The first snow of New Year fell from New Year’s Eve through to New Year’s Day.

When Shen Qianzhan woke up, the world outside her window was already a vast expanse of white where endings and boundaries couldn’t be distinguished.

For ventilation, her bedroom window was cracked open, causing the sheer curtains to flutter slightly in the breeze.

Shen Qianzhan picked up her phone to check the time—eight o’clock in the morning, her usual workday wake-up time.

She hugged her phone, staring blankly at the ceiling light fixture.

Last night after dropping off Su Zan and Ji Qinghe at the courtyard house, she didn’t linger and returned home. By the time she got home at ten o’clock, the Old Shen couple were in the living room chatting while waiting for her.

The long-unused TV in the living room was broadcasting the Spring Festival Gala live. Amidst the laughter and noise was Mother Shen’s gaze filled with anticipation.

Shen Qianzhan consciously went to her room to get a blanket and accompanied the two elders in watching the show.

Mother Shen was quite interested in traditional programs. While listening to her and Old Shen discuss veteran performers who had been appearing on the Spring Gala for decades, Shen Qianzhan absentmindedly peeled oranges while lost in thought.

When she zoned out thinking, her hands would always fidget with something. The unfortunate orange selected was cleaned thoroughly from peel to pith, and even when she put it in her mouth, she mechanically predetermined how many bites to chew it into.

Mother Shen called her name three times before she snapped back to attention: “What?”

“Giving you New Year’s money.” Mother Shen handed her a red envelope, then patted Old Shen: “Where’s yours?”

Old Shen unhurriedly passed over the red envelope that had been pressed under the ashtray: “What’s the rush? As if I’d shortchange my daughter.”

Under the gala’s stirring background music, Old Shen looked at her with a smile, saying: “A few years ago, your mom and I felt something wasn’t right with your state, and we always wanted to persuade you to come back. This time we came to Beijing, besides seeing your grandfather, we also wanted to understand your life.”

Shen Qianzhan smiled and asked: “This little time probably isn’t enough for you two to understand.”

“We have no intention of prying into your life. Knowing that your work is smooth, your life fulfilling, and your mindset optimistic is enough for us.” Old Shen sighed, his tone somewhat melancholy: “Ever since you came to Beijing, your mom and I have felt you growing more and more distant from us. I’m very happy my daughter has a broad world where she can flex her abilities, and I’m gratified you have your current vision and problem-solving skills.”

Over all these years, besides reasoning with her emotionally about life-long matters and trying to influence her, the Old Shen couple rarely had such heart-to-heart talks.

Shen Qianzhan very cooperatively put on an appreciative expression: “I’m very pleased to receive such an evaluation from you.” She glanced toward Mother Shen, secretly complaining: “I thought you two would prefer me to be immersed in romantic entanglements.”

Old Shen must have reached some tacit understanding with Mother Shen, as he spoke on behalf of both throughout: “You can’t misunderstand your mom about this. Doesn’t she support your career? She’s the most supportive. She proudly tells everyone her daughter has her own ideas, is independent and brave, just like a Disney princess. She urges you urgently purely out of love and protection for you. Our social circle is different from yours. You keep shouting about economic independence, life independence, spatial independence. Your mom and I don’t dare participate too much in your life, and when we occasionally ask a couple questions, we’re afraid of annoying you.”

As he spoke, he seemed somewhat aggrieved: “Have you ever heard of parents coming to Beijing to see their daughter who was so scared she only dared call to notify them after the plane landed?”

Shen Qianzhan sincerely apologized: “I was wrong. I was negligent in caring for you two elders.”

Old Shen waved his hand, indicating that wasn’t his point: “After this year, you’ll be thirty too—the age of establishing oneself.”

“In life and work, you can already stand on your own merits and shoulder responsibilities. What about life goals and development? Do you have any new insights this year?”

