This was the coldest winter that Lu Nian had ever experienced.

Ancheng, located south of the Qinling Mountains and the Huai River, belonged to the broad category of the southern region.

However, due to its latitude not being low enough for tropical areas, especially during snowy winters, it could become extremely cold.

Lu Nian spent her winter break alone at home.

She remembered what Zhao Yayuan had said to her when she picked up her report card a few days ago, but she hadn’t taken the initiative to talk to Lu Zhihong about it.

After the incident at the studio some time ago, the relationship between the father and daughter in the Lu family became quite strained.

After recovering from her illness, Lu Nian resumed her daily routine of going to school.

Lu Zhihong was busy with end-of-year work at the company and often wasn’t home.

Naturally, Lu Nian didn’t bring up this matter to him again.

She kept an eye out. If Zhao Yayuan couldn’t even handle this matter, she didn’t think he would have the sincerity or ability to reveal the truth about Nanqiao to her.

Just a few days into the winter break, Lu Zhihong called her to the living room.

Lu Nian sat across from him and waited.

A servant brought tea, and Lu Zhihong got straight to the point, “Nian Nian, do you have any contact with the young master of the Zhao family?”

Lu Nian lowered her gaze, “He’s a classmate from the adjacent class, so we’re somewhat acquainted.”

Lu Zhihong smiled, “He came to the company in person to find me, saying he hopes you can come to tutor him at his house.”

Lu Nian’s tone was indifferent, “I’ve been busy with my studies recently, and I haven’t finished digesting the content from my previous tutoring sessions… Dad, do you want me to go?”

Lu Zhihong looked at his daughter and said slowly, “Your health isn’t good. Occasionally going out to see people and get some fresh air is also good. Besides, some necessary socializing is needed. You’re already this old; you can’t behave like before. Go this time, help teach Yayuan, and by the way, give his parents my regards.”

Lu Nian remained silent, nodding, “I understand.”

“Have you set a time?”

Lu Nian shook her head.

“Then let’s start tomorrow,” Lu Zhihong said, “It’ll be too late if we wait until the New Year.”

And so, the matter was settled.

Lu Zhihong was very efficient.

The next morning, the Lu family’s car dropped her off at the entrance of the Zhao residence.

Lu Nian put down her backpack, feeling a bit warm.

She took off her scarf and hat because of the rising indoor temperature, and her cheeks showed a rare rosy color.

She calmly nodded, “I’ll be back home for dinner by five.”

It meant it didn’t matter if anyone else was there or not.

A hint of inexplicable meaning lifted the corner of the boy’s lips. “So, it’s just the two of us in this room now.”

Lu Nian sat on the other side of the desk, took out her math book from her backpack, and sat up straight. “Where should we start?”

Zhao Yayuan murmured almost grumpily, “You’re so boring.”

The Zhao family had a spacious study, but Zhao Yayuan said the floor heating in the study was broken.

Lu Nian took a look and indeed found it icy cold inside, making it impossible to stay.

So, they had to temporarily move the location to Zhao Yayuan’s room.

As Lu Nian explained the math problems, Zhao Yayuan seemed to be listening, yet also seemed not to be.

The boy’s cat-like eyes were very bright. “Aren’t you going to ask me about what I promised you?”

Lu Nian didn’t raise her eyes. “You promised to explain once I helped you finish your tutoring. You’ll naturally speak then.”

The boy lazily stretched out his long legs, slightly pursing his lips. “Aren’t you afraid I’ll break my promise?”

Lu Nian didn’t answer, continuing to explain the math problems.

“Did you spray perfume today? What scent is it?” Suddenly, Zhao Yayuan lightly sniffed the air, as if he sensed something amiss, “It smells nice.”

Lu Nian backed away a bit.

She rarely got so close to the opposite sex.

After all, when she was at home, the only males around her were Lu Zhihong and Lu Yang, and Lu Nian was definitely not willing to get too close to them.

However, the boy’s gaze was very pure, without any bad intentions.

He seemed genuinely just sniffing, like a cat or a puppy acting on instinct.

“I washed my hair last night.” Lu Nian said, “It’s probably the shampoo. Focus on the problems.”

The boy boredly leaned back on his chair.

They hadn’t studied for long before he claimed to be tired and needed a break.

Lu Nian replied, “Finish this problem first.”

Zhao Yayuan said, “I want a cold Coke from the fridge. You go get it.”

Lu Nian, accustomed to this from a young age, reminded him reflexively, “It’s winter now. Drinking something so cold isn’t good for your stomach.”

Zhao Yayuan’s health wasn’t good to begin with.

