Suddenly, there was applause nearby as a handsome guy performed a magic trick, drawing cheers from the girls around.
The melodious music, the lively crowd, and the man in front of her who, despite his shy face, was still trying to act spoiled. In this moment, Yan Xi suddenly thought, Why not agree to him?
He was so proud, so concerned about his dignity, yet here he was, in front of everyone, leaning on her shoulder, like... a little wolf cub acting spoiled.
Though it was just for a moment, Yuan Yi felt like he'd been waiting for a long time. Yan Xi didn't speak, and his heart slowly sank. The tall man bent down slightly, slowly lifted his head, and looked at the woman beside him. She was smiling sweetly at him, her eyes seemingly filled with brilliant stars.
"Are you not afraid of others laughing at you for letting me take care of you for a lifetime?"
Yuan Yi watched Yan Xi, who remained silent, and from his calm expression, she could sense a hint of grievance.
Unable to resist, Yan Xi pinched his earlobe, smiling as she said, "Okay."
Suddenly, Yuan Yi felt like to hell with dancing, to hell with being in the spotlight. He pulled Yan Xi into his arms. "Yan Xiaoxi, as a woman, you have to keep your word. Don't lower the reputation of us women."
"Okay, for the overall honor of us women, I'll keep my word and take care of you for a lifetime."
Boom!
Someone set off fireworks in the banquet hall, and countless colorful ribbons and golden powder floated down from the sky, like a shower of rainbow rain.
Everyone cheered, everyone laughed, shedding the fatigue and rationality from their work, lost in the excitement, not caring about others.
"Happy New Year!"
"Next year I'll win five million!"
Yuan Yi lowered his head, his forehead touching Yan Xi's, and whispered in her ear, "Yan Xiaoxi, I'm done for, I've fallen into your hands for this lifetime."
They say women are soft as silk, and men are like rocks, but in that moment, every breath, every word from Yuan Yi turned into countless threads, wrapping Yan Xi's heart tightly. That feeling of restless uncertainty instantly settled.
It turned out that when you fall in love with someone, even their breath is adorable.
After the bustling crowd, Zhao Feifei watched the couple hugging in the crowd and downed the drink in her glass. Standing up, her eyes blurry from the alcohol, she took another bottle of champagne from the champagne tower and continued drinking.
Suddenly, she too felt the desire to fall in love.
As the banquet ended, Yan Xi took Yuan Yi to say goodbye to their friends. Seeing how intimate the two were, the friends teased, asking when they would be eating wedding candy.
Yuan Yi smiled and said, "That depends on Xiaoxi."
"Oh, oh, oh, Yan teacher, you can't keep Mr. Yuan waiting too long."
"You don't have to save us red envelope money, we all want to enjoy your happiness. Who knows, maybe some handsome guy will take a liking to us?"
Yan Xi turned her head to look at Yuan Yi. At that moment, he was also looking at her, and as their eyes met, Yan Xi clearly saw the expectation in his gaze.
"Don't worry, once the date is set, none of you are getting away with saving red envelope money. Whoever causes the most trouble will have to give a bit more," Yan Xi said, pointing at a few of her close friends. "Remember, big red envelopes!"
"I finally understand why Teacher Yan is so rich," the makeup artist laughed as everyone looked on curiously. "Because she's really greedy for money!"
Amidst the laughter from her friends, Yan Xi dragged Yuan Yi away, jogging as she said, "If we stay any longer, they'll start asking us when we're having kids."
"Slow down, you're wearing high heels!" Yuan Yi glanced at the height of her heels, feeling his heart race.
"This height isn't a big deal," Yan Xi said, opening her storage locker and taking out a half-meter tall stuffed animal. She hugged it and tilted her head at Yuan Yi, "Am I cute?"
Yuan Yi: "Cute, cute, cuteâcuter than the giant panda!"
After draping her coat over her, Yuan Yi glanced at the time. "Let's go, we should head back."
"Wait for me a moment, I need to use the restroom," Yan Xi said, handing the stuffed animal to Yuan Yi before walking toward the bathroom.
Just after Yan Xi left, someone approached Yuan Yi. He took a quick look and saw that the woman wasn't one of Yan Xi's friends, so he ignored her.
"Mr. Yuan," the woman stood there for a while. Seeing that Yuan Yi wasn't acknowledging her, she clenched her teeth and walked up to him. "Mr. Yuan, I was wrong before. Please forgive me. If you... if you're willing to forgive me, I'll do anything."
Yuan Yi turned his head to glance at the woman, then asked faintly, "May I know your name?"
The woman hadn't expected that Yuan Yi didn't even know who she was. Feeling awkward, she stood there for a moment, not knowing what to say.
"I thought I recognized someone just now, turns out it's our 'Jade Empress' actress Wu Xuan, the beautiful Wu," Zhao Feifei said with a sly smile as she approached Wu Xuan. "Didn't you say you were resting at home lately? What are you doing here at the annual meeting in such cold weather?"
Though Zhao Feifei and Wu Xuan weren't from the same company, they had worked together on a show before and had some personal acquaintance. However, Zhao Feifei hadn't expected that Wu Xuan, in an attempt to steal a movie role from her, had orchestrated a public relations campaign to create rumors about Yuan Yi and his "mysterious girlfriend," casting him as a cheater who betrayed her.
