Chapter 154: Staying Up for the New Year

Chapter 154: Staying Up for the New Year

New Year's Eve.

Lin Yulan and Yu Qinghong, being older, couldn't stay up late and had already gone to bed early.

Song Qingyu also couldn't stay up late and was persuaded to go back to sleep.

Yu Mingze went out after receiving a phone call and hadn't returned yet.

Only Fu Yining and Yu Zhili were left, gazing at the vast, starless night sky.

They couldn't set off fireworks here, and tonight the sky was so dark that not even a single star was visible.

"This is so boring."

"Meow!"

"What do you say we watch some TV?"

"Meow!"

"Or play some games with me?"

"Meow!"

Yu Zhili remained silent; the three cats had already responded for him.

Fu Yining turned around and glanced down at the three kittens sitting neatly behind them.

Two kittens sat on each side, with Fu Xiaomi right in the middle. It was the largest and roundest, and with the cold weather making its fur fluff up, it looked just like a ball from afar.

Fu Yining placed her hands on her hips and scolded them, "When I'm talking to your dad, why are you three answering?"

"Meow!"

"Stop pretending to be innocent!"

"Meow!"

"Speak human language, I can't understand you!"

"Meow!"

This was a bit too much to expect from the little kittens.

Yu Zhili comforted his wife, who, out of boredom, was seriously lecturing the kittens, "They're still young, they didn't mean it."

Fu Yining sighed, "Fu Xiaomi is already two and still can't speak human language. Won't it be embarrassing when we go out?"

Fu Xiaomi tilted its head: No matter how big it gets, it will never speak human language!

But seeing its beloved owner so worried, Fu Xiaomi called out to the two little troublemakers beside it, and the three of them walked straight toward Fu Yining, circling around her.

"Hmph, you're just milking how much I spoil you."

Fu Yining picked up Fu Xiaomi and handed the other two to Yu Zhili.

"Let's head back to the room. I'll see if I have any fun games downloaded on my computer, and we can play together!"

"Okay!"

Yu Zhili responded, holding two kittens who were waving their little paws and playfully swatting at each other.

"Hold still, you two, or you'll fall."

"Meow!"

-

When Yu Mingze arrived home, the house was completely dark.

Hu Ma and the others had gone back to their hometowns for the New Year, and not many people were left in the house.

He turned on the lights himself and let out a few soft meows.

None of the three cats showed up; only Fu Yining, locked in a cage, responded.

"Meow!"

Yu Mingze scratched his head, puzzled: "Where is everyone? Did they all go to sleep?"

But it was still early!

He had just gone out to hang with Lu Yan and the others after being invited, and now, upon returning home, there wasn't even anyone around to talk to.

How depressing!

Still, it was a lot better than last year.

Last year, his father went back to Jingzhou, and he stayed at home with his mother, listening to her cry all night until he felt dizzy...

"What did you guys usually do for New Year's before?"

In the room on the third floor, Fu Yining suddenly asked this question.

Yu Zhili controlled the character on the screen, answering, "I was probably in Jingzhou, hanging out with my parents."

"Do they set off fireworks in Jingzhou?"

"Yes, every household in the village sets off fireworks at midnight; it's really festive."

Sleeping was tough.

When they got up the next day, they could still smell the sharp scent hanging in the air.

Yu Zhili stared intently at the screen, smiling, "Ningning, if you're up for it, we can go back to Jingzhou together for New Year's next year."

"Okay!"

Fu Yining got so excited that her finger slipped, and the character she was controlling fell off a cliff and died.

"Crap!"

She almost screamed.

Luckily, Yu Zhili managed to grab the key to beat the level.

Now, it seemed like only the two of them in the whole house were really waiting for midnight to roll around.

Fu Yining dredged up a bit more from her memory.

"Li Li."

"Yeah?"

"The last time we stayed up together for New Year's Eve was probably during our senior year of high school, right?"

"Exactly," Yu Zhili said with a nostalgic look.

It was the first New Year they spent together.

They had just started dating not long before, and he didn’t return to Jingzhou due to academic commitments. He snuck out of the school dormitory late at night to find her.

They hugged as soon as they met, but in their excitement, one bumped their chin and the other their head...

Fu Yining paused for a moment and then suddenly laughed.

"I remember making up an excuse to trick my parents, but my brother insisted on coming out with me, and we almost got caught."

She had told them that Zhong Qi insisted on coming to see her, and later asked Zhong Qi to cover for them. Zhong Qi grumbled but eventually agreed to help.

Fu Yichen had his suspicions but dropped it due to lack of evidence.

Back then, Yu Zhili was still a penniless boy, but because of his excellent grades, he was recruited by the well-funded Lehe Middle School from another school.

Fu Yining's parents, of course, wouldn’t approve of their daughter being with such a boy, and Fu Yichen also kept a close eye on her.

She had to date Yu Zhili in secret, behind their backs.

Remembering those sweet yet tense times, Fu Yining couldn’t help but tear up.

"Actually, I've kept this from my parents all along and still haven’t told them."

Yu Zhili nodded. "I understand."

From his previous conversations with Fu Yining's parents, he sensed they had probably guessed but chose not to confront her.

As for her older brother Fu Yichen... he probably had no idea.

Fu Yining continued to reminisce, "Luckily, Chen Yanqing showed up then, and I asked him to help distract my brother so I could sneak out to meet you."

But later, when she asked Chen Yanqing how he convinced her brother, he wouldn’t say a word.

Yu Zhili was puzzled, "Why are you asking him that?"

"Because I want to learn so I can outsmart my brother! But that bad guy Chen Yanqing just wouldn’t tell me."

Neither threats nor bribes worked; he kept his mouth shut.

Fu Yining muttered under her breath, and Yu Zhili stayed quiet.

He was hiding something from her.

That day, when they hugged, he spotted Chen Yanqing standing under a streetlight in the distance.

"Never mind, let’s drop this. Let’s switch games; I want to play something else."

Yu Zhili pulled back his thoughts and said, "Okay."

Just as Fu Yining's fingers brushed the table, a sharp cat's cry came from behind them.

"Meow!"

She instinctively turned around.

"Pipi, Qiuqiu, why are you two at it again?"

"Meow!"

"Cut it out, you two! Fu Xiaomi, why aren’t you keeping your kittens in check?"

"Meow?"

Fu Xiaomi, snoozing soundly on the pillow, looked up, puzzled.

A closer look revealed a few stray black hairs on the light-colored quilt, clearly yanked off Pipi by his sibling’s claws.

Fu Yining scooped up the little cow-patterned cat and scolded, "You’re no match for him, yet you keep picking fights. Do you really think you can take on your brother’s size?"

"Meow!"

The little cow-patterned cat huffed in protest, so Fu Yining tossed it out of the room and passed it to Yu Mingze, who’d just walked in.

Yu Mingze looked baffled but soon broke into a grin as he cradled the kitten and left.

Fu Yining came back to find Yu ZhiLi had already tidied up the cat hair on the quilt. When he saw her, he greeted her with a cheerful, "Happy New Year!"

"Is it past midnight already?"

She glanced at the clock and saw that it was.

Fu Yining smiled and turned to Mr. Yu, who’d been patiently waiting for her.

"Happy New Year!"