Shen Qianzhan wondered how many more circles Old Shen would make before getting to the point. She curved her lips, playing dumb: “What kind of life goals are you referring to? I just set a small goal of one hundred million.”

Her personality was distinct—her emotions were written all over her face. Usually when conversations didn’t click, she’d get prickly regardless of who she was talking to.

Old Shen didn’t withdraw his hand even after being pricked by her thorns, holding his teacup and leisurely taking a sip: “Just casual chat. What are you nervous about?”

Shen Qianzhan thought for a moment and said: “I’m being serious—I just set a goal to earn one hundred million. Once I’ve earned enough money, I’ll spend the rest of my life only doing what I want to do. I don’t care whether there’s someone to accompany me in the latter half of my life—I’m not lonely. I also don’t pursue whether women need to be ‘complete.’ Those standards that bind women to must marry and have children can’t constrain me.”

These weren’t words she was saying for the first time. But before, she’d said them more euphemistically and pleasingly, half-coaxing and half-persuading, trying her best to avoid direct conflict with Mother Shen.

Seeing Mother Shen’s face flushing red with hints of thin anger.

Shen Qianzhan’s tone softened somewhat as she stated her position: “If there’s a suitable person, I won’t resist. My work is too busy. If you ask me to stop now, I might not be able to balance both well. It’s even more impossible to temporarily set aside work. Work and economic independence are the foundation of my existence. My rationality doesn’t allow me to give up my career for something ethereal.”

Not being in her position, they couldn’t know how much effort she’d put in to climb back up.

During the most difficult period, knowing the Old Shen couple were powerless to shoulder her enormous debts, Shen Qianzhan had always gritted her teeth and bore it herself. These nine years, with life’s ups and downs, storms and waves, it wouldn’t be excessive to say she’d exhausted her heart and blood.

She absolutely would not allow any errors in her career. She also absolutely would not allow anyone to topple her edifice.

Mother Shen listened for a long time, struggling to suppress her emotions, speaking calmly: “Then tell us what kind of person you think would be suitable?”

At that moment, a figure very strangely floated into Shen Qianzhan’s mind—cold as pine and bamboo, harboring bad intentions, calculating step by step, the refined scoundrel Ji Qinghe.

His phrase “You can make a wish to me, it’s valid every year on this day” echoed in her mind like a spell, repeating over and over.

This sentence was like the snowflakes outside the car—silent yet with an extremely strong presence, knocking on her heart’s door.

She couldn’t remember her expression at the time. It should have been surprise and thinking he was joking. She remembered smiling and asking: “Any wish at all?”

He repeated: “Any wish at all.”

At that moment, snow fell into her world, rustling softly.

Heaven knew how much restraint it took for her not to blurt out: “Then give me lots and lots of money, the kind that falls from heaven.”

Shen Qianzhan’s life wasn’t a fairy tale world. She knew such wishes came with a price.

So she swallowed all her words and ended the topic with a joke.

She said: “Thank you, President Ji, for giving me the chance to daydream even at thirty.”

In the hallway, Mother Shen’s voice was kept very low, as if afraid to wake her: “This snow must have fallen all night, right?”

Old Shen hummed, his voice floating: “Snow this thick probably did. Southern snow falls like it’s playing around. How many years since we’ve seen people throwing snowballs in the snow?”

Shen Qianzhan felt lazy and didn’t want to get up.

After parting unpleasantly with Mother Shen last night, she needed to do some psychological preparation before she could normally face the Old Shen couple.

Shen Qianzhan’s psychological preparation was rather simple and crude. She sat cross-legged at the head of her bed, feeling for the New Year’s money red envelope pressed under her pillow, counting it bill by bill.

Old Shen always believed in “love is as deep as the red envelope is thick,” giving her a big, bulging red envelope.

She counted happily, unable to hide her smile.

Opening your eyes on New Year’s Day to count money—what a good omen!

