Chapter 409 This Year

The opening performance concluded successfully.

Lu Yanhe and the other two quickly went backstage to change their clothes and makeup.

Time is very tight; we only have one hour.

Their show, "Green Apple Paradise," is scheduled for 9:30 p.m.

The backstage area for the Spring Festival Gala can be described as packed with people.

The number of performers in various shows is so large that it's like a swarm of locusts crossing a river.

Lu Yanhe and his two companions hurriedly returned to the dressing room under the escort of the team and began to redo their makeup.

Three makeup artists started working at the same time.

After getting their hair and makeup done and changing into their outfits, the three of them took a group photo together, and then took photos with the other actors from their show.

Besides them, there are a total of sixty actors in this program.

They were all non-professional dancers hired by the production team, and it is said that they rehearsed for almost two months.

During this period, the three of them didn't keep the rehearsals for the "Green Apple Paradise" program a secret, but the sixty non-professional dancers kept it very secret.

This was also the surprise that Lu Yanhe mentioned.

-

In fact, many people have wondered why a program like "Green Apple Paradise," which has already been performed on stage and has had a great impact and spread, would be performed again on the Spring Festival Gala stage.

In fact, a director of the Spring Festival Gala responded to this claim on a CCTV program.

"The concept of this program is very suitable for the Spring Festival Gala stage. Although it has already been performed on stage, according to our survey, many people actually hope to see it again. In addition, we will also make new adaptations to the program. The Spring Festival Gala version will definitely have new elements compared to the version that everyone has seen before."

Many people are puzzled.

What new things could there be?

He Lan, a fan of Lu Yanhe and now Chen Siqi's special assistant, stayed up all night in front of the TV, waiting for the program.

Honestly, she hadn't sat in front of the TV to watch the Spring Festival Gala so seriously in ages.

"Why are you always on your phone?" her mother complained.

He Lan said, "This skit isn't very good."

“What’s wrong with it? Isn’t it pretty?” her mother said.

Helan: "But I don't think it looks good."

When the show "Green Apple Paradise" was about to air, she immediately put down her phone.

When her mother saw her suddenly looking at the TV screen with a bright and energetic expression, she immediately understood and let out a "heh".

"I was wondering why you changed your ways tonight, sitting here obediently with me to watch the Spring Festival Gala. I thought you'd finally become more sensible, but it turns out you were just waiting for your idol to appear."

He Lan: "Mom, can we have some self-awareness? When did I become so sensible that I could watch the Spring Festival Gala with you for so long? Your idea is just too far-fetched."

Her mother immediately threw a small orange at her.

He Lan made this joke, then immediately caught Xiao Ju Zi, rushed over and hugged her mother, "Oh, I was just kidding, of course I'm just keeping you company."

The door suddenly clicked open.

"Dad's back?!"

They both turned to look at each other.

"Oh dear, you two are both grown up and you're still always hugging each other like that." Her dad immediately started complaining when he saw them like this.

Helan pouted and said, "Isn't that because you spoiled my mom? She's such a grown-up, yet she still whines and complains at the slightest disagreement."

Helan's mother's two willow-leaf eyebrows immediately twitched up.

"Hey--"

Helan's father smiled so broadly that his face was covered in wrinkles.

“That’s your mother’s extraordinary talent, it has nothing to do with me,” he said. “When I first met your mother, she would burst into tears at the drop of a hat, and it was a real headache for me!”

"He Zhanghai!" Her mother was furious, her eyes wide with anger.

"Oh dear, the show is about to start. Please be quiet for a moment while I watch it." He Lan saw that the hosts were preparing to leave the stage, and the intro music had already started playing.

Her father took off his police hat, put it aside, and sat down on the sofa.

"What are you looking at?"

Her mother snorted, "It's just that celebrity she likes, Lu Yanhe, who's on the Spring Festival Gala tonight."

"Lu Yanhe, 'Green Apple Paradise'?"

"Dad, how did you know? Don't you never read entertainment news?"

