MMLDU Chapter 95

On the night before New Year’s Eve, the city experienced another heavy snowfall. The next morning, pedestrians left behind a series of footprints, big and small, on the thick, soft snow covering the streets.

On New Year’s Eve, the city was already adorned with festive lanterns and decorations. The air was thick with the atmosphere of the holiday. The streets and alleys were bustling with people, full of life and excitement.

This was Pei Lang’s first New Year in this new world. He woke up early, dressed warmly, and wrapped himself up, ready to go out and enjoy the snow.

Yan Han, feeling helpless, got up to wash up. “We’ve already bought all the New Year’s goods. Can we have breakfast before we go out?”

“Okay.”

To be honest, Yan Han wasn’t very interested in the New Year. As a child, it meant having to eat with his older brother and Yan Xiuyuan, which was something he disliked the most. So, he never looked forward to holidays or festivals, and often even resisted them.

But this year, he had already told his father in advance that they wouldn’t be going to the old family home for New Year’s Eve. His father understood that they, as young people, wanted to spend the time alone and agreed without hesitation.

After all, even if they went, they wouldn’t be staying long—maybe just a meal, and then they’d leave. It was better to let them enjoy the holiday in their own way.

This year felt different. Every day with Pei Lang’s company was something to look forward to. For the first time, Yan Han felt that celebrating the New Year could be so joyful.

It was like putting a beautiful ending to the past year and welcoming a wonderful year ahead.

However, Pei Lang’s appearance, always ready to rush out and roll around in the snow, made Yan Han feel both helpless and amused.

Since the snow began to fall, every time they went out, Yan Han would tightly hold Pei Lang’s hand. If he accidentally let go, Pei Lang would gather a handful of snow and play by himself, always making his hands wet and cold. He would have to warm them up for a while before they returned to normal.

“Today is New Year’s Eve. It’s been so long since anyone’s spent the holiday with me,” Pei Lang said, not being dramatic but simply feeling a bit nostalgic.

Since his father passed away, he has been struggling alone in the entertainment industry. During the holidays, aside from his fans, only his assistant and manager would send him their wishes.

He was someone who cherished the past. Every year during the New Year, he would cancel all his work and appointments to return to the old house where he had lived with his father, spending a lonely New Year alone in the empty house.

He never imagined that one day he would have a partner and celebrate the New Year with them.

Yan Han would never know about this. Pei Lang had no intention of letting him know. From Yan Han’s perspective, he probably thought that Pei Ziqing and their family had isolated Pei Lang, so Pei Lang had to spend the New Year alone.

After finishing his morning routine, Yan Han gently hugged Pei Lang and comforted him. “I’ll make the New Year’s Eve dinner today. Aunt Lin is also going home for the New Year. She won’t be back until after the Lantern Festival.”

Pei Lang rubbed his face against Yan Han’s chest without saying anything. Silent, but Yan Han could tell what he was thinking even without seeing his face.

“Don’t worry. I specifically learned from Aunt Lin. She tried it herself and said it tastes good.” Although Yan Han wasn’t particularly talented in cooking, he believed that with enough effort, anyone could learn.

His dishes might not look perfect, but the taste was still good.

He wasn’t good at appreciating fine food or commenting on it, so he had Aunt Lin taste it first. Only after hearing her praise did he feel confident enough to make it for Pei Lang.

Pei Lang didn’t want to point out that Aunt Lin might have just been too polite, not daring to speak the truth for fear of discouraging Yan Han. “Alright, let’s cook together.”

After they tidied up, they went downstairs. Aunt Lin finished the last breakfast, packed her things, and left to celebrate the New Year at her own home. Before leaving, she received a generous red envelope from Pei Lang and a year-end bonus from Yan Han.

By the time they finished breakfast and headed out, it was already 10 AM. The snow outside had been cleared into a path, but Pei Lang pulled Yan Han toward the areas that hadn’t been cleared, happily stepping through the untouched snow to leave footprints behind.

In truth, Pei Lang didn’t really need to buy anything. He just wanted to go out for a walk. They came across some special New Year snacks, which he bought to try.

He simply enjoyed holding Yan Han’s hand and walking around, occasionally feeling the cool snow-laden wind on his face, while the warmth of Yan Han’s hand wrapped around his made him feel comforted and secure.

