20. Winter Reunion

Song Yu reached back and held his lower back — it hurt, really hurt.

And it had a strong afterburn.

Song Yinhong noticed his son’s strange sitting posture and asked, “What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell somewhere?”

Song Yu shook his head, baring his teeth as he grimaced, “Just some pain in my back. Probably because of the tattoo.”

Hearing that, Song Yinhong was stunned for a few seconds, then burst out laughing. He teased, “What did you get? Must be a design you really like.”

Song Yu thought for a moment, then smiled and said, “Yeah, I really like it.”

“Let your aunt put some ointment on it later. Young people doing something a little wild — that’s completely normal. When I was your age, I was way more impulsive than you.”

Song Yu watched his father head upstairs. Somehow, the burning pain on his back seemed to ease a little.

Spring passed, autumn came, the seasons cycled. It was Song Yu’s final year of university. During this year, due to the heavy workload — plus the fact that he had started his own business — he moved into an apartment near the campus. It wasn’t large: one bedroom and one living room, but more than enough for him.

As Christmas approached, snow began to fall heavily outside.

Song Yu woke up early. It was the weekend, and aside from wrapping up a new project, he didn’t have much else to do.

This was one of the rare moments of leisure since he had started his business.

After living alone, his breakfasts had become much simpler — sometimes just a slice of bread was enough.

He ate breakfast while editing a thesis. By the time he finished eating, the revisions were nearly done too.

The sunlight outside was hazy. Song Yu walked to the bedside and looked at the snowflakes drifting down and landing on the window. As he gazed into the distance, a figure caught his eye — someone who had lived in his memory for years. And now, she had stepped out of memory and into reality.

Yu Dongxi really wanted to swear.

One moment ago, it was still warm enough to wear a dress. The next moment, it was snowing like crazy.

Damn it — Yu Dongxi was still wearing that black dress. Holding a can of Coke in her hand, she sat on a bench with a dog beside her. The scene looked rather pitiful.

Xiao Hei was shivering from the cold beside her. Snowflakes landed on the hem of Yu Dongxi’s dress — the stark contrast between black and white was striking.

“What is this place? How did I end up here?” Yu Dongxi looked down at the ground, where footprints of various sizes were imprinted in the snow.

Just then, the sound of footsteps approached. Yu Dongxi looked up. In the distance, a man was hurrying toward her, holding an umbrella. His face was hidden beneath it, but judging by his figure alone, it was enough to stir the imagination.

The man stopped in front of her, tilting the umbrella so it shielded her from the falling snow.

It was Song Yu.

His expression was calm, his gaze deep. He stared fixedly at Yu Dongxi, his eyes so focused it felt almost scrutinizing.

“We meet again…” That intense gaze made her feel uneasy. Yu Dongxi awkwardly raised a hand and gave a silly little wave.

Song Yu suddenly pulled her into an embrace. The umbrella fell from his hand, hitting the ground and scattering a small burst of white snow like a firework. Yu Dongxi froze — the hand she had raised now hovered stiffly in the air.

After a long pause, she finally placed her hand on Song Yu’s back and patted him gently. “What’s wrong with you?”

Xiao Hei glanced sideways at the two. For Yu Dongxi, only a few minutes had passed, but for Song Yu, several years had truly gone by.

Song Yu sighed. “Where… where have you been these past few years?”

Yu Dongxi was stunned — she didn’t expect time to have jumped forward by several years from Song Yu’s perspective.

Her eyes darted back and forth, brain working at full speed, and at last she came up with a (hopefully) believable explanation: “I’ve been away doing business these past few years.”

Song Yu let go of her and looked her up and down. “You… really are sentimental.”

Yu Dongxi let out a dry laugh. “Yeah! I actually wore the same outfit today just to see you. I’m freezing to death! Why is the weather so damn cold? Let’s hurry up and find somewhere warm.”

A cup of hot cocoa was placed in front of her. Yu Dongxi looked around the room. The overall decor leaned toward a vintage style — a silk cloth that looked expensive covered the table, and the lavish surroundings reminded her of that opulent reading room.

Sure enough, some people’s taste never changes. Take Song Yu, for instance — he just loves this kind of low-key luxury aesthetic.

“Song Yu, I gotta say, your taste is really consistent.”

“Hm?”

“Oh, nothing, nothing. Just complimenting your taste.” Yu Dongxi took a sip of the hot cocoa, and Song Yu considerately placed another cup in front of Xiao Hei.

Xiao Hei slurped contentedly, letting out snuffling “hmph-chih” sounds.

Song Yu sat across from Yu Dongxi, staring at her intently—so much so that it made her back go cold.

Lying too much was bound to make one feel guilty.

“Why are you staring at me like that?” Just as Yu Dongxi asked, a knock came at the door. Song Yu got up to open it. From the living room, Yu Dongxi heard a loud “Surprise!” at the entrance, followed by the sound of something bursting.

Xiao Hei jolted from the shock and said, “What the heck just exploded?”

Yu Dongxi frowned and sniffed the air. “Xiao Hei, did you eat a sock?”

Xiao Hei: ?

Xiao Hei said, “Get lost! That’s just the cocoa fermenting in my mouth! It’s the cocoa’s fault!!”

