When Shi Xing looked up, she realized it was Auntie Li’s daughter from next door—her childhood friend, Li Jiafang.

 

Li Jiafang walked straight in. The moment she saw Shi Xing, her eyes lit up and her voice rose sharply.

 

“Shi Xing! You’re back?”

 

Shi Xing nodded.

 

After briefly greeting Wei Shufen, Li Jiafang sat down directly beside Shi Xing and immediately started chatting with her.

 

“When did you get back?”

 

“I heard from my mom that you have a boyfriend now?”

 

“Did he come back with you this time?”

 

After firing off a string of questions, she even craned her neck to look around, clearly trying to find Shi Xing’s boyfriend.

 

A hint of irritation flashed across Shi Xing’s delicate brows. Though she was unhappy, she didn’t show it. She replied coolly,

 

“He had something to take care of, so—”

 

Before she could finish, Li Jiafang cut her off. Wearing a knowing expression, she suddenly leaned in and whispered,

 

“You didn’t lie to your mom, did you?”

 

“Huh?” Shi Xing looked at her in confusion.

 

Before she could explain, Li Jiafang seemed to have already confirmed her own guess. She nodded confidently and said,

 

“Don’t worry. I definitely won’t expose you.”

 

When Wei Shufen came out of the kitchen and saw the two chatting, she smiled and teased,

 

“Jiafang, did you just get back yesterday?”

 

Shi Xing grabbed a handful of sunflower seeds from the table and began cracking them slowly, quietly listening to their conversation.

 

Sure enough, Li Jiafang started talking nonstop the next second.

 

“Yeah, I came back yesterday.

 

I heard your mom say you and your boyfriend made quite a lot of money this year?”

 

“It’s just so-so. The economy hasn’t been very good lately. We’re barely getting by.”

 

Although she said that, she couldn’t help subtly showing off the luxury brands she was wearing.

 

Wei Shufen failed to notice the hidden sense of superiority in her words and hurriedly praised her instead.

 

“You’re being too modest. If someone as capable as you still says you’re barely getting by, then what about our Shi Xing, who works for other people?”

 

Shi Xing looked completely used to it. After all, ever since she was young, Wei Shufen’s specialty had always been putting her down while praising other people’s children. She had long grown accustomed to it.

 

Li Jiafang clearly enjoyed the compliment. She waved her hand modestly and said,

 

“Oh, no. It’s mainly because my husband is capable.”

 

As soon as she finished speaking, Wei Shufen casually added,

 

“Isn’t your mom back in her hometown? Why don’t you come over and eat with us tonight?”

 

Li Jiafang declined politely a few times, but eventually still “reluctantly” accepted the invitation.

 

After she left, Shi Xing let out a quiet sigh, secretly feeling that this New Year’s Eve dinner was destined not to be peaceful.

 

---

 

That entire morning, Shi Xing accompanied Wei Shufen in cleaning every corner of the house, big and small.

 

It wasn’t until the afternoon that Shi Bohua finally got out of bed. When he saw them, he stretched lazily, yawned, and said drowsily,

 

“Why are you two so hardworking today?”

 

Not long after he said that, Wei Shufen scolded him nonstop for several hours.

 

Shi Xing shook her head. Scenes like this used to play out every single day when she still lived at home.

 

After returning to her room and taking a hot shower, she lay comfortably on her bed. At that moment, she received a message from Ji Yu.

 

[Are you up yet?]

 

Shi Xing smiled faintly and replied,

 

[Of course. I got up early—and even cleaned the house.]

 

At the same time, she briefly told him about what had happened in the morning.

 

After listening, Ji Yu shared his thoughts.

 

[So how did you answer her?]

 

[Just smiled politely. I want to see what else she’ll say tonight.]

 

Not long after she sent that message, Li Jiafang’s voice sounded again from outside.

 

Shi Xing quickly ran to the door and peeked out, only to meet Li Jiafang’s gaze head-on.

 

Li Jiafang called out to her,

 

“Shi Xing, come out for a bit.”

 

Her tone was so natural, as if this were her own home.

 

Shi Xing walked out of her room unhurriedly and ran into Li Jiafang’s boyfriend—Xiao Wang.

 

She gave him a quick once-over.

 

He was only half a head taller than her, overweight, with dark, rough skin and acne scars all over his face. No matter how she looked at him, he was nothing like the rich, handsome man Li Jiafang had described.

 

It was probably Wei Shufen’s first time seeing him as well. She froze for a moment, and the atmosphere instantly grew awkward.

 

Noticing the expressions on their faces, Li Jiafang’s smile stiffened slightly. She explained,

 

“He’s been under a lot of pressure these past few years, so he hasn’t really been managing his figure.”

 

Shi Xing nodded.

 

Thankfully, Wei Shufen quickly tried to smooth things over.

 

“Have a seat. Dinner will be ready soon.”

 

Li Jiafang didn’t hesitate and sat down immediately.

 

When Shi Bohua came back from buying alcohol, he realized that his usual seat had already been taken.

 

Although he didn’t say anything out loud, he coughed heavily a few times.

 

Unfortunately, the couple didn’t take the hint.

 

Li Jiafang simply smiled and greeted him, while Xiao Wang never lifted his head at all, playing on his phone the entire time.