As they walked around, time passed. The snow grew heavier. By the time they ducked into a restaurant for a meal, it was already 2 or 3 in the afternoon. It was time to head back home.

“Husband, have you made a menu for the New Year’s Eve dinner?” Pei Lang asked as they returned home, feeling the warmth inside. He took off his down jacket and hugged it in his arms.

“I don’t know how to make many dishes,” Yan Han replied. It seemed like he didn’t need a list. He had learned only about three or four dishes from Aunt Lin, and it had taken a lot of effort to learn them.

“In that case, I’ll check what ingredients we have in the fridge, and then decide what to make.” They went upstairs together to put away their clothes, then headed downstairs to prepare the ingredients.

The large freezers were packed full, with Aunt Lin having organized everything neatly. She had already washed and chopped the necessary ingredients. The side dishes were also prepped and packed. Yan Han cut vegetables clumsily but carefully. Pei Lang couldn’t help but laugh, but at the same time, he found Yan Han’s effort and seriousness endearing and responsible.

By the time they had prepared everything, it was almost five o’clock. Yan Han began to stir-fry the dishes, while Pei Lang prepared the fruit platter and observed. To be honest, he was a little worried about Yan Han burning himself, especially since when he added the ingredients earlier, despite being very careful, some hot oil had splashed onto his hand, leaving a small blister.

Fortunately, the first dish went relatively smoothly. However, its appearance wasn’t great. Normally, Aunt Lin would be there to guide every step, but now Yan Han was cooking by himself, from start to finish. The process inevitably had some hiccups, and he didn’t manage the heat properly, leading to a bit of burning.

Yan Han eagerly asked Pei Lang to try it. Pei Lang took a bite. The meat was tough and a little salty, with a faint burnt taste, but it was still acceptable. “It’s delicious, very good with rice.”

“Really?” Yan Han’s eyes lit up, but after trying it himself, he was instantly disappointed. “Actually, it doesn’t taste that good.”

“How could that be? You’ve made great progress! If I were to take this dish and give it to a stray dog, it would probably bow three times to thank me.”

Although, somehow, that didn’t sound like much of a compliment.

“You still dare to say that? Don’t even think about feeding my dishes to dogs!” But this did manage to make Yan Han laugh. “Should I start the next dish?”

“Sure, go ahead, husband!” Pei Lang encouraged him, taking another bite and putting the dish on the table.

After Yan Han finished cooking three dishes, Pei Lang helped with the rest. They had a total of six dishes, one soup, one fruit platter, and a pot of fruit wine.

The two of them enjoyed a hearty and ceremonious meal. They clinked glasses before starting to eat. Yan Han’s dishes were sometimes too salty and sometimes too bland. The salty ones went well with rice, and the bland ones were good on their own. While they couldn’t compare to Aunt Lin’s cooking, they still carried a sense of home. Pei Lang enjoyed eating them.

After the meal, they followed the traditional custom of watching the Spring Festival Gala to ring in the New Year. They snuggled together, watching the show. At the stroke of midnight, they went outside to set off fireworks. In the snow, they embraced each other, saying, “Happy New Year.” After playing for a while, they returned home, washed up, and lay in the same bed, feeling each other’s warmth.

Life was simple and traditional, yet so sweet and fulfilling.

With each other by their side, it seemed as if there were no regrets from the past or dreams they had to fulfill in the future. They could just let life flow gently, all the way to the end.

On the first day of the new year, they bought tickets to see a movie.

The movie was Rot, a film that Pei Lang had starred in. It was the first day of its release. There were quite a few people at the theater. Pei Lang had managed to grab two tickets after a lot of effort.

The showtime was 12:25 PM. They had some tangyuan¹sweet rice dumplings for breakfast, tidied up, and dressed before heading out. Outside, the winter sun hung high in the sky, but it couldn’t melt the two-day-old snow. The melting snow was even colder than the snow itself. They bundled up tightly again before heading out.

Pei Lang had been helping to promote the movie online. He posted two pictures of their tickets. As the lead actor, he checked in at the cinema and showed some affection, prompting fans to leave comments saying they hoped to bump into him.

But it was just wishful thinking. Pei Lang had blurred out the name of the cinema and turned off location services, so it would be impossible to run into him. Besides, fans were just saying that out of habit.

