Chapter thirty

"Nick, you can't force me!"

"Nick! Nick!"

Her red lips were sucked to a red hue. As soon as he moved away, Zoe cried out, pushing him away with both hands.

Her eyes were moist, tears ready to fall at any moment.

Nick's kisses trailed up from her lips, to her cheeks, forehead, and finally settled on the corner of her eye.

Upon hearing her cries, he took a deep breath, turned his head to the side, and nibbled on her earlobe. His hand withdrew from her chest, and in a hoarse voice, he whispered, "Alright, I won't force you, but you have to let me spend the New Year with you."

Zoe sniffled.

This man was too shameless.

Nick lowered his gaze to her, his fingertips lifting her chin, "Hmm?"

Zoe clutched her collar tightly, glaring at him.

After a moment, she said, "You should go home for the New Year."

"I don't need to go back, I'll stay with you."

Nick's gaze fell on her delicate fingers clutching her collar, her figure shrinking into his embrace, a bit fragile, a bit disheveled, an aesthetic of being ravaged.

The beast in his heart was roaring constantly, but Nick was extremely patient, suppressing his rampant emotions.

"I..." Zoe bit her lip.

I don't want you to accompany me at all.

Nick saw the distress on her face and knew what she was thinking. He chuckled, "Why think so long?

Either way, whether you agree or not, since I've entered this door, I didn't plan on going back."

"So, don't think anymore, go make dinner."

Nick's voice lowered a few more decibels, his fingertips entwining with hers, using the dim wall light in this corner to intertwine with her.

The ambiance was intimate and blurred.

Zoe watched as their fingers intertwined, as if he were playing with her, tickling her with each twitch, like a teasing between lovers.

Zoe's heart skipped a beat, and she yanked her hand away suddenly.

Nick raised his eyebrows, but he didn't seem to mind.

He said, "Remember the entrance of Yuloutai?"

Zoe hesitated, biting her lip in silence.

Nick's eyes were as deep as ink, focused on her face, "You intertwined your fingers with mine, did you like that feeling?"

His words brought Zoe back to that rainy night. She had been soaked by the rain, her sadness and pain intertwined in her heart, her entire body feeling defeated.

Her appearance had only embarrassed her, and her thoughts had spun wildly for a moment.

Except for that brief moment of intertwined fingers, she had been startled...

"Do you like it?"

Nick asked again in a low voice, and then he grasped Zoe's fingers again, saying in a deep voice, "I like it."

Fifteen minutes later.

Zoe stood in the kitchen, looking at a pile of vegetables. The half-closed door faced the living room, where Nick held the remote control, flipping through the channels.

Zoe glanced over there and then turned on the faucet, the sound of water splashing loudly.

She lowered her head and began to cook.

The New Year's Eve dinner in the coastal city was particular about serving an even number of dishes, with a combination of meat and vegetables, a pot of soup, and a sweet dish.

Zoe made rolled sugar taro with taro, a dish that is best made by the people of Chaozhou.

After Zoe finished, she set it aside and began making other dishes...

Since there were only two people, eight dishes were too many.

Zoe decided to serve six dishes instead.

With a vengeance in mind, Zoe didn't cook a single spicy dish, sticking to Cantonese cuisine instead.

Everything was very light and devoid of any heavy flavors.

Let's see how he eats this.

An hour later, Zoe was sweating, her hair a bit disheveled. She retied it and walked out.

Nick bent down to grab two bottles of Tiandi No.1 from the fridge, placed them on the table, and eyed the dishes, raising his eyebrows at Zoe.

Zoe took a tissue to wipe her neck, pulled out a chair, and sat down without looking at him. Her tone was slightly challenging as she said, "If you don't like it, you can leave."

Knowing that he prefers spicy food, Zoe deliberately said this.

Nick flicked his fingertips to open the bottle, pushed one bottle towards Zoe, and then opened another for himself. He took a sip, feeling the cold sourness slide down his throat.

He sat down, picked up his chopsticks, and took a bite of the rolled sugar taro. After chewing for a moment, he said lazily, "I like whatever you cook, even if it's just pickled vegetables."

Zoe's hand paused for a moment, rolling her eyes secretly before continuing to eat.

The table was originally meant for six people, a peach-colored wooden table, dignified and heavy.

Long ago, Zoe's family would have their New Year's Eve dinner at this table, with the television broadcasting news and various New Year's greetings. As the only child in the family, she had her grandmother, father, mother, and grandfather all surrounding her as adults.

During the meal, they would stuff red envelopes into her arms, touch her head, and wish her academic progress and growth.

Now.

Only she was left at this table.

Alone.

The hanging lamp above was also much dimmer than before.

A piece of ribs was placed in her bowl. Zoe looked up and met Nick's narrow eyes. He was rotating the bottle of Tiandi No.1 in one hand while taking a sip with a smile, saying, "Happy New Year, Zoe."

Zoe: "...Happy New Year."

From the television, the sound of firecrackers rang out.

Pop, pop, pop.

The New Year has arrived.

Under the lights, Nick's eyes, though still sharp, seemed warmer than before.

Zoe felt a bit dazed and quickly lowered her head, shoving food into her mouth.

Knowing that he prefers spicy food, yet he ate quite a bit.

Zoe was already full after one bowl of rice and a bottle of Tiandi No.1, while Nick finished two bowls of rice and ate all the remaining ribs.

After dinner, the Spring Festival Gala began.

Zoe stood up to clear the table. Her family didn't have a dishwasher, so she had to wash the dishes herself.

She stacked the bowls and chopsticks together and glanced at him, asking, "Have you gone home yet?"

Who eats their New Year's Eve dinner at someone else's house? Don't his parents urge him?

