Chapter 53

Lin Jiale: [Who the hell is still studying on New Year’s Eve?]

　　Lin Jiale: [Oh, it’s the miserable college student, hahaha.]

Lin Jiale: [Forget about me, just let me die.]

Ye Mingxuan leaned back against the desk, his chin resting on his hand. Seeing Lin Jiale’s message, he replied listlessly: [But I have to finish the exams before I die, otherwise all this studying would be for nothing.]

　　Lin Jiale: “…”

Lin Jiale sent a voice message. Ye Mingxuan tapped it open and heard Lin Jiale’s shrieking collapse: “Aaaaaah!”

Ye Mingxuan covered his ears: “Jiale, just hang in there these last few days. We’ll be on break soon.”

Lin Jiale: ” No way, I need a break! Tonight’s New Year’s Eve—my parents are watching the countdown show, and I’m watching too. Sorry, Xuanbao, I’m outta here. No more studying with you.”

Ye Mingxuan: “Ugh…”

Lin Jiale: “Oh, and you can have your boss Tan keep you company! Hehe~ My idol’s on TV, gotta run! Bye!”

　　Ye Mingxuan: “Hey! Jiale!”

Lin Jiale didn’t reply—probably off watching the New Year’s Eve show.

Ye Mingxuan: “…”

He lost all motivation to study. The distant crackling fireworks exploded in his heart, and Ye Mingxuan’s thoughts had long drifted away.

　　Before coming to the Ye family, he and his dad lived in construction site dorms. Since the project wasn’t finished, no one went home for New Year’s Eve. His dad and a few uncles set up a small table, sitting around drinking beer and playing cards. Ye Mingxuan played with sparklers alongside the children of other workers.

The sparklers danced in his hands, as beautiful as stars falling into his palm.

　　Later, after moving to the Ye residence, he could only watch from the window as Ye Yufan’s family set off fireworks in their spacious backyard.

His thoughts drifted back. Ye Mingxuan stood up and walked to the window. Opening it, he saw bursts of fireworks shooting toward the horizon, briefly lighting up the night sky white.

　　He leaned against the window, mesmerized for a moment, when suddenly a knock sounded at the study door. Ye Mingxuan turned his head.

He hurried over to open it, but upon opening the door, no one was there. Ye Mingxuan looked around: “Sir?”

　　Strange. Hadn’t anyone knocked just now?

Ye Mingxuan lowered his gaze and suddenly noticed several scattered candies on the floor. They stretched from the study doorway toward the staircase, then continued along the stairs toward the main entrance.

“?”

　　He picked up the candies one by one, following the trail down the stairs. Soon his hands couldn’t hold them all, so he grabbed a candy bowl and filled it all the way to the front door, where it was just full.

　　Ye Mingxuan looked up. The front door stood ajar, needing only a gentle push to reveal the world beyond.

He didn’t know why the master had done this, nor what awaited him behind the door. But Ye Mingxuan took a deep breath, raised his hand, pressed it against the door, and pushed outward.

　　Tan Sizhe sat with his back to Ye Mingxuan on the moonlit steps, surrounded by piles of colorful fireworks. Dark green ivy wound its way down, swaying gently in the breeze on either side of the scene.

Ye Mingxuan clearly hadn’t expected this sight. He froze. “Sir.”

　　Tan Sizhe turned, clad in a black turtleneck sweater. His long legs were slightly bent, and his soft bangs fell over his gentle brow. “Come here.”

Ye Mingxuan awkwardly carried the candy bowl over and sat down. Tan Sizhe said, “It’s New Year’s Eve. Relax a little. Don’t be so anxious.”

　　Ye Mingxuan nodded. “Okay.”

He placed the candy bowl on his lap, picked up a Ferrero Rocher, and offered it to Tan Sizhe. Tan Sizhe chuckled softly and accepted it.

Ye Mingxuan unwrapped another Ferrero Rocher and popped it into his mouth. The sweet chocolate flavor spread through his mouth, and he closed his eyes blissfully.

　　After eating for a while, he noticed Tan Sizhe hadn’t unwrapped his yet. Ye Mingxuan puffed out his cheeks, looking expectantly at Tan Sizhe.

