December.

The cold wind whipped up heavy snow, turning the entire military headquarters into a world covered in silver.

The icicles hanging from the eaves were at least half a foot long, and the snow was so thick that you could sink up to your calves when you stepped on it. The crunching sound was especially noticeable in the quiet morning.

Jiang Linchuan walked through the snow to the small courtyard.

Considering Xu Xinghe's reputation, he didn't actually move in, but instead rested in his office, with Xu Xinghe taking care of him whenever she had time.

Now the stitches on his back have been removed, and he has fully recovered, finally no longer needing a woman to run back and forth.

He raised his hand and knocked on the door.

A short while later, Xu Xinghe appeared in front of him.

Wrapped in a red cotton-padded coat, she rushed out like a leaping flame, grabbed a snowflake from the ground, and painstakingly molded it into a round snowball. "Jiang Linchuan, let's have a snowball fight!"

Before Jiang Linchuan could react, a snowball slammed into his green military coat, and snowflakes fell down in a flurry.

Xu Xinghe smiled, her eyes crinkling, and turned to run. The red ribbons tied to her two braids swayed with her movements, standing out starkly against the white snow.

Jiang Linchuan chuckled softly, bent down, grabbed Xue, and chased after him.

His movements were slow, yet he managed to land the snowballs precisely on her, the splashing snowflakes sticking to the ends of her braids.

Xu Xinghe turned around and glared at him reproachfully. Taking advantage of his unpreparedness, she threw another snowball, which hit him squarely in the chest this time.

"A sneak attack doesn't count as skill."

Xu Xinghe laughed so hard she bent over, "You're so good, how could I win if I didn't sneak up on you? You're a grown man, can't you just let me win?"

"Okay, I'll let you have it. Go ahead and throw it. I promise I won't dodge."

Xu Xinghe grabbed a handful of snow and threw it at Jiang Linchuan, "Let's see how you dodge that!"

The freshly fallen snow was scattered, like a shower of flowers from a celestial maiden, and it all landed on his head and body.

"Jiang Linchuan, your hair has turned white all of a sudden, you look like an old man! Tell me, do we consider ourselves to be growing old together?"

Jiang Linchuan looked at her with affection and said, "Mm."

Of course it counts.

"Watch my attack!"

Xu Xinghe grabbed another handful of snow, about to throw it up, when his foot slipped and he fell forward with a thud.

She gasped, but the expected pain didn't come; instead, she bumped into a solid embrace.

Jiang Linchuan reached out and put his arm around her waist, but the snow was too slippery, and the force of the impact caused them both to lose their balance and fall down in the snow.

The soft snow cushioned the impact, and Xu Xinghe lay on Jiang Linchuan's body, her lips pressed against his Adam's apple.

The warm breath seeped through my thin skin, making me feel both hot and itchy.

Jiang Linchuan froze, his Adam's apple bobbed uncontrollably, and a shiver ran up his spine until it reached his scalp.

Xu Xinghe was also stunned, clearly feeling the pulsation of the blood vessels under the honey-colored skin.

She suddenly looked up and her eyes met those deep gazes.

His eyes reddened again, the coldness within them melting away, leaving only an unspeakable lust that stood out starkly against the backdrop of the white snow.

That restrained yet helpless look tugged at Xu Xinghe's heart like a hook, and she couldn't help but lean down, wanting to kiss him.

Give him a kiss, just in case he really cries.

"Thump thump thump—"

Footsteps could be heard outside the courtyard.

Jiang Linchuan snapped out of his daze, quickly picked up Xu Xinghe and stood up, swiftly brushing the snow off his body with his large hands, his movements as fast as a gust of wind.

"Linchuan, Xiao Xu, I knew you'd be here." Commissar Wang, wrapped in a thick coat, walked into the yard and stamped the snow off his feet in the cleared area.

Jiang Linchuan breathed a slight sigh of relief. Fortunately, it was the political commissar who came. Even if they seemed to be acting strangely, they would definitely not ask any questions, much less tell anyone.

"Political Commissar, what do you want with me?"

Commissar Wang's breath turned into white mist and quickly dissipated. "Don't even mention it. News came from above that this year's winter is probably the coldest it's seen in sixty years! Actually, I should have thought of that a long time ago. With the frost coming so early, how could there not be other problems?"

He looked up at the sky, his brow furrowed. "The snow is falling too frequently. If this continues, there will be a snow disaster. From now on, all available personnel in the military must go to the nearby villages and towns to help light the snow and reinforce roofs to prevent any accidents from happening to civilians. You have to go too. However, considering your health, you don't need to do anything; just direct from the sidelines."

Xu Xinghe poked her head out and asked, "Will too much snow cause a snow disaster?"

"Yes," Political Commissar Wang said, his face grim. "Not to mention anything else, just the transportation system will be disrupted. Highways and railways will be blocked by snow, transportation will be interrupted, supplies will be difficult to allocate, affecting people's lives and the transport of production materials. Houses will collapse, more people will suffer frostbite, or even freeze to death, and there probably won't be enough fuel for heating. In addition, livestock will also suffer from the cold. In short, there are too many troubles..."

For the first time in her life, Xu Xinghe realized that too much snow could actually cause a disaster.

This beautiful, snow-covered landscape, to a certain extent, is also a dangerous beast.

She looked up at the roof.

In this world, there are rich and poor. Many people's houses are not as sturdy as those of the military; they are quite rudimentary. If the heavy snow were to cause a collapse, not only would they lose their place to stay, but people might also be injured.

It's too dangerous to get injured in this kind of weather.

And then there's Jiang Linchuan. With his personality, if he really went, how could he just give orders? He would definitely be unable to resist helping out.

Xu Xinghe really didn't want to see him get hurt anymore.