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Jiang Junlin is once again in a precarious situation, and his future is uncertain. If something were to happen to him, how would they go on?

“Cici, why are you crying?” Grandma wiped her tears lovingly. “Tell Grandma what’s bothering you, and Grandma will stand up for you.”

“Grandma… I’m jus too happy,” Gu Ci couldn’t help but lie. “From childhood to now, it’s the first time I’ve received a red envelope during the Lunar New Year.” “Gu Wenliang didn’t give you a red envelope?” Grandpa was furious. Gu Chuyun received numerous red envelopes every Lunar New Year, and the thought of Gu Ci not getting one made Grandpa angry. “This is outrageous! Where there’s a stepmother, there’s a stepfather, indeed.”

Gu Ci chuckled. But during those days, she was raised by her own mother, with her own father by her side, yet she lived as if she were raised by a stepmother. How could she find balance in her heart?

Jiang Minghua and Grandma felt uneasy. Gu Chuyun had received too much favoritism from the Jiang family in the past eighteen years. Grandma loved her more than Jiang Junlin did. But what about Gu Ci? Thinking about what Gu Ci had been through, they wished they could turn back time.

Lin Chunli smiled lightly and said, “Happiness is a good thing. From now on, Cici, everything will go smoothly, and you’ll be safe. After the storm, there will be good fortune waiting for you.”

Gu Ziyu hugged Gu Ci and said, “Ziyu will make you happy.”

Mom, don’t be sad!

Even though it was supposed to be a joyous occasion, everyone inexplicably felt a touch of sadness.

Gu Ci wiped away her sadness. It wasn’t appropriate to cry on such an important day. “Ziyu, you’ve been playing the guitar well lately. How about performing a song for everyone?”

Gu Ziyu hesitated.

The brilliant Ph.D. student, the young genius Gu Ziyu, couldn’t escape the nightmare of being dragged to perform by his elders on New Year’s Eve.

Gu Ziyu actually performed a guitar piece he had been practicing for a short while. It was a cheerful tune, perfect for a performance on New Year’s Eve. Gu Ci was amused, and others burst into laughter, applauding him.

“I’m truly a genius. I’ve only been learning for two days, and I can already play this well!”

Suddenly, a sound of something heavy falling from inside the door.

The joyful atmosphere came to an abrupt halt.

Gu Ziyu’s smile gradually faded. Why was his father so disrespectful?

Gu Ci was startled and frowned slightly.

“What was that sound?”

“Little White Rat probably got into trouble and knocked something over. It’s okay; we don’t need to worry about it. Grandma, Grandpa, let’s go upstairs. I can smell the delicious food, and I’m getting hungry,” Gu Ci said, inviting everyone to go upstairs.

There was no further sound, and everyone stopped caring. Gu Ziyu kicked the door in annoyance before heading upstairs with the rest.

Lu Zhiyuan picked up a book, seemingly mocking Gu Ziyu, but it was unintentional.

New Year’s Eve!

Lu Zhiyuan couldn’t help but sigh. He had been sent to the temple at the age of three, making his New Year’s Eves rather boring. He had always served the priests, and the memories of celebrating New Year’s Eve with his family before the age of three had long faded from his mind.

In this life, he had memories, but his New Year’s Eves were equally miserable. Lu Ze liked the family gathering of siblings, even though they weren’t a real family. They insisted on sitting together for dinner, but it ended in a quarrel, and they parted ways without joy. After turning eight, Lu Shijie dared not provoke him openly, but the behind-the-scenes taunts were something he couldn’t ignore. He truly didn’t like the festive atmosphere of the New Year.

The only time he remembered being truly happy on New Year’s Eve-

Lu Zhiyuan closed his eyes, unwilling to recall it. That day was so joyful, but it had brought so much suffering over the years!

The family spent New Year’s Eve happily, had a big dinner, and, without a doubt, scolded Jiang Junlin because there was no New Year’s video call or even a phone call. Grandpa was so angry that he wanted to remove him from the family tree, even after drinking several glasses of white wine.

