Cheers

Chapter 43: Cheers

"Ugh..."

Xiao Yan, feeling an unbearable headache, tightly knitted his brows as he struggled to open his eyes, staring at the familiar ceiling before him.

It was his own room.

Xiao Yan, whose mind was still somewhat muddled, suddenly felt an uncontrollable wave of nausea. Instinctively, he turned his head to the side of the bed and vomited everything from his stomach in one go.

After throwing up, while his head still ached, it was significantly better than before.

"What exactly... happened?"

Xiao Yan's dazed mind tried hard to recall but couldn't piece together the events from earlier.

At that moment, Yao Chen's figure appeared, smiling teasingly at Xiao Yan.

"Ah~ For someone drinking alcohol for the first time, you really can drink quite a lot, huh?"

"Teacher..."

Xiao Yan raised his head to look at Yao Chen. Hearing her words, he suddenly recalled something.

It seemed like... Xiao Ning had invited him to drink.

"You two downed twelve jars of wine, and after finishing the last one, you collapsed on the floor, completely unresponsive."

Yao Chen chuckled. Xiao Yan held his head and gave a bitter smile.

"So this is what a hangover feels like... I'll never drink again."

"Everyone says that after sobering up~"

Yao Chen shrugged slightly. Perhaps human nature is such that once the pain is over, people forget the lesson.

This time he learned, yet he might dare again next time.

"What time is it now?"

Xiao Yan looked toward the window and noticed that it was already dark outside. He instantly became alert.

"Oh no! It's dinner time already!"

Xiao Yan jumped out of bed and began cleaning the mess he had just made. Yao Chen floated in mid-air, looking at him in confusion.

"Do you have something important to do tonight?"

"Lunch was a communal meal for the entire Xiao family. Dinner is for spending time with individual family members. Father and the others are probably waiting for me." Xiao Yan finished cleaning the floor, put the cleaning tools aside, and smiled lightly at Yao Chen. "There's a special event after dinner too~"

A special event?

Yao Chen raised her eyebrows in curiosity. In such a remote place like Wu Tan City, what kind of special event could they have?

However, Yao Chen quickly brushed aside her doubts.

During her days in the Xiao family, too many unexpected things had happened, surprising even someone of her level.

After cleaning the room, Xiao Yan immediately left and hurried toward the family dining hall.

As soon as he stepped inside, he saw Xiao Zhan and the others already seated. The chopsticks on the table hadn't been touched yet, clearly indicating that they were waiting for Xiao Yan while having a lively yet subtly tense conversation.

Wait, tense?

Xiao Yan froze for a moment.

Is this how family meals usually are?

After his initial shock, Xiao Yan carefully observed the people at the table.

There was his father, Xiao Zhan; his eldest sister, Xiao Jing'er; his second sister, Xiao Li'er; the young Qing Lin brought back by Xiao Jing'er and Xiao Li'er; his younger sister, Xiao Xun'er; and even Nalan Yanran, who was engaged in a sharp-tongued conversation with Xiao Xun'er.

Why... was Nalan Yanran here?

Still not fully sober, Xiao Yan took a few seconds to react.

Right, Nalan Yanran was technically an outsider, but she was still a guest of the Xiao family and couldn't be neglected.

It wouldn't be proper to have her eat alone while the family dined together.

Besides, since Nalan Yanran was his fiancée, it was only natural for her to join the family meal.

"Yan'er, you're awake?" Xiao Jing'er, who was chatting with Xiao Zhan, noticed Xiao Yan standing at the door and smiled warmly. "Feeling better?"

"Much better..."

Just as Xiao Yan replied, Xiao Li'er 's hearty laughter rang out.

"Hahaha! I heard from Xun'er that you and Xiao Ning finished twelve jars of wine? As expected of my little brother! You've made your second sister proud!"

Listening to Xiao Li'er 's boisterous laughter, Xiao Yan, who still wasn't fully clear-headed, felt a wave of dizziness. His body swayed, alarming Xiao Xun'er and Nalan Yanran. The two immediately rushed to his side and supported him on either side, expressing their concern.

" Xiao Yan ge-ge ! Are you okay?"

"Xiao Yan! How are you feeling?"

Their voices overlapped, then paused as they exchanged glances, each filled with obvious hostility.

Both then smiled faintly.

"Miss Nalan, you're a guest. I can take care of Xiao Yan ge ge. How could I trouble you?"

"My dear, you jest. I'm Xiao Yan's future wife. It's my duty to take care of him. How could I let someone else do it?"

Their words were polite, yet their eyes clashed fiercely, filling the room with tension.

Xiao Zhan and Xiao Jing'er looked at the scene helplessly. Xiao Li'er, on the other hand, grinned, clearly enjoying the drama.

As for little Qing Lin, never having witnessed such a confrontation, she shrank back, clutching the table as she trembled.

Sensing the faintly dangerous aura emanating from the two women, Xiao Yan shivered, his mind suddenly clearing up. He quickly freed himself from their hands.

"Ah, I'm fine now! No need to worry!" He quickly ushered them back to the table with an awkward laugh. "I slept all afternoon, and now I'm starving. Let's eat!"

Under Xiao Yan's urging, the meal finally began.

"Father, please."

Xiao Yan poured wine for Xiao Zhan, who accepted it with a smile, his face radiating contentment.

Next, Xiao Yan filled Xiao Jing'er and Xiao Li'er 's cups. Xiao Jing'er smiled gently in response, while Xiao Li'er teased her younger brother.

"Little Yan~ Want to drink a toast with Second Sister?"

"Not today..."

Xiao Yan refused with a bitter smile. The throbbing headache from earlier had just subsided, and he didn't want to go through that again.

Seeing his expression, Xiao Li'er burst into laughter, ruffling his hair playfully.

"Hahaha! Little Yan, you still have a long way to go~"

Feeling embarrassed, Xiao Yan pursed his lips and returned to his seat.

From the main seat, Xiao Zhan looked at Xiao Yan with a smile of satisfaction.

If there was one thing Xiao Zhan was most proud of in his life, it was having such a sensible and mature son.

The unity and harmony within the Xiao family were all thanks to Xiao Yan's efforts.

Without him, the family would still be rife with internal strife and couldn't possibly enjoy the warmth they had today.

With these thoughts, Xiao Zhan raised his cup slowly. The others followed suit, waiting for his words.

"To wishing our family a better year ahead, cheers!"

"Cheers!"

(End of Chapter)

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