Chapter 225 - 223: Happy New Year

The sound of firecrackers rings out the old year, as the spring breeze brings warmth to the festive wine.

February 6th, New Year’s Eve.

This was Cecilia Sterling’s first Chinese New Year since returning to her twenty-year-old self. It was also her happiest day since coming back, because her entire family was right there by her side.

In the kitchen, she helped her mother, the prepared ingredients piled high. Live spiny lobsters and Emperor Crabs waved their claws menacingly in the sink, making the mother-daughter duo shriek one moment and laugh the next.

The TV was on in the living room, playing a lively Chinese New Year program. Lily had pulled Ethan over to play a mobile game with her, praising how amazing her little brother was as they played. Her compliments made Ethan puff up with pride.

The sizzle of food pan-frying and stir-frying in the wok, the boisterous, festive atmosphere from the TV, and the blissful expressions on her family’s faces—if this wasn’t contentment in life, what was?

"Happy New Year!"

At the dinner table, Jasmine Sterling had prepared a total of twelve dishes, both hot and cold. In her words, it was a good omen, signifying that all twelve months of the coming year would be smooth and prosperous.

The family raised their glasses of red wine for a toast. Ethan was the sweetest talker, and wishes flowed from him effortlessly. "To Mom, I wish you good health and a year free from illness and misfortune in the new year. May your dancing reach even greater heights."

"To my eldest sister, may you remain as beautiful as ever and have a prosperous career. To my second sister, may your acting career be smooth-sailing and may you become a huge star."

"And finally, I wish for my own success, to pass my exams and get into Lorcain University!"

His words made the three women of the house beam with joy. Cecilia and Lily quickly added their own wishes for their mother. "Mom, in the new year, I hope all your wishes come true."

"Mom, I wish for you to be happy, too."

Jasmine Sterling looked at her three children, happiness becoming almost tangible in that moment. The hardships of all her past years seemed to vanish like a wisp of smoke, leaving only relief in her heart.

She quickly took out the red envelopes she had prepared and gave one to each of her three children. "One for each of you. Mom also hopes that everything goes smoothly and according to your wishes in the new year."

They had to accept their mother’s red envelopes, but Cecilia and Lily had also prepared red envelopes for her.

Lily couldn’t wait to present hers first. The paper envelope was thin, and she stuffed it directly into her mother’s hand. "Mom, I’ve paid the taxes on my salary from my first role. Here’s a big red envelope for you."

Jasmine subconsciously felt the red envelope. It was hard inside—not cash at all.

She opened it and saw it was a card.

Ethan’s eyes lit up at the sight. "Whoa, Second Sister, you’re giving a card straight up? How much money is in there?"

Lily didn’t hide it. Looking at her mother, she said softly, "It has two million in it."

"So much?" Jasmine was shocked. She tried to push the card back to her daughter. "This is the first money you’ve earned. You should keep it for yourself. Mom has enough money."

"I’ve kept some for myself. This is for you!" Lily pushed it back again, her expression serious and her tone firm. "I never expected to earn so much from my very first role. But don’t worry, Mom. I’ll definitely work hard to earn even more for you in the future."

It wasn’t just Jasmine who felt gratified; Cecilia was also pleased to see this.

"Mom, just accept Lily’s gift. Otherwise, I won’t know if I should even take out the red envelope I prepared for you."

As she spoke, Cecilia also took out a card she had prepared and pushed it in front of her mother. "This is from me. I didn’t come back last year, so this is to make up for last year’s as well."

’It was Cecilia’s red envelope. You didn’t need to guess to know there was a large sum of money inside.’

Jasmine was about to speak, but Cecilia cut her off righteously. "You can’t refuse it. Whether it’s Lily or me, it’s only natural for us to earn money for our mother to spend. Besides, Mom, you have to understand—money is meant to be spent. You have to know how to spend it. That’s what gives us, your children, more motivation to earn it."

Hearing this, Lily nodded repeatedly from the side. "My sister’s right. Don’t save it. Mom, just buy whatever you want."

Even Ethan spoke up. "Mom, I’ll give you an IOU for now. I’m an adult now too. When I start earning money in the future, I’ll make it up to you."

Seeing how dutiful her children were, Jasmine didn’t want to spoil the mood. Whether she would actually spend the money was another question, but she accepted the red envelopes today.

"Okay, Mom will take them. I’ll take them all. At this age, I’ve finally become a rich woman," Jasmine joked with a smile.

Her words made them all laugh. The sound of their laughter drifted out the window, traveling far into the distance and mingling with the sound of firecrackers.

*

「On the second day of the Lunar New Year.」

Cecilia received an invitation from a high school classmate for afternoon tea.

The person who invited her was her high school deskmate. During their senior year, they had studied together every day, encouraging and motivating each other. You could say they had a bond forged in the trenches.

In her previous life, their friendship had lasted for quite a long time. It only started to fade after her friend had children and became completely absorbed in family life.

’If she counted from the timeline of her past life, it had now been decades since they had last seen each other. And yet, Cecilia could still clearly remember what her friend looked like.’

"Cecilia!"

In the coffee shop, Cecilia heard someone call her name the moment she walked through the door.

She looked up and saw a wide-eyed girl in a white puffer jacket waving excitedly at her.

In an instant, the girl’s face perfectly matched the one in her memory.

"Vivian!"

Cecilia felt a pang in her heart and hurried forward to embrace Vivian Sheridan.

"Oh my gosh, long time no see! You didn’t even come back last year. We haven’t seen each other in over two years." Vivian’s tone was playfully reproachful, but tears welled up in her eyes. In high school, she had considered Cecilia her best friend.

Cecilia took her hand and sat down, looking apologetic. "My fault, my fault. How have you been? Has college been okay these past two years?"

Vivian Sheridan’s grades were excellent. She had even scored eight points higher than Cecilia on the college entrance exams and had been accepted into the law program at Linsea University with a full scholarship.

With one of them in Lorcain in the north and the other in Linsea in the south, meeting up was understandably difficult. They could only occasionally check in with each other on WhatsApp.

"It’s been pretty good, just so tiring. You know how it is—studying law is like studying medicine. One is mentally exhausting, the other is physically exhausting, and my dad just had to make me choose between the two." Vivian then asked Cecilia, "What about you? How are you doing?"

As she spoke, her eyes unconsciously drifted up and down, sizing up Cecilia’s outfit.

Vivian’s family wasn’t super-rich, but they were certainly much better off than Cecilia’s family had been before. Her clothes and accessories were often expensive brand names.

Now, with a single glance, she could tell Cecilia’s outfit today was something special. Especially the bracelet on her wrist—it was covered in diamonds, and the quality didn’t look like a knockoff.

"Wow, this bracelet is gorgeous."

Before Cecilia could say anything, Vivian had already taken her hand with curiosity to get a closer look. "Cecilia, is this the real deal?"

Cecilia smiled and nodded. "Cartier."

Vivian’s eyes widened. She held up her own platinum bracelet. "Hey, mine is too! But yours looks incredibly expensive. Mine was just a bit over ten thousand."