She was so embarrassed.

Escaping may be shameful, but it can be useful.

Actually, the two of them had almost finished eating. Chen Lu sat down next to the girl with a smile and gently shook her.

"Alright, alright, I'm just teasing you. My dear wife, come give me a kiss."

"I'm not your wife," Liang Zhirou grumbled.

She said that, but she was actually holding back her laughter; her heart was about to explode with happiness.

Chen Lu's smile deepened. Sure enough, Liang Zhirou wouldn't ignore him no matter what.

Although he didn't know if this silly girl would get angry with him later, he was certain that Liang Zhirou would never ignore him.

"You're calling me 'wife' before we've even registered our marriage, you scoundrel!" Liang Zhirou muttered another condemnation.

"So, getting the marriage certificate is enough?" Chen Lu took out his phone and immediately made a call. "You wait, I'm calling my Uncle Mo right now and telling him your birth date is registered incorrectly. If he doesn't get this done for me, I'll jump off a building and make my dad cut ties with him!"

Upon hearing the phone call connect, Liang Zhirou, fearing that Chen Luzhen might be making things up, dared not continue to bury her head in the sand and quickly sat up straight on the sofa.

She snatched the phone and saw that this was the person who had just made the call.

Liang Zhirou: "......"

"You just know how to bully me because I'm stupid..." Her cheeks flushed, she threw herself into Chen Lu's arms with a wronged expression, and gently bit his neck. Soon, several small hickeys appeared on Chen Lu's neck.

This silly guy looks so cute when he says this, like a doormat.

Chen Lu's smile never faded; it was practically a silly grin on his face.

He suddenly felt that it didn't matter whether it was New Year's Eve or not; as long as he was with this silly guy, tomorrow would always be the most meaningful day.

After tidying up, the two of them had nothing to do, so they sat on the sofa together and watched a movie.

Chen Lu placed the notebook on his lap, letting Liang Zhirou lean on his shoulder.

Just like that rainy night before, he still let Liang Zhirou choose any movie.

Liang Zhirou chose "The Shawshank Redemption".

It has to be said that this simpleton has a knack for picking movies; he chose two timeless classics just by looking at the covers, even though he knows nothing about them.

For those who have seen this movie, if they hear someone call the protagonist Shawshank, it's like someone who plays The Legend of Zelda hearing someone call Link Zelda—their blood pressure will skyrocket.

Coincidentally, Chen Lu is the intersection of these two groups, which is why he is often driven crazy by casual viewers or casual gamers.

But it must be said, this movie is truly a timeless classic.

Time ticked by, and as Andy began to pay taxes to the prison guards, Liang Zhirou suddenly said, "You're just like the protagonist; you seem honest on the surface, but your heart is full of all sorts of thoughts."

She finished speaking while yawning, then looked up at the time; it was only a little past ten o'clock at night.

"There's still so much time ahead, it suddenly feels like time is passing so slowly."

"You're so focused on midnight that time seems to be passing slowly. If you put this aside for now, it'll go by faster."

"No wonder I always feel like every day is going by so slowly..." Liang Zhirou mumbled sleepily, leaning on Chen Lu's shoulder, her eyelids already starting to droop.

Chen Lu blinked. What does this have to do with every day? This silly guy's thinking is too unconventional.

He stood up, walked to the balcony, and picked up Duoduo.

“You are now part of our family too. How can you hide on the balcony by yourself?”

Just like when it first arrived, as soon as I picked it up and put it on the sofa, it jumped off on its own.

He turned back and stared blankly at Chen Lu, about to jump away, when he heard Chen Lu say coldly:

"Don't leave."

Duoduo was startled and obediently lay down on the sofa.

Chen Lu stared blankly, thinking to himself, "Calling you Little Wood Zhimu is absolutely right. You're just as stubborn as me."

Liang Zhirou felt the face looked familiar and couldn't help but raise the corners of her mouth, "That's how you scared me back then."

The girl squinted her eyes slightly, her speech was a little dazed, and her pretty face was filled with happiness.

"I was so scared back then..." Liang Zhirou nuzzled Chen Lu's shoulder, adjusting herself to a more comfortable position, "but I still really wanted to stay with you..."

"Really? Go to sleep if you're sleepy. I'll wake you up when it's almost time," Chen Lu said softly. He looked out the window, and the image of Liang Zhirou, who would only move when told to, was still vivid in his mind. At that time, he never imagined that this girl would become his girlfriend, lying in his arms like this today.

"No," the girl said, but quickly fell silent.

After a while, the snow outside gradually subsided, and a thick layer of snow had accumulated on the ground. Occasionally, a few lone snowflakes would fall onto the windowsill, blending into the pleasant atmosphere.

Inside the living room, Chen Lu and Liang Zhirou were sleeping peacefully in each other's arms on the sofa, covered by the same blanket. Duo Duo was nestled on top of them, also sleeping soundly.

This year, I spent it with my partner and our cat.

While I was fast asleep, the hands of the wall clock all pointed to twelve, and the calendar quietly turned to a new page.