◎A Tiny Piece of Snow◎

Yuan Ye’s answer was like pulling the string on a confetti popper in her brain, making Chun Zao so happy she wanted to wiggle her toes.

But once she calmed down a bit, she started worrying about Yuan Ye’s academic subjects and professional inclinations, unable to accept his decision with a clear conscience.

She tossed and turned restlessly twice: “Don’t you want to reconsider?”

The voice on the other end asked: “Consider what?”

Chun Zao spoke with the solemnity of a little teacher, earnest and heartfelt: “About choosing schools! After all, you’re a science student. If you’re going into engineering, Tsinghua would be more suitable, right? Of course, Peking University is also excellent for science and academic research. Plus, I looked at the map – the two schools are very close to each other. You shouldn’t just think about me, you need to plan for your future too…”

As she spoke, her breathing and tone unconsciously quickened with urgency.

But there was silence from the other end.

The chattering girl stopped: “Hey.”

Yuan Ye’s low nasal hum came through: “Mm?”

Chun Zao asked: “What are you doing? Were you listening?”

The boy seemed to draw in a slight breath, his tone somewhat scattered: “Thinking about things.”

Chun Zao thought he must have listened and was no longer being impulsive, seriously considering the suitability of his future college choices, so she agreed: “Right, think it through carefully. This is a major life decision.”

Yuan Ye: “Mm.”

Chun Zao: “All you know how to say is ‘mm.'”

Yuan Ye laughed, his enunciation becoming heavier: “Okay-no no problem.”

…

The next day, Chun Zao still got up early, preparing to slip out under the pretense of “looking for part-time work” to see Yuan Ye.

She felt she was completely done for, having fallen headfirst into the big pit called “romance.” Just like her mother had once said, all her thoughts had fallen on Yuan Ye. Thinking of him by day, dreaming of him by night – she guessed that even while sleeping, her mouth was probably stupidly curved upward.

Otherwise, why would her face be so sore when she woke up?

Her facial muscles must have been doing upward-pulling exercises all night long.

Her parents were already at the dining table having breakfast. Seeing her come out, Chun’s father asked with confusion and concern: “Why aren’t you sleeping in more?”

Chun Zao scratched her upturned bangs: “Biological clock, couldn’t sleep anymore.”

Chun Chuzhen was making thick egg rolls in the kitchen, the aroma wafting out: “Since you’re awake, come have breakfast.”

Using a damp comb to press down her bangs, Chun Zao learned from yesterday’s lesson and wouldn’t go out with messy hair again. She opened Xiaohongshu and tried to copy the bun hairstyle techniques shown there.

Her eyes learned it, but her clumsy hands were beyond salvation. After struggling for quite a while, every strand of hair seemed to have its ideas, all seeming to work against her.

Even Chun Chuzhen became suspicious, coming over to knock on the door frame twice and ask: “Why aren’t you coming out yet? Constipated?”

The girl in the mirror wore a mask of pain: “No!”

Chun Chuzhen looked at her husband: “Not making a sound, scary, right?”

Chun Zao: “…”

Finally giving up in despair, she still tied an ordinary, messy ponytail before going out.

Chun Chuzhen poured her some warmed milk: “What were you doing in the bathroom for so long?”

Chun Zao took a sip and decided to seek help from the audience, deceiving her mother: “Mom, I want to go out and look for part-time work, but I feel like a ponytail makes me look too much like a student. Do you know how to do a bun?”

Chun Chuzhen raised an eyebrow: “What bun?”

Chun Zao pulled up a video on her phone to show her: “This one, it’s really difficult.”

Chun Chuzhen immediately covered her face: “You were just fiddling with this in the bathroom?”

Chun Zao nodded, then nodded again.

Chun Chuzhen glanced roughly at the short video, dismissive: “I thought it was something special. This isn’t even hard.”

Chun Zao’s eyes lit up.

Chun Chuzhen immediately stood up, went to the bathroom to get a wide-tooth comb, gathered her daughter’s hair into a bundle in a few moves and lifted it, twisted it several times, took the black hair tie from her wrist, and secured it.

Following the video tutorial’s explanation, she handled some details with practiced ease. Pulling here, loosening there, not forgetting to pull out two strands of hair at the temples as decoration.

“Done.” Chun Chuzhen handed the comb to Chun Zao: “Go see if it’s the kind you wanted.”

“Really?” Chun Zao touched her head with both hands, getting up suspiciously: “Let me take a look.”

