Chapter 157: Happy New Year

When the clock ticked down to 11:59, the messages on her phone started flooding in.

Countless people were sending "Happy New Year," and every now and then, someone would throw in a red envelope.

The Jiang family had long since abandoned watching the Spring Festival Gala in front of the TV—the more they watched, the duller it got.

Jiang Zhiyao ran out to the yard, holding a lighter as she stood guard by the fireworks.

Yu Songsong stood beside her, shielding her from the wind.

"Is it midnight yet?"

Jiang Zhiyao looked at Jiang Linyuan, who was clutching his phone, and asked eagerly.

"You can light it now."

Jiang Linyuan said.

In the night sky, a ball of fire rolled and soared, trailing a long tail of flame before bursting with a thunderous roar into a scattering of starlight, drifting down with the falling snow.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

After that brief, brilliant flash, the sound of fireworks rang out in quick succession.

"Senior! Happy New Year!"

Yu Songsong clung to Jiang Linyuan's arm, her lips curved into a smile, her voice shouting loudly, as if trying to drown out the fireworks.

"Don't get so close!"

Jiang Zhiyao pulled her away, annoyed.

The new year had arrived.

Jiang Linyuan's phone rang—it was the Department Head calling.

He calmly answered, laughing:

"Happy New Year, Department Head."

"It's not Sister Wanyu! It's me!"

The excited voice of Shen Guoguo came through the line:

"Brother Jiang, Happy New Year! Are you setting off fireworks over there? It sounds so lively!"

No wonder it was a perfect timing call—I thought the Department Head was being so proactive, but it turned out Guoguo had hijacked the phone.

"Well then, Happy New Year to you too, Guoguo!"

"Give me the phone."

Shen Wanyu's voice rang out as she took over, with the faint sound of Shen Guoguo's discontented muttering in the background.

"Happy New Year, Deputy Minister Jiang."

She responded softly.

"Happy New Year."

Jiang Linyuan repeated the greeting, then noticed that someone was calling him on WeChat via his tablet.

Xiao Su, huh? Wait, weren't we supposed to call on the phone? Why WeChat?

Jiang Linyuan thought for a moment and answered both at once.

"Hehe, I just tried calling your phone, but it was busy."

Su Muzhi's voice came through, laced with amusement.

"The signal's a bit weak out here in the countryside."

Jiang Linyuan explained.

"Is it the signal that's weak out in the countryside, or is it your heart that's not so strong?"

Though Su Muzhi's tone was full of laughter, it carried a sharp edge, like a knife hidden behind a smile.

Even though he guessed he'd be calling plenty of people, how dare he let someone else cut in front of me?

"Are you talking to Su Muzhi?"

Jiang Linyuan hadn't deliberately lowered his voice, so Shen Wanyu heard clearly.

"Yeah, yeah, Xiao Su, come and wish the Department Head a Happy New Year!"

Jiang Linyuan grinned—friends were straightforward, nothing to hide.

"Hehe, wish her a Happy New Year? Is that a New Year's joke?"

Su Muzhi didn't bother to hide her disdain.

Xiao Su and the Department Head's relationship was still terrible, huh.

Jiang Linyuan thought to himself:

"Then I'll wish Xiao Su a Happy New Year! Happy New Year! Alright, Xiao Su, your turn."

With that, he moved his phone a bit closer to the tablet.

Su Muzhi paused for a moment, then said:

"Happy New Year."

After that, she added:

"Classmate Jiang, today I'm going to get my revenge, and it'll be brutal."

"What revenge? I don't get it."

"You put others ahead of me, especially Shen Wanyu."

"Oh come on, Xiao Su, the Department Head and I haven't even said Happy New Year yet."

Jiang Linyuan chuckled, then shouted into the phone:

"Happy New Year, Department Head! Alright, alright, Department Head, it's your turn—quick, say Happy New Year."

Shen Wanyu was silent for a moment, but she didn't call out his lie. This guy was really dense.

"Happy New Year."

"Hehe, I'm hanging up. How disappointing. Classmate Jiang, see you tomorrow... no, I mean today. I'm going to sleep."

Su Muzhi's voice came through coldly, and then she hung up.

Then the WeChat call rang again. He looked—oh, it was Xiao Yilin. She'd already called once, and this was the second time.

Man, so busy.

"You really are a busybody."

Shen Wanyu said that, hearing the WeChat ringtone from Jiang Linyuan's side, and added:

"Really busy, huh. Is it like this at school too, or is it the same even on break?"

The Department Head was just looking out for me, not being sarcastic.

"Good night."

Shen Wanyu didn't give Jiang Linyuan a chance to respond and hung up directly.

Jiang Linyuan then answered Lin Yilin's call:

"Happy New Year, Xiao Yilin."

On the other end of the line, Lin Yilin had originally wanted to ask why he took so long to answer, but hearing that one sentence, her heart suddenly settled.

"Senior, Happy New Year."

She replied softly.

...

Su Muzhi hung up the phone and lay in bed.

Happy New Year? I never thought I'd hear those words from her mouth again.

You're really interesting, Jiang Linyuan, trying to patch things up between me and Shen Wanyu, huh?

Hehe, bold move—it almost pisses me off.

Want to meddle in my past? Then you better be ready to trade your future for it.

When we meet today, I'll take a little something back as compensation first.

...

Xiao Yilin was really a good woman.

After chatting with Lin Yilin, Jiang Linyuan felt deeply sentimental.

He hung up and noticed Yu Songsong and Jiang Zhiyao staring at him.

He hadn't deliberately tried to hide anything, so they'd both witnessed his actions.

There was nothing to hide anyway—just simple New Year's greetings between friends.

"What are you looking at me for?"

Jiang Linyuan didn't seem bothered at all, meeting their gazes openly.

Jiang Zhiyao glared at him, while Yu Songsong pouted.

"Aren't you going to say something?"

Jiang Zhiyao asked.

"Say what? Didn't you hear everything you needed to?"

Jiang Linyuan said.

What a clueless guy!

Jiang Zhiyao wanted to punch him in the chest, but then thought—if she broke him, she'd have to take care of him herself.

Huh?

Actually, that might work.

Yu Songsong felt a knot in her stomach hearing Jiang Linyuan's reply.

But then she thought again—if Senior was so open and aboveboard, didn't that mean his relationships with those women were truly innocent?

At least what she saw was innocent.

Seeing their expressions, Jiang Linyuan yawned:

"Alright, I'm sleepy. Let's get some early rest."

With that, he ran into the house and went to sleep.

Jiang Zhiyao and Yu Songsong exchanged glances.

"With him like this, do you still like him?"

Jiang Zhiyao asked bluntly.

Yu Songsong shot Jiang Zhiyao a surprised look—she'd thought her sister-in-law was the naive type.

Didn't expect her to be so sharp.

She thought for a moment, then her eyes curved like crescent moons:

"I do."

"Why? He's practically stringing you along, playing with your feelings—he's a jerk!"

"Then I'm fine with that."

Yu Songsong said, as she'd already prepared herself for everything.

Senior had never abandoned me—that was enough.

Jiang Zhiyao was silent for a moment, then could only let out a sigh.

"You're such a fool."

So am I.

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