ASPWL Ch120: Happy New Year

The special edition of Let’s Go Traveling Together was a program jointly planned by Ye Leyao and Qin Yao.

Ye Leyao’s original intention was simple. After two years of not seeing each other, whether it was him or his friends, they all had so much to talk about.

So, Ye Leyao decided to invite everyone on a trip together. He even contacted Huo Jing and planned to rent out a private island.

However, before the plan could be carried out, Qin Yao stopped him.

Qin Yao only asked one question:
“Are you sure everyone’s schedules will align?”

Ye Leyao fell silent.

Two years had passed. Whether it was Song Zhehan, Zhang Qiran, Li Siyuan, Liu Yan, or Shen Chong, their careers had all skyrocketed.

It could be said that every guest who had joined the variety show with him—except for Ye Leyao himself—had now become one of the most sought-after celebrities in the entertainment industry.

Their schedules…

Were indeed hard to coordinate.

After returning home, Ye Leyao only stayed at the Huo family residence for a month before Mama and Papa Huo packed him up and sent him to the new villa they had bought for him two years ago.

Since Ye Leyao had moved in, Qin Yao naturally followed suit.

It was a quiet afternoon. Qin Yao was sitting on the sofa handling company documents, while Ye Leyao was sitting on the floor, resting his head on Qin Yao’s lap. He looked up and wailed, “Then what should we do?!”

The young man’s skin was fair and flawless. His upward-tilted face exposed his elegant neck, and as Qin Yao lowered his gaze slightly, his eyes landed on the faint red marks on Ye Leyao’s collarbone.

Qin Yao’s expression darkened slightly, and he let out a small, unnatural cough.

Ye Leyao blinked in confusion before quickly following Qin Yao’s gaze and noticing the issue. He immediately stood up and ran to find a mirror.

A moment later, Qin Yao heard Ye Leyao’s voice coming from the bathroom:
“Qin Yao—”

After finishing his last document, Qin Yao got up and walked toward Ye Leyao.

Ye Leyao turned around, pretending to glare at him fiercely. “I told you we were going out today! No marks!”

Qin Yao looked at him, his gaze unwavering. “Sorry, I couldn’t help it.”

Ye Leyao: “…”

What a couldn’t help it!

Knowing that Ye Leyao wasn’t truly angry, Qin Yao stepped forward, pulled him into his arms, and left a kiss at the corner of his lips.

“How about I find a way to get everyone together for a trip to make it up to you?”

Ye Leyao wasn’t really mad to begin with. Upon hearing this, his eyes instantly sparkled. “You have an idea?”

Qin Yao simply smiled without answering.

But soon enough, Ye Leyao found out what Qin Yao’s plan was—Let’s Go Traveling Together: Special Edition.

Since it was difficult to fit into everyone’s existing schedules, why not just arrange a new one for them?

This way, not only could they all get together for a fun trip, but it would also fulfill the long-standing wish of fans from two years ago.

After all, for those who had followed the show back then, the biggest regret was that Ye Leyao and Qin Yao were absent from the final episode.

And so, at the end of the year, the much-anticipated Let’s Go Traveling Together: Special Edition finally aired.

The moment the livestream opened, the number of viewers shot up to 300,000 and continued to climb.

The comment section was filled with fans and netizens screaming in excitement—

—”It finally happened after all this time!”

—”Two and a half years! The show is finally making a limited-time return! I’m so emotional!”

—”Ye Leyao—I can finally see you again!”

And the guests who participated in the special edition did not disappoint. Right from the start, they eagerly shared details about their love lives, instantly skyrocketing the audience’s excitement.

Fans were already beyond satisfied.

But what thrilled them even more were the intimate, unfiltered interactions between the couples—

For example, while setting up the campsite, Song Zhehan had just finished securing a few support poles when Zhang Qiran suddenly let out a startled gasp.

Song Zhehan immediately dropped everything in his hands, frowned, and rushed over. The livestream captured his clear, concerned voice: “What happened?”

One side of the tent happened to block the camera’s view, so the audience couldn’t see them, only hear Zhang Qiran’s soft voice:
“I… A bug just flew at my face. It scared me…”

“Let me see.” Song Zhehan said.

Through the tent fabric, the livestream audience could only see two blurry silhouettes.

Song Zhehan seemed to lift Zhang Qiran’s chin slightly, and then, the two figures slowly leaned closer.

The comment section exploded:

—”AHHHHHHHHHH—”

At the same time, Song Zhehan’s voice came through the stream: “It’s a little red. Don’t touch it. Are you stupid?”

Zhang Qiran huffed in protest: “You’re the stupid one.”

Song Zhehan let out a low chuckle, but he didn’t argue.

