Chapter 25 New Year's Eve

As the weather gets colder, the southern part of the city experiences more snow in winter, often shrouded in a blinding white blanket.

With final exams approaching, reviewing was proceeding in a busy but orderly manner. At Uncle Jiang's request, Yu Bai still managed to find time to visit Lin Yun at the hospital. Lin Yun had lost the gentle and charming appearance she had at their first meeting; now she was haggard and worn out. Her long hair covered the dark circles under her eyes, and her eyes seemed to harbor a snake, shooting out a vicious and sinister light.

This was the second time Yu Bai had seen Uncle Jiang since that night at the police station. He was now just an empty, aged man. Although Yu Bai hated how Uncle Jiang had treated Jiang Jizhou, he couldn't help but tear up when he thought of how good Uncle Jiang had been to him.

"Uncle Jiang..." Yu Bai gently moved his lips and called out to Uncle Jiang in a low voice.

But Lin Yun interrupted her, looking at Uncle Jiang with a complaining expression, "Go buy me some porridge, I'm so hungry."

Uncle Jiang immediately got up and went out to buy food.

A few days ago, because of Lin Yun's anger, Chen Ma deliberately tormented her. In a fit of anger, she returned to the villa, leaving only Uncle Jiang to take care of her. Uncle Jiang originally wanted to hire a caregiver, but Lin Yun only wanted him to take care of her, saying that the loss of the child was entirely Uncle Jiang and Jiang Jizhou's fault, and that she shouldn't suffer alone. Uncle Jiang understood that she had just lost her child, so he had no choice but to go along with her wishes.

So, at this moment, only Yu Bai and Lin Yun were left in the ward. Yu Bai placed the fruit basket and a bunch of white lilies he had bought on the table.

"Aunt Lin, I hope you recover soon." She spoke sincerely.

Lin Yun merely snorted coldly, her tone sharp and sarcastic, "Why isn't Jiang Jizhou here? Why send this bastard from who-knows-where?"

Yu Bai frowned. Did Lin Yun think she was a pushover who had no temper and could be bullied by anyone?

Yu Bai is much more confident and lively now. She smiled insincerely and said calmly, "I'm not going to hold it against you because you had a miscarriage. Uncle Jiang asked me to come and see you. If you don't welcome me, I'll leave on my own."

After saying that, Yu Bai turned to leave.

But Lin Yun burst into tears, "My child, he's still so young..."

The heart-wrenching cries made Yu Bai stop in her tracks. She turned to look at Lin Yun, who was sobbing uncontrollably, and said, "You're young, take good care of yourself, you'll have children again."

Upon hearing this, Lin Yun looked up at Yu Bai, her gaze sharp as a snake flicking its tongue, the cold light sending chills down her spine.

"It's all because of Jiang Jizhou."

She gritted her teeth, already hating Jiang Jizhou to the core.

Yu Bai shook his head and said softly, "You killed your own child."

Lin Yun gave Yu Bai a blatantly malicious look, then lowered her head, stopped crying, and instead of sobbing hysterically, she chuckled softly, which sent chills down Yu Bai's spine.

"Bai Bai, I bought you food too, let's eat together."

Just then, Uncle Jiang pushed open the door and walked in, forcing a smile as he greeted Yu Bai.

Yu Bai swallowed hard. "No, Uncle Jiang, I'll be going now."

After saying that, Yu Bai fled the hospital as if he were escaping.

Fine snow was still falling outside, and a cold wind was blowing densely, but Yu Bai felt her body, which had been cold in the ward, warm up. After a moment of silence, she numbly took a taxi home, Lin Yun's words replaying in her mind—it was all because of Jiang Jizhou.

Lin Yun attributed all the mistakes to Jiang Jizhou.

Yu Bai leaned back in her seat, her back soaked with cold sweat. Lin Yun's condition was very abnormal, and she was very worried about Jiang Jizhou.

After returning to the villa, Yu Bai told Jiang Jizhou about visiting Lin Yun at the hospital.

Jiang Jizhou had heard of it, but just smiled lazily, "With her?"