Tan Sizhe chuckled at Ye Mingxuan’s doe-eyed gaze. He unwrapped his chocolate and popped it into his mouth. “Delicious.”

　　Ye Ming’s eyes crinkled, and his gaze shifted back to the fireworks.

Tan Sizhe asked, “So? Want to play?”

Ye Mingxuan nodded. Tan Sizhe said, “Go ahead then.”

“Sir, aren’t you playing?”

“This is for kids. I don’t like it.”

　　“…”

Five minutes later, Tan Sizhe crouched on the ground, obsessively aligning the fireworks. He wedged one into the corner of a square paving stone, then placed two more beside it, lining up three in a row.

Ye Mingxuan stood five meters away, covering his ears. “Sir, are you done yet?”

　　Tan Sizhe pulled out his lighter, igniting all the fuses with a hiss. The moment sparks flew, he dashed to Ye Mingxuan’s side.

The fireworks shot skyward with a whoosh, exploding in a burst of light that briefly illuminated both their faces. Ye Mingxuan shielded his ears, lifting his face to watch the fireworks. With each explosion, his eyelashes fluttered.

　　At the same time, a warm chest pressed against his back.

　　Ye Mingxuan flinched slightly as Tan Sizhe wrapped his arms around his waist from behind, his chin resting against his temple. “Do you like it?”

　　Tan Sizhe froze. He’d asked Ye Mingxuan before if he liked his gifts, but Ye Mingxuan had always avoided the question. Today, however, he’d answered plainly, “I like it.”

Those two words made Tan Sizhe’s blood boil. “You really like it?”

　　Ye Mingxuan gazed at the fireworks lighting up the sky, so beautiful, and smiled. “I like it.”

Tan Sizhe stared at his little wife’s stunningly beautiful profile, narrowing his eyes dangerously. He tilted his head and planted a kiss on his earlobe.

　　Caught off guard, Ye Mingxuan got goosebumps all over. He squirmed slightly, realizing his current position wasn’t ideal—his rounded belly was pressed against a certain spot.

Tan Sizhe nearly stood up, reaching out to pinch him. “Don’t move around.”

　　If Ye Mingxuan had a tail, it would surely be standing on end now: “Sir!!”

　　Ye Mingxuan blushed and covered it. In winter, his belly felt like a hot water bottle—he could warm his cold hands by resting them on it.

Tan Sizhe kept doing just that, though his hands weren’t cold. If they were, he wouldn’t have placed them on the belly. After warming himself for a moment, he said, “Once the months pass and it gets bigger, you won’t be able to hide it anymore.”

　　“Then you should take a leave of absence.”

Ye Mingxuan nodded. “Mm.”

His belly had grown noticeably larger lately. When the classroom heater was turned on and he took off his jacket, Zhang Shushu even asked if he’d gained weight—only to get smacked on the head by Lin Jiale.

　　For now, he could still pass it off as weight gain, but later on, it would be impossible to hide. He’d have to take a leave of absence.

The fireworks had burned out, but distant explosions still echoed intermittently. Tan Sizhe released Ye Mingxuan and fetched several sparklers from the steps. “Let’s play with these.”

　　Ye Mingxuan’s eyes sparkled. “Sparklers!”

Seeing his delight, Tan Sizhe curved his lips. “I bought plenty. Do whatever you like.”

Ye Mingxuan snatched them excitedly, then suddenly felt a sting in his eyes. “Sir, thank you.”

It had been ages since he last set off fireworks.

　　Ye Mingxuan held the sparklers while Tan Sizhe embraced him from behind. With one hand, Tan lit the sparklers with a lighter. Sparks flew everywhere, like twinkling stars falling onto Ye Mingxuan’s hands in the darkness.

His eyes shone brightly in the sparks, and the soft, fluffy scarf around his neck fluttered in the breeze.

　　Ye Mingxuan swung the sparkler as Tan Sizhe raised his phone toward him. Before Ye Mingxuan could react, two photos were snapped. “Sir!”

