At the end of December, the temperature in Magic City dropped to freezing point.
Affected by the La Niña phenomenon, this winter was exceptionally cold, with snowflakes falling to the ground, surprisingly not melting immediately.
Since there were no major competitions at the end of the year, Sun Tianjiao simply gave everyone an early break, allowing them to rest until the seventh day of the new year.
The Lunar New Year came early this year, in late January, so this holiday break was quite reasonable.
However, even though there were no competition tasks, there was still no shortage of commercial tasks. Yan Yibing’s live-streaming schedule had been dragged out until the last day of this month.
Unlike Han Mo, who diligently completed tasks promptly, Yan Yibing lived a more casual and laid-back life, procrastinating whenever possible and doing things whenever he felt like it.
Fortunately, fate smiled upon him, allowing even someone like him to make a living.
On the day before New Year’s Eve, Yan Yibing sat on the sofa peeling oranges. As he stuffed orange slices into his mouth, he casually said, “Mom, how about inviting Han Mo over for dinner tomorrow?”
Mama Yan’s gaze shifted from the melodramatic idol drama on TV, a faint crease appearing between her eyebrows.
“It’s possible, but you need to ask your cousin and the others.”
Every New Year’s Eve, they would have dinner with Yan Yibing’s cousin’s family, at the large European-style table that his father loved. They would order a dozen or so signature dishes from various restaurants, celebrating in a refined and classy manner.
For over a decade, they had never invited anyone from outside.
At least to his family, Han Mo was still considered an outsider.
But Yan Yibing couldn’t bear to see Han Mo staying alone at the club or at home.
Sometimes, Han Mo was surprisingly considerate, which tugged at one’s heartstrings.
When it came to holidays that required family reunions, like Mid-Autumn Festival or New Year’s Eve, he never mentioned any celebration plans or what he wanted to do with Yan Yibing.
Because he knew Yan Yibing had a happy family, and on such holidays, one needed to spend time with family.
He didn’t want to put Yan Yibing in a difficult position.
Yesterday, Yan Yibing accidentally saw Han Mo’s phone and found out that he was arranging practice matches with European and American teams.
Although the next global tournament was imminent, foreigners had a different attitude towards work. No one could resist the grand celebration of New Year’s Eve, so they politely declined Han Mo’s invitation together, and were surprised to ask Han Mo why he wasn’t going to celebrate New Year’s Eve.
Yan Yibing called his cousin.
His cousin was five years older than him, and they had been close friends since childhood, able to talk about anything.
When Yan Yibing dropped out of school to pursue esports, his cousin was the first one to support him. Later, when his cousin was going to marry a foreigner who had once been her teacher, Yan Yibing was the first to offer his blessings.
Over the years, his cousin’s foreign husband had been accepted by the family, and their little nephew was already over three years old.
Their love story with the former teacher didn’t have any melodramatic twists. His cousin’s family lived happily, and the foreigner doted on his cousin. Their little nephew, with his authentic Wu dialect, was loved by the whole family.
“Sis, what time will you guys come over to my house tomorrow?” Yan Yibing didn’t mention the reason at first.
Excited screams from his little nephew came through the phone, loud and full of energy.
“Maybe around five or six, waiting for your brother-in-law to finish work,” his cousin replied while dealing with her son.
Yan Yibing paused for a moment and whispered, “There might be more people coming to our house tomorrow, my friend. Is that okay?”
“Huh?” His cousin was momentarily taken aback.
Yan Yibing had many friends, but this was the first time he mentioned bringing someone home for New Year’s Eve.
His cousin was a bit sensitive. With a thought, she smiled and asked, “A girlfriend?”
Yan Yibing clenched his fist and struggled for a moment before sighing, “Not a girlfriend, a boyfriend.”
On the other end of the phone, his cousin fell silent for a few seconds, then cautiously asked, “Your words are a bit ambiguous. If it is good friend just say good friend.”
Taking a deep breath, Yan Yibing replied, “I haven’t told my parents yet, but I think you should be okay with it.”
His cousin remained silent on the other end.
Yan Yibing knew she understood what he meant.
