Everything I bought on online shopping platforms was genuine.

Chapter 832 A Small Gathering Before the New Year
Miss Yuan was very pleased, and in the end, the couplet was still pasted on the door of his living room. Everyone except Lin Mo was very satisfied.

Of course, compared to the previous couplets, Lin Mo thought this one was not bad, at least it didn't openly insult anyone, right?

While everyone was coming over for a free meal, and Lin Mo was cooking, the others helped him with some simple decorations at home.

For example, they hung up small red lanterns, decorated the living room, and even replaced the refrigerator magnets with stickers exclusive to the Year of the Horse.

When Lin Mo finished cooking and came out, there were many more red New Year elements in the living room, making it look much more festive and at least giving it a festive feel.

As they ate, they talked about going home, and it was clear that everyone was in a good mood.

"By the way, Sister Yuan, how's the setup for your place coming along, Chuanzi? Is everything all set up?" Lin Mo asked, picking up a bite of stir-fried beef.

Miss Yuan nodded: "Of course, we decorated it together. Although it's not very professional, we won't be staying here for the New Year, so a simple decoration is fine."

The studio is all set up nicely. Tonight, Mozi, why don't you invite Liu Ruyan over, and let's go downstairs for a get-together? Tomorrow, you'll come with me to take them to the city!

For Miss Yuan, her residence could be simply decorated. After all, most of these decorations would disappear after the New Year, so there was no need to make it too complicated, and it would be difficult to clean up later.

However, the studio, which is where we'll be having a gathering tonight, must be decorated to create a great atmosphere. After all, this is the last lively gathering before the new year, so it should be a bit more grand.

As for going to the city specifically to find a place to play, that's not very interesting, mainly because the class monitor and others don't want to go.

In fact, apart from Lin Mo and Miss Yuan, the other four people all have a great affection for this studio.

After all, this is a place they watched grow from nothing, a place they worked hard to build, and they wanted to gather in this place of great significance.

“No problem, it’s just the few of us, right?” Lin Mo nodded in agreement.

Miss Yuan: "I also invited my cousin, let her come too! Don't forget anyone!"

“That’s fine. The class monitor and I will cook, and you guys can buy the groceries and drinks!” Lin Mo nodded.

"No need for drinks, there's a whole bunch of Anmuxi downstairs, we can have a drink!"

Everyone:.
It's clear that it's not just him who's now experiencing a stress response to yogurt; the others are experiencing similar issues.

There was definitely no time to rest today. After lunch and cleaning up, everyone stayed at his place until 3 p.m., and then went downstairs together.

The group split into two teams: one went to the nearby shopping mall to get the ingredients, while the other returned to the studio to get started.

To be honest, Lin Mo was immediately surprised when he entered. The studio, which was originally decorated in a minimalist style, was now decorated with a festive atmosphere by the class monitor and Xiaoyue.

Small red lanterns can be seen everywhere, and there are many dolls inside the house, all covered with colorful lights. A section of Anmuxi's yogurt wall has obviously disappeared. These are all the results of the team's ten days or so.

The sofa was covered with a fluffy red blanket and a pony pillow, balloons were everywhere, couplets were pasted on the door, and even the signboard above the door was surrounded by colorful lights.

"Wow~ Where did you find Sang Biao too?" Lin Mo asked curiously, looking at Sang Biao who was wearing red cat ears.

Putting cat ears on stray cats looks weird no matter how you look at it!

"Hey, it's just that the weather has been getting colder these past few days, and most of the restaurants around here have closed down. Sang Biao probably had nowhere to eat, so he came back on his own."

"It's a pity that Sang Biao doesn't like wearing little clothes. Otherwise, he would look much better in bright red. He doesn't look as cute as Wang Cai at all!" He Xiaoyue said with a regretful expression.

Upon hearing this, Lin Mo glanced at Wangcai, who was wearing a fluffy red cotton-padded jacket and cat ears on his head, and felt an inability to look directly at him.

Although it's a bit eerie, the point of the Lunar New Year is to have a festive atmosphere.

