The people on the television were exchanging New Year greetings, and Qi Shejiang also greeted his parents before taking out his phone and sending a New Year wish to Zhang Yue via WeChat. Five minutes later, Zhang Yue replied: Happy New Year. Immediately followed by: Are you home? Qi Shejiang: Uh-huh. Zhang Yue typed for a long time, and only a few words popped up on the screen: Wanna go out? Qi Shejiang pondered for a moment. Before he could reply, Zhang Yue added: Walk around? The weather is nice today.
Even if the weather is nice, it’s still midnight. Qi Shejiang hesitated for a while but still agreed, fearing that Zhang Yue might feel depressed during the festive season. “Zhang Yue asked me to go for a walk.” Qi Shejiang reported honestly to Xia Yiwei.
Xia Yiwei was a bit picky and, while Qi Shejiang was putting on his shoes at the door, placed her hands on her hips and said, “Those in bands are all so eccentric. If he asks you to go winter swimming or streaking, don’t agree.” Qi Shejiang: “……” When he finally met Zhang Yue, Qi Shejiang discovered that there were a lot of people outside on New Year’s Eve. This was probably because they arranged to meet in the bustling part of the city, where the streets were filled with relatives, friends, couples, or people just returning from a celebration. Qi Shejiang wore a hat and a scarf, bundling himself up warmly; he was actually a bit hot, but he was still quite recognizable. Zhang Yue, who came over, was also fully bundled up. “Happy New Year.” Qi Shejiang clasped his hands together and greeted him. Zhang Yue mumbled in his heart. On New Year’s, his family was the kind with a large gathering, with grandpa and grandma, uncles and aunts—dozens of people celebrating together. But the more lively it got, the more he wanted to see Qi Shejiang when everyone started going to sleep after the countdown. Even just face-to-face… a simple greeting would suffice. He hesitated to send a WeChat invitation, and after he did, he regretted it; Qi Shejiang usually kept a regular schedule and it was already early morning, could he even come out?