After a while, she said slowly “I don’t have a problem with it, but I can’t guarantee your parents will accept it. I’m quite surprised by this move of yours.”
Yan Yibing chuckled softly, “I’m surprised too, but that’s how it is. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it.”
“Yeah,” his cousin agreed with a nod, “I don’t have the right to say anything to you. At your age, I was racking my brains on how to date my former teacher.”
Yan Yibing replied, “Yeah, it seems like we’re both quite unconventional, no wonder we get along.”
His cousin said, “Don’t say that, I’m not as daring as you.”
Yan Yibing laughed, “No need to be polite about this kind of thing.”
His cousin asked, “Let me ask one more question, who’s the top and who’s the bottom between you two?”
“Do you even need to ask?” Yan Yibing retorted.
“Is it unnecessary?” his cousin inquired.
“In that case, let me put it this way: I’m six years older than him, and he used to be a trainee under me.”
“…Are you even human?” his cousin exclaimed.
“I’m telling you, he’s quite the little beast,” Yan Yibing remarked.
“Bring him over, let me see what kind of charming little fairy he is,” his cousin said.
“Alright!”
Yan Yibing returned to the living room and cheerfully told his mother, “My cousin agreed. I’ll go tell Han Mo.”
His mother was surprised, “You haven’t told Han Mo about this?”
“Of course not. I need to confirm things here before telling him. Otherwise, would I let him get his hopes up for nothing? He’s all alone, ready to go practice games.”
His mother felt a pang in her heart and sighed, “Be more tactful in your words, don’t make Momo feel like we’re pitying him.”
Yan Yibing nodded perfunctorily, “Got it.”
He put on a short down jacket, buttoned up his hat without zipping it, and ran out the door.
The chilly wind blew against his face, tightening his pores instantly, and the warmth from his body was taken away in an instant.
Yan Yibing shrank his neck, squinted his eyes, and ran towards Han Mo’s house.
The lawn was covered with snow, and the cobblestone path was scattered and irregular. The stones were particularly slippery, so many people preferred to walk in the snowy area next to the stones.
Yan Yibing jogged to the doorstep of Han Mo’s house, shaking off the snow from his shoes.
He pressed his thumb on the doorknob, and after a moment, the door creaked open.
Han Mo had asked him to register his fingerprint, so he could come here anytime.
Yan Yibing went in and found that the interior was as cold as the outside.
Han Mo was wearing a down jacket, vacuuming the carpet.
Seeing Yan Yibing come in, he paused, turned around to grab the air conditioner remote, and set it to the highest heat.
Yan Yibing closed the door and scolded, “Why didn’t you even turn on the air conditioner? Do you want to freeze to death?”
Han Mo turned off the vacuum cleaner, walked towards Yan Yibing, and pinched his hand, “Turning on the air conditioner is too dry. I didn’t feel particularly cold either. Master, why did Master come over?”
Yan Yibing asked intentionally, “I saw you arranging practice matches with European and American teams the other day. Did it work out?”
Han Mo shook his head, “No, no one wants to play at the end of the year. Even Prince’s team members wanted to go home, so I let them go.”
Yan Yibing felt a hidden sense of pride. He lightly tapped Han Mo’s cheek with his finger and casually said, “Come to my place for New Year’s Eve. My cousin wants to meet you.”
Han Mo was stunned and remained silent for a while.
Yan Yibing frowned, “What’s with that expression? Do you have plans for New Year’s Eve and don’t want to spend it with me?”
Han Mo shook his head, “Your cousin…”
Yan Yibing said casually, “She’s quite open-minded. She’s also had a relationship with her teacher. I told her about us, and she said she wants to see what kind of charming little fairy you are.”
Han Mo asked again, “Won’t we expose ourselves in front of your uncle and aunt?”
Yan Yibing: “It should be fine. My cousin knows her boundaries. Oh, my nephew will also come tomorrow. Let’s buy him a gift to bring over.”
Han Mo’s eyelids trembled, and he reached out to hug Yan Yibing’s waist, resting his chin on Yan Yibing’s neck, and chuckled softly, “Sure, is Master worried I’ll feel lonely on New Year’s Eve?”
