Chapter 78 Merry Christmas

The next morning, when they woke up, the courtyard outside was indeed covered with a thick layer of snow, and everything in sight was a vast expanse of white.

Lin Hexi hurriedly finished his shower, put on a warm sweater and down jacket, and didn’t go anywhere. He simply opened the glass door to play in the snow in the backyard.

You Chong called for breakfast from the hotel, also took a shower, got dressed, and took out his camera from the suitcase. He opened the glass door, stood under the eaves, and, with great interest, took photos of Lin Hexi.

Through the lens, Lin Hexi was still wearing the same white down jacket from the day before. He was squatting in the snow-covered landscape, with his short, soft, jet-black hair. The contrast between the black and white was striking, making his entire face look clean and handsome.

You Chong pressed the shutter.

Hearing the sound, Lin Hexi looked up, and You Chong captured the moment when he lifted his face to look over.

Lin Hexi stood up enthusiastically, brushed the snow off his gloves, and walked toward You Chong with a bright smile, keeping pace with the continuous clicking of the camera’s shutter in You Chong’s hands. “Where did the camera come from?”

You Chong lowered the camera from his face. “Found it at home.”

Lin Hexi looked curious. “You do photography?”

“I used to study it, but I don’t really do it much anymore,” You Chong said, handing the camera to him. “You can use it to take some pictures.”

Lin Hexi took it, looking hesitant. “I don’t know how to use this.”

“You obviously wouldn’t know how to use it.” As if recalling something, You Chong curled his lips and teased him, “You don’t even know how to adjust the settings on your phone, so how could you know how to use a camera? Just take some casual shots, no need to be professional.”

Lin Hexi thoughtfully raised the camera and immediately took a close-up shot of You Chong’s face.

You Chong glanced at him and turned to walk to the side. “I told you to take pictures of the snow, not of me.”

Lin Hexi laughed and, holding up the camera, chased after him, continuing to snap photos while saying, “I don’t think I’ve ever taken any pictures of you before.”

You Chong stopped, put his hands in the pockets of his down jacket, tilting his head to look at Lin Hexi, and letting him take pictures. “Didn’t you take some at the beach?”

With a growing smile on his face, Lin Hexi adjusted the camera to find the right angle. “Accidentally getting in the shot doesn’t count.”

Perhaps influenced by the amusement in his words, the corners of You Chong’s lips also lifted slightly. With a smile in his voice, he asked, “Is that so?”

Lin Hexi froze for a moment, his fingers quickly pressing the shutter, completely forgetting to reply.

Soon, someone knocked on the door to deliver breakfast. After the two finished eating in the room, they left and went to the flat area in the front yard to build a snowman.

It was clear that when it came to snowman-building skills, You Chong couldn’t match Lin Hexi, who had studied art.

While Lin Hexi was busy building a snowman in the snow, You Chong sat under the long corridor, taking pictures of him.

Yesterday, when they checked in, it was Christmas Eve, and the Christmas atmosphere was evident in the decorations throughout the hotel room. Lin Hexi returned to the room to grab a Santa hat and small ornaments, then went back outside to build a snowman version of Santa Claus and a Christmas tree in the snow.

He squatted next to the snowman Santa Claus and asked You Chong to use his phone to take a photo of him with the snowman.

You Chong took the picture and casually posted it on his Moments.

Almost immediately, comments from various people flooded in under the post, but You Chong didn’t bother to read them and exited the app. Shortly after, he received a message from Lin Tong on WeChat.

In the message, Lin Tong apologized to him and promised not to tell the Lin family about Lin Hexi’s relationship.

As You Chong read the last few words of the message, his movement to exit WeChat paused. He then replied with a simple [Thank you.]

Lin Hexi had already stood up from the snow and retreated to the corridor where You Chong was sitting, taking pictures of the snowman and Christmas tree on his phone.

Suddenly, he sensed someone approaching near his shoulder. Thinking it was You Chong coming to check on his photos, Lin Hexi asked without turning his head, “How’s my snowman?”

But what greeted his ears was an unfamiliar voice speaking in fluent English.

Lin Hexi froze for a second, instinctively turning his head, and saw the American guy who had asked You Chong for help the previous afternoon.

Seemingly worried that Lin Hexi might not understand the compliment in English, the guy gave him a thumbs-up.

After snapping out of it, Lin Hexi responded with a “thank you” in English.

The blond guy then made an exaggerated hand gesture and asked in English, “Can I take a picture with your masterpiece?”

Lin Hexi, half relying on hearing and half on guessing, smiled and replied, “Of course.”

The blond guy handed his phone to Lin Hexi, then stepped over the corridor and squatted next to the snowman that Lin Hexi had built, facing the camera with a big smile.