The chat instantly went into a frenzy.

Meanwhile, on the other side—

Duan Tingyan had already finished setting up their tent, while Li Siyuan and Zhou Zijian were busy starting a fire…

But perhaps because it had snowed not long ago, the fire was particularly difficult to start. Zhou Zijian went to ask the production team for dry firewood, while Li Siyuan was still crouching in place, stubbornly wrestling with the damp wood.

By the time Duan Tingyan arrived, he was met with the sight of Li Siyuan covered in soot, looking completely disheveled.

Duan Tingyan couldn’t hold it in and burst into laughter on the spot.

Li Siyuan looked up and glared at him. “What are you laughing at?”

Duan Tingyan: “You…”

Before he could finish his sentence, Li Siyuan seemed to feel an itch on his nose and instinctively reached up to scratch it. As a result, his already smudged face became even messier.

Duan Tingyan couldn’t hold back anymore. Clutching his stomach, he laughed uncontrollably.

Li Siyuan was slow to react, but he finally realized what had happened. He pulled out his phone and used the front-facing camera to check his face—immediately, his expression darkened.

He stood up, ready to go wash his face, but after taking just two steps, he suddenly changed his mind.

Duan Tingyan’s laughter abruptly stopped, sensing danger. But before he could react and run away, Li Siyuan lunged at him, pressing a soot-covered hand against his face and rubbing it vigorously.

In just a few seconds, Duan Tingyan, as expected, also became a “big soot-covered cat.”

Now, it was Li Siyuan’s turn to laugh.

But he hadn’t laughed for long before his head was suddenly held in place.

Duan Tingyan suddenly leaned in, startling Li Siyuan. “You—”

Duan Tingyan’s handsome face got closer, but instead of the kiss Li Siyuan had anticipated, the man simply pressed his face against Li Siyuan’s.

Then he rubbed up and down, left and right—completely smearing the soot everywhere.

Li Siyuan, like a piglet being grabbed by the scruff of its neck, was helplessly rubbed all over by Duan Tingyan.

Within mere seconds, both their faces were equally covered in soot.

Duan Tingyan finally let go of him.

Li Siyuan stared at him, wide-eyed.

After a long silence, the live-stream audience finally heard Li Siyuan’s furious shout: “Duan Tingyan—are you out of your mind?!”

Duan Tingyan’s response was a hearty, unrestrained laugh.

—

Meanwhile, on the other side.

Liu Yan and Shen Chong were assigned to the cooking team, along with Zhou Zijian and Wen Xiangyue.

In the makeshift “kitchen,” the following dialogue could often be heard:

Shen Chong picked up a piece of food with his chopsticks and held it up to Liu Yan’s lips. “Try this—careful, it’s hot.”

He even blew on it for her.

Liu Yan opened her mouth and took a bite. Her eyes lit up. “It’s delicious!”

Shen Chong smiled gently and picked up another bite of food for her.

Seeing this, Zhou Zijian leaned over to Wen Xiangyue. “Do you want to try some too?”

Wen Xiangyue glanced at the sweet atmosphere beside them and smiled. “I’m not a kid, why would I need a taste test?”

Zhou Zijian immediately disagreed. He grabbed a clean pair of chopsticks, mimicked Shen Chong’s actions, and fed a bite to Wen Xiangyue. “That won’t do. In my heart, you’ll always be a kid.”

Wen Xiangyue’s face instantly turned red, but she couldn’t suppress the smile at her lips.

Scenes like these played out frequently in the live-stream of Let’s Go Traveling Together: Special Edition.

Of course, this included Ye Leyao and Qin Yao.

Compared to the others, Ye Leyao and Qin Yao had even more little interactions.

Fans and viewers didn’t even need to scrutinize closely—there was no shortage of sweet moments to catch.

After all, the two of them seemed to have their hands glued together, never letting go.

Not to mention how Qin Yao would occasionally lower his head to plant a natural kiss on Ye Leyao’s cheek, forehead, or even the tip of his nose.

The three-day live-stream event had fans and netizens hopping from one channel to another, searching for sweet CP moments—having the time of their lives.

By the end of it, some netizens even sighed:

—”I never thought shipping CPs could be as satisfying as eating snacks.”

Others said, “Who said we didn’t get any gossip these past few days?”

Seeing this, netizens eagerly hit the like button.

Exactly! Maybe there weren’t any shocking, adrenaline-pumping scandals this time, but who said the guests’ relationships weren’t juicy gossip too?

In any case, they had feasted on sweetness for three days straight and were thoroughly satisfied!

—

After the show’s recording wrapped up, the New Year was just around the corner.

