Those naive and innocent years Merry Christmas

  The couple fell silent, each sipping their tea, unaware of the bitter taste, the room was as quiet as stagnant water, with only the wall clock ticking away, reminding them of the passage of time and the shortening of life's river.

  Tian Heng looked at his parents, then at Tian Tian, and stood up to sit beside her. He felt that at this moment, he should give her some strength, at least make her feel that she was not so lonely and helpless. He obediently held Tian Tian's arm and said to the couple opposite him, "When are you leaving?"

  Tian Junfeng coughed lightly, breaking the silence. He thought to himself, "Is he trying to get rid of me?" So he said, "I might stay a bit longer, until after New Year's."

  "Are you referring to the New Year of your country or our country?" Tian Cheng asked innocently, with the words "you" and "we" implying a meaning: we are not familiar with each other.

  Tian Tian heard Tian Cheng's words and lowered her head, secretly smiling. This kid, when did his mouth become so venomous?

  Tian Junfeng let out two awkward "ah"s, not knowing what to say. Despite being a seasoned businessman for over a decade, unmatched by anyone, this time he was completely at the mercy of these two kids. He had never been in a situation where he was left speechless, unable to utter a word, even if he could think of something to say.

  "After a moment's thought, he said, 'You want me to leave when you want me to leave, is that okay?'"

  "Hmm," Tian Cheng nodded.

  That evening the whole family had dinner together, Alan cooked a lot of dishes to welcome Mr. and Mrs. back home, while she went back to her own room with Old Zhang and didn't appear in the dining hall.

  Tian Tian brought the two of them over again and said, no matter what, no matter who comes home, you are all my family members, there must be a chair for you at the dinner table, let's go eat. Alan and Old Zhang had to return to the dining room and sat down respectfully. Lü Yanlan furrowed her brow but didn't say anything.

  After dinner, they decorated the Christmas tree together. Alan bought a lot of decorations and small colored lights. The light in the yard was dim yellow, shining on people's bodies with a warm feeling.

  Tian Junfeng and Lü Yanlan hung the big star on the top of the tree, Tian Tian and Tian Cheng surrounded the small colored lights around the Christmas tree, for the first time having a sense of home. She pulled up Tian Cheng and Lü Yanlan's hands, the four people formed a circle, Tian Cheng sang a Christmas song, they all listened patiently, circling around the Christmas tree...

  That happiness was unprecedented, as if the entire world was floating with pink petals, that fragrance sweet but not greasy, the wind was also blowing gently from all directions, the green grass and trees filled the entire field, butterflies flapped their wings and landed on her eyelashes, and there were pure white feathers falling from the sky to the ground, everything was a beauty within reach.

  That night's dream was also full of that strange yet familiar face, despite the many grievances and anxieties. But at this moment, all the ice has melted and the snow has thawed, and it feels so good.

  Every day since then, Tian Junfeng has been picking up and dropping off Tian Tian and Tian Cheng from school, looking like a handsome and responsible model father. Their classmates also stared at the man who got out of the extended Lincoln with wide eyes, reluctant to move their gaze away, describing him as elegant and polite was not an exaggeration at all, it was simply too fitting.

  Including Lin Ling, Yao Le Tong and Peng Si Ze, they almost heard about the sudden appearance of this handsome gentleman at the school gate in the first time, and squeezed to the door to watch together. Later, seeing Tian Tian and Tian Cheng walking up to the car without a word, and then leaving in a cloud of dust. Only then did they realize that this person was actually their father. The group of students were completely blown away, from having no one to suddenly having such a powerful dad!

  Lü Yanlan occasionally goes to the mall, watches a movie, has afternoon tea, and spends her days leisurely. After all, she doesn't need to cook. Of course, she wouldn't want to ruin her fair hands by cooking either, or else she would have to spend more money on beauty treatments. Nevertheless, she still buys many things for Tian Tian and Tian Cheng, such as clothes, school bags, stationery, and the like. She often wins Tian Cheng's delight, while Tian Tian, although still aloof, also calmly accepts her gifts.

  At night, they would sit in the living room watching TV. Tian Junfeng was used to lying on the sofa, pouring himself a cup of tea, and enjoying life contentedly. Meanwhile, Mrs. Tian would apply some dark green substance to her face that Tian Tian didn't recognize, wearing that red sleeping gown, putting into her mouth watermelon slices cut very neatly with toothpicks.

  And she and Tian Cheng each held a pillow, laughing loudly when they saw the wonderful parts. Tian Tian would secretly take away the snacks in Tian Cheng's hand and put them in her own mouth, which made Tian Cheng very angry. Tian Junfeng and Lü Yanlan would occasionally ask about their homework and teach them how to be human and get along with others, and they also shared their experiences as leaders in the company. Tian Tian listened very seriously and gained some insight. The whole family was together, and it couldn't be more harmonious. Tian Tian even thought that this was forever, and such days would continue...

  It was the last day before the holiday, and all the students were eagerly waiting for the winter vacation with excitement. Tian Tian had finished packing up her things and was about to head home. On that afternoon, the school issued certificates of merit and bonuses to the top students in the final exams. As expected, Tian Tian was first in her grade, and she stuffed the certificate and a few hundred yuan wrapped in red envelopes into her backpack.

  Just as she was about to leave, she heard the sound of quarreling coming from the back corner of the classroom. She didn't want to intervene, so she didn't even turn her head. When she reached the classroom door, she suddenly heard a crisp slapping sound. She frowned and turned her head to take a look.

  "What are you staring at? You're the one with eyes!" the boy shouted at her in anger.

  Tian Tian knew the boy, who was notorious in their class and even the whole school for being a bad boy. He took pride in fighting, liked to form gangs, bully the weak, and even extorted pocket money from younger students at the alley entrance of the school.

  He has been punished, fined, written self-criticism and even suspended from school, but he still doesn't change his ways. The school can't do anything about him either, and he relies on his own little power to become more and more arrogant, not even putting teachers in his eyes.

  The girl who had just been beaten by him was his new girlfriend, and the two of them quarreled for some reason. The girl was now shrinking in the corner, not even daring to make a sound. Tian Tian originally didn't want to get involved, it had nothing to do with her anyway. But this boy was so overbearing and domineering, she really couldn't stand it. "Just because I have eyes, that's why I saw your shameless face."

  "What did you say?" The boy released the girl's collar and walked towards Tian Tian with big strides, looking down on her condescendingly. "Don't think that just because your face looks okay and you have a relationship with the mayor's son, I won't dare to hit you."

  Tian Tian snorted coldly and said, "Correcting your two mistakes. First, I have nothing to do with Zong Zhongyan, nor do I need him to raise my own value, I've never thought of myself as 'low'. Second, you can't beat me up, because you don't have the ability." Tian Tian's eyes were full of disdain, she simply looked down on this kind of person who relied on their fists to speak, especially one who would hit a girl.

  "Hah," Tian Teng openly challenged his authority, no one had ever dared to speak to him like that before. He was furious but couldn't help laughing, "Don't believe me? Or should I use my strength to tell you?" He grabbed Tian Teng's thin shoulders with his hands and pinched hard, using almost all the strength in his body.

  Tian Tian didn't utter a single word of complaint, she let him pinch her, her eyes were icy cold.

  "Not enough yet? Is it?" The boy said with a pleased tone.