Perhaps California’s winters were always too warm.

When the streets of Los Angeles gradually lit up with gorgeous decorations, and cheerful Christmas songs could be heard everywhere on campus, Shi Sui realized in a daze—

It was Christmas again.

The mainland should already be covered in silver, with snow falling everywhere.

In a video call with Li Yin, when Shi Sui unconsciously asked this question, the other side paused and laughed: “No, Hangzhou rarely snows. Have you stayed in the capital too long and forgotten?”

Shi Sui was in a daze for a long time before saying softly: “…Probably.”

But her memory uncontrollably returned to Christmas two years ago, when snow was falling heavily in the capital.

That person hated all bad weather.

Snow was no exception.

But Shi Sui, having grown up in the south, always had a special fondness for snow.

“Snow is different from rain,” Shi Sui tried her best to describe her feelings to him. Snow is light and pure. When it falls on you, it feels weightless, as if your soul is being purified.”

Yan Tingli held an umbrella beside her with a cold expression: “When snow melts, it becomes liquid that’s dirtier and stickier than rain, coldly seeping into every bone and muscle.”

“More deceptive than rain.”

“…” Shi Sui didn’t know how someone could equally hate so many types of weather.

At that time, they had just started sleeping together, and she wasn’t clear about how terrible this person could be. Shi Sui was still a novice with some unused courage left.

She mischievously grabbed a handful and threw it into his collar: “Then try it yourself.”

Yan Tingli frowned at the cold and stood there for a moment.

Then he curved his lips at her, but his eyes were even colder than the icy world outside.

Also on that Christmas night, Shi Sui experienced for the first time the legendary sensation of ice and fire, lying exhausted on the bed.

But he was satisfied, wickedly leaning close to her ear to ask: “Do you still like snow now?”

“…”

Warm sunlight shining on her body brought Shi Sui back from those unbearable memories.

Leaning by the window, looking at the blue sky and green earth.

Doesn’t like rain, doesn’t like snow.

She suddenly thought.

Perhaps he would like the weather here.

After spring break, the Chinese Lunar New Year also arrived across the ocean.

After confirming repeatedly that she wouldn’t return home, Li Yin’s face showed disappointment, but she still respected her choice: “Then we’ll wait for Sui Sui to come back when she has a long holiday.”

Shi Sui pursed her lips and smiled at her, acting cute and playful.

Fortunately, until the call ended, her mother never noticed that she had never responded to that statement.

Winter passed, and summer came. Before summer vacation, Shi Sui submitted internship offers to several top global animation studios. While waiting for results, she mustered up courage, carefully planned her route, and traveled for a week.

Shi Sui traveled alone along the Pacific Coast Highway, seeing the endless coastline and purple beaches reflecting diamond-like light.

Taking photos of this magnificent scenery, she sat cross-legged on the beach watching the sunset.

When she discovered she had hundreds of favorite photos but no one to share them with, Shi Sui finally felt boundless loneliness.

Shi Sui covered her chest, feeling the continuous dull ache in her heart.

This pain reached its peak when her finger unconsciously scrolled through the buttons to the earliest photo.

Shi Sui stared blankly at the camera interface—the photo of Yan Tingli and Ping An—and frantically closed the camera.

Looking at the vast ocean before her again, she blinked gently, buried her head in her knees, and hid the brightness falling from her eyes.

Fortunately, several of her internship applications received responses.

After picking and choosing, Shi Sui finally decided to go to the company she had always dreamed of.

Having just finished traveling, she didn’t dare stop and immediately rushed to Disney—this dream factory she had looked up to since childhood. Finally, one day, she earned a ticket to enter.

When busy, the days finally passed quickly.

Although work hours were a standard eight hours, the content was intensive, and every colleague on the team was serious and hardworking. Shi Sui, among them, didn’t dare slack off at all.

Every day immersed in team brainstorming, her drawing hand became like a shadow.

When she received Su Han’s call, Shi Sui was just preparing to return to her workstation to rest.

Her head leaning against the chair, she closed her eyes and pressed the earphone: “Hello?”

“Sui Sui, it’s me!” Su Han’s crisp voice came through. “Where are you? Are you in California?”

“Han Han?” Shi Sui’s eyes flew open. Her heartbeat quickened as she lowered her voice: “…Did something happen?”

After Yan Tingli left that time, for nearly a year, except for her parents, she hadn’t contacted any friends back home. Fortunately, her video calls with her parents no longer experienced freezing.

