This was probably the first time Lu Xixiao had said he liked her in the two months they had been together.
Zhou Wan froze. Before that sweet joy could reach her heart, she suddenly snapped back to reality, remembering they were still at the train station.
A bustling late-night station.
She abruptly struggled and pushed Lu Xixiao away.
Lu Xixiao looked down at her.
The girl’s cheeks were flushed red, her eyes damp from being kissed, her lips glistening and crimson—all silently accusing him of his earlier transgression.
She seemed to notice the moisture on her lips and instinctively licked them with the tip of her tongue.
Lu Xixiao’s eyes darkened as he pulled Zhou Wan close again, lowering his head toward her.
Flustered, Zhou Wan pushed him away while bowing her head, trying to hide her face. She mumbled, "N-No, Lu Xixiao, there are so many people."
Lu Xixiao chuckled and kissed her forehead. "So shy."
She took his hand. "Let’s go outside first, okay?"
Riding the escalator out of the station, Zhou Wan finally stepped firmly into the soft, snowy ground.
She crouched down, scooped up a handful of snow, and played with it in her palm.
After a while, her hands began to show small red spots from the cold. When Lu Xixiao noticed, he stopped her, brushing the snow from her hands and dusting her palms clean.
"Wait until tomorrow when we buy gloves to play," Lu Xixiao said. "Let’s find a hotel and get some sleep first."
Zhou Wan froze.
Hotel. Sleep.
It was past midnight, so it made sense to find a place to rest.
But she hadn’t thought of it earlier and suddenly felt flustered.
Noticing her expression, Lu Xixiao grinned. "What’s wrong? You were kissing me just now, and now you don’t want to take responsibility?"
"What?" Zhou Wan’s cheeks flushed red. "...What are you talking about?"
In high spirits, Lu Xixiao took out his phone to search for nearby hotels.
With few taxis on the streets during the New Year, the nearest hotel was only a ten-minute walk from the station.
Along the way, Lu Xixiao kept pulling Zhou Wan in for kisses, stretching the ten-minute walk into twenty.
It was Zhou Wan’s first time seeing him so clingy. In her memory, Lu Xixiao had always been the one in control, effortlessly navigating their relationship. Though she felt shy and embarrassed, she couldn’t help but feel happy.
She didn’t refuse his kisses. Even though Lu Xixiao could clearly feel her stiffening with each intimate gesture, she still tilted her chin up and let him kiss her.
She didn’t know how to respond during a kiss, but every trembling breath was just right.
Holding her by the frozen riverbank, Lu Xixiao brushed his fingers against her cheek. "Why are you suddenly so obedient?"
Blushing, Zhou Wan lowered her head and whispered, "Let’s go inside. It’s a bit cold."
The hotel was right behind them.
Lu Xixiao laughed. "What’s the rush?"
His tone was teasing and ambiguous, leaving his meaning unclear.
Zhou Wan grew even more flustered.
Inside the hotel lobby, only one drowsy woman was at the front desk. She reluctantly roused herself and said, "A double room is 360 per night."
Zhou Wan paused.
Lu Xixiao glanced down at her and chuckled, pulling out both of their IDs from his pocket—Zhou Wan’s ID had been with him since they bought the train tickets earlier.
Zhou Wan tugged at his sleeve, about to object.
Then she heard Lu Xixiao say, "Do you have two rooms?"The woman paused, studying the two of them again. They did look very young, like students—especially the girl, whose cheeks were flushed pink. But she often saw college-aged couples coming around here and instinctively assumed they were one too.
"A single room is 200 per night."
Lu Xixiao gave an "mm" in response. "That'll do. Two rooms."
As she entered their identification details, the woman muttered, "I thought you two were a couple. You're both so good-looking—are you siblings?"
Zhou Wan dug her thumbnail hard into her index finger, her entire body stiffening.
"No." Lu Xixiao lit a cigarette, unusually relaxed and chatty. "She's my girlfriend."
"Then why separate rooms?"
Lu Xixiao wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "What can I do? My girlfriend's still young."
The woman laughed too. "Didn't expect someone your age to be so considerate of your girlfriend. You're a good man."
"Can't be helped. I'm exhausted—if we shared a room, there'd be no sleeping tonight." Lu Xixiao's tone was casual and teasing, laced with a roguish charm.
The woman chuckled knowingly as she handed over two key cards. "Third floor. I've put you in adjoining rooms. Take the elevator up and turn right."
"Alright, thanks."
The hotel wasn't lavishly decorated. The elevator walls were plastered with various posters and advertisements, with a mirror on one side.
