CHAPTER 392: CHAPTER 392: LUNAR NEW YEAR

Ruby Sullivan pondered for a moment and temporarily changed her mind, "Hmm, how about this, Mommy will ask Daddy about the New Year plans. If Vivian wants us to go to the old house for New Year’s, then we’ll stay, okay?"

As soon as she said that, her son and daughter’s eyes lit up, instantly making her realize what was more important to the little ones.

Even though she wasn’t keen, she couldn’t be so selfish.

However, even though she promised the kids she would call Ethan Sterling, just thinking about the previous unpleasantness at The Sterling Group gave her a headache as she picked up the phone, and the matter was postponed.

It wasn’t until the day before New Year’s Eve that Vivian called her and asked how she would spend the New Year this year.

Ruby Sullivan could only pretend that she hadn’t planned anything yet, and upon hearing that Ethan Sterling was on a business trip, she readily accepted her invitation.

Her initial plan was that if Ethan Sterling was also there, she would send the kids over and pick them up in the evening. She didn’t expect he wouldn’t be there, which solved all problems at once.

Cindy Sterling and Leon Sterling were experiencing their first New Year in Celestia, and they were overwhelmed with excitement.

When Ruby Sullivan took the two kids over, they were busy pasting couplets and blessing characters. Besides The Sterling Family, their third uncle was also there. When the honest father was alive, the three of them would gather together. After the honest father passed away, Aidan Sinclair would go abroad for vacation early. The third uncle was with Vivian last year, and this year was no exception.

After the little ones greeted the adults, they happily joined in decorating the old house.

A big table of delicious food was prepared for lunch. Suddenly, Honey thought of Daddy, imagining him being alone outside and feeling lonely, so she wanted to give him a call, but to her surprise, his phone was turned off. Honey felt very disappointed and mumbled to herself, "Isn’t New Year a holiday for family gatherings? Why doesn’t Daddy even answer the phone?"

Seeing her daughter’s forlorn look, Ruby Sullivan felt a pang of heartache and comforted her, "Daddy might be in a very important meeting and doesn’t have time to take the call."

"Isn’t everyone on vacation during the New Year?" Honey thought her mom’s excuse was not very convincing.

"Foreign countries don’t have this holiday. Didn’t you have vacations before Christmas when you were in Bellaza and Meridia? In Celestia, holidays are during the New Year."

Only with that explanation did Honey find some relief.

Since the family had arranged to watch the New Year’s Gala in the evening, everyone took a break and went to sleep.

Except for Leon Sterling.

He naturally didn’t need much sleep; naps would make him unable to sleep well at night, so he went to the studio to paint.

Ruby Sullivan, lying in her room feeling sleepless, eventually got up and went to the living room to watch TV. When Leon Sterling came out for water and saw her there, he sat down to watch TV with her.

"I heard Nirvana ran into some trouble." Leon Sterling didn’t bother with pleasantries, diving right into company matters with her.

Ruby Sullivan hugged a pillow and raised an eyebrow, "Aren’t you supposed to be clearer than me about what trouble Nirvana encountered?"

The compensation amount from the distributors was substantial, and although Ethan Sterling had absolute authority to decide on this matter, she didn’t believe Leon Sterling, who also worked at The Sterling Group, knew nothing about it.

Leon Sterling smiled faintly, "I think Brother is deliberately trying to upset you. It’s better to have you upset than for you to keep ignoring him."

"Wow, spending so much money just to make me upset. Should I feel honored?" Ruby Sullivan pursed her lips, not wanting to talk about vexing matters during the festive season.

"How do you plan to deal with it?"

"That’s a company secret. How can I casually tell a competitor?" Ruby Sullivan replied with a sly smile, half in jest but mostly serious.

"Hmm... actually, I’ve made quite some money over the years, and the interest sitting in the bank isn’t much. So, I want to invest it. As an investor, can I inquire a bit about Nirvana’s plans for the new year?"

While Ruby Sullivan was pleased he had such an idea, she still wanted to maintain a bit of distance, "Honestly, I don’t know if Nirvana can withstand The Sterling Group’s pressure for another year. So, as a friend, I’d recommend you invest in Metamorphosis instead. Sasha Shaw’s capabilities shouldn’t be underestimated; her sales momentum in less than a quarter is already impressive."

Leon Sterling naturally understood her rejection and, without dwelling on it, got up. "I’ll consider it," he said and then returned to the studio to continue painting, no longer interrupting her TV time.

At the old house, aside from two servants who didn’t need to return to their hometowns, everyone else was on leave. Ruby Sullivan personally cooked lunch that day, and naturally, she was the one to prepare the filling for the dumplings in the evening.

Cindy Sterling and Leon Sterling had never made dumplings before; they were very intrigued by this traditional Celestian food. After the filling was prepared, they moved everything to the living room. The whole family joined in making dumplings, and to Ruby Sullivan’s surprise, the third uncle was not only good at rolling dumpling wrappers but also excelled at wrapping them.

When the dumplings were served, the third uncle made a video call to Aidan Sinclair. After exchanging a few words, he saw a blonde woman in a bikini appear on his screen. Seeing Aidan’s debaucherous state now was even better than he had been in his youth, and feeling slighted, he hung up the call in frustration.

The most concerned about Daddy, Honey immediately wanted to make a video call to Daddy too, but it showed he wasn’t online.

If he was busy at noon, he shouldn’t still be busy in the evening. Even factoring in the time difference, it was too coincidental.

Recalling a past plane crash incident, Vivian also became nervous and asked the Sterling siblings, "Do you guys know which country your elder brother went on a business trip to?" She wanted to calculate the local time and infer whether there was really business to attend to.

However, Cindy Sterling and Leon Sterling both shook their heads simultaneously, not knowing why Ethan Sterling went on a business trip during the New Year.

Honey furrowed her brows, "Did Daddy also go play, like the uncle from earlier?" She said this with a small pout, looking very aggrieved.

Ruby Sullivan hurriedly comforted her daughter, "Daddy must be unable to take the call, or his phone might be out of battery. Either way, if he had time, he’d surely want to spend the New Year with us."

"Really?" Honey had never doubted her mom’s words, but this time, she was a bit skeptical.

Although young, Honey faintly knew there were changes between her separated parents, and these changes made her uneasy.

This was the reason for her doubt.

Seth took a bite of the dumpling and exaggeratedly praised, "Wow, these are the best dumplings I’ve ever eaten!" Then he gobbled up another one.

Honey suddenly noticed the fragrance she missed due to her earlier sulk, clicked her tongue, "Really that good?" She tried a bite of the dumpling in her bowl, "Wow, it is delicious!"

Seth squinted and smiled, "Mommy said there’s a jujube in one of the dumplings. Let’s see who finds it first."

"Okay!" Honey brightened up, eagerly focusing on eating the dumplings.

The surrounding adults all sighed in relief. A child’s tantrum during the New Year always made people feel uncomfortable, as if it was a bad omen.

Although no one mentioned Ethan Sterling again, everyone couldn’t help but feel a little worried, wondering what would compel him to have his phone turned off for so long.