Chapter 358: Huddling Together for Warmth

Feng Ming immediately agreed.

“Alright, that’s all. I didn’t call for anything else.”

“I’ll let you get back to work.”

After giving Feng Ming his instructions, Gu Heng didn’t chat any further and quickly hung up. He then went back to watching the seven girls dance on the livestream. Each one looked so cheerful, really capturing the festive New Year’s atmosphere.

The number of viewers in the livestream had stabilized at around ten thousand.

This was a genuine viewer count, with no inflated numbers. It was completely different from Xingchuan 001’s debut stream, where they had to spend a fortune driving traffic and give away the latest iPhones at scheduled times just to barely hang on to ten thousand viewers at the start.

It had been about a month since their debut stream.

The seven girls of Xingchuan 001 had each accumulated a small following, and the beginnings of a fan community were starting to form.

Currently, the official Xingchuan 001 group account had reached 180,000 followers.

Meanwhile, Lin Qingge, who had benefited most from their debut stream, was seeing her personal account grow at a rate that rivaled the official group account. Thanks to her stunning looks, exceptional dancing, and a boost in traffic from TikTok’s algorithm, her follower count had reached 160,000.

Watching the cheerful, smiling faces on the livestream, Gu Heng took a sip of his wine. He then sent each of the girls a [Descent of the King], before sending another ten exclusively to Lin Qingge.

In truth, the stream’s host had already given a warm welcome the moment the Prince Heng account appeared, but Gu Heng had been on the phone with Feng Ming and hadn’t paid it any mind.

Now that Gu Heng had started sending gifts, he was once again met with an enthusiastic welcome from the host as countless celebratory streamers burst across the screen.

Because the [Descent of the King] gift was equivalent in value to a [Carnival], the group’s rules dictated that each girl would perform a solo dance for Gu Heng in turn.

Since Lin Qingge had received the most gifts, she was scheduled to perform last, which gave her a chance to step away from the camera.

Just as Lin Qingge stepped away from the camera, Gu Heng’s phone rang.

“Chairman Gu!”

“Happy New Year!”

Lin Qingge’s voice was filled with surprise and joy. Just by hearing it, Gu Heng could imagine how her eyes must be sparkling with delight.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were working over the New Year?”

The sound of Lin Qingge’s voice brought a natural smile to Gu Heng’s lips.

“Umm…”

“Well… how was I supposed to bring that up with you?”

Lin Qingge hesitated. “It would have sounded like I was complaining if I told you.”

Gu Heng hadn’t expected her to be so considerate. A faint, amused smile touched his face.

“So you’re staying in Beichun for the New Year, then?”

Gu Heng asked, “Do you have any family in Beichun?”

“I get off work at eight tonight, and I have to stream again at five tomorrow morning.”

“My family is in Bin City, Liao Province. Half a day isn’t nearly enough time to make the trip there and back.”

As Lin Qingge spoke, her voice suddenly grew melancholic. “I don’t have any family here. I’ll be all by myself tonight.”

After all, no matter how independent she was, Lin Qingge was still only an eighteen-year-old girl. It was bound to be difficult spending the New Year—a time for family reunions—all alone in a city far from home.

“Come to my place after work.”

“I’ll send a car to pick you up at eight.”

Hearing that Lin Qingge was also alone, Gu Heng fell silent for a moment before speaking softly to her.

“No, no, no!”

“Chairman Gu, you’ll be with your family. It wouldn’t be appropriate for me to intrude!”

A warmth spread through Lin Qingge’s heart at Gu Heng’s invitation, but her strong sense of propriety made her refuse at once.

“Chairman Gu, you don’t have to worry about me.”

She added, “I already bought ingredients for hot pot yesterday. When I get home from work, I can eat and watch the Spring Festival Gala. I’ll be perfectly fine on my own.”

“I don’t have any family. It’s just me.”

“If you come, it’ll be the two of us.”

“If you don’t, I’ll be spending the New Year alone anyway.”

Gu Heng’s voice was calm, but Lin Qingge could detect a profound, hidden loneliness in his words.

Those five simple words, “I don’t have any family,” made Lin Qingge’s heart ache. Her mind instantly flooded with countless possibilities, and she suddenly felt a pang of pity for Gu Heng.

“So, will you come?”

Gu Heng asked again.

“I will!”

This time, Lin Qingge agreed without a moment’s hesitation.

“I’ll be waiting for you at home.”

Gu Heng himself might not have even noticed, but his voice had suddenly grown much warmer.

“Okay!”

Since Lin Qingge was only on a short break, they didn’t say anything more after making their plans.

After hanging up, Gu Heng gazed out the window at the sun setting behind the distant mountains. Though the scenery and his surroundings were unchanged, his entire mood had transformed because of that phone call.

If he had the choice, Gu Heng wouldn’t want to spend the New Year alone either.

He didn’t like being lonely; he just didn’t want to impose on anyone else’s family gathering.

He had already resigned himself to spending the New Year alone this year, but he never expected that Lin Qingge would be by herself as well.

In that case, instead of being lonely separately, they might as well keep each other company.

“Prepare a New Year’s Eve dinner for me and have it delivered at eight-thirty tonight, sharp.”

After his call with Lin Qingge, Gu Heng immediately called the general manager of Banquet Fusion and gave his order.

As one of Beichun’s high-end fusion restaurants, Banquet Fusion offered a custom New Year’s Eve dinner service every year, available for both dine-in and home delivery.

Originally, Gu Heng had planned to just grab a simple bite, drink himself to sleep, and call it a night. But since Lin Qingge was coming over, a little festive atmosphere was in order.

After giving his instructions to the general manager of Banquet Fusion, Gu Heng hung up and set down his phone. Just then, a message arrived, opportunely informing him that Jiang Ruan had made it home safely.

…

Bai City, located in northwestern Ji Province, sits at the junction of the Ji Heimeng region.

This was Jiang Ruan’s hometown: a prefecture-level city with a population of under a million and still no high-speed rail service.

Situated on the western Nenjiang Plain, Bai City is buffeted by strong winds year-round. Whenever an outsider comments on how windy it is, locals like to joke that the city only gets two gusts of wind a year—each one lasting six months.

Returning to her hometown after two years.

Jiang Ruan gazed out the car window at the nearly unchanged streetscape, her expression growing complex.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM…

CRACKLE… POP…

Bai City had a year-round policy of allowing fireworks, so it wasn’t uncommon to hear them even on a normal day, let alone during the New Year’s holiday.

From the moment Jiang Ruan drove into the city proper, the sound of firecrackers was incessant.

Red lanterns hung high from every home. Many children, bundled up in thick winter coats with faces flushed red from the cold, ran about gleefully in the snow, waving sparklers.

In this small border town with an annual GDP of a mere 60 billion, a Maybach GLS 600—worth over three million and sporting a blue license plate from the provincial capital with four consecutive sevens—was a very conspicuous sight on the streets.

She had been feeling tired after driving for over four hours straight on the highway, but as she drew closer to home, her fatigue gave way to a growing sense of excitement.

Until…

She drove into the old residential complex.

The familiar buildings, the familiar surroundings.

The moment she drove into the complex, Jiang Ruan’s excitement gave way to a sense of calm.

Parking the car by the side of the road next to her building, Jiang Ruan looked up toward her family’s apartment. A trace of warmth softened her cool, beautiful features.

Engine off. Out of the car. Up the stairs…

Home!