As soon as the elevator doors closed, Lu Xixiao pulled Zhou Wan in for another kiss.
"Mmph—" Zhou Wan pounded his chest. "Lu Xixiao!"
He nibbled affectionately at her lips, reluctant to let go.
Feeling her compliance, Lu Xixiao moved to kiss her ear, his tongue tracing the blue veins along her earlobe. Zhou Wan shuddered—the gesture was intensely intimate, charged with desire.
She couldn't stand it and began struggling fiercely.
But how could she match Lu Xixiao's strength?
In her panic, Zhou Wan bit down hard on Lu Xixiao's collarbone.
A faint red mark immediately appeared on his skin; a little more force might have drawn blood.
The pain finally brought Lu Xixiao back to his senses. He tugged his collar aside and glanced down. "You bit me pretty hard."
Zhou Wan leaned against the wall, putting as much distance between them as possible, and snapped, "You asked for it!"
The girl's eyes were red—she was genuinely upset.
Lu Xixiao felt a surge of mischief and wanted to tease her further, but then he remembered how he'd made her cry last time. Pressing his lips together, he swallowed the taunting words on the tip of his tongue.
"My bad." He gently rubbed her ear, watching the tip grow redder in his palm, and smiled. "Forgive me, alright?"
Zhou Wan thought his apology lacked any sincerity.
The moment the elevator doors opened, she bolted out.
Once she was three meters away, Zhou Wan turned with a stern expression and declared, "I'm going to sleep."
Lu Xixiao was amused by her serious face and waved the key card. "The card's with me. How are you going to sleep?"
"..."
"Come here." Lu Xixiao waited leisurely. "I won't kiss you."
"..."
Zhou Wan shuffled slowly back to his side.
Lu Xixiao took her hand, walked to the door, checked the room number, and swiped the card.
As Zhou Wan stepped inside, he turned and followed her in. Startled, she grabbed his arm. "What are you doing?"
Without answering, Lu Xixiao strode in and turned on his phone's flashlight, scanning every corner of the room. "This hotel probably doesn't get many inspections. I'm checking for hidden cameras."
Zhou Wan froze.After checking the bathroom, he turned off the camera and flicked her forehead with a teasing tone, "What's going on in that little head of yours?"
"..."
"Your mind's in the gutter," Lu Xixiao said leisurely. "And you have the nerve to play the victim."
"..."
Zhou Wan grabbed his arm and pushed him out the door, closing it behind him. Just as it was about to shut completely, she paused and peered through the narrow gap, whispering, "Goodnight."
"Mm," he chuckled. "Goodnight."
Zhou Wan was alone in the room.
The hotel's soundproofing wasn't great—she could hear Lu Xixiao shuffling in slippers through the adjacent room and the sound of running water from his bathroom.
Having napped briefly on the train and now in unfamiliar surroundings, Zhou Wan found it hard to fall asleep.
She walked to the window and gazed at the snowy landscape outside.
The station was near the city outskirts, where facilities were sparse and the area wasn't bustling, but none of that detracted from the beauty of the snow-clad world, serene and blanketed in white.
Zhou Wan took out her phone and snapped a photo.
Opening her social media feed, she saw many friends posting New Year pictures—some of food, some of fireworks, others selfies.
She clicked on the snowy photo she'd just taken, intending to share it, but then hesitated, thinking her classmates would inevitably ask where all this snow was and who she'd come with.
After a moment's pause, she set the post to private and typed:
[I really like you so much.
Lu Xixiao, Happy New Year.]
Sent.
This snowfall was a secret shared between her and Lu Xixiao.
And this private post was a secret all her own.
In northern cities, the sky remained dark well past seven in the morning.
The temperature was frigid, the air cold with every breath.
When Zhou Wan woke up, she first called her grandma.
Worried she might fret, Zhou Wan didn't mention she was in City K, only saying she'd gone out for a bit.
Since she was always obedient, her grandma didn't press further, simply reminding her to stay warm.
After hanging up, Zhou Wan leaned back against the headboard alone.
There was no sound from the next room—Lu Xixiao was probably still asleep.
Around ten in the morning, noises finally came from next door.
Zhou Wan got up too, brushed her teeth, washed up, and got dressed. Soon, the doorbell rang.
Peering through the peephole and seeing Lu Xixiao, she opened the door with a smile. "Good morning."
"Been up for a while?" Lu Xixiao raised an eyebrow, his eyelids still heavy. "You're in a good mood."
Zhou Wan noticed the dark circles under his eyes. "Did you not sleep well?"
"Too close to the station. The noise kept me up most of the night."
"Do you want to go back to sleep for a bit?"
