After they finished the cake and played around for a while,
it was already 11:40 p.m.
By then, heavy snow had begun falling outside.
Night had deepened to its darkest, and the world was a vast white expanse beneath the pelting snow. The bitter wind, sharp as ice blades, howled down the streets, sweeping up the snow on the ground and sending it whirling through the air.
The streetlights' dim yellow glow was filtered through the dense curtain of snow until only a blurry halo remained.
The snowflakes didn't drift down; they came crashing down in clumps, landing on rooftops, roads, and bare branches with a heavy rustling sound. In the blink of an eye, a layer of snow half a foot deep had piled up.
Even the tracks left by cars returning late were buried beneath the heavy snowfall within seconds, leaving only the muffled rumble of tires crushing snow as they faded into the distance.
The snow weighed down the treetops until they bent low. Every so often, a clump slid off and hit the ground with a dull thud.
The whole world was frozen solid. Only the heavy, muffled roar of the snow remained, wrapped in bone-deep cold, freezing the night's silence into something tangible.
But...
Though it was bitterly cold outside, Lu Yuan's heart was warm beyond words.
The four of them returned to their rooms.
After a while,
Xia Qingyin and Jiang Xuanran appeared together outside Lu Yuan's door.
"Xuanran, why don't you take this one..."
Xia Qingyin said softly.
After all, Jiang Xuanran had never been with Lu Yuan before.
But before Xia Qingyin could finish, Jiang Xuanran shook her head, then took Xia Qingyin's small hand and said simply, "Together."
"Sure."
Xia Qingyin nodded, her smile bright and radiant.
Then the two