Even as a "normie," I'm completely oblivious to it.

"They won't know."

Yu Zhe assured, "After I'm done smashing it, I'll use these weeds to block the hole, so no one will be able to tell. And even if they do find out, just say I did it, and they can't do anything about it. So it's foolproof."

Qi Xinye stared in astonishment at Yu Zhe's breathtaking smile, her eyes widening.

My heart seems to be beating at a frequency I've never experienced before. Is it because I'm looking forward to playing the wall-smashing game?

Qi Xinye didn't understand, but she knew that she really wanted to play and didn't want to learn those rigid and harsh rules every day.

With Yu Zhe's help, she picked up the hammer again.

Yu Zhe stepped back a few paces to give her space. She stared intently at the wall in front of her and gripped the stone hammer tightly in her hand.

Qi Xinye used all her strength to slam her head down hard against the wall!

With a loud clang, a cloud of dust rose up.

The feeling she just experienced told Qi Xinye that the wall had been smashed through.

And that feeling is truly indescribable.

"Cough cough..."

She gently brushed away the dust beside her, but then couldn't wait to look straight ahead.

After waiting a short while... the smoke had dissipated.

Qi Xinye's eyes were already filled with light.

Beyond the irregularly shaped hole that had been smashed open lay a vast, boundless plain.

A layer of snow covered the plains, like an ocean of white ice crystals, stretching as far as the eye could see.

"You wouldn't believe it."

Yu Zhe stepped forward and stood beside her: "You probably don't even know what's outside your own yard, because you can only go to school through the front gate every day. When I came here, I saw that this place was a field, so I wanted you to see it too. What do you think... Hey? Why are you crying?! Are you that moved?"

Hmm… A few tears had already welled up in Qi Xinye’s eyes. The outside world… could it really be this beautiful?

It was clearly only a few hundred meters away from her, but she hadn't noticed it at all.

It wasn't until this moment that Qi Xinye suddenly realized... what she had been doing all this time.

Like a caged bird that thinks the ceiling outside the cage is the end of the sky, it will never try to fly out the window.

But if you don't fly, how will you see the outside world?

Yu Zhe didn't know what to say for a moment.

It took Qi Xinye a while to come to her senses. She turned her head and smiled beautifully.

"Thank you... Yu Zhe, may I call you Yu Zhe...? I'm so happy, thank you for letting me see all this..."

"Didn't I tell you from the beginning that you can call me whatever you want? But you yourself, you kept calling me either Young Master Su or Lord Yu Zhe, it gave me a headache. Now you know what to call me?"

"Um... Yu Zhe, can I go outside and take a look?"

"Why don't you just ask yourself that question?"

Qi Xinye understood, mustered her courage, and, taking advantage of her small size, easily passed through the not-so-wide opening.

The wind outside was no different from the wind inside the manor.

It's just so refreshing.

This was the first time Qi Xinye had left the Qi family manor on her own initiative.

Yu Zhe followed her out and took a deep breath of the fresh air from the wilderness.

Suddenly, I seemed to hear Qi Xinye's voice.

"friend…"

"Ok?"

Yu Zhe thought he heard Qi Xinye muttering something, but the wind was a bit strong, so he couldn't hear it clearly.

This time, Qi Xinye did not choose to deceive anyone. She turned around, her dark eyes looking into Yu Zhe's eyes, looking at the person who had shown her the vast world outside.

"Friend! Yuzhe, can you be my friend? I want my first friend!"

"Haha... You've improved! You even dare to shout these kinds of things out loud now."

Yu Zhe pressed down his silver hair that was being blown by the wind and looked up at the vast sky.

"Sure, but being my friend isn't so easy."

"Ah... If there are any conditions, I will definitely try my best... By then, I hope to be friends with Yu Zhe."

"There are no conditions, I was just kidding. As long as you don't start talking about rules and regulations right away, then we're friends."

"I...I will definitely try my best!"

"That's good."

Yu Zhe was actually quite happy; after all, he wanted friends too.

Qi Xinye followed him and looked up at the sky.

A bird glides through the air, free and unrestrained, disappearing into the horizon, at the limit of vision.

Qi Xinye secretly resolved in her heart that she could not let Yu Zhe down.