They timed their arrival perfectly. Inside the dimly lit cinema, it was hard to see who was who. They could only find their seats by looking for the light coming from the large screen showing trailers. Their seats were in the middle, the perfect spot, and the theater was full. As the movie began, the slightly noisy theater instantly fell silent.

Yan Han tightly held Pei Lang’s hand. Even though they were wearing masks, they were still worried about being recognized. Yan Han was ready to take Pei Lang and run at any moment.

Pei Lang had thought the story was captivating when they were filming, but after post-production, the visuals exceeded his expectations, making the script come to life even more. Whether it was the actors, the scene transitions, the camera angles, or the voice acting, every detail had been taken to perfection. It was a feast for the eyes.

The story was thrilling, with unexpected twists. As the lead actor, Pei Lang had the plot deeply ingrained in his mind, and his emotions followed the ups and downs of the story. The same went for everyone else.

When the scene came up where a man in black shoots Guan Ming, the perspective of the audience suddenly switched to that of Guan Ming. The bullet from the man in black hit the “audience’s” heart. Everyone in the theater flinched, and the screen then cut to the scene where Guan Ming was shot. Pei Lang’s acting was explosive.

Because their hands were tightly clenched, Pei Lang felt Yan Han’s hand trembling. He turned his head to look, and it seemed like Yan Han was immersed in the movie. But only Pei Lang knew that he wasn’t.

Yan Han was lost in his memories.

The scene earlier reminded Yan Han of the real moment when Pei Lang was shot, of the image of Pei Lang lying pale and weak on the hospital bed being resuscitated, and of the helpless and fearful feelings he had at that time. That was why he had such a strong reaction.

It wasn’t convenient to speak in the theater, so Pei Lang squeezed Yan Han’s hand, and then gently kissed his cheek. Yan Han immediately calmed down, his eyes dark and deep, staring back at Pei Lang with a gaze that seemed like ink.

Under the dim light of the movie screen, Yan Han could clearly read Pei Lang’s lips: “Don’t be afraid, I’m always here.”

These words spoke louder than a thousand others. As long as Pei Lang was by his side, his life would always be bright.

The movie ended and the credits rolled, showing the names of the people involved in its production. The theater lights suddenly came on, and people, still lingering on the feeling, began to leave. Pei Lang and Yan Han held hands and followed behind. But as they were nearing the door, they were recognized.

Someone suddenly shouted Pei Lang’s name. Their figures and presence were hard to miss. With so many people watching, it was inevitable they’d be noticed.

Half of the audience at the movie were Pei Lang’s fans. After the shout, Yan Han immediately grabbed Pei Lang’s hand and ran. Outside, there were crowds of people, and they made sure to avoid bumping into pedestrians while worrying about being chased by fans.

Pei Lang didn’t understand why they were running. His fans respected him enough that even if they were noticed, nothing would happen. But since Yan Han was pulling him, he just ran along.

It wasn’t until they had exited the shopping mall, gotten into the car, and were heading to their next destination that Yan Han finally relaxed.

“Hahahaha, why are you running?” Pei Lang, still catching his breath, couldn’t stop laughing.

“I don’t know,” Yan Han was caught off guard by the question. With his influence, who would dare to do anything to Pei Lang? Even if they were recognized, who would do something inappropriate in front of him? “I might have just thought they were going to try to snatch you away.”

“Ha ha ha~~ how can you have such a childish thought?”

“It is quite childish.”

Pei Lang burst out laughing, and Yan Han joined in. He knew it was childish, but what could he do? Every time, he couldn’t help but feel that way.

Pei Lang laughed until his eyes were watery. “It’s okay. I’ll be childish with you.”

It’s only in front of someone you truly love and trust that you can unconsciously act childish. Pei Lang didn’t see this as a flaw; on the contrary, he found Yan Han a little bit cute.

Aside from the occasional childishness, Yan Han was mostly a reliable and responsible man, someone who provided a sense of security. He was a man who pampered his wife.

He was willing to be childish with him and grow old together.

Life was simple and peaceful, and they would love each other forever.

---

Moonlit: Thank you for reading! If you can, please support the original author.

See ya at my other works~

• 1
  sweet rice dumplings