You all chase after the innocent school beauty, then I'll choose the rebellious female school b

New Year's Day.

Lu Yuan got up early to accompany his father to pay respects to their ancestors and gods. Today's itinerary was less strenuous than yesterday's, and it ended smoothly and quickly.

As I was leaving the temple fair, I ran into Zhang Xueling.

"Happy New Year, Lu Yuan," Zhang Xueling greeted him.

"Same to you," Lu Yuan replied with a smile. "By the way, how's your practical assignment going?"

"Haha, you did an excellent job!" Zhang Xueling grinned from ear to ear. "The data we collected from our field research is extremely valuable, and the professor highly praised our project's direction. I think that even if we don't get first place, we'll at least be in the top three."

"Of course, completing the assignment is only one aspect. More importantly, once our investigation report is made public, it will definitely draw more attention to left-behind children from society."

It must be said that Zhang Xueling is a natural-born genius. With her ideological awareness, she is definitely a promising candidate for a career within the system.

"So... how's Xiaowen? Has she caused any trouble?" Lu Yuan asked.

Zhang Xueling shook her head. "Ever since you talked to her, she hasn't been as assertive and she listens to my arrangements."

"That's good."

Lu Yuan nodded in satisfaction. Sure enough, people with desires are easy to subdue.

After saying that, Lu Yuan took out a red envelope and handed it to Zhang Xueling, saying with a grin, "Zhang Xueling, if you become successful in the future, you must take good care of me. Happy New Year and wishing you prosperity."

Zhang Xueling accepted the red envelope without refusing, and then chuckled self-deprecatingly, saying, "You're so much more successful than me. I can already imagine that you won't have to worry about finding a job after graduation, while I'll still have to struggle for many years. I can't compare to you at all."

"Oh, you're mistaken," Lu Yuan waved his hand. "As the saying goes, 'When Heaven is about to place a great responsibility on a person, it first tests their resolve, strains their muscles and bones, starves their body, empties their resources, and frustrates their endeavors, so as to strengthen their character and increase their abilities.' Those who achieve great things need time to mature. What you're doing isn't 'stirring things up,' it's called 'mature development'! Once you've matured, achieving great things and soaring to new heights will be a piece of cake."

"Hahaha!" Zhang Xueling was thrilled and laughed loudly. "Then I'll take your kind words and reflect on them carefully."

After laughing, Zhang Xueling seemed to remember something and asked, "Oh, right, Anqi... she doesn't seem to be spending the New Year in Jiangcheng. Do you know where she went?"

Didn't she tell you?

Lu Yuan knew that Zhang Xueling liked Xia Anqi, but judging from the current situation, Xia Anqi did not seem to feel his feelings.

Lu Yuan actually knew that Xia Anqi had gone to Hong Kong; she had mentioned it herself last night. But he didn't intend to tell Zhang Xueling the truth, so he shook his head: "I don't know either."

He kept it a secret because he was afraid Zhang Xueling would overthink it.

After all, Zhang Xueling likes Xia Anqi so much, but Xia Anqi didn't tell him her schedule; if he knew that Xia Anqi was willing to share her private matters with Lu Yuan, he would definitely feel bad.

Zhang Xueling did send Xia Anqi a New Year's greeting, but she was too embarrassed to ask her directly where she had gone.

After saying goodbye to Zhang Xueling, Lu Yuan went home with his father.

……

When he got home, Ye Yixian and Ye Yizhu were already there.

The brother and sister both changed into new clothes.

Ye Yixian, in particular, changed into a new outfit that Lu Yuan had carefully selected for her. The inner layer was a plaid wool sweater, paired with a scarf of the same color and a white down jacket.

She wore a plaid pleated skirt that reached almost to her knees. Although it looked like a skirt, it was actually connected to her pants. The pants fit her legs perfectly, showing off her beautiful curves.

Finally, she paired it with trendy slouch socks and women's ankle boots, along with the gold jewelry that her parents gave her yesterday. Her overall demeanor was in no way inferior to that of girls from wealthy families.

