Chapter 30

The three ran over.
Wang Song blurted, stunned, “What the hell, why are you here? Weren’t you supposed to—”
He stopped mid-sentence.
“You’re here for this?!”
“Why are you here?” Xi Siyan also found it too much of a coincidence.
Was this whole coastline booked by the political and academic circles of the capital?
Gan Zisen was just as surprised.
“Our three families planned to spend New Year here. My mom actually invited your family too, but your mom said your family had ‘something important’…”
He looked between them.
“So you two are here for New Year too?”
Only then did Xi Siyan react. He reminded Jing Miao to greet people.
Jing Miao obediently greeted:
“Wang Song-gege, Zisen-gege…”
He looked at the pretty older sister, failed to recall her name, and added softly:
“Unknown-name jiejie.”
Chen Tianruo smiled. “Call me Xiaotian-jiejie.”
“Xiaotian-jiejie,” Jing Miao repeated obediently.
“My whole family’s here too, in the villa behind us,” Xi Siyan said. “Perfect timing. By twists of fate we’re still spending New Year together. Want to call uncle and aunties over to our yard? We can set up two tables and play cards.”
“Tsk, classic Auntie Su style,” Wang Song sighed. “Biggest villa for the smallest group. Fine, I’ll call the old folks over.”
Gan Zisen said he’d take Chen Tianruo to greet the Xi parents first.
Wang Song’s eyes flicked.
“Miaomiao, can you take gege and jiejie over? They can’t find the way.”
Jing Miao paused, then nodded.
Gan Zisen: “…How can we not find—”
Wang Song waved behind his back.
Gan Zisen instantly understood and corrected himself:
“Mm, jiejie and I can’t find it. Can Miaomiao lead us?”
Jing Miao nodded again. “Mm.”
Xi Siyan lifted a leg to follow, but Wang Song grabbed him.
“Hey, wait. I need to ask you something.”
“What?”
“You’re proposing here?”
“Mm.” Xi Siyan nodded. “If I’d known you guys were coming too, I’d have changed the place.”
Wang Song protested. “Hey, hey, don’t! What’s wrong with us? Twenty-plus years as brothers and we can’t be witnesses?”
“This is fate, man. You ungrateful wolf—got a wife and forgot your brothers.”
Then he narrowed his eyes.
“But seriously, you two registered over half a year ago, right? Why propose now? When I reminded you before, I thought you’d do it immediately.”
Xi Siyan watched Jing Miao’s retreating figure.
“He was still in his teens then. I was afraid he’d regret it after growing up. So I wanted to wait.”
Wang Song thought for a moment.
“Meaning now he’s reached the age? Got reevaluated? You call this ‘waiting’? You already got the certificate, man.”
“No evaluation,” Xi Siyan said. “My own judgment. We haven’t held the wedding yet. Hardly anyone takes the overseas certificate seriously anyway.”
Wang Song nodded. “Mm… but you worry too much. I’ll bet you—Jing Miao at 7, 14, 18, or 28 feels exactly the same about you.”
Xi Siyan smiled. “Mm. Maybe.”
“So how are you proposing? Need help?” Wang Song grinned.
“No need. Everything’s prepared. Just don’t show up. I’m afraid he’ll get shy.”
Wang Song deflated. “My brother’s life event and I can’t even go stir things up.”
Xi Siyan laughed. “When you propose to Xiaotian, I’ll bring Miaomiao to stir things up for you. I’m going. We’ve been talking too long—if Miaomiao can’t see me, he’ll panic.”
Wang Song rolled his eyes. “Don’t randomly pair people. This time all three families just happened to overlap for New Year, and there are younger relatives over there too…”
Then he added:
“Actually your venue is awkward. There’ll probably be lots of stealth spectators.”
When Wang Song and Xi Siyan returned, Jing Miao sprang up from the lounge chair.
“Gege!”
He threw himself straight into Xi Siyan’s arms.
“Why did gege come back so slowly?”
Xi Siyan hugged him. “Run slower, little ancestor. Blame Wang Song-gege. He has poor stamina.”
Wang Song: “…”
Granny Jiang’s professional “host mode” activated the moment guests appeared. She warmly brought fruit and drinks.
“Miaomiao, aren’t you shy? Can’t see your gege for a few minutes and you’re already like this.”
Jing Miao buried his face in Xi Siyan’s chest, embarrassed. “Granny is bad.”
Once Su Wan heard all the families were on the same island, she lit up immediately.
“Our place is bigger. Call everyone over and let’s do New Year’s Eve dinner together tonight.”
She quickly asked headcount and had the villa manager set up a twenty-person table in Courtyard No. 1.
People arrived one after another at the Xi family’s rented villa.
In an instant, it was lively as a market fair.
Laughter filled the yard.
Jing Miao felt a little uncomfortable in such bustling scenes, so Xi Siyan held him in the villa café area overlooking the sea.
As long as the two of them were together, even nonsense felt like happiness.
Xi Siyan told him stories about the people outside.
Jing Miao listened and kissed him now and then.
Su Wan called:
“Siyan, bring Miaomiao out to greet the elders first. If you only show up at dinner, that’s too rude.”
Xi Siyan paused. “You… you don’t mind…”
“Mind what?!” Su Wan cut him off bluntly. “A room full of single dogs and only my son has a partner. I’m waiting to show off our beautiful treasure. Get out here now!”
Xi Siyan laughed helplessly.
After opening her emotional meridians, his mother had become startlingly open-minded.
“Okay. We’ll come out now.”
He turned to Jing Miao.
“Miaomiao, there are many elders outside—friends of Mom and Dad. Shall we go say hello?”
Jing Miao thought for a moment.
“Will they dislike me?”
“No.” Xi Siyan kissed him. “No one will dislike you.”
Jing Miao smiled. “Mm! Anyway, as long as gege likes me, that’s enough!”
When Xi Siyan led Jing Miao out by the hand, aside from the Xi family and Xi Siyan’s three close friends, everyone else was startled.
People had long heard the Xi family had a “younger son.” Those who knew details thought it was once a political necessity; those who didn’t believed they had simply adopted a second child.
Seeing the room suddenly go honey-thick silent, Wang Song instantly switched into spectator mode.
Mrs. Chen was first to recover.
“Oh my! This is the little cutie you posted in Moments, right?”