This year was coming to an end.

Shang Zhitao sat at her workstation, writing her year-end summary. She also took out the to-do list she had written from her drawer. She had learned to drive, so that could be crossed off. Her English had improved a little, so she could put a check mark next to that. As for making more than three friends, she thought about it and realized she had accomplished that too.

Looking back seriously at the various events of the year, there was a touch of bitterness, but more happiness. As for what made her feel bitter, she couldn’t quite say.

She put the to-do list back in the drawer and began to tidy up her desk. She was going home early tomorrow morning, and that feeling was wonderful. She had received over 40,000 yuan as her year-end bonus. Back when she had made mistakes, Luan Nian had threatened to deduct her bonus, but it turned out he was just scaring her. Thinking about having several tens of thousands of yuan sitting in her account, she suddenly felt like someone with savings. She had already started planning how to spend this money. She would get new reading glasses for her parents, Old Shang and Big Cui, and buy them new clothes.

After the New Year, she would prepare gifts for her roommates, Lu Mi, and Yao Bei, and also buy herself a gift. In her drawer was a small box—a New Year’s gift she had bought for Luan Nian in advance but never gave him.

Luan Nian had given her two bags. Shang Zhitao didn’t know exactly how much they cost; she had never opened them to look. She felt she should give something in return, but Luan Nian lacked for nothing. She always felt that giving him a gift would seem strange, and might even disrupt the balance they had finally found between them.

She thought for a long time and finally decided to give Luan Nian a box of fish food. She had bought it according to the label on the bottom of his fish tank. After her English class on the weekend, she went to the pet market and asked several stores before finding it. She pointed at a fish and asked the shop owner, “What’s this kind of fish called? What does it eat?”

The shop owner said, “Red dragon.”

“How much is it?”

“Four thousand. Better quality ones are a bit more expensive.”

“Oh, I see.” So Little Red Flag was a red dragon fish. Every time it saw Shang Zhitao, it seemed familiar with her, swimming in the direction of her fingertip. Little Red Flag had much more humanity than Luan Nian.

“I want to buy its food, the most expensive kind.”

“Four hundred and thirty yuan a box.”

…Shang Zhitao gritted her teeth and bought it. Now, looking at the small gift box beside her, she couldn’t muster the courage to give it to Luan Nian. Seeing that her colleagues had all left and Luan Nian was packing up his computer, she knew if she didn’t give it today, she wouldn’t have another chance. He had a flight to the U.S. in the early morning, and she had an early morning train to Ice City. Luan Nian would be gone for a long time—visiting family, meetings at headquarters, a creativity competition—and wouldn’t return until early March.

Luan Nian left the office, and Shang Zhitao picked up her bag and the gift box, following him into the elevator. Luan Nian saw the small box in her hand and her nervousness in the elevator mirror. He simply asked her directly, “Is that for me?”

Shang Zhitao’s face turned slightly red, and she nodded.

Luan Nian stretched out his hand. Seeing Shang Zhitao standing motionless, he frowned, “Changed your mind?”

Shang Zhitao placed the small box in his palm and said before the elevator doors opened, “Have a safe journey.”

“You too.”

After getting into his car, Luan Nian looked at the gift box for a long time before finally opening it. The moment he opened it, the uneasiness in his heart disappeared, and he laughed out loud at the box of fish food.

Shang Zhitao was something.

He drove out of the underground parking garage, deliberately taking a detour to the front of the company. Sure enough, Shang Zhitao was still trying to hail a taxi. He stopped the car in front of her, “Get in.”

Shang Zhitao was puzzled. Today wasn’t Friday, and tomorrow they would both be traveling far away.

“Not getting in?” Luan Nian saw her hesitating and urged her.

Shang Zhitao opened the car door and saw the gift she had given him placed on the passenger seat. Luan Nian picked it up, and after she sat down, he put the fish food on her lap. There was also a set of keys. Shang Zhitao froze, looking at the keys and then at Luan Nian.

