Weather forecast

"Today, the temperature in our city will drop to zero to minus thirteen degrees Celsius, with heavy snow turning into moderate snow, and northwest winds at level three to four."

"Please dress warmly when going out. The roads are slippery due to snow, so please watch your step and drive carefully."

Wen Zhuyao was watching the news on TV in the living room. Next to her sat Chi Nuo, who was curled up on the sofa with her legs drawn up, looking at her longingly with a pout.

"Why is it so cold? I remember it was still in single digits a few days ago." Chi Nuo felt that her travel plans were going to be ruined, so she decided to just forget about it.

Having accepted the mission and the token of appreciation, there's no going back.

This makes things very difficult.

Chi Nuo felt a chill in the air; compared to her own place, it was eerily quiet. She looked around and asked, "Where are your aunt and uncle? Aren't they home?"

"No, they left a long time ago. It would be a surprise to run into them." Wen Zhuyao didn't know the full extent of their situation, but since she didn't have a job, she could find other things to keep her busy.

Except for the first few days after she returned and during the Chinese New Year, she was always by herself.

Chi Nuo nodded in agreement, saying, "That's true. After all, it's no exaggeration to say that your aunt and uncle are very busy, especially your aunt. I saw her at an oil painting class nearby last time."

She hesitated to approach people with high energy levels.

"But, does this mean we really can't get out? I still really want to go out for a walk..." Chi Nuo looked out the window, where it had already started to snow lightly.

She looked at the snowflakes, her heart breaking: "I know, it's already started snowing, there's no hope."

"Let's find some restaurants that are still open nearby; we can walk there." Wen Zhuyao also noticed the snow outside the window; it would be better to go out before it started snowing.

Unless it's snowing heavily when you go out, the snow is expected to stop by the time you go back.

Chi Nuosong straightened his posture, his hands resting on his knees, and asked, "What's the furthest distance you can accept?"

"A 20-minute walk is the absolute limit." Wen Zhuyao was glad that she had a scarf, gloves, a mask, and other items suitable for keeping warm when going out in winter.

Otherwise, just going for a walk will be enough.

Chi Nuo blinked at her and smiled shyly, "Ten more minutes, is that alright, my dear Xiao Zhu?"

“If you want to be a special snowman, I can bring the tools and help you build it first,” Wen Zhuyao returned her a gentle smile. “What do you think?”

Chi Nuo: "Not good. I'll go back and get dressed now. Wait for me."

After saying that, she got up, put on her coat, and ran back in a flash.

Fearing things might be a little slow, Wen Zhuyao kept her word and actually let her out to be a snowman.

"Send me a message, and give me the address too." She called out to him with her back to the door before Chi Nuo closed it.

I wonder if Chi Nuo heard those words.

Just to be on the safe side, Wen Zhuyao took out her phone and sent a new message.

The message bar is empty.

Neither Chen Yan nor Mo Wen has released any new information.

As she got up to go back to her room to find her clothes, she heard a tinkling sound outside.

"Clang clang clang..."

"Knock knock knock..."

"Ding ding ding... splash splash splash... swish... swish swish..."

I woke up to a rare good night's sleep.

Mo Wen seemed to have instantly shaken off all her fatigue, even though she had been woken up by noise. She didn't know if there was any construction going on outside or what was happening.

It made a clanging and rattling sound.

He got up and stretched, opened the door and went out, where he saw people he hadn't seen in a long time.

Mr. and Mrs. Mo returned to the living room, dressed in dustproof suits, and began to work on a cabinet. They were fully equipped and their methods were ruthless.

The sound was created by them; they were so focused that Mo Wen didn't even notice them walking behind him, still admiring their artwork.

“I’ve disliked this cabinet for a long time. New year, new look, let’s replace everything that can be replaced.” Mother Mo was using a screwdriver to tighten the cabinet handle.

Mr. Mo was sanding the paint from behind, saying, "Let's replace the others too. Anyway, the New Year is just around the corner, so let's get something new."

"That's true, my bookshelf needs a makeover too, it's overflowing." Mo's mother's own novels and comics were almost full, and she urgently needed more space.

Mo Wen stood behind for a long time but didn't see anyone. He took the initiative to ask, "Didn't you say you were coming back in a few days? Why are you here today?"

His question startled the two elderly people quite a bit.

"Oh dear, don't you know how scary it can be? You want to inherit my rare item and resell it, right?" Mother Mo clutched her heart and took a careful, deep breath.

Mr. Mo agreed, saying, "That's right. Those were all carefully selected by your mother. Whether or not they are left to you in the future depends on your performance. You can't be so impatient."

Mo Wen: "..."

Mo Wen: "Be normal. It's so early in the morning with all this noise. I thought there was construction going on next door."

“Alright, we’re just coming back to pack. The New Year is just around the corner, so it’s better to come back early,” Mo’s father replied normally.

Mo Wen turned around to wash up and said, "You guys keep busy, just pretend I don't exist."

"That won't do. You come and help after you've finished tidying up. Besides this, there are still two large bookcases that haven't been set up yet. The workload is considerable." Mother Mo rejected his suggestion, as they needed a Curira to help with the work.

Mo's mother casually asked, "How's your relationship going? It's almost Chinese New Year, should we go visit her and give her a gift?"

“When it comes to gifts, you have to choose carefully. You can’t choose something that looks nice but doesn’t taste good,” Mr. Mo added from the side, pointing to the gifts he had brought back.

Hearing this, he showed no expression, wanting to say something but not knowing how to begin.

