Su Er turned on the bedside lamp and answered the phone.
Not wanting her low spirits to affect Jiang Siyan, she only showed a small part of her face, forcing a slight smile, "Happy New Year, Mr. Jiang. I wish you good health and all the best in the new year."
Jiang Siyan found a quiet spot and, listening to her sweet voice, couldn't help but laugh. "You're wishing me a Happy New Year."
Speaking of this, Su Er remembered, held her phone further away and looked at it carefully again to make sure she hadn't miscounted, then asked in confusion, "Why did you transfer so much money to me?"
Jiang Siyan teased her, "Little girl, you have to get a red envelope to keep you company during the New Year."
The bitterness I had managed to suppress earlier seemed to be making a comeback as I listened to that warm voice.
Su Er turned her face away, raised her hand to wipe away the moisture from the corners of her eyes, revealing only a few strands of hair, and muttered, "You're not that much older than me, yet you always call me 'little girl'."
There was nothing to be seen on the screen, but Jiang Siyan felt something was off about her voice, and his expression became slightly serious: "Turn your face over so I can see it."
Su Er paused in her grip on the phone, then tried to brush him off, saying, "No, my face hasn't been looking good these past few days, I don't look pretty."
As she spoke, she secretly glanced at the screen and immediately felt even more guilty, her hand holding the phone trembling slightly.
Sure enough, the next second, Jiang Siyan spoke slowly and deliberately: "Er'er, are you sure you're going to lie to me on the first day of the new year?"
Su Er bit her lower lip and didn't say anything, but she still obediently turned her phone towards herself.
The dim light was enough to make her reddened eyes visible. Jiang Siyan put down his crossed legs, his nonchalant attitude from when he was chatting with her earlier changed, and asked her seriously, "Tell me, why did you cry?"
When Su Er met his concerned gaze, her emotions seemed to find an outlet all at once. Her lips trembled, and two lines of clear tears fell down her cheeks.
She sobbed softly, expressing her confusion, bewilderment, and grievances.
Jiang Siyan listened attentively, his tense expression relaxed a little, and he chuckled, teasing her through the screen: "You still say you're not a little girl, crying over this, aren't you ashamed?"
Su Er sniffled, already in tears, and decided to play the fool: "I'll cry!"
Jiang Siyan patiently comforted her: "Alright, if you don't want to take the exam, then don't. Don't make yourself suffer. If you're unhappy at home, come back early, and I'll pick you up."
Su Er turned to the side and pulled a tissue from the bedside table, blew her nose, her voice still trembling with tears, glanced at him, and said, "What, it's the New Year, are you trying to take me back to Beicheng?"
Even Su Er herself felt that her words were a bit heartless.
Jiang Siyan chuckled helplessly, "Fine, it's my fault for being so talkative. My good intentions have been taken for granted. Oh well."
"Oh, I was just kidding, don't be angry."
The person who was just pouting and throwing a tantrum is now carefully observing Jiang Siyan's expression and trying to coax him instead.
Jiang Siyan wasn't really holding a grudge against her; he gently comforted her, "I know."
The two chatted for a while longer, and then the sound of his name being called came through the background noise of the phone again.
Jiang Siyan responded, and Su Er tactfully ended the conversation, waved to him, and said, "It's getting late, so you should get some rest."
"Okay, you should go to sleep early."
——
This year, Su Er didn't stay at home for too long, because of that argument, her relationship with her parents had never been very harmonious.
Everything else is fine, but as soon as the topic of postgraduate entrance exams comes up, they're bound to start arguing.
The back-and-forth made everyone unhappy during the New Year.
Until the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, after paying New Year's greetings to several important elders, Su Er made an excuse that he needed to go back to training early and booked a flight back to Beicheng.
The carefully planned surprise last time left her with an unpleasant impression, so this time Su Er didn't pull any surprises and obediently sent Jiang Siyan the flight number and arrival time.
The day Su Er arrived in Beicheng happened to be the eve of Valentine's Day. When she came out of the exit fully armed, she immediately saw an advertisement for couple rings by a jewelry brand.
There's nothing new about it; the promotional slogans are just clichés for rings: "eternal," "unique," and "for life."
"Oh, you bought me flowers." A girl's sweet voice rang in my ears.
Su Er subconsciously turned her gaze and saw the girl happily hugging the man's neck; they were probably a couple who had been separated for a long time.
Perhaps due to the ambiance, the words on the big screen, which originally had no real meaning, seemed to have the ability to attract attention, and a sense of anticipation arose in people's hearts.
She suddenly understood the significance of these advertisements. She had met the person with whom she hoped to have a future, and even if the vows were just empty promises, people would still believe them.
Unconsciously, she was held back. She stared blankly for a few seconds, then came to her senses and was about to leave when she saw the girl who had been holding the flowers standing in front of her, tentatively asking, "Excuse me, are you Er'er?"
Su Er and she locked eyes.
The girl's eyes widened, as if she had already received a definite answer. "Ah! It really is you! Er'er, I like you so much."
She was all bundled up like that, how did this girl recognize her?
"Excuse me, it's a private trip, we'd better not disturb others." Su Er quickly made a shushing gesture, her bright eyes, the only part of her face showing, curved into a smile as she asked, "Want an autograph?"
"Is it okay?" the girl asked in a low voice, shoving the flowers into her boyfriend's arms. She then pulled a marker from her bag. "Can you sign it on my phone case?"
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