After the New Year’s Eve dinner, the family stayed up late to welcome the new year, but Ye Wanwan grew drowsy as she sat, her little head dipping uncontrollably until it finally bumped onto Shen Yi’s shoulder, jolting her awake.
Looking at the sleepy-eyed Ye Wanwan, Shen Yi spoke softly, "Go to sleep."
"No, it’s not time yet," Ye Wanwan muttered indistinctly.
"It’s okay," Shen Yi glanced at the time; it was already eleven o’clock. Usually, at this time, she would have already been resting.
"No, I’ll just sit a little longer," Ye Wanwan insisted, determined to wait until midnight.
Shen Yi, helpless, thought of distracting her attention, "Are you hungry? Want something to eat?"
Ye Wanwan hadn’t been hungry initially, but having heard Shen Yi’s suggestion, she couldn’t help wanting to snack on something.
Shen Yi smiled, "What would you like to eat?"
"Hmm," Ye Wanwan sat up straight, deeply pondering the question. It took her a while to reply, "Can we have snail noodle soup?"
Shen Yi paused, suddenly feeling a tinge of regret. He really didn’t like the smell of snail noodle soup, found it too pungent.
Ye Wanwan’s palate in this life was so different from her last; she certainly didn’t enjoy such foods in her past life.
"Is that not okay?" Ye Wanwan frowned slightly, looking at Shen Yi with a hint of grievance.
"No, I’ll go cook it for you," Shen Yi immediately responded, fearing that even a second’s delay would make Ye Wanwan unhappy.
Ye Wanwan smiled foolishly at Shen Yi, and he felt wholeheartedly willing.
Shen Yi stood up and walked toward the kitchen. Seeing this, Lin Xu casually asked, "What are you doing?"
"Making snail noodle soup for Wanwan," Shen Yi replied without turning back.
Lin Xu quickly added, "Then make a bowl for me too, please."
"All right," Shen Yi responded with resignation.
By the time Shen Yi had prepared the snail noodle soup and Lin Xu sat with Ye Wanwan at the dining table, chatting as they ate, the sleepiness that had previously overwhelmed Ye Wanwan had vanished, her little mouth reddened from the spice.
They had just finished their soup when it struck midnight. Ye Wanwan eagerly turned her head and excitedly whispered in Shen Yi’s ear, "Happy New Year!"
She had insisted on staying up until midnight just to be the first to wish Shen Yi a Happy New Year.
Although Shen Yi didn’t quite understand the significance of this perseverance, he couldn’t help feeling a surge of joy and softly whispered back in her ear, "Happy New Year."
"It’s our second year now," Ye Wanwan said in a hushed tone, careful not to be overheard by Lin Xu and the others.
Shen Yi was slightly startled, well aware of what Ye Wanwan meant, only last year he hadn’t known these things.
"In the future, we will spend many, many more years together," Shen Yi stated solemnly.
He had previously thought Ye Wanwan died of cancer and had always feared it would be the same in this life.
But later, he remembered everything, realizing that Ye Wanwan hadn’t died from an incurable disease, and at that moment, he felt deeply remorseful.
He couldn’t accept that it was his fault Ye Wanwan had died in her past life, but as time went on, he started to feel relieved that at least she hadn’t suffered from an incurable disease back then.
In this life, he wouldn’t let Ye Wanwan suffer from depression again, and he certainly wouldn’t let her end her life in despair!