Chapter 55 I have a boyfriend who is very young and handsome, and I'm very satisfied with him...

When Xing Lan went to sleep at night, she felt an emptiness in her body, which she found very uncomfortable.

Not just by the bedside, but also in my heart, it felt like something was missing, like a corner had been bitten by ants, causing a faint, subtle pain.

He tossed and turned for a long time, unable to fall asleep.

He took a deep breath and thought, perhaps the fireworks outside the window are too noisy.

He lay in bed for more than half an hour, then sat up, turned on the bedside lamp, and held the little dog beanbag doll that Li Baidong had given him before he left in his hands, staring at it quietly for a long time.

The beanbag doll is soft; with a gentle shake, the little beans inside make a rustling sound.

In the quiet of the night, the sound is especially soothing, like a spring breeze blowing through the leaves of a forest.

Because it was sewn by Li Baidong himself, the fabric seemed to still carry the boy's warm body temperature and pleasant scent.

Xing Lan couldn't help but reach out and squeeze it, vaguely sensing that besides the round beans inside the doll, there seemed to be something else hidden inside.

He frowned and tried to trace the outline of the thing with his fingertips, but because of the bean, the shape of the thing was hard to distinguish, and he could only vaguely feel a small pointed corner.

heart.

The most important thing for a puppy.

What could it be?

Xing Lan frowned in thought, then lay back down on the bed, hugging the small beanbag doll to her chest, and fell asleep without realizing it.

-

Xing Lan spent this New Year alone again, but it was the most lively New Year he had ever had in all these years.

Although Li Baidong wasn't physically present, he kept receiving WeChat messages and would occasionally make a video call, making his presence felt even stronger than when the two were living together.

Sometimes when Xing Lan was working overtime at the company, his phone kept ringing, which made his new colleagues feel strange, and they would frequently look in his direction.

Xing Lan had no choice but to turn her phone off and ignore his messages.

However, this deeply hurt Li Baidong's feelings.

During the Lunar New Year, he had no heart to offer New Year's greetings. He hid alone in his childhood room and silently shed tears. When he cried, he remembered to take pictures and send them to Xing Lan.

D: [Brother.]

D: [I've missed you so much my eyes are swollen ToT]

D: [(A photo of someone crying while looking up at the ceiling at a 45-degree angle.jpg)]

To comfort this sensitive, fragile dog with severe separation anxiety, Xing Lan had no choice but to agree to spend two hours every night video chatting with him.

Even so, Li Baidong was still not satisfied.

He could see the people on his phone, but he couldn't touch them or be close to them. He couldn't bear this kind of hardship.

Li Baidong was raised by his grandparents until he started junior high school, and he had a very good relationship with them. In the past, he would always try to spend as much time with them as possible when he went back home for the Chinese New Year. But this time, he didn't stay in Haishi for long, and before he had even finished visiting all his relatives, he bought the earliest ticket and rushed back home.

Although Grandma Li was quite reluctant to part with Li Baidong, she immediately understood when she heard that her eldest grandson was in a hurry to go back to be with his beautiful and intelligent granddaughter-in-law. Before he left, she packed a lot of local specialties from Shanghai into Li Baidong's luggage and told him to remember to give them to Xing Lan.

Back in Ning City, Li Baidong, a college student, still had a long winter break ahead of him. This meant he had plenty of time to spend with Xing Lan and enjoy a happy New Year just for the two of them.

Xing Lan didn't expect Li Baidong to come back so early.

Based on his tearful farewell at the train station that day, and his soul-stirring appearance, Xing Lan thought he would stay in Haishi for at least a month, or even never return in his lifetime.

In fact, it hasn't even been a week.

Li Baidong loves holidays. As soon as he returned, the festive atmosphere in Xing Lan's house instantly became stronger.

The refrigerator was packed full of New Year's goods that Li Baidong brought back from his hometown, and the cats and dogs were all dressed in bright red and warm new clothes.

Spring Festival couplets were pasted on the door and the "Fu" character was pasted on the window. A large pile of bright yellow tangerines appeared in the transparent fruit bowl on the coffee table.

The familiar home has gradually shed its former cool tones and become warmer.

The day he returned, Li Baidong personally cooked a table full of dishes, saying he wanted to make up for Xing Lan's regret of eating New Year's Eve dinner alone this year.

He spent half the day working alone in the kitchen, and at dinner time, he rolled up his sleeves and couldn't wait to put food into Xing Lan's bowl and mouth.

"Brother, you should try this. This dried fish was made by my grandma herself, and it smells amazing."

"This is a fried cake made by my second aunt. It's especially delicious. The fillings include red bean and sesame. I've loved it since I was a child."

"This is rice wine brewed by my uncle. It's not very strong. Would you like a sip today, brother?"

A table full of local delicacies.

Although it wasn't anything fancy, it was filled with the abundant and warm love of my family.

Li Baidong fed Xing Lan bite by bite in an orderly manner, and Xing Lan ate mouthful by mouthful, like a special assembly line. Every small fish bone that Xing Lan spat out was naturally caught by Li Baidong's palm.

Xing Lan was constantly being fed by him, her cheeks were so full that she could hardly eat anymore.

Halfway through his meal, his phone, which was on the table, suddenly rang.

Both of them looked at Xing Lan's phone and saw two large, eye-catching words on the screen.

【grandfather】.

Xing Lan's expression changed slightly. She took a tissue to wipe her mouth, got up from her chair, and went into the study with her phone.

Li Baidong stared at Xing Lan's retreating figure, his thin lips slightly pursed.

Although the two are now very familiar with each other and their relationship is much closer than before, Xing Lan still seems to have some reservations about him in some matters.

