Xi Tang returned from the balcony.
Zhao Pingjin propped himself up from the sofa. Sitting up, he said: “Go change your clothes, dress warmer.”
Xi Tang’s fingers were frozen stiff. She held them to her mouth, blowing warm air on them, and asked, puzzled: “What for?”
Zhao Pingjin answered lazily: “I’ll take you out to see the lights.”
Xi Tang didn’t quite agree: “It’s too cold outside, and there’s snow accumulation. Your body can’t handle it.”
Zhao Pingjin gave her a look. His spirits had recovered. He righteously replied: “You can go look by yourself, I’ll sit in the car.”
Xi Tang muttered: “What kind of person are you?”
Zhao Pingjin asked again impatiently: “Do you want to go or not?”
Xi Tang looked at him, feeling somewhat expectant inside: “Are you still in pain?”
Zhao Pingjin had already seen through her little thoughts. He sat up and bent down to look for his slippers on the carpet: “If I were still in pain, would I take you out? My life is much more precious than yours.”
Xi Tang stood hesitating for a few seconds.
Zhao Pingjin directly lay back on the sofa: “Forget it then.”
Xi Tang immediately became anxious. She pounced over and lay beside him: “Let’s go.”
Zhao Pingjin turned his face away, ignoring her.
Xi Tang reached out to tickle him.
Zhao Pingjin grabbed her hand and pinched her face, with a slight smile at the corners of his mouth: “Go get my clothes from the room.”
Xi Tang happily ran back to the closet in the bedroom.
Xi Tang helped him change his shirt. As Zhao Pingjin extended his arms for each piece of clothing, he complained about her: “Outside, it’s all crowded with people. I don’t know what goes on in you women’s heads.”
Xi Tang, who was picking up a sweater beside her, heard this and directly pulled it over his head, then took the two sleeves and tied them in a knot, tightly constricting his neck.
Zhao Pingjin let out a cry, stuck his head out from the sweater, and shouted: “Wife murder!”
Xi Tang’s expression froze for a moment, and she loosened her grip in a daze.
Zhao Pingjin’s smile also paused.
Xi Tang immediately came to her senses and made a face at him as if nothing had happened, then turned and slipped back into the bedroom.
Zhao Pingjin finished dressing himself, went into the study for a turn, and came out to see Huang Xi Tang already waiting by the door with her bag packed and shoes on.
Seeing him emerge, she looked up at him eagerly with her small face.
If they had a daughter together, as adorable as her, with small chubby hands and feet, carrying a little backpack and looking up with her plump little face every day, waiting for him to take her to school… Zhao Pingjin felt a sudden shock in his heart.
Then the blood in his heart gradually cooled.
Xi Tang, however, was completely unaware and simply said: “We’ll come back in a little while.”
Zhao Pingjin glanced at her: “Your hand injury isn’t healed yet. If you get tired walking later, I’ll end up carrying your bag anyway. Don’t bring it.”
Xi Tang said: “Then what about my phone and wallet?”
Zhao Pingjin said while putting on his coat: “You don’t need to bring your wallet. Put your phone in my pocket.”
Xi Tang was happy to travel light and directly took his arm as they went out.
On Christmas Eve in the Guomao district, lights flickered, and Christmas and New Year decorations created a dazzling display. The crystal-clear curtain walls of buildings glittered. Each large tree was dressed in new attire. The reindeer’s sleigh was filled with colorful gifts. The entire world resembled a vibrant, luminous castle.
Zhao Pingjin held Xi Tang’s hand as they walked through the crowd, along the bustling streets to Blue Harbor. The fluorescent colored lights on the street steps, the young men and women crowding the roadside—she hadn’t been in Beijing for many years, even away from the bustling world. She hadn’t seen such a grand spectacle in a long time.
The crowd was dense, and the night growing colder. Zhao Pingjin wrapped her inside his coat.
