Just one glance, and he couldn’t look away.

In the midst of pulling and shoving, his body completely froze. He stared blankly as the gate of the small picket fence in the yard was pushed open, and he walked in, looking at him, a gentle smile spreading at the corners of his lips.

It was Huo Qi.

Was he dreaming?

In this icy, snowy place, in this remote forested snowfield, in this wind-whistling land, he actually appeared here.

Isn’t he terrible with directions? How on earth did he find his way here...?

Xiao Yixing’s usually calm mind buzzed and became a mess.

"Secretary, secretary, we’ve picked him up. This is Professor Xiao’s friend, and we’ve brought him over."

One of the people leading Huo Qi spoke up.

The secretary turned his head and, upon seeing Huo Qi, immediately became more enthusiastic. The atmosphere grew livelier as he grasped his hand and said:

"Hello, comrade, hello, you must be Mr. Huo, right? Thank you for investing a million in our tourism project."

As soon as these words were uttered, Xiao Yixing: "..."

Huo Qi, however, politely smiled and said, "You’re too kind, Secretary. I won’t lose out by investing this money in tourism development. It’s a mutually beneficial win-win situation for us."

The secretary’s eyes almost disappeared with his smile as he said:

"Come, come, you all should celebrate New Year at our house. My wife has prepared so many dishes, it’ll be lively with more people."

This time, it was good—both of them were simply taken away together, forcibly taken away. Anyone who knew clearly understood they were being taken for New Year’s Eve dinner, but those who didn’t might have thought they were being kidnapped.

Just before getting in the car, in the dim gray evening, Huo Qi’s hand was suddenly squeezed hard by someone.

He looked over and saw someone’s gaze fixed intently on him.

"Why are you here?"

Huo Qi smiled and replied:

"What, is this a place only you can come and have fun? Can’t I come too? I want to go skiing in Yabuli and ride snowmobiles, it’s supposed to be thrilling."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yixing snorted lightly, unconvinced by these words.

Seeing his serious expression, Huo Qi stopped teasing and said softly:

"Xiao Yixing, someone misses you, but they won’t say it. Hopefully, you’ll get the hint."

With those words, Xiao Yixing’s heart trembled slightly, his lips pressed together gently. No one knew his emotions at that moment.

Huo Qi looked at him and, with a slight smile, added, "You’re here, so I had to come."

You’re here, so I had to come.

On this New Year’s Eve, he couldn’t leave him alone. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

The car swayed slightly as it moved, and his hand was held by someone.

Xiao Yixing, who had been silent for a long time, finally uttered a sentence that revealed what was on his mind.

Sitting in the back seat, beside him, he said softly, "We’ll settle this later tonight."

Huo Qi: "..."

He looked out the car window, the forest sea was a blanket of white, trees laden with snow, yet a faint blush spread across his fair ears.

In this life, he wanted nothing grand or magnificent.

All he wanted was love and freedom, himself, and tenderness.

＊＊

Beijing.

When Cheng Dongyuan returned from the supermarket in the evening, he passed by a convenience store on the street, planning to go in and buy a cigarette.

His brows knitted slightly, seeming like he wasn’t in a great mood.

Naturally, he wasn’t. His parents had called again urging him to get married, asking him to come back soon for New Year, and introducing him to a woman.

Actually, it wasn’t that he didn’t want to get married—it’s just that things like this can’t be rushed.

Even if he had someone in his heart, the other party might not even be willing.