"Of course! Wangcai was adopted by us when it was a puppy, so it won't be too resistant to wearing clothes. Besides, we've dressed it up quite a few times when we're filming footage for it, so Wangcai is already used to it."

But Sang Biao is different. He's a purebred wild tabby cat, used to freedom, and can't stand being restrained. If we didn't give him some food, he wouldn't even wear the head ornaments," the squad leader said while washing vegetables in the kitchen.

That's true. Wangcai isn't an adult yet, but Sangbiao is already in his prime.

Why does He Xiaoyue want Wangcai to live a long life? Because the longer Wangcai lives, the more money the account will earn.

If you want to maintain your popularity, keeping more pets is the best option.

It's easier to talk to underage kids, they're quick to accept things, but Sang Biao is an adult, he definitely won't accept this kind of constraint.

Entering the kitchen, Lin Mo began preparing, quickly chopping the vegetables that the class monitor had washed. About half an hour later, Miss Yuan and her group returned.

The selection of meats, ribs, whole chickens, chicken wings, fish, lobsters, crabs, scallops, and oysters is quite comprehensive.

Cooking is now a piece of cake for Lin Mo, and he can cook very quickly by himself.

The class monitor helped cook the rice, and then went outside to help prepare the bowls and chopsticks.

Time flew by, and it was already 5:30 in the evening. By then, it was already dark outside, and the Mengya Media Studio was lit up with colorful lights, making it very conspicuous in the vicinity.

"Garlic oysters are here!"

"Braised prawns are here!"

"Steamed carp is served!"

"Garlic crab legs are here!"

"Cola chicken wings, please!"

Soon, one delicious dish after another was served on the table, and Squad Leader Wang and the others all had smiles on their faces.

This dish includes chicken dishes of state banquet caliber, as well as dishes he has learned through years of experience. Although it lacks the "God of Cookery" effect, the natural freshness of the ingredients doesn't require particularly sophisticated cooking methods, so the taste is always good.

Miss Yuan, wearing a red lion dance hat, sat on a chair, holding chopsticks in her hand, her mouth slightly open, with a glistening drool hanging from the corner of her mouth.

Although she likes to eat, she's not the kind of person who's rude. Normally it's fine, but today is a gathering, so she has to wait until everyone is here before they can start eating.

"Mo Zai, when is Liu Ruyan arriving?" Miss Yuan shouted, swallowing hard.

"It'll be ready soon. I just asked her and she said it'll be right away, don't worry!" Lin Mo's voice came from the kitchen.

As soon as she finished speaking, Liu Ruyan walked in through the back door, carrying two bottles of red wine in wooden boxes.

"Wow~~ It smells so good, it creates such a great atmosphere!" As soon as she entered, Liu Ruyan smelled the aroma of the food and saw the decorations inside the house, and couldn't help but exclaim.

"Come on in, come sit down. Here, take this." He Xiaoyue pulled Liu Ruyan to a seat and put a light-up New Year's headband on her head.

Small trinkets are just for creating a festive atmosphere.

"Thank you," Liu Ruyan said with a smile.

Although she usually interacts with bosses from all walks of life, she is also willing to put aside her status and get along with Lin Mo's classmates.

At this dinner table, there are no social statuses; we are just friends.

As the dishes were served one by one, Ms. Zhao Yun soon walked in with a cake, smiling broadly.

"Everyone, I'm sorry I'm late!" Zhao Yun said with a smile.

Today, compared to her usual self, she lacked some of the decisiveness of a criminal investigator, but possessed more of a woman's gentleness.

"Come on, come on, we've been waiting for you." Several women stepped forward and pulled Zhao Yun over, and everyone chatted and laughed together.

Soon, Lin Mo also brought out the last dish of black chicken soup.

"Here it comes, the last dish! Get ready to eat!" Lin Mo said with a smile, casually taking off his apron.

As soon as the words were spoken, even Miss Yuan, a glutton, didn't touch her chopsticks; everyone took out their phones and started taking pictures.

