On New Year's Eve, one eats dumplings, so Song Xi ordered takeout.
Lou Yuming had little appetite. He chewed his dumplings slowly, putting down his chopsticks after just one.
Song Xi, on the other hand, ate with gusto, scrolling through her phone as she ate.
Ge Baitao: 【Wuwuwu, Xi Xi, if my dad hadn't caught me and brought me home, I could have spent the New Year with you this year! I miss you so much!】
Song Xi replied: 【Me too!】
Ge Baitao: 【Hehe, Gong Xi Fa Cai, give me a red envelope!】
Song Xi knew she'd have to splurge today, so she sent 200 yuan—the maximum for a WeChat red envelope.
Ge Baitao accepted it readily, and in the next second, she sent several more red envelopes in rapid succession, crackling like fireworks, making Song Xi's phone hot to the touch.
Song Xi: 【Did you click by mistake, Taozi?】
Ge Baitao: 【Of course not! Xi Xi, just accept them. Happy New Year's Eve. I'm so, so happy to have met you this year!】
Song Xi smiled, touched. 【Me too.】
Lou Yuming noticed her emotional shift and asked, "What's wrong?"
Song Xi directly handed him her phone, a screen full of red envelopes, with a hint of showing off: "Look!"
Just then, Lu Chenyu also sent a message.
Lou Yuming's brow furrowed slightly as he stated, a little pointedly, "Someone sent you a red envelope."
Only after seeing her open the message did Lou Yuming casually, feigning nonchalance, ask, "How much this time?"
"200."
He let out a cold snort, as if mocking.
Song Xi defended Lu Chenyu, "WeChat red envelopes can only go up to two hundred! Besides, it's the thought that counts."
Lou Yuming retorted, "What thought between you two?"
This question stumped Song Xi.
Faced with his sharp query, Song Xi mumbled, "Can't we be friends? Besides, he sent one, but you haven't sent me anything?"
"You want one?"
"Yes!" Song Xi's eyes lit up, sensing an opportunity. "How much?"
Lou Yuming said, "Didn't you just say WeChat red envelopes can only be 200?"
She scoffed, clearly unimpressed. It wasn't even as much as what the hospital gave her.
Lou Yuming pressed, staring intently at her, his dark eyes seeming to pierce through to her heart, "Why is 200 okay for others, but not for me?"
"You..." Song Xi hesitated. His gaze was too intense, and she couldn't handle it. She beat a hasty retreat, "Give it or don't."
As she reached the doorway, her phone suddenly vibrated, followed by a loud bang outside the window.
Giant fireworks exploded in the sky, painting the entire hospital room in vibrant colors.
Song Xi turned back to look. The man's handsome features were cast in shadow, except for his eyes, which were dark and deep, like two swirling vortices that drew Song Xi in.
Song Xi picked up her phone. He had just transferred money to her: 52,000.
The next day, as Lou Yuming requested, they returned to Haiyue Shanzhou.
Song Xi asked him why they were going back, as his wound hadn't healed yet.
Lou Yuming said, "We can't spend the Spring Festival in the hospital."
When had he become so particular?
Song Xi, unable to persuade him, asked Shao Cheng to examine him.
After the examination, Shao Cheng, hands in his pockets, said, "He's fine, but don't let him get wet after we get back."
He then pulled Song Xi aside and instructed, "Take good care of him. He doesn't like the Spring Festival."
"Why?"
"How can one celebrate a festival alone?"
Song Xi asked, "What about Grandma Zhang and the others..."
Shao Cheng interrupted her directly, "That's the Zhang family's home, not Lou Yuming's."
On the way back, Song Xi was driving.
Lou Yuming hadn't seen her drive before and said, "I'll call Yao Yifan."
"No!" Song Xi took his phone away. "It's New Year's Eve, how can you ask him to work overtime? Trust me!"
Lou Yuming watched her insert the key, his brow furrowing with unease.
Fortunately, the car started smoothly. Although she drove slowly, there wasn't much traffic today, so Lou Yuming let her be.
"Why aren't you accepting the red envelope?" He had just received a WeChat notification. If she didn't accept it, the money would be returned.
Song Xi gripped the steering wheel nervously. "Is that a red envelope?"
"Why wouldn't it be?"
"..." Song Xi dared not click on such a large sum of money. When they reached a red light, she stepped on the brake and hesitantly asked, "Why did you send me... that sequence of numbers?"
She didn't believe he didn't know the meaning of 520.