Throwing down his pen, Zhao Yayuan leaned back in his chair, propping his long legs on the table footrest lazily. “Are you my mom?”

Lu Nian fetched a can of Coke from the fridge and placed it heavily on his desk.

While Zhao Yayuan was working on the problems, Lu Nian, feeling a bit tired from talking too much, didn’t want to sit anymore.

She stood up and looked around his room.

Zhao Yayuan’s room was somewhat messy, with various things that boys liked piled together.

Despite the room being extremely spacious, it still looked a bit crowded due to the abundance of items.

Her eyes were drawn to a photo hanging on the wall.

It was an old photo, well-framed, but still showing signs of age.

“Is this you?” Lu Nian stared at the photo and asked Zhao Yayuan.

The little boy in the photo, dressed in white, seemed to be under ten years old, with very delicate features.

Although she felt a strange sense of familiarity, upon closer inspection, she couldn’t see much resemblance to Zhao Yayuan.

However, considering the age difference and the significant changes that can occur in appearance as one grows older, Lu Nian couldn’t be sure.

But the gentle and peaceful aura between the boy’s eyebrows, as bright as the moon, made Lu Nian find it hard to believe that this was Zhao Yayuan in his childhood.

Originally, Zhao Yayuan hadn’t paid much attention, absentmindedly twirling the pen in his hand.

At this moment, when he noticed her staring at the photo, a flicker of something seemed to flash across his expression.

He raised an eyebrow. “Can’t tell?”

Lu Nian shook her head.

Zhao Yayuan said, “Then just consider it’s me.”

Lu Nian frowned.

What did it mean to consider it was him?

A thought flashed through her mind like lightning, but before she could carefully consider it or take another look at the photo, Zhao Yayuan suddenly stood up, took down the photo, and placed it in a nearby box. “He was a good friend of mine before. After I moved, I kept this photo as a memento.”

He asked Lu Nian, “How do you do this one?”

Lu Nian pursed her lips. “Just apply the formula, and I just explained it to you.”

Zhao Yayuan said, “Forgot.”

Lu Nian flipped through her shorthand notebook and threw it to him.

“Are you angry?” Zhao Yayuan said, “You’re like a student I can’t teach.”

Lu Nian shook her head and didn’t say anything more.

The first day of tutoring passed in such a plain and ordinary manner.

She didn’t need to go to Zhao’s house every day.

Zhao Yayuan said he was free throughout the winter vacation, so she could choose a convenient time.

After she was done with all the tutoring, he would talk to her about Nanqiao.

Lu Nian didn’t believe his words.

Sometimes, transactions between people were nothing more than exchanging chips.

And the initiative of this matter was in Zhao Yayuan’s hands.

She didn’t know anything, nor did she have any chips to bind him to his word. She could only rely on Zhao Yayuan’s conscience.

But, to be honest, she would rather stay at Zhao’s house than at the Lu’s, spending time like this every day.

At least, she could temporarily escape from Lu Yang and Lu Zhihong.

When the New Year arrived, it snowed heavily, blocking the roads outside the city.

Traffic was congested, and the snow seemed to have sealed off the entire city.

Flights were grounded, and public transportation was almost at a standstill.

“Looks like the Shixins won’t be able to make it this year,” Lu Zhihong said. “We’ll have to wait until Lantern Festival to reunite. Let’s have a cozy New Year celebration at home this year.”

“Invite the Yangs over,” Lu Zhihong instructed Xu Ru Hai. “We still need some festivity during the New Year.”

Xu Ru Hai naturally complied.

The New Year arrived like this. On New Year’s Eve, the heavy snow turned into light snow, and the Lu residence was still brightly lit.

A sumptuous feast was prepared, but unfortunately, the protagonist Lu Zhihong had to be absent.

An unexpected emergency occurred in the company.

One of the senior executives of the Lu Group was caught embezzling funds, and after being threatened by his subordinates for reporting the misuse of public funds, he directly killed someone and fled.

This New Year’s Eve incident was widespread, and Lu Zhihong had to personally go to the company to deal with it.

The clock struck ten, and the banquet was in full swing.

Lu Nian made an excuse of feeling unwell and returned to her room early.

Lu Yang hurriedly caught up, “Nian Nian, where do you feel uncomfortable?”

Shaking her head, Lu Nian replied, “My stomach hurts.”

“Is it serious? I’ll call the doctor right away,” Lu Yang said with concern.

Lu Nian stopped him, her face pale and her waist slender. “Brother, it’s unnecessary. I just want to lie down in my room for a while. It’s not that serious.”

Being called “brother” by her made Lu Yang feel a bit light-headed. “…Okay, Nian Nian, rest well. I won’t bother you anymore.”