This meal was quite lavish; although the taste wasn't as good as at other restaurants, there were definitely a lot of dishes.

Chicken, duck, fish, meat, vegetables, seafood—you name it, they have it all, from birds in the sky to animals on land, from fish to plants in the water and from animals in the mountains.

If this meal were at his restaurant, it would easily cost several hundred thousand yuan. For a moment, the sound of camera shutters clicking filled the dining table.

After taking enough photos, everyone looked at each other and prepared to start eating. The next second, Miss Yuan hurriedly said, "Wait a minute, I'll go and add some ceremony!"

After saying that, she ran to the front door with her short legs, and then took out a lighter and lit the fireworks that were placed not far from the door.

As the fire ignited, the doorway was suddenly illuminated.

It wasn't the traditional kind of fireworks that bloom in the sky; instead, it was the kind that shot up only about two meters high, like sparklers. It was very bright, but it illuminated the faces of everyone inside the house.

Then Miss Yuan ran back: "Alright, let's begin!"

"Come on, I brought two bottles of red wine. Let's all drink less today." Liu Ruyan skillfully opened the red wine bottles and poured some into everyone's glasses.

This time, neither Lin Mo, who doesn't like drinking, nor the class monitor and He Xiaoyue, who don't drink, objected.

Just then, Miss Yuan stood up, holding her wine glass, and said in the manner of her former boss, "Um, may I offer a toast?"

Everyone:.
Although they couldn't understand why Miss Yuan suddenly switched to a fatherly mode, everyone respectfully looked over at her.

"Well, in the new year, we went from strangers to friends, from complete strangers to being able to make babies in bed... cough cough, anyway, this year has been a very meaningful year, the most promising year for LPL. Uh, never mind, anyway, I hereby declare the annual meeting of Mengya Media Studio's first year, which is still 99 years away from becoming a century-old brand, officially begins!!!"

Upon hearing this, everyone was speechless, even remaining silent for three seconds. If it weren't for the fireworks still burning at the entrance, one might have thought that time had stood still.

Fortunately, it was a gathering today, and everyone was very considerate.

Miss Yuan: "Come on, cheers!"

Everyone: "Cheers!"

In an instant, the entire studio was bustling with activity. There was delicious food, fine wine, good friends, and even the two little guys, Wangcai and Sangbiao, had their own separate meals.

Just as Miss Yan Yuan said, in this year, or even more accurately, in these six months, their group of people went from strangers to good friends. It was largely by chance, a wonderful fate, and everyone cherished it.

Lin Mo became colleagues with Miss Yuan, and then introduced her to his classmates. He also escaped poverty, got a girlfriend, and even lived with her. He was a completely different person compared to the beginning of the year.

The Sichuan girl achieved great success in her career, Director Wang shed his "simp" label and got together with the class monitor, He Xiaoyue at least solved her job problem, Liu Ruyan found a younger brother, and Ms. Zhao had a bumpy love life, but at least she was still full of energy.

It's amazing how, in a short period of time, a group of people have gathered around Lin Mo. This group was brought together because of him, including Professor Li, Professor Mu, Senior Sister Shen, and Senior Brother Xiao Fan. Many of them have crossed paths with him in the past six months.

"Give me a crab leg, don't steal it!"

"Holy crap, Lao Mo, these cola chicken wings are amazing!"

"Get out of here! You haven't eaten anything good either!"

"Squad leader, let me peel some shrimp for you!"

"No need, you eat it!"

"Little brother, you've worked hard!"

"Yuanyuan, you poured me yogurt again! Are you asking for it?!"

"Sister Ruyan, hurry up and eat the crab roe and egg custard! I steamed it especially for you, it's so tender!"

The studio was filled with all sorts of sounds, but they were all cheerful and laughing. Even Wangcai was grinning, waiting for food to fall from the table.

Inside the room, only the cat, Sang Biao, was the quietest. It didn't understand why such stupid humans were so noisy. It would be great if it could have the fish head.

Fireworks were set off at the entrance, symbolizing that everyone had spent another year in Jiangning.

(End of this chapter)