Chapter 20 Discovered

Chapter 20: Chapter 20 DiscoveredThough I didn’t make the list, I’m still posting the fourth update—after all, so many readers have supported me, it’s worth adding another Chapter tomorrow!

"Brother-in-law, can you tell me some of your old stories?" Xu Shanshan clutched at Li Yifei’s sleeve, gently shaking it twice, her face full of anticipation.

Li Yifei flashed a toothy smile and said, "You’re wishing for too much there, I’m just an ordinary guy, and I don’t seem to have any memories that are worth remembering."

Xu Shanshan stared into Li Yifei’s eyes, shook her head firmly, and said, "I don’t believe that."

Li Yifei shrugged his shoulders and replied, "You don’t believe me, there’s nothing I can do about it, but when I have time, I’ll tell you about my past, and you can see if there is anything you’d like to hear. Just don’t be too disappointed then."

"I won’t be disappointed, definitely not!" Xu Shanshan called out joyfully.

Li Yifei said with a smile, "But shouldn’t we be going upstairs now? Uncle and Aunt are waiting for us to go up and eat dumplings."

Although Xu Shanshan was somewhat reluctant, today clearly wasn’t the right time for stories, so she went upstairs with Li Yifei.

Eating dumplings and gnawing on pork knuckles, Xu Shanshan’s parents were very traditional, and every New Year’s Eve they would have such a meal.

Looking at the steaming hot dumplings and the well-sauced pork knuckles, Li Yifei’s memories suddenly traveled back to seven years ago—it was a New Year’s Eve dinner just like this one, his parents gave him the biggest pork knuckle and watched him with smiling faces as he devoured it.

His leg got kicked, and he heard Xu Yingying say discontentedly, "What are you thinking about? Mom is talking to you, and you’re not saying a word."

Li Yifei quickly apologized to Xu Yingying’s mother, "Auntie, I’m so sorry, I was just thinking about some things from the past, and before I knew it, it’s been quite a few years since I’ve had a New Year’s Eve dinner like this."

Xu Yingying’s mother immediately said, "Don’t think about the past anymore, forget any unhappy thoughts. Today is New Year’s, so just think about happy things. From now on, come to our house for New Year’s every year."

Li Yifei nodded, nodding vigorously, and then he picked up a big pork knuckle and bit a large chunk off of it, which caused Xu Yingying to frown—she felt Li Yifei really wasn’t paying enough attention to his image.

However, Xu Yingying’s parents squinted their eyes at this time, looking extremely happy. The more Li Yifei was like this, the more real he felt to them; they actually didn’t like those boys who were always so reserved in front of them.

With the midnight chimes, Xu Shanshan sprang up and said, "Dad, happy New Year, Mom, happy New Year, Sister, happy New Year, Brother-in-law, happy New Year." The girl rattled off her greetings like popping beans, bowing to each of the four in turn.

The Xu Zhenguo Couple immediately each took out a red envelope and handed them to Xu Shanshan, and Xu Yingying also gave Xu Shanshan a red envelope, giving her sister a look and said, "It’s only at this time of the year that you really think of me as your sister."

Xu Shanshan giggled and said, "Not really, when you give me benefits, I always think of you as my sister." Then she reached out her hand towards Li Yifei.

Xu Yingying had already prepared Li Yifei’s red envelope in advance, and at this point, Li Yifei handed over the red envelope to Xu Shanshan.

Xu Shanshan happily pocketed the red envelope and ran into the room to count her money.

Xu Yingying and Li Yifei also stood up at this point, respectfully wishing the Xu Zhenguo Couple a Happy New Year. Xu Yingying’s greetings were considerably formal, while Li Yifei had no psychological barriers. Putting aside everything else, just being able to spend such a peaceful New Year here, Li Yifei felt he truly owed the Xu Zhenguo Couple a proper New Year’s greeting.

"Yifei, this is for you," the Xu Zhenguo Couple said as they each handed Li Yifei a red envelope.

"Thank you, Uncle, thank you, Auntie," Li Yifei replied cheerfully, taking the envelopes. He felt a warm glow inside him. It wasn’t about the size of the red envelopes, but the atmosphere they came with. Especially for someone like Li Yifei, who had lost both parents, receiving these red envelopes was a significant comfort.

After finishing the New Year’s greetings, Xu Yingying called Li Yifei back to the bedroom and threw him a pair of socks and a new shirt, saying, "Get changed."

"Change clothes even if we’re going to sleep?" Li Yifei was a bit confused.

Xu Yingying said, "This is called ’stepping on the tiny men’. Put on the new shirt too, then go out and walk around. It symbolizes a fresh start for the New Year. Go out and let my parents have a look. It’s a tradition in our family."

Li Yifei immediately cheerfully changed into the socks but hesitated when he looked at the shirt. He whispered, "Should I change into it now?"

Xu Yingying gave Li Yifei a sharp glare and said, "Turn around to change, and don’t look back."

Li Yifei chuckled and replied, "I might not be able to restrain myself, then."

"You dare?" A fierce gleam flashed in Xu Yingying’s eyes, and the authority of a CEO burst forth.

Li Yifei gave a sheepish smile and said, "I wouldn’t dare, after all, you’re the boss." He then turned around and began to undress.

Xu Yingying hadn’t expected Li Yifei to undress so readily. She quickly turned around as well. Her parents were waiting outside, and it would seem odd if she and Li Yifei did not go out together. Therefore, they both had to change in the room. However, she didn’t quite trust Li Yifei; she believed he wouldn’t dare do anything inappropriate to her, but as for sneaking a peek at her, he certainly had the nerve to do that.

Climbing onto the bed, Xu Yingying pulled the covers over her and began to change underneath. Because she wasn’t facing away from Li Yifei, she ended up seeing him change. She hadn’t intended to peek, but she couldn’t help stealing a few glances. This made Xu Yingying’s heart flutter, embarrassed by her own impulses. Yet she couldn’t deny that Li Yifei’s back was quite impressive, with broad shoulders and a narrow waist—perfectly described as ’gorilla arms and wasp waist’. Moreover, the muscles on his back became more pronounced with every movement of his arms.

"I really didn’t expect it; the guy is pretty strong," she thought, "but...he must have been up to no good before. Just look at all those scars on his back, too many to count."

"I’m going to take off my pants now," Li Yifei suddenly blurted out.

Xu Yingying jumped at the remark and quickly turned her head away, saying, "Then you do your thing." Her heart, however, thumped wildly at the thought that he might know she had been peeking. How embarrassing that would be! But she consoled herself with the thought that he was just giving a normal heads-up.

Despite reassuring herself, Xu Yingying still felt like she had been caught doing something bad by Li Yifei. So, she tucked her head under the covers as she changed to avoid any chance of Li Yifei catching her in the act.

After changing clothes, both were in form-fitting shirts, and Li Yifei suddenly felt his blood pump faster. Xu Yingying’s figure was perfectly showcased—every curve and contour accentuated by the fitted clothing.

Xu Yingying saw Li Yifei’s face darken as he watched her, and he promptly, startled, broke into a grin, saying, "You saw me without my clothes; surely, you won’t get mad if I look at you twice, will you?"

"Ah!" Xu Yingying’s face flushed red with embarrassment, realizing her fears had come true—Li Yifei had noticed her peeping.