Yan Yibing’s thoughts were exposed, his face blushing slightly and a bit flustered. “Who’s worried about you feeling lonely? Anyway, you’re fine, so there’s no need for a fuss.”
Han Mo lightly brushed his lips against Yan Yibing’s warm neck, feeling the pulse beneath the surface, and murmured, “Mmm, I really like Master.”
Yan Yibing carefully moved his neck away, holding Han Mo’s chin, “If you leave any marks on me again, it’ll be impossible to hide.”
Han Mo sighed softly, “I bought Master a turtleneck sweater.”
Yan Yibing replied, “Nah, I don’t like wearing those.”
Han Mo said, “Winter is tough, so you have to wear many layers of clothing.”
Thick down jackets, sweaters, autumn clothes, each one was cumbersome, turning the simple pleasure of eating cherries anytime, anywhere into a fantasy.
Yan Yibing squinted, “You continue cleaning up, I’m heading back.”
Han Mo reminded, “Oh, Master, don’t forget, tomorrow is the last day of December, and you still have three hours of live streaming.”
Yan Yibing hesitated.
Han Mo continued, “I know you’ll forget. I’m helping you remember so you won’t get fined.”
Yan Yibing earnestly asked, “Can you help me with the broadcast?”
Han Mo chuckled, “Then we’ll both get fined together.”
On New Year’s Eve, it unexpectedly started snowing lightly again, and the snowflakes appeared gentle and calm under the lemon-yellow streetlights.
The lampposts cast round, smooth, serene light spots on the ground. It was unclear whether the light was brighter or the snow was shinier.
Such weather had a festive air, but it also meant an increase in delivery fees for the holiday dishes.
Han Mo arrived early at Yan Yibing’s house to help tidy up, making Mama Yan feel very embarrassed.
To them, Han Mo was the guest.
Under Mama Yan’s occasional threatening glances, Yan Yibing reluctantly took over some tasks from Han Mo.
The cousin’s family arrived promptly at five o’clock.
Perhaps because of the cold weather this year, there were fewer people celebrating outdoors, so the parking spaces in the neighborhood were full.
They spent quite some time finding a parking spot.
The foreign brother-in-law was tall and courteous, seven years older than his cousin, carrying many gifts for Papa Yan and Mama Yan.
His cousin was as beautiful as ever, though her hair was a bit tousled by the wind.
She held her little nephew in her arms, the golden-haired little nephew wrapped up like a round ball, with big eyes peering into the house.
Yan Yibing carried over the huge remote-controlled racing car he bought together with Han Mo and approached the little nephew, raising his chin. “Little piggy, we bought this racing car for you.”
The golden-haired “piggy” narrowed his big round eyes, pouting, “Uncle is the little piggy!”
He struggled in his mother’s arms, wanting to challenge Yan Yibing to a duel.
His cousin raised her eyebrows meaningfully at the mention of “we.”
She put her son down and looked in Han Mo’s direction, scrutinizing him closely.
Han Mo lowered his gaze slightly, trying to soften his facial expression, and said softly, “Hello, cousin.”
Yan Yibing introduced, “This is Han Mo, the captain of Team Prince.”
The cousin nodded thoughtfully and smiled, “Okay, okay.”
The brother-in-law added, “I’ve heard of Prince, seems to be as famous as ICE Team.”
His cousin casually agreed but couldn’t seem to take her eyes off Han Mo.
She had once imagined what Yan Yibing’s girlfriend would be like, surely she would be exceptionally tolerant, open-minded, gentle, and optimistic, otherwise, with Yan Yibing’s cluelessness about life, she would be driven crazy by all the household chores after getting married.
Never in her wildest dreams did she imagine that it would be a man who would win Yan Yibing’s heart.
He was indeed handsome and cool, the type that would attract little girls, but he didn’t seem like a little fairy at all. By comparison, her younger brother seemed gentler.
The golden-haired little nephew had already pounced on Yan Yibing, protesting loudly.
Yan Yibing exerted some force, skillfully lifting the little nephew up, ruffling his fluffy hair, then looking at his pouting face with densely curled long eyelashes, listening to his complaints in baby talk.
Yan Yibing dodged his little hands, tilting his head, his almond-shaped eyes curved, looking exceptionally slender and fair under the lights.
