Chapter 137: You want to give Xu Yanfeng a New Year gift?

Xia Xi rushed upstairs, wearing slippers on her feet, tripped slightly on the stairs, but luckily she steadied herself on the handrail in time, avoiding a fall.

Su Jinru was seated facing the stairwell, watching Xia Xi's stumbling ascent, and frowned: "All flustered, it's just a friend gathering—why the rush?"

Xia Yue slipped a piece of fish to her mother: "We eat our own, no need to worry about her. Xi Xi is at the age when she likes making friends—this is normal. Who knows, before long she might bring a son-in-law home."

Su Jinru turned to look at her, eyes suspicious: "Do you know something?"

Xia Yue almost let it slip, then quickly covered: "I was just speaking offhand. Our Xi Xi is pretty, surely not lacking admirers, and she's opinionated—we don't need to worry about her. Eat your vegetables."

Su Jinru repeatedly urged: "Even if she's opinionated, she hasn't graduated yet—she's still naive. You sisters have things to talk about; if anything comes up, you mustn't hide it from me."

Xia Yue answered repeatedly: "Yes, yes, yes."

In the upstairs room, Xia Xi paced about like a headless fly, running her fingers through her hair, too anxious to know where to start. She took a deep breath, calmed a little, began changing clothes, packed a few items into her bag, grabbed her documents, and rushed out. After just a few steps, she turned back, taking the hat and scarf from the coatrack.

When she reappeared downstairs, she had changed into a striking raspberry-pink mohair sweater paired with a white cashmere skirt, looking lovely and sweet. Her long hair fell over her back, and she tucked a white long down coat under her arm, with a newly bought bucket bag hanging from the crook of her arm.

"I'm off! Bye!"

Xia Xi waved, darting to the entryway in a flash, unwilling to sit, she hopped on one foot to pull on her boots.

She drove the family car to the high-speed rail station.

At this time, most people were home, the roads weren't congested and the trip was smooth, but her heartbeat remained unbalanced—racing and erratic, as if a hand gripped her heart, accelerating her blood flow.

Myriad lights blazed, she alone headed far away—just thinking about it felt crazy.

"Are you crazy, Xia Xi?" she asked herself.

But the next second, a voice in her mind told her: "What's a little madness? At twenty, her future is bright, she has a home as a harbor behind her, and she fears nothing."

In pursuit of the one she likes, she has no regrets.

Arriving at the high-speed rail station, Xia Xi locked her car, timed her entry to the platform with ticket inspection, and the moment she sat down in the car, she felt as if she'd run a marathon—her body exhausted, her spirit unusually excited.

The carriage was sparsely populated; a trio of connected seats on one side held only Xia Xi.

She leaned against the seatback, closed her eyes to slightly ease her racing heart; once her emotions steadied, she took out her cosmetics from her bag and laid them on the tray. She had done her makeup after breakfast this morning, but it had faded a bit, so she touched it up, applying a tender cinnamon-nude lip gloss that made her already full lips even more moist and glossy.

Xia Xi packed her things away, took out her phone, found the charging socket under the seat, and plugged in her low‑battery phone.

From Qianlin to Nancheng, the journey took over two hours.

As the station approached, Xia Xi messaged Xu Yanfeng to ask what he was doing.

Their last chat had ended when he said he'd misdialed; she scrolled back a few messages, sensed a hint of unpleasantness, and wasn't sure if he'd reply.

After about ten minutes, Xu Yanfeng actually replied.

The one who says one thing but means another: "Just hanging out with friends."

Xia Xi's pupils flashed; she thought inwardly, "Heaven helps me!" Meeting friends is great—if he were home with elders, she wouldn't know how to see him.

Xia Xi chatted with him, probing gently: "Don't you have to stay with family on New Year's Eve?"

The one who says one thing but means another: "I've already had the reunion dinner."

Xia Xi understood—he had eaten with family, then came out for a small gathering with friends. She paused, then kept probing: "Which friends are there? Do I know any?"

Xu Yanfeng immediately grew suspicious: "Why are you asking that?"

Xia Xi gave an evasive answer: "Just asking casually."

Worried that the overly perceptive Xu Yanfeng might see through her, she stopped probing, decided to try another angle: "Is Fu Li among the gathering?"

Xu Yanfeng didn't reply to her.

WeiaiXYF: "Where is he?"

The one who says one thing but means another: "You care a lot about Fu Li?"

WeiaiXYF: "Not really."

Xia Xi's thought was simple: if Fu Li was with him, she'd go find Fu Li to learn the gathering's location, then head straight over to give Xu Yanfeng a surprise.

A surprise means being unexpected and unforeseen; if Xu Yanfeng guessed her intent beforehand, her prepared surprise would lose much of its effect.

Before Xu Yanfeng's reply arrived, the carriage's announcement sounded, a clear female voice: "Ladies and gentlemen, the train's upcoming stop is Nancheng East Station; please prepare to disembark."

Xia Xi unplugged the charger, stowed it in her crossbody bag, put on her down coat, and followed the other passengers off the train.

Since starting college, having traveled between Qianlin and Nancheng several times, Xia Xi exited the station with ease, waited curbside for a taxi, glanced at her phone a few times—Xu Yanfeng hadn't replied, presumably thinking she was acting strangely.

It didn't matter that he didn't reply; Xia Xi directly messaged Fu Li on WeChat, asking: "Are you with Xu Yanfeng?"

Fu Li quickly replied: "Did you bug me? How do you know?"

Xia Xi didn't waste words: "Where are you?"

Fu Li didn't grasp her meaning, sending back two characters: "What?"

It was cold; Xia Xi stamped her feet, buried her face in her scarf, and tapped the screen: "I mean, where's your gathering? Give me an address."

Fu Li still didn't get it: "Why do you need an address? Are you bringing Xu Yanfeng a New Year's gift?"

Xia Xi felt she might suffocate; she inhaled a gulp of freezing air, lowered her head, and typed: "Can you just answer my question straight? Stop prying into things that don't concern you."

Fu Li: "……"

Fu Li surrendered, sending her a location.

Xia Xi exhaled in relief; she finally had what she wanted.

Just then a taxi arrived, stopped before her; she opened the door, slipped in, and gave the driver the address.

Thinking she was empty‑handed, Xia Xi leaned slightly and told the driver: "Sorry to trouble you, could you keep an eye out for any flower shops still open along the way? I'd like to buy a bouquet."

The driver glanced at her in the rearview mirror and gave her a heads‑up: "Miss, flower shops open at this hour are probably nonexistent."

Xia Xi also knew that flower shops open on New Year's Eve were scarce, making her hopes slim, but she wasn't one to give up easily; she opened Meituan on her phone, searched nearby flower shops, and indeed many were marked as temporarily closed, with their exact opening times listed—the earliest reopening on the third day of the lunar new year.

Xia Xi refused to quit, calling each shop in turn, mainly worried that messaging might get no customer‑service reply.

After placing seven or eight calls, finally a flower‑shop owner gave her hope: "I have a batch of flowers left over from today; they're still fresh, just not trimmed yet. Do you want them? If so, I'll come over now—my place is near the shop."

"Okay, thank you." Xia Xi was deeply grateful: "I'll add extra pay—may your wealth flow abundantly."