Chu Yilan disliked winter and disliked snow, but this year was different.
The Blue Sea Project was progressing smoothly, and he could follow Shen Lian's lead and take a break for a while.
The moment he opened his eyes, he smelled the first snow drifting in through a gap in the window. Chu Yilan instinctively frowned. His maternal grandfather and mother had passed away, one after the other, in weather like this. But when he turned his head, he saw a little blue octopus with a smiling face tucked beside his pillow. It was slightly bigger than his palm, and someone had thoughtfully covered it with the blanket.
Chu Yilan's tightly furrowed brows gradually relaxed until his face was entirely at ease.
The little octopus was a souvenir Shen Lian had received from an earlier commercial shoot. Its beady eyes were rather cute, but Chu Yilan had never cared much about whether something was cute. Because Shen Lian had brought it home, though, it felt different.
Chu Yilan picked up the little octopus and played with it for a while before getting out of bed to wash up. He had just opened the bedroom door when he heard Shen Lian shout, "You little rascal! Why are you running around with my slipper in your mouth?!"
Chu Yilan looked downstairs. Shen Lian was hopping furiously on one foot, cornering Chu Piggy before reclaiming his slipper. The first thing he did was give the cat two light swats on the backside. Chu Piggy meowed in protest.
The corners of Chu Yilan's mouth lifted.
As though sensing him, Shen Lian looked up. "You're awake?"
"Mm." Chu Yilan leaned against the railing. "Why didn't you sleep in?"
"I'd had enough sleep." Shen Lian beckoned. "Come down. Aunt Fen made pigeon soup. It smells amazing."