Chapter 54 Happy New Year "I love you".

The end of the year is just around the corner.

Xing Lan's reputation in the advertising industry was maliciously smeared by his former boss. Too lazy to waste time dealing with them in court, he simply switched industries and found a new job as an online operations manager at a small snack company.

Although it was only a temporary transition and his position in the company wasn't very high, he still worked very hard and completed every task diligently.

Li Baidong's school is on winter break, and as usual, he wants to go back to his hometown of Haishi with his family for the Spring Festival. He wants Xing Lan to accompany him.

Whether or not I meet my parents is secondary; my main concern is spending the New Year with Xing Lan.

Xing Lan was not good at socializing. Although Li Baidong repeatedly said that his parents liked him very much and would never make things difficult for him, he was still afraid that he would feel awkward in front of Li Baidong's parents, so he declined on the grounds that he was busy with work after just starting his job.

For Xing Lan, the Spring Festival was nothing special. Apart from the annoying social obligations she had to deal with, it was just an ordinary day in the long winter.

His dislike for the holiday might stem from his childhood, when Xing Yi always liked to force him to go out and socialize with him during holidays.

When Xing Lan was very young, he was pressured to drink by various ill-intentioned adults at dinner parties. Those powerful and wealthy people enjoyed watching the child suffer from the alcohol and found amusement in it.

While the other parents at the table would intentionally protect their children, Xing Yi was completely indifferent, treating him only as a tool for making business deals and building relationships.

Of all the children present, only the youngest, Xing Lan, was kept being forced to drink alcohol until someone couldn't stand it anymore and stepped in to smooth things over.

After toasting, you have to give a bunch of self-righteous fools a series of different blessings and recite poems in front of everyone.

As he grew up, he lost contact with Xing Yi and spent every New Year alone. He didn't buy any Spring Festival couplets, nor did he watch the Spring Festival Gala. He would just read a book for a while and go to bed early, just like any other ordinary day.

He was used to this kind of life and never felt that the Spring Festival was a particularly important holiday, nor did he necessarily have to reunite with anyone on this day.

As it turns out, he was able to live quite well on his own while everyone else was enjoying family reunions.

Xing Lan's attitude was very firm this time. Li Baidong begged and pleaded for several days, but he couldn't change his mind. Seeing that he would miss the last chance to buy tickets if he didn't go back soon, he had no choice but to pack his luggage alone, feeling wronged, in the face of his parents' constant urging.

Before leaving, he gave Xing Lan a handmade beanbag doll.

This ugly-looking little dog beanbag doll was made by Li Baidong himself. The stitches were crooked but very meticulous.

The puppy's head is fluffy, its belly is covered in light pink floral patterns, and its body is filled with many small beans that make a rustling sound when gently squeezed.

"It will keep you company these next few days, so you won't feel lonely when you sleep at night," Li Baidong said thoughtfully as he handed the doll to Xing Lan after packing his luggage.

Xing Lan poked the doll's soft, round belly with her fingertip and nodded in agreement.

Although this doll looks a bit rough, it feels great to the touch. The fabric is very soft baby cotton, which is very gentle and soft against the skin.

Li Baidong looked at Xing Lan, then suddenly raised an eyebrow and said mysteriously, "Brother, don't underestimate its size; it has a heart."

"The heart?" Xing Lan frowned, thought for a moment, and guessed, "You mean the beans that fill it?"

Li Baidong kept Xing Lan in suspense, not giving her a direct answer, but vaguely saying, "It's not beans. The heart is the most important thing for a puppy."

His words sounded rather strange. Before Xing Lan could figure it out, Li Baidong leaned closer, resting his chin on Xing Lan's shoulder in a dependent manner, and said pitifully, "Brother—what should I do? I really don't want to be separated from you."

He gently grasped Xing Lan's hand, blinked his eyes, and made a final plea: "Can't you really come with me? Let me tell you, my grandma's meatball soup is so delicious, don't you really want to try it?"

Xing Lan pursed her lips, casually stroked his blond hair, and helplessly coaxed the dejected-looking dog, "I really won't go, something's come up at the company."

Upon hearing this, Li Baidong pursed his lips, looking mournful.

