After Confessing To My Childhood Friend - Chapter 38
Chapter 38: New Year’s Eve
◎Nervous to Meet the Parents◎
The snow stopped the next day.
A thin layer of snow covered rooftops and tree branches. On the ground, most of the snow had melted, leaving the pavement slippery and wet — a recipe for early morning frustration.
Before the weekend, the school had announced that due to unstable voltage, the classroom heaters would only be turned on if the temperature dropped below zero; otherwise, air conditioning was strictly forbidden.
The students wailed in protest. Everyone knew that Yonghuai hadn’t dropped below freezing in years — the school was clearly expecting them to survive winter on sheer willpower.
Still, complaints aside, classes went on. Some students had already started shaking their legs to stay warm.
Xie Zhirou hated the cold. Without the heater, Chen Mengyin had prepared a small blanket and a hot water bottle for her in the classroom. Whenever the bottle cooled, she would rush to reheat it — terrified her precious Zhirou might freeze.
On Monday morning, Chen Mengyin was gnawing on a piece of bread in class. With the heater off, she had swapped her herbal tea for a variety of warm drinks, as if to make up for everything she’d missed.
Last week, Li Ran had even stopped cooking nourishing soups for her, switching to light, cooling recipes in fear that Mengyin might get a nosebleed.
But now the heater had been shut off again after just a week. Chen Mengyin figured those tonics were probably making a comeback.
Speaking of Li Ran — Mengyin remembered Zhirou telling her that last night, after midnight, Li Ran and Chen Lin had crept home and tiptoed upstairs to bed. Both of them overslept the next morning.
Chen Mengyin wasn’t surprised. That was just the kind of thing that couple would do.
“I wish the holiday were longer…” Chen Mengyin sighed after finishing her last bite of bread. The weekend had flown by so fast, she barely had time to enjoy it before it was over.
“Hang in there, winter break is almost here,” Xie Zhirou said.
“Don’t remind me! I asked some upperclassmen — seniors only get fifteen days off for winter break. Just fifteen days! What can you even do in that time?” Mengyin slumped over her desk, a dark cloud hanging over her head. “I’ll probably be stuck doing homework every day, won’t even get to go anywhere.”
Knowing how No. 1 High operated, if they didn’t send students home with a mountain of practice papers, it would be a disgrace to their college acceptance rate.
Zhirou didn’t know how to comfort her, so she just reached over and gently patted Mengyin’s head. “We’ll do the homework together.”
“I still wanna go out and play,” Mengyin mumbled.
“Okay, we’ll go out after we finish it,” Zhirou promised.
After soothing her sulky puppy, the bell rang. During homeroom, their teacher Zhu Ling announced that starting after New Year’s, evening study sessions would end at 9:30 instead of 10:00. They’d go back to the usual time after winter.
The class erupted in cheers. For a moment, they even forgot about the heating issue as they whispered excitedly.
Zhu Ling clapped her hands to quiet them. “It’s been snowing lately, and the roads are slippery. Be careful going out — we’re less than 200 days from the college entrance exam. You don’t want to take it with a cast, right?”
“Nooo—” No one wanted to fight the Gaokao with one hand.
“Today’s class is over. But remember, this week evening study still ends at 10:00. Don’t leave early.”
“Got it——” the class chorused.
After braving the cold day, the elite class was met with an even colder night.
By evening study, the absence of heating made the classroom feel like a giant freezer. Icy air crept up from the floor. Even sitting on their hands didn’t help.
Chen Mengyin preheated the hot water bottle before class and slipped it into the blanket on Zhirou’s lap. She herself tossed a scarf around her shoulders and looked perfectly cozy.
During break, Ye Siying passed by crying to Jiang Yingxia, saying she wanted a blanket and hot water bottle too.
Jiang Yingxia ignored her and silently held out her hand.
Moved, Ye Siying grabbed it — only to find it ice-cold like a glacier. Her tears nearly froze in her eyes. “My heart is cold, and my hands are colder,” she choked out.
Still, she didn’t let go. Instead, she covered Jiang Yingxia’s hand with her own, trying to warm her up.
The long night dragged on. During the final period, the temperature dropped even lower. The wind rattled the windows, and someone near the window saw it was snowing again and excitedly shared the news.
The quiet classroom grew noisy. The supervising teacher wanted to call for silence, but when she saw those youthful, excited faces, she held back, opened her thermos, and sat on the podium watching the snow with them.
Ah, youth.
After school, the snow was still falling. It was freezing. Chen Mengyin tucked Zhirou’s hand into her jacket pocket, warm from the hot water bottle, and smiled happily.
