Chapter 2 Yuan Xi (Middle)

  I'm so tired today... thanks to everyone who tipped, I'll deal with it tomorrow, my spirit can't hold on anymore. I'll try to work overtime tomorrow to finish the task and then resume normal updates!

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  I had a dream and woke up when the sky was just getting light, the air conditioner was warm, but in the empty room, there was a kind of chill called loneliness that penetrated deep into my bones.

  Sat on the bed thinking about that dream for a while, but it's not quite accurate to call it a dream, it was actually a memory.

  It was a few months ago, when I was in Australia, that period of time abroad wasn't very pleasant. The filming schedule was very busy, and although there were times to rest, it was difficult to find places to relax in a country where the language wasn't spoken. So during occasional breaks, everyone would usually hide away in their hotel rooms, playing games with each other to pass the boring time.

  The scene in the dream was when they played cards, she, Jun-he, Xu Zhiying, and Zhang Gensheng, four people squeezed on a bed. At that time, Jun-he had a beard, completely blurring his age, sat with her together, sharing a blanket to cover their legs. Their limbs inevitably touched each other at times. The deepest impression was his scorching body temperature. Like a small stove, it was very warm, and she couldn't help but want to touch him, but when they made contact for a moment, she would feel a little flustered and quickly pull away. After several times, Jun-he, who noticed her movements, misunderstood and sat further away, making her feel disappointed.

  The bet was simple, the loser had to draw a turtle on their face with lipstick. She had never been good at games like this and felt frustrated, unable to focus, so she kept losing, soon her face was covered in drawings, even her eyelids were smeared with color, making it hard for her to open her eyes.

  What followed was absurd, she heard Junhe laughing and saying he would leave her behind and not take her to play, she panicked and tried to grab his hand, but with her eyes closed, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't catch it, the laughter quickly faded away from her ears, very anxious, trying hard to open her eyes, then... woke up!

  The familiar ceiling comes into view, and in a daze, a chill runs over my heart.

  It was the morning of New Year's Eve in 2005, and as on countless occasions before, she was alone in her room. But today was different; after a moment of loneliness, she got out of bed with a faint smile on her lips.

  This Lantern Festival, she won't be alone. A few days ago, on the last night in Tokyo, she wiped away tears and looked at Jun-hyuk who was quietly feeding her porridge, asking him again: Can we still be friends?

  At that time, the neon lights outside the window were colorful and mapped his profile with a colorful splash. He raised the spoon in his hand and nodded: Okay!

  It's okay...

  In her response, she cried again, like a little kid, throwing away all restraints, unable to tell whether it was joy or sadness, tears just kept flowing down. Her agent sister later scolded her for being a silly girl, losing her soul over a man, not even taking care of her body, and having no dignity, shamelessly relying on that thing called "An Junhe", what a loss of face.

  She just smiled awkwardly, her sister wasn't her, she wouldn't understand. Whether it was the once lonely Lin Xiujing or the current Lin Xiujing with another person in her heart, she had never been a creature that could live independently, like a dodder vine, when alone clinging to loneliness and struggling hard, now there was a branch called love handed over, having something to rely on, such struggles became even more intense, trying hard to climb up it full, entwining tightly, never letting go.

  That is the paranoia hidden under gentleness. For this paranoia, reserve is meaningless, and it's better not to have it than to miss out on many things because of reserve.

  Now the two are friends again, and it's normal for friends to spend holidays together. So yesterday afternoon, she nervously called him and asked if she could go to his place on Lantern Festival. Only then did she realize that her heart was racing like a drum, and even after he agreed and they chatted for a few more sentences before hanging up the phone, her heart's intense pounding still hadn't subsided.

  Tossing and turning until late at night, worrying about gains and losses, I finally fell asleep, only to have such an absurd dream.

  It was also that dream, which made her more certain of a reality - she would go to his home, meet his family, and spend the holiday with him, even if it was just as friends. So she got out of bed happily, tidied up the bedding happily, and during this process, the sky outside the window gradually brightened with a fish-belly-like dawn, spreading over to this side of the sky, snowflakes still dancing in the air, the silver-white earth reflecting the light of the sky, and the whole world slowly lit up under the dawn.

  When she had finished washing, drying her hair, carefully combing it, and powdering her cheeks, applying lip balm, and lightly rouging her face, drawing her eyebrows and eyelashes... after all the dressing was done, when she finally went out, the sky was already bright. A few early-rising children, holding sparklers, ran past her, laughing and shaking them. She turned around to look, and on the thick snowy ground, they left behind their lively footprints, and their crisp laughter also echoed in this vast expanse of white snow, and the festive atmosphere quietly began its first page.

  ……

  An Junhe certainly couldn't have really gone to Xiao Xian's house for the Lantern Festival, he and Xiao Xian's parents had never met before, suddenly going to someone else's home for a traditional holiday was too abrupt, not to mention it was snowing heavily now, Zhishu's mobility was inconvenient, and she really couldn't go out for a long distance.

  However, this consideration was not quite acceptable to Xiaoxian. When An Junhe used her mobile phone to call her mother, thanking for the invitation and politely declining, the little girl pouted, sat aside and hummed in discontent.

  Her personality is a bit passive, but that doesn't mean she won't get angry. When she's bullied by Xiu Ying and the others to the point of annoyance, she'll sometimes slam down her school bag and shout "Sister, go die!", or silently walk away alone. But usually not long after, once the momentary excitement passes, she'll start to feel that her attitude was too bad, and then hesitantly return, like a little victim, quietly bustling around the person who made her angry, trying to repair their relationship in this childish way.

  Just like now, after sitting quietly for a while, An Junhe was still on the phone thanking and chatting with his mother. She got up and ran quickly into the kitchen, made a cup of instant coffee, quietly placed it in front of him, and then started peeling fruit again.

  "Alright, alright! Eating an apple will reduce your lifespan by 10 years!" An Junhe, who had just hung up the phone, quickly grabbed the knife away. The girl's clumsy and awkward movements while peeling the apple made him nervous, fearing that she would cut her own fingers before even removing the skin.

  The little girl widened her innocent eyes, looking a bit lost.

  An Junhe smiled and said, "I just told your mom that you're spending the Lantern Festival here today. How about it? Are you still angry?"

  Her eyes lit up, and she hastily shook her head. Then, as if she had put down a heavy burden, she burst out laughing.

  An Junhe rubbed her little head, "Since you're not sad anymore, go and wake up your Zhixiu sister. Later, let her watch the house while we go buy ingredients to make five-grain rice and mixed cold dishes."

  "Uh-huh!" Little Xian responded with effort, her small hands holding up the hem of her hanbok, running into Zhishou's room with a patter. Before long, she could be heard calling out to Zhishou in a grown-up tone, telling him to get up, followed by Zhishou's murmurs and grumbles as he didn't want to wake up. Then, Little Xian did something mischievous, causing Zhishou to suddenly let out a sharp cry, his clear voice ringing out, all sleepiness instantly vanishing without a trace. What naturally followed was revenge.

  "No, sister, I was wrong..."

  "Less equipment is pitiful, humph, black belly!"

  "Ah...... sister, don't touch there......"

  "...it's already developed..."

  "Ahem!" An Junhe, who was smiling and listening intently, awkwardly twitched the corner of his mouth and retreated to the kitchen.