What a lousy company! They don't even give us a holiday during the Chinese New Year.

If it weren't for the current time constraints, and the fact that it would be too late to start learning about explosives now, he really wanted to find a time when Xing Lan wasn't around and sneak off to blow up their company.

Li Baidong cherished the last moments he had with Xing Lan before their separation, spending every day with him these past few days, feeling extremely reluctant to part.

No matter how unwilling he was, the day of parting finally arrived.

Xing Lan drove Li Baidong to the station. Li Baidong hugged Xing Lan, lowered his eyes, and kissed him again and again with lingering affection, as if he wanted to make up for all the kisses he had missed in the next few days.

Despite the biting winter wind, Xing Lan's icy cheeks were warmed by Li Baidong's kisses.

He couldn't help but glance to the side. The station was packed with people during the Spring Festival. Although most people were hurrying along with their heads down, a very few stopped and looked at them curiously.

Two handsome men kissing passionately in public is quite eye-catching and could easily be photographed and posted online.

Xing Lan doesn't want to be an internet celebrity, nor does she want to trend on social media for kissing someone.

A few minutes later, he coldly raised his hand and gently pushed away Li Baidong, who was clinging to him and trying to kiss him: "Alright, it's almost time, let's go."

Li Baidong checked the time and said pitifully, "Brother, don't rush me."

He nuzzled his face against Xing Lan's neck, his voice low: "Just five more minutes..."

Xing Lan had no choice but to linger with this person, who was as sticky as a sugar cake and impossible to get rid of. He would also get upset and cry at the drop of a hat. So she had to keep arguing with him for a while longer.

Li Baidong hurriedly checked his ticket and boarded the train just one minute before departure.

The boy kept turning back to look at Xing Lan, his eyes dark and bright, filled with disappointment and reluctance, like a puppy abandoned by its owner.

His anxiety about parting was so exaggerated that Xing Lan felt a little sorry for him and could only turn her face away, pretending not to look at him.

A feeling he had never experienced before welled up in his heart. It was a heavy feeling, not exactly painful, but it made it hard to breathe.

Xing Lan stood there in her warm, well-fitting cashmere coat, watching Li Baidong's train rush past and disappear into the distance. It took her a long time to come to her senses.

His phone kept ringing; they were all messages from Li Baidong.

As soon as Li Baidong got in the car, he took all sorts of photos and sent them to Xing Lan, sending him WeChat messages the whole way.

His reports were so detailed that the messages kept coming in even into the night.

Xing Lan received a large number of photos of Shanghai from Li Baidong, and the memory usage of the chat software on her phone rose at an alarming rate.

Haishi has a completely different appearance from Ningshi. Although its economic development cannot compare with Ningshi, it has a unique and beautiful natural landscape, and the human touch between neighbors is stronger.

In addition, Haishi offers a more leisurely pace of life and the sea right outside your door, two things alone that make countless busy office workers in big cities yearn for it.

Xing Lan made himself a bowl of instant noodles and ate it while looking at the various strange photos that Li Baidong had sent him.

Li Baidong would take pictures of almost everything he saw and send them to Xing Lan, such as the cute little kitten he encountered on the roadside, the delicious feast his grandmother made for him at night, and even take pictures of the room he lived in when he was a child from every angle.

Xing Lan glanced around and saw that Li Baidong's childhood room was quite small. Because it had been uninhabited for a long time, the paint on the walls had peeled off, and the surface of the wooden furniture was also mottled, full of traces of time.

However, the floor was very clean, and the bedding on the bed looked brand new, obviously because the elders in the family knew that Li Baidong would be coming back for the New Year and had specially cleaned the place.

Xing Lan typed a message to him, instinctively asking with concern: "Is your bed too small? Is it enough for you to sleep in?"

Li Baidong replied: [Enough to sleep, but I'd definitely sleep better if I could sleep with you, bro ^_^]

How can two grown men squeeze into such a small children's bed and sleep together? They'd probably collapse the moment they lay down.

As Xing Lan finished eating her instant noodles and was cleaning up the table, Li Baidong sent her several more messages.