“It’s the Spring Festival Gala, everyone’s talking about it,” her father said. “Besides, many young people in my workplace are his fans.”

"Why are you police officers fans of celebrities too?" her mother asked.

"Why can't police officers have favorite celebrities?" Her father chuckled. "How can you be so prejudiced? I don't follow celebrities. Let young people follow them if they want."

“Exactly,” Helan immediately chimed in, “Mom, you’re not as open-minded as my dad.”

"When your dad forced you to do your homework when you were little, why didn't you say he was enlightened? I had to secretly let you watch TV," her mother immediately complained.

He Lan: "That's right, Dad, you've gone too far. Why didn't you allow me to watch TV when I was little?"

“Every time you cry, your mom softens and doesn’t have to do your homework. If I didn’t go too far, you would be sleeping on the street by now,” her dad complained.

"That's true, Mom. It's a good thing Dad is strict with me, otherwise, with my lazy personality, I probably wouldn't have even gotten into university," He Lan said.

"Alright, alright, they've all started singing. Lanlan, didn't you want to see your idols? They've already started singing."

He Zhanghai knew that if he didn't stop it quickly, the argument would continue until midnight.

Three young people appeared on stage and moved to the rhythm.

Helan's mother glanced at them and couldn't help but exclaim, "These three children are so good-looking."

He Lan said, "The three of them are now almost the most popular young stars."

He Lan's mother nodded: "No wonder she was able to appear on the Spring Festival Gala at such a young age."

"Have we seen this performance before?" Helan's father asked doubtfully. "I think we have."

Helan asked, "You must have heard this song, right? It's very popular."

“Oh, no, I did see it. Someone performed this at our company’s New Year’s Eve party. The dance was exactly the same,” He Lan’s father said.

He Lan: "Is it that popular? Even your company had someone perform this at their New Year's Eve party. Isn't this the kind of performance that young people would like?"

"Prejudice, just like your mother's prejudice. Can't our workplace have young people? Can't we middle-aged people enjoy this kind of performance?"

Helan's mother raised her hand and patted Helan's father on the back.

"Who's biased! Say that again and who's biased!"

Helan: "..."

She was about to say something more when suddenly, many dancers appeared on the television screen from both sides of the stage.

They were all dressed in the style of dance halls from the last century, with the same makeup and hairstyles. The people on the left were young, and the people on the right were middle-aged.

Sixty people, along with Lu Yanhe and his two companions, performed the dance moves of "Green Apple Paradise" on the stage. Their synchronized movements were quite a sight to behold.

At this moment, the camera suddenly switched.

"Huh? That person—" He Lan was taken aback. The face of the person the camera had just cut to looked very familiar to her.

Isn't that Li Xiaobin? The boy who cried because his mother saw him wearing his father's suit, and later participated in a talent show. Although his final result wasn't ideal, he still became a singer.

The camera then switched to another person, a pretty girl with short hair.

Hmm? That's the girl who went viral online for her short video back then. She's wearing the same outfit from that video—her mother's floral print dress, with retro wavy hair and bright red lipstick—a retro yet vibrant and elegant beauty.

He Lan suddenly realized that the thirty young people on the left side of the stage were actually video bloggers who had become popular online after the performance "Green Apple Paradise" aired, imitating their parents' clothing and appearance.

And on the right are thirty middle-aged people—

They must be their parents.

Helan covered her mouth in disbelief.

At that very moment, several performance videos that were very popular online at the time appeared on the screen behind the stage.

They appeared one by one, with subtitles scrolling across them. These were all subtitles that had initially attracted a lot of attention and discussion online:

When I grow up, I will become you.

We look down on them for being old, but they laugh at us for being young.

—Our parents were also fashionable young people, even more fashionable than us.

Why was my mom's hair so black and thick back then, while I started losing my hair at such a young age?!

...

Helan watched, laughing and crying at the same time.

On the stage, Lu Yanhe and the other two separated and occupied three positions. They stretched out their hands, looked at the audience, and waved their left hands together.

