The first day of the New Year.
The weather was clear and the sun was bright, the surface of the white snow on the open fields shimmering with golden light.
All factories were on holiday, and the troops were also resting.
Shops were open as usual, with discount signs hung out everywhere. The streets were filled with people. As soon as the traffic lights changed, huge crowds of people surged forward, rushing towards the commercial streets, shopping with bags and bags, spending all their money. It was incredibly lively.
The hot spring resorts were even more crowded, with people packed into the pools like dumplings. Different colored figures swam in the steaming heat, like a bubbling stew.
Jiang Ye woke up early, feeling inexplicably good.
A sweeping robot was cleaning by the bed. Jiang Ye nudged it with his toe, "Hey, Happy New Year."
"Happy New Year, Master," the sweeping robot said.
"You can have the day off. The house is very clean," Jiang Ye said on a whim.
"It's very dirty, Master. You just can't see it. The ground is actually very dirty and needs constant cleaning," the sweeping robot said righteously. "The universe will not explode, and I will not take a day off."
Jiang Ye shrugged, changed into a bright red down jacket, and went straight out.
He first headed directly to the melon and strawberry cultivation factory.
The factory was on holiday, but a few large cardboard boxes were left at the entrance security booth, with labels on them: "Jiang Ye Reservation."
The night before he went to sleep, Jiang Ye had messaged the factory, asking them to save a few large strawberries for him as New Year's gifts for his friends.
He carried the boxes to his car, set the destination, and drove straight to Tian Rao's house.
Carrying the boxes, he entered by facial recognition.
Tian Rao had just woken up, wearing white pajamas, yawning, and folding her body on the yoga mat.
"Happy New Year, I've come to pay my respects," Jiang Ye said, in a good mood.
"Ah!" she exclaimed in surprise, "Is that my gift?"
Jiang Ye placed the box on the table, cut it open with a small knife, and a large strawberry weighing over twenty pounds was revealed, blood-red.
Tian Rao's eyes widened as she leaned closer, "Wow, are there really strawberries this big?"
She reached out cautiously, touched the strawberry, and then quickly withdrew her hand, as if it were a bomb or an animal.
"It's very delicious. Keep it and eat it slowly," Jiang Ye patted the strawberry. "A new cultivation plant has opened in Bai'e City, producing many such giant strawberries every day. If you like eating them, call me, and I'll have someone deliver them to you. This is just a matter of a word for me."
"Okay! I want a thousand of them!" Tian Rao immediately said.
Jiang Ye's face darkened, "Eat one and ask for another, don't waste food!"
Tian Rao had already buried her face in the strawberry, taking a large bite, her mouth full of juice.
"All the shops are having discounts today. Want to go shopping?" Tian Rao looked at him expectantly.
"No, shopping is the most boring thing," Jiang Ye shook his head.
"Then stay and play with me," Tian Rao reached out and grabbed him, blinking her eyes.
"I can't stay, I still have to visit other friends," Jiang Ye said.
"Many people are having New Year's parties, gathering together to eat and play cards, it's very lively," Tian Rao said. "I want to have a party, but I don't have many friends. Do you want to host one and invite me?"
Jiang Ye's eyes lit up.
"Okay! Then tonight," Jiang Ye said. "Let's have it at my place."
"Wait a moment," Tian Rao jumped up and ran upstairs, her bare feet pattering.
Jiang Ye sat on the sofa and waited patiently. Tian Rao soon ran down again, holding a stack of white paper and a red pen.
"Write me an invitation letter," she said, placing the paper and pen on the table.
Jiang Ye smiled. Tian Rao sometimes had this childlike cuteness.
He picked up the pen and wrote seriously on the paper: Da Feng Novel Network
"Dear Tian Rao:"
"A New Year's party is tentatively scheduled for tonight at my place (Hot Spring Area, No. 6). We will have witty conversations with learned scholars and no uncultured people. A sumptuous feast and various games await you. We sincerely invite you to attend."
"Your good friend: Jiang Ye"
After finishing, he handed it to Tian Rao.
"Great!" Tian Rao said happily. "You can write invitation letters to your other friends. I'll lend you paper and pen."
Jiang Ye reached out to take her invitation letter again.
"What are you doing!" Tian Rao hugged the invitation letter like a treasure.
"I'm copying it," Jiang Ye said.
Tian Rao rolled her eyes and handed the invitation letter back to him.
Jiang Ye wrote vigorously, copying on several other sheets of paper.
The content was all the same, only the names at the beginning were different.
"Dear Isabelle:"
"Dear Ju Lanlan:"
"Dear Xu Yan:"
After finishing all of them, Jiang Ye blew on the ink. Once dry, he put them away.
"Why are all your good friends women?" Tian Rao watched the whole process from the side. "Do you know any handsome guys? Invite them too."
"I know some handsome guys, but they are all my subordinates. It's not very appropriate to invite subordinates to this kind of gathering," Jiang Ye explained.
Tian Rao pouted, rolled her eyes, and reached out to hit him hard, "You talk too much! Next year, when you have a party, get some handsome guys! Single handsome guys!"
"Okay, okay, I promise," Jiang Ye nodded.
Jiang Ye left with the invitation letters, got in the car, and went to Isabelle's house.
