Gather
During the May Day holiday, Shen Anxia naturally had to return to Yi'an.
This time, she didn't rush to catch the late-night high-speed train. She took half a day off in the afternoon and arrived in Yi'an at just over five o'clock.
Yang Zheng held a cup of hot milk and waited early at the exit of the high-speed rail station to welcome his beloved Bai Yueguang home.
As the train approached the station, Yang Zheng's heart pounded with the announcement from the train attendant.
He was speechless at his own heart, which had been reminding him day after day for years of the weight Shen Anxia held in his heart.
Passengers began to exit the station one after another. Yang Zheng spotted Shen Anxia at a glance. Today, she was dressed very casually, wearing a brown baseball cap, a black mask covering her beautiful face, and long hair hanging down to her waist. She wore a white T-shirt and blue jeans, holding a phone in one hand and pulling her suitcase with the other.
Shen Anxia also saw Yang Zheng.
Her searching gaze settled on him, then curved into a crescent moon.
Yang Zheng was dressed all in black as usual, with black sunglasses clipped to the collar of his black T-shirt. In the hand with the black watch, he held a drink, which Shen Anxia knew must be hot milk. He was smiling and waving at her.
After passing through security, Yang Zheng took the suitcase. Shen Anxia took a sip of the milk from Yang Zheng's hand, then naturally took Yang Zheng's hand with her other hand and asked, "Where are we going?"
Yang Zheng held her hand tightly as they walked, mentioning the evening's itinerary: "Everyone's at the Seafood Feast, we're the only ones missing. After dinner, let's go play at Sea Love for a while, and then I'll take you back."
"Okay. I'll call my parents first and tell them I've arrived in Yi'an."
"Too."
When they arrived at the seafood platter, all the dishes were served, and the group was already having a great time. Shen Anxia seemed to see a group of corporate slaves breaking free from their cages and returning to nature. Looking around, it seemed that the "Bone and Flesh Connect" boy band had brought all their families. When these corporate slaves saw that Yang Zheng had brought Shen Anxia back, a group of men clamored for a penalty drink. Yang Zheng didn't hesitate and downed three cups in a row.
The huge circular table had two seats, which were placed on either side of Yang Zheng and Shen Anxia, with the man sitting on one side and the woman on the other.
After sitting down, Shen Anxia greeted everyone. Among them were three women Shen Anxia had never met before. Yang Zheng introduced them to Shen Anxia one by one: Qu Cheng, Tian Lei's family members, and the mysterious, rarely seen second sister-in-law. These women were so beautiful that Shen Anxia's eyes lit up.
Before he could even take a good look at the group, Ding Fei stood up, holding his glass, and said, "Today is truly a rare occasion. It's been years since our entire group has been together like this. Your wives have all been incredibly supportive, making today's gathering so perfect. And most importantly—"
Ding Fei paused here, looked at Shen Anxia, and then everyone followed Ding Fei and looked at Shen Anxia.
Ding Fei continued to raise his glass: "An Xia's arrival has ended our third brother's years of being a single dog, and at the same time, it has brought our group together. So, with this glass, firstly, we wish the third brother and An Xia happiness, and secondly, we wish our group many more years like this!"
"Big brother's right!" Jiang Fanxing cheered from the sidelines, "Cheers!"
The group of people took a sip of their drink amidst the commotion, and then ate and chatted. The men started drinking and joking around, while the women also started talking all at once.
Ge Chen, holding his drink, looked at Shen Anxia and said in a cool tone, "It's been a year since I last saw Anxia. I didn't expect to see you again online."
"Yes, time flies. I'm sorry to have made you laugh, sister-in-law. I didn't expect it myself."
"This year, the third brother has finally seen the light at the end of the tunnel. I wish you both happiness," Ge Chen continued.
"Thank you, sister-in-law," Shen Anxia said with a smile.