He was unwilling to meet Li Baidong's parents and almost never revealed his family affairs to Li Baidong.

Li Baidong sat at the dining table, lost in thought, his once bright gaze gradually turning somber.

Xing Lan closed the study door and turned to answer the phone.

"Hello? Grandpa?"

He lowered his head, about to wish his grandfather a Happy New Year, but it was Xing Yi's voice that came from the other end of the phone.

"I heard you're no longer with that company?" Xing Yi raised his chin and arrogantly tapped the table in front of him with his knuckles.

On this holiday, he didn't offer Xing Lan a single word of concern or greeting. Instead, he questioned her repeatedly in an accusatory tone, "Why did you suddenly quit your perfectly good job? What have you been doing all this time?"

"And another thing, why do you refuse to meet the Lin family's daughter that I introduced to you? She's so outstanding, what is it about her that doesn't suit you? What are you being picky about?" Xing Yi said sarcastically. "As your father, I have to give you a piece of advice: the worst thing in life is to be ambitious but unrealistic, with high aspirations but low abilities."

"It is said that a man should settle down before establishing a career. You are at the best age now. What's wrong with you settling down, getting married and having children at this time?"

Xing Yi didn't know from which New Year's dinner party he learned that Xing Lan had lost her job. Although he only cared about giving birth to Xing Lan but not raising her, he had an almost abnormal desire to control Xing Lan's studies and work. He had to ask about everything and make sure that every decision satisfied him.

After slapping Xing Lan and kicking her out that day, he expected Xing Lan wouldn't want to answer his calls, so this time he called using his grandfather's phone.

"See what?" Faced with his questioning, Xing Lan said indifferently and coldly, "Don't bother me with strangers anymore. I already have a boyfriend."

"You have a girlfriend?" Xing Yi was taken aback, then frowned and asked, "Who is she? Which family does she come from? What do her family do? Do I know her parents?"

Xing Lan gently curved the corners of her lips, speaking clearly and calmly.

"It's not a girl, it's a boy."

"He's very young and handsome. I'm very satisfied."

"I do want to settle down, but not with the kind of person you're thinking of."

"..."

After Xing Lan finished speaking, there was a long silence on the other end, before he finally roared out from his dantian.

"What did you say?!!" The voice was so loud it seemed to shatter the glass on the table.

Just as the volcano was about to erupt, Xing Lan chuckled and hung up the phone in time.

He didn't want to block his grandfather's number, but he also didn't want to be bombarded with calls from Xing Yi, so he simply turned off his phone.

After turning off the phone, Xing Lan put it in her pocket. As soon as she opened the study door, she bumped into Li Baidong, who was peering out from the doorway.

Because of the height difference between the two, Xing Lan's forehead bumped right into Li Baidong's chin, and he was hurt by the sharp jawline.

Xing Lan covered her forehead, her brows furrowing unconsciously. Li Baidong, on the other hand, was all smiles, still savoring the adjective Xing Lan had used on him during the phone call.

Very young.

He's very handsome.

Very satisfied.

...

Every word made him feel great, and the corners of his mouth couldn't help but turn up.

Xing Lan glanced at him, her cold eyes carrying a hint of warning: "What are you doing standing here? Eavesdropping on my phone call?"

"No, brother." Li Baidong blinked innocently. "I just happened to be passing by."

Xing Lan didn't believe it and was about to speak when Li Baidong raised his hand, his long fingers swiftly stuffing a piece of fried cake into his mouth.

The red bean paste-filled fried cakes are piping hot and sweet, melting in your mouth, leaving only a lingering fragrance.

With a sticky fried cake in her mouth, Xing Lan looked up and stared at him, her eyes half-closed, saying, "I'll forgive you this time because your second aunt is a very good cook. But don't do it again."

Li Baidong nodded quickly, put his arm around Xing Lan's shoulder affectionately, and the two walked back to the restaurant together to continue their meal.

-

The new company had little work and low pay. Although the job was easy, there was basically no room for advancement, which could not satisfy Xing Lan's career aspirations.

If he could, he would still like to return to the advertising industry he loves and continue his career there, but those big companies that are well-known in the industry are avoiding him because of some rumors.

Not long after the New Year, Xing Lan received a phone call from someone claiming to be an HR representative of an advertising company. The caller asked him if he was willing to join the company. The caller was very sincere and offered him very generous terms, with salary and benefits far exceeding those of the past.

Because they were so enthusiastic, Xing Lan didn't trust them at first.

After further investigation, I learned that this was a newly established company. The founder was a young second-generation rich kid who had just returned from studying abroad this year. The company currently has only a few employees, so it is eager to recruit more talent.

They didn't care about Xing Lan's disputes with her former company; they only valued Xing Lan's professional abilities.

Xing Lan met with the company's founder in person, and the two talked for a whole afternoon, and both had a good impression of each other.

The founder promised Xing Lan that as long as he was willing to join the company, he would become a key employee and enjoy the best treatment.

After much consideration, Xing Lan still didn't want to lose this opportunity to return to the advertising industry. After hesitating for a while, she decided to take a gamble and join this newly established company.

After saying goodbye to the founder, he walked out of the coffee shop, intending to go back and tell Li Baidong the news. However, as soon as he got home, he found the front door wide open and the usually tidy entrance covered in messy footprints, indicating that someone had forcefully broken in not long ago.

The next second, a loud crashing sound came from inside.

-----------------------

Author's Note: Merry Christmas Eve o3o [heart emoji] (giving everyone apples). [laughing emoji][laughing emoji] By the way, here's a no-prize quiz: Guess what Li Dongdong put in the beanbag doll. Actually, it's pretty easy to guess ovo