New Year's Day

New Year's Day marked the passing of one year and the beginning of another. They had three days off, and today was the last. Mu Qingxi and her friends had agreed to go out together, but Dongzi had been drifting away from them for reasons unknown. Qin Yu said Dongzi was ignoring her; Mu Qingxi accompanied Qin Yu to find him, only for Dongzi to deliberately avoid them.

No matter how hard Qin Yu searched, Dongzi was nowhere to be found. She was so anxious she was on the verge of tears. Mu Qingxi, furious, cursed loudly, "Damn it, what is he trying to pull? Vanishing into thin air—what does he want?" In her anger at Xu Dong, Mu Qingxi failed to notice the gloom on Qin Yu's face.

Qin Yu tugged at the angry Mu Qingxi and said, "Mu Mu, don't be upset. Even without him, we can still have a great time."

After much comforting from Qin Yu, Mu Qingxi finally calmed down. "Wei Yu, let's stop worrying about him and go have some fun. I promise you'll eat well and play well, you little sprite."

At the entrance to "Starlit River" Bar, someone was waiting. It was Guo Chen. The girls exchanged glances and approached. Seeing them, Guo Chen hurriedly waved, "Hey, Xiao Yu, Mu Mu, you're here! Come on in!"

Qin Yu and Guo Chen walked ahead, and Mu Qingxi watched their backs in surprise. When did these two start getting so close? After pondering for a while, she resolved to ask them about it. Could this be the reason for Xu Dong's disappearance?

Inside the private booth at the bar, Bai Fanhao and Xi Haifei each held a plate of meat or other food, bustling about busily.

Bai Fanhao, holding half an ear of corn, mused to Xi Haifei—perhaps asking, perhaps talking to himself—"Do you think she'll eat roasted corn? Whatever, I'll just grill it and see."

Xi Haifei, watching Bai Fanhao, complained, "Fanhao, what's wrong with you? Wherever I go, you follow. I invited her out, and you tag along. Aren't you bored?"

Bai Fanhao focused on grilling the corn, not even looking up. "Haifei, you're so sharp. I only came out because I was bored—who else would come?" He finally looked up, grinned, and added, "Haifei, just because you can hang out with her doesn't mean I can't!"

"You... Hmph, next time don't follow me. Seriously, I've had enough of you..." Xi Haifei was so exasperated he could only mutter helplessly.

Mu Qingxi, standing at the door listening to their exchange, nearly burst out laughing. She said, "We're all friends. We should all hang out together."

Seeing the three enter, Xi Haifei and Bai Fanhao resumed their busy grilling, letting Mu Qingxi and Qin Yu sit down and start singing and playing while the three of them handled the barbecue.

They ate, drank, and chatted, the five of them laughing together. Guo Chen was especially attentive to Qin Yu, handing her meat and water now and then. Watching them, Mu Qingxi sighed silently—so Dongzi must have sensed something, which is why he's avoiding Qin Yu.

"Hey, eat up! What are you spacing out for?" Bai Fanhao shouted at the absent-minded Mu Qingxi.

"You idiot, yelling like that—are you trying to scare me to death?" Mu Qingxi reflexively retorted.

Cough, cough, cough... cough, cough, cough...

Guo Chen and Qin Yu burst into a fit of coughing. Guo Chen quickly patted Qin Yu’s back and handed her a glass of water. Xi Haifei stifled his laughter, covering his mouth and coughing quietly. Bai Fanhao’s expression flickered between dark and light.

Mu Qingxi finally realized what had happened and thought, "Ugh, I've embarrassed myself again." She managed an awkward laugh and said to Bai Fanhao, "I didn't mean it, Bai Fanhao. It was just a reflex—you startled me yelling like that."

Bai Fanhao was covered in metaphorical black lines; surely no matter how startled she was, her reaction didn't need to be so extreme!

Seeing their embarrassment, Mu Qingxi quickly changed the subject. "Guo Chen, Qin Yu, what's going on with you two?"