The night deepened. Fine snowflakes drifted from the sky. Even Xi Tang began to feel her toes getting cold. Usually, on snowy days, Zhao Pingjin would travel by car and probably had never experienced such cold. She pulled Zhao Pingjin into a roadside coffee shop.
Zhao Pingjin’s face was a bit pale but otherwise fine. He still managed to give her a leisurely glance: “Happy now?”
Xi Tang’s small face was flushed from the cold, yet she kept smiling foolishly in a state of contentment, nodding at him with satisfaction.
Seeing that Zhao Pingjin was about to pour cold water into her mood, Xi Tang quickly said: “Don’t be so stingy. I just wanted to walk among people for a while. If I become famous in the future, you won’t have this chance anymore.”
Zhao Pingjin looked into her eyes. At that moment, both of their gazes avoided each other. Perhaps they both remembered that regardless of whether she became famous or not, they wouldn’t have the opportunity to walk among crowds again anyway.
After looking at the lights for more than an hour, they returned home around midnight.
Zhao Pingjin opened the door and was stunned.
The living room lights were on.
Someone was inside.
Xi Tang had been too happy tonight and lost her alertness at that moment. Seeing Zhao Pingjin stop at the entrance, she even pushed him from behind.
Zhao Pingjin moved slightly to the side. Xi Tang looked up and finally noticed the lights and shadows inside.
The living room was warmly lit. Mrs. Zhou sat on the sofa. A young girl stood in the living room. Hearing the sound at the door, she turned toward them.
Chestnut-colored short hair, beautifully permed, wearing high heels and a light camel-colored trench coat, her face bore a faint smile.
Xi Tang’s shoulders trembled uncontrollably. She felt the deep winter chill they had brought back with them rushing up. Her first reaction was to instinctively let go of Zhao Pingjin’s hand.
Zhao Pingjin, however, intuitively tightened his grip.
Mrs. Zhou stood up from the sofa, her tone kind and gentle: “Zhou’er, you’re back. Come inside.”
Xi Tang wanted to escape but suddenly couldn’t move her feet.
She heard Mrs. Zhou continue with a smile: “Yingzi was having dinner at home tonight. She heard you had a social engagement and thought to stop by with some late-night snacks.”
Her eyes seemed to completely ignore Huang Xi Tang’s presence.
Yu Xiaoying followed with a gentle call: “Zhouzhou-ge.”
Zhao Pingjin turned back to look at the person behind him. Before he could speak, he saw Xi Tang’s pupils contract slightly, as if she had seen something extremely frightening. She turned to run away.
Zhao Pingjin grabbed her.
He took out his phone and called the driver downstairs, his voice particularly heavy at that moment: “Old Liu, first-floor lobby, take Miss Huang back.”
Before he finished speaking, Xi Tang had already slipped away, escaping through his door.
She ran so fast, almost like fleeing for her life, as if poisonous snakes and fierce beasts were chasing her.
Zhao Pingjin’s mind went blank for a moment. He turned back to follow her into the corridor, but the elevator had already started descending.
She had run too quickly.
Mrs. Zhou stood at the door, looking out and smiling with satisfaction: “Zhou’er, come in. Come inside and warm up.”
Yu Xiaoying walked forward and took his arm: “Let’s go home.”
Hundreds of thoughts flashed through Zhao Pingjin’s mind. He tried desperately to think of a solution that would satisfy both sides. His temples throbbed continuously, but he couldn’t come up with a better solution at the moment. With Yu Xiaoying holding his arm, he had no choice but to numbly step toward the apartment.
The moment the two of them stepped inside.
As the familiar scene of the room entered his view, Zhao Pingjin’s heart suddenly trembled violently. He lifted Yu Xiaoying’s hand off his arm, turned his head, and ran outside. Unexpectedly, he hit his head on the doorframe. He blocked it with his hand, stumbled, and continued to chase after her.
Zhao Pingjin rushed out of the first-floor elevator. His driver, Liu, was waiting at the elevator door. Seeing him, Liu asked in surprise: “Mr. Zhao, where is Miss Huang?”