Mo Wen didn't continue listening to his father's selection method. He looked at the gift boxes over there, containing countless items such as wine, tea, pastries, and pigeons. It was as if all the storage in the entryway had been put there.

"The talk went well. Giving gifts is too formal. It's still early. We'll meet after the New Year." He replied hastily and went to the bathroom to wash up.

Watching his retreating figure, Mo's mother whispered to Mo's father, "Isn't something wrong? He seems very depressed."

"Sigh, don't worry about him. We're not home, so who knows what time we'll go to sleep at night? He's not fully awake and got woken up, of course he'll look like this." Father Mo didn't care much about him, he was more concerned about his own achievements.

When Mo's mother heard him say that, she agreed and continued with her work.

"Splash..."

He bent down, cupped his hands, splashed water on his face, and rubbed it vigorously. The cold water sobered him up considerably.

Mo Wen straightened up, looked at himself in the mirror, and saw a face that was both strange and familiar, eyes that were empty yet persistent. Tears slid down his cheeks, onto his neck, onto his clothes, onto…

He landed beside her.

"No way, wasn't the weather forecast supposed to be heavy to moderate snow?"

"Why is it still raining? I really should have known to bring an umbrella instead of a hat..." Chi Nuo pulled Wen Zhuyao and hurriedly ran to the eaves of a shop on the street.

She watched as the pure snow turned into sleet, her face filled with disappointment: "Am I really that unlucky?"

"It's nothing..." Wen Zhuyao looked around and found it somewhat familiar. She opened her phone to check the navigation. "There's a coffee shop nearby that's still open. We can go sit down and have a look."

The meeting place we arranged yesterday is nearby, so I can go there first.

Chi Nuo adjusted her scarf and gloves, pulled her hat all the way down, leaving only one eye showing on her face.

The clothes were covered up so tightly that it was difficult for him to speak clearly.

"Hmm, get ready... Okay, let's get started." Chi Nuo reached out and grabbed her sleeve, nodding heavily to indicate that she was really ready.

Wen Zhuyao turned on the navigation. What should have been a five-minute walk took more than ten minutes due to the wind and snow.

As I pushed open the door to this coffee shop, a wave of warmth washed over me, and I felt as if I had finally thawed out of my daze and been transported to springtime.

Wen Zhuyao took off her scarf and hat, revealing her face. Even though her nose and ears were covered, they were still red.

This same sentiment was also reflected on Chi Nuo's face. She rubbed her hands together and said, "I will definitely drink hot drinks. I've compromised on winter."

Wen Zhuyao folded the scarf and put it on her arm, along with her gloves, and prepared to go to the counter to order: "Okay, what would you like to drink?"

"Hot cocoa, or hot milk if you don't have that, or a latte if you don't have that either," Chi Nuo said, reciting the order three times before heading off to find a table without looking back.

A voice came from the front desk, sounding both puzzled and undeniably certain.

"You're Xiao Wen, right?"

Wen Zhuyao went to look at the sound and saw a young man who was about the same age as her, but looked somewhat weathered and tired. She couldn't immediately match him with the person in her memory.

I've forgotten who he really is.

The person who spoke lowered his head and smiled helplessly, aware of his own change, and explained, "I am Chen Yan."

"Chen Yan?"

Wen Zhuyao uttered the name in shock, unable to reconcile it with the person in her memory, from his glamorous appearance to his current state.

"There's no other way, that's just how things are, that's why I wanted to..."

Chi Nuo could no longer hear anything. She felt like she was about to fall apart. She sat down and looked around nervously, not daring to make any big movements for fear of being discovered.

She took out her phone and secretly sent a message to Mo Wen: "Hey, I went out with Xiao Zhu today, and she actually started talking to a guy!"

"Wow, I thought her friends were just the few of us."

Chi Nuo had been by her side for so many years, a friendship that had lasted since childhood, and there were also people she didn't know appearing in Wen Zhuyao's life.

Judging from the conversation, they seemed very familiar with each other, like old friends reuniting.

There's a complex situation where children grow up, have their own lives, and never open their hearts to each other again.

"That's really rare. I wonder if I'll be pushed out of my position as your best friend in the future. But don't worry about that, your position is very stable, you'll probably always be ranked at the bottom..."

"But then again, doesn't that also mean she's become a bit more outgoing?"

"Isn't this a good thing...?"

She was engrossed in playing when Wen Zhuyao called out to her, startling her so much that she put her phone away.

Wen Zhuyao returned with two cups of hot cocoa and asked, "I called you several times but you didn't answer me. What's wrong? Are you engrossed in your phone?"

"No, no, I just stumbled upon some gossip and got hooked on it. By the way, tell me about it, you know who I am." Chi Nuo changed the subject, steering the conversation towards this person.

Wen Zhuyao briefly recounted what happened yesterday, and also mentioned that she had unexpectedly learned that the shop was owned by Chen Yan, which was why she had chosen this place.

"No way... What an evil person." Chi Nuo got goosebumps after hearing it once.

I can't even imagine what it would be like for someone who actually went through it. If it were her, she would probably just give up and make things worse for everyone.

While they chatted and waited for the rain to stop, Chi Nuo deliberately turned the phone over to cover it up. The phone, which she had forgotten about, was now flashing, and only the chair could see the light.

Mo asked, "What man?"

Mo asked, "Are they very close? Do they have other friends?"

Mo asked, "Why am I last in line...?"

Mo asked, "Can we sort this out for now?"

"Did they send the message and then run away?" Mo Wen looked at his reply time, which wasn't slow at all, and he couldn't figure it out.