After feeding Qing Ye, Xing Wu tucked in the corners of her quilt and said, “You sleep first. I’m going to smoke a cigarette.”

He dimmed the room’s light and went to turn off the bathroom light in the hallway, but stepped on something. Picking it up, he asked, “What’s this?”

Qing Ye stretched her head to see it was the Kamen Rider charm that must have fallen from her pocket. She told Xing Wu, “I picked it up at the fire scene. I haven’t seen it with Liu Nian or Yan Yan, and it couldn’t belong to your mother’s mahjong friends. The firefighters wouldn’t carry this while putting out fires either.”

Xing Wu held it up to examine it closely – indeed, it was an ugly charm. He placed it on the bedside table and casually remarked, “Maybe some guest left it.”

He walked toward the window, but Qing Ye called out to his retreating figure: “There haven’t been any guests since the day before yesterday. We cleaned everywhere inside and out but never saw this thing. Besides, I feel like I’ve seen it before, but not on Xuan Island.”

Xing Wu turned to look at her, gradually furrowing his brow. Perhaps it was because the room was too dark, but the light in his eyes seemed unfathomably deep. After a long while, he said to her, “Go to sleep.”

Qing Ye watched him sit by the window, leaning forward to push open the small window slightly. She didn’t understand why the windows in both homes and hotels here were so small, making it feel oppressive like a prison.

She closed her eyes, thinking that in the future, she wanted to live with Xing Wu in a home with floor-to-ceiling windows, the kind where you could gaze into the distance. She didn’t want to be confined by these tiny windows anymore, never again.

But although her eyes were closed, she felt no sleepiness. After barely ten seconds without seeing Xing Wu, she opened them again. She didn’t know if she was obsessed, but she just didn’t want to take her eyes off him.

With the lights off, his earlier smile had vanished into the darkness. His long fingers held a cigarette as he gazed at the unchanging streets of Four Lane Alley. Wisps of cold wind slipped through the window gaps. The temperature outside was below zero, and Qing Ye could feel the chill even under the covers, yet Xing Wu, bare-chested, seemed completely unaware. The smoke from his fingers drifted out the window before disappearing, his profile hidden in darkness, only the ember between his fingers flickering bright and dim.

Qing Ye suddenly remembered that if Xing Guodong wasn’t Xing Wu’s biological father, then his grandmother wouldn’t be his biological grandmother either, making this debt of gratitude seem even heavier. Perhaps this was why Xing Wu refused to abandon his grandmother no matter what. In this world, there was never luck without reason – there were only people who treated you sincerely without expecting anything in return during certain periods of life.

Qing Ye spoke very softly: “We’ll have it.”

Xing Wu slowly turned his head to look at her. She gazed at him with determined eyes: “Although we have nothing now, it’s okay. Everything we should have will come in the future.”

Xing Wu finally extinguished his unfinished cigarette, closed the window, and walked over. He lifted the quilt corner and got into bed, holding Qing Ye tightly in his arms while kissing her hair: “I won’t let you live a hard life forever.”

Qing Ye’s eyes suddenly grew moist: “You’ll make me lose my fighting spirit this way. Xing Wu, what will you do when I leave? I don’t want to be apart from you.”

This was the first time Qing Ye had wavered for his sake. She even started imagining how difficult life would become without Xing Wu – how would she spend four years alone in a country without him?

Now she felt even one day would be difficult.

Xing Wu lowered his head to lift her chin, gazing into her glistening eyes: “If one of us must be selfish, I hope it’s you. There’s no room for discussion.”

Qing Ye understood Xing Wu’s words. If she stayed, the selfish one would be Xing Wu; if she left him, the selfish one would be her. Either way, one of them had to make a selfish choice. Xing Wu saying there was no room for discussion directly cut off her budding hesitation.

Qing Ye’s heart was filled with mixed emotions. She suddenly turned to lie on his chest and said, “Things at home are already like this. I don’t want you to worry about paying for my studies. Do you think I can watch you under so much pressure?”

Xing Wu directly wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her up to his eyes, the corners of his mouth curling into a faint smile: “You’ve given yourself to me – what wouldn’t be worth it?”

Qing Ye completely melted against him, unable to move, not only because of his tender words but also because his warm hands were slowly moving upward, causing waves of trembling.

