After returning from Dunhuang, the Digital Mogao Caves project officially launched, and Qin Lie became even busier than before.

Once the art design for Crescent Moon Town was finalized, Chen Xi didn’t have time to relax for even two days before she had to start creating art for the episodic storylines, making her much busier than before as well.

The two of them lived under the same roof, yet the time they spent together was pitifully little.

Chen Xi’s design team had no concept of weekdays versus weekends.

Ms. Leng would occasionally give everyone a day off after completing the art creation for one episode.

When Chen Xi finally managed to get a day off, Qin Lie couldn’t necessarily free himself from work.

When Qin Lie occasionally wasn’t busy, Chen Xi would stay up late with colleagues revising designs.

In the Beijing food and fun proxy group chat, Yang Shan and Han Susu gradually stopped urging Chen Xi to share photos of eating, drinking, and having fun.

They started posting wellness tips instead, reminding Chen Xi daily not to stay up late.

At noon that day, after Chen Xi finished eating at the downstairs restaurant and was heading back, she was stopped by the front desk.

“Chen Xi, there’s a package for you.”

Chen Xi walked over, and the receptionist pushed a thermal box wrapped tightly with tape toward her.

“Here, sent by SF Express. It’s quite heavy too.”

Back at her workstation, Chen Xi found a paper cutter to open the thermal box, and it turned out to be filled with yogurt sweet dumplings.

Chen Xi looked at the phone number on the shipping label – it was Liu Boyang’s.

Chen Xi called Liu Boyang.

“Hey, why did you send so many?”

She leaned back in her chair, speaking with a smile.

Liu Boyang: “Sis, you received it? Yesterday I happened to run into Beard Zhang, and I bought up whatever he had left. Keep them in the fridge and eat them slowly.”

Chen Xi laughed and hummed in acknowledgment.

She heard background music from Liu Boyang’s side – it was an Xu Wei song.

“Are you at the store?”

He liked listening to music while working.

Liu Boyang hummed in response.

Chen Xi: “Can you manage the business alright?”

Liu Boyang: “Don’t worry, the store’s doing well.”

Suddenly, Chen Xi heard a girl’s sweet voice.

“Boyang Ge, hurry up.”

Chen Xi felt the voice sounded familiar and casually asked, “Is that Xiao Min?”

On the other end of the phone, Liu Boyang’s reaction suddenly became a bit unnatural.

He gave a low hum but didn’t say anything else.

Chen Xi instantly sensed something and asked with a smile, “What does Xiao Min want you for?”

Liu Boyang: “Well, accompanying her to see cats.”

Chen Xi: “See cats?”

Liu Boyang cleared his throat lightly.

“Her good friend’s cat had kittens, and she wants to take one home to raise.”

Chen Xi made a meaningful “oh” sound and couldn’t help asking, “What’s going on with you two? Xiao Min has a boyfriend, though.”

Liu Boyang: “They broke up, that was ages ago.”

Chen Xi made another “oh” sound, “Are you two, together now?”

Liu Boyang’s voice carried a hint of bashfulness as he explained, “Yeah, a while back her boyfriend came to the VR arcade to cause trouble, and I happened to run into him, so, well, I gave him a beating…”

Chen Xi laughed, understanding what had happened.

In this world, probably few girls could resist a hero’s rescue.

Xiao Min was a very nice girl, and Chen Xi was happy for Liu Boyang.

Liu Boyang: “I’m going to drive now.”

Chen Xi: “Okay, give Xiao Min my regards.”

Chen Xi heard Liu Boyang’s low, warm laugh – a laugh that came from the heart.

Liu Boyang fell silent for a moment, then suddenly said, “Sis, Yang Shan told me you’re very tired every day in Beijing.”

Chen Xi was slightly stunned, then said with a smile, “It’s alright, things will get better after this busy period.”

After another moment of silence, Liu Boyang’s slightly hesitant voice came through the phone.

“Sis, if you’re not happy, just come back.”

Chen Xi suddenly forgot what to say. After a moment, she softly hummed in acknowledgment.

After hanging up, Chen Xi leaned back in her chair, her expression vacant.

She felt somewhat melancholy.

During the time she’d been away, Yang Guan had been accepted by Han Susu’s parents, Qin Zhan had started going home too, and Liu Boyang had a new girl by his side.

Chen Xi didn’t know what else she had missed.

Liu Boyang’s words seemed to still echo in her ears as Chen Xi sat there in a daze.

She’d been so busy lately that she didn’t even have time to think about whether she was happy or not.

Every day she’d wake up racing against time, and at night she’d collapse into bed exhausted.

She didn’t know if she was happy or unhappy.

A colleague from the adjacent workstation returned from lunch and saw the box on Chen Xi’s desk.

