Chapter 656: Chapter 360: Chen Cheng’s New Year Atmosphere (Part 2)
Xia Gaoqiang smiled, "Dacheng, didn’t I say before I was going to hire a few coaches?"
"Yes, you did mention that."
"Among the coaches I hired at that time, there was one who had been on the provincial team before."
Xia Gaoqiang’s eyes sparkled with excitement, "I was initially worried he wouldn’t stay in our training camp, but he really liked the atmosphere here and taught with extra dedication. Because of him, many parents send their children over, and he even helps promote us voluntarily."
Ding Zhaohui coughed twice, "Then tonight, Dacheng must give me a toast separately."
"Do you have something to do with this?"
"That person was introduced by me," Ding Zhaohui raised an eyebrow, "Met at Xiao Yuan’s school."
Facing the revelation of the truth, Xia Gaoqiang was also shocked, "Li Dinger, was it really you?"
"Could it be fake?" Ding Zhaohui proudly said, "Among us brothers, if we want to be rich, we will all be rich together!"
"Hahaha..."
...
...
The sky gradually darkened, and the New Year’s Eve dinner was about to begin.
Unlike the arrival of the Willow Tree Four Tigers, Chen Cheng’s "ladies" were the main characters of this reunion dinner.
In the courtyard, two pots of hot pot were steaming, and amidst this misty scene, the first to appear was Mei Xiang.
She carried a bag, "Sister Xiao Er."
"Mei Xiang, you came?" Xiao Meier went up to greet her.
"あけましておめでとうございます!" Mei Xiang sweetly smiled, as gentle as ever.
Xiao Meier took the bag, feeling its weight, "Mei Xiang, Happy New Year to you too! You didn’t have to bring anything." Even though she said this, her heart felt warm.
"Just a small token." Mei Xiang couldn’t wait, "I brought some traditional Japanese New Year’s foods that I made myself, hoping everyone likes them."
"Wow, what’s this?" Du Yuan curiously approached.
"This is Osechi Ryori."
Mei Xiang pointed to a multi-layered lacquered box and explained, "Inside are various dishes, each with a beautiful meaning. For instance, black beans represent health, herring roe represents fertility and blessings, chestnut kinton represents wealth..."
"Truly exquisite!" Xiao Meier exclaimed, "This must have taken a lot of effort, huh?"
"Yes," Mei Xiang smiled, "Preparing these took quite some time. I also brought some kagami mochi."
She took out two round rice cakes from the bag, one large and one small, stacked together, "These are used to offer to the gods, praying for peace and safety in the new year."
"And this," Mei Xiang took out a delicate box, "This is wagashi, Japanese traditional sweets, perfect for after meals."
"Mei Xiang, you’re so thoughtful!"
"Sister Xiao Er, you’re being too polite saying that." Mei Xiang gently smiled, "Brother Cheng has helped me a lot, and I didn’t know what to do. Also, I’m very honored to be invited by all of you to celebrate the new year."
"Actually, I also brought something special today." She continued.
"What is it?" Everyone’s curiosity was piqued.
Mei Xiang took out a short scroll from her bag, unrolled it, and on it were four characters: "Wish Fulfillment."
"My calligraphy isn’t very good, but my intentions are genuine." Mei Xiang added, "Happy New Year."
Xiao Meier looked at everything Mei Xiang had prepared and felt touched.
Thinking about how she had thought this little girl liked Chen Cheng not long ago, she felt a bit embarrassed.
In her view, if Mei Xiang really liked Chen Cheng, how could she have acted so openly and sincerely?
"Beautifully written! Really lovely!~" Xiao Meier adored it, "I must hang it up."
"Yes," Mei Xiang nodded, "I hope this piece can bring good luck to everyone, and in the new year, may wishes come true."
Chen Cheng watched her from a distance, always so sensible, and felt a joy in his heart.
"Don’t let her stand around." Chen Cheng said.
"Yes, yes." Xiao Meier quickly invited Mei Xiang to join, "Mei Xiang, see, our New Year’s Eve dinner is really rich, we have Chinese dumplings, hot pot, combined with your Japanese specialties—it’ll be lively."
Meanwhile, Xia Yubing and Tong Jialu also arrived.
Tong Jialu held a beautifully wrapped box and smiled, "Sister Xiao Er."
"Director Xia, Manager Tong, come, come."
Tong Jialu handed the box to Xiao Meier, and Xia Yubing said, "Xiao Lu and I didn’t know what to buy, so we picked a set of skincare products, thinking you might use them. Happy New Year."