Having just experienced intimacy, her body was extremely sensitive. The slightest touch made her whole body feel like it was crawling with ants, soft and tingly. Pressed tightly against Xing Wu, she could feel his changes. He bit her ear, his voice bewitching: “You’re full, but I’m not.”

Qing Ye had completely buried her face in the crook of his neck, her whole body burning hot as she whispered like a mosquito: “Isn’t there another pack of instant noodles?”

“Mm… not as tasty as you.”

With that, he flipped her over and possessed her from behind. This time, Xing Wu was much gentler. He constantly observed Qing Ye’s reactions, like teasing a shy kitten, alternating between fast and slow, turning her this way and that.

Qing Ye had never done such embarrassing things with a man before. She still couldn’t accept such intimate behavior between them, so during the process, she didn’t dare look at Xing Wu’s burning gaze. But as they say, the body is honest – she even wondered if Xing Wu had taken some kind of drug. He went on for so long, causing her previously innocent body to experience strange sensations.

She didn’t know what this feeling was, having never experienced it in her life before. It was as if her soul was about to be jolted out of her body, constantly rising upward, everything becoming dreamlike. When a soft sound squeezed out from deep in her throat, Qing Ye was startled and quickly covered her mouth with her hands.

Xing Wu smiled and removed her hands, leaning down to say, “Don’t hold back. I like your voice.”

Qing Ye didn’t understand what he meant. Like her voice? Did he want her to sing?

But with her hands removed and facing each other like this, she was truly too embarrassed to make those strange sounds again, so she could only bite her lip tightly and endure these maddening sensations.

Qing Ye wasn’t sure when she fell asleep – perhaps it was almost dawn. She only knew they had been at it for a long time. Perhaps on such a devastating night, they could only comfort each other in this most primitive way, feeling the warmth the other brought.

Inside the room, they held each other tightly, melting each other with their body heat. Outside, crystalline snowflakes began to fall, like night’s dance partner, silently beautifying this seemingly peaceful world, making everything pure and white.

Qing Ye hadn’t been this exhausted in a long time. Her limbs had long lost sensation, weak and sore. She slept for an entire day, and when she opened her eyes again, it was already the next afternoon. Everything from last night seemed like an extremely unreal dream – in the dream, she had passed through hell to reach heaven and experienced worldly suffering and unwavering devotion. All the memories were somewhat hazy.

She propped herself up to sit, and when the quilt slipped from her body, she clearly realized this wasn’t a dream – those chaotic scenes from last night had really happened.

The room still retained Xing Wu’s scent, but he wasn’t there. Qing Ye reached for her phone to call him, but he didn’t answer. She hung up and noticed a bag on the bedside table. Looking inside, she found a set of clean, new clothes and a white down jacket.

Just as she put down her phone, Xing Wu called back. Qing Ye hurriedly answered with a “hello,” but when the sound came from her throat, it had a strange softness. She had just wanted to ask Xing Wu where he was, but unexpectedly, her voice came out with a coquettish quality that startled even herself, making her too embarrassed to make any more sounds.

On the other end, Xing Wu’s tone seemed pleased: “Awake?”

“Mm…” This time Qing Ye deliberately lowered her voice, trying to sound more proper.

“Did you see the clothes? There’s a plastic bag on the table by the window with food and drinks. Have something to eat when you get up. I have some things to take care of at home, but I’ll come see you soon.”

“Okay…” Qing Ye bit her lip, holding the phone without moving.

Xing Wu’s voice carried a hint of indulgence: “You hang up first.”

Qing Ye buried herself in the quilt but didn’t hang up or speak. She brought the phone to her eyes to look – Xing Wu hadn’t hung up either.

She called softly: “Are you still there?”

“Yes.”

Qing Ye hugged the quilt and rolled over in bed, her heart tingling as she asked: “Did you buy the clothes early this morning? How many hours did you sleep?”

“Didn’t sleep.”

Qing Ye recalled the details of last night, feeling like she’d been drugged – Xing Wu hadn’t slept all night and she hadn’t even noticed.

She said to him: “Then see you soon.”

“Mm, go ahead and hang up. I’m listening.” His voice through the receiver fell on her ears, making Qing Ye’s cheeks burn again.