Fortunately, Zhao Feifei had apologized quickly, and Yuan Yi had investigated, realizing that she wasn't behind the schemes. Otherwise, the one getting mocked today would have been her.
"Zhao Feifei," Wu Xuan's expression changed. "Aren't you supposed to have left?"
"Sorry, if I had left, how could I enjoy this good show?" Zhao Feifei crossed her arms and walked in a circle around Wu Xuan. "You should have looked in the mirror before saying that, and as for 'doing anything,' have you even considered whether anyone has any demands from you?"
Yuan Yi wasn't interested in the argument between the two women. He stood by the storage locker, holding the stuffed animal in one hand and scrolling through his phone with the other.
A man with a cold expression, two female celebrities exchanging sarcastic remarksâif this scene were discovered by paparazzi, it would likely make headlines in the entertainment section. Fortunately, the storage area was bustling with people, with occasional passersby, so the sarcastic banter between Wu Xuan and Zhao Feifei wasn't too obvious. Yuan Yi, the large man holding the stuffed animal, didn't stand out as much in this busy setting.
Yan Xi emerged from the restroom and overheard a man on the phone in the corner of the hallway, his tone slightly excited.
"Wife, remember the coat you liked last time? I'll take you to buy it tomorrow!"
"It's not expensive, not expensive at all. I won the first prize at the lottery draw today. I thought my luck had already peaked, but then a rich guy came up and said he wanted to buy my winning ticket."
"Of course, I gave it to him. The money he offered could buy ten times the prize. I really don't understand what goes through the minds of rich peopleâmaybe he just wanted to experience the joy of winning. Who knows?"
Yan Xi, who had just thought about the joy of winning:...
As she walked through the hallway, she saw Yuan Yi leaning against the storage locker, with the two women not far from him.
"You're back?" Yuan Yi glanced at her and handed her the stuffed animal. "Let's go."
Yan Xi overheard Zhao Feifei telling the other woman, "You lack virtue, your fate is poor. Just go back home and marry a man and have kids."
Were they enemies?
Pausing, Yan Xi glanced at the womanâa pretty face, small and delicate.
"Mr. Yuan." Wu Xuan, seeing Yuan Yi about to leave, couldn't be bothered to continue arguing with Zhao Feifei. She quickly ran up to Yuan Yi and pleaded, "Please forgive me this time. I won't dare again."
"This lady is..." Yan Xi turned to Yuan Yi, suddenly noticing a beautiful young woman rushing in front of her boyfriend to apologize. The scene was so easily misinterpreted.
"I don't know her." Yuan Yi adjusted her coat, draped it over her shoulders, and pulled her close as they walked toward the elevator.
Wu Xuan's face went pale, tears welling in her eyes, but she didn't dare to follow. She stood there, staring at the elevator doors, as if Yuan Yi might walk out at any moment.
"Stop looking," Zhao Feifei said, seeing how pitiful Wu Xuan looked. The sarcasm she had been holding back lost its appeal. "Let me be honest with you, since we were once close. If you hadn't dragged Mr. Yuan's girlfriend into your schemes when you tried to frame me, causing the public to call her a mistress, you wouldn't have lost so many endorsements. But, I guess you were lucky in one wayâat that time, no one knew who Mr. Yuan's girlfriend was, so no one went to her social media to insult her. Otherwise, you wouldn't just be losing opportunities; you'd be done with this industry altogether."
"Men are all the same, they're all fickle. Do you think he'll always like Yan Xi?" Wu Xuan blinked, forcing the tears back.
"Who knows?" Zhao Feifei shrugged. "But at that point, what does it have to do with you?"
"How are you any better than me?" Wu Xuan yelled in frustration. "You wrote an apology letter to Mr. Yuan's girlfriend, who didn't even have a shadow at the time, right in front of all the netizens. Do you have any idea how many people laughed at you behind your back?"
"I only know they dare to mock me behind my back, but in front of me, they still have to respectfully call me Sister Zhao or Teacher Zhao," Zhao Feifei lifted her chin. "As for the rest, what does it have to do with me?"
She had lived for thirty years, and her wisest decision had been to apologize shamelessly back then. Otherwise, Wu Xuan would have been in her position today.
"The snow is getting heavier," Yan Xi murmured as she tightly hugged the stuffed animal, slid into the car, and placed the toy between her and Yuan Yi.
Yuan Yi, displeased with the fluffy thing taking up space, pushed it to his side, sitting next to Yan Xi. "A toy trying to be a third wheel? It's just asking to be slapped."
"You have no shame," Yan Xi couldn't help but laugh. "Now you're bullying a stuffed animal."
Yuan Yi replied confidently, "For this kind of third wheel, there's no need for any face."
Yan Xi laughed again. "Looks like we can't put anything between us anymore."
"We can," Yuan Yi thought for a moment, "for example... our child."
Yan Xi kept smiling but didn't respond to his comment.
When the car stopped outside the Song family home, Yan Xi didn't immediately get out. Instead, she reached into her handbag and took out a red note, handing it to Yuan Yi.
"What's this?" Yuan Yi looked at the note in his hand, puzzled.
"Your pocket money for the week," Yan Xi planted a kiss on his dumbfounded face. "I promised to take care of you, and I keep my word."
"Isn't 100 yuan a little too little?"
"Well, you're a boy, so you need to be raised cheaply. Too much pocket money will spoil you."
Yuan Yi: "..."