As soon as she finished speaking, the sound of his cell phone rang. He crossed his long legs and smiled, saying, "Here they come to urge me."

It was obvious from the call that he was being urged to go home.

Zoe hummed and carried the dishes into the kitchen.

She went in and out twice, catching him with his chin propped up, one hand fiddling with an empty bottle, and the other holding his phone. He said to the person on the other end, "Yeah, spending New Year's Eve dinner with... my girlfriend."

Zoe's hand slipped, almost dropping the plate back onto the table.

Nick lifted his eyebrows and looked at her, smiling noncommittally, and then replied to the other party, "Not the one you saw. Don't guess wrongly. Alright, I'll tell Grandpa to spend more time with him tomorrow. No, I can't bring her home yet, I haven't won her over yet..."

Zoe couldn't take it anymore and ducked into the kitchen, not wanting to come out again.

Outside, his voice came and went, sometimes muffled, sometimes clear.

He seemed to have many phone calls, one after another.

Zoe couldn't resist and glanced at her phone.

It was quiet.

She held the dishwashing cloth and exhaled, feeling a pang of sourness in her heart.

A moment later, her phone rang.

It was a WeChat message.

From Nick.

He sent a red envelope.

With the message, "Happy New Year, Peace Year After Year."

Zoe: "..."

"What are you thinking about?

Not going to accept the red envelope?"

Nick's voice rang out from the door, and Zoe, holding her phone, felt like she had been caught reading the WeChat message. She hurriedly turned off the screen and looked over.

Nick leaned against the door, arms crossed, with a cigarette dangling from his mouth.

Zoe: "Don't smoke in the kitchen."

Nick's fingers were pinching the cigarette, ready to blow out a puff of smoke, but he paused when she said that. Then he smiled and said, "Can't smoke at home, too?"

Zoe frowned: "Of course not."

She had just cleaned the house yesterday, making it neat and tidy, and had even sprayed air freshener.

Nick casually hummed and took out the cigarette, extinguished it, and threw it in the trash can.

Then he said, "Are you done washing?

Come out and watch the Spring Festival Gala."

Zoe looked at the dishes and bowls in the sink, and the sound of running water seemed to blur his voice.

But Zoe heard the words "Spring Festival Gala."

Does Nick, the young master, also like to watch the Spring Festival Gala?

By the time Zoe finished washing the dishes, quite a few WeChat messages had come in.

From Luna, Stella, Ellie, and others, as well as Leo, Ethan, Noah, and the rest of her classmates. There were also messages from her stepfather and Lindsay.

Kaylee's WeChat was a group message.

Zoe glanced at Lindsay's message.

Lindsay: "Have you eaten?"

Lindsay: "Happy New Year, Yi Yi."

Followed by a red envelope.

Zoe wiped her hands, picked up her phone, and walked out.

She saw a fruit platter on the coffee table, with candies, chocolates, and a few sugar oranges that she had bought in the afternoon. Nick's slender fingers were peeling a sugar orange, and the TV was playing the Spring Festival Gala, but he was only staring at his phone.

Upon seeing her emerge, Nick raised his head and glanced at her with his familiar casual expression.

Zoe chose a spot on the sofa next to him, and a sugar orange was suddenly pressed to her lips.

It was slightly cold.

Zoe instinctively opened her mouth, and the sugar orange entered her mouth. As she bit into it, the sweet juice filled her mouth. Zoe reached out to wipe the corners of her lips.

Nick didn't even lift his head, continuing to stare at his phone.

The living room was quiet except for the sound of the TV, and Zoe, who had been tense at first, gradually relaxed and nestled into the sofa. She occasionally glanced at the TV but mostly looked down at her phone. A piece of dark chocolate was then presented to her lips.

Zoe blinked and pushed his hand away, saying, "No, it's too sweet."

Nick paused, glanced at her, and raised his eyebrows, "If you don't like sweetness, why did you buy it?"

Zoe: "To make it look pretty."

Nick chuckled, "You're pretty enough to put it on display..."

Zoe: "..."

Roll your eyes.

Around ten o'clock, Zoe discovered that Ellie had sent her quite a few blessing cards on Alipay, but she was still missing one of the "dedication" cards.

Ellie was constantly urging her in the Alipay chat box to quickly find someone to give her a card so they could synthesize it and participate in the lucky draw later.

Zoe felt helpless for a moment and glanced at Nick, who was still staring at his phone.

After hesitating, she called out, "Nick."

The boy's throat moved, and he responded with a casual hum.

Zoe asked softly, "Do you have a 'dedication' card?"

After asking, Nick rested his elbow on his knee and turned to look at her.

Zoe felt a bit nervous. What was he looking at her like that for?

Did he have it or not?

Nick chuckled and said, "Childish."

"I'll add you."

Soon after, Zoe received a friend request on Alipay. She accepted it, and a "dedication" card was immediately sent to her from him. Zoe paused and quickly synthesized it.

Immediately after, Zoe received another transfer notification on Alipay.

Nick: [5200]

Zoe: [I don't want it.]

Nick chuckled as he saw the money being returned.

He didn't send her any more money.

The two of them were at peace, each looking at their phones, and there was a sense of warmth in the air.

After half past ten, as the Spring Festival Gala neared its end, Nick popped a lollipop into his mouth and chewed on it. When it broke apart, his phone rang with a call from home.

He didn't even look at it or answer. Instead, he turned his body and grasped Zoe's chin, pressing it towards him and covering her lips with his own.

The sweetness immediately invaded her mouth, and Zoe widened her eyes, reaching out to push him away.

After feeding her a few pieces of the broken lollipop, he rubbed her earlobe with his fingertips and whispered, "Happy New Year. I'm leaving now."