“Oh.” With a cup of cocoa in her stomach, Yu Dongxi felt like the world wasn’t quite so terrifying anymore.

“How did you guys end up here?” Song Yu looked at the group outside in surprise. Most of them were his clubmates, with a few from other schools.

“Yu, did you forget? We have a mixer this weekend!” said Nick, a tall white guy. As he spoke, he looked toward an Asian girl standing behind him. She was beautiful, with deer-like eyes, about the same age as Song Yu—the kind of age where your emotions are all written on your face.

“I totally forgot,” Song Yu said, rubbing his forehead. When Nick had mentioned it earlier, he hadn’t taken it seriously at all—never expected them to actually show up at his place.

A mixer, in essence, was just a fancy way to say group dating. Guys and girls from in and out of school gathered together—if they clicked, they’d take things further. Of course, plenty of people just showed up for casual hookups.

Song Yu wasn’t into these kinds of gatherings. He wasn’t looking to date right now, and even if it were just to satisfy physical needs, this wasn’t how he wanted to go about it.

“Well, I knew you’d forget, so we came to get you ourselves,” Nick said, reaching out to drag Song Yu along.

Song Yu raised a hand to stop him. “Sorry, I’ve got a guest at home today. You guys go ahead and have fun—tonight’s expenses are on me.”

“Where are you guys heading?” Yu Dongxi slowly stepped out. She had been listening for a while and had a rough idea of what was going on. She remembered seeing Song Yu’s Book of Life and Death at summer camp—this guy never got married, not even once. He might’ve never even dated.

Now that there was a chance, Yu Dongxi figured she ought to help her good buddy out. If there was an opportunity to start a relationship, then of course she would support him wholeheartedly.

“We… uh, we were planning to invite Song Yu to a party,” Nick said, caught off guard by the presence of someone else in the house—especially a woman. Damn, wasn’t Song Yu living alone?

Nick glanced back at the Asian girl, she was biting her lip, looking aggrieved.

“Oh, a young people’s gathering, huh? Go! Ah Yu, young people should get out more, hang out with friends, and experience society!” Yu Dongxi put on a serious expression, sounding like an elder giving a lecture. After speaking, she even patted Song Yu on the shoulder.

Seeing that, Nick let out a breath of relief. Doesn’t look like a girlfriend.

“You sure?” Song Yu asked tactfully. “This isn’t just an ordinary get-together—there’ll be lots of guys and girls… there might even be developments.”

Yu Dongxi gave Song Yu a punch, looking at him like he was hopeless: “That’s all the more reason for you to go! Song Yu, remember this well: opportunities don’t wait. Once it’s gone, it’s gone for good! There won’t be another chance like this!”

Song Yu let out an exasperated laugh. “You sure care a lot about my personal life.”

“Of course I do! Damn it, don’t underestimate the bond between us!”

Song Yu was so annoyed he couldn’t even speak.

He nodded, his expression unreadable. “Fine. Fine. Very well. Then I’ll trust you and ‘make the most of this opportunity.’“

He followed Nick out, and the door slammed shut with a loud bang, startling Xiao Hei.

Xiao Hei scooted into the corner and silently lit a candle for Yu Dongxi in his heart.

Not even a minute had passed when the sound of a key turning in the lock rang out. The door opened from the outside, revealing Song Yu’s face—which carried a bit of a menacing air. Yu Dongxi thought he must have forgotten something, but in the next second, Song Yu grabbed her arm and yanked her out the door.

“If you’re in such a hurry, then come with me. Help me keep an eye out.”

“This… might not be a good idea…” Yu Dongxi hesitated for a moment, then motioned for Song Yu to lean closer. “To be honest, it’s kind of embarrassing to say out loud… Ah, you know me, I care a lot about saving face…”

Song Yu let out a breath, thinking Yu Dongxi had finally realized he was upset. At that thought, he couldn’t even hold back the smile creeping onto his lips.

Admitting fault and trying to make up for it—that’s what a good kid does.

At this point, Song Yu’s height was already close to what it would be in the future, and the height difference between him and Yu Dongxi was quite obvious.

Song Yu bent down, bringing his ear close to Yu Dongxi.

Yu Dongxi glanced around. Xiao Hei let out a “Tch,” and turned his eyes away, thoroughly speechless.

“I just wanted to ask… Are there a lot of handsome guys?”

Song Yu: “……”

Song Yu laughed—for real this time, completely and utterly out of exasperation.

He had a smile on his face, but his expression looked dangerously dark. He slowly nodded. “Oh, there are. Plenty. So you’d better stick close to me.”

With that, Song Yu bent down and scooped up Xiao Hei with one hand, and with the other, wrapped an arm firmly around Yu Dongxi’s shoulders, forcefully dragging her out the door.

The door slammed shut with a bang, and Song Yu strode down the stairs, still holding Yu Dongxi in his arm. Yu Dongxi had to half-jog to keep up with his pace.

“Hey, Song Yu, I know you’re in a rush, but you do know I’ve got short legs…”

“I’m not in a rush. I’m worried you’re in a rush.” With that, Song Yu continued walking at the same pace.

Poor Yu Dongxi—only now did she start to realize, vaguely, that Song Yu seemed to be… angry.