CHAPTER 437: CHAPTER 437: CHRISTMAS "SURPRISE" (PART 17)

After her eyes adjusted to the sudden light, Tang Yanqi slowly opened them again.

The room was no longer illuminated by the previous white light, but by a warm, soft yellow glow. The items in the living room seemed to have vanished, leaving only a large red double sofa and a gigantic Christmas tree in the center of the room.

The top of the Christmas tree almost touched the ceiling, adorned with various colorful balls, snowflakes, and gift boxes.

Tang Yanqi finally realized what she had been kicking earlier, decorations from the Christmas tree scattered all over the floor.

On the wall hung Santa Claus dolls, and a blow-up Santa stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, creating a scene straight out of Christmas Eve.

Tang Yanqi stood in a daze for a good while, then stammered as she looked at Sheng Jianan. The man had a glint in his eyes, a mischievous smile on his lips, and an air of smugness. "Well? Are you moved? Want to offer your eternal devotion?"

Tang Yanqi: "..."

Has ’eternal devotion’ become his catchphrase or what?

Tang Yanqi didn’t say a word. She just quietly observed Sheng Jianan, thinking they’ve outgrown the age for Christmas celebrations, right? No need to make it so... so formal?

Sheng Jianan seemed to sense her thoughts. A touch of embarrassment unexpectedly crossed his handsome face. He touched his nose awkwardly, "I’ve never celebrated Christmas before. I suddenly wanted to..."

As he spoke, his tone shifted back to his usual princely demeanor, "Why not?"

For some reason, Tang Yanqi suddenly wanted to laugh—not out of ridicule or amusement, just a spontaneous urge to smile.

"Is that so? What a coincidence, I’ve never celebrated it either."

Sheng Jianan wasn’t lying. In past Christmases, he might have had activities with friends, but they were never in the spirit of celebrating Christmas. Counting truly, this was his first Christmas.

This foreign holiday is quite popular here, but Sheng Jianan never found it particularly special. Having spent time abroad, he wasn’t particularly drawn to it.

But this year, he just wanted to celebrate, wanted to do it with her.

In truth, it wasn’t really about Christmas. It was just an excuse to spend a day akin to Valentine’s with her.

Sheng Jianan also prepared some snacks. The two curled up on the red sofa, listening to cheerful Christmas songs. The iPad played movies, and they occasionally popped snacks into their mouths.

What other people’s Christmas was like, Tang Yanqi didn’t know. All she knew was she loved her Christmas, the Christmas just for her and Sheng Jianan.

Unable to find a good movie, Sheng Jianan and Tang Yanqi watched an old film, "Mulholland Drive." The movie was a bit of a mind-bender and not very easy to understand.

But that didn’t matter. Somewhere along the way, the iPad ended up on the floor, and the two of them, once sitting quietly, were now entangled together.

Sheng Jianan’s kiss landed silently, and Tang Yanqi tilted her head to meet it. On such a night, sparks suddenly flew.

At that moment, there was no Shen Yao, no matching outfits, none of those messy, irrelevant people—only cheerful Christmas tunes and that always-smiling blow-up Santa Claus.

Tang Yanqi couldn’t remember how she made it back to the bedroom. She only knew that when she woke up in the morning, the first thing she saw was the big red stocking hanging on the bedhead wall.

Against the white wall, the red was incredibly eye-catching.

There was no one beside her. Tang Yanqi sat up and reached out to take down the big red stocking. It was heavy, seeming to be filled with quite a few things.