Everything was calm, and Shi Sui thought more than once that no matter how unwilling or angry he was, after so much time had passed, Yan Tingli shouldn’t be obsessed with her anymore.

He had so many things to be busy with, and the world he saw was much broader than hers. Once he stepped out of that stubborn circle, he might even think it was ridiculous to have done so many stupid things for such an insignificant person.

Lost in thought, Su Han had already said: “I’m in America visiting friends, also in California. Are you free? Can we meet?”

Shi Sui breathed a sigh of relief, then thinking of meeting a long-missed friend, her eyes sparkled brightly as she nodded: “Let’s meet on Saturday, okay?”

“Great, we won’t leave until we meet.”

As if to match California’s hot summer, Su Han had changed her hair color to pink-brown curls, paired with a bohemian long dress.

In America, she seemed more flamboyant and confident than back home. As soon as she entered the restaurant, she waved from far away and ran over on long legs.

When she got closer, Su Han took off her sunglasses and looked her over carefully: “Oh my god, Sui Sui?”

Shi Sui wasn’t surprised by her shock. Her current appearance was indeed very different from before: “Don’t I look good?”

“Of course, you look good,” Su Han said, sitting down and pinching her face. “You’re just not as soft and cute as before.”

She looked at Shi Sui again.

She couldn’t believe that in just one year, her transformation was so great.

The little girl who used to be so quiet she wouldn’t even speak loudly had now completely changed her style, wearing earrings, a camisole with jeans, showing her snow-white shoulders and neck.

Of course, the most obvious change was her temperament, evident in how her eyes naturally carried determination when speaking, rarely dodging or avoiding anymore.

Shi Sui curved her lips: “Is that good or bad?”

“Good,” Su Han said. “Of course it’s good. I like you this way. How have you been living here this year? Tell me about it.”

Shi Sui frowned, thinking about it. What she had done this year was unremarkable—it seemed like, apart from drawing, she just sunbathed.

After selectively sharing some interesting things, Su Han still frowned with disgust: “Don’t tell me that with such good sunshine in California, you stay in your dorm drawing every day?”

Shi Sui blinked.

“Haven’t you dated a few handsome guys?”

Dating culture was prevalent here, and Shi Sui was naturally aware of it.

Sometimes sitting on beaches or grass, she would receive invitations from blonde, white, handsome guys, but she always fled with various excuses.

Seeing Shi Sui’s expression, Su Han understood: she lowered her voice: “Are you still afraid that little psycho Yan Tingli will find you?”

Having not heard this name for a long time, Shi Sui tightened her fingers, feeling the cold drink condensing in her palm.

“Don’t worry, I dared to come find you openly. He’s very busy now and has no time to search the world for people anymore.”

“Then he…” Shi Sui asked as calmly as possible, “What is he doing now?”

“Doing research and development with my dad.”

From Su Han’s account, Shi Sui learned that Su Ye had ultimately chosen to cooperate with the Yan family. The two powerhouses joined forces to develop a new AI concept model called “ConceptNet.”

This model introduced neural symbolic AI and quantum AI, more precisely applying conceptual capabilities to multiple fields.

Qisheng Technology, as the country’s leading tech company, had the strength to attract third-party partnerships from various industries, including biomedicine, educational institutions, cultural healthcare, and ecological monitoring.

Their ambitions were visible and tangible. From their development blueprint, they wanted to integrate new technology into every aspect of future life.

Shi Sui listened in a daze and smiled: “That’s good.”

“So don’t worry, do whatever you should do,” Su Han patted the back of Shi Sui’s hand. “In my opinion, he won’t look for you anymore.”

Su Han couldn’t help thinking of the last time she saw Yan Tingli on the ninth floor of the cross-academy building.

At that time, he wore a knee-length white lab coat, half-rimmed glasses, holding a thick stack of experimental data sheets, densely packed.

An undergraduate so outstanding that a bunch of graduate and doctoral students ran over to listen to his data analysis.

When he spoke, his voice was light, cool as water—compared to the strange, gloomy tone from their last meeting, it was incomparably more normal.

Afterward, Su Ye kept Yan Tingli for dinner, and Su Han was also there, pricking up her ears to listen to their conversation.

Most of it was professional questions, back and forth, very boring.

Su Han was listlessly playing with her rice until Su Ye asked Yan Tingli to serve her food, which he did casually.

Su Ye was very satisfied, but Su Han was shocked and barely touched that dish afterward.