When the sun was high in the sky, Shen Qianzhan estimated that little traitor Su Zan should be sobered up by now, so she personally called to check on him.

The little traitor’s voice was nasally and somewhat dejected: “When I woke up and saw the carved canopy bed, I was almost scared to death.” He complained while sniffling: “With so many years of friendship between us, when I was this drunk, you actually threw me to President Ji. Shen Qianzhan, was your conscience eaten by dogs?”

Shen Qianzhan was watering her pothos, her focus shifting: “Carved canopy bed?”

“Mm.” Su Zan said in a muffled voice: “Meng Wanzhou, such a big man, actually likes gauze curtains and canopies. Don’t you think that’s scary?”

Shen Qianzhan replied: “I think you could ask about the cost of this bed. After asking, you’ll probably change your impression of Meng Wanzhou.”

Su Zan, who had known her for so long, discovered for the first time that her heart had completely shifted: “Why do you always speak up for others?”

“Just discussing the facts.” Shen Qianzhan opened the window to breathe in the cold air outside: “Are you home now? How did it feel spending the night with President Ji?”

“Bah.” Su Zan said resentfully: “Only you and President Ji spending the night together would be ***. He threw me to Boss Meng and didn’t care about me at all.”

Hearing him respond fluently with clear logic, Shen Qianzhan stopped worrying: “Script meeting on the third day. Don’t forget.”

Su Zan mumbled acknowledgment and hung up first.

On the afternoon of the third day of New Year, Shen Qianzhan booked a private tea room.

She arrived earliest, sending a location pin to the WeChat group she’d hastily created last night.

The first to arrive was Lin Qiao, who had the highest enthusiasm for script meetings and always responded immediately to everything.

Make Shen Qianzhan wait? Not happening.

She’d collaborated with Shen Qianzhan on many projects. Besides her online abilities meeting Shen Qianzhan’s aesthetic standards, her likable personality was a major factor.

When Su Zan got sour about her, he’d often say Lin Qiao was Shen Qianzhan’s long-lost sister of a different surname.

She came carrying a bag of small preserved plums, eating them one by one, making Shen Qianzhan’s teeth ache from the sourness.

Acting on a woman’s sixth sense, Shen Qianzhan carefully probed: “Do you have a situation?”

Lin Qiao startled and quickly shook her head: “No!”

Her nervous reaction made Shen Qianzhan mischievous: “Do you know which situation I’m asking about? You just said no.”

Lin Qiao realized she’d been tricked, wrinkling her small face: “Gold mommy, please be direct? I’ll tell you everything I know.”

Shen Qianzhan rarely inquired about collaborators’ private lives. Her understanding of Lin Qiao stopped at professional abilities and work scope.

Whether influenced by Mother Shen’s hints these past two days about wanting to have another heart-to-heart about life, she curiously asked: “You’re twenty-seven this year?”

Lin Qiao nodded obediently, pretending to joke: “Don’t tell me the project has age restrictions. I’ll turn hostile.”

“The new project actually does.” Shen Qianzhan touched her chin, saying seriously: “Want to push some review boundaries, challenge a script that’s inappropriate for minors.”

Lin Qiao nearly choked on a preserved plum, turning red-faced with shock: “Seriously?”

“Fake.” Shen Qianzhan sighed: “Not to mention tribute dramas have strict censorship—investors wouldn’t allow it either.”

Lin Qiao held her teacup to soothe her throat. Seeing no one around, she lowered her voice mysteriously: “In the WeChat group, the person with the single-character nickname ‘Ji’—is that our gold daddy this time?”

Shen Qianzhan vaguely felt something was off: “You call me gold mommy and him gold daddy?”

She raised an eyebrow teasingly: “Ji Qinghe probably doesn’t know he has such a big daughter out there.”

As soon as she finished speaking, a slender finger lifted the hanging curtain at the entrance.

Ji Qinghe’s voice was deep with a slight hoarseness: “Now I know.”