This was Ye Leyao’s first New Year after returning home, and it was exceptionally lively.

Not only did Huo Jing bring Feng Jialan back, but even Huo Ze brought Ning Xu home.

Even Qin Hongxi was invited over by Papa Huo to celebrate with them.

On New Year’s Eve morning, Huo Yan came knocking on Ye Leyao’s door.

Ye Leyao was still half-asleep, and it was Qin Yao who answered the door.

The moment Huo Yan saw Qin Yao, he instinctively wanted to roll his eyes but held back. Instead, he simply said, “Tell Xiao Yao to wake up quickly.”

Qin Yao agreed and shut the door.

Just as the door closed, Huo Yan heard Ye Leyao’s drowsy voice from inside: “Is it my second brother again?”

What do you mean again?

Huo Yan didn’t want to be the one waking Ye Leyao up either!

It was only because their mother had said that since he was still single, he was the most suitable choice…

Huo Yan let out a heavy snort and went downstairs.

The Huo family had already decorated the house in advance, and festive red decorations could be seen everywhere in the villa.

After the New Year’s Eve dinner, the whole family went to the backyard to set off fireworks together.

Feng Jialan was more reserved. While Ye Leyao and Ning Xu were playing around, he simply stood to the side, watching with a gentle smile.

Huo Jing walked over and reached out to touch his hand. “Is it cold?”

Feng Jialan instinctively wanted to shake his head, but his icy fingertips were already wrapped in Huo Jing’s palm.

Feng Jialan tilted his head slightly, his face turning a little red.

Huo Jing knew he was shy and didn’t tease him further, just holding his hand while they watched the fireworks together.

Ye Leyao ran around the backyard holding a sparkler, working up a sweat.

Just as he was about to take off his coat, Qin Yao stopped him. “You’ll catch a cold.”

Ye Leyao instinctively wanted to refute, saying he never gets sick. But then, as if something crossed his mind, he suddenly paused and let out a chuckle.

This time, he didn’t argue.

Qin Yao, keenly aware of the shift in his emotions, glanced at Ye Leyao with slight concern.

Their eyes met midair. Ye Leyao smiled and said, “Don’t worry about me.”

Qin Yao gazed at him for a few seconds before pulling him into a tight embrace. “Yaoyao…”

Ye Leyao smiled. “I’ve made many choices in my life, and I have never regretted any of them. So, Qin Yao, don’t feel uneasy. I just… suddenly thought of Qiu and L2.”

Qin Yao had heard Ye Leyao talk about them before. His arms around him tightened slightly.

Ye Leyao chuckled. “Really, I’m fine. Now let me go—Big Brother and the others are watching!”

Although Ye Leyao was rarely shy, he still got embarrassed from time to time.

Qin Yao let go of him, but instead of pulling away, he held Ye Leyao’s hand and led him away to set off fireworks together.

One by one, the dazzling fireworks shot into the sky. With a loud bang, they bloomed against the dark night, streaking across the sky like countless shooting stars—brilliant and mesmerizing.

The Huo family didn’t have a tradition of staying up all night for New Year’s, but at midnight, Papa Huo had prepared a grand fireworks show.

After returning to his room, Ye Leyao took a shower. Once he was dressed, he stepped out onto the balcony.

The roses Qin Yao had grown on the home balcony had been transplanted here and were now blooming beautifully outside Ye Leyao’s window.

Thanks to the heating, the roses remained vibrant even in the middle of winter.

At that moment, Ye Leyao suddenly heard a faint purring sound.

He turned his head and was stunned to see a familiar, chubby raccoon cat lazily crouching just outside his balcony.

Ye Leyao froze. “L2…?”

L2 swished its fluffy tail as if greeting him, then tilted its head up.

Following its gaze, Ye Leyao saw Qiu floating in midair.

Qiu waved at him with a bright smile.

Qin Yao had been calling Ye Leyao’s name for a while but received no response, so he hurried over. Upon arrival, he saw the scene unfold before him.

Ye Leyao, filled with excitement, quickly pulled Qin Yao over to introduce them.

Just then, the clock struck midnight, marking the arrival of the new year.

The fireworks show Papa Huo had prepared began at that very moment.

Countless fireworks shot into the sky and exploded in dazzling colors, drowning out all other sounds.

L2 suddenly leaped upward—straight into Qiu’s arms.

Behind them, brilliant fireworks bloomed.

Ye Leyao heard them speak in unison:

“Ye Leyao, Happy New Year!”

Qin Yao held Ye Leyao’s hand. The two exchanged a smile before echoing together:

“Happy New Year!”

Even if we cannot always be together, may you always be happy and well.

Happy New Year.

__

Author’s Note:
Happy New Year!