Behind them, sixty people danced and moved rhythmically in unison. Although it was a retro style, reminiscent of the last century, the movements still showed a clear stylistic difference because they were two groups of non-professional dancers of different ages. And because of this stylistic difference, one could immediately understand their intention.

"La la la la la la, sway to your heart's content!"

-

The performance concluded successfully.

Everyone went backstage.

The large performance troupe of dozens of people emerged from the studio, their faces beaming with excitement.

Apart from Li Zhibai, everyone else here is making their first appearance on the Spring Festival Gala stage.

Everyone was very excited.

Lu Yanhe and the others turned around and waved to the uncles and aunts who had helped them dance earlier, and bowed.

"You uncles and aunties are amazing!"

"Thanks!"

These uncles and aunts started rehearsing two months in advance for this stage.

When the production team approached them and invited them to perform on the Spring Festival Gala stage, they shared this idea with them.

Why did the Spring Festival Gala invite "Green Apple Paradise"? Because this program can be said to be the most socially influential stage performance of the past year, even transcending age and social class barriers.

They came up with the idea of ​​inviting thirty pairs of parents and children to come on stage and perform the show.

At the time, there were many popular imitation videos online, so the production team simply contacted them one by one and invited them to perform on the Spring Festival Gala.

Thus, the program came to be what it is today.

The show's director, Lee Kyung-byung, finally breathed a sigh of relief at this point.

When this idea was first proposed, many people questioned it, believing that it was inappropriate to have so many non-professional dancers performing as backup dancers on the Spring Festival Gala stage, as it was easy for mistakes to occur.

If something goes wrong, it's an accident.

However, Li Qingbing's idea was ultimately approved because it was very meaningful.

Li Qingbing hasn't gone online to check the online feedback yet, but judging from the reactions at the scene, he thinks the program is receiving very positive feedback.

-

Form is always more important to content than we imagine.

Some shows you might enjoy watching in one place, but feel off in another.

So why can cinemas still survive in an era where online media is so developed? Many people who have been to the cinema and seen their favorite movies say that the experience of watching a movie in a dark cinema on a screen is completely different from watching a movie on their own computer.

The same goes for "Green Apple Paradise".

If it uses the same performance from "Idol Era," it might not be suitable for a grand stage like the Spring Festival Gala. The grandeur isn't just about the size of the stage, but also the immense expectations people have for it.

There will always be people who want to see some meaning and social value in the Spring Festival Gala. Even though we always say that content should be content, and that we shouldn't let so-called meaning and social value dictate the quality of the content itself. Because that's not just any place, it's the Spring Festival Gala.

These people are themselves strongly opposed to a stage like "Green Apple Paradise" being featured on the Spring Festival Gala.

It's popular and sensational, but it has little social value.

But when they had prepared their criticisms and were ready to unleash them after watching the program, they were surprised to find that their prepared critiques were largely useless.

The program "Green Apple Paradise," performed on the Spring Festival Gala stage, suddenly highlighted the themes of "parents" and "inheritance."

Shortly after the program was completed, Li Xiaobin appeared in the live interview room of the Spring Festival Gala and was interviewed by the CCTV host. He said, "This is the first time I have performed on stage with my mother. I never thought that such a moment would come. This will be a very unforgettable memory for me."

Lu Yanhe, Li Zhibai, and Yan Liang also came to this live broadcast room.

"Besides Zhibai, Yanhe and Yanliang are both making their first appearance on the Spring Festival Gala. Are you nervous?"

"I'm very nervous." Yan Liang nodded. "I didn't think I would be nervous, but the thought of the whole country watching me makes my heart pound."

Lu Yanhe nodded, "Me too."

"The performance is over now, you can breathe a sigh of relief."

"Yes." Everyone laughed.

"So, are you all going straight home later to reunite with your families?"

"Yes." Yan Liang nodded. "I'll be home soon, and I'll try to get home before midnight."

Li Zhibai also said, "Me too, but I'll definitely be there before midnight. My home is in Yuming, which is more convenient than Lao Lu and Yan Liang's."