On the way home, they walked slowly, carefully. It took them several minutes longer than usual. At the front door, Mengyin scraped snowwater off her soles before opening it. “Mom, we’re home.”
“You’re back! Frozen, aren’t you? Go have some soup, I have something to tell you later.” Li Ran was watching TV alone; Mengyin’s stepdad was nowhere to be seen — probably working late again.
“What is it?” Mengyin asked while putting down her bag. “Can’t you just tell us now?”
“Go drink your soup first. I’ll tell you while you eat.”
“Okay, okay, I’m going now.” Mengyin and Zhirou went to the kitchen and came back with two bowls of soup.
“So,” Li Ran began, sitting opposite them, “Zhirou’s mom and I were thinking — how about both our families celebrate New Year’s Eve together this year? Your dad’s finally off work, and we can just host it here. Lively and fun. What do you two think? Sound good?”
“Of course! That sounds great!” Mengyin and Zhirou exchanged happy looks. “I was just wondering what we’d do for New Year’s — this is perfect!”
Mengyin had been racking her brain for an excuse to spend New Year’s with Zhirou. Li Ran’s idea was a gift from the heavens.
“And you, Zhirou?” Li Ran asked.
Zhirou smiled. “No problem at all, Auntie. I’m happy to spend it with you.”
“Good, good. We were afraid you two young ones might not want to spend it with us old folks. Since you’re both fine with it, I’ll call your mom and start preparing.”
“I’m heading upstairs. Don’t forget to wash the dishes, got it?”
Mengyin, chewing on a pork rib, mumbled, “Yeah yeah, we got it. You go to bed. Goodnight!”
“Such a rude girl,” Li Ran muttered, laughing.
“Goodnight, Auntie,” Zhirou said sweetly.
“Goodnight.”
After she went upstairs, Mengyin and Zhirou high-fived. “Yes! We’re spending New Year’s together!”
Last year they hadn’t been adults yet, and their parents wouldn’t let them stay up. They’d been sent to bed before midnight, no chance to sneak out.
Now they were officially adults. Mengyin had planned to find a reason for them to spend it together, but Li Ran had solved that problem beautifully.
Zhirou teased, “First time meeting the parents — nervous?”
“!?” Mengyin’s eyes widened. She suddenly realized — this would be their first time seeing each other’s families as girlfriends (albeit secretly). “Sh—” She almost swore, but one glare from Zhirou shut her up. “Sh—I mean, oh my god! Now I am nervous!”
“You jinxed it! I wasn’t nervous before — now I’m freaking out! Are you happy now, you wicked woman!” Mengyin sulked as she scrubbed the dishes.
Zhirou was amused. Standing beside her, she pretended to worry, “So what now? Does that mean no one likes this wicked woman?”
Mengyin paused. Since they’d gotten together, she’d come to realize that under Zhirou’s angelic appearance hid a mischievous streak. She loved teasing her.
Even though she knew Zhirou was putting on an act, the moment she looked pitiful, Mengyin melted. “I like you, okay? You little menace…”
“Don’t be mad, it’s my fault.” Zhirou gently kissed her ear and whispered, “Don’t hate me, okay?”
Mengyin’s face flushed bright red. She wiped the bowl and mumbled, “I don’t hate you.” If anything, she loved her too much.
“Our sweet little Mengyin.” Zhirou kissed her cheek. “I’ll give you a reward tonight.”
Mengyin knew exactly what that “reward” meant. Her face turned scarlet, and she stammered. Eventually, she covered her face and ran off to shower, leaving a flustered trail behind her.
Zhirou touched her lips where she had just kissed her and smiled as she followed.
The room lights were off. Streetlamp light filtered in through a gap in the curtains, casting a narrow beam on the bed.
Under the soft down blanket, Mengyin lay flushed red from Zhirou’s kisses, their legs tangled together, her waist being gently caressed, mind blank.
Zhirou’s “reward” wasn’t over. Her long fingers roamed freely. The one being “rewarded” wept softly, hands pressed against Zhirou’s chest.
Who knew how long it went on. As their breathing slowed, it finally ended. The clean pillow was soaked with tears. Mengyin’s body was burning, lips swollen from long kisses. She leaned dazedly in Zhirou’s arms.
Zhirou kissed the tears from her cheeks and whispered goodnight.
Mengyin closed her eyes, fell asleep to her lover’s kisses.
In the days that followed, she counted on her fingers how many days until New Year’s.
One day, two days, three days… until the final night. After evening study, they were driven home by their parents. They tossed aside their schoolbags and happily gathered, waiting for the countdown.