Footsteps approached.
Tang Song instinctively opened his arms.
The next second, a fragrant yet icy-cold body crashed heavily into his embrace.
He caught the faint scent of her hair, and with every breath, it felt as though the entire world had slowed down.
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"I timed it," Liu Qingning buried her face in his chest, her voice muffled yet brimming with pride. "By the time you ran downstairs, it was exactly midnight."
Tang Song lowered his head and looked at the tip of her nose, red from the cold. He gently kissed the top of her icy hair.
His voice was tender enough to melt the entire winter night.
"Happy birthday, Qingning."
"Thank you, Xiao Song."
She rose on tiptoe and pressed a cool yet incomparably gentle kiss to his cheek.
Then she simply looked at him quietly, her eyes filled with tenderness and smiles that could not be dissolved.
"Today is my birthday." She suddenly spoke, her tone carrying a familiar domineering edge. "Just like before, you absolutely won't make me angry. You'll listen to everything I say, right?"
"Right." Tang Song smiled and nodded, affectionately rubbing her head.
A sly smile immediately appeared on Liu Qingning's face.
With her left hand on her hip, she pointed at him with her right. "Squat down."
Tang Song burst out laughing, then obediently bent down into a half-crouch.
With a light leap, Liu Qingning landed steadily on his broad, sturdy back.
"With you blocking the wind for me, I'm warm all at once." She pressed her icy cheek against his shoulder. "Let's go to Third Middle School Street. I want a flatbread sandwich with fried pork loin."
Third Middle School Street in the county town was a night market that had gradually sprung up when they were in high