“What’s that?”

The colleague asked curiously.

Chen Xi: “Oh, yogurt.”

She took one out and handed it to the colleague, then placed the box under her desk.

She wasn’t a stingy person, but she couldn’t bear to give away any of the remaining yogurt sweet dumplings.

She wanted to keep them in the fridge and eat them sparingly.

By the time the episodic storyline creation for Crescent Moon Town reached the third episode, the office workers rushing for buses and subways on Beijing’s streets had unknowingly changed into winter clothes.

Cold wind blew, stirring up fallen yellow leaves everywhere.

That day, Chen Xi left work early for once, because it was Qin Lie’s birthday.

She had taken leave, planning to go home early and cook a good meal.

Qin Lie had also made time, telling Chen Xi he would be home by eight o’clock that evening.

Chen Xi walked out of the office building with light steps, suddenly feeling something cool on her nose tip.

She looked up to see fine snowflakes filling the sky, quietly falling to earth without her noticing when they had started.

Chen Xi’s eyes filled with surprise as she stood with her face upturned in the falling snow, exhaling a puff of white mist.

She took out her phone and snapped a photo of the gray, overcast sky, posting it in the group chat.

“Beijing’s first snow of this winter.”

As soon as she posted the WeChat message, Han Susu immediately replied.

“Dunhuang’s overcast, too. We’re having hot pot together tonight.”

Chen Xi replied to Han Susu: “We’re having hot pot tonight too.”

Snowy weather, eating hot pot at home, and celebrating a birthday.

Chen Xi hadn’t been this happy in a long time.

She parked her car in the underground parking garage of the supermarket near the residential community, pushing a shopping cart as she walked excitedly into the supermarket.

This was Chen Xi’s second time visiting this fresh food supermarket. She had been shocked the first time she came.

There were so many things here – it seemed like if you could think of it, you could buy it.

Chen Xi pushed her shopping cart from the meat section to the seafood section.

She bought lamb rolls, fresh-cut beef, prawns, and scallops.

Just like last time, she was dazzled by everything and wanted to buy whatever she saw. The shopping cart was full in no time.

Chen Xi had to make two trips to carry all her purchases from the underground parking garage to her home.

She changed into slippers and walked into the warmly heated living room.

The clothes she had thrown on the sofa that morning had been washed and hung on the balcony, and the house was spotlessly clean.

A cleaning lady came to Qin Lie’s house every other day.

Chen Xi had only seen her twice and thought she was like a snail fairy.

Chen Xi didn’t like this feeling.

Having her daily life arranged meticulously by someone unfamiliar made her always feel like she was being watched.

Qin Lie’s home in Beijing always felt like a luxury hotel suite.

It lacked the trivial details and domestic minutiae of everyday life.

But she had no choice – she and Qin Lie were simply too busy, and neither had time for housework.

While Chen Xi was lost in thought, the doorbell rang. It was the cake she had ordered for Qin Lie during her lunch break being delivered.

Chen Xi placed the cake on the dining table and went into the kitchen to prepare dinner.

The pots, pans, and utensils she and Qin Lie had bought from the supermarket two months ago had never been used once, sitting in the cabinet with their labels still attached.

Chen Xi found the electric hot pot, washed it clean, and set it up on the dining table.

Humming a tune, she cleaned and arranged the beef, lamb, seafood, and vegetables she had bought.

Near eight o’clock, Qin Lie suddenly called.

Chen Xi was stirring sesame sauce and casually put the phone on speaker.

“Hey, I was just about to call you. When you come back, could you pick up a bottle of vinegar from the supermarket at the entrance?”

There was silence on the other end for a moment, then Qin Lie’s voice came through.

“Chen Xi, I have something urgent here. I’ll be back a bit late.”

Chen Xi smiled helplessly, “Take your time with work, no rush.”

Qin Lie was silent for a moment, then suddenly said, “I’m sorry.”

Chen Xi smiled, “It’s not my birthday, why are you apologizing?”

She hung up and turned to see the large floor-to-ceiling windows.

The snow had gotten heavier without her noticing, falling in flurries and decorating the twilight like a fairy tale world.

If this were in Dunhuang, at this time, no matter what she, Yang Shan, and Han Susu were doing, they would put down whatever they had in hand and run to eat hot pot together.

Outside the window was ice and snow with biting cold wind, while inside was so warm it made one want to yawn.

Yang Shan would use two pieces of Qiaotou spicy beef tallow to stir-fry a fragrant soup base.

On the dinner table, there would be Chen Xi’s favorite thick-cut potatoes, Han Susu’s favorite crab roe fish balls, and the freshest beef and lamb in the world.

The hot pot would bubble and steam, and the heat would form a hazy layer of condensation on the windows.

