“My daughter is being so good today?”
She huffed, “I’m always good, okay?”
Liang Tianming chuckled, just about to say something when he received a work call.
Answering the call, he spoke about matters related to the company, his expression steady and composed.
As the head of a corporation managing thousands of employees, Liang Tianming was known for his iron-fisted leadership, rarely smiling in public. However, he was quite the opposite with his family.
When it came to raising his daughter, Liang Tianming balanced strictness with gentleness. Sometimes he was very strict, but most of the time, he was kind and loving.
After he finished the call, Liang Zhiyi pouted, “Dad, don’t work so hard all the time. I’ve noticed you’re getting gray hairs.”
Liang Tianming smiled, “Isn’t it normal for someone my age to have gray hair?”
Liang Tianming’s tone grew more serious, his sharp gaze shifting slightly. “Why are you back so late tonight?”
“I… I had dinner with a classmate before coming home.”
Liang Tianming looked at her intently. “A male classmate or a female classmate?”
Since she had been taught not to lie from a young age, she answered honestly, “A male classmate. It’s the one I told you about before—my deskmate, Pei Chen.”
Liang Tianming continued to gaze at her. “You seem to be getting along well with him?”
She touched her nose nervously. “Yeah, we get along pretty well.”
“Your father doesn’t object to appropriate friendships, but you must be mindful of boundaries. Understand?”
Seeing her father’s slightly stern expression, Liang Zhiyi felt a bit guilty and obediently nodded.
Liang Tianming patted her head. “Go upstairs and finish your homework.”
“Okay.”
Liang Zhiyi stood up and headed upstairs. As she left, Liang Tianming returned to his newspaper, but his eyes darkened, and his brows furrowed slightly, seeing through his daughter’s thoughts.
The last few days of the month passed quickly.
Liang Zhiyi and Pei Chen had originally planned to go to the mall together after school on the 31st. However, Pei Chen suddenly received a notice from the school that afternoon, informing him that he and a few other boys were required to attend a poetry recital at a high school in a neighboring city.
In class, when Pei Chen shared the news with Liang Zhiyi, she was surprised. “Which school are you going to?”
“Hengcheng No. 4 High School.”
Liang Zhiyi checked the map and found that it would take two hours to get there by bus from Lincheng.
Her expression became wistful. “When will your event be over?”
“I’m not sure. I don’t know when we’ll be back in Lincheng.”
Liang Zhiyi slumped over her desk, her voice soft as she murmured, “So we won’t be able to catch claw machine toys together…”
Seeing how disappointed she was, Pei Chen felt his heart tighten, and he asked in a low voice, “I’m sorry. How about you ask Ji Fei’er to go with you instead?”
Liang Zhiyi pushed aside her disappointment and forced a smile. “It’s okay. There will be other chances. We can go another day.”
“…Okay.”
Two days later, in the afternoon, Pei Chen and the other students gathered at the school gate, ready to take the bus to Hengcheng.
After boarding the bus, a boy from another class sat next to Pei Chen. Noticing his slightly bulging backpack, the boy asked curiously, “Pei Shen, what did you pack in your bag? It looks pretty full.”
Pei Chen pressed his lips together and replied in a calm voice, “Nothing much.”
“The recital tonight won’t end until six or seven. This is going to be exhausting.”
Pei Chen glanced at him. “It’ll end that late?”
“Yeah, by the time we get back to Lincheng, who knows what time it’ll be.”
Pei Chen had originally planned with Liang Zhiyi to go to the mall at seven. If he could make it back in time, they could still meet, but now it seemed impossible.
Two hours later, they arrived at their destination.
After getting off the bus, Pei Chen sent a message to Liang Zhiyi, letting her know that he would be back in Lincheng very late and suggested she could invite other friends to the mall instead.
It took a few minutes before she replied: “Alright, no worries~ You focus on your event.”
Pei Chen stared at her response, thinking about how she had been looking forward to spending the evening with him. He could only imagine how disappointed she must be after receiving his message.
His eyes dimmed, and his heart felt as heavy as if it had been weighed down by a stone.
At 2:30 PM, the recital began.
Their school’s performance was scheduled for the middle of the event, and by the time they were done, it was just past 4:30 PM.
Pei Chen checked the time and, after a moment of hesitation, immediately approached the teacher in charge, a female teacher. “Teacher, I have something urgent to attend to. May I return to Lincheng now?”
