It started snowing on the way back.
The night sky was a deep, rich blue, with a few scattered stars shrouded in clouds. Only snowflakes drifted down from the sky, falling gently onto the windshield and splashing mud along with the speeding tires, quickly being left behind by the car.
The rear window was opened a little, and a sharp north wind blew in.
Just as Nan Qing was about to subconsciously squint, a large hand blocked his view, also shielding him from the oncoming wind and snow.
Nan Qing turned around, and the light from the streetlamp shone through the privacy glass onto Huo Yuzhou's face. The other man was staring at him without moving, seemingly lost in thought.
Nan Qing thought about it and still felt a little guilty.
He closed the window, sidled up to Huo Yuzhou, and grabbed his arm through his clothes.
Are you angry again?
Huo Yuzhou raised an eyebrow at him, and Nan Qing slowly added,
" Xiao Huo."
Huo Yuzhou reached out and pinched his cheek.
What did you call me?
The boy, whose cheek was being pinched, smiled and snuggled closer to sit in his lap, pressing his lips against his.
"Husband!"
Huo Yuzhou couldn't help but curl his lips into a smile, his dark gaze sweeping downwards, praising him.
"Good girl, my wife."
Unfortunately, there's the cautionary tale of that perverted Qin Mubai.
He will never be able to coax his Baby into calling him "good brother" at any moment in his life.
Fortunately, his naive and pitiful wife is completely unaware of this and can remain free and happy forever.
Snowflakes were falling outside the window, while people inside the train carriage were kissing.
The New Year's atmosphere was accompanied by fireworks soaring into the sky, and heavy snow blanketed the world, but Huo Yuzhou felt his heart beating exceptionally fast.
With his Qingqing by his side, this winter was so beautiful that even with the fierce winds and snow outside the window, his heart remained warm.
The car sped along the asphalt road until it entered the hillside villa.
Warm yellow lights illuminated the deep black night, stretching into the distance.
A thick layer of snow covered the ground. Nan Qing, wearing Huo Yuzhou's cashmere coat, solemnly built a snowman in the garden.
It was about the size of a fist, holding a spear made of tree branches in its hand, and wearing a long cloak made of leaves behind it.
The boy, wearing an ill-fitting cashmere coat, held up his phone, bent down, and directed Huo Yuzhou to light him from different angles while taking pictures of his snowman and posting them on Weibo.
After posting on Weibo, he tossed his phone into Huo Yuzhou's pocket.
The snow was falling heavily, turning their hair white. Ice crystals clung to the branches of the trees, and as Nan Qing exhaled white breath, he lowered his head and began to clump together snowflakes.
He sculpted a very abstract Huo Yuzhou, and then sculpted a small, round version of himself.
He placed the two tiny figures standing side by side in the evergreen bushes, then used leaves to cover their heads from the falling snow before turning his head to look at Huo Yuzhou.
" Huo Yuzhou, don't you think I'm childish?"
The man standing behind him leaned down slightly and gently brushed the snowflakes from his brow, his voice soft.
"Kids can be childish."
"You pretentious adult, your husband can do it himself."
Nan Qing was amused by him and mischievously slipped her icy fingers into Huo Yuzhou's neck.
There was a dry, warm sensation at his fingertips. Huo Yuzhou didn't flinch, but Nan Qing felt embarrassed and quickly pulled her fingers away, then straightened Huo Yuzhou's clothes.
His expression was serious. He stood on tiptoe, lifting his beautiful, radiant face. His thick eyelashes fluttered against the delicate skin beneath his eyes, making him look like a young wife taking care of her husband as he went out.
Huo Yuzhou wanted to touch his face, but his fingers were too cold, so he refrained.
Perhaps it was because his gaze was so intense that Nan Qing felt uneasy under his stare. After a brief moment of reflection, Nan Qing thought for a moment and began to explain.
"I helped Fan Muzhi today, and he wanted to treat me to a meal. He's so pitiful, so I took Zhou Guangliang with me."
Huo Yuzhou hummed in agreement, then heard the other person continue.
"Then I happened to run into Xi Juan, and also my older brother, and then you came too."
"Actually, I wanted to tell you, but I hadn't figured out how to bring it up before you caught me."
"But you don't seem very jealous..."
Nan Qing muttered something under her breath, feeling a little surprised, and then raised her long eyelashes to look at Huo Yuzhou's expression.
Huo Yuzhou was also looking at him, and frankly said,
"I was originally jealous."
