After the fireworks finished, everyone gradually entered the living room.
However, Shen Liannuo stood alone at the living room entrance, a cigarette held between her fingers, puffing away in solitude.
Seeing her standing at the entrance, Lu Yanming followed her out and snatched the cigarette from her hand, tossing it onto the ground. "Girls shouldn't smoke."
Shen Liannuo glanced at him, then shifted her gaze, tucking her red wool coat around herself and leaning against the marble pillar by the door. "This is the first time I've celebrated New Year's outside in my life. You know, in the Hidden Clan, on New Year's Eve, we have bonfires, singing, dancing, and revelry all night long. It's very lively, very lively..."
In all the time Lu Yanming had known Shen Liannuo, this was the first time he had seen her looking so sad.
For some reason, he felt a pang of pity for her.
How much courage must a girl have to abandon the place she had lived for over twenty years and come to a foreign land to live?
"People have to grow up and learn to adapt. While the Hidden Clan's New Year's Eve is lively with singing and dancing, having all of us here with you is also a kind of enjoyment."
He patiently tried to counsel her.
"I miss my mother," Shen Liannuo sighed deeply. "I'm actually quite unfilial. My mother was very good to me, but when she passed away, I didn't even get to see her off properly. I think she must hate me."
"She poured so much effort into me, wanting me to inherit the position of Hidden Chief. In the end, I fled, and with my own hands, I ruined all her expectations."
The scene evoked memories.
Since arriving in Lan City, Shen Liannuo had been trying to suppress any thoughts of the Hidden Clan, but the fireworks display made her feel as if she were back in the Hidden Clan.
Lu Yanming crossed his arms and looked up at the sky. "Everyone has the right to choose their own path. It's not unfilial to not live the life your parents planned for you. You've put too much pressure and burden on yourself. Actually..."
It was rare for the two of them to be able to chat so calmly and share their feelings.
Meanwhile, inside the living room, Song Jun inadvertently noticed Shen Liannuo was not there and used the excuse of 'going to the restroom' to find her.
He ended up seeing Shen Liannuo leaning on Lu Yanming's shoulder outside the living room, a scene of extreme intimacy.
At that moment, his eyes flickered, and the scene of him and Shen Liannuo in bed at Qin Xin Ju flashed in his mind.
For some reason, Song Jun felt a tightness in his chest.
He turned and re-entered the hall, returning to the card table to continue playing.
At the living room entrance, Shen Liannuo leaned on Lu Yanming's shoulder and chatted with him for a long time before straightening up. "Thank you for lending me your shoulder to lean on for a while."
She reached out and patted his shoulder. "Since you're not too bad, this young lady won't hit you anymore..."
Upon hearing that she wouldn't hit him, Lu Yanming's face lit up. "Then..."
"...your face."
Lu Yanming had just uttered two words when he heard Shen Liannuo slowly add two more.
Instantly, his expression soured. "You mean, I should be grateful because you won't hit my face?"
"You brought it upon yourself. Who told you to keep pushing me towards other men every day? Serves you right!" Shen Liannuo retorted, then turned and walked into the hall.
"Shen Liannuo, you have no conscience. I was introducing you to boyfriends, worried you'd get old and not get married...!" Lu Yanming suddenly fell silent, standing frozen.
When he looked at Shen Liannuo again, a hint of panic appeared in his eyes.
Shen Liannuo turned back and glared at him. "Who did you say was getting old?"
Lu Yanming: "..."
Is it too late to take it back now?
As it turned out, it was definitely too late.
Thus, a howl of anguish echoed from outside the living room door. However, the living room was too boisterous for anyone to hear the sound from the entrance.
Naturally, no one noticed the scene of Lu Yanming being kicked down the steps by Shen Liannuo, landing face-first on the ground.