If they got drunk, they wouldn’t leave. Yang Shan would call and send Han Chao to stay at his in-laws’ place for the night.

Chen Xi silently finished stirring the sesame sauce and covered the bowl with plastic wrap.

She walked to the living room and turned off the electric hot pot.

The boiling spicy red soup quieted down.

Chen Xi wrapped herself in an ankle-length down jacket and walked onto the balcony in her fuzzy slippers, leaning against the railing to quietly watch the snow.

Without realizing it, she watched from dusk until dark, until Qin Lie’s phone suddenly rang.

Chen Xi answered the phone, laughing somewhat helplessly, “Still not done with work?”

Qin Lie hummed in acknowledgment and said apologetically, “You eat first, don’t wait for me on an empty stomach.”

Chen Xi hummed in response.

Qin Lie was silent for a moment, then asked with some concern, “Are you angry?”

Chen Xi: “No, focus on your work.”

After hanging up, the smile on Chen Xi’s lips became somewhat bitter.

This month she had also stood Qin Lie up twice. They were even, and neither had the right to complain about the other.

Just after hanging up, Yang Shan sent a video call invitation.

Chen Xi accepted the video call, and Yang Shan’s face, noticeably rounder than before, appeared on the screen.

Then Han Susu popped up, followed by Qin Zhan, all eagerly greeting Chen Xi.

Behind them were Yang Guan, Liu Boyang, Han Chao, Fangfang, and Xiao Min.

Chen Xi smiled and greeted them, “Where are you all eating?”

Han Susu squeezed into the video frame, grinning as she said, “Yang Shan’s place. Dunhuang is snowing today too, so we had to eat hot pot together.”

Qin Zhan pushed into the conversation, “Xi Jie, where’s my brother? Everyone wants to wish him a happy birthday.”

Chen Xi smiled, “He has some urgent situation at the company and isn’t back yet.”

Qin Zhan looked puzzled, “It’s his birthday – what matter, can’t wait until tomorrow?”

Chen Xi just smiled without speaking.

She used to not understand what couldn’t be set aside until tomorrow either.

But now she understood that in this city, there were too many people who might be running themselves ragged or might be changing the world.

The things they were doing really couldn’t be put aside at will.

After ending the video call, Chen Xi found Ms. Leng’s “Cicada’s Summer Vacation” on her tablet, wrapped herself in a blanket, and sank into the sofa, rewatching the animation while waiting for Qin Lie.

She was overextending her energy every day, and rarely having anything to do for a while, she unknowingly fell deeply asleep.

Until someone gently picked her up.

Chen Xi opened her eyes and said groggily, “You’re back.”

Qin Lie looked somewhat regretful. “I woke you up.”

Chen Xi shook her head, “It’s fine.”

She broke free from Qin Lie’s embrace, grabbed her phone from the sofa to check the time, and exclaimed happily, “It’s not past midnight yet!”

She ran to the dining table, opened the box to take out the cake, and stuck a candle in it.

Chen Xi lit the candle and turned to Qin Lie, “Come make a wish quickly.”

Qin Lie had short stubble on his chin, his face unable to hide his fatigue.

He walked toward the dining table, and with each step, the day’s frustrations scattered from his heart.

By the time he reached the table, only happiness remained in his heart.

Chen Xi put the birthday hat on Qin Lie’s head and urged him, “Hurry, hurry, it’s almost midnight.”

Qin Lie obediently closed his eyes and silently made a wish in his heart.

He smiled as he opened his eyes, blew out the candle in one breath, then swept Chen Xi into his arms.

Chen Xi caught the scent of wind and snow on his clothes, carrying a trace of crisp coldness.

She asked him, “Will you always be this busy?”

Qin Lie buried his face in Chen Xi’s hair.

He thought for a moment and said honestly, “Digital National Treasures is a very long-term project. Mogao Caves is the first one, and there will be other projects after.”

“Each project is busiest when it starts up. Once all aspects are coordinated and straightened out, it will be better.”

He paused and asked Chen Xi softly, “Are you getting tired of it?”

Chen Xi smiled in his embrace and said equally honestly, “It’s okay, I have my things to be busy with too.”

She was silent for a moment, then said quietly, “I just miss home a little.”

Qin Lie’s Adam’s apple moved, and he reached up to stroke Chen Xi’s hair, but ultimately said nothing.

The work he had to do was nowhere near finished – there was no turning back once the bow was drawn.

Right now, he couldn’t tell Chen Xi that they would go back together after a while.

They ate the long-awaited hot pot at midnight.

The word “home” suddenly became somewhat sensitive between the two of them.

So they talked about VR, about animation, about Chen Yufan’s supernatural abilities, about Ms. Leng’s craziness.

They just didn’t mention that Dunhuang had snow today, too.