TGFH Chapter 41: Keeping Watch on New Year's Eve

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Bai Yi lay on his side on the bed, propping his head up as he watched Xiao Yiran finish arranging everything before climbing into bed. He chuckled softly.

“What are you laughing at?” Xiao Yiran pulled Bai Yi into his arms, wanting him to lie more comfortably. Seeing the faint smile on Bai Yi’s lips, he asked curiously.

Bai Yi smiled and shook his head slightly. “Nothing, I just suddenly thought of something from before.”

“What is it?” Xiao Yiran adjusted the blanket, tucking Bai Yi in more securely. Although he had agreed to stay up for New Year’s Eve with Bai Yi, he was still worried about whether Bai Yi’s body could handle it. So, he decided they would stay in bed while keeping watch—this way, if Bai Yi got tired, he could fall asleep immediately.

“Hmm… I was thinking about when we first met. It’s been almost a year now, but it still feels like yesterday. I remember you glaring at me with a cold face, pressing your sword against my neck to threaten me. Who would’ve thought that in the blink of an eye, you’d silently collapse?” Bai Yi chuckled. Back then, when he saved Xiao Yiran, he never imagined things would develop to this point. After all, Xiao Yiran had looked so unapproachable, and Bai Yi had never planned on becoming anyone’s husband.

Xiao Yiran showed little reaction, only furrowing his brows slightly and letting out a soft “Mm.” That encounter had left him in a rather embarrassing situation, and he hadn’t given it much thought since. If it weren’t for meeting Bai Yi that day, he might have forgotten about it entirely.

Bai Yi didn’t mind Xiao Yiran’s lukewarm response and continued with a smile. “And to think, you actually had a habit of sewing silver notes into your shoe soles. If not for those, we might not have even had enough money to make it back. But I noticed you haven’t kept up with that habit since we returned.”

“That was Mo Yan’s idea. He said it’s best to spread the money out and hide it in multiple places, just in case…” Xiao Yiran explained in a low, indifferent voice. He had never paid much attention to such matters. Mo Yan, however, was meticulous—back in the military camp, he had taken care of nearly everything for them, ensuring they were always well-prepared.

“So, it was Mo Yan’s habit. No wonder—he’s as detail-oriented as ever.” Bai Yi burst into laughter, teasingly adding, “By the way, I still have that outfit and pair of shoes of yours.”

“…Why are you keeping those?” Xiao Yiran frowned. While he wasn’t someone who indulged in luxury, he was still a general—he had no habit of wearing worn-out clothes and shoes.

Bai Yi cleared his throat and laughed. “For memories, of course. Besides, I patched them up back then, and after we returned, I reinforced them again. They’re still perfectly wearable.”

“Then take them out for me to wear sometime,” Xiao Yiran said after a moment’s thought. He recalled Bai Yi mending his clothes before. He wasn’t used to wearing patched-up garments, but if Bai Yi had sewn them himself, he didn’t mind.

Bai Yi shook his head with a smile. “Better not. I’ll just keep them.”

Xiao Yiran gave a slight nod and didn’t argue. Bai Yi could do as he pleased. Clothes and shoes didn’t matter to him; as long as Bai Yi was by his side, that was enough. He pulled Bai Yi closer and spoke softly, “If you’re tired, rest for a bit. I’ll wake you when it’s time.”

Bai Yi rested his head gently on Xiao Yiran’s chest. “I won’t sleep—it’s almost New Year’s.” He glanced up at Xiao Yiran and murmured, “Besides, if I doze off, you won’t wake me up.”

Even though Bai Yi’s voice was quiet, in the stillness of the night, Xiao Yiran’s keen hearing caught every word. He raised an eyebrow but didn’t refute it. If Bai Yi really fell asleep, he probably wouldn’t have the heart to wake him. Keeping watch on New Year’s Eve was something he had only done as a child with his mother. After becoming a general, he had never deliberately observed the tradition again. But seeing Bai Yi’s rare excitement, he relented and explained, “Even if you sleep, the sun will still rise.”

