NOVEL NEXT Chapter 44: Bizarre Program
After dinner, Xiao Zhan, Xiao Ying, and Xiao Li continued to drink and chat, while Xiao Yan stood up and spoke to Xiao Zhan.
“Father, I’ll go and prepare things with the others.”
“Oh, go ahead.”
Xiao Zhan waved his hand lightly, and Xiao Yan nodded. He then came to Qing Lin’s side, crouched down, and spoke softly.
“Little Qing Lin, would you like to go and have fun with me?”
“Mmm!”
After spending the whole day together, Qing Lin had completely let go of her guard against the Xiao Clan. She happily nodded when she heard Xiao Yan’s words.
Seeing this scene, Xiao Ying’s eyes were filled with deep satisfaction, and even Xiao Li showed a rare gentle expression.
Parents of Qing Lin, please rest assured.
Your daughter is doing well.
“Hey, what is Xiao Yan preparing?”
Nalan Yanran looked at Xiao Xun’er and asked. Xiao Xun’er raised an eyebrow slightly, looking somewhat displeased as she glanced at Nalan Yanran.
“Miss Nalan, I have a name, and don’t you think it’s impolite to call me ‘hey’?”
“Then should I call you little sister Xun’er?”
“…You can still call me ‘hey’.” Xiao Xun’er responded without hesitation, then answered, “Every year, the Xiao Clan prepares a fixed program for the evening, and we, the younger generation, are in charge of the preparations. We call it the New Year’s Eve Gala.”
New Year’s Eve Gala?
Nalan Yanran furrowed her brows tightly.
What is that?
While Nalan Yanran was thinking, Xiao Yan had already held Qing Lin’s small hand and arrived at the entrance. He turned around and looked at the two.
“Xun’er, little foodie, let’s go.”
“Coming!”
“I already told you not to call me a little foodie!!!”
The group of them playfully and noisily arrived at the Xiao Clan courtyard. The leftover food from the lunch tables had been cleaned up, the tablecloths had been replaced, and the previously dirty floor was now clean. The young members of the Xiao Clan were gathered around a wooden platform covered with a red carpet, discussing something.
“Xiao Yan is here!!!”
Someone shouted, and immediately the young members of the Xiao Clan surrounded Xiao Yan. This excited scene made Qing Lin, who was being held by Xiao Yan, cling to his waist, afraid to let go. Even Xiao Xun’er and Nalan Yanran were pushed to the side.
“Look at me! Look at me! My performance is absolutely indispensable tonight!”
“You idiot! What kind of ridiculous program is that? Smashing bricks? Only someone like you could come up with such a garbage program!”
“But these are titanium alloy bricks! Not anyone can smash them!”
“Then how can you call them bricks?!”
Xiao Yan, who was surrounded by the young members of the Xiao Clan, wore a helpless expression on his face. He turned to Xiao Yu, who happened to be walking towards them from outside the crowd.
“Sister Xiao Yu, take Qing Lin out first.”
“Okay.”
Xiao Yu responded and immediately reached out to pull Qing Lin out of the crowd. She gently comforted Qing Lin, who was slightly frightened, and looked at Xiao Yan, who was being surrounded by the young members of the Xiao Clan, with a helpless smile.
“It’s like this every year.”
“That’s true.”
Xiao Xun’er smiled with her hands behind her back, watching the scene. Nalan Yanran, on the other hand, was somewhat confused as she pointed at Xiao Yan, who was surrounded by the young members of the Xiao Clan.
“What are they…doing?”
“The Xiao Clan’s New Year’s Eve Gala is performed by us, the younger generation, every year. But due to time constraints, only a limited number of performances can be included each year, and it’s up to Brother Xiao Yan to decide who gets to perform.”
Xiao Xun’er answered, and with Qing Lin in her arms, she added, “Usually, as long as there’s enough time, Xiao Yan will try to let everyone perform on stage. After all, everyone has spent a long time preparing their performances, and Xiao Yan himself doesn’t have the heart to cut them off.” Xiao Yu joined in.
“However, there are always a few extremely bizarre performances every year that Xiao Yan can’t help but include…”
“Extremely bizarre performances?”
A big question mark appeared in Nalan Yanran’s mind.
