MLROCSHR Chapter 45

Chapter 45: Happy New Year

“Uh, well…” Lian Xun fidgeted with the blanket beneath him, his eyes darting around.

“You didn’t prepare anything, did you?” Qi Luzhi feigned a hurt expression.

It wasn’t that Lian Xun hadn’t prepared anything; on the contrary, he had meticulously prepared a gift that he thought was particularly romantic. But now, he suddenly felt that this gift was a little embarrassing to present.

“It’s okay if you didn’t prepare anything, I was just joking.” Qi Luzhi embraced the conflicted Lian Xun and kissed his forehead. “Having you by my side is the best gift.”

Lian Xun pushed Qi Luzhi away. “Wait for me a moment.”

Then he jogged upstairs, returning shortly with a photo album in his hand.

“Here, take a look.” Lian Xun handed the album to Qi Luzhi.

The cover was black leather, with their initials embossed in the lower right corner, indicating it was custom-made.

Qi Luzhi opened the album; inside was only one photograph.

He remembered clearly, it was on Hugging Day, when Lian Xun insisted on taking a photo with him to get a buy-one-get-one-free cake.

“You still kept this photo?” Qi Luzhi’s fingertip gently traced the picture, a wave of emotion washing over him.

“Of course, I kept it. This is our first photo together.”

Lian Xun pulled a small Polaroid camera out of nowhere and waved it in front of Qi Luzhi. “From now on, we’ll capture every memorable moment and fill this album. When we’re old, we can take it out and flip through it. It’ll be so heartwarming.”

“Okay.”

At that moment, what Qi Luzhi heard was Lian Xun saying he wanted to be with him until they were old.

“So, do you like this gift?” Lian Xun asked anxiously.

“I love it, I really love it.”

Anything Lian Xun gave him, no matter what it was, he would love.

“I’m glad you like it.” Lian Xun beamed. “Then let’s take a picture now, shall we? Our first New Year together is worth commemorating!”

With that, Lian Xun leaned in close to Qi Luzhi, cheek to cheek, and snapped a photo.

In the picture, only Lian Xun was smiling brightly; Qi Luzhi beside him was expressionless, his eyes seeming somewhat bewildered.

Lian Xun frowned. “Smile a little! Let’s take another one!”

This time, Qi Luzhi cooperated much better. In the photo, he had a slight smile on his lips, which pleased Lian Xun. “Not bad, not bad. Keep it up next time.”

Lian Xun carefully placed the photo in the second slot on the first page of the album, stroking it adoringly for a long time.

“Isn’t this supposed to be a gift for me? Why are you holding onto it and not letting go?” Qi Luzhi snatched the album, carefully examining the newly taken photos. He seemed quite pleased as well.

“Yours is mine.” Lian Xun said matter-of-factly. “Isn’t it?”

“Yes, yours is also mine… including you!” Qi Luzhi agreed, raising both hands in approval.

Two people who are meant to be together for life should be intertwined and inseparable.

Night fell, and the sound of firecrackers could be heard sporadically outside the window.

Qi Luzhi made several dishes that Lian Xun loved to eat, boiled the dumplings Aunt Liu had sent over, and poured two glasses of red wine to add to the festive atmosphere.

Lian Xun was happy and had a few extra drinks. Qi Luzhi, afraid he would get too drunk to set off fireworks later, deliberately fed him more fish soup. Sure enough, he drank less wine.

After dinner, the two snuggled on the sofa watching television. Lian Xun insisted on waiting until midnight to set off the fireworks. They had to wait for more than three hours.

The Spring Festival Gala was uninteresting, and combined with getting up early, Lian Xun’s eyelids soon began to droop.

Qi Luzhi noticed that the head resting on his shoulder kept sliding down. He looked down and saw that Lian Xun was incredibly sleepy.

“If you’re sleepy, go to bed first. The fireworks will be the same tomorrow.”

“No.” Lian Xun blinked a few times, forcing himself to stay awake.

This was his and Qi Luzhi’s first New Year together. The sense of ritual had to be maximized. Every task had to be completed.

“Alright, lean on me and doze for a while then.” Qi Luzhi adjusted Lian Xun into a more comfortable position to prevent him from sliding down again.

After struggling to stay awake until nearly midnight, it was finally time to set off the fireworks.

Snow had begun to fall outside at some point, laying a thick blanket on the ground that shimmered in the light.

Qi Luzhi carried the fireworks he had bought earlier into the open space in the yard, lit the fuse, and quickly ran back to Lian Xun, covering his ears.

A sharp whistle cut through the dark night sky. Then, beams of light shot into the air, suddenly exploding high above, turning into countless brilliant stars.

The crackling sounds rose and fell, as if playing an exciting movement for this gorgeous painting.

The people beneath the fireworks snuggled together, their faces filled with happy smiles.

Because their loved one was by their side, these boring rituals gained meaning.

“Happy New Year, my boyfriend.” Lian Xun turned to look at the person beside him, his eyes overflowing with tenderness.

Qi Luzhi bent down and kissed his round, adorable earlobe, then leaned close to his ear and whispered, “I love you.”

Lian Xun’s eyelashes fluttered. “That’s cheating. You should wish me a Happy New Year too.”

“Happy New Year, my darling.” Qi Luzhi gazed into Lian Xun’s eyes and repeated earnestly, “Happy New Year.”

The two smiled at each other, their gazes meeting as if the entire world was just the two of them.

At this moment, happiness was no longer an abstract concept but was genuinely and truly present in the depths of their eyes, transformed into a beautiful and eternal memory.

After setting off the fireworks, Lian Xun wanted to go back to sleep.

He had originally planned to stay up all night, but he couldn’t hold on any longer, so Qi Luzhi accompanied him back to bed.

He was clearly very sleepy, but once he lay down, he couldn’t fall asleep for a while.

Lian Xun, like a restless little snake, kept wriggling around in Qi Luzhi’s arms. This flurry of activity aroused an inexplicable fire in Qi Luzhi’s heart.

He held Lian Xun’s waist, issuing a slightly hoarse warning, “If you move around again, you really won’t be sleeping.”

Hearing this, Lian Xun froze as if a spell had been cast on him, instantly becoming obedient and daring not to move an inch.

He was already exhausted from the day and couldn’t handle any more tossing and turning.

After a while, a voice rang out in the quiet night, “Qi-gege, are you asleep?”

“No.” Qi Luzhi, who had his eyes tightly closed, reluctantly opened a slit, replying helplessly, “What do you want now?”

“I want you to grant me a New Year’s wish.”

“What wish?” Qi Luzhi asked.

“Promise me first.”

“Okay, I promise you.” Qi Luzhi tightened his arm around Lian Xun’s waist, his tone indulgent. “Whatever the wish is, tell me tomorrow. Let’s sleep now.”