Jingxia Rose

Chapter 70: Happy New Year

The banks of the Moscow River are brightly lit, bustling and noisy.

The weather has been nice these past few days, with daytime temperatures rising to five, six, or seven degrees Celsius. The ice on the river wasn't very deep to begin with, and special machines have been used to break it up in the last couple of days.

It's all to welcome this grand New Year's Eve fireworks display.

The temperature tonight is minus six degrees Celsius. The ship is heated, but the wind on the deck is not to be underestimated. It's like a series of small knives, stinging your face.

The first-class cabin is on the fourth floor, with soft sofas, two seats in a row, and a long table in the middle facing the two seats.

There were drinks, snacks, and desserts on the table.

Unfortunately, Ye Xueyan and Ji Xuan were seated separately.

They were from all corners of the country, separated by a full 11 rows.

Ye Xueyan and Ji Xuan didn't pay attention to their seats when they had their tickets, and only realized it after boarding the ship and entering their cabin.

Quite embarrassing.

Ye Xueyan scratched her cheek. "It's okay, or I can ask someone on your side to switch."

Ji Xian's seat was by the window, and the seat outside was empty, obviously no one had come up yet. Not long after, a blond, blue-eyed foreigner came and sat in the seat opposite Ji Xian.

Their intimate and affectionate manner clearly indicated that they were a couple.

They definitely won't agree to the change.

Ye Xueyan exchanged a helpless glance with her, "It's okay, there's still hope for the person next to you."

People were still boarding the ship. It was quite inconvenient for Ye Xueyan to stand in the aisle. Ji Xian was worried that she would be bumped or squeezed, so he said, "It's okay, you can go back to your seat first, we'll talk later."

Ye Xueyan nodded and pointed to her phone, "Then let's talk on WeChat."

Ji Xian responded softly and watched Ye Xueyan walk away.

She admired the night view of the riverbank for a while, but finding it uninteresting, she looked away. Seeing that it was only a little past eleven o'clock and there was still plenty of time before she had to leave the boat, she idly browsed various apps on her phone.

The last thing she clicked on was her Weibo account, which she hadn't accessed for at least six or seven months.

The trending topics were mostly about the New Year's Eve galas on various TV stations, which top celebrities sang, which actresses wore different outfits, or even the couples that fans were shipping reuniting.

She doesn't follow the entertainment industry and has no interest in it.

I browsed for a few minutes and then exited. I opened WeChat Moments and while browsing, I saw that Sui Yi had posted it around 11 a.m.

The picture shows a little girl who is a little over one year old. She has very fair skin, big eyes, and a cute and beautiful smile.

The caption reads: My darling grandniece is so adorable, she's melting my heart.

Oh, it's her nephew's child from her maternal side.

But both the photo and the caption reveal Sui Yi's longing to have grandchildren.

Ji Xian smiled, pondered for a moment, then gave it a like and started scrolling down again.

After finishing scrolling, she opened a short video app. Not long after, a shadow appeared beside her, and a pair of shiny, simple, high-end leather shoes and smooth, wrinkle-free trouser legs came into view out of the corner of her eye.

Ji Xian paused, glancing slightly to the side. She saw a pair of straight, long legs as the man slowly sat down.

Without lifting her head, her gaze naturally fell on his pert buttocks.

Nice hip shape, quite sexy.

"..."

Ji Xuan was shocked and speechless by the thought that suddenly arose in his mind.

She raised her hand to cover her eyes, a hint of regret flashing across her face, and her red lips were gently bitten.

"what happened?"

The familiar male voice made her stiffen. Her embarrassment and anger vanished instantly, leaving only astonishment. She turned her head wide-eyed to look at the man beside her.

Wen Qi?

"Why are you here?"

Ji Xuan felt as if something was blocking his throat, realizing he had asked a stupid question. Ye Xueyan had already said that Hall had given each member of Lin Qi's team a boat ticket, so it wasn't surprising that Wen Qi was here.

But he's clearly not the type to enjoy crowds.

Moreover, the seat was right next to her, but Ye Xueyan, who had asked her to come along, was actually a world away from her.

This made her, with her ever-sensitive sense of smell, detect the scent of a 'conspiracy'.

But ultimately, that four-year-long, uneventful relationship didn't give her enough confidence. Even though it wasn't the first time she'd had such absurd thoughts, she was unwilling to believe them.

Or rather, it's something they can't believe.

Therefore, Ji Xian's face couldn't help but furrow at this moment.

She seemed dissatisfied, as if she didn't want to see him.

Wen Qi's heart was still somewhat stung by her blatant 'disdain' expression.

“Mr. Hall gave me the tickets. The New Year’s Eve fireworks in Moscow aren’t an annual event.” A scene seemed to flash through his mind as he pursed his lips. “The last time… was four years ago. I have the day off tomorrow, so I came.”

Four years ago...

Oh, she remembered.

The winter of the year I officially started dating Wen Qi, I also came to Moscow. I didn't stay long, just a week, and it happened to coincide with the New Year.

That year's fireworks show lasted for half an hour.

It seemed that snowflakes were still falling from the sky, not heavily, but after standing side by side for a short while, their hair turned white.

Afraid that she would get cold, Wen Qi wrapped his scarf around her head and neck, and then put her icy hands into his coat pockets.

It seems that after that incident, her feelings for him deepened and intensified.

Seeing the dazed look on her face, Wen Qi knew that she must be thinking about the time they watched the New Year's Eve fireworks together on the banks of the Moscow River.

His eyes darkened, and he lightly twirled his fingers, saying in a low voice, "It was snowing that year, but the weather is quite nice this year."

Ji Xuan turned his head to look at the bustling night view outside the window, without replying.

Shortly after, the ship sounded a loud whistle and slowly began to move.

In contrast to their silence, the couple across from them, around forty years old, were very harmonious, chatting and laughing, their hands always clasped together, and the man listened attentively to whatever the woman pointed out.

Every sentence received a response.

They were speaking Dutch, which Ji Xian couldn't understand, but he could see happiness and sweetness in their expressions.

Look, middle-aged people's love and married life are much more interesting than her relationship with Wen Qi.

Ji Xuan's gaze did not linger on them. After the boat had sailed some distance, a sudden 'bang' sound rang out in the sky, followed by two, three, and four more.

One after another, colorful fireworks burst brilliantly in the black night sky.

Each one is different in style, with one large flower blooming into countless smaller ones, including roses, pear blossoms, epiphyllum, magnolias, peonies, tulips, roses, as well as various animal and year shapes.

It flashed across the dark night sky, illuminating the riverside city.

It's midnight.

Another new year has arrived.

"Happy New Year."

She was engrossed in watching the fireworks show when suddenly that seductive voice rang in her ears amidst the deafening roar.

It seemed to drown out the deafening noise outside and reach the depths of her soul.

The hot breath exhaled from her ear was gradually scorching her hair and skin.

Ji Xuan's body was frozen in place, and his heart was pounding.

Here he comes, here he comes. I think President Wen is quite good at flirting, probably because of the excellent training he receives from his 'Zhuge' team.

The "Zhuge" team members: Yi Xu, Lu Xuming, Jiang Huaichuan, Chu Feng