She hurried to the washroom, and after seeing herself in the mirror, she was completely satisfied, running out with joy and excitement: “Ahhhh Mom, your hands are so skillful!”

Chun Chuzhen was proud: “The three-strand braids and four-strand braids you and your sister had when you were little – who do you think did them all? Back then in kindergarten, you two had the prettiest hairstyles. This bun is nothing.”

Chun Zao paused.

She could barely remember any of that.

Then she smiled warmly, happily finished breakfast, changed into a white knee-length dress, slung her bag over her shoulder, and walked lightly to the entrance.

Hooking her shoe heels, she spoke carefully: “I might not come back for lunch…”

Looking at her daughter who was rarely so full of life, like a gardenia flower, Chun Chuzhen wanted to say something but held back, finally only reminding: “I’m making dinner for you, come back early.”

Chun Zao: “Mm.”

She chose one of her sister’s small sun umbrellas. Chun Chang was always leaving things behind, often leaving umbrellas at home and buying new ones continuously – they practically had enough at home to open an umbrella factory.

Near nine o’clock, it wasn’t too hot outside yet, the wind rustling with greenery, and the streets were full of the atmosphere of everyday life.

Chun Zao bought breakfast at the entrance of Yuan Ye’s residential complex and packed it to take with up.

She hadn’t informed Yuan Ye in advance. Standing at the stairway entrance, she took out her key ring. Last night, she had attached a Cardcaptor Sakura bird-head wand charm to the key – “small one downstairs, big one upstairs” – recalling the boy’s unreserved explanation, she couldn’t help but smile.

The smile continued after going upstairs.

Pressing her ear against the door, it was as quiet inside as an empty house. Only then did she insert the key at the slowest, gentlest speed, turn the lock, and tiptoe into the room.

The living room seemed to have been cleaned and tidied overnight by the owner, looking neat and orderly inside and out.

On the shoe rack was a pair of pink slippers with rabbit head designs. Chun Zao quickly covered her mouth, afraid she might burst into unrecognizable laughter.

She handled them gently, changed shoes, and walked inside.

Placing the breakfast packaging in the kitchen, she turned toward the bedroom.

Unexpectedly, Yuan Ye hadn’t even closed his door – it was half-open, at a forty-five-degree angle.

Didn’t this person feel uncomfortable or insecure sleeping like this?

Chun Zao wondered.

The slippers were soft, plus Chun Zao walked extremely slowly and lightly, making almost no sound. She slowly pushed the door open with one finger and peeked inside.

Yuan Ye was indeed still sleeping.

The boy’s thick eyelashes drooped over his eyes, the azure thin blanket wasn’t properly covering him, only covering his stomach. His white T-shirt was messily tangled on his body, his chest rising and falling steadily.

Chun Zao saw his calves below his loose shorts – firm, long, and so pale they were striking even in the dim environment behind the blackout curtains.

This was her first time directly witnessing Yuan Ye’s sleeping appearance.

…How annoying.

Both well-behaved and handsome.

Chun Zao couldn’t stand it.

She quickly turned her head away, trying hard not to make any giggling sounds, venting silently for quite a while.

Looking back, the boy’s posture and expression remained unchanged.

Such good sleep quality…

How irritatingly unfair – why was she the only one still living by a pre-college entrance exam schedule?

Chun Zao felt mischievous, carefully cat-walking to his bedside, sitting down at 0.5x speed, then taking out her phone from her dress pocket, opening an app, typing character by character, searching for keywords – “iPhone alarm sounds…”

Locking onto one of them, she turned up her phone volume, leaned back, bit her lower lip, and quietly moved the phone toward Yuan Ye’s ear.

The next moment, her elbow was suddenly grabbed and pulled down with considerable force, making her lose balance and fall directly onto the boy’s chest.

Her fingers went soft, and the weapon of her crime – her phone – slid down from his jet-black hair and fell beside the pillow.

Chun Zao instinctively tried to sit up, but was pulled back by his arm, held captive without room for argument, unable to move.

Her face was pressed right against the boy’s neck hollow, between the sharp ravine of his collarbones, inappropriately close.

Chun Zao’s heart immediately became chaotic.

“Ambushing me? Is that it?” Yuan Ye’s warm, moist breath fell on the skin behind her ear. That area was both transparent and thin, quickly becoming like watermelon-red resin.

The boy’s voice was slightly hoarse, and combined with his restraint, it was somewhat oppressive, and also had a never-before-experienced lightness.

