As the year drew to a close, the festive atmosphere in Pingchuan City grew stronger.
Along with the bustling New Year spirit came the final exam results.
At eight in the morning, Jiang Yan, as class monitor, dropped a bombshell in the class group chat—the school-wide final exam rankings.
Zhou Wan opened it.
First place, Jiang Yan, 704 points.
Second place, Zhou Wan, 702 points.
Once again, they were the only two in the school to break the 700-point barrier.
Zhou Wan continued scrolling down, carefully examining each entry, when suddenly her finger paused, her gaze falling on one particular line, and her lips curved into a smile.
380th place, Lu Xixiao.
Out of 500 students in the second-year science track, he had improved by over a hundred places.
Zhou Wan immediately took a screenshot of that score entry and sent it to Lu Xixiao.
He didn’t reply until the afternoon, with a voice message.
His voice was still hoarse, probably having just woken up, carrying a hint of a smile: “Teacher Zhou taught well.”
From the first day of winter break until just before the New Year, Zhou Wan spent almost every day in the library. After quickly finishing her winter break homework, she immersed herself in preparing for the approaching physics competition. Jiang Yan occasionally came to the library too, and they would study together.
When Lu Xixiao had nothing to do, he would wait for her outside the library in the evening and they would have dinner together afterward.
Because of this, Jiang Yan and Lu Xixiao had met several times. Though Jiang Yan disliked it, he had no right to say anything to Zhou Wan, while Lu Xixiao completely ignored Jiang Yan.
New Year’s Eve.
Grandmother went to the market early, buying some window decorations and fun characters.
That day, Zhou Wan didn’t go to the library. She helped Grandmother clean up, paste window decorations, and hang fu characters. The house was transformed, bright red everywhere, looking vibrant and energetic.
In the evening, they had a hotpot at home.
Outside, neighbors were setting off firecrackers and fireworks with their children. It was extremely lively, with the sky constantly lit up by brilliant colors that reflected through the windows onto everyone’s faces.
Grandmother was in a good mood today and had some warm rice wine, which was rare for her.
Zhou Wan clinked glasses with Grandmother and said with a smile, “Grandmother, I wish you good health and a long life in the new year.”
Grandmother smiled in response: “Then Grandmother hopes our Wan Wan will be healthy and happy. You’ve been working so hard preparing for the competition lately. I also wish our Wan Wan will achieve good results in the competition.”
“I definitely will.” Zhou Wan rested her chin on her hand, her eyes filled with deep joy, bright and sparkling. “Grandmother, you’ve never been to B City, right?”
“How would Grandmother ever have had that chance?”
“If I get first prize in the competition, I can get direct admission to the university in B City. Then I’ll take you there by plane,” Zhou Wan looked outside and said, “I heard that city is especially big, with people everywhere and skyscrapers all around.”
“That would be wonderful. Then Grandmother will wait for Wan Wan to take me there.”
After dinner, Grandmother watched some TV. The rice wine made her drowsy, and after a while, she couldn’t stay awake any longer. She went to bed without staying up until midnight.
Zhou Wan also returned to her bedroom.
She didn’t turn on the lights; the glow of fireworks was enough illumination.
She quietly watched the scene outside.
The bustling outside made it seem as if they were in two different worlds.
After a while, Zhou Wan took out her phone.
[Zhou Wan: Lu Xixiao, Happy New Year.]
[6: Happy New Year.]
[Zhou Wan: What are you doing?]
[6: Nothing much.]
Zhou Wan paused: [Weren’t you supposed to be home?]
She had asked Lu Xixiao before about his New Year’s Eve plans.
He said everyone would return to the old mansion every year to spend New Year with Old Master Lu.
[6: Left.]
[6: Fought with my dad.]
[Zhou Wan: Where are you now?]
He didn’t answer this question, only asking: [Can I call?]
Zhou Wan went to close her bedroom door and replied: [Yes.]
Soon, a call came through.
When she answered, she could hear wind and mixed firecracker sounds from his end; he was indeed outside. Zhou Wan secretly breathed a sigh of relief. On a day like this, she didn’t want Lu Xixiao to be alone—being with his friends was better than being lonely.
“What are you doing?” His voice was hoarse.
“Nothing, just sitting here.” Zhou Wan frowned slightly. “Do you have a cold?”
“It’s fine.” Lu Xixiao said, “Watching TV with your grandmother?”
“No, Grandmother’s already asleep. I’m sitting here alone, lots of people are setting off firecrackers outside the complex, I’m watching them.”
Lu Xixiao was quiet for a few seconds, then softly said: “Zhou Wan.”
“Mm?”
“Want to see snow?”
Zhou Wan was taken aback: “I checked the weather forecast, there won’t be snow for the next seven days.”
He chuckled lightly: “Want to see snow?”
“…Yes.”
The moment she said this word, Zhou Wan’s heart suddenly began racing.
She suddenly remembered what Lu Xixiao had said to her long ago—
“Wonder if it will snow this year.”
“It won’t, it’s a warm winter.” “You like snow?”