“It’s not the same. This is the first time I’m celebrating New Year with you,” Bai Yi said gently, still insisting on staying up. He was indeed a little tired, but holding out a bit longer wouldn’t be a problem.

Xiao Yiran frowned slightly. Bai Yi always had a way of making it impossible for him to refuse. With a helpless nod, he agreed, “If you get too tired, don’t push yourself.”

“Okay. Then let’s talk,” Bai Yi said with a soft smile, looking up at Xiao Yiran.

Xiao Yiran hesitated. He was never much of a talker. Usually, Bai Yi did all the talking while he listened. Now that Bai Yi suddenly asked him to chat, he had no idea where to begin. Fortunately, Bai Yi didn’t expect much from him in that regard. Smiling, Bai Yi continued, “I’ve never really heard you talk about yourself. Tell me about you.”

“There’s not much to say…” Xiao Yiran instinctively replied. But when he looked down and met Bai Yi’s gaze, full of warmth and anticipation, he swallowed the rest of his words. He thought for a moment, struggling to recall his past, before finally saying in a rather stiff tone, “What do you want to know?”

Bai Yi chuckled. “Tell me about your childhood, or how you met Xiaojing and the others.”

Xiao Yiran thought for a moment before speaking. “I don’t remember much from when I was little. My father went to Yecheng early on, and my uncle and mother took care of the household. After my uncle and aunt passed away, my mother brought Min’er to live with us. Later, when we found my aunt and Lan’er, we took them in as well. But not long after my aunt returned, I left to train under my master and rarely went home. I only returned when my mother passed away. Xiao Mo was assigned to accompany me then because my mother worried about me traveling alone. Mo Yan and Xiaojing were also my master’s disciples—my senior and junior brothers. After we finished our training, they followed me back, and we’ve been together ever since.”

Bai Yi had never heard the usually quiet Xiao Yiran say so many words at once, so he listened even more attentively. “Is your master very powerful?”

“Mm… Master isn’t from Zhao, but he’s very skilled. He taught us a lot.”

“Then where is your master now? Can we see him at the wedding?” Bai Yi suddenly became curious to meet the mentor who held such an important place in Xiao Yiran’s life.

“After we completed our training, Master retired and traveled the world. Other than meeting him once in Ye City, we haven’t been in contact for years. I don’t know where he is now,” Xiao Yiran shook his head and said.

Bai Yi sighed with a hint of regret. “That’s really a pity.”

“Master would like you,” Xiao Yiran suddenly said. His master’s personality was somewhat similar to Xiao Jing’s—though steadier—but both had a particular fondness for people like Bai Yi.

Bai Yi smiled gently. “I hope so. Do you think your parents will like me?”

“Mm… Mother will. As for Father, I don’t know.” Xiao Yiran thought for a moment and answered honestly. His mother had told him before that she would like anyone he loved. But as for his father, they had barely met, so he wasn’t sure.

Bai Yi rolled his eyes in exasperation. He couldn’t even tell a comforting lie—no wonder Yun Mozhi always called him a blockhead. But then again, not lying wasn’t such a bad thing either. Bai Yi chuckled to himself and shook his head. “Well, even if he doesn’t like me, there’s no changing it now.”

“No changing,” Xiao Yiran replied, tightening his embrace. He buried his head in Bai Yi’s neck, sounding slightly displeased. He had never considered changing to someone else.

Bai Yi laughed, pulling Xiao Yiran’s face up. Their eyes met. Staring into Xiao Yiran’s serious gaze beneath his slightly furrowed brows, Bai Yi’s heart skipped a beat, and his face flushed slightly. He suddenly recalled the first time he had accidentally walked in on Xiao Yiran bathing. Back then, his heart had pounded just like this, his blood rushing to his face. That was the first time he had ever felt moved by Xiao Yiran. At that time, he had only dared to turn and flee, but now…

Bai Yi tilted his head slightly, lifting his chin toward Xiao Yiran. He gave a charming smile, then moved forward, wrapping his arms around Xiao Yiran’s neck and pressing a kiss to his lips.

