### 360. New Year
On the first day of New Year, Ning Yuan wasn’t exactly sleeping well.
Listening to the distant sounds of fireworks sporadically, he lay on the makeshift bed, tossing and turning but unable to sleep.
The grass mat was cushioned with a soft mattress, making it quite comfortable, but being in the living room with no personal space made it hard for him to relax.
And it was five in the morning already…
He glanced at the time on his mobile phone and then turned to the front door.
Where was Ning Chu?
She just went to see some fireworks… Wasn’t she supposed to be back around 1 AM to sleep?
Ning Yuan’s eyelids twitched; even though he had already guessed that his little brother had matured and become more alluring since their last meeting, he still found it hard to believe that the little sibling he had watched grow up had been whisked away by some other guy.
But come on, a guy and a girl not coming home all night? Adults can figure out what that means, right?
They weren’t just at an internet café, were they?
With an empty feeling in his chest, he sighed like a worried dad and sat up hesitantly, debating whether he should send Ning Chu a message to check in.
Suddenly, he heard the sound of the elevator in the hallway, causing him to pause and look towards the door again.
Through the door, he could faintly hear voices.
“So early… It’s not even bright yet, I can’t believe you have the energy to get up.”
“Shh, don’t let my mom find out… I wasn’t home on New Year’s Eve; she’d k*ll me.”
The key carefully slid into the lock, and with a click, the door gently opened.
Ning Chu poked her head through the crack, peering into the dark room—the living room curtains were drawn, making it impossible to see anything.
“Just go back, I told you not to walk me in…”
“There’s not a single soul on the street; how can I let you go alone?” Wen Yang leaned against the staircase railing, yawning. “So, I’m leaving? I’ll grab some sleep and come back around noon to celebrate the new year and mooch some food.”
“Be careful on the way; is your electric bike good? Make sure it looks like how I took the picture; don’t let my mom see it.”
“Don’t worry.”
Ning Chu breathed a sigh of relief, and after seeing Wen Yang step into the elevator, she finally opened the door, took off her shoes, and entered.
With the living room shrouded in darkness, she bent down to place her shoes on the rack and glanced around, mumbling quietly, “Don’t trip over brother…”
When her gaze landed on Ning Yuan’s makeshift bed, the faint human silhouette made her heart skip a beat, and a cold sweat broke out on her back.
What the heck! A ghost?!
She instinctively took a step back, then suddenly remembered something. She took out her phone and turned on the flashlight.
“Bro… Why aren’t you sleeping at this hour?”
Ning Chu relaxed a bit and let out a dramatic sigh. “I thought it was a ghost! I nearly wet myself.”
“Why didn’t you come home on New Year’s Eve? What were you doing out there?”
“……”
That accusatory tone was back!
She racked her brain and quickly crafted an excuse: “I went to see the fireworks, but by 1 AM I wasn’t tired, and I just happened to find an internet café that was still open.”
“Yeah, like you were online until now…”
Would you look at that—a boy and a girl spending all night out, and they really went to an internet café?
If she hadn’t heard that conversation in the hallway just moments ago, Ning Yuan might have actually believed her.
After all, Ning Chu was just the kind of person who could pull that off.
Seeing her serious, expressionless face, Ning Chu felt a little intimidated and nervously lowered her head, her cheeks turning red as she played with her fingers.
Caught red-handed for staying out all night, all because her brother, who always saw her as a younger sibling instead of a sister, was the one asking.
She couldn’t possibly tell him she had a couple of rounds with Wen Yang last night, could she?
But the most important thing was to smooth things over first. She couldn’t let their mom find out; otherwise, running off on New Year’s Eve might literally make her mother blow a fuse.
Taking a deep breath, she quickly changed her expression to one of faux innocence.
“Bro~ Please don’t tell mom…” she pleaded. “Just this once~”
“Nope, no amount of cuteness is going to work here.”
Determined, she leaned in, wrapped her arms around Ning Yuan’s, shook him gently, and used her sweetest voice: “Bro—”
With the extended tone and her adorable pitch, Ning Yuan was caught off guard and felt his defenses crumble.
He looked down at Ning Chu’s cute and innocent face and instantly softened. “Fine, go to bed. I’ll keep your secret.”
Having a sister seemed pretty nice after all?
He finally understood why some people were into little sisters; they were just too cute!
“Good night!”
Ning Yuan was momentarily stunned, watching his sister dash into her bedroom like a gust of wind.
“……”
The adorable image of his little sister pretending to be cute collapsed in an instant.
He didn’t react for a moment, dumbstruck, before muttering in disbelief to himself, “d*mn it, how long has it been since she became a girl, and she’s already so natural at cute talk? That high-pitched voice…”
After all, she had someone like Wen Yang to practice with.
And not just practicing cuteness…
With so much on his mind, his emotions became a bit more complex, muddled with inexplicable melancholy—like a father whose daughter had been tricked by a j*rk. He felt torn between concern and helplessness, with a splash of possessiveness mixed in…
Although Ning Chu was back, Ning Yuan found it even harder to sleep.
Lying there on his bed, his mind was a mess until he heard their mother stirring in the master bedroom.
It was just past six in the morning and his mother, who had been out cold from drinking the night before, was already up and yawning, preparing for the traditions of the first day of the Lunar New Year.
Originally, they were supposed to set off firecrackers, but his mother simply went with some electronic ones instead.
Just as Ning Yuan had finally managed to drift into sleep, he was bummed to be sitting up again.
“You’re up so early?” His mother, still fragrant with the remnants of alcohol, smiled at him.
Ning Yuan yawned. “I barely slept last night.”
“Did Ning Chu go out last night?”
This question made him freeze for a moment before shaking his head: “Nope, she went to bed around 12.”
“Oh.”
His mother replied dismissively, seemingly not caring much.
Does it sound like Ning Chu often stays out all night?
Ning Yuan was puzzled for a moment when he heard his mother command him, “If you can’t sleep, help me clear the table. No one bothered to clean up after last night’s dinner, just leaving it there to attract cockroaches.”
At that moment, Ning Chu pretended to be groggy from just waking up, rubbing her eyes as she walked out of her room.
She peeked at her mother’s face, feeling a wave of guilt, then stepped forward to help clean up the cluttered dining table.
“Once Ning Xin wakes up, get your brother to sneak in and catch up on some sleep.”
“Sure.”
“Tomorrow we’re going to grandpa’s house to celebrate the New Year; you’d better get ready.”
“Oh…”
His mother shot Ning Chu a knowing look. “I can tell you weren’t up to any good, so eager to help out.”
“Doesn’t it just mean I’m a year older and more responsible?”
“Let’s just hope you don’t give me a heart attack.”
After cleaning the table, the mother-daughter duo pulled back the living room curtains together.
On the skyline, a faint hazy morning light began to break, illuminating the New Year with its first rays.
“It’s New Year’s Day, huh~” His mother sighed, “In just half a year, I’ve gained two more daughters…”
“Sounds like you’ll need to prepare for becoming a grandma this year.”
Ning Chu hurriedly shook her head. “No way! No way!”
—
No extra chapters today~ My sleeping schedule has gone haywire…