"Forget it." Lu Xixiao ruffled her hair. "Didn't I promise to take you to play in the snow?"
There was a mountain ski resort nearby.
Lu Xixiao checked out and took Zhou Wan to the ski resort, where they rented two sets of snow suits, ski goggles, and snowboards.
On New Year's Day, the ski resort was crowded—groups of young people and families with children.
"Do you know how to ski?" Zhou Wan asked.
"A little."
When he was young, Shen Lan had taken him skiing up north. Seeing how much he enjoyed it, she often brought him along during New Year holidays.
After Shen Lan passed away, Lu Xixiao never went again.
But Lu Xixiao had always had a knack for sports, and it didn't take long for him to get the hang of it again.
Zhou Wan, on the other hand, slipped and fell several times as soon as she hit the slopes.Fortunately, the thick snow suit cushioned her falls, preventing any real pain. Lu Xixiao stood by, watching her with amusement, helping her up only to see her tumble again.
Nearby, other couples skied hand in hand, the boys carefully ensuring their girlfriends wouldn’t fall.
No one else was quite like him.
Eventually, Zhou Wan grew frustrated and plopped down in the snow, scooping up a handful and hurling it at him.
The loose snow dusted Lu Xixiao’s hair and shoulders, but he didn’t mind at all. Instead, he grinned even wider, his expression teasing and utterly mischievous.
“Want me to teach you?” he drawled. “I’ll teach you how to ski if you kiss me.”
Zhou Wan averted her eyes and muttered under her breath, “No way.”
Struggling to her feet, she managed only a few meters before falling once more.
Meanwhile, Lu Xixiao glided smoothly to her side and came to a stop. Dressed in his snow suit and ski goggles, he looked strikingly handsome. The sunlight reflecting off the vast white snow made his skin appear even fairer.
He crouched down, leaning closer to her. “Did it hurt?”
“No.”
Raising an eyebrow, he relented—a rare gesture for him. “Alright, enough falling. Let me kiss you, and I’ll teach you.”
He lowered the stakes for her, shifting from demanding her initiative to offering his own.
As Lu Xixiao leaned in, Zhou Wan braced her arms behind her and leaned back, trying to create distance. He slid forward with her movement, and they both tumbled onto the snow.
Zhou Wan’s eyes crinkled with laughter.
“You,” Lu Xixiao said, pinching her cheek firmly. “You’re getting bolder.”
In no hurry to get up, he wrapped an arm around her waist, pulling her close, and nipped her lower lip.
It stung a little, and Zhou Wan winced, punching his arm in retaliation. He chuckled. “What, resorting to domestic violence now?”
“You bit me first.”
“Did it hurt?” Lu Xixiao gently touched her lower lip. “Let me see.”
He moved to kiss her again, but Zhou Wan pushed him away firmly. There were too many people around, and she didn’t have his thick skin to ignore their stares.
“You said just one kiss,” she protested softly.
Lu Xixiao had never been the type to lose his head over such things, nor had he ever been particularly keen on them. Yet, with Zhou Wan, he couldn’t seem to help himself.
But the girl was easily flustered, and pushing her too far would only make her angry. So he held back, helping her up instead and patiently teaching her how to ski.
Though Zhou Wan wasn’t particularly athletic, she made up for it with her quick learning. Soon, she was able to mimic his movements well enough to ski a short distance on her own.
The wind whistling past her ears felt exhilarating.
Before her stretched a pristine expanse of white.
No painful memories, no dark schemes—just pure, untainted peace.
Zhou Wan let herself glide down the slope, picking up speed as the wind grew stronger around her.
She didn’t notice the protruding rock hidden beneath the snow. Suddenly, her snowboard veered off course, and she lost control, hurtling straight toward a cluster of bushes.
“Zhou Wan!”
Lu Xixiao sped toward her. Just as she was about to crash into the bushes, he lunged forward, wrapping his arms around her as they both tumbled into the snow.
He shielded her head with one hand, but his back slammed hard against a rock, and he let out a muffled grunt.
Zhou Wan snapped out of her shock and immediately asked, “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine.”
She reached around to feel his back. “Did you hit a bone? I heard the impact.”
Lu Xixiao didn’t get up, letting her arms encircle him from the front as she checked his back—almost as if she were hugging him. He chuckled, unfazed by the pain, and said casually, “It was just a bump.”"Why did you suddenly rush over like that?" Zhou Wan's nose tingled slightly. "If I fell, I'd just fall. What if you'd hit the back of your head?"
He hadn't stopped her during all those previous falls.
Because he knew she wouldn't really get hurt falling on that kind of snowy ground.