Xiao Yiran was momentarily stunned, then encircled Bai Yi in his arms, tilting his head slightly to cooperate with him. However, he soon took control, dominating the kiss as he entwined his tongue with Bai Yi’s, claiming every inch of territory. He only released him when Bai Yi was nearly out of breath, gently laying him back in his embrace.

Bai Yi gasped for air several times before recovering, then shot a glare at Xiao Yiran, his eyes holding a touch of playful resentment. He felt a little unwilling to admit defeat, thinking about whether to go for another round. But before he could act, Xiao Yiran’s deep voice murmured in his ear, “Don’t move.”

Bai Yi looked up in confusion, only to see that Xiao Yiran’s usually expressionless face was faintly flushed. His deep eyes stayed fixed on Bai Yi as he spoke in a slightly hoarse voice, “Your body hasn’t fully recovered yet. Mozhi said we need to be restrained… so don’t move.”

Bai Yi was lying atop Xiao Yiran when he heard this, and he suddenly realized that the warmth of the body beneath him was rising. More importantly, something pressing against his thigh seemed to be getting even firmer. His face instantly reddened further. Although he had been the one to tease Xiao Yiran, he wasn’t planning for things to escalate right now. Seeing no better option, he obediently stilled himself.

Yet, as he lay there, listening to the familiar rhythm of Xiao Yiran’s heartbeat, Bai Yi suddenly felt a bit lightheaded himself. He even noticed that he was starting to have a reaction too. Closing his eyes, he cursed himself inwardly for bringing this upon himself and could only stiffen his body, praying for the feeling to pass quickly before Xiao Yiran noticed.

But Xiao Yiran’s senses had always been sharper than Bai Yi’s. The moment Bai Yi had a reaction, he noticed. However, this time was different. When Bai Yi was pregnant, Yun Mozhi had forbidden them from being intimate but still allowed him to help Bai Yi relieve himself. But now, Bai Yi had just given birth and was still weak—Xiao Yiran didn’t dare do anything. So instead, he carefully laid Bai Yi flat on the bed, tucked him in, and got up.

“Where are you going?” Bai Yi had just managed to calm down when he saw Xiao Yiran getting dressed. He immediately spoke up anxiously, worried that his own lack of restraint had made Xiao Yiran angry.

“…I’m hungry. Going to get something to eat and bring you some porridge.” Xiao Yiran hesitated for a moment before answering. Of course, eating was just an excuse—he mainly needed to cool down and let Bai Yi do the same.

Bai Yi, guessing his real reason, blushed and shrank deeper into the blankets, nodding in embarrassment.

“I’ll be back soon. I’ll have someone stand guard outside. Call them if you feel unwell,” Xiao Yiran said as he quickly threw on some clothes and hurried out.

Inside the room, Bai Yi burrowed into the blankets. Thinking back to how Xiao Yiran had stopped him earlier, he felt even more mortified. He covered his head with the blanket, trying to clear his mind and not think about what had just happened—or about Xiao Yiran’s face. All he could do was pray that everything would return to normal before Xiao Yiran came back.

By the time Xiao Yiran had doused himself with cold water, dried his hair, changed his clothes, and returned with a bowl of hot porridge, he was met with the sight of Bai Yi completely wrapped up in the blanket.

Xiao Yiran immediately approached, worried something was wrong. But upon checking, he found that Bai Yi had simply fallen asleep while curled up under the covers. Only then did he finally relax. He sat quietly beside the bed, watching Bai Yi’s sleeping face for a long time. In the end, he still couldn’t bring himself to wake him.

After finishing the porridge himself, Xiao Yiran used his internal energy to warm his body before climbing under the covers to hold Bai Yi in his arms and sleep.

As for staying up for New Year’s Eve? In Xiao Yiran’s opinion, as long as they were together, it didn’t matter whether they were awake or asleep.

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