Chapter 111: Happy New Year
At the dinner table, both families were completely drunk.
For the first time, Chen Cheng realized that her mother actually drank alcohol. She was happily sipping red wine with An Yuan’s mother.
Her mother was clearly in a great mood, chatting with An Yuan’s mother about Chen Cheng’s future wedding dowry. In their area, the groom's family gives a lot of money, but the bride's family gives back about the same amount. It was considered a starting fund for the newlyweds from both families.
Some wealthier families even doubled the dowry to ensure their daughter wouldn’t be mistreated after marriage.
Chen Cheng picked up a few slices of beef with her chopsticks, then turned to look at her father and uncle.
"From now on, we’re family!" Her father, now thoroughly drunk, had completely forgotten his earlier hostility toward An Yuan. "Come on! Cheers!"
An Yuan’s father, also swaying from the alcohol, nodded along. "Family, family..."
Chen Cheng sighed helplessly. It was nice that both families were getting along, but did they have to be this loud?
If they were at her house, she would’ve already escaped to her bedroom.
But right now, An Yuan was in the bedroom, and if she stayed in there too long, the elders would start getting suspicious.
"Chengcheng~" Her mother suddenly handed her a cup of red wine. "Why don’t you have a drink too?"
"Huh? I don’t drink."
The truth was, she had been craving a drink for a while!
There were six people at the table, and she was the only one drinking cola! Eating seafood hotpot without even touching alcohol felt like a waste!
"Come on, you’re already nineteen. A little drink won’t hurt."
"Alright then."
Pretending to hesitate, Chen Cheng took the paper cup and sipped the wine, immediately frowning at the unfamiliar taste.
Ice-cold beer tastes way better...
"Everyone reacts like that the first time," her mother chuckled, resting her chin on her hand as she watched her daughter. "Why don’t you just stay here tonight and take care of An Yuan?"
Chen Cheng froze. She almost nodded, but her face turned bright red as she quickly refused. "Huh? I don’t think that’s a good idea..."
"Like I don’t know how much you want to stay."
"Not at all! Right, Auntie?"
"Oh, please. Last time you two had a fight, Chengcheng came to my house and ended up sleeping on the couch with An Yuan," An Yuan's mother said, grinning as she spilled the embarrassing story.
Her mother immediately perked up. "Oh? Tell me more!"
"She was sprawled all over the couch, practically shoving her toes into An Yuan’s nose! Her sleeping posture was a disaster."
Amused, her mother asked, "Wasn’t there a bed?"
"I told her to sleep in the bed, but in the middle of the night, she ran off to find An Yuan instead~"
"Oh my~"
Her mother let out a teasing sound, while Chen Cheng covered her face in embarrassment.
MOM! What happened to your dignified image?! Stop gossiping about me like Hu Wei and Shuting!
To hide her shame, Chen Cheng kept her head down, sipping her wine and pretending to be deeply focused on the Spring Festival Gala playing on the TV.
The sound of singing from the show, the lively chatter around her, and the occasional fireworks bursting outside...
She glanced at her slightly tipsy, smiling mother, her gentle and kind auntie, and her father and uncle laughing with their arms around each other.
Moments like this were rare.
She didn’t like noisy environments, but deep down, she wished for more nights like this.
It was so much better than her past life, living alone in a rented apartment.
No matter how much she tried to convince herself that she preferred solitude, she had to admit, this was nicer.
Even if the cost of this life was being reborn as a girl, maybe it wasn’t so bad after all.
After a few more cups of wine, Chen Cheng’s cheeks were glowing red.
"Mom~"
She shamelessly picked up a paper cup and handed it to her mother.
"You didn’t even want to drink earlier," her mother teased, but still poured her another cup.
"Red wine is good for your skin, but don’t drink too much." She took the chance to lecture her daughter. "Especially never drink outside. It’s fine at home, but not anywhere else."
"Of course! I never drink outside."
Her mother poured her another drink, stretched lazily, and stood up. "I should head back and prepare for the ancestor worship ceremony."
"You’re not staying until midnight?" An Yuan's mother asked.
"Nope," her mother shot her a look. "If I stay any longer, I’ll get completely drunk."
She glanced at Chen Cheng’s father, who was completely wasted, and frowned in annoyance. Not bothering to deal with him, she called out, "Chengcheng, finish that cup and come home with me."
