52. Couple Rings

Yu Yue was quite looking forward to skiing in Zermatt, Switzerland.

On the plane, he could already see the snowy mountains, shining brilliantly under the sunlight, displaying an exceptionally pure color.

Upon arriving in the skiing town of Zermatt, Yu Yue and Xu Yuanzhe booked a room first. After settling their belongings, they had a meal before heading to the ski resort.

The ski resort was bustling with skiers everywhere.

Yu Yue and Xu Yuanzhe each bought a set of ski suits and equipment.

After putting on their goggles, Xu Yuanzhe helped Yu Yue put on his gloves.

He asked, “Do you know how to ski? Do you want to find an instructor?”

Yu Yue shook his head.

He said, “I want to try it myself. If that doesn’t work, you can guide me.”

Xu Yuanzhe knew a little about skiing because he had learned various skills for acting in the past, including horseback riding, archery, skiing, and swimming. But he couldn’t guarantee that he could teach Yu Yue well, as he had instructors guiding him at the time.

Xu Yuanzhe took Yu Yue to a slope with the smallest incline.

Yu Yue was unprepared and slid down immediately.

When he returned, he was laughing, telling Xu Yuanzhe, “It doesn’t seem difficult! I’ll go for a steeper slope next time.”

Wearing goggles, gloves, and a thick ski suit, Yu Yue went down the slope again.

Watching Yu Yue go up and down like this for a while, Xu Yuanzhe couldn’t resist. He took off his gloves, took out his phone, and recorded a video of Yu Yue.

At the end of the video, Yu Yue happened to be walking up from below the slope.

The sunlight fell on his shoulders and face. Although he was wearing goggles, his smile was brighter than the sunlight.

He pulled Xu Yuanzhe to a steeper slope for skiing.

This time, Xu Yuanzhe was more concerned.

He accompanied Yu Yue down the slope.

As expected, Xu Yuanzhe’s concern was justified. When they reached the bottom of the slope, Yu Yue couldn’t stop, and Xu Yuanzhe tried to go around to the front to block Yu Yue and help him brake. However, Yu Yue crashed into Xu Yuanzhe, knocking him down.

Both of them fell into the snowy ground.

Yu Yue landed on top of Xu Yuanzhe. Neither of them felt any pain, but they were both stunned for quite a while.

Eventually, unable to hold back, Yu Yue laughed while lying on top of Xu Yuanzhe.

Xu Yuanzhe held Yu Yue, feeling an openness that had been absent for a long time. A smile unconsciously appeared on the corner of his lips as he brushed the snow off Yu Yue.

Yu Yue skied for an entire afternoon, capturing some videos along the way. As the day approached dusk, he and Xu Yuanzhe went to have dinner together.

After relaxing in the hotel for a while, Yu Yue and Xu Yuanzhe went for a stroll in the town of Zermatt.

Zermatt town resembled a town inside a crystal ball, bathed in the warm, yellow light between various types of houses, creating a cozy and sweet atmosphere.

Walking ahead, Yu Yue wore a white sweater, layered with a long coat and a scarf.

After a few steps, he turned around, looking at Xu Yuanzhe behind him.

Xu Yuanzhe was still wearing a windbreaker.

Every winter, Xu Yuanzhe dressed lighter than Yu Yue, as if he weren’t afraid of the cold at all.

Standing in the snowy landscape, Yu Yue felt a warmth in his heart, like a fire burning.

He saw Xu Yuanzhe standing under the dim yellow light, hands in his pockets, looking handsome in the glow.

After a moment of silence, Xu Yuanzhe reached out, asking Yu Yue, “Are you cold?”

Yu Yue didn’t answer.

He stood still for a while before suddenly running towards Xu Yuanzhe, diving into his arms and tightly hugging him.

Looking up at Xu Yuanzhe, snowflakes falling on their hair, it seemed like a shared moment of purity.

Yu Yue held onto Xu Yuanzhe’s neck, slightly lifting himself, eyes sparkling. It felt like they were back to five years ago as he said to Xu Yuanzhe, “Not cold at all.”

Xu Yuanzhe looked down at Yu Yue.

After a moment, his brows softened, and his lips curved slightly.

Lowering his head, in the deserted street amid falling snowflakes, Xu Yuanzhe kissed Yu Yue.

It felt like entering a fairy tale world.

The snowfall intensified.

However, Yu Yue showed no intention of going back.

They walked through the streets of Zermatt, strolling in the midst of heavy snowfall.

Passing by a brightly lit shop window, Yu Yue stopped and gazed at the items on display. Inside were some unique crystal bottles, probably vases, but the bottles were empty, devoid of flowers.

Yu Yue remembered the red rose that Xu Yuanzhe had given him, which was still not placed in a vase.

“Which one do you think looks good?” Yu Yue asked Xu Yuanzhe, who stood beside him.

Xu Yuanzhe didn’t answer immediately, his gaze falling on the various glass bottles in the shop window.

After a while, instead of making a choice, he asked Yu Yue, “Do you want to take the glass bottle back to China?”

Yu Yue thought for a moment. “I want to bring the bottle and the rose back to China together. I don’t know if it’s possible.”

Xu Yuanzhe turned his head slightly, looking at Yu Yue.

He said, “I’ll buy you fresh flowers when we return.”

“That’s different,” Yu Yue insisted, “Every day’s flower is like a daily diary, irreplaceable.”

