Tang Wulin turned his head and glanced at Xie Xie.
Xie Xie was watching too. His deep black tailcoat made him look a little slimmer than usual, and his bow tie was still crooked. His head, with its short brown hair, was tilted, his mouth slightly open as he watched the ice crystal deep within the ice dome, where light was still turning.
Yun Ming stood at the end of the red carpet. He wore that plain robe washed pale with age, his hands clasped behind his back. A draft lifted a few strands of his short, gray-white hair.
The corners of his mouth curved in a faint smile, but something stirred in his gray-brown eyes. He turned his head and glanced at Ya Li beside him. Holding Na'er's hand, Ya Li stood half a step behind him to one side.
At the start of the red carpet, Xie Xie and Xu Xiaoyan were already in position.
Xie Xie stood on the left side of the red carpet. His deep black tailcoat made him look a little slimmer than usual, and his bow tie was still crooked. His head, with its short brown hair, was slightly lowered, and he held a flower basket in both hands.
The basket was woven from wicker, with a silver ribbon tied around its rim, and filled with white petals and tiny pale pink blossoms. Xu Xiaoyan stood on the right side of the red carpet, her light-colored flower girl dress reaching her knees. Her braids were pinned up at the back of her head, with that little white flower tucked into her hair. She held a flower basket too, its petals piled above the rim.
They exchanged a glance. Xie Xie's mouth spread into a grin, and Xu Xiaoyan shot him a glare that