Pampered By All In Different Planes

Although there were only two of them, the house was infused with the strong spirit of the New Year.

They pasted window flower decorations and couplets, replaced the sofa covers with new ones, and displayed candies and nuts on the coffee table, as well as frozen pears and canned fruits they had prepared.

Since extreme cold temperatures had occurred over half a year ago, fresh fruits couldn't be kept, so Su Zhiruan and Wen Qingyu turned all the remaining fruit that could be canned into preserves.

"There's still quite a bit of cake mix, why not bake another cake," Su Zhiruan pondered that New Year's called for something special. Saying so, she started to prepare the ingredients with practiced ease.

A radio was placed on the dining table, broadcasting the nation's New Year's wishes and words of comfort to the people.

[In the past six months, everyone has worked hard. We have unified our wills, and we believe that the disaster will pass and the future will be better...]

Su Zhiruan lowered her eyes.

It was good to have hope, but if they let their guard down, the calamities to come would be ten thousand times worse than the current extreme cold and blizzards.

...

After the two worked together for a day, evening finally arrived.

"Braised lion's head meatballs, fish for every year, roasted lamb leg, roasted chicken, and the cake you made," Wen Qingyu brought out the dishes, his eyebrows soft, he smiled gently at Su Zhiruan while wearing an apron, "Come and eat."

"Hold on, let me hang up the lantern!" Su Zhiruan stood on a chair, tiptoeing to hang the red lantern at the balcony area.

The warm red glow fell upon her face. She quickly hung it up, clapped her hands, and hopped down agilely.

"This looks so sumptuous!" Su Zhiruan moved closer to look. She saw Wen Qingyu was still busy in the kitchen, and only her eyes peeked out as she spied on what he was doing, "What are you preparing?"

"Getting ready for the finale." Wen Qingyu turned around, his left hand holding a steaming plate of dumplings. Seeing Su Zhiruan behind the sliding door of the kitchen, he used his right hand to pinch her soft cheek, "This batch of dumplings has one with a coin inside. Let's see who gets it first."

"Our big star also likes the coin dumplings that kids enjoy, huh," Su Zhiruan teased as she followed him, "Then I won't hold back."

"Following me like this, you really do seem like a child," his gaze was tender as he turned and took her hand, adding, "At most in third grade."

"Third graders these days have a lot of personalities and may not cling to people," Su Zhiruan spoke earnestly, placing her other hand in his, "In conclusion, I am not a child."

"Is that so?" Wen Qingyu sighed, pulling her to wash her hands first. His hands were large, rolling up her cuffs, he squeezed some hand soap for her to wash her hands thoroughly, "It's a pity that we're experiencing severe disasters now. If we were still living in the peaceful and happy years before, and managed to meet by chance, I would definitely have pursued you first, tying you up and never letting go."

"You're not letting go now either." Su Zhiruan watched her hands being lathered with soap and rinsed in the sink, she retorted casually and seeing him look her way, she raised her eyebrows provocatively.

"Since I've already got you in my hands, of course I can't let go." He dried her hands for her.

The two exchanged words and took their seats at the dining table.

The red lantern hung on the balcony, with only a radio placed in the living room, repeatedly playing the national New Year's blessings, concluding with the song "Unforgettable Tonight."

This song was usually the final number of the Spring Festival Gala on New Year's Eve. Although they might not watch the gala, the moment they heard this song, images of smiling hosts in formal attire singing would pop into their minds, signaling the start of a new year.

But this year, while the song remained the same, everything else had changed.

Disasters loomed menacingly. How many people, just on the eve of the previous year, had been longing for the next year, countless migrant workers unable to return home, women who had married far away hoping to visit home in the new year, but overnight, many left the world in their dreams.

Su Zhiruan took several photos of the food on the table with her phone. After putting it down, she picked up a meatball. It tasted good, but she seemed a bit distracted.

This year's New Year's Eve was vastly less bleak compared to the last, but as of now, people all over the world had no idea that compared to the coming four years, this new year was already the calmest.

Seeing her slightly dazed, Wen Qingyu added some dumplings to her bowl, "Eat up."

Su Zhiruan came back to her senses and popped a dumpling into her mouth.

The dumplings were freshly rolled and wrapped on the spot, and they tasted delicious.

But as she bit into one, she felt the hard metal of a coin between her lips and teeth.

With the other half of the dumpling still held by her chopsticks, Su Zhiruan looked closer to find a shiny silver coin embedded in the filling.

"I got it!" Su Zhiruan showed Wen Qingyu.

"It seems that our Ruanruan will have her wishes come true in the coming year," Wen Qingyu blessed her with a smile, "Whatever you wish to do will follow your heart's desire, and I will always be by your side."