Seeing Jiang Jizhou's arrogant and domineering face, Yu Bai thought of Lin Yun's eyes in the hospital and couldn't help but worry, "I'm really scared that she will take revenge on you."

Jiang Jizhou raised an eyebrow, reached out and rubbed Yu Bai's head, gently comforting her, "It's okay, I'll be careful."

Yu Bai pursed his lips and nodded.

-

Lin Yun stayed in the hospital for more than two months before being discharged. Yu Bai heard from Chen Ma that Uncle Jiang gave Lin Yun a house as compensation.

Although Chen Ma was very dissatisfied, saying that Lin Yun, that vicious woman, was not worthy of him, Yu Bai was quite happy. This way, Lin Yun's mood would be better, and he hoped that she could come to her senses and understand that the miscarriage was her own fault, not Jiang Jizhou's.

Yu Bai thought of Jiang Jizhou and felt sad for him. Because of Lin Yun's false accusation, Uncle Jiang did not believe Jiang Jizhou at all without clarifying the situation and called the police to arrest him. Jiang Jizhou was his biological son. Shouldn't he be compensated for being falsely accused like this? But Uncle Jiang did not even say sorry. He just took care of Lin Yun wholeheartedly.

Jiang Jizhou, however, didn't care at all. He just told Yu Bai not to think about these messy things and to focus on reviewing for the final exam.

Seeing Jiang Jizhou's nonchalant attitude, Yu Bai felt a little relieved and focused on reviewing for the final exam.

On New Year's Day, December 31st, Mingjing invited Yu Bai to watch fireworks in the south of the city and celebrate the New Year together.

Yu Bai hesitated for a moment, but Ming Jing said, "Old Li said we should balance work and rest, and relax our minds."

Under Mingjing's persuasion, Yu Bai agreed, and Jiang Jizhou also wanted to go with Yu Bai. After learning about this, Mingjing took the opportunity to ask Jiang Jizhou to invite a few of his friends, as it would be more lively with more people.

So, Mingjing, Yu Bai, Jiang Jizhou, Chen Ye, Aze and his girlfriend went to the south of the city to watch the fireworks, specifically to the viewing platform.

Led by staff, the group took the elevator to the observation deck.

The fireworks display was scheduled to start at eight o'clock. With ten minutes to go, Mingjing leaned against Yu Bai's right shoulder like a koala, pressed against her body, excitedly anticipating the fireworks display that was about to begin.

Yu Bai also leaned against Mingjing's head.

Suddenly, Yu Bai's left hand was touched by the back of another hand. She subconsciously pulled her hand back and turned her head to look, only to find that Jiang Jizhou was standing next to her at some point.

To enhance the viewing experience of the fireworks, the lights in front of the French windows were dim, making it difficult to see Jiang Jizhou's expression.

"It's eight o'clock!" Mingjing excitedly stood up and shouted to everyone.

Upon hearing this, Yu Bai withdrew his gaze and looked straight out of the floor-to-ceiling window.

"Bang--"

Large, round fireworks burst open in the desolate sky, their vibrant colors instantly illuminating the dark night, creating a dazzling and beautiful spectacle.

Yu Bai was overwhelmed by the breathtaking beauty, gazing blankly at the blooming night sky.

The next second, Jiang Jizhou took her left hand. Yu Bai paused, turned her head to meet Jiang Jizhou's gentle and deep eyes, and seemed to still have the lingering glow of the fireworks from just now in his dark pupils.

Yu Bai gripped back, her five fingers slipping through Jiang Jizhou's fingers, their ten fingers intertwined tightly.

"So beautiful!"

"What a nice view!"

...

All that remained on the observation deck was the sighs of the crowd, with many people taking out their phones to record videos and take photos.

While recording the video, Mingjing talked to Yu Bai, praising the fireworks in various ways how beautiful they were.

In the dim light, amidst the clamor of the crowd, and with the dazzling fireworks, Yu Bai and Jiang Jizhou held hands tightly.

The fireworks lasted for half an hour.

Like a meteor shower streaking across the sky, the sky was now completely black.

The crowd was still marveling at the brief, dazzling fireworks display.