When speaking, she could smell the fresh mint fragrance.

He had brushed his teeth not long ago.

Chun Zao couldn’t see his face. Through touch, there was only his skin, his body temperature, and his warm, moist breath.

The sensory stimulation became abnormally intense.

Chun Zao’s mind shook violently.

Inside her body, naive emotions were flowing, making her toes and fingers somewhat soft and numb.

Who was ambushing whom? She tried to lift her head to escape control, but Yuan Ye quickly pressed her back down from the nape of her neck, determined to hold her captive. Chun Zao refused to comply, and in their struggling entanglement, both their breathing became heavy. Yuan Ye’s well-defined fingers accidentally pulled a strand of hair at the back of her head. Chun Zao felt pain and couldn’t help but whimper.

Hearing this, Yuan Ye immediately let go, concerned: “What’s wrong?”

Chun Zao instantly straightened up, covering the back of her head, face flushed as she accused: “You pulled my hair.”

Yuan Ye also hurriedly sat up, cupping her face with both hands, tilting her head to one side, seriously observing: “Where?”

Chun Zao pushed his hands away: “How would I know? There are so many strands.”

The pain dispersed like wind, but the consequences had to be borne by her.

Chun Zao fiddled with the disheveled “bun” on top of her head that had long since lost its shape, pretending to be annoyed: “You ruined my hairstyle completely.”

Yuan Ye raised his eyebrows in confusion: “What hairstyle?”

Chun Zao huffed angrily: “My bun.” Her precious bun, the first bun of her life, she wanted to cry, but had no tears.

Yuan Ye wrinkled his brow, studying her carefully: “It looks very good like this now, too.”

“It does not.” Chun Zao pulled off the hair tie with one motion, grabbed at her disheveled loose hair twice, and got up to go to the bathroom.

But Yuan Ye pulled her back, making her sit back down on the edge of the bed with a thump.

“Don’t go.” He leaned over and pulled the sulky girl back into his arms with one hand.

His other hand, with its slender five fingers, touched the back of her head, combing through her smooth, shiny black hair, coaxing: “I was wrong.”

“That’s what you get for pretending to sleep.” She pushed him, repeating some meaningless complaints: “That’s what you get for acting! For pretending!”

Yuan Ye obediently leaned back several times in succession, surrendering weakly: “I just wanted to…”

“Hm?” Chun Zao asked in a muffled voice.

The boy let out a clear, successful nasal sound: “Put into practice… what I was thinking about last night.”

…On the bed, holding her.

Because of the girl’s voice message, with its proximity that disturbed his thoughts – her faint breathing and soft sounds, and the rustling of blankets. He couldn’t help but imagine wanting to truly experience it firsthand.

Ah, he was so perverted.

After saying this, he was the first to collapse with shame onto her shoulder, his upper body shaking continuously.

Chun Zao realized what he meant, and her ears, which had just barely returned to normal color, turned crimson again. What kind of person was this? She told him to seriously consider school and major matters, but his head was full of such dirty garbage.

“Dirty rogue.” This phrase popped into her brain out of nowhere.

Chun Zao immediately made it reality, accusing him of improper behavior and ulterior motives.

Yuan Ye had no defense and let her go.

Great, now he wasn’t just a pervert, but also a masochist.

Because being scolded so sweetly and petulantly by the girl made his pores relax, with an indescribable sense of comfort.

Yuan Ye coughed once, ran his fingers through his hair, smiled shyly with his eyes still clear and bright, innocent and pure to the extreme, written all over with “It wasn’t me, I didn’t, don’t talk nonsense.”

Chun Zao took a deep breath, not wanting to argue with him further: “Alright, come out and have breakfast.”

—

While playing on her phone and accompanying Yuan Ye during breakfast, Chun Zao was still brooding over the “Great Bun Destruction Incident”: “My mom helped me do my hair today.”

She shot an unfriendly glance at the boy drinking soy milk, grinding her teeth secretly: “How am I going to explain when I get home tonight…”

Yuan Ye’s thin eyelids lifted from behind his tousled bangs: “What kind of hairstyle was it?”

Chun Zao pulled up the video tutorial on Xiaohongshu: “This one.”

Yuan Ye took it, frowning with concentration as he watched the entire thing, then confidently declared: “Very simple, I’ll restore it to the same right away.”

Half an hour later, Chun Zao looked up at this “Clumsy Hands Number Two,” who was on par with her level, and they stared at each other.