"Won't Yan He stay in Yuming for the New Year?" one of the hosts asked, somewhat puzzled.

Everyone knows that Lu Yanhe has no family left, and no one he needs to rush to reunite with.

Lu Yanhe smiled and nodded, saying, "We're going to another place today."

He didn't go into details.

The host did not press further.

"We noticed that the dancers who are accompanying you today are a combination of young and middle-aged people. Could you tell us in detail why this is the arrangement?"

Lu Yanhe and Li Zhibai both looked at Yan Liang, "You introduce yourself."

Yan Liang then said, "This idea came from the directing team. Director Li Qingbing suggested that our performance had a great impact on the whole society at the time, and many people online started imitating the style and clothing of their parents in the old photos, which became very popular. Perhaps we could invite them to join our performance. The song itself is a retro-style song, and we also think it's a good idea. By having us young people dress up as our parents did when they were young, it's a kind of retrospection and tribute. Every era has young people. Our appearance may change, but this youthful energy and vitality of life are the same, and it is passed down from generation to generation."

This wasn't something Yan Liang came up with on the spot; rather, it was something the production team had prepared beforehand, hoping to have it spoken by them.

This task was assigned to Yan Liang.

"That's very well said. Actually, there's another thing I can share with everyone about these sixty dancers. They actually come from thirty families, and they are all parents and children, right?"

“Yes, that’s right.” Yan Liang and the others nodded. “Actually, we were also very moved to work with them. As we all know, they are not professional dancers or performers who often perform on stage, but everyone worked very hard and diligently to complete this performance and practiced for a long time. Especially the uncles and aunts, it was not easy for them to practice this dance. We salute them.”

Once they came out of the live broadcast room, their work for tonight's Spring Festival Gala was truly finished.

They went back to the dressing room to remove their makeup, change their clothes, and then left.

"I'm off then, see you after the New Year." Lu Yanhe was the first to finish and left.

Li Zhibai: "Look at how impatient you are."

Lu Yanhe gave him the middle finger and then went out with Wang Biao and Zou Dong.

As they drove away, they arrived outside CCTV and spotted Chen Siqi's car in the distance.

"Dong Ge, Wang Biao, you've worked hard. Let's start your holiday today," Lu Yanhe said. "This past year has been really tough. I wanted to have a celebration party with everyone, but I couldn't find the time."

He took two red envelopes out of his bag.

"This is a small token of my appreciation to thank you both for your support and care over the past year."

Zou Dong and Wang Biao were both taken aback.

“We’ve all received our year-end bonuses,” Wang Biao said. “Brother Lu, why are you giving us red envelopes again?”

"The year-end bonus is the year-end bonus, and the red envelope is the red envelope," Lu Yanhe said with a smile. "I don't have many people around me, just the two of you, so you must be working much harder than other artists' teams. Of course, I can't let you suffer. Siqi and I will be going abroad for a vacation later, so you don't need to worry about that. Sister Ziyan has already made arrangements. You should get some rest, and we'll meet in Picardo later."

After his vacation, Lu Yanhe went straight to the BiCarlo Film Festival.

Wang Zhong's short film was shortlisted for the short film competition at the Picardo Film Festival.

Lu Yanhe stuffed two red envelopes into Zou Dong and Wang Biao's hands.

"Happy New Year! Keep up the good work next year! Bye-bye!" Lu Yanhe waved his hand. "See you next year!"

"See you next year, Brother Lu!" Wang Biao waved with a bright smile.

Zou Dong watched him get into Chen Siqi's car before turning his attention to the red envelope in his hand.

The red envelope was very thin; you could tell just by touching it that it didn't contain paper money.

He asked Wang Biao, "Where are you going?"

Wang Biao said, "I'm going home. I bought a ticket to go home tomorrow morning."

Zou Dong: "So, are you going back to your rented place tonight?"

"Yes." Wang Biao nodded.

"Get in the car, I'll give you a ride," Zou Dong said.

