After Christmas, the weather seemed to get colder.

The days were gloomy, and the nights were long. This winter felt endless.

The “Picking Pearls Project” exhibition was still steadily progressing.

One of the project leaders, Chen Qing Wu’s senior brother Yao Ge, was coming to Dongcheng to check the exhibition venue, so Chen Qing Wu invited him to a meal.

They had a coordination group where Yao Ge and Mai Xunwen were members. Whenever there was progress, Yao Ge would update it in the group.

Sometimes, Chen Qing Wu would also proactively @Yao Ge to inquire about the progress to keep Mai Xunwen assured.

Knowing that Chen Qing Wu was very invested in this matter, Yao Ge invited her to visit the exhibition hall together.

The exhibition venue was at an art gallery in Dongcheng, where an oil painting exhibition was currently being held. After the New Year, the oil painting exhibits would be removed, and the “Picking Pearls Project” exhibits would gradually be delivered.

Chen Qing Wu and Yao Ge arranged to meet at the entrance of the art gallery. After a brief greeting, Yao Ge handed a file folder to Chen Qing Wu.

Upon opening it, she was pleasantly surprised.

Inside were photos of the works by Ms. Zhuang Shiying, which were to be exhibited, covering most of her life stages.

This was also thanks to Mai Xunwen’s efforts in collecting Zhuang Shiying’s works, which were scattered among friends and relatives, taking considerable time and effort to gather.

While flipping through the photos, Chen Qing Wu smiled and asked, “Have the exhibits already arrived in the country?”

“Yes, so I took the first chance to photograph them.”

“Thank you so much.”

“It’s nothing, just my duty.”

They walked inside together, and Yao Ge said, “But there is still some regret.”

“What is it?”

“A couple of days ago, Mai Xunwen contacted me, saying he had found another teacup, a beautiful late work by Ms. Zhuang. But the exhibition starts in March, and it’s too late to go through the regular process now. We’ll have to see if it can make it to the second exhibition in Beicheng in July.”

The current plan was to exhibit from March to June in Dongcheng and from July to October in Beicheng. Depending on the feedback, they would decide whether to take the exhibition to other cities.

“Do you have a picture?”

Yao Ge found the picture and sent it to Chen Qing Wu.

It was a clock-shaped enamel cup, a rare bright piece among Zhuang Shiying’s works, but its color scheme was consistent with her usual style.

Chen Qing Wu couldn’t help but admire it; it was indeed a good piece.

Yao Ge sighed, “So it’s particularly regrettable.”

Chen Qing Wu pondered, “Would it be possible to bring it back by hand?”

“You mean…”

“I can fly over.”

“Of course, that would be great!” Yao Ge was excited, “But it must be done by mid-February at the latest. We still need time to set up the exhibition, and it’ll be too late otherwise.”

They made some brief arrangements, with Chen Qing Wu planning her trip and Yao Ge preparing the insurance materials and finding a staff member to accompany her.

However, things didn’t go as smoothly as Chen Qing Wu had hoped.

Her U.S. visa, obtained when she was sixteen for a vacation, had just expired.

As a result, she had to fill out a new visa application form and schedule an interview.

Originally, Chen Qing Wu planned to stay in Dongcheng during the New Year holiday, but she had to go home to prepare for the visa interview.

Being New Year’s Eve, gatherings were inevitable.

What she used to not mind now felt tiresome; how empty and superficial the adult world seemed.

It got dark early.

When Chen Qing Wu left with her parents, it was already completely dark.

The night wind was piercingly cold, with a chill that seemed to penetrate to the bone.

When they arrived at the Meng family home, Liao Shuman went ahead to ring the doorbell.

Chen Qing Wu stood far behind, unable to suppress her desire to avoid the situation.

The door opened, and Qi Lin greeted them with a smile.

As soon as Chen Qing Wu entered, Qi Lin’s gaze paused on her face. She lightly patted her arm and said with a smile, “Qing Wu, you’re back for New Year’s too.”

An obvious fact, stated in a way that seemed to carry deeper meaning.

Chen Qing Wu didn’t want to overthink it and responded with a half-hearted smile.

While changing her shoes, she restrained herself from looking inside.

It wasn’t until she passed through the hallway that the living room came into full view.

The lighting was warm white, and there was a faint warm fragrance in the air. The TV was on, and Meng Chengyong and Meng Qi Ran were sitting on the sofa.

There was no sign of Meng Fu Yuan.

Had he not returned to Nancheng? Or was he not at home?

She couldn’t tell whether she felt more relieved or disappointed.

Liao Shuman asked with a smile, “Hasn’t Fu Yuan come back?”

“He has a fever. He just took some medicine and is resting upstairs. He might already be asleep.”

Chen Qing Wu’s eyebrow twitched.

Liao Shuman said, “He probably didn’t keep warm enough with the weather change. Winter is the season for colds and fevers.”

After a short chat, they were ready to start dinner.

Qi Lin asked Meng Qi Ran to go upstairs and check if Meng Fu Yuan’s fever had subsided and if he wanted to come down for something to eat.

A moment later, Meng Qi Ran came downstairs and said, “He’s still sleeping. I checked with the forehead thermometer, and his fever has gone down.”