“Mm, don’t you?”
“Too noisy.”
“I think it’s clean.”
“Then let’s go see snow at the end of the year.”
“But you said there won’t be snow this year.”
Then, Lu Xixiao glanced at her, the youth’s expression full of the boldness and abandon unique to his age, and he said: “If I say I can let you see it, then naturally you’ll see it.”
On the other end of the phone, Lu Xixiao laughed softly.
At the same time, Zhou Wan finally clearly heard the background noise on his end—the sound of firecrackers popping, gradually matching with those on her side, accompanied by her increasingly pounding heartbeat.
Zhou Wan’s heart skipped a beat as she got up and leaned against the window.
She saw that not far away, behind all the festive scenes, Lu Xixiao sat alone under a tree, a crimson glow at his fingertips, looking completely out of place with the whole world.
Yet he was getting closer and closer to Zhou Wan’s world, merging with it.
Even at this moment, Zhou Wan found it hard to believe.
She even wondered if her eyes were playing tricks on her, making her see Lu Xixiao.
“Lu Xixiao, where are you?” Her voice trembled with her breathing.
He still didn’t answer but seemed to guess that Zhou Wan had already seen him.
The youth’s voice was magnetic and deep, detached and distant from all the surrounding festivities. The world was reduced to just the two of them, and his words were meant only for her ears.
He said: “Zhou Wan, let’s go see snow.”
…
Zhou Wan was usually smart and composed, but at this moment, she didn’t stop to think about how Lu Xixiao could show her snow when the weather forecast said there wouldn’t be any. She just instinctively grabbed her coat and ran downstairs.
She put on her coat while rushing down, not even having time to zip it up.
As if afraid of letting Lu Xixiao wait there for even one more second.
In the community’s open space, some neighbors greeted her, but Zhou Wan didn’t have time to return their greetings, sprinting toward the street outside.
Sure enough, Lu Xixiao was sitting there.
Hearing the hurried footsteps, he looked up, saw Zhou Wan, and then smiled.
“Why are you like a little madwoman?” He raised his hand to smooth her messy hair.
Zhou Wan looked up at him, panting.
Getting into the taxi, Lu Xixiao asked the driver to drive quickly to Pingchuan Station.
The trees outside flew past in a blur, leaving only bare shadows.
They ran the whole way, and after getting out of the taxi, Lu Xixiao took Zhou Wan’s hand and ran to the ticket counter.
The youth, catching his breath, asked for two tickets to K City.
The ticket seller said the high-speed rail and express train tickets for Spring Festival were long sold out, but they were lucky—two standing-room tickets had just been returned for a regular train.
“We’ll take these two.” Lu Xixiao paid and took the two light blue tickets from the seller’s hand, K-series green train tickets.
Just then, the station’s broadcast announced that passengers for train K83 should proceed quickly to check their tickets, as the ticket gate would soon close.
The ticket seller urged them to hurry. The station was especially crowded on New Year’s Eve.
Lu Xixiao pulled Zhou Wan as they ran through the crowd.
Zhou Wan looked up at him as they ran. The youth’s loose black hair bounced lightly, white breath visible as he panted. His coat was open, the zipper clanging rhythmically against the stainless steel railings as he ran.
They managed to get through ticket check in the last few seconds, with the inspector shouting at them to keep running as the train was about to depart.
After sprinting the whole way, they made it onto the train just before the doors closed.
Zhou Wan and Lu Xixiao leaned against the train door, catching their breath.
Zhou Wan hadn’t exercised like this in a long time, and with the cold weather, her throat felt like it was filled with ice cotton, but she couldn’t help smiling.
Everything that just happened felt like eloping in a movie.
Abandoning everything without care, heading to a new city together.
Lu Xixiao glanced at her: “What are you smiling about?”
Zhou Wan continued smiling and shook her head.
“Just getting on a train with me like this, aren’t you afraid I’ll sell you off?” Lu Xixiao said.
Zhou Wan looked at him with smiling eyes: “Not afraid.”
The carriage was packed with people, mostly migrant workers carrying large and small bags heading home for the New Year. Train attendants pushed carts selling sunflower seeds, popcorn, and mineral water. The carriage was filled with various smells, and there wasn’t even a proper place to stand.
But Zhou Wan still felt happy.
She hadn’t been this happy in a long time.
Lu Xixiao kept Zhou Wan sheltered on the inside, preventing her from being bumped by people pushing carts back and forth.
The green-skinned train moved through the darkness.
Compared to high-speed and express trains, regular trains were much slower.
Zhou Wan was used to sleeping early, and despite her excitement, her eyelids gradually grew heavy.
“Sleepy?” Lu Xixiao asked, looking at her.
Zhou Wan struggled to keep her eyes open: “I’m fine.”
Lu Xixiao bought a blanket from the train attendant and spread it on the floor: “Sit and rest for a while.”
They sat close together, and though Zhou Wan tried to stay awake a bit longer, she soon fell asleep, her head tilting onto Lu Xixiao’s shoulder.