It wasn’t until Yan Tingli left that she nervously asked her father: “You’re not still trying to match me with him, are you?”

“Of course not,” Su Ye said.

At the time, Su Han found it strange, but later suddenly realized her father was giving Yan Tingli an obedience test.

But some sixth sense made her vaguely anxious—wouldn’t this extremely dangerous individual, suppressed for too long, explode?

She mentioned this to her father several times, but Su Ye didn’t take it seriously.

But Su Han didn’t tell Shi Sui any of this.

She still hoped Sui Sui could live a truly happy and free life in California without being affected.

“Sui Sui, don’t always be alone,” before leaving, Su Han still hugged her and said, “make more friends. If you like any boys, you can date a few.”

“I wish you happiness.”

Shi Sui hugged Su Han back, closed her eyes, and sincerely thanked her: “I wish you happiness too.”

“See you next time.”

“Mm. See you next time.”

This meeting with Su Han caused a great change in Shi Sui’s mindset.

Some tightly wound string in her mind unconsciously relaxed—

The past was past, and Yan Tingli had a new life, too.

Shi Sui looked up at the blue sky.

Then she shouldn’t waste California’s sunshine anymore either.

When school started in September, passing by the diverse club activities in the hallways, Shi Sui would stop to choose and participate.

At ten PM, she joined strangers for “informal screenings” in the basement, watching various adaptations of classic works. Someone played their cyberpunk version of “Finding Nemo,” and Shi Sui munched chips and laughed with the crowd.

On Fridays, she hopped into Mieko’s car, driving half an hour to the beach to participate in lively beach volleyball with the dance club.

California’s summer seemed never-ending.

By the time Shi Sui realized it, it was winter again.

When Li Yin asked her for the nth time whether she was coming home for Spring Festival, and was gently refused by Shi Sui saying spring break didn’t extend that long, her gentle mother finally showed her stern face: “It seems your father and I need to make a trip to England.”

This made Shi Sui break out in cold sweat.

After acting cute and begging for mercy, promising she would definitely squeeze her time like a sponge and come home immediately if she could squeeze out even five milliliters of water, Ms. Li was finally amused by her and looked at her with gentle eyes.

It had to be said that after being abroad for over a year, Sui Sui had become much more lively and cheerful than before, her eyes bright and full of strength and vitality.

Looking at her, she couldn’t get angry anymore.

Sighing: “Do as you wish.”

This Spring Festival, Shi Sui didn’t stay in the dormitory but participated in the school’s Chinese New Year celebration, making dumplings while watching performances with companions from all over China.

Far away in the old house in Hangzhou, on New Year’s Day, someone gently knocked on the door.

Li Yin was stunned and went to open it.

Seeing Yan Tingli outside, she was extremely surprised: “Xiao Li?”

“Auntie, I was passing by this area and came to wish you and Uncle a Happy New Year.” The young man stood tall outside the door in a black trench coat.

Having not seen him for a long time, his features seemed soaked in the frost outside, much colder and more distant.

A row of gift boxes sat at his feet, obviously expensive without even looking.

Li Yin quickly welcomed him in and called to Shi Yue, who was busy in the kitchen, to make tea.

Sideways, she watched Yan Tingli’s gaze slowly sweep around the room.

“Shi Sui.”

He suddenly said these two words, very slowly.

“Hmm?”

“She hasn’t come back yet?”

“That girl,” Shi Yue placed the tea in front of Yan Tingli and laughed scoldingly, “has gone wild outside. Whenever I ask when she’s coming back, it’s either no vacation or she needs to intern.”

“I was still talking about this before New Year,” Li Yin complained. “She got away with it again.”

Yan Tingli looked at the tea, steam blurring his features so his expression couldn’t be seen clearly: “Oh.”

Between them, the only topic was Shi Sui, who had briefly stayed there. After this cold conversation, Yan Tingli said nothing more.

Li Yin and Shi Yue exchanged glances and proactively asked about Yan Tingli’s parents’ recent situation.

“Same as always.” Both hoping the other would die.

“That’s good.” Shi Yue didn’t let the conversation drop.

In the silence, Li Yin’s phone rang.

She answered, casually chatting for a few sentences before hanging up, saying she had guests.

Shi Yue asked: “Whose call?”

“The real estate agent from Bocui Yunwan,” Li Yin put down her phone. “Said they were calling to wish us New Year’s greetings, but probing whether we want to buy.”

Yan Tingli, beside them, slowly looked up: “You’re buying a house?”