Nan Qing asked curiously, "Then why isn't the Jealous King jealous anymore?"
Huo Yuzhou looked at him, his handsome face carrying a deep emotion, his voice very soft.
"Because my Baby is so pitiful."
"He seemed to have suffered many long-standing grievances, but he couldn't express them openly."
Under the shadow of the streetlights, Nan Qing's face went blank for a moment as she looked up.
He wasn't sure whether the many long-standing grievances Huo Yuzhou mentioned referred to his being kicked out of the Bai Family, or whether they could be traced back to his real world.
He was even somewhat flustered, like a bird's nest blown away by a strong wind, the fledgling feathers trembling with fear.
He never told anyone in this world what was happening in the real world.
Aside from the time when she was in a cold war with Qin Mubai, she revealed some things using a dream as an excuse.
He remembered the system's warning; he didn't want to be treated like a monster.
He didn't want to reopen old wounds, spread out the scabs, and show others his bloody injury.
But the next moment, he was enveloped in the fragrance of ebony and sandalwood soaked in ice and snow, and Huo Yuzhou pulled him into his arms and kissed his forehead.
"With her husband by her side, Qingqing will never suffer any more injustices."
The fluttering snowflakes landed on her skin, feeling icy cold, yet Nan Qing felt a surge of heat in her eyes.
Blurred tears blurred the view of the scattered snowflakes, and the pleasant, cool scent of wood enveloped him. Nan Qing sniffed.
" Huo Yuzhou, has anyone ever told you that you're terrifyingly smart?"
Huo Yuzhou chuckled softly and pulled him even closer into his arms.
The snowflakes falling on her hair were a little chilly, but Nan Qing was thinking inappropriately—
Huo Yuzhou has many terrifying aspects, and it seems that he's not just a bit smarter.
The two hugged quietly for a while before Nan Qing's voice slowly broke through the silence.
" Huo Yuzhou, when exactly did you find out?"
"It's just a guess."
The tall man took off his coat, wrapped it around him, and walked towards the corridor.
Dim yellow lights illuminated the ground beneath our feet, and fluttering snowflakes scattered on the branches, enveloping the whole world in a pristine white.
Even Huo Yuzhou's somber gaze carried the heaviness of winter, as if it came from a very distant place.
"At first, I found it strange. Because a certain kind-hearted child always behaved in a way that seemed out of place, like deliberately acting malicious, intentionally targeting me, and bullying me."
"A truly malicious person wouldn't secretly bring me medicine for my injuries, wouldn't secretly slip study materials under my pillow, wouldn't try to fire the servant who hurt me, and wouldn't—"
Huo Yuzhou paused, looked down at him, and then smiled.
She wouldn't draw out her words in a long, affected tone, calling me "good brother" in a coquettish voice.
Nan Qing grabbed his clothes and covered her face.
Sometimes I wonder why the very clever young master of the Bai Family would deliberately get questions wrong, why he would cheat, and why he would hand in a blank paper.
"He has problem-solving abilities beyond his age; he can understand the English passages on the test paper, but he pretends to be so stupid that he can't distinguish between ABCD, and only follows a bunch of idiots around, fooling around and teasing others."
"I hadn't thought that much about it at first, but as Bai Ruanruan's secrets were revealed, the answer I was looking for became obvious."
"There may be more than one person in the world as amazing as Bai Ruanruan."
"Unlike that fool Bai Ruanruan, my Qingqing is trying her best to play a villainous role, striving to be a supporting character to highlight him."
"So I'm thinking, perhaps the little master in my arms doesn't belong to this world either."
For a fleeting moment, Nan Qing felt a chill run down her spine, and goosebumps rose on her skin.
But Huo Yuzhou's voice remained calm, as if he were recounting someone else's story.
"But it seems he didn't play the villain role well, so he broke down and cried one night, thus being left in this world like Bai Ruanruan."
"Fine..."
Huo Yuzhou paused for a second, and stopped walking.
The biting wind cut his face like a knife. The tall man leaned against the boundless darkness, as if even his soul was being dragged and submerged layer by layer.
In the hazy light and shadow, the man standing at the boundary between light and darkness resembled a jade-faced demon, his eyelashes half-drooping.
Not hearing the second half, Nan Qing pulled down the hem of her clothes covering her face and asked him,
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing."
Huo Yuzhou looked down at him, a slight smile playing on his lips.
[Thank goodness you didn't leave this world.]
Otherwise, I'll go crazy.