"Thank you, Brother Dong!" Wang Biao said happily.

As soon as Zou Dong got into the car and started the engine, he heard Wang Biao exclaim in surprise from behind, "What is this? Is this a check?"

Zou Dong was taken aback.

Wang Biao exclaimed in disbelief, "My God, I've never received a check in my entire life!"

Zou Dong glanced at Wang Biao sitting in the back seat through the rearview mirror; the young man's face was filled with undisguised excitement.

"Brother Lu is too generous. He already gave out such a large year-end bonus, why is he giving us checks?" Wang Biao said.

Zou Dong said, "You'll see later. Your brother Lu has always been very generous. As long as you do well and treat him well, he will never treat you unfairly."

Wang Biao grunted twice.

Zou Dong worked for Lu Yanhe for two years, signing a contract that nominally offered him an annual salary of 250,000 yuan, but in reality, he received far more than that.

When it comes to treating the people around him, Lu Yanhe has never been stingy and has always been very generous.

-

Lu Yanhe got into the car.

Chen Siqi said, "Have you not had dinner yet?"

"I just ate a little something," Lu Yanhe said.

Chen Siqi: "Okay, I told my grandma. She said there's soup simmering on the stove, so we can eat some more when we get there."

"There's no need for that."

“You won’t lack anything to eat during the Chinese New Year, so what’s the trouble? Every time I go back home, my grandma will make soup for me and wait for me to drink it.”

Lu Yanhe: "Then your grandmother is very good to you."

“Yes, my maternal grandmother has always liked me and treated me very well since I was little,” Chen Siqi said. “This time, she was the one who asked me why I hadn’t brought you to meet her before.”

"Huh?" Lu Yanhe was taken aback, looking at Chen Siqi with some surprise. "Did Grandma ask first?"

“Hmm,” Chen Siqi said. “I was thinking that we’re still in school, so I never thought about taking you to see your grandma at this time.”

Lu Yanhe scratched his head awkwardly.

"I really should have gone to see your grandparents sooner."

“We’re both so busy that we rarely see each other, let alone go see them. I myself rarely have time to go back,” Chen Siqi said. “Sigh, I feel really guilty about it.”

"Actually, since you have such a good relationship with your maternal grandparents, why don't you live with them?"

"Actually, after my dad remarried, my maternal grandparents specifically came to talk about this matter, saying they were willing to take care of me, but my dad refused. He spoke very righteously, saying that I was their daughter and there was no reason for them to suffer. He also said that he would feel more at ease if I grew up by his side. At that time, I was naive and really thought that he couldn't bear to part with me, so he refused to give me to my maternal grandparents. So I told my maternal grandparents that I was willing to live with my dad and his family. Later, as you know, many things were not as I imagined. When I wanted to leave, it was no longer so easy to leave."

Chen Siqi stared blankly at the somewhat empty road ahead. The yellow headlights seemed like the gaze of a beast, silently watching and illuminating everything nameless in the darkness ahead.

“They can’t let me go anymore because I have shares left to me by my mother, which will be in my hands when I turn twenty-two,” Chen Siqi said. “That’s why my dad insisted on keeping me by his side. He’s managing them for me now, but when I turn twenty-two, he won’t be able to manage them anymore.”

Lu Yanhe suddenly realized.

“So, Yan He, I’m actually very fortunate that during my university years, I was able to familiarize myself with the rules of business in advance through the magazine ‘Jump Up,’ and I was also able to gain some connections and power in advance,” Chen Siqi said. “I think none of them expected what I accomplished during my university years. You know, when my dad sees me now, it’s like he’s looking at a time bomb that could explode at any moment. His eyes are full of fear.”

Chen Siqi's lips curled up in a sarcastic smile.

Lu Yanhe looked at Chen Siqi tenderly.

“It’s okay. We can take control of our own lives now. If you can’t let it go, we can argue with them. If you’re too lazy to deal with them, we can just ignore them,” Lu Yanhe said. “Now we have the initiative. What kind of life we ​​want to live is no longer something they can influence. We decide for ourselves.”

