I have few friends, but many childhood sweethearts.

Chapter 183. Goodbye 2008
The stage lights went out again, and deafening applause and cheers erupted on the playground, accompanied by the excited sharing of students after being amazed.

"They're so beautiful, like they've traveled from ancient times!"

"Does anyone know the QQ number of that tallest girl? I'll trade a bucket of pickled cabbage and beef noodles for it!"

"What was the name of that song just now? It was pretty good."

"I don't know, I've never heard of it before."

"Didn't the host just say it was an original song of theirs, something like 'Window'?"

"."

Xu Qingfan returned to the backstage first, and as they came down the red cloth steps into the light, he raised his camera and frantically recorded it.

The camera flash was a bit too bright on her face, so Lin Wanning instinctively raised her arm to shield her eyes from the light, and with her other hand, she lifted her skirt and ran towards him impatiently.

"Brother Qingfan!"

The jeweled hairpins adorning her hair made a crisp clinking sound as she ran. The girl excitedly grabbed the pockets on both sides of his winter school uniform, tilted her head back slightly, and stared at him. Lin Wanning didn't say anything, but just kept grinning foolishly at him.

"Hee hee~"

This scene is reminiscent of Zhao Ling'er from the Legend of Sword and Fairy 1, innocently sharing her joy with her Xiaoyao brother on Immortal Spirit Island.

Xu Qingfan wanted to touch her head, but the hair ornaments covering her head made it impossible for him to do so. He had no choice but to put down the camera hanging around his neck and instead reach out and pinch the girl's delicate face.

"Brother Fan!"

"elder brother!"

Four girls followed closely behind, surrounding him completely.

The students backstage, about to go on stage, regardless of gender, all swallowed enviously at the scene before them, fantasizing about being surrounded and cuddled by beautiful women.

Xu Qingfan withdrew his hands from pinching the girl's cheeks, picked up the camera again, turned on the video recording mode, and held the lens close to the girls' faces. "Smile!" he said, then spun around in place, capturing every frame of each girl's face.

"Okay, let's go back!"

"Hmm!" Zhang Yiyi and Lin Wanning each grabbed one of Xu Qingfan's sleeves, while Xia Xiaoxiao, Xiao Ruanwen, and Wu Lingyu held onto the hem of his school uniform behind them. The five of them followed Xu Qingfan back, surrounded by their idols.

Having just finished a performance on a large stage with over two thousand people, and despite the arrival of winter, the five girls still had beads of sweat on their necks. A fragrant breeze lingered along the way, and the natural scent of these young girls surpassed any perfume in the world.

Wherever they went, they became the focus of attention. The teachers and students below the stage stopped paying attention to the performance on stage and locked their eyes on them as if they were equipped with tracking devices. From this moment on, the girls became goddesses in the hearts of many people, and Xu Qingfan also gained a new nickname in the school, online forums and other places: Fan Gou!

The catchy rhyme, "Knife in hand, follow me, snatch the goddess, kill the mortal dog," became incredibly popular on campus.

When they returned to the parents' area, the adults showered them with praise, and other parents who came to watch the performance also showered them with compliments.

"Your child is really amazing! My daughter is fourteen or fifteen years old, and she still says she can't dance!"

"That's right, my son Huagulong just stays at home playing online games during holidays!"

It's a good thing their children aren't with them, otherwise the seeds of inferiority would have been sown in their hearts again. Xu Qingfan said with a smile, "Uncle and Aunt, it's okay if you don't know how. You're only in junior high school, it's not too late to learn now. We all learned in extracurricular classes during the holidays. The training fee was 38,000 yuan, and we spent 12,000 yuan on musical instruments. If you're interested, leave your phone number, and I'll tell you more about it when I get back!"

Just kidding. If they were willing to spend tens of thousands of yuan on training fees, the kids wouldn't stay home playing games during holidays. After all, everyone knows that this kind of entertainment is the cheapest.

"Haha, you're really joking, kid. My family can't afford that kind of money." The parent, who had just been smugly criticizing their child, froze on their face.

Xu Qingfan's words silenced the parents who had come to join the fun. They wanted to say something sarcastic like "Why don't they eat meat porridge?" but seeing his grinning face, the parents couldn't tell whether he was doing it on purpose or accidentally.

Only Zhang Chunxue and the five girls knew that Xu Qingfan was doing it on purpose, and they covered their mouths and chuckled.

After the annoying parents left, the mothers hugged their daughters and started praising them. As for Wu Lingyu, Yao Jinping naturally hugged her.

They finished their performance around 9:30 p.m., lingered in the audience area for a few more moments, and the New Year's Eve party was drawing to a close.

Worried that the streets would be crowded and congested when they left, they quietly left after taking all their belongings and trash with them.

on the way back.

"Xiao Fan, come here!"

"Xiao Fan, come here!"

"You little rascal, come take a picture of Mom."

The mothers were also dressed up for the night, knowing that Xu Qingfan was a reliable photographer, and took turns directing him to take pictures of them.