“You don’t know,” Rong Yi, who was standing next to Shen Anxia, leaned close to Shen Anxia’s ear after hearing Ge Chen’s words and spoke with a strong smell of alcohol, “Third Brother was like a melancholy little prince before. No one in this group dared to mess with him. Fortunately, he won you back. I think he only recovered when you returned to Yi’an for the New Year.”
Shen Anxia glanced at Yang Zheng, who was being forced to drink, and then asked Rong Yi, "The melancholy little prince?"
“Hmm,” Rong Yi’s cheeks were flushed, clearly she had drunk quite a bit. She continued, “I’ve never seen him like that before. All he does is focus on his career. I’ve been trying to introduce him to another girlfriend, but he won’t even meet her.”
After saying this, Rong Yi suddenly remembered that she was talking about introducing Yang Zheng to a girlfriend in front of Shen Anxia, so she immediately added, "No, what I mean is, as soon as I saw you, Third Brother liked you."
Shen Anxia was amused by her.
Seeing Rong Yi and Shen Anxia laughing, Rong Yi's second sister-in-law turned to Shen Anxia and introduced herself: "Anxia, nice to meet you, I am Xi Yan."
"Second sister-in-law, it's a pleasure to meet you. You're so beautiful!" Shen Anxia exclaimed, utterly amazed by Xi Yan's beauty.
If we're talking about allure, no one at this table can compare to Xi Yan; she truly exudes charm in every gesture.
Xi Yan smiled even more charmingly upon hearing this: "Eat more, you're too thin."
"Okay." Shen Anxia smiled, her eyes crinkling, and looked at Zhang Jingyi beside her while eating: "Sister-in-law, didn't the baby come today?"
Zhang Jingyi was happy when she mentioned the baby: "I left the baby with my mom today. It's rare for me to be able to come out, so I was thinking of spending a few days alone with your brother Jing."
Shen Anxia said with a hint of regret, "Then I won't be able to see my little niece for the next few days?"
Zhang Jingyi laughed: "If you want to see her, I'll bring her back in a couple of days."
"good!"
“Sister Anxia,” said a woman next to her named Shen Anxia, “my daughter really likes you. Today, her father told her that we were going to meet you, and she kept asking if we could get an autographed photo of you. Could you sign one for me in a little while?”
Shen Anxia turned to look at the person who spoke. She remembered that Yang Zheng had just introduced this lady as Qu Cheng's family member, and her name seemed to be Zhang Qing.
"Sister-in-law, you already have a daughter? But you look younger than me." Shen Anxia said in surprise.
Zhang Qing was embarrassed by Shen Anxia's praise. She touched her baby face and said to Shen Anxia, "My daughter is seven years old and has enrolled in classical dance classes, but she always complains that practicing dance is too hard. After your dance videos went viral online, I showed them to my daughter, and since then she has idolized you and stopped complaining about being tired. Then one day her father came home and told his daughter that he knew you, and she started thinking about it. Today she said she could see you again, so she wanted to come and see you, and she even cried."
"Oh? Then... bring her here!"
"The kids are too restless and noisy; we can't eat properly when they come," Zhang Qing said helplessly.
"Hmm..." Shen Anxia thought for a moment, "Yang Zheng and I have already discussed it and we're going to have a barbecue in the countryside in a couple of days. Why don't you bring your daughter along?"
“Yes, bring Da Qianqian along.” Yang Zheng interjected during a break from being forced to drink.
“That’s a great idea! We can all bring our kids, they can play their games, and we can play ours!” Zhang Jingyi agreed.
“Jingyi, your Zizi can’t play by herself!” Xi Yan said.
“I can climb it myself, it just takes a bit of effort.” Zhang Jingyi didn’t think it was a big problem.
“Yes, bring the children!” Tian Lei’s family member, Wang Hui, also agreed.
“Okay, my daughter will be very happy to see you!” Zhang Qing smiled.
"How about we all take a group photo?" Ge Chen suggested.
“That’s right! We’ve never taken a picture before!” Wang Hui slapped her thigh and stood up first.
The other women also stood up.
