The man's body paused, then he leaned back slightly, cupping her face. He looked at her with a hint of surprise.
No matter how sharp his mind, how meticulous his thoughts, he truly couldn't fathom the origin of Su Yue's confession.
But seeing her reddened eyes—
He seemed to understand a little.
The young girl probably never received New Year's money from her grandparents.
Nor had she ever experienced the peace of watching television, snacking, and waiting for adults to cook during the New Year.
Those comforts he took for granted.
Were precisely what she called her yearning.
Seeing her look so wronged made his heart ache terribly.
Chen Ziming suppressed the urge to reciprocate the sentimentality. Instead, he curved his lips and asked gently,
"I don't understand, darling, can you elaborate?"
"What have I given you?"
"What do you love about me?"
Unexpectedly, she was ready to explain, "Back then, during the New Year..."
"No more talking," he gently covered her mouth, pulling her into his embrace, not giving her a chance to continue.
As Su Yue froze, she heard his soft voice from above her:
"You can't look so pitiful anymore. It makes me want to set out a basin and drop some coins in for you."
While teasing, he held her even tighter.
He would never let her be afraid again.
He would never let her be lonely again.
He would never let her envy others again.
...
On New Year's Eve, Chen Ziming finally took a break from his busy schedule and took Su Yue to his grandparents' home.
Before the car even pulled up, Su Yue noticed the lively scene at the entrance.
"So many people?" she suddenly felt a bit afraid.
"Yes, relatives are all here." He turned his head, seeing the girl's nervousness, and smiled.
Grandpa was the backbone of the Chen family; it was always this bustling during New Year.
But his words clearly startled her.
"I think..." Su Yue swallowed, wanting to say her presence might be inappropriate.
However, he cut her off first, "Remember to wear your bag. Everyone has prepared New Year's money for you."
Su Yue: Σ(ﾟдﾟlll)
She had to admit, receiving red envelopes felt wonderful, and the feeling of having so many relatives to celebrate the New Year with was especially good.
It was a luxury she had never dared to dream of.
Under the warm lights, the Spring Festival Gala was merely background noise for their reunion. Everyone sat around chatting, snacking, and eating the New Year's Eve dinner.
There were so many of her favorite dishes, all specially procured by Grandma Chen.
Besides New Year's money, there were also piles of New Year gifts.
So this was what it felt like to be doted on by family, so this was how other children grew up.
So this was how interesting New Year could be...
After playing late into the night, the two went to Chen Ziming's private bedroom to rest.
This was where he had lived since childhood; it even contained his childhood toys.
The girl beside him instantly transformed into a curious baby, carefully tracing the imported toy car models with her finger.
"You liked playing with cars so much when you were little?" For some reason, the thought of a young Chen Ziming playing with toys made her want to laugh.
He must have been incredibly cute.
"Little boys all like them," he replied casually, extending his hand towards her, signaling her to untie his cuff.
Su Yue realized then that he had had some drinks that evening and probably couldn't untie it himself.
But he certainly wasn't drunk, or he wouldn't have been able to smoothly reach around her back and slip his hand inside her clothes.
With one hand, he unfastened her bra clasp.
"What are you doing..." she gasped, only to see a mesmerizing smile curve his lips.
The next second, he kissed her deeply.
His hand also became less than innocent, pressing against her skin from behind, sliding forward.
He had been too busy in the past few days, returning home so late that she was often fast asleep, and he hadn't the heart to disturb her.
...
On the second day of the Lunar New Year, the Chen family prepared another car full of gifts. As before, a driver and an assistant accompanied them to deliver them.
Su Minghua waited downstairs as usual, but this time, people kept passing by, or watching them secretly from upstairs.
They all wanted to confirm firsthand whether Director Su's daughter was indeed dating Secretary Chen's son.
When they saw Chen Ziming step out of the driver's seat and respectfully greet Su Minghua and his wife,
And saw the car with the special colored license plate following behind, laden with gifts,
They couldn't help but hold their breath.
Perhaps, in their hearts, a silent agreement was reached.
Director Su was about to rise swiftly in his career this time.