"Huh? We’re leaving?" Chen Cheng sat up straight, suddenly nervous. "How about I stay here and take care of Dad? He drank so much, I’m a little worried."
"Do you think I don’t know who you really want to take care of?"
“......”
Her mother rolled her eyes, put on her coat, and left to prepare for the ancestor worship ceremony.
As Chen Cheng watched her mother walk out and then glanced at her drunken father, she felt restless.
“Chengcheng, can you go check on An Yuan in the bedroom for me?” An Yuan's mother said knowingly, seeing right through her.
“Okay!”
Chen Cheng downed the rest of her wine and dashed toward the guest bedroom.
She pushed open the half-closed door and peeked inside. An Yuan had kicked off his blanket and was sprawled out in a starfish position, snoring loud enough to shake the room.
“Wow… that snoring is something else.”
Tiptoeing into the room, Chen Cheng quietly shut the door behind her and walked over to the bed. She pulled the blanket back over An Yuan, then sat on the edge, turning to look at the man beside her.
He’s so handsome… hehehe~
She hurriedly suppressed her infatuated smile and shook her flushed cheeks.
The wine hadn’t seemed strong when she drank it, but now the warmth was creeping up on her, making her feel a little hot. Her face was burning red.
Feeling mischievous, she reached out and pinched An Yuan’s nose. His snoring stopped instantly, his brows furrowing in his sleep as he switched to breathing through his mouth.
“He’s still not waking up?”
She let go of his nose, leaned against the headboard, and pulled out her phone, tucking her feet under An Yuan’s blanket for warmth.
She was just sitting there playing on her phone, but every now and then, she’d glance at An Yuan’s sleeping face and feel a deep sense of peace. The Spring Festival Gala music echoed from the living room, filling the air with a festive atmosphere.
Maybe she should just sleep here tonight…
Her father was too drunk to care, and her mother probably wouldn’t mind either…
But that snoring, though. It might be too much to handle.
Back in college, she suffered from insomnia because one of her roommates snored too loudly. She ended up with permanent dark circles under her eyes and developed an intense hatred for snoring.
Just as she was debating, a series of loud fireworks exploded outside.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The thunderous blasts made Chen Cheng jump. She looked toward the window. Outside, the night sky was lit up by dazzling fireworks, their glow illuminating her face.
“So loud…”
The noise startled An Yuan awake. His voice was hoarse as he groggily turned over, only to rest his head directly on Chen Cheng’s lap.
“Hey… you’re heavy.”
With no other choice, she stretched her legs out flat. Looking down at An Yuan resting on her thighs, she asked, “Want some water?”
“Sleepy… kinda cold…”
“Well, maybe if you actually used the blanket?”
She pulled the blanket over him again, absentmindedly playing with his hair, a soft smile tugging at her lips.
He’s like a little kid.
The fireworks lasted for a full ten minutes, keeping An Yuan from falling back asleep. Now fully awake, he lay there with half-closed eyes, staring at the night sky outside.
Sitting up, he rubbed the corners of his eyes. “Too noisy. I can’t sleep. What are you doing here?”
“I’ve been here this whole time, okay?”
Chen Cheng yawned. It was already past midnight, and the wine had made her sleepy.
“Sleepy? How long was I out?”
“Two or three hours. I’m exhausted… finally, some peace and quiet.”
She lazily tilted to the side, flopping onto the bed and burrowing under the blanket.
“Go to sleep. Close the window and pull the curtains.”
“Wait, I just woke up—”
“Shh~ Just don’t move too much… now, cuddle me~”
An Yuan hesitated for a moment before lying back down beside her. Chen Cheng found a comfortable position, resting her head on his shoulder and wrapping her arms around his waist, letting out a satisfied hum.
So warm. So cozy.
She could feel his body heat, catch the faint scent of his skin. Their heartbeats seemed to sync, and everything felt so peaceful. Her mind relaxed completely, and drowsiness washed over her like a tide.
If only I could always fall asleep like this…
“Goodnight~ Happy New Year.”
“Happy New Year.”
Just as she was drifting off, her half-conscious mind suddenly snapped awake.
Chen Cheng gritted her teeth and she angrily said, “I told you not to move your hands!”