Gu Ci was very happy, but her mind seemed elsewhere.

Has Lu Zhiyuan gone another day without eating? Is he hungry?

After the New Year’s Eve dinner, the family watched the Spring Festival Gala together. Grandma wasn’t feeling well and couldn’t stay up too late. She prepared to leave around nine o’clock. Gu Ci walked her to the door, and she had originally wanted Ziyu to leave with her. However, Ziyu insisted on staying to celebrate the New Year with her.

Gu Ci understood his intentions and didn’t press him further.

In the kitchen, there was a specially prepared meal. Ziyu went downstairs to find Lu Zhiyuan and extended his hand, “Dad, Happy New Year! Do you have a red envelope for me?”

Lu Zhiyuan patted his palm with a smile. “I owe you.”

“Don’t give me a hundred bucks and call it a day. I want the kind with a check!” Ziyu scoffed, showing the keys, “You should thank me, you know.”

Lu Zhiyuan rubbed his wrists. Both of his wrists were red from being rubbed. “Will Cici let me go?”

“What are you thinking? Even office workers get a five-day weekend, and Little White Rat deserves a holiday during the New Year,” Ziyu said, setting up a small table. Gu Ci brought down the food. While it wasn’t a grand feast, she prepared eighteen dishes for him. The chef had coincidentally made eighteen dishes tonight.

“Mom, why did you bring down all this food? Can he finish it?” Ziyu asked in confusion.

Gu Ci replied lightly, “I haven’t eaten enough.”

Ziyu, who had personally served her two bowls of rice, was puzzled. “You haven’t eaten enough?”

A light bulb went off in his head, and he became cheerful. “I haven’t eaten enough either!”

Lu Zhiyuan remained silent.

All the dishes were reheated, as she had instructed the chef to prepare a small portion of each dish. The three of them enjoyed eighteen dishes. Although there were many dishes, the portions were not large. “Dad, you can’t be biased. You only gave one red envelope. Mom is so competitive when it comes to the size of red envelopes; she can even fight with Gu Chuyun for it. If you don’t give her a red envelope, what if she starts disliking me?” Ziyu argued.

Lu Zhiyuan raised an eyebrow and smiled, patting Ziyu on the head. “Cici, am 1 getting a red envelope from you for being locked up here?”

Gu Ci hesitated.

Ziyu chimed in, “Dad, what about me?”

Trying to get a red envelope from Mom had failed, and now they were losing one from Dad?

Gu Ci took one of the red envelopes she had received tonight and placed it in front of him. “Here’s your red envelope!”

Lu Zhiyuan borrowed a leaf from Gu Ci’s book and handed it to Ziyu. “This is the red envelope from Dad to you.”

Gu Ci and Ziyu both had annoyed expressions!

Ziyu suspected that Dad was doing this on purpose. It was definitely on purpose! “Mom, don’t be fooled. He’s definitely doing this on purpose. He’s trying to drive a wedge between our mother-son relationship. He’s scheming and malicious!”

Gu Ci’s expression turned slightly cold, but she didn’t say anything. Ziyu glared fiercely at Lu Zhiyuan and even kicked him under the table, signaling him to comfort Gu Ci, but Lu Zhiyuan remained unmoved.

Winter in City A usually brought snow, but this year, it was a warm winter. There was no sign of snow, and the entire winter was warmer than usual. The underfloor heating was on in the house, making every room warm and cozy.

Ziyu had eaten his fill and opened a bottle of Happy Water. “Dad, Mom, Happy New Year! This is our first Spring Festival together. Let’s have a toast!”

Ziyu’s face was flushed, and his excitement was palpable.

However, he was exhausted from raising his glass, and neither Lu Zhiyuan nor Gu Ci paid much attention to him. Ziyu complained, “You guys are so indifferent. A cold relationship between parents can affect a child’s physical and mental health. It might even lead to antisocial personality disorder.” “You’re an adult now; stop pretending to be a child,” Lu Zhiyuan reminded him. Ziyu snorted, “1 just turned seven after the New Year. I’m still a child..”