Chen Siqi nodded and smiled.

"Um."

She took a deep breath. "Even now, I still find it unbelievable that I have the confidence to challenge them before I'm even twenty-two. Before, I thought that at worst, we'd all go down together. If they didn't let me have an easy time, I wouldn't let them have an easy time either. Now, they can't make my life difficult."

Lu Yanhe smiled.

“I rarely think about them now,” Chen Siqi said. “I’m too busy with so many things every day, I simply don’t have time to think about them.”

Lu Yanhe was very pleased to hear Chen Siqi say that.

This feeling of joy came very suddenly. Why did it come?

Lu Yanhe felt that, probably from his perspective, he hoped that Chen Siqi could move on from those less-than-pleasant childhood memories and see a bigger world, more wonderful people and things than those terrible memories.

It took more than two hours to drive to Chen Siqi's maternal grandparents' house.

There were hardly any cars on the road.

Not many people are still on their way home at this time.

Chen Siqi said, "After my maternal grandparents retired, they handed over the family business to my uncle to manage and stopped caring about these things. Usually, a nanny is responsible for taking care of their daily life. These days, it should be my aunt taking care of them."

Lu Yanhe rarely heard anything about Chen Siqi's mother's side from her.

What I heard most often was about her father and Liu Wei'an.

"When I see them later, how should I greet them? Should I call them Grandpa and Grandma, Uncle and Aunt, just like you?" Lu Yanhe asked.

He didn't think there was anything wrong with shouting like that.

Chen Siqi simply said, "Whatever."

-

Finally, when he appeared in front of Chen Siqi's mother's family, Lu Yanhe smiled exceptionally obediently.

When it comes to feigning innocence, Lu Yanhe is exceptionally gifted.

Chen Siqi immediately ran over to hug her maternal grandmother, then hugged her maternal grandfather, then greeted her uncle and aunt, and finally introduced Lu Yanhe to them.

"Lu Yanhe, my boyfriend."

Lu Yanhe carried large and small bags of New Year's goods in his hands. It wouldn't be good to come empty-handed on his first visit.

He ended by calling out "Grandpa," "Grandma," "Uncle," and "Aunt," which wasn't abrupt.

Chen Siqi's uncle patted him on the shoulder and said, "You look thinner than you do on TV."

Lu Yanhe said with a smile, "You usually have to be a little chubby to look good on camera."

After exchanging pleasantries.

They're not very mature people to begin with; they're still like children.

They welcomed him in.

As soon as we entered, Grandma said, "Siqi said that neither of you ate much tonight. Sit down first, and I'll go get you some food. The pigeon soup has been simmering for a while."

Lu Yanhe quickly thanked him and said, "I'll go with you to get it."

Chen Siqi said, "Please sit down, I'll go and help you serve it."

Lu Yanhe sat down, maintaining a polite smile on his face.

"Your performance on the Spring Festival Gala was really good," Chen Siqi's aunt said.

"Really? Thank you."

"I've heard that your entertainment industry is quite chaotic," Chen Siqi's uncle suddenly said. "Is that true?"

Lu Yanhe was taken aback. "Huh?"

Chen Siqi's aunt had already elbowed him and glared at him, her eyes clearly saying, "If you can't speak properly, then don't speak."

My aunt smiled slightly and said, "You have to go to school and act and sing at the same time. You must be very busy."

Lu Yanhe smiled and nodded, saying, "A little."

My aunt said, "You young people these days are really impressive. You and Siqi are both so young and still in university, yet you already have your own careers and are doing so well. I really admire you. I hope Huadong can learn more from you in the future."

Who is Hua Dong?

“Jiang Huadong, my son, went to Germany with his classmates for a study tour during the winter break, so he’s not here,” his aunt explained.

Lu Yanhe suddenly realized that Chen Siqi had a younger brother named Jiang Huadong.

At this moment, the grandfather, who had been silent until now, suddenly asked, "Are you planning to stay an entertainer forever?"