“You want to leave now? We have a dinner gathering tonight. Are you sure you don’t want to stay?”
“I really need to go. Can I leave early?”
The teacher was concerned about him traveling back to Lincheng alone, but Pei Chen assured her he would be careful and promised to call and let her know once he was back safely. Seeing the urgency in his eyes, the teacher finally agreed.
Pei Chen left the school and followed the GPS to the nearest bus stop.
With New Year’s Eve just around the corner and the evening rush hour in full swing, the bus was packed, and traffic was at a standstill.
The bus crawled through the congested streets.
Pei Chen kept checking the time.
He had to transfer three times to get back to Lincheng, enduring the gridlock the entire way. By the time he got off the final bus, it was already dark.
After getting off, he realized there was still some distance to the mall. He checked the time—it was just after seven. He pulled out a small bag from his backpack, called the teacher to confirm he had arrived safely, and then hurried toward the mall.
The city lights of Lincheng had just begun to twinkle, casting colorful reflections off the skyscrapers. The trees along the streets were adorned with glowing balls, and the stores were filled with the sounds of advertisements, all brimming with a festive New Year atmosphere.
Pei Chen reached the fountain square outside the mall’s main entrance and took out his phone to call her.
A few seconds later, she answered.
“Hello, Pei Chen—”
Out of breath from running, Pei Chen asked, “Zhiyi, where are you?”
“I just got to the mall…”
“I made it back,” Pei Chen was about to say, but he heard voices on her end calling her name, “Zhizhi, let’s go in through entrance A…”
Liang Zhiyi responded to her friends and then said with a smile, “Pei Chen, since you’re busy tonight, I made plans to hang out with some of my classmates from freshman year.”
Pei Chen fell silent.
He glanced toward entrance A of the mall, and sure enough, about a dozen meters away, he saw her.
She was wearing a brown wool coat and a plaid skirt, her dark hair and bright eyes making her look radiant and lively.
She was walking with a group of four or five boys and girls, all chatting and laughing together.
Pei Chen’s gaze lingered on her, his throat tightening. In a low voice, he asked, “Are you going to spend New Year’s Eve with them?”
“Yeah, they said a new arcade just opened inside, and they want to take me there. I heard there’s going to be a fireworks show at midnight too,” she said softly. “Pei Chen, is your recital over? When will you be back in Lincheng?”
Pei Chen’s eyes remained fixed on her as he struggled to suppress his emotions. After a few seconds, he replied in a hushed tone, “Yes, I’m almost back.”
“That’s good. Make sure you stay safe on your way back, and if you haven’t eaten yet, remember to eat something.”
“Okay.”
On her end, a girl called out to Liang Zhiyi, and she said, “I’ll talk to you later, Pei Chen. I’m hanging up now.”
After the call ended, Pei Chen watched as she and her friends walked into the mall, eventually disappearing from his sight.
The square was crowded, with people bustling all around. The cheerful sounds of New Year’s songs filled the air, but Pei Chen’s eyes darkened.
After standing still for a moment, he walked into the mall and placed the bag he was holding into a storage locker.
Then he sent a message to Liang Zhiyi: “I got you a New Year’s gift. I was worried I wouldn’t make it back in time, so I left it in a locker at the mall for you.”
On her end, Liang Zhiyi received the message and the locker code, feeling a bit puzzled. She quickly ran to retrieve it.
When she opened the locker, she found a gift bag inside.
Inside the bag was a beautifully crafted card with a few words written on it:
“Zhiyi, Happy New Year.”
Behind the card was a soft beige scarf.
Seeing the gift, Liang Zhiyi’s eyes curved into a smile as she sent him a voice message: “Pei Chen, I received the scarf! I love it so much!”
From afar, Pei Chen silently watched the smile on her face.
After she left, he slowly lowered his gaze.
He had rushed back, hoping to surprise her.
But seeing her happily surrounded by friends, rather than being alone, he felt relieved. It was good that she had others to keep her company.
The scarf was something he had picked out a few days ago at a rather expensive boutique, after learning that they would be spending New Year’s Eve together. He had wanted to give it to her as a New Year’s gift.
“Zhiyi, Happy New Year,” he said in his heart.
But I was late and couldn’t hand the gift to you in person.