Ling Xuefeng’s hometown was in Suzhou, which was close to Shanghai. His family was obviously rich since his father bought a duplex that was nearly 300 square metres in Suzhou. There were four bedrooms scattered upstairs and downstairs, as well as a separate study and gym. The house was simple, elegant and spacious.

  His parents were at home and it wasn’t good to sleep together in front of elders. Ling Xuefeng arranged for Li Cangyu to stay in the room opposite his bedroom on the upper floor. Li Cangyu had no opinion on this and quietly went into the room to sleep.

  The next morning, Li Cangyu ate breakfast with Ling Xuefeng. Yuan Xin said that she would go to the supermarket to handle the new year’s goods. Li Cangyu took the initiative to say, “Auntie, I will accompany you. I can’t buy food but I can help with the bags.”

  Yuan Xin agreed with a smile. “Then come with me and act as my hired labourer.”

  Li Cangyu joked, “Auntie, it is my honour to be your hired labourer!”

  The two of them laughed and talked on the way to the supermarket to buy food. Ling Xuefeng stayed at home and helped his father with the couplets. (TL: verses written vertically that are stuck on the doorways on Chinese New Year as a blessing).

  Ling Boyan was more traditional and attached great importance to the Spring Festival. Every year, he personally had to put up couplets at the door. The windows also had the character ‘Fu’ hung while two festive lanterns hung from the living room’s balcony.

  Of course, after Ling Xuefeng grew up, these activities were done by him.

  He was just hanging up the lanterns when he heard his father’s voice behind him, “Are you sure you want to be with this Li Cangyu?”

  “Yes.” Ling Xuefeng answered decisively. “No one in this world is more suitable for him than me.”

  Ling Boyan frowned. “The two of you, is your relationship certain right now?”

  “Not yet.” Ling Xuefeng replied honestly. “However, it is almost the same. I love him and he also likes me. Dad, you can rest assured that my eyes aren’t wrong.”

  Ling Boyan was silent for a moment before nodding. “It is your own matter. Handle it yourself.”

  ***

  At the supermarket, Li Cangyu pushed the shopping cart and walked behind as a hired labourer. Yuan Xin put things inside while telling Li Cangyu many things about her son when he was a child.

  “Our Xuefeng, he hasn’t been talkative since childhood. He looked very cold so many children didn’t like to play with him.”

  “How did he act when he was a child?”

  “He drew or read books at home. But his drawings are really ugly.”

  “Is that so? Auntie, show me once we go back.” Li Cangyu was interested in Ling Xuefeng’s black history.

  “Okay. I have collected them and will show you when we get back.”

  The two people chatted while shopping. They soon bought the food required for the new year and returned home. Yuan Xin went into the kitchen to cook. Before that, she took Li Cangyu to the study to show him Ling Xuefeng’s collection of childhood drawings.

  He was really soul drawer! What was this mess?

  If this black history was posted to the forums, it was unknown how Captain Ling’s fans would react.

  Li Cangyu was looking at them with relish when Ling Xuefeng suddenly pushed open the door and saw Li Cangyu observing his black history. His expression wasn’t embarrassed as he stated calmly, “They were drawn when I was a child.”

  Li Cangyu asked curiously, “You loved to draw as a child. Then what about how? Have your drawing skills improved?”

  “No.”

  Li Cangyu patted him on the shoulder. “You are so honest.”

  Ling Xuefeng smiled slightly and said, “My dad told you to go and play basketball.”

  “Okay, I will go and play with Uncle for a while. You go help Auntie, she is busy in the kitchen.”

  \r \r \r

  “Yes.”

  The two people worked together, one accompanied Father Ling while the other spend a harmonious time with his mother.

  Li Cangyu accompanied Ling Boyan to play basketball for a bit on the open-air basketball court. He didn’t expect that Ling Boyan would be so strong and have such a high basketball level despite being in his 40s. Li Cangyu thought he would let Father Ling win but he could barely make it a tie.

  Ling Boyan explained, “I used to be the captain of the basketball team when I was in school.”

  “Is that so? Li Cangyu praised him. “No wonder why you are so amazing!”

  Ling Boyan threw the ball at Li Cangyu. He saw the other person catch it and said with satisfaction, “Come again.”