Luan Nian stared ahead and said calmly, “Since you’ve given this gift, you might as well provide some after-sales service. While I’m away, please help me take care of my fish.”

…”You have so many valuable things at home…”

“None I can take with me.”

“Oh.”

“Thank you for the gift.”

“You’re welcome, you’ve given me gifts too.”

Luan Nian noticed her stiffness and suddenly smiled, “Shang Zhitao, do you know when you’re most brave?”

“Hmm?”

“When you’re in bed.” Luan Nian paused, “Particularly uninhibited, particularly brave.”

Luan Nian had wondered if two people were living inside Shang Zhitao—one responsible for her wildness, one for her humility. Otherwise, how could she change her demeanor so quickly?

“First of all, in this last meeting of the year, I hope you’ll change how you address me.” Luan Nian found her form of address quite ridiculous, and mimicked Shang Zhitao’s tone, “Sir… don’t kiss there…”

Luan Nian rarely spoke so much. Shang Zhitao discovered that when he talked a lot, he was quite amusing. He imitated her tone perfectly. But he deliberately chose the most embarrassing thing to say. She couldn’t help laughing, even as her face turned red.

“Is it weird?” Luan Nian asked her.

Shang Zhitao nodded, “It is weird. Then how should I address you…” She stopped when she saw Luan Nian’s look.

“Just call me Luan Nian.”

“Oh. What’s next?”

“Next…” Luan Nian parked the car in the garage, “You’re so formal, as if we’ve never slept together.”

“I don’t mean to be, it’s just that we’re not that familiar yet…”

Luan Nian nodded, “So it’s because we haven’t slept together enough…”

He picked up Shang Zhitao and threw her onto the bed, then started unbuttoning his clothes. He wasn’t talking anymore, just deep eyes looking at Shang Zhitao, filled with intensity. Shang Zhitao felt a bit nervous and unconsciously bit her lip, only to be restrained by Luan Nian. He said in a low voice, “Don’t bite your lip, bite me.”

Shang Zhitao was most obedient. She bit his neck, expecting Luan Nian to dodge as he had done before, but this time he didn’t. Previously, Luan Nian would say, “It’s inconvenient when meeting female clients.” He was telling the truth. If Jiang Lan saw love bites on his neck, she would come over wanting to have a similar intimate encounter, and Luan Nian didn’t want to deal with that.

Shang Zhitao’s teeth applied slight pressure, her tongue sweeping over the blood vessel on his neck. Luan Nian’s heavy breathing fell on her ear, more effective than anything.

“I want to bite more,” Shang Zhitao whispered in his ear, “Do you dare?”

“Bring it on.”

Shang Zhitao did bite him. She left marks on his neck, chest, and shoulders. She felt she had a bit of a dog’s mentality of marking territory—I’ve marked this place, so it’s mine. Let Luan Nian’s bed partners in New York take note and avoid.

Luan Nian, however, quietly went about his business. When she was nearly frenzied, he took a small piece of skin on her neck into his mouth, returning her wildness to her.

Then he asked her, “Are we familiar enough now?”

“A little more familiar.”

They carried on until early morning. Luan Nian had to catch his flight, and Liu Wu was waiting for him at the door. Shang Zhitao hid in the room, unwilling to let Liu Wu see her. Luan Nian understood her small concern clearly and didn’t trouble her; he left.

Shang Zhitao carried the keys to Luan Nian’s home, feeling their weight, afraid of losing them, so she kept them in a small bag close to her body.

When she returned to Ice City and saw the vast expanse of white snow, lanterns in the snow lining the streets and alleys, her heart finally settled. She loved the snow in Ice City, the dilapidated buildings in the old town, the popsicles sold on the ground at the roadside, and the Spring Festival couplets and paintings displayed in a row. The New Year was coming!

Old Shang and Big Cui smiled broadly when they saw her. Big Cui kneaded her face like dough, saying, “My daughter has gotten thinner…”

“Mom!” Shang Zhitao protested with a pout, “How am I thinner? I’m so strong!”

“You even have dark circles under your eyes. Is work too exhausting?”