Chen Ye and the others also walked over to Yu Bai and the others. Yu Bai was embarrassed and quickly let go of Jiang Jizhou's hand. Fortunately, they were not discovered.

"Let's go eat hot pot! Hot pot is the perfect match for winter!" Mingjing suggested.

Several boys said they didn't care, and Aze's girlfriend Xiaoxiao smiled and said, "I have no objection either."

At this moment, Yu Bai noticed Xiao Xiao. They had never met her before. She dressed in a mature and sophisticated style, with gentle and charming eyes and a captivating aura.

"Let's go then."

Mingjing is the life of the party, a master at keeping the atmosphere lively.

While eating hot pot, Mingjing inquired about Aze and Xiaoxiao's love story. Aze told her that Xiaoxiao was bullied by some thugs, and he rescued her, and the two fell in love at first sight.

"Wow, how romantic!" Mingjing blinked, her face full of envy.

Yu Bai listened quietly, but unexpectedly met Chen Ye's gaze. He quickly looked away, trying to avoid suspicion, as if afraid that Jiang Jizhou would misunderstand. Yu Bai also looked away.

When he went to get the condiments, Yu Bai scooped out three spoonfuls of sesame paste, two spoonfuls of chili oil, and a small amount of cilantro, then turned and left.

Jiang Jizhou noticed the chili oil in Yu Bai's bowl and frowned. "Is it spicy?"

Yu Bai stubbornly replied, "It's okay, I'm not afraid of spicy food."

Thinking of how she ate spicy chicken while crying that time, Jiang Jizhou couldn't help but raise an eyebrow and chuckle.

Back in his seat, Yu Bai lowered his head to stir the condiments, and when he looked up, he saw Xiao Xiao winking at Jiang Jizhou.

Jiang Jizhou acted as if he hadn't seen it, his expression indifferent.

Aze's expression was rather unpleasant.

Yu Bai was stunned, momentarily confused. Didn't Xiao Xiao like A Ze? Wasn't she A Ze's girlfriend?

Yu Bai was in a daze, while Ming Jing, who was standing to the side, hadn't noticed and was still envying A Ze and Xiao Xiao's love. Yu Bai had no words to say and remained silent.

After finishing their hotpot, they prepared to go home. Mingjing and Chen also went the same way, so they took a taxi together. Aze and Xiaoxiao were still waiting for their ride. The Jiang family's driver arrived even earlier. Yu Bai and Jiang Jizhou were about to get in the car when Xiaoxiao stopped Jiang Jizhou. Yu Bai, standing to the side, looked at her somewhat at a loss.

"Jiang Jizhou, let's exchange contact information."

Jiang Jizhou's expression was somewhat cold as he glanced at Aze behind Xiaoxiao.

Aze stepped forward and grabbed Xiaoxiao.

What are you doing?

"If you don't give it to me, I'll have to ask for it myself."

"Do you want your boyfriend's brother's contact information?"

"Didn't I already break up with you? You're the one who's clinging to me and won't let go."

...

The two started arguing back and forth.

Jiang Jizhou ignored them and got into the car. Seeing this, Yu Bai followed him into the car.

"Xiaoxiao likes you," Yu Bai said cautiously.

"It's none of my business," Jiang Jizhou said indifferently.

Their breakup was probably because Xiaoxiao fell in love with Jiang Jizhou. Will Aze hold a grudge against Jiang Jizhou?

Yu Bai wanted to say something, but Jiang Jizhou glanced at his watch and said to her, "There's still one hour left, until midnight."

Yu Bai stopped thinking about Xiao Xiao and A Ze and looked forward to midnight.

I have half an hour left after I get home.

It's rare to see the villa area so brightly lit this late, as everyone is waiting for the fireworks to start at midnight.

Yu Bai and Jiang Jizhou were no exception; they and Chen Ma brought out fireworks together, preparing to set them off in the courtyard.

As the clock struck midnight, Jiang Jizhou lit the fuse and ran to Yu Bai's side.

"Happy New Year."

"Happy New Year."

Jiang Jizhou and Yu Bai spoke in unison, then smiled at each other as fireworks bloomed one after another in the darkness.