The golden-haired little nephew couldn’t win against him, so he began to whine and pout, “Uncle!”
He pouted and naturally flopped onto Yan Yibing’s shoulder, wiggling his bottom, complaining that Yan Yibing always bullied him.
His cousin sighed.
When Yan Yibing was a child, he couldn’t beat her in fights, so now he took pleasure in teasing her son.
And now, he could even overpower the little boy next to him.
Impressive!
When they sat down at a table, Mama Yan took the golden-haired little nephew to play with the remote-controlled racing car.
His cousin sneakily sent a WeChat message to Yan Yibing, “He’s quite handsome!”
Yan Yibing replied, “He’s just okay, a bit worse than me.”
His cousin teased, “But between you two, you’re the one who looks more like a delicate little fairy.”
Yan Yibing was puzzled, “??? Are you serious?”
His cousin teased back, “??? Don’t you have any self-awareness?”
Yan Yibing realized, “I see, you’re seeking revenge for your son.”
His cousin chuckled, “Well, since he’s so much younger than you, you better take responsibility. It’s not a small matter. Since you told me about him, it means you approve of him.”
Yan Yibing nodded, “Yeah, I quite like him.”
His cousin teased, “When you two are together, who takes care of whom? You’re so useless.”
Yan Yibing admitted, “You all know that I’m useless, of course he takes care of me more.”
His cousin remarked, “But he’s only nineteen!”
Yan Yibing: “If you had known him a few years earlier, you would’ve exclaimed, ‘He’s only sixteen and a half!'”
Cousin: “…”
Setting her phone down, she propped her chin up, looking at Han Mo’s gentle smile.
Han Mo: “?”
Using the public chopsticks, she picked up a grilled oyster and placed it in Han Mo’s bowl. “Momo, don’t be shy, just treat this like your own home.”
Han Mo lowered his gaze, glanced at the oyster, and replied, “Okay, thank you, cousin.”
She spoke softly, “Your work must be exhausting most of the time, right?”
Han Mo: “Not too bad, similar to Master.”
The cousin leaned in with a warm smile, “Wow, you’re really amazing. Achieving so much at such a young age and looking so handsome. No wonder you’re so likable. When you’re in Magic City alone, don’t hesitate to tell me if you need anything. We’re family, no need to be formal.”
Han Mo pursed his lips, feeling a bit awkward. After a moment, he replied softly, “Okay, thank you, cousin.”
Yan Yibing nudged his cousin’s leg under the table, then covered his mouth with his hand and whispered, “What are you doing?”
Cousin also covered her mouth, winked, and whispered back, “Your parents don’t know, don’t I have to fulfill some duties as the in-law?”
Yan Yibing: “…”
Mama Yan glanced around, sensing a subtle tension in the air.
Somehow, Yan Yibing’s cousin seemed particularly interested in Han Mo, as if it wasn’t their first meeting.
Yan Yibing cleared his throat and stood up. “I haven’t finished my work yet, or else they’ll deduct my pay. Han Mo, let’s go upstairs and livestream.”
Han Mo immediately put down his chopsticks. “Okay.”
The cousin scolded, “If you have work to do, go do it yourself. Momo hasn’t finished eating yet, you’re really…”
Yan Yibing put his arm around his cousin’s shoulder and whispered, “Don’t worry, I’ll make sure he eats his fill.”
The cousin exclaimed, “Oh my, what kind of talk is that!” Then she raised her voice to scold the golden-haired little nephew, “Son, cover your ears, children shouldn’t hear such things!”
Yan Yibing felt a bit hopeless. “…That’s not what I meant.”
Mama Yan, still unaware of the situation, asked, “What do you mean?”
Han Mo wiped his lips and calmly explained, “We have some cream at home. Master said he’s going to make cream cherries for dessert tonight.”
Yan Yibing imagined certain scenes and suddenly blushed, gritting his teeth as he retorted, “I didn’t say that!”
Han Mo wrapped his arm around Yan Yibing’s shoulder and said earnestly, “I can help Master make them, but work comes first.”
Author’s Message:
Yan Yibing: Little Beast…
Thank you for reading! 
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