Tan Sizhe still held the phone, showing no trace of panic at being caught. He was completely unapologetic. “What? It looks pretty good, doesn’t it?”

　　Ye Mingxuan had been complimented on his looks countless times since childhood, but hearing it from Tan Sizhe made his cheeks burn and his breath catch.

Tan Sizze tilted his chin up. “Come here.”

　　Ye Mingxuan approached suspiciously. Once in front of him, Tan Sizhe spun him around and wrapped an arm around his shoulder. “Let’s take a selfie.”

The idea of a photo together made Ye Mingxuan incredibly nervous. Aside from his graduation picture, he’d never taken a photo with anyone else—especially not with Tan Sizhe.

　　A man who commanded such powerful presence both in and out of bed!

　　“Sir…”

“Smile.” Tan Sizhe tilted his head toward Ye Mingxuan. “You look good when you smile.”

Ye Mingxuan pressed his lips together. On such a joyful night, he didn’t want to dampen Tan Sizhe’s spirits. So he gathered his courage, tilted his head back, and flashed a smile at the camera, revealing his white, even teeth.

　　Tan Sizhe was pleased, snapping several shots before carefully selecting the best one to save. He then pulled Ye Mingxuan into a group chat.

Ye Mingxuan’s phone popped up with a notification: he’d been added to a group named “Loving Family.” “?”

　　Tan Sizhe’s mouth opened and closed: “My family group.”

Ye Mingxuan: !!! Why did he just add him to the group?!

Before he could prepare, messages immediately popped up in the group:

Grandpa Tan: [Welcome, Mingxuan!]

Grandpa Tan: [Red envelope for Mingxuan.]

　　Now there was no chance to slip away unnoticed. Ye Mingxuan scratched his head and tapped the red envelope: 【Thanks, Grandpa.】

Soon, several people came out to welcome him.

Yangyang: 【Hello, sister-in-law!】

Tan Jing: 【Welcome, welcome!】

　　Tan Sizhe introduced him: “This is my cousin, and this is my aunt.”

Ye Mingxuan took note, then pointed at the people appearing next and asked: “And these are…”

Tan Sizhe: “My first and second uncles, my first and second cousins. Don’t worry about remembering them—you won’t see them often anyway.”

　　Ye Mingxuan nodded. Suddenly, two more red envelopes popped up in the group chat. He asked, “Then… Tan Yinghui and Liu Junxin are?”

Tan Sizhe smiled faintly: “My parents.”

　　Ye Mingxuan was startled. “Huh?!”

Tan Sizhe shrugged. “They travel all over the world and rarely come back to China. You won’t see them often either. Just take the red packets if they send them.”

Ye Mingxuan accepted them awkwardly. “Oh…”

　　Tan Sizhe posted the photos he’d just taken to the group chat, immediately drawing a wave of compliments.

Tan Jing: [The photos are amazing! Mingxuan is such a handsome kid, don’t you agree, Third Brother?]

Tan Yinghui: [Of course Tan family members are good-looking! We’re all visual creatures, from the oldest to the youngest.]

　　Liu Junxin: [Look at Xiao Ze, all proud and stuff, posting pics just to get compliments.]

They bantered back and forth, making Ye Mingxuan blush into silence. But soon, red envelopes started flying in the group: [Happy New Year!]

Ye Mingxuan hesitated, unsure whether to grab one. Tan Sizhe said, “Check the message.”

　　Hearing this, Ye Mingxuan exited the group chat and went to Tan Sizhe’s chat page. He discovered Tan Sizhe had transferred him ten thousand yuan. Startled, he asked, “Sir?”

Tan Sizhe: “They’ll be grabbing red packets all night in the group chat today. You should join in too, for fun.”

　　Ye Mingxuan stared at the unexplained 10,000 yuan transfer: “Then what about this?”

Tan Sizhe: “Tradition dictates that whoever grabs the most red envelopes must send out the next round.”

　　Ye Mingxuan blinked: “So…”

“So,” Tan Sizhe pressed a new firecracker stick into his hand, flicking his lighter. The flickering flame danced in his eyes, “What you grab is yours. What you send out is mine.”