The atmosphere under the dark and streetlights is perfect for taking photos. A walk that usually takes only five minutes took nearly twenty minutes this time.

After returning home and taking a short rest, two minivans that Zhang Chunxue had called quickly pulled up in front of the house.

"Let's go~ Let's go have a big meal!"

They turned off the doors, windows, water, and electricity, put the little cat in a cat carrier on their backs, and led the little white cat by the door. Then, the whole group got into the car in a grand procession.

Xu Qingfan rolled down the window of the Volvo, and the evening breeze felt very comfortable on his face.

Normally, he and the five girls would be getting ready to sleep by this time, but at this moment they were all full of energy and showed no signs of fatigue.

This was the first time that only the six of them had performed on stage like this, and a sense of novelty welled up inside them, which was beyond words.

Xiao Ruanwen quietly closed her eyes, recalling the thunderous cheers she had just received on stage. The young woman thoroughly enjoyed the feeling of singing under the spotlight, but unfortunately...
She glanced at the similar minivan driving ahead and pushed some unrealistic thoughts to the back of her mind.

“We’ll all perform together on stage at every year’s arts and culture gala!” Xiao Ruanwen suddenly said, extending her hand with her back to everyone in the car.

“Anytime!” Lin Wanning blinked and was the first to place his hand on it.

“Anywhere!” Zhang Yiyi followed closely behind.

"Super Detective!" Xu Qingfan, Xia Xiaoxiao, and Wu Lingyu exchanged a smile and joined in.

"Take the case seriously!" the crowd shouted in unison at the end.

"Awooo!" Perhaps in response to them, Little White shook its head and barked twice after the event.

Because there was a little white dog in the original Winnie the Pooh Tigger movie, they all looked at the little white dog, and their youthful, unrestrained laughter drifted on the wind.

"Hahaha" I wanted to buy osmanthus flowers to share with wine, so I bought osmanthus flowers to share with wine!

The car soon stopped in front of a high-end seafood restaurant. After handing the keys to the valet, they were led to a huge private room by a hostess.

"Steam this grouper, a three-piece king crab platter, and lobster fried rice." Xu Qingfan followed Zhang Chunxue to the hydroponic tank at the front desk to select seafood and order. Of course, he was only responsible for watching and learning; Zhang Chunxue was in charge of the actual ordering.

Ordering food at a Chinese banquet is an art, with great attention paid to everything from the number of people to the balance of meat and vegetables. For example, the number of dishes should ideally be one or two more than the number of people at the gathering, and the ratio of meat to vegetables should be within the range of 1:1.5.

Zhang Chunxue seemed to be intentionally grooming him, taking him to various dinners or business meetings whenever she had the chance, while also tirelessly explaining the meaning behind each event and the subtext of many seemingly insignificant formalities.

Xu Qingfan was naturally pleased with this, after all, this was knowledge that his parents and school could not teach him, and he was waiting for the arrival of the 4G era to make his mark!

After Zhang Chunxue paid by card, the two returned to the private room.

At the dining table, there was an empty seat between Lin Wanning, Zhang Yiyi, Xia Xiaoxiao, and Xiao Ruanwen, and the two of them invited Xu Qingfan at the same time.

"Brother Qingfan, please sit here!" "Brother Fan, there's a seat here too!"

"Hiss~" He gasped.

[Damn, I should have saved a seat first!]
Meeting the expectant gazes of the girls, Xu Qingfan froze on the spot, unsure where to place himself.

The adults watched the scene with amusement, thinking to themselves that even kids' gossip is so entertaining.

"Xiao Fan, why aren't you leaving?" Zhang Chunxue asked with a smile, patting Xu Qingfan's shoulder.

"Hehe~ Xiao Fan, hurry up and sit down. What are you doing standing at the door? Is it that hard to choose?" Lin Jing, always eager for a good show, chimed in.

"Don't rush Xiao Fan, he might end up kneeling on a washboard when he gets back!" Seeing Xu Qingfan's discomfiture, Lin Qiaoshan felt as refreshed as drinking an ice-cold Sprite on a hot summer day.

In the end, Zhang Chunxue couldn't bear to watch any longer. She rubbed his head and then sat down in the empty seat next to her daughter.

Xu Qingfan no longer needed to make a choice and said confidently, "I don't know what you're talking about!"

"Ha ha ha ha."

After he sat down next to Xia Xiaoxiao, the girl's hand, though late, came to massage his waist.

Xu Qingfan, equally uncooperative, casually reached out and placed his hand on Xia Xiaoxiao's thigh in retaliation.

Because he wasn't looking, his hand was caught by Xia Xiaoxiao's sudden, forceful grip just as it reached her knee. At the same time, his free hand retreated while fighting back on Xu Qingfan's waist.

"Pfft~" His left hand holding the teacup trembled, and the water in the cup shook and spilled out.

"Brother Fan, what's wrong?" Xiao Ruanwen asked curiously.

"Nothing, nothing." Xu Qingfan turned his head and replied with a slight smile, while subtly pulling his right hand, which was being held by Xia Xiaoxiao, away.

suddenly.