“Then… come back quickly.”

As soon as the words left her mouth, she hurriedly hung up. She wanted to see him quickly, but she didn’t know why she’d spoken her heart’s words – it was quite embarrassing. However, now just hearing his voice made her heart ache with longing.

She slid completely under the covers, but even the quilt was filled with his intoxicating scent. Qing Ye felt she would go crazy if she kept waiting alone in the room, so she simply threw back the covers, put on her clothes, and walked into the bathroom.

She froze as soon as she entered the bathroom. Xing Wu had already washed their dirty clothes from last night and hung them on the drying rack, stirring complex emotions in Qing Ye’s heart.

He said he wouldn’t let her live a hard life forever, but even in their current dire circumstances, he hadn’t let her suffer at all. Although they were now homeless and had nothing, Qing Ye didn’t feel like with Xing Wu was hard. Instead, a sweet feeling was about to overflow from her heart.

After washing up, she completely forgot Xing Wu’s reminder to eat something first. She had never experienced what it meant to be satisfied by love alone, but now, unable to see Xing Wu, she couldn’t even remember that she hadn’t eaten for a day.

However, when Qing Ye stepped out of the hotel and sank into the snow, she was completely stunned. She didn’t know when the heavy snow had fallen last night. The dilapidated street was unrecognizable, covered everywhere in pristine white snow. Everything in sight had transformed into a white world, renewed with the coming of the new year.

Many people from Zhazha Town had returned to their ancestral villages for the New Year. Those who remained stayed indoors playing mahjong, cards, or watching TV. The heavy snow made everyone stay inside, leaving the streets empty and serene.

There were no government organizations here to clear snow, let alone municipal snow plows. So what should have been a ten-minute walk took Qing Ye much longer. She trudged through deep snow that reached her ankles, with cold snow even getting into her leather boots. Yet she didn’t feel cold at all. Instead, the closer she got to Xuan Island, the more her blood seemed to boil, as if tiny sprites lived in her body, constantly tickling her heart, and urging her to walk faster.

Especially when she saw the faded tricolor light pole, she suddenly got excited and started running, not expecting to slip and fall. Yellow Hair, standing by the street, saw her and shouted, “Holy shit! Qing Ye?”

He hurried over to help her up, asking, “Why are you running?”

“…” How could Qing Ye say it was because she wanted to see Xing Wu quickly? Could she say she missed him? Missed him terribly, even though it had only been a few hours? Yellow Hair would probably think she’d lost her mind.

She could only casually dust off the snow and reply nonchalantly: “Exercising.”

“…”

“Where’s Xing Wu?”

Yellow Hair said: “Inside, but you’d better not go in.”

The more he spoke like this, the more determined Qing Ye was to enter. But as soon as she stepped into Xuan Island, she froze. Fat Tiger, Big Black, Flower Arm, and Dog Tooth were all standing in the ruins, each with a grim expression.

Qing Ye rushed straight to the backyard, but before leaving the ruins, she heard Xing Wu’s harsh voice: “Why don’t you just come back to collect our corpses?”

“Pah! What kind of talk is that during New Year!”

Just as Qing Ye reached the backyard, she heard Li Lanfang’s voice. Her steps came to an abrupt halt, finally understanding why everyone outside looked troubled. That man who came and went like the wind, Xing Guodong, had finally returned home – or rather, he had returned but was now homeless.

In the distance, Aunt Zhao and the Wu family were peering out their windows. Li Lanfang, having been dominant in Zhazha Town for so many years, couldn’t bear being laughed at during New Year. She walked over and grabbed Xing Wu’s arm, saying, “Wu Zi, can you not be like this?”

Veins bulged on Xing Wu’s forehead as he yanked his arm away and retorted: “Then how do you want me to be? What the hell do you plan to do? Running a barber shop for so many years – where’s the money? And you, always bragging about doing business outside, what kind of business can’t even produce a thousand yuan? This family wouldn’t be in this state if it weren’t for you!”

Xing Guodong, trembling with anger, stepped forward and punched Xing Wu. Qing Ye watched in disbelief, her hands and feet turning cold.

Xing Wu wickedly wiped his mouth corner and grabbed Xing Guodong by the collar.