Lu Yanhe nodded. "This is the current plan."

Grandpa said, "But if you're an artist, you can't be home often, right?"

Lu Yanhe hesitated for a moment and then nodded. "Yes."

Grandpa nodded and said, "Then after you and Siqi get married, won't you still be separated most of the time?"

Lu Yanhe was completely stunned.

Huh? We've been discussing things from so far back?

“We… I think we won’t be as busy as we are now back then,” Lu Yanhe said. “At this stage, according to our thinking, we’ll both be a bit busy. But in five or ten years, if nothing unexpected happens, our careers should have entered a more stable phase, and we won’t need to be as busy as we are now.”

Grandpa said, "How can that be? No matter what stage of life you are in, you can't slack off in your career; you have to take it seriously."

Lu Yanhe grunted.

ha?

Isn't it because you complain about being too busy and not being able to spend much time together?

Lu Yanhe was momentarily at a loss.

At this moment, Grandma and Chen Siqi came out.

"Stop chatting for now, hurry up and eat something to fill your stomach. You'll get hungry if you don't eat, and an empty stomach will affect your energy and spirit," Grandma said.

Lu Yanhe responded with a sigh of relief and went to eat.

Two young people sat at the dining table.

A pot of pigeon soup, a plate of stir-fried green bean strips, and a plate of scallion omelet are just right for an evening meal—they're quite light.

While they were eating, Grandma sat next to them, watching them with a smile and asking them how the food was.

Lu Yanhe immediately said it was delicious.

It's actually a very home-style flavor.

Of course, it really does taste good.

Chen Siqi said, "Grandma, your cooking skills are still as good as ever."

Grandma said, "Your grandma has been busy at home these past few years, researching all kinds of dishes. That's my only hobby, but your grandpa doesn't appreciate it and insists that I'm always poisoning him."

Chen Siqi laughed and said, "Grandpa doesn't know how lucky he is."

“Exactly.” Grandma nodded immediately, then instructed Lu Yanhe, “Yanhe, you must not follow the example of Grandpa Siqi. You must learn to appreciate what you have.”

Lu Yanhe immediately replied, "I know, I've always known."

At this moment, Grandpa strolled over with his hands behind his back. He glanced at the dishes on the table and immediately said with disdain, "Really, Yan He is visiting our house for the first time, and you only made this little bit of food for him. It makes us seem so neglectful."

Lu Yanhe was completely dumbfounded.

"No, no, it's fine. Grandma's cooking is delicious."

I forgot to call her Grandma, and just called her Maternal Grandma instead.

Grandma glared at Grandpa, "Did you hear me!"

Grandpa said, "They were just being polite. You're really something. You can usually just give me this bland stuff, why are you giving Siqi's boyfriend this?"

Chen Siqi gave Lu Yanhe a look that said, "Don't interrupt."

Lu Yanhe quickly shut his mouth, trying to smooth things over.

Grandma sneered at Grandpa and said, "You're really something, aren't you? You think you can just get rid of me with plain soup? You're lucky you even have anything to eat, let alone plain soup. You'll be starving from now on!"

Grandpa: "It's not like we don't have a nanny."

"I quit!" Grandma's eyebrows shot up. "Don't come after the New Year. I'd like to see what you'll be eating!"

Grandpa: "..."

Lu Yanhe watched from the side, surprised by the way the two elderly people interacted, which was completely beyond his expectations, and at the same time felt a strange sense of familiarity.

He suddenly felt as if he had discovered the truth about "how Chen Siqi cultivated that kind of courage".

Lu Yanhe ate his meal silently, without interrupting.

After eating, we went back to the TV and waited with everyone for the countdown to midnight for the Spring Festival Gala.

As the New Year's bells rang, the sound of fireworks exploding outside filled the air.

Lu Yanhe and Chen Siqi came to the courtyard and looked at the dazzling fireworks in the night sky.

This area is secluded, and there seem to be no other houses around; the neighbors are all far away.

Lu Yanhe said, "It's quite quiet around here; even the fireworks are so far away."