Isabelle wasn't home, and he didn't know where she had gone. Jiang Ye placed the strawberry box at the door and the invitation letter on top, then left.
Next stop, White Ant Real Estate Building.
Jiang Ye carried the strawberry box and burst into Xu Yan's office.
Xu Yan was wearing glasses, buried in a pile of paper documents, occasionally writing something.
"Happy New Year, Happy New Year!" Jiang Ye placed the strawberry box on her desk. "What are you doing?"
"Organizing last year's project reports," Xu Yan smiled somewhat shyly, but was very happy. "Happy New Year."
"Oh my god, the streets outside are full of revelers, the whole world is a sea of joy, and you're actually working? Are you a workaholic?" Jiang Ye was shocked. "Put down those stupid files and go out and have fun with your friends!"
Xu Yan's smile was a little helpless, "I don't know anyone here, I only have you. Do you have time to go out with me?"
"I might not have time to go shopping with you, but I have this for you," Jiang Ye took out the invitation letter and handed it to her.
Xu Yan was stunned. She took it with both hands and, after reading halfway, burst out laughing.
"How about it, are you honored to come play?" Jiang Ye raised his eyebrows at her. "Project reports are so boring. It's the New Year, let's get together and have some fun."
"I don't know your friends well..." Xu Yan smiled shyly. "If I go, I'll be like an outsider."
"What outsider? Aren't we good friends?" Jiang Ye said. "The other few people don't know each other well either, but as the saying goes, the first meeting is unfamiliar, the second is familiar. Why not get together to expand your network?"
Jiang Ye persuaded her for a long time, and Xu Yan finally relented.
"Then... I'll go," Xu Yan said very shyly. "Thank you for inviting me and for making such a formal invitation letter."
"It's not formal, not formal at all. I borrowed paper and pen and wrote it casually," Jiang Ye got up to leave. "I'm leaving now, I still have to pay New Year's visits."
The last stop, Ju Lanlan's house.
When Jiang Ye entered, Ju Lanlan was standing alone in the vast living room, wiping the window with a rag.
After reading the invitation, she chuckled.
"Jiang Ye, you're so childish," she said, holding the invitation and covering her forehead as she laughed.
"How is it childish? It's very formal. It's my personal handwriting, and it will become very valuable one day," Jiang Ye said seriously. "Are you coming or not?"
"Yes, yes, yes," Ju Lanlan nodded. "I'm also bored and was just thinking of finding someone to get together with. Want to drink? I want to drink. The alcohol from the food printer doesn't taste good. I have to buy it from a bar in the city center."
"If you want to drink, I'll accompany you. I'll go buy it now. Don't stand me up," Jiang Ye turned and left.
Driving his car, he drove around the streets of Binhai City and found a bar.
The bar was called "Three Bowls and You Can't Cross the River." Jiang Ye had some impression of it; it was a bar that had been brought in through investment promotion before.
Judging by the name, he thought it sold strong liquor, but in reality, it had all kinds of alcohol, with a wall full of dazzling wine bottles.
There were quite a lot of people in the bar, and it was hard to move forward. The place was bustling with noise and incredibly lively.
Jiang Ye forgot to ask Ju Lanlan what she wanted to drink. There were too many people in the bar, and it was inconvenient to even take out his phone.
So he simply said to the store clerk:
"Give me one bottle of each type of alcohol, and send it to Hot Spring Area Villa No. 6 before the afternoon."
The clerk asked in horror, "You want every type?"
"That's right, cash on delivery," Jiang Ye said.
"Okay, we will deliver to your door this afternoon," the clerk nodded, looking as if he had seen a ghost in broad daylight.
Jiang Ye turned and left.
Fearing that there wouldn't be enough entertainment in the evening, Jiang Ye drove around the streets for a long time, buying a pile of snacks and toys. Things like Ludo, whack-a-mole machines, script murder sets, Go, Werewolf, and so on...
To enhance the festive atmosphere, he also specially bought some window decorations, "Fu" characters, colorful lanterns, and large pots of red flowers.
After browsing for over an hour, he had bought everything he needed.
Jiang Ye drove back, planning to decorate the house before his friends arrived, making it look festive and lively.
After all, his friends didn't know each other well. If the house was decorated to be lively, they would naturally interact more when they met.
If the house wasn't decorated at all, and the atmosphere wasn't right, they might be more reserved when they met and wouldn't be able to get along for a while.
Jiang Ye was thinking as he drove.
However, as soon as he entered the house, he froze.
He looked at the scene before him in disbelief, feeling as if he had walked onto the wrong set.
A mahjong table was set up in the center of the living room, and four vibrant beauties were sitting around it with their legs crossed. Ju Lanlan, Tian Rao, Xu Yan, and Isabelle.
"Hurry up and play, what are you thinking about?" Isabelle urged loudly.
"Should I win this hand? Isn't it said that you shouldn't win the first hand no matter what?" Tian Rao hesitated, holding her tiles.
"So superstitious!" Ju Lanlan laughed heartily. "Hurry up, hurry up."
"Oh, Jiang Ye is back?" Xu Yan smiled politely at Jiang Ye, as if he were a newly arrived guest. "You sit down first, we're almost done with this hand."