"You shouldn’t have, you shouldn’t have." Xiao Meier didn’t expect these two would bring gifts.
"Sister Xiao Er, quickly open it and take a look." Tong Jialu said.
Xiao Meier unwrapped it and found a full box of Helena Rubinstein, and Du Yuan and Liu Ying’s eyes widened.
Feng Biao watched his wife’s surprised face and couldn’t help teasing, "Look at you, as if you’ve never seen the world before. Anyone who doesn’t know might think you won the lottery!"
Liu Ying rolled her eyes at him, "What do you know, this is Helena Rubinstein! The dream skincare product for women!"
"Is it very expensive?" Feng Biao asked.
"I wouldn’t have the heart to buy it anyway."
Du Yuan also nodded, "Me neither."
Ding Zhaohui straightened his back, "No worries, I’ll buy it for you another day."
Du Yuan laughed, "Okay."
Even though Xiao Meier hadn’t recognized these cosmetics, after visiting Wen Shulin’s beauty salon, she did use them often, but she still said, "This is really too precious."
"It’s not precious, as long as you like it, Sister Xiao Er." Tong Jialu smiled, "New Year means treating yourself better."
"Exactly, women should treat themselves better." Xia Yubing agreed, her gaze sweeping across the crowd, finally landing on Chen Cheng with a slight smile.
"Since they have already given it to you, you should accept it." Chen Cheng spoke.
Xiao Meier nodded slightly, "Fine. Director Xia, Manager Tong, make yourselves comfortable. Once Sister Lin arrives, we can start the meal."
The two sisters sat next to Mei Xiang. Seeing Xia Yubing, Mei Xiang showed great concern about her situation, asked in Japanese in a low voice, "Is the baby okay?"
Xia Yubing seemed briefly lost but quickly snapped back, "Very good, thank you."
"Sister Xiao Er~Brother Cheng!"
Hearing this cheerful tone, one knows Su Liya has arrived.
She ran quickly; Wen Shulin was not even seen behind her. She rushed to Xiao Meier’s side in an instant, holding up her gift, "HAPPY NEW YEAR~!"
"Happy New Year." Xiao Meier said with a smile.
Su Liya didn’t wait for Xiao Meier to unpack but opened it herself, "Here, here, this is the apple pie I baked myself, it smells amazing~"
"Okay, okay. Huh? Sister Lin?" Even though there were outsiders present, Xiao Meier still kept Wen Shulin’s biggest secret.
"Behind." Su Liya turned around, pointing, only to see Wen Shulin, still holding a shopping bag, but to the sharp-eyed, it was Hermes.
"I was delayed a little at the boutique, and there was a little traffic on the road." Wen Shulin saw everyone was roughly there and smiled, "Happy New Year, Xiao Meier."
Xiao Meier, who now recognized brands, saw that touch of orange, was even more hesitant, "Sister Lin, this is really too valuable."
"It’s the New Year, just for the festive mood." Wen Shulin handed the bag to Xiao Meier, "Red, very pretty, quickly open it and take a look."
Xiao Meier couldn’t resist the hospitality, took the bag, opened it up, inside lay a gold clasp Birkin.
She gasped, knowing full well the value of the bag, hurriedly waved her hand, "Sister Lin, I really can’t accept this, it’s too valuable!"
However, Wen Shulin insisted, "Xiao Meier, just accept it, it’s nothing special, just a little token between sisters." She paused, adding, "Besides, it’ll look nice on you, and give Mr. Chen face when you go out."
Xiao Meier still wanted to decline, but Su Liya chimed in to help, "Yeah, yeah! Quickly accept it."
Seeing the back-and-forth, Chen Cheng laughed and said, "Xiao Meier, Chairman Wen gave it to you, so keep it, wishing for good luck in the New Year."
Hearing Chen Cheng say so, Xiao Meier finally accepted with a touch of embarrassment, deeply moved, knowing Wen Shulin truly saw her as a sister.
"Alright, alright, gifts are given, let’s start eating!" Chen Cheng invited everyone to sit down.
Xiao Meier said, "Xiao Meng is performing at the Spring Festival Gala, she’ll come after the program ends. We won’t wait for her."
The steaming hot pot, the fragrant dumplings, plus the delicate Japanese cuisine brought by Mei Xiang, and the apple pie specially baked by Su Liya, all brought Chen Cheng the taste of the New Year.
He raised his glass, "I’ll give a toast, there’s only one aim tonight: joyfully, drink to satisfaction!"
"Happy New Year~"