Chapter 77: Snow and Kisses

Lin Hexi and You Chong adopted the orange cat from the alley. They spent time taking it to a pet hospital and bought a lot of pet supplies from the university town.

With the new addition to the household, their Alaskan Malamute was beyond excited, spending the whole day chasing after the orange cat. As for the cat’s name, it was decided by the Malamute through drawing lots. Lin Hexi thought of several food-related names, all associated with rice balls (Fantuan), and wrote them down on slips of paper, which he crumpled up for the dog to choose from.

In the end, the dog happily picked up the slip with “Shousi” (Sushi) written on it.

After Fang Qingning found out, she frequently mentioned wanting to visit them to see the cat, but she could never find the right time.

Lin Hexi immediately laughed and said, “Well, since we’ll be away for Christmas, why don’t you help us feed Fantuan and Shousi?”

Fang Qingning’s eyes lit up, but she quickly looked worried. “But I’ve never met Fantuan. What if it doesn’t let me in?”

Lin Hexi thought for a moment and then said with a meaningful smile, “Then let someone Fantuan knows take you over.”

That same evening, You Chong directly gave the door code to Xia Chengfeng.

On Christmas Eve, after Lin Hexi finished his CET-6 exam, he and You Chong had lunch together, then went back to Chengnan Community to grab their luggage before heading to the airport by taxi.

On the way, You Chong asked about his exam, and Lin Hexi truthfully shook his head, saying, “I probably didn’t pass. I’ll try again next year.”

You Chong wasn’t surprised at all. “With your level of English and only one month of preparation, passing was never going to be possible.”

Lin Hexi let out a light hum. “Besides, even now, a lot of people who pass the CET-6 exam still can’t speak English when they need to.”

A few hours later, You Chong proved to him firsthand whether someone who passed CET-6 could speak or not.

At the hotel they were staying at, they encountered two foreign guests—tall, young men—who ran into some trouble and couldn’t find any staff to help. You Chong effortlessly resolved their issue.

Throughout the entire conversation, Lin Hexi remained silently under the eaves, distancing himself from the situation. As he stood there, he absentmindedly reflected on how cold winters in the north really were, while his gaze stayed fixed on You Chong’s profile, and a small smile unknowingly tugged at his lips.

Before the two American guys left, they not only thanked You Chong repeatedly but also waved goodbye in a friendly manner to Lin Hexi, who was standing in the hallway.

Lin Hexi was a bit taken aback by their enthusiasm, but after a moment, he raised his hand to return the wave, albeit a little late.

You Chong walked back to the hallway and pressed down Lin Hexi’s raised hand. “They’re gone. What are you still looking at?”

Sensing a subtle shift in You Chong’s tone, Lin Hexi’s eyes flickered with amusement. He rubbed his chin and said, “They were pretty good-looking.”

You Chong’s face darkened with displeasure as he turned Lin Hexi’s face toward him, and he said with a dangerous tone. “Is that so?”

“But,” Lin Hexi’s smile widened, playing along as he added, “not as handsome as my boyfriend.”

Only then did You Chong let him go, taking the handle of the suitcase from Lin Hexi’s hand and walking down the hallway. “How much of what they said did you understand?”

Lin Hexi followed behind, honestly admitting, “They spoke too fast. I could hardly understand anything.”

You Chong stopped and gave him a thoughtful look for a moment.

Feeling his eyelids twitch under the gaze, Lin Hexi asked cautiously, “What is it?”

You Chong let out a chuckle and slowly said, “Since you claim passing CET-6 isn’t that useful, then starting next week, let’s add some oral practice to the schedule.”

Lin Hexi’s face froze. “I’m not going abroad.”

Unmoved, You Chong responded, “You’ll still need it for traveling.”

“I’ll be with you when we travel abroad,” Lin Hexi said, as if it were the most obvious thing. “You wouldn’t just leave me alone in a foreign country.”

You Chong glanced at him without responding.

Under his gaze, Lin Hexi sighed again. “I already have to juggle attending classes at the Art College, learning English, and finding time to date you. How about this,” Lin Hexi proposed with an earnest and serious expression, “I’ll cut down a bit on our time in bed each week to practice speaking. How does that sound?”

Now it was You Chong’s turn to disapprove.