After taking the photo, Lin Hexi made an “OK” gesture toward him.

The blond guy returned to the corridor, took his phone, glanced at the photo, and grinned as he thanked Lin Hexi.

Lin Hexi waved his hand to indicate there was no need to thank him, then walked over and sat down next to You Chong.

The blond guy, having waited a while for his companion, eventually followed, greeting You Chong cheerfully.

The two quickly started chatting in English, leaving Lin Hexi a bit lost as he sat there. He decided to take You Chong’s camera and started browsing through the photos.

About ten minutes later, the blond guy’s companion finally arrived. Reluctantly standing up, the blond guy asked You Chong, “Can we take a photo with you guys?”

You Chong agreed.

The blond guy asked a passing staff member to take a group photo of the four of them in the corridor.

Afterward, the two American guys got up, said their goodbyes, and left.

With the outdoor temperature being so low, Lin Hexi and You Chong didn’t stay outside for long either and soon returned to their room.

They spent the morning at the hotel and, in the afternoon, went to the Ancient Palace City to see the snow, and took plenty of photos of the snowy scenery. Before nightfall, they bought tickets and went to the famous local theme park.

The Christmas atmosphere in the theme park was incredibly festive. By evening, snowflakes began to fall from the sky, and Santa Clauses carrying striped stockings filled with candy could be seen everywhere.

Girls with delicate makeup wore glowing reindeer headbands as they moved through the crowd, while young couples walked hand in hand, embracing as they strolled along the paths. Even the couple’s meals in the restaurants were Christmas-themed.

After having dinner at one of the restaurants, the two of them went to the giant Christmas tree in the center of the park to participate in the tree lighting ceremony.

With the tall, beautiful Christmas tree at the center, colorful lights spread across the park, while to the left, the carousel gently spun to the soft and melodious sound of Christmas carols. Santa Claus rode a luxurious reindeer-drawn carriage in a parade through the park, and the entire amusement park glittered in the night, shimmering with festive light.

Lin Hexi raised his phone to take a selfie in front of the Christmas tree. You Chong casually lifted his arm to rest it on Lin Hexi’s shoulder. The distance between them wasn’t too close or too far, just enough to fit them both into the frame.

Lin Hexi said to You Chong in the camera, “Come a little closer.”

You Chong moved a bit closer.

Still unsatisfied, Lin Hexi added, “A little more.”

You Chong leaned in a bit more.

Lin Hexi suddenly turned his head, gently brushing his lips against You Chong’s face, and then he pressed the shutter.

You Chong grabbed the hand holding the phone, turned his face, and kissed Lin Hexi on the lips.

Lin Hexi closed his eyes, loosened the scarf around his neck, and raised his hand to wrap You Chong into the same scarf.

The two of them, now sharing the same red scarf, stood quietly in front of the Christmas tree under the night sky, kissing softly.

Lin Hexi’s hands slipped from the scarf, falling gently, but were soon caught by You Chong.

With his eyes still closed, he felt You Chong place something into his hand.

After pulling away from You Chong’s lips, Lin Hexi lowered his head and saw the gift box now held in his hand.

Lin Hexi smiled and asked, “A Christmas present?”

You Chong untying the other half of the scarf, wrapped it back around Lin Hexi’s neck and chuckled, “Yes.”

Inside the gift box was a pair of matching watches. Lin Hexi took one out and put it on, then placed the other on You Chong’s wrist. He then reached into his pocket and pulled out two smaller gift boxes.

He handed one of the boxes to You Chong, tilting his chin slightly as he smiled, “What a coincidence, I have one too.”

Unable to resist, You Chong playfully pinched Lin Hexi’s chin and asked with interest, “What did you get?”

Lin Hexi replied, “Cufflinks.”

Inside were two pairs of identical square-shaped cufflinks with mechanical gear designs.

You Chong opened the box and glanced down at them, “Can’t wear them now.”

Lin Hexi nodded and said, “Not now, but you can wear them for formal occasions from time to time. After graduation, when you have to wear formal attire for work, you can wear them every day.”

You Chong put away the cufflinks and raised his eyebrows, looking at Lin Hexi as he asked, “You want me to wear them every day?”

Lin Hexi lifted his wrist to show the watch, replying confidently, “I wear your watch every day, so of course you should wear my cufflinks every day.”

You Chong gently stroked the wrist Lin Hexi had raised, staying silent for a moment.

Lin Hexi grasped his hand in return and, noticing that You Chong seemed to take his words seriously, found it amusing. With a hint of nonchalance, he explained, “I was just kidding—”

But You Chong interrupted him, his voice low and clear, as if making a promise to him: “Alright.”

Lin Hexi froze for a moment, and when he came to his senses, he narrowed his beautiful eyes and smiled, “You said it yourself.”