Shang Zhitao felt a bit guilty. Work wasn’t tiring these last few days of the year; yesterday she was tired from serving her boss. Big Cui sent her back to her room to sleep: “Sleep for an hour first, I’ll call you when the food is ready.”

Shang Zhitao really could sleep. She covered her head and caught up on sleep. During this time, she heard the door open softly twice. When it opened for the third time, she peeked out from under the covers and saw Old Shang and Big Cui secretly looking at her from the doorway.

The elderly missed their child but didn’t want to disturb her sleep, so they could only sneak over to look at her again and again. Shang Zhitao’s nose stung, and she almost couldn’t hold back her tears. She wanted to get up and be close to them, but suddenly remembered the mischief Luan Nian had made—she had to cover her neck. Otherwise, her parents would ask questions. So she wrapped the blanket tightly around herself and coquettishly said to them, “I want to sleep a bit more~ I was up all night yesterday, so tired.” She didn’t mention why she had been up all night.

Old Shang worried about his daughter and nodded, “Then sleep a bit more, we’ll eat later.”

“Mm-hmm.”

Old Shang closed the door. Shang Zhitao found a turtleneck sweater to wear. Fortunately, this was Ice City, where turtlenecks weren’t out of place. Then she went out to eat with Old Shang. Shang Zhitao volunteered to have a drink with Old Shang. He poured her just a tiny bit of white liquor: “With your limited alcohol tolerance, drink less.” Shang Zhitao let out a chuckle and clinked glasses with Old Shang. Being back home, she relaxed, and in the blink of an eye, she forgot everything about Beijing.

After dinner, she started calling her classmates. She had several good friends from high school. Some went to work at the city bureau after graduation, some in the government, and one or two ran small businesses. In Ice City, stability was valued—an iron rice bowl was better than anything else. Everyone agreed to go singing on the second day of the Lunar New Year. They chatted until late at night, and when she opened her eyes again, it was the New Year.

During the Chinese Lunar New Year, Luan Nian had just arrived home not long ago. Dr. Liang was bickering with Luan Mingrui: “What you’re saying is too narrow-minded.”

Dr. Liang was a medical expert, specializing in tackling tumors, noble and self-disciplined; Luan Mingrui was in business, handling large sums of money every day. These two completely unrelated people had somehow come together and had been bickering for a lifetime.

When they saw Luan Nian enter, they both fell silent. Dr. Liang went to embrace Luan Nian and noticed the love bite on his neck, clicking her tongue, “So intense?”

Luan Nian somehow felt a bit embarrassed. He didn’t mind traveling across the ocean with these marks, but he never expected to be teased by his mother. He thought to himself that Shang Zhitao had bitten hard, much harder than he had.

“Dog bite,” he said flatly, going upstairs to change clothes. Looking at the marks on his body in the dressing mirror, he remembered Shang Zhitao’s slightly crazed appearance and suddenly laughed.

Coming downstairs, Dr. Liang’s eyes were still on his neck, teasing, “That’s a well-placed mark.”

Luan Mingrui finally stood up and came to look at Luan Nian, saying with a smile, “Young people.”

“So a family of three meeting after a long time has nothing else to talk about?” Luan Nian resisted their constant staring at his neck and simply found a Band-Aid to cover it, making it more conspicuous in trying to conceal it.

“It’s good to cover it up. Everyone will be coming later, and they’ll ask questions,” Luan Mingrui teased him.

“Who’s coming today?”

“Today, your Uncle Song’s family, Uncle Chen’s family.”

“Are Qiuhan and Kuannian coming too?”

“What else? Leave them at home to starve?”

Chinese people in America liked to gather together for the New Year to make it lively. Luan Nian liked those two young men who were a few years younger than him but seemed like fine young men. They had even agreed to travel together starting next year.

In this bustling year, while Luan Nian was eating with family and friends, he received an email. In the email, Shang Zhitao formally wished him a Happy New Year. She wrote: Happy New Year, all the best in the coming year.

Luan Nian replied: Happy New Year, next time, bite gently.