You Chong’s expression remained unchanged as he gazed deeply at Lin Hexi, speaking slowly, “It’s not impossible. But, I have a better way that lets you achieve both goals.”

Lin Hexi asked, “What way?”

You Chong replied, “You don’t need to carve out extra time. We can do both things at the same time.”

Lin Hexi still didn’t catch on. “What two things?”

“Practicing speaking and… being in bed.” You Chong’s gaze swept over Lin Hexi’s face, with his lips curling slightly. “You practice your speaking, and I’ll do my part. After all,” he paused lightly, then added with deliberate meaning, “the one doing the work in bed is me, not you.”

Lin Hexi fell into silence, unable to come up with a rebuttal.

They rested in the hotel room for two hours before putting on their down jackets and heading out to a restaurant for dinner.

Lin Hexi had never experienced a northern winter. Even during the coldest days in the south, a coat was more than enough. The down jacket he was wearing now was something You Chong had brought from home for him.

Lin Hexi glanced at You Chong’s black down jacket, then at his own white one, and asked skeptically, “You’d wear white clothes?”

You Chong explained, “My mom bought it for me. I only wore it once.”

Lin Hexi paused for a moment, suddenly recalling the oil painting he’d seen at the art exhibition a few months ago. He couldn’t help but squint and smile, “Your mom is kind of cute.”

You Chong didn’t quite understand how Lin Hexi had come to that conclusion, but he didn’t dwell on the comment either.

The two turned down the long corridor, and Lin Hexi glanced up at the overcast, dry sky beyond the eaves, and frowning slightly as he asked, “Will it really snow tonight?”

You Chong replied, “The weather forecast says there will be heavy snow in the early morning.”

Hearing this, Lin Hexi recalled the unexpected rainstorm they had encountered by the seaside, and his frown quickly disappeared. A hint of anticipation appeared on his face as he said, “That’s good.”

After dinner, night had already fallen, and the entire resort was lit up. They strolled around the lake for half an hour, but Lin Hexi’s face was soon chilled by the winter wind, and the tip of his nose turned slightly red from the cold.

Even with his hands in his pockets, Lin Hexi still couldn’t warm up. He slid his hands into You Chong’s down jacket pockets for warmth. You Chong pulled up the hood from the back of Lin Hexi’s coat and placed it gently over his head, and the two headed back to their room.

The room You Chong had booked was a spacious suite with a private courtyard, and in the backyard, there was a steaming outdoor hot spring.

Standing inside, Lin Hexi looked out at the courtyard. His warm breath fogged up the glass door in front of him, quickly covering it in a layer of white mist.

He extended his finger, carefully tracing You Chong’s name on the glass.

Then, Lin Hexi heard You Chong’s voice from behind, asking if he wanted to soak in the hot spring.

After turning his head, Lin Hexi responded with a soft “okay” and pulled back his cold fingers, heading to the bed to change into swim trunks.

When he finished changing and stood up, he saw You Chong standing in front of the glass door, in the exact spot where Lin Hexi had been earlier, as if he were looking at something outside.

Lin Hexi walked over. “What are you looking at?”

You Chong didn’t answer but instead shifted slightly, revealing the glass door in front of him.

The name “You Chong” that Lin Hexi had written on the door was now slightly faded, and below it, another name had been added—his own. The author was obvious.

Lin Hexi paused for a second, and a smile spreading across his face as he teased, “Shouldn’t we draw a heart around our names too?”

You Chong chuckled. “Are you a grade-schooler?”

Lin Hexi, with a playful glint in his eye, asked sincerely, “Then what do adults do these days?”

You Chong replied, “Adults do this.”

And with that, he lowered his head and kissed him.

The kiss wasn’t long, and soon they separated.

Lin Hexi walked back to the wardrobe, took out a bathrobe, and put it on. Finally, he layered his down jacket over it, opened the glass door, and headed toward the hot spring pool in the courtyard.

The cold wind seeped through the cuffs and collar, quickly biting into his skin. Lin Hexi dipped a leg into the water to test its temperature, then shed his down jacket and bathrobe, easing himself into the hot spring. A soft sigh of contentment escaped his lips.

He tilted his head back to gaze at the vast night sky above.

The moon tonight wasn’t full, but it was bright and clear, as if freshly washed. A few scattered stars twinkled beside it.

