Pampered by Short-Lived Bigshot

Chapter 316: 213 New Year’s Eve, sprinkle the sugary sweetness (2 updates)

New Year’s Eve, the family sat leisurely, the lights warm and inviting.

The crowd gathered around the table, drinking and chatting merrily, so very lively. But as soon as the New Year’s meal ended, the grandmother had already had someone bring out the mahjong table, along with Tang Lao, Fan Mingyu, and Tang Yunxia to play cards and watch the Spring Festival TV gala, while Jiang Zhenhuan waited on them, pouring tea and water.

“Uncle, let me do it.” Tang Wan tried to take the teapot from Jiang Zhenhuan’s hand.

“You and Xiaowu are supposed to go out and have fun, right? Hurry up and change your clothes to go out. There are lantern festivals by the river tonight, and fireworks in the suburbs, it’s quite festive. But make sure to dress warmly; don’t catch a cold,” the grandmother said with a smile. These old folks were still accustomed to watching the Spring Festival gala, “Pouring tea and water can be left to your uncle.”

Jiang Zhenhuan’s smile was bitter. This adult world…

There are always some indescribable helplessness!

His grandmother banned him from playing because she found his card-playing skills abysmal.

This Spring Festival gala seemed to be the same every year, everyone criticising it, yet still sitting glued to the TV until the very end.noveldrama

If it were any other year, Jiang Jinsang wouldn’t go out on New Year’s Eve, but Jiang Yanting had made plans with Shen Zhixian to take the children to see the lanterns. Upon hearing this, the grandmother suggested he take Tang Wan along for the fun.

Since they were all heading out, they might as well invite more people. After calling Jiang Chengsi, who was buried under his blankets trying to overcome jet lag, he hung up before Jiang Jinsang could finish speaking. The man from Hexi hated joining in on crowded occasions even more.

But when Qi Zeyan, who had been lying on the couch in his pajamas in a “Ge You slouch,” munching on dried fruit and watching the gala with the elders, heard about it…

He literally “sprang out of sickness,” leaping off the couch.

“Yeah, where are we meeting?… Okay, wait for me; I’ll leave right away!” After hanging up, he turned to his family. “Xiaowu invited me out.”

“Xiaowu? What are you two doing out on New Year’s Eve?”

“Looking at lanterns.”

“Two men, looking at lanterns for what?”

“There are others. Girls, too!” After Qi Zeyan finished speaking, Old Master Qi waved his hand emphatically, “Then what are you waiting for? Hurry up and change, get out, and don’t make the girl wait!”

Qi Zeyan’s so-called immediate departure took him over twenty minutes.

“Good grief, going out to see some lanterns, and you even have to do your hair?” the old man disdainfully noted.

Who says only girls do their hair before going out? Qi Zeyan did too…

And it had to be a slicked-back style, looking sharp.

Once he heard he could go out, he seemed to become ten years younger.

**

On the Jiang family’s side, Tang Wan and Jiang Jinsang had also left, along with Jiang Yanting and his son, making four people and one car. When they arrived at the agreed point, aside from Shen Zhixian and Taotao, the Xie siblings were also there.

“You’re here too?” Jiang Yanting looked at Xie Duo with contempt.

“Do you think I wanted to come out? Grandfather was worried about them going out alone. Although it’s lively on New Year’s, it’s actually quite chaotic. It’s not safe for the two of them,” he would not have wanted to leave the house if it weren’t for his grandfather’s strong insistence.

Old Master Xie very much hoped that Shen Zhixian would marry into the Jiang family. Knowing that Jiang Yanting had invited her, had he not been afflicted with poor leg health, he would have personally escorted Shen Zhixian over, watching the two closely so they might end up getting a marriage certificate on the spot, tying the knot, consummating…

“Is everyone here then? I’m going to go buy the tickets,” said Xie Duo, eyeing up the group.

Though it was a lantern festival, it was not free.

“There’s one more person,” Jiang Jinsang glanced at his watch. The Qi family lived even closer, so why was he taking so long?

After waiting in the cold wind for about five or six minutes, they saw a rather showy white sports car park not far away. Qi Zeyan was tidily dressed in a collared shirt underneath a sweater vest, topped off with a knee-length black down coat.

Slicked-back hair, shiny leather shoes reflecting light, all flashy and attention-grabbing.

“Everyone’s here, right? Haven’t been waiting long, I hope.” Qi Zeyan said with a smile.

Xie Duo glanced at the time, “Then I’ll go buy the tickets.”

Xie Tongtong, upon seeing Qi Zeyan and though she had harbored thoughts about him before, since he would rather have a fake girlfriend than give her a chance, she wasn’t the type to cling desperately. Seeing him now, she still greeted him in a straightforward manner.

**

The lanterns were splendid, reflected in the river, presenting a different kind of grand spectacle.

Once inside, the group initially stuck together, but as they moved further in and the crowds increased, they gradually dispersed.

Jiang Yanting and Shen Zhixian, each with a child, needed some space for themselves, so everyone naturally kept their distance. The Xie siblings stuck together…

And then Jiang Jinsang was a little frustrated, turning to the person next to him, “Qi Zeyan, why are you always following us?”

Qi Zeyan shrugged, “Do you think I want to? Should I go meddle with Jiang Yanting? His glare could hack me to pieces. The Xie family is even worse, Xie Tongtong is into me. I just rejected her, and if I get too close again, the poor girl could fall for me once more, and I don’t love her; wouldn’t that be a sin?”