  ***

  The duo played for two hours until Ling Xuefeng called them home.

  At home, Yuan Xin had already finished making dinner. The thing that surprised Li Cangyu was that there were two more guests. One was a middle-aged uncle and the other was a young man who looked familiar.

  Ling Xuefeng took the initiative to introduce them. “This is my uncle and cousin.”

  Li Cangyu politely greeted them.

  The cousin saw Li Cangyu and immediately came over to shake hands. “Xiao Li, long time no see. Don’t you know me?”

  Li Cangyu observed the person carefully and finally recognized him. “Ah, Vice-Captain Yuan!”

  Ling Xuefeng’s cousin, Yuan Shaozhe was the first vice-captain of the Wind Colour team.

  At that time, Yuan Shaozhe and Ling Xuefeng had come to Hangzhou to invite him to the Wind Colour team. Yuan Shaozhe had only been in his early 20s and now he was a mature man of 27.

  Yuan Shaozhe retired at the end of the second season and handed over the vice-captain’s position to Yan Ruiwen. Li Cangyu had played against him many times on the field and was impressed with his blood kin summoner.

  They unexpectedly met here. Li Cangyu asked doubtfully, “Where did you go after retirement? Why haven’t I heard from you?”

  “Oh, once I retired, I went to the Miracle League as a data director. I’m mainly responsible for the balance of data in the online game and the league. I transferred from the stage to behind the scenes. You…” Yuan Shaozhe paused and carefully examined the youth in front of him.

  Yuan Shaozhe had definitely heard about what happened to Li Cangyu in the past few years. A few years ago, the 17 year old boy resolutely refused the position of vice-captain of Wind Colour and firmly said, “I want to build a team myself.” Yuan Shaozhe had tried to persuade him but the determination in the young man’s eyes made Yuan Shaozhe give up.

  After so many years, Li Cangyu was a lot more mature than the memories. However, the confidence and determination in his eyes were exactly the same as that original youth.

  He was a tough person who became braver the more frustrations he experienced.

  Yuan Shaozhe looked at him with appreciation and couldn’t help smiling, “I heard that you are returning to Miracle?”

  Li Cangyu nodded. “Yes, my team has been assembled and we are preparing to play in the seventh season of the professional league.”

  “Yes, I am feeling very optimistic.” Yuan Shaozhe patted Li Cangyu’s shoulder with approval. Then he asked, “By the way, why did you come to Xuefeng’s place for the new year?”

  Li Cangyu thought, ‘I want to advance our relationship through meeting the family and then take Ling Xuefeng as my wife.’

  However, Li Cangyu naturally didn’t dare tell the truth to Yuan Shaozhe. He touched his nose and calmly explained, “My parents are abroad and I didn’t have anywhere to spend the holidays. Xuefeng took me home to eat.”

  Yuan Shaozhe was surprised. “It is like me! My mother isn’t home and my father and I can’t cook. That’s why we came to my aunt’s house for a meal.”

  Li Cangyu smiled. “It is really a coincidence.”

  Ling Xuefeng heard him lying so easily and slightly smiled. He calmly interrupted them, “Go to eat.”

  ***

  There were many people gathered at the dinner table. They watched TV while eating dinner and this Chinese New Year was incredibly lively.

  Once the New Year’s Eve dinner was over, the Yuan Shaoze father and son set up a table of mahjong with Ling Boyan and Yuan Xin. Ling Xuefeng went upstairs to take a bath. Li Cangyu didn’t play mahjong but he sat next to them to watch.

  Yuan Xin’s heart warmed when she saw Li Cangyu sitting with them and couldn’t help saying, “Xiao Li, you go to sleep first. You don’t need to accompany us. We will play all night and we greet the dawn like every holidays.”

  Yuan Shaozhe echoed her words, “Yes, you aren’t playing anyway. Go upstairs and play Miracle with Xuefeng.”

  Yuan Xin continued, “Or take a shower first and go to sleep early.”

  Li Cangyu didn’t understand mahjong and had been watching in a confused daze. Once he heard this, he stood up and said, “Then I will go upstairs to take a shower. Uncle, Auntie, Uncle, Cousin, you play well!”

