Chapter 211

Most of the dumplings were already gone. But judging from the girl's somewhat silent expression... she probably hadn't gotten the lucky dumpling with the coin. Could it be that her luck was down today? Hua Xin watched the Spring Festival Gala on the big TV with little interest while eating and drinking. She only needed to reply to a few messages; unlike Xia Yan, who was incredibly busy, she only needed to eat and drink here, secretly enjoying her dumplings. As for the rest, Xia Yan would probably be much busier, like washing dishes. "Buzz buzz buzz..." Her phone, which was on silent, could only attract her attention by vibrating constantly. Hua Xin Qiang Shuang down her phone and looked at the caller ID with a serious expression. Xia Yan... How could she forget that she wasn't Hua Xin now, but Gu Xin Hua! She had gotten a little carried away; how could she have forgotten to send Xia Yan New Year's greetings! He was probably calling to ask because she hadn't sent any, right? If she had messaged him earlier, he probably wouldn't have bothered her... Hua Xin knew Xia Yan's personality quite well. Glancing towards Xia Yan's bedroom and seeing he didn't seem inclined to come out, the girl immediately got up, grabbed her down jacket from the sofa, and rushed to the living room balcony, opening the sliding door. Although she didn't know why his house had so many balconies, it was clearly a good thing for her at this time. With the windows closed, although it wasn't as warm as the living room, it wasn't too cold either; the down jacket had done its job. Hua Xin cleared her throat, barely managing to imitate that particular voice, and clicked "accept" on her phone. "Hey Hua, how was the New Year? Did you adjust well to your relatives' house?" Xia Yan's familiar, slightly raspy voice came from the phone, making her involuntarily rub her forehead. If she hadn't been interacting with Xia Yan Xia Yan under two identities simultaneously, she probably wouldn't have witnessed these two different sides of him. "No..." The girl stumbled, causing her voice to sound slightly off, but she quickly corrected herself. "When you run out of things to say, just bite your lighter. What could be so uncomfortable about that?" "I was eating just now, and you called and made me come to the bathroom to answer the phone." Hua Xin's tone sounded helpless, but there was no hint of complaint in it, as if she were genuinely having a New Year's dinner at a relative's house. "That's good." "Um... I didn't call for anything else, just to say Happy New Year." "Then you could have just sent a text message, why did you call?" "It sounds more formal on the phone, because we're good friends." Xia Yan's sincere answer without hesitation killed the game... Hua Xin paused slightly, her small hands gripping the hem of her down jacket, but she still pretended to be nonchalant and said, "So cheesy..." She paused slightly, then said softly, "Happy New Year to you too." "Then... see you when school starts?" "Yeah, see you when school starts." The two seemed to have a thousand words to say, but at the same time, all those words were contained in that one Happy New Year. They could both feel each other's emotions. Xia Yan was genuinely happy that Hua Xin was able to spend the New Year at her "relatives'" house. It meant his help and efforts hadn't been in vain. Xia Yan sighed slightly, then turned and walked out from the bedroom balcony, hanging his clothes on a hanger before tiptoeing back to the living room. He saw Hua Xin still sitting at the dining table, her face flushed. He didn't know if it was from the alcohol or from the exhaustion of running back and forth. "You didn't sneak any food, did you?" Xia Yan asked casually, but the first thing he did upon returning to the table was to eat a dumpling. Hmm... still no food. "Hehe, I'm not that kind of person," Hua Xin said, giving Xia Yan a slightly dazed look, then took a sip of her drink after eating the beef. Her head was spinning... After running back and forth twice and sitting back down, a strong wave of dizziness washed over her. But... the girl looked at Xia Yan in front of her. He had downed another can of Qiang Shuang, but judging from his expression, he seemed unaffected. He couldn't lose! Twenty minutes later. The annual countdown to midnight had begun on TV, along with the song "Unforgettable Tonight." Xia Yan glanced at the girl, who was now mechanically eating and drinking, and for a moment didn't know what to say. Uh... could it be that Xin Hua wanted to challenge him to a drinking contest? Although he felt dizzy, it wasn't that intense, and he was still a long way from being able to eat anything. The girl's situation, however, seemed less optimistic. A faint pink tinge graced her face, and her hazy eyes, coupled with a few strands of hair sticking to her lips, gave her a unique, different kind of allure... "Stop drinking, it's almost midnight," Xia Yan gently reminded her, reaching out to take away a small drink to stop her from drinking any more. "You think I can't outdrink you?!" "I'll kill you!" The girl slapped Xia Yan's hand away, staring at him with a mocking, Red Temperature expression. "I give up, let's count down to the New Year." Xia Yan lowered his head sincerely, appearing to submit to the girl's powerful drinking capacity. "Good that you gave up." "And what countdown?" Hua Xin looked at the seven Xia Yan in front of her with some confusion. Xia Yan got up and sat down next to the girl, not paying any attention to her swaying body, but gently letting her lean on Xia Yan shoulder. The girl, seemingly drunk, wasn't as wary or concerned as usual, and obediently didn't move. "Look at the TV." "The TV... which one of these seven?" At this moment, the aftereffects of chugging a can of Qiang Shuang were starting to take effect; this industrial alcohol was easier to make people drunk and confused than brewed beer. "Then close your eyes and listen to the sounds." He said gently. "5," "4," "3," "2," "1," "Happy New Year!" "Happy New Year..." Hua Xin unconsciously snuggled against Xia Yan's shoulder, softly repeating the sounds from the television. Her eyes were closed at some point, her slightly trembling eyelashes looking quite beautiful. Although Xia Yan's clothes had a high and fitted neckline, they were still quite large for a girl with a smaller frame. At this moment, Xia Yan turned his head slightly, just about to support the girl, when a casual glance revealed something he shouldn't have seen: the Southern and Northern Hemispheres through the neckline of his black short-sleeved shirt. So white. This thought flashed through his mind. Although Xia Yan wanted to look away, his younger Xia Yan seemed to object. [Gentleman's Will lv.99, activated!] Somewhat restless, Xia Yan forced himself to look away, then picked up the chopsticks that should have belonged to the girl, picked up a dumpling from the plate, and put it in his mouth. "Crunch." He seemed to have bitten into something very hard. A shiny, reflective five-cent coin appeared in his hand. "I won..." His hazy consciousness made it hard for him to open his eyes. Today...