan drunk and then threatening him after he sobers up, saying, "Xia Yan, you didn't want to..." seems quite interesting. But Xia Yan is clearly the kind of person who can control himself and not drink too much. The girl felt a slight regret in her heart, what a pity. Otherwise, seeing Xia Yan's flustered and feigned calm face would have been quite interesting, just like when she pushed him yesterday. "There's still a lot left, what other flavors do you like to drink?" "Blueberry and strawberry?" Hua Xin remembered the feeling when she drank six cans in a row last time she took advantage of the deal, and these two flavors were the best she had ever tasted. "Here." "I'm going to call Grandpa, you can eat slowly first." Xia Yan had just gotten up and taken two steps when he suddenly turned back and said seriously, "Don't eat dumplings behind my back, wait for me to come back." "I know, I know..." Hua Xin waved her hand impatiently, looking disdainful of cheating. But after Xia Yan returned to his room, the girl suddenly ate two dumplings quickly, her cheeks puffed out like a hamster storing food, and then swallowed them after noticing the coin in her mouth. Clearly, both of them cared deeply about the outcome of this bet..."When are you bringing your girlfriend home?" "Uh, maybe in a while." "Hmm, Grandpa, have a good chat with Xia Fen today. She's taking the college entrance exam next year, don't always spoil her with her wild antics." "Everything's fine here, I have plenty to eat and wear, everything is great." Xia Yan stood on the balcony in his bedroom, a coat draped over his shoulders, looking up at the moon as he chatted softly with his grandfather. Time passed quickly. The stubborn old man, who had always been so healthy and didn't need anyone to worry about him, had somehow become less articulate, his mind working slowly, sometimes repeating himself many times. His white hair looked even whiter when he last visited. Xia Yan fell silent, unsure of what to say. "This year..." He hesitated slightly, then made up his mind. "I'll go back to see you after he leaves." Although his grandfather was old, he remembered very clearly what his son had done to his grandson. Even if he sometimes couldn't quite grasp things, he wouldn't say anything like asking Xia Yan to forgive his father, after all, they were all family. "Okay, you should get some rest." "Happy New Year, Brother Wai." "Get married to Sister Xin Hua soon, not only will Grandpa want to hold his great-grandchildren, but I also want to hold my nephew or niece." "Go for it!" Xia Fen's soft voice carried a hint of slyness, clearly trying to keep his parents from hearing. Before he could reply, the call ended after a busy tone. "I'll buy you two sets of 'Three Years of College Entrance Examination, Five Years of Simulation' sooner or later, let's see if you're still being cheeky..." Xia Yan looked at the phone that had suddenly been hung up, both amused and exasperated, and murmured to himself. After replying to a round of messages, he paused, staring at the person pinned to the top of his chat contacts. He'd waited so long, and it seemed she was the only one who hadn't messaged him yet. Whether she was too busy or waiting for him to message her... a smile flickered in Xia Yan's eyes. Without much formality or preamble, he made a direct WeChat call. They were already so familiar; no amount of polite words or blessings could compare to a personal voice on the phone... While Xia Yan was briefly on the phone, Hua Xin had already devoured two plates of vegetables, over twenty dumplings, and a bottle and a half of Qiang Shuang soda. Three plates of dumplings...