Ge Chen handed his phone to Ding Fei: "Take a picture for us."
This commotion drew the attention of the men, who, upon realizing the women wanted a group photo, suggested, "Let's take one together! It's rare to have everyone here."
“Ladies, please sit down. We’ll stand behind our wives,” Ding Fei suggested.
Yang Zheng stood calmly behind Shen Anxia and reached out to put his hand on Shen Anxia's shoulder.
After taking the group photo, they split into two groups of men and women for another group photo, then couples took photos together, and then pairs took photos together. After taking enough photos, they had also eaten enough.
In the "Blood Ties" boy band, everyone except Duan Lixing drank quite a bit of alcohol. Yang Zheng was clearly drunk from being forced to drink. Ge Chen and Duan Lixing each drove a minivan, taking the group of people to the Sea and Sky Love.
Shen Anxia followed Yang Zheng into Duan Lixing's car, still in the middle seat. Yang Zheng held Shen Anxia's hand and stroked the back of her hand with his fingertips.
When they arrived at the Sea and Sky Romance, everyone went to the largest private room. The group ordered songs and danced around. Shen Anxia sat on the sofa and suddenly remembered that it was the same private room and the same spot two winters ago. Yang Zheng carefully introduced his group to Shen Anxia.
Now, she has truly become part of this group, and he is by her side.
Today's gathering was similar to the last one. A group of people were dancing wildly on the dance floor, while Ding Fei and Ge Chen sat on one end of the sofa, and Yang Zheng and Shen Anxia sat on the other.
Glancing at Yang Zheng, who was massaging his temples beside her, Shen Anxia asked, "Are you feeling unwell?"
"It's been a year since I last had a drink. Now that I've brought you back, there's no escaping it." Yang Zheng pulled Shen Anxia into his arms.
Shen Anxia wasn't used to being so close to Yang Zheng in front of so many people, so she nudged him.
Yang Zheng let go of her hand.
"Would you like some milk?" Shen Anxia handed the milk in front of her to Yang Zheng.
"I drank a glass of milk when I picked you up from the high-speed train." Even as he said this, Yang Zheng still took the milk from Shen Anxia's hand and drank a sip.
Are you feeling dizzy?
"It's actually not bad, it's just that I haven't had it in a long time, so I'm not quite used to it yet." Yang Zheng whispered in Shen Anxia's ear, his tone tinged with a complaint: "We shouldn't have come so early."
Shen Anxia looked at Yang Zheng and asked, "If you hadn't come earlier, you wouldn't have had to drink so much?"
"No, that won't work, but I can find a place to kiss you first." Yang Zheng asked Shen Anxia, his voice tinged with unfulfilled desire and drunkenness: "Anxia, do you want to find a place to kiss me properly?"
Shen Anxia: "...You're like this when you're drunk...No...this is your true self."
Yang Zheng laughed wildly, slowly leaning his head back on the sofa. He sighed with a smile, "You found out."
Shen Anxia: "..."
Yang Zheng reached out and took Shen Anxia's hand, pulling her back. Shen Anxia leaned against the back of the sofa.
"Do you know?" Yang Zheng turned to look at her, "Last time I came here, I kept hoping that when I brought you here again, you would be my girlfriend. Now, you are really by my side, An Xia, do you know how happy I am?"
"How happy are you?" Shen Anxia turned to tease Yang Zheng.
"I was so happy that when they poured alcohol on me, I felt like I was drinking sweet fruit juice. I was so happy that sometimes I couldn't believe it was real. I was so happy that I felt anxious every time I woke up."
As Yang Zheng continued speaking, the smile on his lips faded. When he got to the words "fear of loss," his speech slowed down, and other emotions surfaced in his eyes.
Shen Anxia looked at Yang Zheng intently, unsure of how to begin.
Yang Zheng closed his eyes tightly to hide his emotions, tilted his head, and leaned on Shen Anxia's shoulder. This time, Shen Anxia did not push him away.
"Anxia, let's be together for the rest of our lives, okay?"
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