Strangely enough, it was Xing Lan who had a sleep disorder and needed someone to sleep with her, but after the two separated, Li Baidong seemed to be more uncomfortable than him. Every few seconds, he would ask Xing Lan what she was doing, and then eagerly report what he was doing to himself.

While Xing Lan was taking a shower, he hadn't had time to reply for more than ten minutes when Xing Lan sent him a message with 999+ messages.

After Xing Lan finished showering, he opened WeChat, and countless new messages popped up, making his phone lag.

D: [Brother, I miss you. (crying)]

D: [I can't sleep without you (feeling wronged)]

D: [Bro, what are you doing? Can we video call? (Waiting patiently.jpg)]

D: [Brother, why are you ignoring me? (Feeling wronged)]

D: [Is my brother annoyed with me? TvT]

D: [Brother]

D: [Brother]

D: [Brother]

D: [Brother, brother, brother, brother, brother, brother, brother]

D: [99 emojis of a puppy wiping away tears]

D: [99 (kissing) emoji packs]

Xing Lan stared at the endless stream of messages, drying her hair with a towel as she couldn't help but send him a voice message.

"Since you're rarely going back, spend quality time with your family and don't keep messaging me."

Li Baidong waited anxiously on the small bed for a long time, then hurriedly clicked on the precious voice message, only to hear Xing Lan's cold command not to send any more messages.

He paused for a moment, then made a video call to Xing Lan.

Xing Lan hesitated for a moment, but still answered the call.

The next second, Li Baidong's handsome face appeared on the phone screen, with a familiar smile in his eyes.

"Brother, did you miss me?"

Xing Lan didn't say anything, but arrogantly turned the camera around and pointed the lens at the little prince on the carpet next to her, who was sticking out his white, pert buttocks and tearing at a carrot toy.

Li Baidong looked aggrieved. The little prince was indeed quite cute, but he didn't want to see the dog right now; he only wanted to see people.

He tapped his phone with his finger, drawing out his words: "Bro—turn the screen around—please—"

Xing Lan paused for a moment, then turned the camera around again.

Li Baidong was finally able to see Xing Lan's face again, and he smiled happily, eagerly asking, "Brother, so you missed me?"

Xing Lan remained silent, but moved her fingers and ruthlessly turned the camera away once again.

Li Baidong, his eyes brimming with anticipation on his phone, once again stared at the Little Prince, who was chewing on a toy, and his dog.

Li Baidong: "..."

In the brief moment when Xing Lan quickly changed the camera angle, she accidentally revealed the tip of her ear, which was noticeably red.

Li Baidong guessed that he was embarrassed by the question and that's why he used this cute way to avoid answering.

He couldn't help but chuckle twice, squinting at his phone as he whispered, "How adorable."

Xing Lan thought he was praising the little prince, and her expression calmed down a bit: "What's so cute about it? Hasn't it always been like this?"

Li Baidong smiled and repeated softly, with a meaningful tone, "Yes, how come he's always so adorable?"

After a while, the sound of fireworks suddenly came from outside the French windows, crackling and popping, creating a very lively atmosphere.

The noise from Li Baidong's side also became increasingly louder, with the laughter of children running around outside and the singing from the Spring Festival Gala on TV.

Before I knew it, it was midnight.

As the New Year's bell rang, Xing Lan heard the first blessing of the year from Li Baidong, who was far away in Shanghai.

His voice was neither too loud nor too soft, yet it carried an undeniable depth of emotion.

"elder brother."

"Happy New Year."

Wishing you peace and good fortune.

Xing Lan paused, her heart warming, and gently replied, "You too."

Li Baidong remained silent for a while, and after a few minutes, he said with a relaxed tone and a smile, "I love you."

After he finished speaking, he licked his lips, nervously anticipating Xing Lan's reply in the small room: "Me too."

Time passed second by second until a familiar, clear, and cold voice reached my ears.

"Um."

"Go to sleep."

"good evening."

After Xing Lan finished speaking, she hung up the video call, her eyes lowered, her dark eyes revealing an unreadable emotion.

Li Baidong's eyes darkened, his smile froze, and he lowered his head, unconsciously clenching his fists.

In the lonely, cold winter, the small room without heating seemed to grow even colder in that instant.

...

It's so cold.

His heart ached from the cold.