"This is my promise."

In the warm glow of the light, the young man and woman's faces were beaming with spirit, their eyes bright and filled with resolute light.

"Alright, let's fight side by side from now on."

"Deal!"

*

During the meal, Su Zhiruan opened a bottle of wine and they shared a few glasses.

The warmth of the alcohol spread through the body, and a few drinks later, although the senses were somewhat floaty, having a drink or two on such a cold Spring Festival felt like blessing the holiday.

"Cold?" Wen Qingyu's face flushed a deep red.

He was a celebrity, with both looks and demeanor exceptionally outstanding. Su Zhiruan always marveled at how he looked just like a succubus.

But she had never seen Wen Qingyu drunk before, and now, as she did, she felt herself almost succumbing to his indulgent eyes.

"I remember when you first met me, you were a shy and innocent youth," Su Zhiruan said as she gently reached out and slid her hand across his incredibly beautiful cheek, getting closer now that she was slightly drunk, "Now you really have the aura of a married man."

"Do you like it?" he caught her hand but didn't stop her from continuing, instead leaning into her touch, from his cheek down to his neck.

"I like it," Su Zhiruan didn't hesitate. She felt a little tired from sitting and simply snuggled into Wen Qingyu's embrace, "It got colder last night."

"Hmm?" Wen Qingyu looked at her.

Su Zhiruan continued, "It's so warm when we are together, what if it gets colder while we're asleep."

Wen Qingyu pulled her into his arms, his voice growing markedly huskier.

"Ruanruan is so clever. If it got colder and we didn't notice, we might not have seen tomorrow." His husky tone grew heavier, yet more gentle and more pleasing to the ear.

Su Zhiruan lifted her gaze, placing her hand lightly over his mouth, "No inauspicious words during New Year's."

"Let's stay up in my room then." She suggested.

"Okay."

Big red lanterns were hung, and although the snow outside had already stopped, the wind still howled.

The room was indeed surprisingly warm.

Despite the ambiguous atmosphere earlier, they didn't do anything but took out a Go board and started playing.

While Wen Qingyu was pondering his moves, Su Zhiruan took out her phone and sent all the photos she had taken directly to the Su Family group chat.

She also looked at the surveillance intermittently over the past few months.

Su Father and Su Yaozu were basically useless now, and Su Mother, along with Su Mingzhu, were trading their bodies for supplies.

Perhaps gradually accepting the situation, or maybe there was some outside promise, the things Su Mother and Su Mingzhu brought back grew fewer and fewer, but their spirits improved a lot compared to the beginning; even the resistant Su Mingzhu gradually got used to it.

Initially, Su Father and Su Yaozu could still call the shots, suppressing Su Mother and Su Mingzhu at home with violence and words. But as time passed, they grew weaker, and their attitude towards Su Mother and daughter improved drastically.

After all, they could only claim to be useful in words, but in reality, they contributed nothing to the household.

They looked down on women, yet in the end, they relied on Su Mother and Su Mingzhu to live, eating only when the two of them brought back enough food. If they were not pleased, there'd be nothing at all.

All these contradictions escalated gradually, and now, the four members of the Su Family were far from what they appeared to be on the surface.

On the surface, they were still a harmonious family, but in reality, they all wished to see each other dead.

After sending the pictures, Su Zhiruan didn't think too much about it.

The two played Go for a while, and seeing it was quite late, already half-past three in the morning.

"I'm so sleepy, let's go to bed early," Su Zhiruan yawned, glancing at the board.

The son of this world's dimension had not studied Go very much. Even if Su Zhiruan let him win, he couldn't.

Seeing her like this, Wen Qingyu couldn't help laughing, "It seems, my little girlfriend is a Go master."

"Of course," Su Zhiruan nodded proudly like a smug little cat, "You need more practice."

"Yes, yes, yes. To ensure I can play more rounds with you, I, Wen Qingyu, will definitely study hard and practice diligently." Wen Qingyu hung her jacket on the rack and charged her phone for her, "I'm going back first."

"Go back for what?" Su Zhiruan held the bedding, quietly watching him, "We agreed to stay up in my room. A big star can't go back on his word."

"All right then." Wen Qingyu smiled, and he hung his jacket back on the rack.

His tall figure, his handsome posture, and his cool demeanor – Su Zhiruan watched his back and arched an eyebrow, then calmly lay down.

After the lights were turned off, the room was plunged into total darkness.

He walked over and sat next to her.

Perhaps the night was too quiet; at that moment, the silence was so profound that even their breathing could be heard clearly.

He lay down next to her.

Maybe because they stayed up too late that day, it wasn't long before they both fell asleep.