"How could he think he could just join the Flying Cloud Cavalry as he pleases?" Qin Yuchuan scoffed lightly.
Xu Liyan and Shangguan Yi knew of the existence of the Flying Cloud Iron Cavalry, but having never witnessed it themselves, they were unaware of the stringent conditions for joining.
"If it's His Majesty's order, how could you refuse?" Xu Liyan expressed some concern.
Qin Yuchuan picked up his teacup. "To join, one must have the capability. Flying Cloud has no need for deadweight."
Shangguan Yi said, "It's good that you have a strategy to deal with this. We just came to remind you to be cautious. The year-end is approaching, so be extra careful in everything."
"Mm, thank you."
Xu Liyan suddenly noticed the book in Qin Yuchuan's hand. "Yuchuan, these books of yours are quite intriguing."
Shangguan Yi picked up a book from Qin Yuchuan's desk and casually flipped through a couple of pages.
"What language is this? It's so strange. I can only recognize a few scattered characters."
"It was a gift from someone," Qin Yuchuan replied offhandedly.
Although Shangguan Yi wanted to say more, he was stopped by a glance from Xu Liyan.
After some casual chat and two cups of tea, Shangguan Yi and Xu Liyan left.
On the way, Shangguan Yi asked Xu Liyan, puzzled, "Liyan, why did you stop me from asking him which friend gave him those books?"
"The characters in those books are extremely small, and the printing technology used is far superior to what's currently available in Shengjing."
"If we could learn the method, we could make a fortune."
Xu Liyan replied, "If he doesn't want to tell us, no amount of asking will get an answer. Why bother?"
"Although we're friends, there are some things we should pretend not to know and maintain an appropriate distance."
Hearing this, Shangguan Yi sighed, "We really missed out on a money-making opportunity."
...
Snow was falling in the Capital City, but it quickly turned to rain, which continued to pour as the sky remained gloomy.
In the evening, a group of friends planned to have hot pot at their usual restaurant.
Feng Qingyi headed towards the hot pot restaurant with an umbrella, passing by stores playing non-stop music.
Arriving at the restaurant entrance, Feng Qingyi looked around and saw Shen Hanyue, who had arrived early.
She sat down opposite her and asked, "Have you ordered yet?"
"I just placed the order. Qiuqiu said she's gone to buy milk tea, and Xixi should be here soon."
Feng Qingyi rubbed her hands. "It's really cold outside."
Shen Hanyue took out her phone. "Have you bought your ticket home yet?"
"A ticket home? Isn't it too early for that?" There was still more than half a month left.
Shen Hanyue: "How can you be so passive about going home for the holidays? You're not planning to stay here for the New Year, are you?"
"If you're going home, you should grab a ticket soon. Otherwise, you might end up stranded here for several days."
Feng Qingyi recalled her experience of going home last winter break and realized she should indeed buy in advance.
At this moment, Qu Jingqiu and Lou Xi approached, each carrying two cups of milk tea.
"These are for you. It's freezing out there, I almost froze to death," Qu Jingqiu said as she placed the milk tea on the table.
Lou Xi sat down to Feng Qingyi's left, immediately burying her hands in her pockets.
The waiter arrived with their food. Seeing the steaming red broth, all four were eager to start.
"I'll put in the meat first! You guys go get the dipping sauces," Shen Hanyue said as she began.
All four could handle spicy food well and ate with great enthusiasm while chatting.
"Xixi, what's different now that you have a boyfriend compared to when you didn't?" Shen Hanyue suddenly brought up the topic.
Lou Xi replied, "Life goes on as usual. What could be different?"
"I never expected you to be the first to get a boyfriend. Now you're going to be Qingyi's sister-in-law. It's quite unbelievable when you think about it."
"But it's good this way. There won't be any conflicts in the future. If my brother wasn't so old, I'd definitely recommend him to you two," Shen Hanyue said.
Qu Jingqiu took a sip of her milk tea. "Are you trying to keep things in-house?"
Feng Qingyi laughed, "Keeping things in-house is nice. If only my family had more than just me and my brother, I'd love to bring you all home."
Qu Jingqiu: "I'm an only child, so I guess I can't be part of this in-house arrangement."
Shen Hanyue picked up her chopsticks to get some meat. "The meat's ready. Hurry up and eat, then we can go home and cozy up."
"I was thinking we could go out for a stroll, but the rain seems to have gotten heavier. Qingyi's birthday is coming up in a few days, let's make plans for that."
Qu Jingqiu asked, "Qingyi, how do you want to celebrate your birthday?"
Thinking about her birthday, Feng Qingyi said, "Just us few, we'll go out for a meal and maybe do some shopping."
"Lunch or dinner?" Shen Hanyue asked.
Considering her promise to Qin Yuchuan and that her brother would likely be having dinner with his friends, and Lou Xi would probably join them, Feng Qingyi decided on lunch.
"Let's do lunch then! We can go shopping together after lunch."
Everyone agreed with Feng Qingyi's arrangement.
"Alright, lunch it is! It's not that far away now."
"I'm so envious that your birthday coincides with New Year's Day. You get a holiday for your birthday every year."
"..."
After Christmas, there was only a week left until New Year's Day.
Feng Qingyi went about her usual routine of classes, occasionally complaining to Qin Yuchuan about the Capital City's unpredictable weather.
Sunny in the morning, gloomy in the afternoon – it was hard to predict.
On campus, only a few green bamboos still displayed their deep emerald color; the other trees were already bare.
Students in cotton jackets went to and from classes in small groups, with occasional bursts of pleasant laughter.
As another year was coming to an end, Feng Qingyi was busy writing her year-end summary.
She checked whether she had accomplished the things she had planned at the beginning of the year.
Whether she had met her expectations – this was a very meaningful task for her.
Every time she saw her planner filled with check marks, she felt a great sense of achievement, as if the year hadn't been wasted.
The things she wanted to do at nineteen had been perfectly accomplished. It was time to plan what she should do at twenty.
[Qingyi: Qin Yuchuan, do you make plans every year?]
[Yuchuan: Plans?]
[Qingyi: You know, setting some goals at the beginning of the year that you aim to accomplish by the end.]
[Yuchuan: What happens if you don't complete them?]
[Qingyi: Nothing happens. It's not like you'd punish yourself by not eating!]
[Yuchuan: So, what plans do you have?]
[Qingyi: I have plans for various aspects, including studies and daily life. I'm just about to write them down!]
[Qingyi: What's worth celebrating is that I've already achieved all of my goals for this year. I've decided to reward myself with a trip to the stationery store!]
[Yuechuan: That's fantastic!]
[Qingyi: You're always praising me. I might get conceited.]
[Yuechuan: It's okay to be a little proud of yourself sometimes.]