A bronze player pretending to be a king. She scoffed disdainfully.

“Stop messing around. You’ve almost pulled out half my hair.” She leaned away, liberating her hair from his hands.

Yuan Ye withdrew his hands somewhat embarrassedly, then found another solution. After a moment, he looked at the black hair tie in his hand, stretched it completely with both hands, then snapped it with force.

Chun Zao didn’t even have time to stop him: “Hey!”

Yuan Ye calmly sat back down: “Just tell your mom the quality was poor and it broke accidentally.”

Chun Zao was slightly stunned, blinking. That actually might work.

Yuan Ye smiled slightly and put the hair tie back in his pants pocket.

From morning to noon, Yuan Ye accompanied Chun Zao wandering around outside and inquiring about part-time jobs. When they passed the coffee shop that was special and different for them – a landmark and epic place – they wordlessly walked in together in tacit understanding, revisiting their blue ocean postcard memories.

After lunch, they bought chilled watermelon and went home, each taking half, sitting leaning against the coffee table, using Yuan Ye’s tablet to watch movies – of course, the middle sections with the best taste and the sweetest red flesh were naturally all left for Chun Zao.

When drowsiness hit, it felt like sitting in a quiet, bumpy bus in the afternoon. She yawned and drowsily leaned toward Yuan Ye’s shoulder. The boy’s chin leaned a few degrees toward her side, then he glanced down and immediately switched the film to silent mode.

The sun set in the west.

It was time to go home.

Despite her reluctance, Chun Zao still strictly followed the rules, implementing three “don’ts”: don’t let him see her out the door, don’t let him walk her downstairs, don’t let him take her home – after the exam results came out, they would analyze the specific situation and make changes accordingly.

Yuan Ye helplessly accompanied her to the door. He thought he could award himself a “Most Frustrated Boyfriend in History” certificate.

He stood there lazily, looking down at the girl bending to change shoes.

Like a little squirrel nibbling hazelnuts, her head was fluffy and looked extremely touchable.

He wanted to reach out and ruffle it. He curved his fingers, intending to restrain himself, but then, why should he restrain himself? She was already his girlfriend, so without further hesitation, he reached out his hand.

Being so unexpectedly and vigorously ruffled, Chun Zao looked up in surprise, her face full of “What are you doing?”

She quickly smoothed down her messy hair, giving him a taste of his own medicine. But Yuan Ye was more than a head taller than her, so when chasing and playing, she had to hop and jump.

The boy laughed heartily, running and dodging, finally being cornered against the wall. Under Chun Zao’s glare, he helplessly and obediently lowered his head, letting her retaliate without restraint.

The two of them said goodbye at the entrance for the second time.

Chun Zao turned around, about to open the door, when suddenly the door handle was gripped by a hand first, veins bulging as it exerted force.

Yuan Ye’s considerably larger frame loomed over her, and with just a slight lift of his hand, like a wall about to collapse, he trapped her within.

Chun Zao’s breathing tightened slightly.

In the current gap, there was no way to easily turn around and ask what was wrong.

The person behind her also made no sound. Elusive, yet ready to emerge.

The reluctant tension in the air was the answer. After a few seconds of standoff, Chun Zao decided to take the initiative, turning her body around in the extremely limited space.

The moment she met the boy’s night-dark eyes, he leaned over abruptly.

Chun Zao’s heartbeat stopped, and her breathing stopped.

Yuan Ye kissed her.

A very hasty, very light, and very swift kiss, without warning, so unclear that it even happened that it was like a bubble bursting, like a tiny piece of snow instantly melting at her lips, or even – he didn’t even kiss the right spot, only touching the corner of her mouth with his equally cool and soft lips.

But it was still like being electrified.

Large areas of her spine went numb, her abdomen too, her peripheral nerves disordered, even her toes couldn’t help but tense up.

Both their faces flushed red turbulently.

Chun Zao stared blankly and speechlessly for many seconds before raising her hand to touch her lips: “You…” Her heart suspended and trembling to the point of stuttering, unable to question him.

Yuan Ye was quiet for a while, his eyelashes drooping, explaining unnaturally: “I wanted to ask first.”

He had wanted to ask first whether she wanted a goodbye kiss. – This was an excuse. The truth was, he wanted to kiss her, irrepressibly wanted to kiss her, without reason, regardless of everything.

So.

In the second, she turned around.

He couldn’t wait for a single word.