“Yes,” Li Yin nodded. “The current house is still too small. We need to buy a bigger, newer one so Sui Sui has a good place to stay when she comes back.”

Yan Tingli’s fingertips tapped the cup rim: “Bocui is an established property developer with good quality. How come you just…?”

“It’s certainly good, but the price is a bit expensive. We’re still looking for other suitable options.”

Yan Tingli nodded and smiled: “For the difference in money, I can lend it to uncle and auntie interest-free.”

“No, no,” Shi Yue refused somewhat embarrassedly. “How can we borrow money from you?”

“Don’t be polite with me,” Yan Tingli curved his lips. “What’s most important is that Shi Sui lives comfortably when she comes back.”

These words made Li Yin somewhat tempted. Her daughter would be back in at most one or two years. The location and quality of that Bocui property were the best.

If they could settle it now, it would be perfect.

Knowing this was small money to Yan Tingli, she looked at him and sincerely thanked him: “Then we appreciate it.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Li Yin’s phone rang again.

Seeing the caller, she exclaimed and complained to Shi Yue: “This girl knows how to call me back. What time is it? She probably stayed up all night again.”

“Bang.”

The glass cup hit the table with a muffled sound.

The scalding water burned Yan Tingli’s cold, white hand red. Shi Yue quickly grabbed tissues for him: “Let me get you some medicine—”

He was interrupted.

“No need.”

Yan Tingli’s raven-black eyelashes moved slightly as he mechanically wiped his hands with tissues.

“Auntie, please take your call,” he said.

Li Yin hummed and immediately scolded the other end upon answering:

“Why aren’t you video calling me? Did you stay up all night again?”

The soft, clear female voice on the other end was vague, obviously not fully awake.

But still trying to raise her voice in self-deception: “No, my dear mother. Today is the first day of the new year, you must smile and be happy, you can’t get angry.”

Li Yin was both angry and amused. After staying abroad for a while, she had become increasingly articulate.

“Get up and eat something quickly.”

“I know.”

Li Yin: “What did you do last night?”

Shi Sui mumbled: “Made dumplings with classmates.”

“And then?”

“Went to set off fireworks, super super beautiful fireworks.”

The mother and daughter chatted with questions and answers for a while, and soon the voice on the other end became smaller and smaller, sounding like she had fallen asleep again.

Li Yin sighed helplessly and hung up.

Complaining to Shi Yue: “This girl is getting more and more unreliable now, her habits are getting worse and worse. It’s all your fault for spoiling her.”

“You spoil her plenty too.” Shi Yue touched his nose. “Alright, don’t let Xiao Li see us as a joke.”

As he spoke, he turned to look at Yan Tingli.

But he saw that the red mark on his hand was getting redder from wiping, and his fingers were trembling slightly.

“Is the tea too hot?” He gestured to Li Yin. “Quickly get some burn medicine.”

“No need.” Yan Tingli suddenly stood up, his eyes quickly looking away from him, his voice hoarse. “It’s getting late, I have something to attend to. Thank you and auntie for your hospitality.”

He came quickly and left quickly.

Taking two long strides, he went down the stairs.

His figure quickly became a small dot.

Disappearing like the wind.

Turning back, Li Yin touched the cup rim and blamed Shi Yue: “You’re too careless. You should have let it cool before giving it to Xiao Li. You burned his eyes red, but he was too polite to say anything.”

Shi Yue was confused: “Getting scalded once, it’s not that serious, right?”

“You have thick skin, but he’s a young master. How can he be the same as you?”

“Alright.” Shi Yue scratched his head.

Time always flies when you’re busy.

When Shi Sui contacted Zhou Xuyan again, it was already the second year’s winter, also her third year in America.

Over the past year, she had been busy earning credits from two schools, rushing her thesis, while also applying for graduate school.

By the time she settled down, it was already this time.

Seeing that everything had been calm for so long, Shi Sui completely let down most of her guard and prepared to gradually reconnect with former friends, starting with Zhou Xuyan.

“Heavenly music,” on the video call, Zhou Xuyan dramatically clutched her heart. “I can hear your voice again.”

Shi Sui was amused by her and generously praised: “You too, you’ve gotten even more beautiful.”

“Of course.” She proudly flipped her hair.

“Still planning to do graduate school there?” Zhou Xuyan asked.

Shi Sui was silent for a moment, then said: “I quite like it here and want to stay a bit longer.”