Xu Qingfan felt himself touch a soft object, while Xia Xiaoxiao stared wide-eyed in disbelief.

"Well!"

"Xiaoxiao, what's wrong? Why is your face so red?" Lin Jing looked at her daughter with a puzzled expression when she heard the noise she was making.

"It's okay not to have a mother." Xia Xiaoxiao felt her face turn even redder. She pretended to accidentally drop her chopsticks on the ground and then bent down to pick them up.

Xu Qingfan appeared calm, but inside he was panicking because he realized what the soft lump he had just touched was, but he couldn't be blamed for it!

Xia Xiaoxiao hid under the table, feeling both ashamed and angry. Looking at Xu Qingfan's wide-open front, she ultimately didn't make a move, but instead gave his thigh a hard pinch.

[You stinky dog, you dead dog, you perverted dog!] The girl cursed fiercely in her mind as she ate the mantis shrimp the size of her arm.

She didn't say another word to Xu Qingfan until the end of the dinner, and a strange feeling welled up in her heart.

"Could you please take a picture for us?" Xu Qingfan handed the camera to the receptionist at the front desk and quickly ran back to the group.

He squatted at the very front, holding his little brother in his arms, with Little White squatting next to him. Behind him were five girls, and then the adults standing casually behind them.

"eggplant!"

It was almost 11:30 when they came out of the restaurant. Xiao Ruanwen's grandparents still needed to go home to rest, so the countdown to New Year's Eve could only be done on their phones.

"Goodbye, Brother Qingfan!"

"Goodbye, everyone!"

Lin Wanning and Zhang Yiyi got into another van and said goodbye to them reluctantly as they left.

"Celebrate the New Year on the phone, remember to go out onto the balcony!" Xu Qingfan waved goodbye to them from the car window.

"Okay!" The car started, and the girl's last note was drawn out by the wind.

Xu Qingfan and his group followed in the opposite direction, dropping Xiao Ruanwen's family off first before returning to Lianhua Courtyard shortly afterward.

Although she had already parted ways with Lin Wanning and the others, they were still in contact on their phones. Seeing Xu Qingfan only talking on his phone and not apologizing to her, Xia Xiaoxiao became angrier and angrier.

She walked quickly in front of Xu Qingfan, childishly stepped on his shoes, then let out a fierce "humph" before running back to the third floor.

Wu Lingyu blinked in confusion, clearly not understanding when Fan Ge had angered Xia Xiaoxiao again. She quickly ran to catch up, after all, this wasn't the first time she had acted as a mediator between the two.

"Xiaoxiao, why are you walking so fast?"

"No, I need to go to the restroom." Xia Xiaoxiao was afraid that a third person would find out what happened at the dinner party.

"That's it"

Xu Qingfan looked down at the little gray shoes that had been DIY'd black and grimy, and shook his head with amusement.

Teenage girls are so dramatic; I used to cuddle her and sleep with her when she was little!
"It's nothing, I just accidentally missed a step. I'm going back to take a shower now. We'll talk again around midnight," Xu Qingfan explained with a smile to Lin Wanning and Zhang Yiyi on the other end of the phone.

"Okay, Brother Qingfan, let's go take a bath too!"

At 11:58, Xu Qingfan, Wu Lingyu, and Xia Xiaoxiao arrived at the rooftop of the Lotus Courtyard.

"Ruanwen, have you arrived yet?" Xia Xiaoxiao dialed Xiao Ruanwen's number, which was on speakerphone.

"We're here! The wind is so strong on the rooftop, and the moon is so beautiful tonight!"

"Wanning received, Yiyi and I have arrived!" A kilometer away at Bi Gui Garden, Lin Wanning and Zhang Yiyi were also standing on the top floor of the tallest building.

"What are you guys doing, acting all mysterious?" The adults were obviously there too, since it was so late, and Lin Qiaoshan's voice could also be heard on the phone.

"It's a secret!" Before Xu Qingfan could reply, Lin Wanning and Zhang Yiyi said in unison.

The hour hand on the watch jumped to fifty-nine in the next second. Xu Qingfan handed the two mobile phones to Wu Lingyu, and then squatted down to light the fuse in the last second of the countdown.

"It's starting! It's starting!" Lin Wanning shouted excitedly.

"Ten, nine, eight!" Their watches were all outdated, and in the last ten seconds, everyone counted down simultaneously on the phone.

"Three, two, one!"

At the last second of the countdown, Xu Qingfan ignited fireworks, and a giant missile shot straight into the sky.

next second.

"Happy New Year!" everyone shouted in unison.

Fireworks burst in the darkness, and then fell like raindrops.

Each of them looked up intently at the fleeting beauty of the night-blooming cereus before them, its magnificent colors reflected in their pupils and faces, making their skin appear a shade lighter.

At the same time, I made my best wishes in my heart and prayed sincerely that they would come true and that all my wishes would be fulfilled.

Goodbye 2008, hello 2009.

(End of this chapter)