After staying at the Xiao Clan for these few days, she had gradually gained some understanding.
The entire Xiao Clan is indeed a peculiar family, and the performances that can make this peculiar family feel peculiar must be incredibly bizarre. With such thoughts in mind, Nalan Yanran became curious and couldn’t help but want to see the peculiar program mentioned by Xiao Yu.
Just then, an excited voice rang out, “My masterpiece is complete!!!”
Nalan Yanran looked in the direction of the voice and saw Xiao Mei entering the Xiao Clan courtyard from outside, holding a stack of papers and running towards Xiao Yan, who was surrounded by the young members of the Xiao Clan.
“Mei’er!” Xiao Yu suddenly called out, stopping Xiao Mei in her tracks. With a perplexed look, Xiao Mei approached Xiao Yu as he waved his hand, “Come over here first.”
For some reason, the tone of Xiao Yu’s voice made Nalan Yanran feel somewhat… speechless?
As Xiao Mei approached, Nalan Yanran noticed something and raised an eyebrow. They had only been apart for an afternoon, but why did Xiao Mei look so exhausted? Even dark circles had appeared under her eyes.
As Xiao Mei reached them, Xiao Yu had a complex expression on his face as he extended his hand towards her.
“Let me see your script.”
“Oh! This is my proud masterpiece!”
Xiao Mei handed over the script to Xiao Yu with great pride, tilting her head up with a nose in the air.
[Main characters: Xiao Yan (male protagonist), Xiao Mei (female protagonist), malicious supporting characters: Xiao Xun’er, Nalan Yanran, Ya Fei, and the shameless supporting character Xiao Ning, who should not exist in this world.]
[The story tells of the gentle and weak female protagonist gradually sinking into a low point of life under the oppression of the malicious supporting characters and shameless supporting character.]
[Just at that moment, the male protagonist, who is devoted, decisive, gentle, and faithful, descends from the sky and drives away all the filth surrounding the female protagonist, leading the male and female protagonists towards a happy and blissful new life…]
Hiss…
Before she could finish reading, Xiao Yu’s eyes went blank, and he closed the script with an expressionless face, tearing the thick stack of papers in half and casually tossing it on the ground.
“Oh no!!! My masterpiece!!!” Xiao Mei exclaimed as if the sky had fallen, weakly falling to her knees and sobbing as she looked at the pieces of paper on the ground. “It took me three months to come up with this masterpiece…”
“Three months… I knew something was off during that time when you were occasionally absent-minded. Were you thinking about these things while you were training in the back mountain?” Xiao Xun’er had a black line on her face and squatted down, revealing a slightly gloomy smile as she pointed at the broken script on the ground. “Also, Mei’er, I have a question. Why am I included as a malicious supporting character without my consent? Have I been treating you badly?”
“Ah? Ah… this is… necessary for the plot…” Xiao Mei stammered, avoiding eye contact with Xiao Xun’er, feeling guilty.
“Hey! What do you mean by ‘the others can be ignored’? I’m not happy to be included in the script without my consent!” Nalan Yanran, displeased with Xiao Xun’er’s words, crossed her arms and looked at Xiao Yu. “But as you said, it’s really peculiar. Does she bring out these things every year?”
“Ah… she’s truly beyond help,” Xiao Yu sighed softly, pinching the bridge of his nose helplessly. “But apart from her, there’s always one more person who acts foolishly every year…”
As soon as Xiao Yu finished speaking, Xiao Ning’s voice accompanied by footsteps came from outside the courtyard.
“Xiao Yan, look at the performance I prepared today…”
“Xiao Ning, if you don’t want your elder sister to lose her younger brother forever, go back, get dressed, and don’t even think about performing on stage.”
Before Xiao Yan could respond, Xiao Yu’s cold voice suddenly rang out.
Soon, silence fell outside the courtyard, and after a few seconds, Nalan Yanran heard the fading footsteps of Xiao Ning, not even catching a glimpse of him.
This situation made Nalan Yanran’s heart itch like it was being scratched by a small cat. She was intensely curious about the performance Xiao Ning had prepared but was abruptly dismissed by Xiao Yu.
What on earth was he going to perform???