As the year draws to a close, the days always seem to fly by especially quickly.
The New Year's atmosphere seemed to be contagious, igniting the entire S City.
The huge French windows were decorated with paper-cut window decorations, and even some precious shrubs were adorned with small lights that twinkled at dusk, like Xingxing fallen from the sky.
The film crew had given them a break, so Nan Qing stayed home and slept for two days. When she woke up, she played games, went skiing, and occasionally looked out the floor-to-ceiling windows at the distant, rolling mountains. The setting sun cast large, shimmering golden rays on the lake, and even the swans were no longer outdoors.
The days were peaceful and tranquil. Nan Qing, wearing a thin knitted sweater, sat on the carpet reading a script. Zhou Guangliang's voice came through the phone, talking about the work arrangements after the New Year.
The butler directed the servants to move in a large trunk from Northern Europe, which was Qin Mubai's New Year's gift.
This was the first New Year they hadn't spent at the Bai Family since they came into this world.
Qin Mubai declined Nan Qing's invitation to spend the New Year together and, during the period leading up to the end of the year, flew abroad.
The large box was bulging with various flavors of chocolate, his favorite coconut being the most abundant; scented candles; jars of vodka; sea salt in clear glass jars; felt reindeer; canned fish of different kinds; handmade necklaces jingling together; short-shelf-life yogurt; a life-size transparent igloo toy; oddly shaped keychains and fridge magnets; matching hats and scarves...
There was also a postcard.
An endless expanse of white snow, a forest covered in ice and snow, and a long, winding footprint stretching into the distance.
At the end of the road stood a deer, its head tilted to the side.
The handwriting above is strong and powerful.
Happy New Year, my Qingqing!
Nan Qing smiled and carefully put the postcard away.
In the corner of the box was a small box with the same note on it.
"New Year's gift."
He opened it; it still contained photos taken with a camera, and beneath them were thick stacks of documents: property ownership certificates, house purchase contracts, tax payment certificates...
The name Nan Qing was prominently displayed in the identity information section of the power of attorney.
The boy sitting on the ground raised his eyebrows in surprise, found a contact's WeChat, and sent him a question mark.
Soon, Qin Mubai's message arrived, in a familiar, brief tone.
"It's beautiful, you'll like it."
"You can bring your boyfriend to live with you."
Nan Qing stared at the sentence and couldn't help but laugh.
Qin Mubai always speaks very carefully.
In Qin Mubai's mind, he could probably have a whole bunch of boyfriends and then bring them to live with him.
After replying to the New Year's greetings, Nan Qing carefully packed away his gifts.
Place it on the display stand, in the wine cabinet, in the refrigerator, or in a combination lock cabinet.
Xi Juan also sent a New Year's gift, in the name of the Xi Family.
He didn't sign it, but Nan Qing knew at a glance that it was Xi Juan's idea.
Two live Simmental calves from Switzerland, mooing loudly.
Nan Qing instructed the steward to take the ox away so that the other party could return the gift to the Xi Family. He also repeatedly instructed them not to mention the gift too directly to Huo Yuzhou.
The butler, dressed in uniform, smiled and nodded repeatedly at him.
The sun gradually dimmed, and the manor was filled with jubilation. The colorful lights hanging outside the windows created a festive atmosphere, but Huo Yuzhou was nowhere to be seen.
Nan Qing dialed the number, but no one answered.
He got up and went upstairs, changed into a white down jacket, and was hurrying out when he was stopped by the butler.
"Young master, it's windy tonight, why don't you wait a little longer?"
"Although things are a bit tricky for him, since he promised you, he'll definitely be back tonight—"
Nan Qing suddenly stopped and turned to look.
"What's up?"
"It's nothing major. It's the same manor you visited before. Apparently, there's been a riot among the people down there, and some have grabbed weapons. The gentleman happened to be there at the time. He said the situation wasn't good, but it's not convenient to make a big fuss, so he'll probably be home a little late today—"
Before the butler could finish speaking, the figure in the white down jacket hurriedly turned around and went back.
In just a few seconds, to the butler's astonishment, the young master returned, carrying a long baseball bat, exuding a menacing aura.
"Call the driver and bodyguards, come with me!"
With a roar from the engine, the expensive luxury car disappeared at the gate of the manor.
Scattered snowflakes drifted down from the sky, and as the wheels rolled over them, the remaining snow on the asphalt road was quickly flung behind the vehicles.
The driver didn't dare to drive fast, and it was more than an hour later when they arrived at the location the housekeeper had mentioned.
Nan Qing got out of the car, pulled up her down jacket, and put her baseball bat in her pocket.
The lead bodyguard reminded him,
"Young Master, it's too quiet here. It doesn't look like there was any disturbance. I'm afraid everything has settled down. We'll go take a look. You can wait for the police to arrive."
Nan Qing did not hesitate, speaking as she walked:
"I contacted the housekeeper; he said he would call the police if we didn't come out within 30 minutes."
"Let's go in and see what's going on."
As soon as he finished speaking, he quickly headed towards the tallest building complex.
Door after door, the bright moon hidden behind tall trees with dense branches.
Nan Qing hurried along and pushed open a tightly closed door.
With a creak, the cool air was filled with the fragrance of flowers and trees. Ahead, it was pitch black, with only vague outlines in sight.
When sight is deprived, the other senses become especially clear.
In the darkness, something seemed to be watching him.
Nan Qing felt a chill run down her spine, gripped her baseball bat tightly, and waved behind her.
Whether it was three seconds or five seconds, until a cool breeze blew on him, he still didn't receive the slightest response.
The boy standing at the door turned around, but the bodyguards who had come with him had vanished without a trace.
Nan Qing tightened her grip on the baseball bat, mustered her courage, and took two steps forward. With a creak, the wooden door closed.
The chill was like a bone-deep infection; Nan Qing felt a chill run down his spine, but he still took a few steps forward.
What do you want?
Money? Gold? Antiques?
"Everyone goes out to work for money, nobody wants to risk their life for it. I can give you what you want, just let my husband go."
The hall was quiet; there wasn't a sound.
No one responded.
He was panicking so badly that he could only continue to hold on tightly to what he was holding and pretend to walk forward calmly.
It has a rich floral and woody fragrance, like roses.
In the pitch-black hall, only the sound of his heartbeat echoed.
Nan Qing took a deep breath, and suddenly, a diamond-like white light appeared beneath her feet, like a silver river stretching out in front of her.
Light and shadow illuminated the surroundings, and dense rose bushes on both sides filled the view. At the end of the rose bushes, on the other side of the Milky Way below, was a huge, dark golden cage that almost reached the dome.
The cage was entwined with blooming roses, accompanied by fang-like thorns, their deep red color resembling winding blood. In the center of the cage sat Huo Yuzhou, prominently displayed on a black sofa.
He wore a black suit, and his white shirt was unbuttoned, revealing his long neck and deep, handsome face.
A rose was tucked into his breast pocket. He leaned back on the sofa, looking in his direction, a slight smile playing on his thin lips.
Nan Qing was stunned for a moment before realizing what was happening.
Even though the man not far away had his collar wide open, his lazy and casual demeanor was quite alluring.
But Nan Qing still hid her baseball bat behind her back even more, feigning slight anger.
" Huo Yuzhou, I risked my life to save you, and you want me to play some R-rated game with you?"
He strode forward until he stopped in front of the cage.
The chain was loosely attached; it could be easily opened with a flick of the wrist.
Nan Qing didn't raise his hand. Huo Yuzhou, inside the cage, looked at him and smiled, his deep voice swirling into his ears.
"So, do you still want to save me, young master?"