It was past ten.
Taoranting Park.
The sky was dark, heavy snow drifted down, and a layer of fog hung overhead.
Within minutes, Dong Xuebin and Fang Wenping had climbed to the mountaintop. They found a pavilion and slipped inside, sitting side by side. Before them were brilliant lights, and firecrackers crackled in their ears. Yet they were probably the only two people left in the entire park, and the place felt lonely and chilly.
Dong Xuebin asked, "Why did you come up here?"
Fang Wenping looked into the distance. "I wanted somewhere quiet. Got a problem with that?"
"No problem, but look at the time." Dong Xuebin still grumbled.
Fang Wenping said unhappily, "If you don't want to be here, go back yourself. I didn't force you!"
"You've drunk yourself into this state. How could I just leave you?" Dong Xuebin said. "Fine, fine, I'll stay with you for a while. What's gotten into you today?"
Fang Wenping answered stiffly, "It has nothing to do with you."
"Just tell me," Dong Xuebin said. "There's no one else here anyway."
A gust of cold wind carrying huge snowflakes swept through the pavilion. Both of them shivered instinctively. In weather like this, how could it not be cold?
Fang Wenping pulled her mink coat tighter, crossed her legs, and stared into the distance. "There's nothing wrong with telling you. You think I'm doing pretty well, don't you? Heh. But now, I don't even know how to spend the New Year. Go home for dinner? My family looks at me strangely. Have colleagues visit? Have subordinates come pay their respects? On the surface, they're all respectful, but there's resistance in every one of their eyes. They don't respect me. They're afraid of me."
Normally, Dong Xuebin would not have bothered with her,