  Yuan Xin smiled. “Go!”

  This handsome young man was sensible and talked to his elders so smoothly. It was estimated that soon after, his uncle and aunt could be changed into father and mother!

  ***

  Li Cangyu went upstairs and took a shower. It wasn’t midnight yet and he was bored. Thus, he gently knocked on the opposite door that belonged to Ling Xuefeng. “Xuefeng, are you asleep?”

  “I’m not sleeping. Come in.”

  Li Cangyu pushed open the door and saw that Ling Xuefeng was sitting on his bed and drying his hair. The man who just showered had a layer of water vapor on his body. His moist hair hung over his eyes and water kept dripping down. A sexy collarbone was exposed and his neck moved up and down as he spoke.

  Li Cangyu gulped, wanting to directly go over and nibble.

  Ling Xuefeng looked up and saw that the big cat was standing motionless. He couldn’t help wondering, “What’s the matter?”

  Li Cangyu recovered and pretended to be calm. “It’s nothing.” He smiled and sat down next to Ling Xuefeng. “I was bored and couldn’t sleep. Let’s greet the new year together.”

  Ling Xuefeng asked curiously, “Do you still have the habit of greeting it?”

  “Yes, before my father and sister went abroad, our family of four would stay up to 1 o’clock to greet the Spring Festival and see the fireworks. I only feel like it is the new year when it is the Spring Festival.” Li Cangyu spoke emotionally, “Since my father went abroad, I have never had such a lively Spring Festival.”

  Ling Xuefeng looked at the man lost in his memories and gentleness filled his eyes. He whispered, “Do you want to set off fireworks? I have some at home.”

  Li Cangyu’s eyes brightened. “You have fireworks? Why didn’t you say so earlier?”

  “My father and I don’t like them. The fireworks that my mother buys every year will eventually be taken by relatives for their children to play with.” Ling Xuefeng got up and grabbed a bunch of fireworks from the study. He found a lighter, turned off the lights in the house and then took Li Cangyu with him to the window, pushing open the window.

  He had grabbed all the long fireworks that he could hold in his hand. They each took one and lit them with the lighter. Then they tacitly reached out of the window at the same time.

  Not long afterwards, they heard whooshing sounds in their ears. Two red and blue clusters of fireworks exploded in the night sky. The decorated sky was extraordinarily beautiful and illuminated the two faces.

  The two of them didn’t speak as they continued to light fireworks. The booming sound of the fireworks seemed in line with their heartbeats, producing a warm melody.

  It wasn’t until the fireworks in their hands stopped moving that the two men looked at each other and laughed.

  Li Cangyu said, “Two big men standing together while setting off fireworks. Haven’t we suddenly become childish?”

  Ling Xuefeng replied, “No, there is no stipulation that adults can’t do this.”

  “Then do you want to do it again?”

  Ling Xuefeng agreed. “Okay.”

  At this time, the clock reached 0 and every household started to set off fireworks to welcome the arrival of the new year. Countless fireworks soared, making the two people’s faces particularly clear.

  Li Cangyu looked at Ling Xuefeng’s handsome face set against the fireworks. His heart suddenly moved and he had a strong desire to tell the other person his heart. It was a monstrous wave that swept over his mind in an instant.

  “I…” Li Cangyu was just about to talk when he heard Ling Xuefeng’s low and familiar voice in his ears.

  “I like you.”

  The deafening sound of fireworks outside couldn’t cover up Ling Xuefeng’s simple and direct confession.

  Li Cangyu thought he had misheard and looked at the man in front of him with shock. “What did you say?”

  “I like you.” Ling Xuefeng softly repeated. He saw Li Cangyu’s big eyes and couldn’t help laughing. He leaned over and accurately kissed Li Cangyu’s lips.

  “…”

  Outside the window, fireworks of various colours bloomed in the sky, causing the night sky to be as bright as day.

  Li Cangyu felt his mind become blank as he was kissed. It was as if something was wrong but… Ling Xuefeng’s kiss was too gentle. His tongue gently opened Li Cangyu’s mouth, slowly and thoughtfully sweeping through every inch of his mouth. Li Cangyu couldn’t help indulging in this kiss.

  This was the best New Year’s gift for him!