“Alright,” Zhou Xuyan said, propping her chin. “I feel like if you came back to China now, it wouldn’t be a big problem.”

This was the second person to tell her this.

“That little pervert, after going crazy for the first year, seemed to suddenly have an epiphany and is completely normal now.”

Zhou Xuyan also talked about her recent encounters with Yan Tingli.

She said his attitude toward her was exactly as if Shi Sui had never appeared, never mentioning her again.

“And he’s been busy with going public recently. Qisheng Technology is changing its name to Zhilian Future and will be listed on NASDAQ in a few months.”

Although Shi Sui was far away in America, browsing social media, she knew about the global explosion of the “CN” concept.

This was currently the world’s most powerful AI with the fastest self-learning capability, heralding a new round of technological iteration.

“Domestic experts say Zhilian Future’s IPO valuation might exceed one hundred billion US dollars.”

Shi Sui listened quietly, but her chip-eating motion suddenly stopped.

She watched Zhou Xuyan’s mouth open and close while her mind wandered, counting zeros.

Ones, tens, hundreds, thousands, ten thousands, hundred millions.

And in US dollars.

It was an astronomical figure.

But for a poor person like her, there was no difference between one hundred billion and ten million.

They were all numbers she could never earn in a lifetime.

“Are you still listening?”

Shi Sui: “Yes.”

Zhou Xuyan, tired of being compared to Yan Tingli by her family, couldn’t help but ramble complaints: “Yan Tingli’s status is different now. The ‘CN’ model was developed by him and Su Ye’s team. Core technology, massive capital—all in his hands.”

“Now, wherever he goes, those rich second-generation sycophants respectfully call him Dr. Yan or President Yan.”

Zhou Xuyan huffed, looking at Shi Sui: “If he didn’t go crazy every time he encountered you, I would never have let you break up with him, then you could support me for life with his money.”

After so long, talking about these things again, Shi Sui’s heart didn’t stir much. She just smiled faintly.

The distance between her and Yan Tingli now was too vast.

So vast that if Yan Tingli occasionally remembered someone like her, he would probably feel disgusted by this embarrassing ex-girlfriend.

Shi Sui tried hard to ignore the slight suffocation in her chest and joked with Zhou Xuyan: “If he had a conscience, he should proactively compensate me for some money.”

Having not chatted for too long, Shi Sui and Zhou Xuyan talked until late into the night.

Until the other side couldn’t help but gossip with the same question as Su Han: “You’ve been there so long, haven’t you dated any handsome guys?”

Shi Sui blinked and said nothing.

Zhou Xuyan clicked her tongue: “I knew you were a nun in California.”

But she saw Shi Sui’s lips curve upward slightly.

Suddenly realizing something, Zhou Xuyan raised her voice in a series of questions: “No way? Really? Oh my god, what’s he like? Is he handsome? Let me see quickly.”

Shi Sui: “Not that fast, we’re just getting to know each other.”

“Then what does he look like? You have to tell me something.”

Shi Sui recalled Theodore’s appearance and thought for a long time, but was confused to discover that after several meetings, she still couldn’t remember his features clearly.

She could only say generally: “He’s Chinese-American mixed race, black eyes, very tall, very fair.”

After thinking more, “Very long fingers.”

“How long?” Zhou Xuyan was shocked. “You’ve tried them?”

Seeing Zhou Xuyan could drive even on flat roads, Shi Sui was speechless: “I saw him play piano.”

“Oh? He can play piano too?”

This “too” made Shi Sui slightly stunned. Ignoring that instinctive panic, she responded: “Mm, he plays quite well.”

“How did you two meet?”

Their meeting process was very simple.

Just that at the beginning of the new semester, Theodore got lost at school and asked her for directions.

Later, they coincidentally met again at the evening music club. To show gratitude, Theodore played a piece for her.

Shi Sui understood this piece—it was “Ballade pour Adeline.”

She graciously expressed her thanks. That day, Theodore added her contact information, and Shi Sui thought about it but didn’t refuse.

Soon, Theodore arranged their next meeting online.

“Great,” Zhou Xuyan applauded. “I wish your date next week goes smoothly and sweetly.”

Shi Sui smiled.

It wasn’t until dawn that both were tired from chatting and hung up.

A red symbol appeared on the screen.

Thinking her phone was dead, Shi Sui drowsily plugged in the charger and collapsed on her pillow, falling asleep.

She didn’t notice.

The red symbol was a warning from the anti-surveillance software Su Ye had her install.