She even put on light makeup and used a curling iron to style her hair. It's clear that she had prepared carefully for this New Year's greeting on the first day of the Lunar New Year, which shows how much she valued it.

The more Mom looked at Ye Yixian, the more she liked him, saying, "Our Yixian is getting more and more handsome."

Ye Yixian blushed slightly and said shyly, "I have to thank you all for taking such good care of me, otherwise I would still be a poor hoodlum who can't get enough to eat or wear."

"Hey! Let's not bring up unhappy things from the past."

Dad waved his hand, signaling everyone to go eat.

As they sat down, Ye Yixian remained cheerful, sitting next to Lu Yuan and even leaning closer to whisper, "Lu Yuan, am I dressed a bit too extravagantly today?"

Lu Yuan smiled indulgently, "How could that be? New year, new look, you really are refreshing and beautiful. After dinner, I'll take you out to play and let everyone see how beautiful my girlfriend is, let them be envious."

"Hehe, I don't care what others think, as long as you like it," Ye Yixian said.

Lu Yuan nodded, then took Ye Yixian's hand under the table and grinned mischievously, "What did someone call me last night?"

Upon hearing this, Ye Yixian blushed even more and lowered her head in embarrassment.

She didn't know what she was thinking last night while hiding under the covers. At first, she just wanted to wish Lu Yuan a Happy New Year, but then she felt that a simple "Happy New Year" wasn't enough to express her feelings, so she added that she would love Lu Yuan in the new year as well.

Still feeling it wasn't enough, she impulsively called Lu Yuan "husband".

They had only been dating for a little over six months, and she was already calling him "husband" so impatiently that she was afraid Lu Yuan would think she was an unreserved woman.

Ye Yixian lowered her head, biting her red lips, pondering how to say something that would make her seem less like she was having an episode.

Before she could figure it out, Aunt Lu said, "What are you two young people whispering about? Hurry up, bring me the bowl, and let me ladle some soup to moisten my throat."

"Okay."

Lu Yuan stood up and handed over his bowl and Ye Yixian's bowl.

When he brought the soup back, Lu Yuan deliberately bent down and leaned close to Ye Yixian, whispering, "Call me that again later. I like hearing you call me that."

Ye Yixian paused for a moment, looked up at Lu Yuan, and quickly broke into a smile. Although she didn't say anything, she happily remembered that Lu Yuan liked her to call him "husband."

Before dinner, Lu Yuan led Ye Yixian and Ye Yizhu to bow and wish their parents a Happy New Year, peace and happiness year after year, and most importantly, to receive red envelopes.

My parents were all smiles, and they had prepared red envelopes for each of the three of us.

Dad prepared a large red envelope, which Lu Yuan and the other two did not open in front of him, but judging from its weight, it must have been quite a lot.

My mother prepared a large red envelope and a small red envelope. The large red envelope contained cash, and the small red envelope contained a lucky charm she had ordered.

Ye Yixian and Ye Yizhu had never had such a fulfilling New Year. They were both a little dazed and even doubted that it was all just a beautiful dream.

The meal was a joyful and lively affair.

After the meal, there wasn't much to do for the next few days, so everyone could freely visit each other's homes to exchange New Year's greetings and enjoy the Spring Festival holiday.

After dinner, Lu Yuan went to visit the neighbors to wish them a Happy New Year, and of course, he also brought Ye Yixian and Ye Yizhu along.

The neighbors were quite familiar with Ye Yixian, but they were quite unfamiliar with Ye Yizhu.

The main problem is that Ye Yizhu is almost never in Jiangcheng throughout the year. After so many years, probably not many people still remember what he was like or what he did.

The neighbors had prepared red envelopes, and although the amounts were small, they were all heartfelt wishes. Lu Yuan and the others accepted the red envelopes and offered their congratulations and thanks.

Of course, when friends come to Lu Yuan's house to wish him a Happy New Year, they will naturally give out some red envelopes.