Oh no! I've only been a freshman and I've already been targeted by a mean upperclassman.

At eight o'clock on the morning of the first day of the Lunar New Year, Li Chen was woken up by his phone vibrating.

Group 302.

[Wang Qiang: Happy New Year!! Li Chen!!! You owe me a jianbing guozi (Chinese crepe) this year!!!]

[Zhao Zixuan: Happy New Year! And my share too!!]

[Chen Mo: Happy New Year. Based on Li Chen's current social behavior data model, he will read this message at least forty minutes before replying. This is because his first cognitive resources upon waking will be allocated to people or information nearby, rather than group chats.]

Li Chen checked the time: 8:03.

He did indeed glance at the person next to him first.

There was no one around, and the guest rooms were quiet.

He rolled over and replied to the group message.

[Li Chen: Happy New Year. Take the osmanthus cake back with you. Return the pancakes.]

[Wang Qiang: !!! Where's my sister-in-law?! I need her to tell me too!!]

Li Chen ignored her, got up to wash up, put on the gray hoodie that Yan Xi had praised as "not bad", and walked out of the bedroom.

In the living room, Yan Xi sat at the dining table with a bowl of glutinous rice balls in front of her and her phone in her hand, typing.

She was wearing a red turtleneck sweater today, and her hair was down, not tied up.

Li Chen paused for a moment.

She doesn't usually wear red.

"What are you looking at?" Yan Xi asked without looking up.

"You're wearing red."

"Chinese New Year".

"nice."

Yan Xi paused her thumb on the screen for half a second, then continued typing.

"Your mom cooked these glutinous rice balls. Yours are in the pot. She said they have black sesame filling. Six of them."

Li Chen walked into the kitchen, and sure enough, there were six in the pot.

Shen Ruolan was wiping the stove nearby. "Is it up?"

"Yes, Mom, Happy New Year."

Shen Ruolan glanced at him and smiled, "Happy New Year, go eat. Xiaoxi has already eaten three; she likes the peanut filling, I'll remember that."

"Did she tell you that?"

"She didn't say. I made two kinds of fillings last night. The first one she picked was peanut. After tasting it, she took two more peanut fillings from the plate, but didn't touch the black sesame ones."

Li Chen brought out a bowl and sat down opposite Yan Xi.

"Peanut filling."

Yan Xi looked up. "Your mom told you."

"My mom's information gathering system is no worse than yours."

"Genetics".

Li Chen took a bite of the glutinous rice ball; it was sweet and chewy.

He ate two, and Yan Xi put down her phone and looked at him.

"When you eat glutinous rice balls, first bite a small hole, wait for a little filling to flow out, and then put the whole thing in your mouth."

"Um."

"Have you always eaten like this since you were a child?"

"Yes, I'm afraid of getting burned."

"When you drink porridge, you drink the edges first, and then drink the middle after it cools down a bit."

"You even remembered which side I started drinking the porridge from?"

Yan Xi didn't answer, picked up her phone and continued typing.

Li Chen peeked out and took a look.

It was a reply to Leng Qingge's message.

[Leng Qingge: !!! Yan Xi, you're wearing red!! Post a picture!! If you don't, you're guilty!!]

Yan Xi typed two words.

[Yan Xi: No picture.]

Then lock the screen.

"What did she ask you?"

"They asked me if I look good in red."

"Aren't you going to send her a picture?"

Yan Xi looked up at him and said, "Whatever I wear is fine as long as you think it looks good. Why do I need to show it to others?"

Li Chen almost choked on his glutinous rice ball.

……

After finishing breakfast, Shen Ruolan came out of the bedroom with two red envelopes in her hand.

One was handed to Li Chen, and the other to Yan Xi.

"One red envelope for each person, don't refuse."

Yan Xi stood up, accepted the gift with both hands, and said, "Thank you, Auntie."

Li Chen answered, "Mom, didn't you already—"

"Yesterday was New Year's Eve, today is the first day of the Lunar New Year, they're different."

Li Mohan came out of the study, holding two red envelopes, and stood in front of Yan Xi.

"This is for Xiaoxi." He handed it over, "It's for your uncle, don't think it's too little."

Yan Xi took it, "Thank you, Uncle."

Li Mohan nodded, then took out another one and slapped it into Li Chen's hand.

"your."

"Thank you, Dad."

"Alright." Li Mohan turned and left, but after taking a few steps, he turned back. "Oh, by the way, your grandfather transferred some money to you on WeChat. Go check it yourself."

Li Chen opened WeChat, and sure enough, it was a red envelope from Li Qingcang.

Amount – 1.2 yuan.

Note: Buy an ice pop.

Li Chen: "..."

The old man has been doing this for twenty years without fail.

He scrolled through the messages again and found another one below.

[Li Qingcang: This is for that little girl. Please pass it on.]

A red envelope was attached.

Li Chen didn't open the amount; he forwarded it to Yan Xi instead.

Yan Xi opened it, glanced at it, her expression unchanged, but she turned the phone over to show Li Chen.

Amount: 9,999.

Note: Practicing boxing.

Li Chen looked at his two cents and then at Yan Xi's nine thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine.

"Your grandfather is biased." Yan Xi said calmly, but there was a smile on her lips.

"He gave me one dollar and twenty cents, and it's been one dollar and twenty cents since I was six years old."

"That means he's always thought you're only worth a popsicle."

Li Chen opened WeChat and sent a message to the old man.

[Li Chen: Grandpa, Happy New Year. She received your red envelope. Also, can I raise the price of mine? Prices have gone up. I can't buy an ice pop for 1.2 yuan anymore.]

Three minutes later.

[Li Qingcang: No price increase. If you think it's too little, then don't take it.]

Ten more seconds passed.

[Li Qingcang: Have that girl send me a message. Just say you received it. You're welcome.]

Yan Xi posted it herself.

[Yan Xi: Grandpa. Received. Thank you. I practiced two sets of jabs today. I'm still adjusting the angle of my back foot.]

One minute later.

[Li Qingcang: Don't rush the angle. First, stabilize your center of gravity. Your core strength isn't enough. Practice horse stance for five minutes every day. No more.]

Yan Xi: Okay.

[Li Qingcang: Happy New Year.]

Li Chen looked at this conversation.

His grandfather's WeChat replies never exceeded two sentences; they were always just "um" and "okay."

He replied with three sentences in one go and even took the initiative to wish her a Happy New Year.

He put down his phone. Yan Xi sat next to him, clutching four red envelopes in her hand, looking very serious.

"What's wrong?" Li Chen asked.

"We're calculating the total."

"You don't want to calculate—"

"Your parents, your grandfather, and the one your mother had under her pillow last night, that makes four in total."

"How many?"

Yan Xi glanced at him.

I won't tell you.

She put all the red envelopes into the inside pocket of her coat, in the same spot as yesterday, close to her heart.

Li Chen looked at the slight bulge in her inner pocket.

My phone vibrated; it was Yan Xi.

She picked it up and glanced at it.

Her fingers tightened instantly.

The light from the screen reflected in her eyes; her pupils didn't move, but her eyelashes trembled slightly.

"Whose?" Li Chen asked.

Yan Xi turned her phone over so the screen was facing down.

"My dad."