Chapter 360. New Year
On the first day of the New Year, Ning Yuan wasn’t sleeping very well.
Listening to the occasional sounds of fireworks in the distance, he lay on the floor mat, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep.
Though there was a soft mattress on the grass mat that made it actually quite comfortable, being in the living room with no personal space made it hard for him to rest peacefully.
And it was already five in the morning…
He glanced at the time on his phone and turned to look at the door.
Why hasn’t Ning Chu come back yet?
It was just to see some fireworks… Didn’t we agree she’d be home by one to sleep?
Ning Yuan’s eyelid twitched. Although he saw that Ning Chu appeared more mature and charming than the last time they met, and his brain had already formed guesses, it was still hard for him to accept that his little sister, whom he had watched grow up, had been swept away by another man.
But when a guy and a girl both don’t come home all night, adults could guess what they were up to.
It’s not like they were at an internet café all night, right?
With a hollow feeling in his heart, he sighed like an old father, worriedly sitting up and hesitating whether to text Ning Chu to check on her.
Suddenly, he heard the sound of the elevator in the hallway, and Ning Yuan froze, looking back at the door again.
Through the door, he could faintly hear voices outside.
“So early… It’s not even bright out, how do you have the energy to get up?”
“Be quiet, don’t let my mom find out… I wasn’t home on New Year’s Eve; she’ll be furious.”
The key carefully inserted into the lock, and with a click, the door opened gently.
Ning Chu peeked in from the crack of the door, the living room curtains drawn, making it impossible to see anything in the dark.
“Why don’t you head back? I told you I didn’t need you to see me off…”
“The street is empty; how can I rest easy?” Wen Yang leaned against the stair railing, yawning, “So, I’m heading back? I’ll catch up on some sleep and come over for New Year’s lunch.”
“Okay, be careful on the way; how’s the electric scooter? Make sure you park it the way I showed you, don’t let my mom see it.”
“Don’t worry.”
Ning Chu let out a sigh of relief, and after watching Wen Yang enter the elevator, she finally opened the door, took off her shoes, and stepped inside.
The living room was pitch black. She bent down to put her shoes back on the rack, raised her head to glance around, and muttered quietly, “Don’t step on Brother…”
When her gaze landed on her brother’s sleeping mat, the faint outline made Ning Chu’s heart skip a beat, and a cold sweat broke out on her back.
Oh no! A ghost!
She instinctively took a step back, then suddenly remembered something and took out her phone, turning on the flashlight.
“Brother… why aren’t you sleeping in the middle of the night?”
Ning Chu let out a breath of relief and tiredly complained, “I thought it was a ghost; you scared me so much my legs got soft.”
“What were you doing out all night on New Year’s Eve?”
“…”
That tone was back again!
She racked her brain for a quick excuse: “I went to see the fireworks, and then it was past one, and I wasn’t sleepy. I just happened to find an internet café that was still open.”
“You mean you stayed online till now…”
Well, well, a guy and a girl staying out overnight, could they really be at an internet café all night?
If she hadn’t heard that conversation in the hallway, Ning Yuan might have almost believed it.
After all, Ning Chu could actually pull off such a thing.
Seeing her serious expression, Ning Chu felt a bit intimidated, nervously looking down, her cheeks flushed as she fiddled with her fingers.
Caught red-handed for staying out, it was still Ning Yuan, who always saw her as his little brother, not his sister.
There was no way she could tell her brother that she had a few rounds with Wen Yang last night, right?
But the priority was to smooth things over first; she couldn’t let their mother find out. Otherwise, running off to party on New Year’s Eve might really drive her mom crazy.
Taking a deep breath, she quickly changed her expression, putting on a pitiful look.
“Brother~ please don’t tell Mom…” she pleaded, “Brother~ just this once~”
“No, no amount of pouting will work.”
Determined, she leaned in closer, hugged Ning Yuan’s arm, gently shook it, and spoke in a cute high-pitched voice, “Brother—”
With that prolonged ending, her adorable voice caught Ning Yuan off guard, breaking through his psychological defenses.
He looked down at Ning Chu’s obedient and cute appearance, instantly softening his heart: “Alright, go sleep. I’ll help you keep it a secret.”
Having a sister seemed pretty nice?
He finally understood why some people were so protective over their sisters; after all, they were just too cute!
“Goodnight!”
Ning Yuan was taken aback, watching his sister dash into the bedroom like a gust of wind.
“……”
Just as that cute image of his little sister had been established, it instantly crumbled.
He was momentarily stunned, unable to react for a bit, before muttering incredulously to himself, “Damn, how long has it been since she turned into a girl? And she’s so natural at acting cute? That high-pitched voice…”
After all, she had Wen Yang to practice with.
And it wasn’t just practice in being cute…
Thinking through it all, his emotions became a bit more complicated, a strange sense of sorrow washing over him, like a father learning that his daughter had been tricked by a scoundrel—both worried and helpless, a mix of indignation and a faint sense of possessiveness…
Though Ning Chu had come back, Ning Yuan still couldn’t fall asleep.
Lying on the mat, his mind wandered until sounds from the master bedroom alerted him.
It was barely a little past six, but their mother, who had gotten drunk and lost her senses yesterday, was already up, yawning as she started preparing for the customs of the first day of the New Year.
They were supposed to set off firecrackers, but their mother used some electronic ones to get it over with.
Just as Ning Yuan had finally begun to drift into sleep, he was painfully jolted back awake.
“You’re up so early?” their mother, still carrying hints of alcohol, asked with a smile.
Ning Yuan yawned, “I hardly slept last night.”
“Did Ning Chu go out last night?”
At that question, he froze for a moment, then shook his head: “No, she went to bed around twelve.”
“Oh.”
Their mother replied casually, not thinking much of it.
Why did it sound like Ning Chu often stayed out late?
Ning Yuan hesitated but heard his mother instructing, “If you can’t sleep, help me tidy up the table. Last night, no one bothered to clean up after eating, and it’s just sitting there attracting cockroaches.”
At that moment, Ning Chu pretended to just wake up, rubbing her eyes as she walked out of her room.
She peeked at her mother’s face and felt a twinge of guilt, then approached, obediently helping to clean up the messy dining table.
“Wait until Ning Xin wakes up and let your brother sleep in the bedroom.”
“Okay.”
“We’re going to your grandpa’s house for New Year’s tomorrow; make sure you prepare for that.”
“Oh…”
Their mother shot Ning Chu a glance: “It’s clear you’ve been up to no good with how eager you are to help.”
“Couldn’t it be that I’m a year older and more responsible now?”
“Just don’t give me a heart attack!”
After tidying the table, both mother and daughter drew open the living room curtains.
In the skyline, a faint, hazy morning light illuminated the New Year with its first ray.
“It’s the New Year~” their mother sighed, “In just half a year, I’ve gained two daughters…”
“Looks like I’ll need to prepare to be a grandma this year.”
Ning Chu quickly shook her head, “No way, no way!”
——————
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