Xia Chengye lowered his head even further after he finished speaking.
Xia Wei Liang said nothing, withdrew her gaze, and silently picked up an orange. After peeling it, she also put it into his hand.
Xia Chengye's eyes trembled. He glanced at her, then lowered his head again.
The New Year's Eve dinner was lively and reunited.
Although Xia Chengye didn't say much to everyone, he was especially good to Xiao Jin Zi. He played puzzle games with her, played chess with her, and drew with her.
When it was time to leave, he awkwardly came to Xia Wei Liang and handed her a pre-prepared red envelope.
Xia Wei Liang looked at the red envelope, then at him, "...Happy New Year."
"H-Happy New Year."
Xia Chengye turned and left.
Su Hui walked over and gave her a big red envelope as well, "Come back and see us when you can."
"Okay."
After returning, the room was left with only Song Yuan, Nuo Mi, and Xiao Jin Zi. Su Dan Novel Network.
Xia Wei Liang placed the red envelope on the table and stared blankly at it.
"They love you quite a bit," Yuan Ge suddenly said.
Xia Wei Liang nodded, "I know."
"They also abandoned you before."
She nodded again, "I know that too."
"In the end, they realized that loving you might be the best way to fill the void of familial affection."
Xia Wei Liang responded, "You're right."
"Since you understand everything, the decision to accept it is yours."
Nuo Mi nudged closer, "I think having two more people who love you isn't a bad thing. At least, their affection for you now is genuine."
Yuan Ge looked at her and added, "The past harm was also real."
After a long while, Xia Wei Liang said, "I saw old Xia has white hair today."
Both fell silent.
"People are truly the strongest and the most fragile. I still remember the way old Xia would scold me with full vigor, as if he would throw me out if I lingered even half a step behind! I was so angry back then..."
Xia Wei Liang sighed, got up, and walked back to her room. Her voice drifted back intermittently, "Forgiving someone isn't that easy... but hating someone is also quite tiring."
The door closed.
Yuan Ge unconsciously twitched the corner of his lips, "Saying the toughest words."
Nuo Mi chimed in, "Doing the most cowardly things."
The two of them chuckled, then turned to take Xiao Jin Zi back to their room to sleep.
---
On New Year's Eve, firecrackers sounded outside, filling the air with a festive atmosphere.
In a cold, dim room, Xia Yi Ran sat alone on the sofa, a plate of long-cold frozen dumplings in front of her.
She smoked, her expression shifting unpredictably.
Suddenly, she let out a roar and tipped the dumplings onto the floor.
"What did I do wrong? What do I have to regret? It's all his fault for being stupid! What brother,呵呵... From childhood to adulthood, all the good food and drink went into his stomach, and even the family's meager savings were all lost on him! If it weren't for him, would I have had to live such a hard life?!"
"I don't regret it, I absolutely don't regret it!"
She covered her cheeks with her hands. After a long time, she lifted her face, wiped away her tears, and her expression returned to blankness.
She picked up her phone and turned it back on.
After being off for so long, the reporters must have been looking for her like crazy!
She had previously informed the media. A murder case happening on New Year's Eve – that headline alone was enough to grab attention.
She searched for news, but no matter how she scrolled, there wasn't a single article about her!
Not only was there no mention of the murder case, but even her previous news had been completely wiped clean!
Xia Yi Ran panicked. She refused to believe it and searched on Baidu. To her surprise, the search results for "Xia Yi Ran" yielded zero entries!
"This is impossible! Impossible!"
She began to search frantically. As a celebrity, the most feared thing wasn't negative news, but a lack of exposure! It was being forgotten!
"It can't be like this, how can this be?!"
She had clearly notified so many media outlets and even made announcements on Weibo, but what was happening now?!
"Damn it!"
Someone must have interfered!
Thinking about who had such great power, it was obvious – who else but that film emperor who could cover the sky with one hand?!
"Bastard! Bastard!"
In a fit of rage, she threw her phone away and tore at her hair until it was disheveled.
With such a major incident, forget about the entertainment section; even the social news section should have had reports by now, but there was nothing, absolutely nothing!
Xia Yi Ran completely refused to accept this reality. She picked up her phone from the floor and called the media outlets that had previously broken the story to demand an explanation.
However, the responses she received were all the same: until the police issued their final investigation report, the media would remain silent.
"Bastard! All of you are bastards!"
Xia Yi Ran yelled at her phone and then angrily hung up.
Just then, there was a knock on the door.
It was New Year's Eve, and outside the sound of firecrackers filled the air, yet someone was knocking on her door, again and again.
Xia Yi Ran's face turned pale. She was so scared she dared not breathe.
Finally, she gritted her teeth, mustered her courage, and ran to open the door.
Seeing the person outside, she was stunned.
"En, En Ge?"
Xi En stood outside wearing a mask. He glanced at her, said nothing, and walked in.
Xia Yi Ran stood frozen, feeling so awkward she wished she could disappear.
Xi En placed the items in his hand on the table. Seeing the dumplings on the floor, he slowly turned around, "It's the thirtieth today. I know you're alone, so I came specifically to bring you some New Year's goods."
"En Ge... I, I'm sorry, I've implicated you."
Xi En was perhaps the last shred of warmth she had in the entertainment industry, especially during her current state of despair.
"You don't need to say anything. What are your plans for the future?"
Xia Yi Ran turned back, looking at him intently, "I will fight my way back!"
Xi En lowered his gaze and said, "I heard about your brother's matter."
"..."
She averted her gaze, deliberately avoiding the topic.
"I remember that man named Chen San came to the company to find you, and you had a dispute with him."
Xia Yi Ran's face turned ashen. She wanted to explain something, but the words caught in her throat and she swallowed them back.
Xi En's tone remained calm, "You have your choices, whether you want to be a celebrity or a private citizen. I just hope you don't forget what you said on the talent show stage. You said you were a person who prioritized ideals, but you wouldn't lose your moral principles for your ideals."
Xia Yi Ran remained silent.
"I'm not here to give you a pep talk; I just happened to think of it and decided to stop by and see you."
He didn't say anything more and turned to leave.
Long after he had left, Xia Yi Ran mechanically returned to the living room. She looked at the pile of New Year's goods he had brought. Their bright red color formed a stark contrast with the dimness of the entire space.
She casually pushed the items aside, not wanting to look at the glaring color.
Suddenly, a red envelope fell out.
Xia Yi Ran picked it up. It was a thick red envelope with money stuffed inside...
Holding the money, she burst into tears.