After saying that, he pushed the door and entered the shop.

Xu Yuanzhe followed.

Actually, Yu Yue didn’t plan to buy a vase originally, but since they passed by, he had the idea to buy one, to nurture the still-unwithered red rose.

The warm and dim yellow light inside the shop contrasted sharply with the snowfall outside, creating a vivid contrast, like a warm spring against a cold winter.

Xu Yuanzhe stood by Yu Yue’s side, picking up a glass bottle.

The two of them casually selected vases while occasionally chatting about other topics.

When they talked about something amusing, Yu Yue would lift his head and look at Xu Yuanzhe with a smile. When he smiled, his eyes would curve like a crescent moon, softening the hearts of those who saw him.

After spending more than ten minutes, they finally chose a vase.

Xu Yuanzhe asked the shop assistant to wrap up the glass vase.

While the shop assistant was wrapping the vase, Yu Yue glanced at the price.

He hadn’t looked before, and usually, he didn’t have the habit of checking prices when buying things. However, today, for some reason, he casually glanced at it, and his figure paused for a moment.

“It’s quite expensive…” Yu Yue muttered unconsciously.

Xu Yuanzhe also looked at the price tag.

He reached out, holding Yu Yue’s hand, and said, “We can afford it.”

In that brief moment, Yu Yue recalled a time long ago when he and Xu Yuanzhe were at their poorest. It was when his card got suspended by his parents, and Xu Yuanzhe couldn’t find any acting gigs, so he had to keep working part-time jobs.

Yu Yue knew about Xu Yuanzhe’s situation, so when they usually went out shopping, he dared not spend money casually.

At that time, the most common thing he did was to see something he liked, but as soon as he glanced at the price, he instantly lost interest.

But Xu Yuanzhe insisted on buying it for him.

So Yu Yue said, “Then you make a note of it. When you save up more money, you can buy it for me later, okay?”

Xu Yuanzhe didn’t agree or disagree at the time.

Yu Yue pulled Xu Yuanzhe’s hand and continued shopping.

Even though, after that, the two of them seemed like nothing had happened, Yu Yue could feel the burden of guilt in Xu Yuanzhe’s heart, almost crushing him.

Leaving that small shop, Xu Yuanzhe carried a bag containing the glass vase in one hand.

Yu Yue ran a few steps in the snowy ground, then turned back, looking at Xu Yuanzhe.

He said, “I remember when we were together before, I also saw a vase that I really liked. But at that time, I thought, without flowers at home, it didn’t seem necessary to have a vase, it would be a waste.” He paused slightly, “But now, I feel that I was so foolish back then. If I had bought a vase, you would definitely have bought flowers for me to put in it, right?”

Xu Yuanzhe looked at Yu Yue.

After a moment of silence, he reached out to Yu Yue.

Yu Yue came back from the front, handed his hand to Xu Yuanzhe, letting Xu Yuanzhe hold it.

“So…” Yu Yue looked up at Xu Yuanzhe, and Xu Yuanzhe was looking at him too, “Many things, if you look at them from a different perspective, you’ll get different answers.”

Snowflakes fell on Xu Yuanzhe’s eyelashes.

After a long silence, he tightened his grip on Yu Yue’s hand, holding the vase, and his voice was very low and hoarse, “We were both too stubborn back then.”

Yu Yue nodded.

The two continued walking into the vast expanse of snow.

Because they loved too stubbornly, they couldn’t see each other’s love clearly.

“On December 21, 2022, the weather is clear.

Waiting for the aurora is a very romantic thing.

Or rather, being with Xu Yuanzhe, even if it’s just sitting in the snow all night without seeing anything, is very romantic.

Xu Yuanzhe is romance itself.

He didn’t say or do anything.

But I just feel that wherever he is, that place is home.”

Yu Yue didn’t know when he developed the habit of keeping a diary.

On the evening they went to Iceland, waiting to see the aurora, while Xu Yuanzhe was inside the tent packing things, Yu Yue took out the small diary he always carried and began writing in it.

After finishing the diary, Xu Yuanzhe came out.

The two of them set up a tent in the snowy wilderness, arranged two small folding chairs, and prepared to wait for the aurora all night.

After sitting down on the small chair, Yu Yue took out his phone and took a photo of the current night sky.

Then, he took out his small camcorder and recorded the current night sky and Xu Yuanzhe sitting beside him at this moment, preserving this scene.

Once done, Yu Yue was ready to focus on waiting for the aurora.

In this icy wilderness, Yu Yue and Xu Yuanzhe both wore thick coats with fluffy collars, constantly fluttering in the cold winter wind.

Yu Yue sat in the folding chair, leaning against Xu Yuanzhe.

Neither of them spoke, but even in such silence, it felt very comfortable.

Yu Yue placed his hand in Xu Yuanzhe’s pocket.

Xu Yuanzhe’s warm hand held his.

After a while, Yu Yue felt Xu Yuanzhe leading his hand to touch something in the pocket.

Soft, cool, like petals.

Yu Yue was stunned.

He grasped the object, pulling it out of Xu Yuanzhe’s pocket.

It was a champagne-colored rose.

Yu Yue looked at the rose in his hand.

Silent for a long time, he looked up at Xu Yuanzhe.

Xu Yuanzhe slightly lowered his eyes and took out another small box from the other pocket.

Opening the small box revealed two shiny couple rings inside.