Lu Xixiao usually stayed up late and was a light sleeper, unable to sleep in such a noisy carriage.
He kept one arm around Zhou Wan’s shoulders, letting her rest against him. From his angle, he could only see the girl’s high, delicate nose tip.
The carriage had air conditioning and wasn’t too cold.
But people get cold easily while sleeping, so Lu Xixiao carefully took off his coat and covered Zhou Wan with it.
Zhou Wan vaguely sensed this in her sleep but was too tired to open her eyes.
She had a dream, and at the end of it was Lu Xixiao, standing casually and boldly below the apartment building.
…
When Zhou Wan woke up, she was dazed for a while before realizing everything wasn’t a dream. She had suddenly boarded a northbound train with Lu Xixiao to see snow.
The crowded carriage had quieted down, with those without seat tickets sleeping on the floor.
Suddenly, Lu Xixiao’s voice came from beside her.
“Awake?”
Zhou Wan paused, looked up, and saw Lu Xixiao’s face up close.
He seemed tired too, the creases of his eyelids deeper, looking weary and exhausted, his voice carrying a lazy tone.
“Aren’t you going to sleep?” Zhou Wan asked.
“Can’t sleep.”
“What time is it?”
“Three in the morning,” Lu Xixiao said, “We’re almost there.”
Three in the morning, and here she was with Lu Xixiao on a train to an unfamiliar city.
Everything about this journey was filled with mystery and romance.
“So it’s already the new year now?” Zhou Wan’s eyes suddenly brightened.
“Mm.” Lu Xixiao smiled, one arm still around her shoulders. They sat close together as his deep, magnetic voice resonated near her ear, “Happy New Year, Wan Wan.”
“Happy New Year,” Zhou Wan copied his friends’ way of addressing him, “A-Xiao.”
The train’s broadcast came on then, drowning out Lu Xixiao’s soft laugh.
—Ladies and gentlemen, the train will soon arrive at K Station. Passengers disembarking at K Station please prepare your luggage. Happy New Year to everyone.
The sounds of people rustling with their luggage filled the air.
A few minutes later, the train stopped at K Station.
The green sign cast a dim light as Lu Xixiao held Zhou Wan’s hand as they got off.
K City was much colder than Pingchuan City. Even indoors, one could feel the biting cold. Lu Xixiao draped the clean side of the blanket over Zhou Wan’s shoulders to block the wind.
Nearby, a mother was telling a father to tug their child’s collar tighter to prevent catching a cold.
The child woke up on his father’s shoulder, crying loudly from the tiring, bumpy journey, his sharp cries piercing the night’s silence.
The father comforted him, saying they’d be home soon, and if he behaved, he could have one New Year’s wish.
The child said between sobs: “Can I get a Transformer?”
The father smiled and said: “Sure, but you can’t cry anymore, okay?”
The child immediately closed his mouth and stopped crying.
Zhou Wan tugged at the corners of her mouth in a smile.
Following the crowd, they went through the ticket check again and headed outside.
From far away, Zhou Wan could see everything was white. Roofs, tree trunks, and cars were all covered in thick snow; the entire city seemed blanketed in it.
This was Zhou Wan’s first time seeing such heavy snow, and her steps became lighter as she walked quickly forward.
“Wow.”
She ran to the railing, looking at the snow scene before her.
It was much heavier than the heaviest snow she remembered in Pingchuan City.
Lu Xixiao didn’t like snow.
So he wasn’t looking at the snow but at Zhou Wan.
She radiated an unmistakable joy throughout her whole being.
“Lu Xixiao.”
“Mm?” His voice was unusually gentle.
Zhou Wan remembered the child and his father from earlier.
She smiled and asked: “Do you have any New Year’s wishes?”
“I want to kiss you.”
At such direct words, Zhou Wan froze, looking up at him in surprise.
Lu Xixiao looked back at her, his eyes half-lidded, his gaze lowered, changing from an initially light, smiling look to something deeper. Then he stepped forward, holding Zhou Wan’s slender waist and pulling her close. Zhou Wan leaned back instinctively, her back touching the railing.
She could feel the intense presence radiating from Lu Xixiao.
Her mind told her the current situation required caution.
She knew that if she pushed him away, Lu Xixiao wouldn’t force her, though it might take some time to console him.
But this rational voice was just shouting in her head while she couldn’t move her feet or raise her hands.
Perhaps it was because the day was too cold.
Perhaps the unfamiliar city had clouded her judgment.
Or perhaps she simply really liked Lu Xixiao.
Lu Xixiao only gave her a few seconds to refuse.
Then he gently lifted Zhou Wan’s chin and bent down to kiss her.
Their first kiss was filled with nervousness.
Zhou Wan even forgot to close her eyes, seeing snowflakes falling from the sky and Lu Xixiao’s black eyelashes. Her heart was racing as if it would leap from her chest.
After a while, Zhou Wan felt breathless and tried to step back for fresh air. Lu Xixiao drew back slightly and smiled softly.
“Zhou Wan.”
His voice was hoarse as he placed gentle kisses and whispered, “I like you so much.”