“…It’s snowing!!”

“Wow! I thought we wouldn’t get any snow this year!”

The moment Lin Si heard the word “snow,” he quickly slipped into his down jacket and dashed outside. Liao Ji yelled after him desperately, but Lin Si just opened the door and turned back to flash him an OK hand gesture.

Standing at the entrance of the set’s lounge, Lin Si tilted his head back to look at the sky, his fingers rubbing together in his pockets.

“Lin Si,” Xu Xiangyang called out, walking over in his own down jacket to stand beside him. “Do you like snow?”

Lin Si nodded.

“I like it too,” Xu Xiangyang said. “Clean things—most people like them.”

For some reason, Xu Xiangyang felt different from the usual soft-spoken Omegas. His voice was always light and gentle, making people feel comfortable and inexplicably at ease.

“I heard Shengshi is undergoing a major change,” Xu Xiangyang said.

When it came to Shengshi, Liao Ji’s constant warning to Lin Si was: If asked, just say you don’t know.

So Lin Si replied, “I’m not really sure.”

“It probably won’t affect you much,” Xu Xiangyang said thoughtfully. “From what I’ve seen, your new boss, Lu Wei…” He paused, looking at Lin Si. “He seems to treat you pretty well.”

Lin Si tilted his head, curious and eager to hear the explanation behind why Lu Wei wasn’t so bad.

Instead, Xu Xiangyang patted his arm. “Aren’t you cold? Standing out here for so long.”

Lin Si glanced at the snowflakes growing thicker and heavier, then went back inside the lounge. Sitting cross-legged on the tatami, he mulled things over for a while before picking up his phone and sending a message to Y.

Lin Si:
[It’s snowing! Did you see it?]

Lin Si:
[Do you like snow?]

As usual, Y didn’t reply right away, but Lin Si was used to it. He closed the chat, opened his Dream Town game, and added a snow-covered Christmas tree to his little town.

The snow continued to fall heavier, making it impossible to match the summer-esque scenes the production team needed. By evening, they had no choice but to call it a day and pause filming until the weather improved.

When Lin Si got home, he finally received a reply from Y:
[It’s okay.]

The snow in Beicheng was even heavier than at the filming location. Wrapping his down jacket tighter around himself, Lin Si hopped out of the nanny van, rubbed his palms together for warmth, and messaged Y again:
[I love it! I heard that a person’s birth season can influence their preferences!]

Y:
[You were born in winter?]

Lin Si:
[Did you check my profile? That info isn’t real, but yeah, I was born in winter.]

Lin Si’s messages were always long, giving the impression of a face-to-face conversation. His style of chatting even managed to make Y talk more than usual.

Y:
[When is your birthday?]

Lin Si glanced at his fingernails. He had scratched them during a chaotic incident at the mall before, but now they had grown back, round and smooth.

He replied:
[I don’t remember.]

Y:
[Why?]

Lin Si:
[Actually, I don’t know my real birthday. The one I use now was just randomly decided, so I filled in the profile with random info too.]

Y, with his sharp sense of observation, quickly realized that Lin Si didn’t want to delve into this topic any further. He also suspected it might touch onto something painful for Lin Si.
So Y changed the subject:
[It’s cold when it snows. Aren’t you afraid?]

Lin Si:
[What does that matter? If I like it, I like it. It doesn’t get in the way. I’ll just wear a bit more clothes.]

Lin Si:
[All bundled up in my little blanket.jpg]

Y:
[Mm.]

Lin Si:
[Since it’s snowing, no work today! Are you on a break too?]

Y:
[No.]

Lin Si:
[Poor you. When the snow gets thicker tomorrow, I’ll build a snowman for you!]

Y:
[Are you sure it’s for me?]

It was rare to hear Y joke. Lin Si, in high spirits, replied:
[I’ll make one for myself too. Don’t sweat the details. At most, you can pick the color of the snowman’s eyes. I have lots of glass marbles. What color do you like? Red? Or blue? How about trying yellow for something bold?]

Y:
[Black.]

Lin Si:
[I knew it’d be black, hahaha!]

Lin Si pictured Y as someone with a closet full of black clothes and socks, so he asked again:
[Is your work very tiring?]

Y:
[Not really.]

Lin Si:
[Then why don’t you ever reply to my messages?]

Y:
[Busy.]

Lin Si:
[So are you busy or not…?]

Y:
[Busy, but not tired.]

Lin Si:
[Alright, just make sure to take care of yourself, okay?]

Y went quiet for a while. Just as Lin Si was about to fall asleep, his phone buzzed against his stomach.

Y:
[Mm, good night.]

---

Lin Si had thought he’d finally get a day off, but early the next morning, he received a call from Liao Ji.

They had to make a trip to Shengshi Entertainment.

Lin Si glanced at the thick layer of snow outside his building. It was perfect for making snowmen. If not for being summoned to Shengshi, he would have gladly stayed out in the cold a little longer to build two snowmen—one for himself and one for Y.

On the way to Shengshi, Lin Si was in a foul mood, sulking over the snowmen he couldn’t make.

Liao Ji, assuming it was just lingering morning grumpiness, spoke slowly in the car:
“This Zhang Tingxi, I’ve never worked with him before. After he took over Li Zhong’s position, I looked into him. Turns out he used to work in Shangpin, designing robots…”

“Robots?” Lin Si was a bit surprised.

“Yeah, isn’t it ridiculous?” Liao Ji said, shaking his head. “Let someone who designs robots manage people?”

Lin Si laughed out loud. “Why are you cursing?”

When the Shengshi Entertainment building came into view through the car window, Liao Ji quickly gave Lin Si a “zip it” gesture. Lin Si sniffled, put on a mask and hat, and got out of the car with a perfectly emotionless expression.

They weren’t particularly early. By the time they entered the meeting room, many people were already seated—mostly artists under Shengshi. As Lin Si walked down the aisle, several greeted him with cheerful calls of “Brother Si!” A few even exaggeratedly remarked, “Wow, didn’t think Brother Si could take time out of his busy schedule to attend a meeting!”

“…”

Meetings like these were never expected to gather all the artists, and if it hadn’t been for the snow halting production, Lin Si definitely wouldn’t have come.

He casually picked a seat and sat down. Not long after, Liao Ji leaned over and whispered, “He’s here.”

Zhang Tingxi looked young, seemingly under thirty. He was dressed impeccably in a well-fitted suit, offering polite smiles to everyone as he entered. Then, he sat down on the right side—not in the center seat.

Another ten minutes passed, and suddenly there was a collective gasp in the room. Lin Si looked up to see Lu Wei entering.

His shirt was buttoned all the way to the top, paired with a dark tie.

As always, he appeared stiff and indifferent, exuding an air of aloofness that made the room seem colder than it already was.

T/N : New chapter is up! Happy holidays everyone 🎉🤩❤️