Li Lanfang instantly broke down, crying and shouting for Xing Wu to let go. Xing Guodong hadn’t expected Xing Wu to fight back, and glared at him fiercely: “A son hitting his father? Have you lost your mind?”

Xing Wu’s expression was terrifyingly dark, his gaze piercing as he stared at him, his voice low and sarcastic: “Are you really my father?”

Li Lanfang suddenly staggered, and Xing Guodong’s arrogant expression immediately turned panicked. Qing Ye watched as the family’s most shameful lie was forcefully exposed, leaving everyone’s hearts bleeding!

Without hesitation, she ran over and hugged Xing Wu from behind, repeatedly calling out: “Xing Wu, let’s go, let’s leave right now, okay?”

She felt no sympathy for Xing Guodong – she even wished he would get beaten. But she clearly understood that after Xing Wu beat Xing Guodong, Li Lanfang, and Grandmother inside would be heartbroken. No one wanted to see their family fall apart on New Year’s Day. Their pain would only make Xing Wu suffer more, so she had to stop this from happening.

Xing Wu’s near-manic impulse finally subsided at Qing Ye’s voice, as if she was the only one in this world who could save him from the abyss of losing control.

He released Xing Guodong and turned to look at her. Qing Ye frowned deeply with worry and repeated: “Come with me.”

Xing Wu finally regained his senses and said to her: “Wait for me outside, I’ll be right out.”

When Qing Ye returned to the original back door, she saw Xing Wu ignore Xing Guodong and instead walk to the other side to throw a large bag of vegetables into the kitchen.

Walking through the ruins, she saw Dog Tooth and the others squatting by the street outside Xuan Island. Qing Ye suddenly felt moved, perhaps because too many things had happened these past two days, making her somewhat sentimental today.

At least Xing Wu still had these brothers who would abandon their family reunions to come to support him in times of trouble, who instinctively gave him space in his moments of humiliation.

Qing Ye silently went over to squat beside them, extending her finger to draw in the clean snow, unconsciously writing “Xing Wu’s” name.

Fat Tiger handed her his snowball to play with. She took it, weighed it in her hand, and then threw it across the street where it disappeared into another pile of snow. She then held out her hand to Fat Tiger, who made her another one to throw.

Soon after, Xing Wu came out. Big Black stood up and put an arm around his shoulders, saying: “All done? If so, let’s all go to my place, the food’s ready.”

Xing Wu said nothing, just patting his back twice. Between brothers, no more words were needed – everything was conveyed in that gesture.

His peripheral vision caught sight of his name in the snow below. These two characters he’d written for so many years but never got right, yet he’d never seen anyone but Qing Ye write his name so beautifully, like calligraphy.

A gentle light appeared in his eyes as he looked past several people to find Qing Ye standing in the back. When their eyes met, they both seemed to recall last night’s indescribable scenes, feeling somewhat… awkward.

Qing Ye lowered her head nervously, her shoes scuffing the snow beneath. She finally understood why shameful things had to be done at night – they were truly unbearable in daylight.

The group trudged through the snow toward Big Black’s house. Xing Wu walked in front, asking Big Black: “What else do we need? I’ll go buy it.”

“Buy what? I’ve got plenty stocked up, enough to feed you from New Year’s Eve to the fifteenth day of the first month.”

Xing Wu patted his shoulder and looked back at Qing Ye. She was walking last, hands in her down jacket pockets, neck tucked in. Xing Wu fell back a few steps to walk beside her and asked, “Are you okay?”

Fat Tiger nearby didn’t notice anything unusual about this question, but Qing Ye knew what Xing Wu was asking.

She bit her lip and glanced at him without answering, her cheeks tinged with pink, rosy against the white snow.

Unexpectedly, Yellow Hair chimed in: “Okay what? She fell earlier. Brother Wu, you should lecture her – can’t run on snowy days.”

Qing Ye immediately stepped on Yellow Hair’s foot. He yelped, “Why’d you step on me?”

Qing Ye glared at him. Xing Wu immediately asked, “Where did you fall?”

She answered curtly: “Nowhere.”

“Then why were you running?”

Qing Ye looked at him flusteredly, her eyes bright as if covered with mist. Xing Wu’s lips finally curved into a smile: “I know why.”