Lu Nian nodded and returned to her room.

Lu Yang instructed Miao Miao, “Take care of Nian Nian. If anything’s wrong, tell me immediately.”

He couldn’t afford any mishaps.

He knew how much Lu Zhihong valued Lu Nian now.

Miao Miao nodded busily.

Zhang Qiuping was busy outside, with people coming and going in the corridor incessantly.

“Don’t come to me,” Lu Nian said to Miao Miao after Lu Yang left. “I want to sleep, and I don’t want anyone to come in.”

Lu Nian rarely spoke to them in such a tone. Miao Miao was taken aback but still replied, “Okay.”

Lu Nian changed out of her cumbersome evening gown and put on her nightgown, burying herself in the soft blankets.

Throughout the night, she felt restless, thinking about the message Qin Si sent her after their last encounter.

He owed her a New Year’s Eve dinner.

If she wanted to go, she could find him.

After that day, she and Qin Si never met again.

Although they were in the same school, they were in different grades. Lu Nian deliberately avoided him, and Qin Si would never take the initiative to find her.

As a result, despite being in the same campus, they had never encountered each other again.

Lu Nian hesitated for a long time before finally sending him a message, “Qin Si, are you going to keep your promise from last time?”

After about ten minutes passed, just when Lu Nian thought she wouldn’t receive a reply, his response came, “Now?”

Thankfully, he didn’t ask what she was talking about.

“Yeah,” Lu Nian replied.

She sniffled, typing out each word slowly, “But I can’t come out now. There are many people at home… my dad and them won’t agree.”

“Do you want to come?” he asked.

“Yes.”

Not long after, he sent another message, “Change your clothes.”

Followed by an immediate addition, “Wear something more convenient.”

Lu Nian glanced at her attire.

Hastily removing her nightgown, her skin was as fair as jade, her curves extremely graceful.

Her hands trembled, as if anticipating what was about to happen. Her heart beat rapidly, and sweat beaded on her cheeks.

Maintaining this posture, she hurried into her closet.

However, all her thick coats for going out were in the closet outside. If she went to get them, it would definitely alert those people.

She had no choice but to rummage through her room and found a thick skirt.

It was the thickest clothing she could find in her room, long enough but with ample fabric, though the cuffs and hem were overly large.

She quickly tied her hair into a messy bun and grabbed a pair of new shoes from the closet.

The phone that was tossed on the bed suddenly lit up.

She hurried over and picked it up to check.

It was a text from Qin Si, just two words, “Hurry up.”

A sense of realization seemed to dawn on her. She ran to her balcony and opened the window.

The shadows of the trees stirred, revealing the familiar face of the young man. In the faint light, for some unknown reason, he appeared particularly cold and handsome.

He said, “Come over.”

She stood there dumbfounded, feeling as if she had already been enchanted by those eyes.

Lu Nian had always been a well-behaved girl in both her lives.

This was the first time she had done something like this.

She remembered when she was young, she had insisted on Qin Si teaching her how to climb trees, but the young boy had never agreed.

No matter how she begged, it was futile.

Now, as Lu Nian climbed onto the tree branches from her balcony, she finally understood Qin Si’s hardships back then.

Despite being only less than two stories high, she still trembled, reaching out her hand to him.

When her hand touched the boy’s skin, warmth spread through her.

Her small hand was held by his slender hand, which was slightly larger, and warmth and strength were conveyed vividly.

Suddenly, she wasn’t so afraid anymore.

With a slight exertion from Qin Si, Lu Nian’s body lightened, and before she knew it, she was sitting on a tree branch herself.

Qin Si quickly jumped down, his movements clean and agile.

He tilted his face up slightly, and the black of his eyes was set against the shadows of the trees. “Jump.”

Clutching the tree trunk, trembling, with the violin music from the Lu residence behind her, Lu Nian closed her eyes, gritted her teeth, and jumped straight down.

The wind whistled in her ears, and her screams were stuck in her throat.

Qin Si caught her.

The young man’s arm was warm and powerful.

It felt like being cradled by stars.

Lu Nian, still trembling with fear, longed for the safety and warmth in his arms.

She almost didn’t want to leave, wanting to snuggle up in his embrace and stay there.

Qin Si had already put her down and said lightly, “Let’s go.”

He pursed his lips, glanced at her attire, but didn’t say anything.

Instead, he took off his own coat and tossed it to her.

Lu Nian obediently wrapped it around herself, following behind him in the darkness, stumbling along.

In her mind, there was a taut string, and the girl in the oversized white skirt, wrapped in the ill-fitting male coat, her hair scattered, fluttering behind her in the wind.