Zhao Pingjin caught his breath and asked: “You didn’t see her?”
Driver Liu shook his head and answered: “Following your instructions, I came up immediately but didn’t see anyone.”
Zhao Pingjin immediately turned and ran out, rushing through the first-floor lobby of Park Hyatt. Outside, the snow was falling heavier. The pedestrians on the late-night streets had become sparse, each wrapped up tightly, wearing masks. He didn’t see Huang Xi Tang.
Zhao Pingjin ran along Hengjing Street, passing two intersections. The burning anxiety in his heart grew more intense, while his chest felt increasingly cold.
Finally, he remembered to go back to the car.
Zhao Pingjin returned to the building. His mother, Mrs. Zhou, was waiting in the Park Hyatt lobby, accompanied by his driver.
Seeing him walk in, the two stood up from the sofa.
Mrs. Zhou called out to him: “Zhou’er.”
In front of his driver, Zhao Pingjin took a deep breath and said in a rigid, controlled voice: “Take her home.”
Mrs. Zhou said: “I just had the driver take her home. I’m waiting here specifically for you.”
Zhao Pingjin nodded and extended his hand to Liu: “Old Liu, give me the car keys.”
Liu handed him the keys.
Zhao Pingjin pressed his lips tightly, revealing a hard, stern jawline. He turned and strode toward the elevator. Mrs. Zhou followed behind him, her face slightly darkening.
In the elevator heading to the underground parking garage, only the two of them remained. Zhao Pingjin, restraining his temper with great effort, said: “Mom, please go back first. We can talk about this tomorrow.”
Mrs. Zhou lowered her voice: “I’m preventing you from doing something stupid.”
Zhao Pingjin stepped out of the elevator and immediately pressed the key fob, and his car’s lights flashed in the distance. He didn’t slow his pace at all, walking and pleading: “Mom, I beg you, will you please go back first?”
He opened the driver’s door, turned on the lights, and prepared to reverse.
Mrs. Zhou, holding her purse, stood proudly behind his car, motionless.
The driving system began to check the vehicle. Zhao Pingjin glanced at the screen in front of the car; it was almost one o’clock in the morning.
With her standing there, Zhao Pingjin couldn’t back up. He leaned out and said: “Let Liu drive you home. This is my own business.”
Mrs. Zhou’s face showed disappointment at his intractability: “Zhou’er, you’re making one mistake after another.”
Zhao Pingjin’s last bit of patience was nearly exhausted. He frowned tightly and couldn’t help raising his voice: “Can you stop interfering in my affairs?”
Mrs. Zhou’s anger surged: “I am your mother. Do you want to break your mother’s heart again and again?”
Zhao Pingjin said irritably: “I said, move.”
Mrs. Zhou didn’t budge.
Zhao Pingjin sat rigidly in the driver’s seat, suddenly released the handbrake, shifted gears, and stared unblinkingly at the pitch-black wall opposite. At that moment, Zhao Pingjin felt his entire body trembling. He wanted to rush out, to call out loudly for her, to find her quickly, to grab Huang Xi Tang’s hand. But before him, at his feet, in his hands and body, dense nets and traps were binding him, constraining him, forcing him unable to move. He stared straight at the pitch-black wall opposite, one hand on the steering wheel, one foot on the accelerator. Facing his mother outside the car window, breathing rapidly, his face distorted, with only a mass of oppressive despair in his eyes: “If I step on the gas and crash to death, would that make everyone happy?”
Mrs. Zhou’s heart trembled. She knew her son—for that female celebrity, he was truly capable of anything.
Mrs. Zhou moved two steps aside, clearing the way.
Zhao Pingjin stepped on the accelerator to reverse the car. Once the car backed out, he started accelerating in the parking garage. Zhao Pingjin’s black car turned around the curved bend of the garage without slowing down at all. The car door scraped against the wall, making a sharp, piercing sound. In an instant, sparks flew, and he drove out to the surface like a madman.