Qi Lin said, “Let him rest then. I’ll check on him after dinner.”

Dinner officially began.

Chen Qing Wu was distracted throughout, only half-heartedly responding to occasional questions from the adults.

The dinner felt like torture, and once it was over, Meng Chengyong invited everyone to the tea room.

Chen Qing Wu took the opportunity to slip away, quietly heading to the stairs.

Just as she was about to go up, footsteps approached from behind.

She turned around in a panic, only to see Qi Lin.

Chen Qing Wu gripped the stair railing and whispered, “I want to check on him.”

Qi Lin looked a bit troubled.

“Just for ten minutes.” Her tone inevitably carried a hint of pleading.

Qi Lin eventually nodded and smiled, “Then could you please check if his fever has gone down?”

The reason she agreed was that Meng Fu Yuan’s mood had been particularly bad since his return, suggesting that Chen Qing Wu had made the right decision.

Breaking ties completely always required a process; there was no need to be too harsh immediately.

Qi Lin’s words were so overly formal that it seemed she feared Chen Qing Wu might do something outrageous in just ten minutes.

Meng Fu Yuan’s bedroom was on the third floor, next to the study.

The corridor was very quiet, with a single light casting a dim glow.

Chen Qing Wu stood at the door, taking several deep breaths before knocking.

It was silent inside.

He was probably still asleep.

After a moment’s hesitation, Chen Qing Wu gently pressed down on the door handle.

The room was lit only by a bedside lamp, dimmed to its lowest setting.

The curtains were closed, making the space somewhat murky.

Chen Qing Wu tiptoed to the bedside.

The bed was covered in dark grey linens, and the person lying under the covers had one arm resting on the bed’s edge. In the dim light, his face looked alarmingly pale.

Chen Qing Wu bent down and touched his forehead with the back of her hand.

The temperature was almost the same as her hand, indicating that his fever had probably subsided.

She withdrew her hand and sat silently on the grey carpet by the bed, hugging her knees, staring at him without moving.

In the quiet, she could almost hear the passage of time.

She treasured every second, her eyes fixed on his face, unwilling to look away. Yet, ten minutes passed in an instant.

Chen Qing Wu blinked away the mist in her eyes, stood up, and gently tucked his exposed arm back under the covers, making sure they were snug.

As she was about to leave, her wrist was suddenly grabbed.

Her heart stopped.

Before she could turn to look, the grip on her wrist pulled her down, causing her to lose balance and fall onto the bed, hurriedly supporting herself with one arm.

A hand was already pressing on the back of her neck, gripping firmly.

“…Who let you in? Have you thought it through?”

Chen Qing Wu’s whole body stiffened, unable to move.

Meng Fu Yuan was staring at her intently, his eyes without glasses, carrying a hint of cold hostility.

“They said you were sick. I came to check on you and saw you were sleeping, so…”

“Oh. So it doesn’t count?”

Meng Fu Yuan narrowed his eyes slightly, his arm dropping and wrapping around her armpit, pulling her forcefully.

Chen Qing Wu only felt a dizzying spin, and when she realised what was happening, her back was against the bed sheet.

When she opened her eyes, Meng Fu Yuan’s face was above her.

He raised his hand, pinching her chin, looking into her eyes, and after just a moment, lowered his head and bit her lip.

A slight pain, and before a hiss could escape, it was swallowed by him.

His tongue directly invaded, entangling and seizing her breath.

Chen Qing Wu’s body went limp. She instinctively struggled, trying to push Meng Fu Yuan’s shoulder, but he grabbed her hand, pulled it away, and pressed it beside her head, tightly restraining her.

The kiss quickly moved from her lips down to her neck. As he sucked and kissed the skin on her neck, his knee parted her legs and pushed upward.

“Ugh…”

It felt as if the world had turned upside down, all chaos unfolding in an instant, leaving no time to react.

“Didn’t you say it doesn’t count? This can also not count…”

Meng Fu Yuan’s voice was hoarse, tinged with slight anger.

Chen Qing Wu took deep breaths, but still couldn’t control a low whimper, unsure if it was due to the chaos or fear.

—Not fear of him, but fear of her own craving, that strange sense of emptiness, as if a desolate and parched fire had ignited in her heart.

Meng Fu Yuan heard the sound and immediately stopped.

Raising her head, she saw tears rolling down her face.

He had never lost his composure, so talk of being awake or not was irrelevant to him.

He sighed, lowered his head, and kissed her moist eyes. “…It’s hopeless for me, Qing Wu. Seeing you cry, I strangely feel happy because I know you’re crying for me.”

Chen Qing Wu choked louder.

Meng Fu Yuan hugged her shoulders, helping her up, and quietly held her for a moment, then reached out to tidy her disheveled collar and hair.

His actions were so gentle and meticulous, as if torturing her.

Finally, he pushed her away. “…Get out, now.”

Chen Qing Wu stood on her own, feeling her steps were floating.

She turned to look, and Meng Fu Yuan had already lain down, his arm over his eyes, as if he would never look at her again.

She bit her lip, swiftly walked towards the door.

Turning back to close the door, after shutting it, she couldn’t hold herself up anymore, squatting down, only able to cover her mouth, afraid to make any sound.

The fire still burned, making her unable to breathe from the pain.