Chen Siqi said, "After my grandparents retired, they wanted to avoid others and find a quiet place to live out their days. They chose this place early on, built a house, handed the company over to my uncle, and came here without any regrets."

"Is it convenient for the two elderly people to live here?"

“It’s very convenient. There’s a nanny and a driver, and everything we need is taken care of. My uncle and his wife also come back to visit from time to time,” Chen Siqi said. “Don’t let their bickering fool you; back in the day, they were big shots in business. Even now, many people want to visit them, but they refuse to see anyone. Sometimes they go on trips, but most of the time they stay here, tending to their flowers and plants, and occasionally going out to see old friends.”

Lu Yanhe nodded, "That sounds like a very comfortable life."

“Yes, I’m very envious,” Chen Siqi said. “After I went to university, every time I came back to see them, they would tell me not to come back, that they would come to see me when they missed me, and that I should do a good job on ‘Jump Up’. They are very proud of me for making ‘Jump Up’, even though they have never said it to me, but I can feel it.”

Lu Yanhe said, "They must have been very worried about you before."

“They are like you; they don’t want me to always focus on just a few people,” Chen Siqi said. “They want me to have my own life.”

"Because they want you to be truly happy."

"Yes, I know."

-

Grandma stood behind the window, glanced at the two young people nestled side by side in the yard, and slightly curled the corners of her mouth. Without turning around, she asked softly, "Old man, what do you think of this young man, Lu Yanhe?"

The old man said, "Our Xiao Qi has good taste."

The two of them stopped arguing.

Grandma sighed softly, "Xiaoqi is luckier than her mother to have met this child."

"Let's not talk about these things on the first day of the new year." Grandpa came up behind Grandma. "Now you can relax a little. This child doesn't have as many problems as you thought. Just like Xiaoqi said, if you teach him well in the future and make sure he doesn't go astray, they will live a very happy life."

Grandma: "You used to look down on Xiao Lu because he was a celebrity."

"Most celebrities who get married end up getting divorced, so what's wrong with me being a little critical?"

"Which other celebrities can get into Zhenhua University?"

"Who said that getting into Zhenhua means you won't get divorced? Is their school run by the matchmaker god?"

"I'm saying your logic is flawed. Just because many celebrities get divorced doesn't mean they're unsuitable for marriage. But celebrities aren't the same person, so why are you making such sweeping generalizations?"

"How could I condemn him outright? I've met Xiao Lu and thought he was a good kid, haven't I?"

"So you disliked him before?"

"Who dislikes him? I'm just a little concerned that the feng shui of the industry he works in is bad."

"Oh, you've become superstitious."

"...Why are you becoming more and more unreasonable?"

"snort!"

-

Lu Yanhe and Chen Siqi stayed here for two days.

On the first day of the Lunar New Year, Lu Yanhe personally cooked a meal, which amazed everyone.

"You've got this skill, kid?"

Lu Yanhe smiled sheepishly and said, "I've been cooking for myself since I was little. I'm just average, not as good as my grandma's. Please forgive me."

Grandma's eyes started sparkling as she looked at Lu Yanhe.

"It's alright, Grandma will teach you her great skills slowly later." Grandma smiled broadly.

On the second day of the Lunar New Year, Lu Yanhe and Chen Siqi left together to begin their long-planned vacation.

The elderly people reminded them: "Don't just focus on having fun and forget about safety. Safety comes first."

"Okay, okay." Chen Siqi waved and smiled brightly at her family. "We'll come back to see you again next time."

“You all go about your business, there’s nothing to see here, we’ll come to see you,” Grandma said.

And so the year has come to an end.

They went straight to the airport, since their luggage was already prepared and was in the trunk.

The airport was crowded at this time of day.

This was the first time Lu Yanhe and Chen Siqi had gone abroad together, purely for a vacation.

This made them feel inexplicably luxurious, so much so that when they walked into the airport, which they had entered countless times, they felt a genuine sense of ease and joy.

(End of this chapter)