 

Shi Bohua responded flatly and went straight back into the bedroom.

 

Seeing this from the kitchen, Wei Shufen joked quietly to Shi Xing,

 

“Are you enjoying seeing your dad get snubbed?”

 

Shi Xing smiled slightly.

 

It wasn’t until night fell that the two of them finally finished preparing dinner.

 

Throughout the whole process, Li Jiafang only came into the kitchen to take a few glances, while her so-called boyfriend even put his feet up on the living room table. Snack crumbs were scattered all over the floor.

 

When Shi Xing and Wei Shufen came out and saw the mess, both of them froze.

 

They had spent an entire morning cleaning, only for everything to be ruined in no time.

 

For once, Wei Shufen’s face darkened, but she still called out politely,

 

“Dinner’s ready.”

 

After everyone took their seats, Shi Bohua also came out of the bedroom and sat beside Shi Xing.

 

Out of courtesy, he poured Xiao Wang a drink.

 

To his surprise, Xiao Wang waved his hand and refused directly.

 

“I don’t drink baijiu.”

 

The already quiet dinner table became even more awkward after that sentence.

 

Li Jiafang quickly added,

 

“Our Xiao Wang usually only drinks red wine.”

 

At those words, Shi Bohua curled his lips disdainfully and said mockingly,

 

“All that fancy foreign stuff. Anyone who didn’t know better would think you were imported too.”

 

Shi Xing finally couldn’t hold it in and burst out laughing with her head lowered.

 

Behind her, Wei Shufen poked Shi Bohua’s arm frantically, signaling for him to stop talking.

 

But once Shi Bohua opened his mouth, he couldn’t stop, launching into a sarcastic rant.

 

The couple across from him grew increasingly pale as they listened.

 

Soon, Li Jiafang turned her attack toward Shi Xing and asked sharply,

 

“Shi Xing, isn’t your boyfriend a badminton player? How much does he make in a year?”

 

Before Shi Xing could answer, Shi Bohua spoke for her.

 

“My son-in-law is outstanding.”

 

Li Jiafang sneered, clearly unconvinced.

 

“Then why didn’t he come back with you this time?”

 

“Didn’t I already say he had something to do?” Shi Xing replied, clearly annoyed by her aggressive tone.

 

Seeing this, Wei Shufen hurriedly tried to defuse the situation and instructed Shi Xing,

 

“Go downstairs and buy me a bottle of soy sauce.”

 

---

 

When Shi Xing went downstairs, she realized she hadn’t put on a coat.

 

The cold rushed at her from all directions, making her shiver.

 

There were quite a few people on the street—most of them heading toward the city square to watch the New Year’s fireworks.

 

Watching their backs, Shi Xing couldn’t help sighing.

 

After buying the soy sauce, her phone suddenly rang in her pocket.

 

She glanced at the screen. The name Ji Yu stood out clearly.

 

She answered the call as she walked.

 

“Hey, are you done with your stuff?” she asked first.

 

“Yeah. Are you at home?” he asked vaguely.

 

“No, I came out to buy something.”

 

Hearing the background noise on his end, which sounded strangely familiar, Shi Xing asked,

 

“Are you outside?”

 

“Take a guess,” Ji Yu replied playfully.

 

Shi Xing smiled and joked,

 

“You didn’t come to my place, did you?”

 

The moment she said that, he laughed softly. His lazy voice carried a hint of seriousness.

 

“Turn around.”

 

Shi Xing turned around.

 

Ji Yu was already standing behind her.

 

He was wearing a black outdoor jacket, his messy bangs falling over his forehead. With a straight nose, thin lips, and lowered eyes, he still stood out effortlessly in the crowd.

 

The scene seemed to pull her back five years in time.

 

In that instant, an indescribable emotion welled up in her heart.

 

Shi Xing hurried over and hugged him.

 

“Why didn’t you tell me you were coming?”

 

Ji Yu lowered his head and laughed as he explained,

 

“I wanted to surprise you.”

 

She wanted to say more, but seeing that more and more people were gathering outside, she looked up at him and said,

 

“Let’s go back first.”

 

---

 

When they returned home, Wei Shufen was about to ask why Shi Xing had taken so long to buy soy sauce.

 

But when she saw Ji Yu, she immediately fell silent.

 

Shi Bohua was the first to react and greeted them warmly.

 

Li Jiafang, however, was stunned when she saw them.

 

Before she could say anything, the room had already become lively.

 

Ji Yu had brought many expensive gifts with him this time.

 

Shi Bohua stood up and accepted them one by one, saying cheerfully,

 

“You’re really thoughtful—especially buying cigarettes and alcohol for me.”

 

As he spoke, he deliberately turned to Li Jiafang and said,

 

“Jiafang, don’t you agree? My son-in-law is the best in the world, right?”

 

Being called out like that, Li Jiafang forced a stiff smile and bit her lip, not daring to say another word.

 

Looking at the happy scene before her, and then at the stark contrast between Ji Yu and her own boyfriend, a seed of resentment quietly took root in her heart.

 

Shi Xing noticed none of it.

 

She was still immersed in the surprise of Ji Yu’s sudden appearance, her face glowing with happiness.

 

As they chatted, fireworks began to burst one after another outside, spreading across the night sky and lighting up the entire horizon.