Lin Hexi lowered his head and reached out, trying to scoop up the reflection of the crescent moon on the water’s surface. Before his fingers could touch the moon’s reflection, the silver crescent shattered across the pool, rippling into countless fragments.

You Chong settled into the hot spring beside him.

Lin Hexi scooted closer in the water and asked, “Where are we going tomorrow?”

You Chong replied, “We’re going to the ancient palace city to see the snow.”

Lin Hexi then asked, “What if it doesn’t snow?”

After a brief moment of thought, You Chong responded, “Then we’ll just stay at the hotel all day.”

Lin Hexi took him seriously, responding with a look of doubt, “What would we do at the hotel all day?”

You Chong’s voice dropped to a low, suggestive tone, “Things you can do in a hotel.”

Lin Hexi looked up in shock, only to meet You Chong’s teasing eyes.

Realizing You Chong was joking, Lin Hexi stretched out his arm to grab his phone, which was safely stored in a waterproof pouch by the pool. After turning around, he leaned on the edge of the pool and began looking up travel guides on his phone.

When Lin Hexi found a highly popular tourist spot, he tilted his phone and asked, “Do you want to see?”

You Chong turned around, wrapping his arms around Lin Hexi from behind, and resting his chin lightly on Lin Hexi’s shoulder. Lazily, he glanced at the screen and then, without hesitation, instructed, “Turn the page.”

Lin Hexi swiped through a few more pages, but after reading them, he didn’t find anything particularly interesting either. He exited and casually opened up a local international theme park’s page, checking out the Christmas event promotions.

He turned around in the water and held out the phone, intending to show You Chong the promotional images.

A faint cool sensation suddenly touched the tip of Lin Hexi’s nose.

He startled for a moment, then reached up to touch his nose, only to smear the water droplets on his fingertip across his nose.

Assuming it was just water splashing up when he turned around, he didn’t think much of it. While holding up the phone with a mischievous smile, he asked You Chong, “How about going to the theme park tomorrow night?”

You Chong raised his eyebrow slightly and, instead of answering directly, asked, “Do you want to go?”

Lin Hexi was about to reply when his eyelashes fluttered slightly, feeling that cool sensation again.

After shaking off the water from his fingertips, he raised his hand to touch his lashes, and soon his fingers were damp.

Instinctively, he lifted his eyes and asked, “Is it raining?”

You Chong didn’t answer right away. Instead, he reached out to touch Lin Hexi’s soft, dry black hair.

A second later, he opened his fingers in front of Lin Hexi and chuckled softly, “No, it’s snowing.”

Lin Hexi’s gaze remained fixed on You Chong’s fingertips.

The snowflakes were tiny, so small that their exact shapes were barely discernible, and they quickly melted on You Chong’s fingers. Yet Lin Hexi continued to stare for a long time, captivated.

It wasn’t until white crystals began to slowly gather on You Chong’s head that Lin Hexi blinked, snapping out of his daze. He tilted his head back, looking up into the dark night sky.

From the vast, distant skies, large white snowflakes silently descended, gently kissing his brow, his nose, and his cheeks.

Lin Hexi lowered his head and opened his palm, and soon a beautiful, perfectly shaped six-pointed snowflake landed in the center of his hand.

He cupped the snowflake in his palm and showed it to You Chong.

In the soft yellow light from the eaves, You Chong could see the deep black brightness in Lin Hexi’s eyes, and his brows and the corners of his eyes filled with a joyful smile. And within the depths of Lin Hexi’s pupils, a clear reflection of himself was visible.

The snowflake in Lin Hexi’s palm melted into water at a visible speed, and he instinctively tried to pull his hand back.

But You Chong, his eyes dark and deep, grasped Lin Hexi’s wrist and tugged him closer. Amidst the swirling snowflakes, he kissed Lin Hexi’s cold lips.

Lin Hexi reached out to embrace him, closing his eyes and returning the kiss.

You Chong pulled him deeper into the water, pressing him against the warm, steamy edge of the pool, and his wet, heated kisses trailing down from Lin Hexi’s ear to his neck.

Two minutes later, they emerged from the hot spring, picking up their clothes and heading back into the warmly heated room. After locking the glass door leading to the courtyard, they drew the thick curtains tightly closed.

Outside, heavy snow fell, and the world was cold and frozen. But, inside, the room was warm like spring, with passion rising like a tide.