But in such a dangerous situation just now, he had rushed over without hesitation to protect her.
"Then you'd take care of me if I got hurt." Lu Xixiao pinched her cheek. "Perfect chance to make you spend more time with me instead of running off to the library every day to meet someone else."
"What nonsense are you talking about."
Zhou Wan was annoyed by his teasing, yet her heart ached. "I'll spend more time with you during the remaining winter break."
Lu Xixiao smiled. "Forget it, isn't your competition coming up soon?"
Zhou Wan paused. "Then after the competition ends."
"Alright."
Lu Xixiao subtly moved his ankle - slightly sprained, but not serious. He stood up and asked, "Still want to ski?"
Zhou Wan didn't dare, afraid of burdening him again, and shook her head.
They left the ski resort at 2 PM and found a local restaurant for a late lunch. After wandering around, they took a taxi to the station in the evening.
Their luck wasn't as good as on the way there - no train tickets were available, so they bought intercity bus tickets instead.
Though slower, the bus had the advantage of taking a more direct route, so the travel time back to Pingchuan City was similar.
They sat side by side, with Zhou Wan by the window.
Lu Xixiao had barely slept for almost two days and surprisingly fell asleep quickly in this environment.
Zhou Wan sat upright, keeping her back straight to make it more comfortable for him to lean on her shoulder.
The bus traveled along the highway.
An orange sun hung in the distant sky, blurring and tinting everything, making the world incredibly gentle.
Zhou Wan lifted the corners of her mouth slightly and took out her phone to photograph the sunset.
Then she paused, glanced down at Lu Xixiao, pressed her lips together, and switched to the front camera.
She carefully held the phone farther away, not daring to move her shoulder for fear of waking Lu Xixiao.
Their images appeared on the screen. Even in sleep, Lu Xixiao looked sharp like a sword, with fierce, clean-cut eyebrows and eyes. Yet he leaned against her shoulder, his bangs falling forward, softening those sharp angles...
Her eyes curved involuntarily as she pressed the shutter, capturing the moment.
After taking the photo, she suddenly felt shy, her face flushing with guilt, and immediately put away her phone to look out the window.
...
They returned to Pingchuan City at 9 PM.
Everything remained as she remembered, but those past few hours felt as long as several months to Zhou Wan, yet as romantically fleeting as an ephemeral bloom.
Lu Xixiao walked Zhou Wan home.
Outside her residential complex, he tilted his chin. "Go on in."
Zhou Wan said softly, "You should go back and rest early too."
"Mhm."
Zhou Wan walked a few steps forward into the building entrance, then looked back.
Lu Xixiao still stood there, tall and straight, his expression aloof.
That lonely aura had returned around him.
She couldn't move her feet, hesitating for three seconds before turning and quickly running back to Lu Xixiao.
He stood still, raising an eyebrow. "Why'd you come back?"
Zhou Wan didn't answer, running straight up to him. She gently pulled his collar down, stood on her toes, and lightly kissed the corner of his mouth.
To be precise, "bumped" would be a more accurate description.Lu Xixiao's lips were completely numb from the impact, his entire body stiffening as tiny electric currents spread from his spine and fingertips to every limb.
She lowered her head, her face completely flushed, and whispered: "Goodnight, Lu Xixiao."
After saying this, she immediately ran back, leaving only her bright red earlobes and nape visible.
By the time Lu Xixiao regained his composure, she had already disappeared into the apartment building.
...
Zhou Wan had never done anything so bold before.
She didn't stop running until she reached her doorstep, panting as she opened the door and entered.
Grandma was watching TV and smiled when she saw her: "Why are you running so fast? Is there a wolf chasing you?"
Zhou Wan was too breathless to speak, pouring herself a glass of water and gulping it down.
Back in her bedroom, she recalled her earlier actions, feeling so embarrassed she regretted them, thinking she had made a complete fool of herself.
Suddenly, her phone vibrated.
It was a voice message from Lu Xixiao.
Without listening, she knew it must be another teasing remark.
Zhou Wan's face burned so hot she didn't dare listen.
After five minutes, when her heartbeat had finally calmed down slightly, she tapped to play the voice message.
The young man's voice was magnetic, carrying a depth and seriousness rare for his age. He said:
"Zhou Wan."
"Spend every New Year with me from now on."
He rarely used such a serious tone when speaking. Zhou Wan's heart began racing violently again, like a heated chocolate lava cake, with rich sweetness spreading from her heart.
She ran to the window.
Lu Xixiao was still standing there. After a while longer, he finally lifted his feet and started walking toward home.
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