Chapter 46 Wish

Chapter 46: A Wish

Because of that blog post, Bai Li’s mind raced with wild speculations, desperately wanting to confirm whether Fang Ye was doing well. Fang Ye hadn't replied; it was late at night, so perhaps he was already asleep.

Recalling that Brother Cheng was an avid night owl, Bai Li sent another message, this time to Cheng.

[Brother Cheng, I want to ask you about how my brother is doing. Is he alright lately?]

This message went unanswered as well.

On this particular night, Bai Li was destined to suffer from insomnia.

Outside the window lay a pristine expanse of white; the leaves that hadn't yet had time to wither were blanketed in snow over their fading green.

With her eyes wide open until six in the morning, she finally received a WeChat message from Brother Cheng.

Bai Li didn't know where she suddenly found the energy. Though her body ached terribly with fatigue—several times she tried to get up for a glass of water only to find herself completely immobilized—she still instinctively grabbed her phone at the very first moment.

Brother Cheng replied: [Why on earth are you suddenly asking this kind of question in the middle of the night?]

"..."

Bai Li took a deep breath. She certainly couldn't tell him that she had come to ask because of a baseless, ominous dream, could she? That sounded far too unlucky.

Clutching her phone, her fingertips hovered uncertainly over the keyboard as she weighed her phrasing.

Then, another message came from Brother Cheng.

[Don't worry, just focus on your holiday and your studies. Brother Ye is doing fine, just a bit busy. Take good care of yourself.]

[Really?]

[Really.]

Her anxious, terrified heart received the most powerful reassurance. After typing a polite "Thank you" on the screen, a slow, heavy wave of exhaustion finally washed over her and dragged her under.

She was simply too tired.

Struggling through her studies at school every day, she slept for no more than five hours, and on top of that, she had stayed up all night yesterday. Even inside the warm, air-conditioned room, her hands and feet remained bitterly cold.

Closing her eyes, her consciousness blurred, and she fell into an exhausted sleep.

And indeed, Fang Ye was genuinely busy, which was why he hadn't replied to her messages.

In the blink of an eye, the New Year drew near.

Even the coldest of cities took on a lively festive atmosphere. The massive electronic screens on shopping malls played joyous commercials in rotation, and Bai Li’s household was adorned with New Year decorations.

Life always seemed a little easier once the New Year arrived. Su Changjin had handed out red envelopes to all the children ahead of time. Bai Li's share was handed to her by Ms. Hu, containing one hundred yuan.

It was a full nine hundred yuan less than in previous years.

It was easy to see this as Ms. Hu’s way of expressing her displeasure, fueled by that sharp yet sympathetic glance.

Bai Li didn't care much for such differential treatment.

With the arrival of a new year, her state of mind had also matured.

Before the courier services suspended operations, she mailed another package to Lingjiang. It was a wool scarf bought from a large shopping mall—a New Year's gift for Fang Ye. The sales clerk had thoughtfully helped her wrap it up quite exquisitely.

On the night of New Year's Eve, Ms. Hu had the housekeeper prepare a table full of fine dishes, with the Spring Festival Gala playing on television as background music, creating a rare atmosphere of warmth.

Taking advantage of the occasion, Ms. Hu raised her glass to speak first.

"I hope all the children in our family continue to do better and better. Mom doesn't ask for you to get top grades; I just want all of you to be safe and happy."

This remark was clearly meant for her stepdaughter, who hadn't done too well on her exams.

Su Changjin’s smile widened as well, evidently pleased with these words. Lowering his voice, he added, "Harmony brings wealth to a household. That’s how a family should be—lively, warm, and prosperous."

Once the meal was finished, the stepbrother and stepsister went out to gather with classmates, while Su Changjin and Ms. Hu went off to play mahjong at a friend's house.

Left by herself, Bai Li put on her coat and walked out onto the balcony. The winter night air was more biting than the daytime wind, stinging her face so sharply it felt as though it might leave bloody gashes.

She wrapped her coat tightly around herself, cupping her fair hands and blowing warm breath against them to warm her cheeks.

Every year, Jiangcheng hosted a fireworks display, and the Su family's residence was in a prime location, offering a clear view of the fireworks ignited by the government.

Everyone in her class chat was frantically spamming New Year greetings.

After replying to a few, Bai Li sent New Year wishes to Brother Cheng and Fang Ye. Brother Cheng replied quickly, rudely and simply tossing a red envelope her way.

Bai Li didn't accept it, but she sent back numerous expressions of gratitude.

Still, Fang Ye did not reply.

A trace of disappointment inevitably surfaced in Bai Li's eyes, and this mood lingered until the bell struck midnight.

On the television, the hosts and audience of the Spring Festival Gala shouted out the countdown in unison.

"Three!"

"Two!"

"One!"

"Happy New Year, viewers and friends across the country!!"

Countless brilliant fireworks instantly burst across Jiangcheng's dim sky, their fiery glow painting the entire city and casting vibrant colors onto the dark railings. As one batch of fireworks faded, new ones rose to take their place.

Without stopping to think, Bai Li put down her phone, pressed her palms together, and turned her gaze toward the sky.

This was a custom she had maintained since childhood, a tradition from the residential compound where she lived when she was little.

The adults used to say that if you made a wish while welcoming the New Year, the gods watching from the heavens would hear it, and they would line up to help make those wishes come true in the coming year.

The roaring cracks of explosions filled the air. Bai Li closed her eyes and softly murmured:

"Hello, deities in the heavens. I hope my brother stays safe, and I hope I can get accepted into Qing University and go to Beicheng."

After a moment of thought, she opened her eyes, gazed at the dazzling sea of fiery blossoms, and added: "If I can only make one wish, then I hope the first one can be prioritized. Thank you."

A seventeen-year-old girl whose thoughts were as delicate as blooming spring blossoms, her very wish was exceptionally polite, terrified lest excessive greed might anger the gods above.

Having piousiy made her wish, Bai Li took out her phone, snapped a photo of the fireworks bursting across the night sky, and posted it to her Moments.

[Happy New Year, share the luck if you see this, wishing everyone peace and safety.]

He Suisui was the very first to like it. Bored out of her mind at home eating sand mandarins, she left a comment wishing everyone a happy new year, then casually clicked into Bai Li’s Moments.

One look gave her quite a shock.

Previously, when looking at her friend's artwork, she had merely thought her friend was talented. But upon closer inspection, she realized that the man in her friend's paintings looked identical to the handsome guy she had seen that day.

She liked those drawings as well.

Then, she left a very sincere comment:

[The guy is seriously so handsome! I had no idea you were drawing a real person all along! You told me back then that this was just an original character!]

By the time Bai Li saw this comment, she was already washed up and lying in bed. Inhaling the faint scent of gunpowder drifting in from the street outside her window, the corners of her eyes curved upward.

[It’s a long story, I’ll slowly tell you later.]

On this New Year's Eve, amidst the continuous pops of firecrackers, Bai Li quietly drifted off to sleep.

In the dead of night.

The cold, deserted streets of Beicheng were covered in a thin layer of ice on both sides. Every breath of the freezing air made one's chest ache.

A remarkably handsome man lay in a hospital bed. After the nurse finished changing his IV bag, she couldn't help lingering for a couple of extra glances before heading out.

At the front desk, two or three nurses on night duty were discussing this patient.

"He's genuinely good-looking, and doesn't look old either. Why is he covered in so many injuries?"

"They still haven't been able to contact his family. To collapse by the roadside in the dead of winter like this—if someone hadn't found him, he probably would have frozen to death."