I will never be that ignorant and pitiful caged bird, but will instead soar high like the birds of the wild.

Whenever she recalls this incident, Qi Xinye remembers a sentence that Yu Zhe said back then.

..................... ..

"How do you know why you need to smash the wall before you've actually broken through it?"

......................

(P.S.: This is the end of the side story. The next chapter will be the main story!)

The New Year is in full swing!

1. I'm afraid they're going to tear it down for you.

The celebration banquet was a great success.

It was called a celebration banquet, but it was really just a slightly more lavish dinner, with the living room decorated.

It wasn't until eleven o'clock that Zixiao went to bed, which was usually the latest she would go to sleep.

And seeing that Xiao Lizhi had also quietly yawned, Yu Zhe stood up and suggested.

"That's all for today. Everyone, thank you for your hard work. Go home and find your mothers."

Oh, I can't find my mom, that's okay.

When he said this, the sensible girls understood perfectly, and immediately stood up to clear the dishes and chopsticks off the table.

Only Little Lychee had just recovered and was a little flustered.

She just yawned, and then Brother Yuzhe said we could call it a day. Was it because of her?

"Huh? Is it over? Is it because of me? Brother Yuzhe, I'm not sleepy! We haven't even started playing cards yet."

These playing cards were brought to me by Lu Ling at Yu Che's request, but it seems they're no longer needed.

"Let's play again during the New Year." Yu Zhe put the playing cards on the shelf. "Look at you, your eyelids are already drooping, and you're still thinking about playing. Go to sleep."

"I'll help you tidy up before I go!"

This is also a sign of Xiaolizhi's growth. In the past, she might have gone straight to sleep after hearing Yuzhe say that, but now she knows to help everyone with their work.

There has indeed been considerable progress in just six months.

"Oh, by the way, Ruoke, is your empty room still habitable?"

"Sure, I've already tidied up after Luo Xiaomeng left last time."

"That's good."

Yu Zhe went to the kitchen and found Qi Xinye washing dishes with Zi Xiao.

"Sister Ye, would it be alright if you stayed at Qin Ruoke's place tonight? Xiao Lizhi is here, and there aren't enough rooms. If you're not comfortable here, you can stay in my room, or Yu Che and I can stay next door."

Hearing this, Qi Xinye quickly turned around and said, "Ah, Xiao Zhe, no need! I still have to go back to the Qi family manor later. There is a meeting early tomorrow morning about the sponsorship fee sharing issue of the hundreds of sponsors for today's competition."

"But it's so late, wouldn't it be the same to leave earlier tomorrow?"

"I want to too, but I'm afraid there will be traffic tomorrow morning, which could easily cause delays."

After saying that, Qi Xinye murmured softly, "But if it means sleeping in the same bed as Xiao Zhe... then I won't leave..."

He spoke in a very low voice, so Yu Zhe naturally couldn't hear him clearly.

Zixiao, who was washing dishes next to her, could hear everything clearly.

Sister Xinye, you really don't hide your thoughts at all.

Even I rarely have the courage to sleep in the same bed as my brother, so you'll have even less of a chance!

Ahem... Sorry, the person who lacked the most courage was actually Zixiao herself.

Sister Xinye just said that, so would Zixiao dare to let her stay here? Yuche is already a headache enough.

Ultimately, why do you all feel it's perfectly normal for you to sleep in the same bed as your brother?!

Was Zixiao the only one who was truly awful from beginning to end?!

But Zixiao would never admit that. She may be bad at the game, but she always has her own methods.

"Yes, yes, brother, since Sister Xinye is busy, let her go back."

The solution is just to repeat the previous sentence... What other solution is there? Zixiao didn't have any other ideas.

In contrast, Yu Che was incredibly quick-witted: "If you ask me, that makes sense. If you're busy, just go back. It'll save you from causing trouble here."

Ha, did she think Yu Che couldn't see through her? She just wanted to take the spot to sleep with her brother. It's fine when there's a room, but now there isn't.

But this position is definitely Yu Che's; no one can take it away from him!

Qi Xinye frowned: "Yu Che... if that's what you mean, then I won't leave..."

"Lu Ling! Lu Yao! Take Miss Qi home!"