It snowed all night.

Shi Meng slept late and woke up late, and it was already noon when he went downstairs.

Li Bihan came out of the kitchen and saw Shi Meng standing in the living room, looking around as if searching for someone. She said, "He's outside building a snowman."

Shi Meng walked to the window and looked out. Sure enough, he saw Fu Xuanliao squatting in the yard, his back to him, fiddling with something.

As I was looking, a coat was draped over my shoulders from behind.

"Go have some fun." Li Bihan stepped forward, looked out the window, and said with a smile, "We can have dinner later."

Shi Meng went out and brought Fu Xuanliao a coat as well, casually putting it over his head.

Fu Xuanliao was so engrossed in building a snowman that he didn't hear any footsteps. He was startled when a piece of clothing fell from the sky and covered his eyes. He turned around, saw that it was Shi Meng, and then smiled and said, "Good morning."

Shi Meng thought he was laughing at her for oversleeping, so she ignored him and walked to the other side, squatted down and started playing with the snow on the ground.

Fu Xuanliao was worried that he would catch a cold, so he handed him the small shovel and took off his own scarf and wrapped it around Shi Meng's neck, only to be given a cold glance by Shi Meng.

Thinking there was something wrong with his attire, Fu Xuanliao looked down to check his appearance and asked in confusion, "What's wrong?"

Shi Meng turned her face away and continued to torment Xue: "If you get a fever again, no one will care about you."

What sounded like disdain was actually interpreted by Fu Xuanliao as concern.

"It's nothing, I'm perfectly fine." Just then, he sneezed. Fu Xuanliao awkwardly rubbed his nose and, trying to change the subject, pointed to the snowman he had built. "Look, doesn't it look like you?"

Shi Meng had already seen the snowman.

It was less like a snowman and more like a mushroom made of snow, a short, plump body topped with a round, umbrella-shaped cap. Because it was top-heavy, it looked like it was about to tip over, and Fu Xuanliao had just been fiddling with it to stabilize it. Two withered twigs, seemingly out of nowhere, were stuck on it as arms, making the already oddly shaped mushroom look even more silly.

Shi Meng couldn't stand it anymore and muttered, "Childish."

Fu Xuanliao wasn't angry at being scolded. He went back to the porch, picked up the umbrella from yesterday, opened it, and placed it on the ground, letting the snow mushrooms hide underneath.

“This is me,” he said, pointing to the umbrella. “Doesn’t it look like me?”

Shi Meng thought that Fu Xuanliao might have been driven mad by the burns.

That afternoon, he demonstrated the depths of his childishness to himself.

The reason was that Mr. Wei Liangji, who had visited before, came to visit again, saying that he had heard from Jiang Xue that Shi Meng was about to make a comeback, and he came to congratulate him.

Li Bihan had met Mr. Wei at a party in Fengcheng before. Hearing that he was a "loyal fan" of Shi Meng, she was amazed by the wonderful coincidence and hurriedly invited him into the house.

“It snowed in Fengcheng last night too.” Looking at the snow scene outside the window, Wei Liangji said, “But it didn’t snow as heavily as in Xuncheng. There was only some snow on the grass and tree branches.”

As he spoke, he took out his phone and showed Shi Meng the photos he had taken that morning.

Having not returned to Fengcheng for a long time, Shi Meng was stirred by the familiar street scenes and lingered for a while. Seeing him so engrossed, Wei Liangji tentatively extended an invitation: "There's an art exhibition and New Year's Eve party in Fengcheng on Saturday night. If Mr. Shi is free, perhaps..."

"He's busy."

A voice suddenly rang out, and Shi Meng looked up, taking in Fu Xuanliao's displeased expression with furrowed brows.

Wei Liangji was also taken aback. After regaining his senses, he looked at Fu Xuanliao, who was standing to the side with his arms crossed, and asked, "Who is this...?"

Shi Menggang was about to reply, but he was a step behind Fu Xuanliao.

"Hello, my surname is Fu." Fortunately, he wasn't completely out of his mind. He stepped forward, extended his hand, and said with a forced smile, "We've met in Fengcheng."

After being reminded, Wei Liangji remembered: "Oh, it's President Fu."

The two shook hands, their politeness masking underlying hostility.

Despite his advanced age and extensive experience, Wei Liangji remained calm and composed: "Then Mr. Fu might as well bring his family to the party next Saturday."

“No need for that,” Fu Xuanliao said slowly. “New Year’s Eve should be reserved for important people.”

This statement was both subtle and direct, firstly reminding Wei Liangji that he was just a guest and not "important," and secondly implying that Shi Meng should quickly refuse, since it was Saturday.

"I see." Wei Liangji looked at Shi Meng with a gentle smile. "What were your thoughts then, sir?"

Under the gaze of both eyes, Shi Meng pursed her lips for a moment before saying, "I'll think about it."

Five minutes later, there was a knock on the door of the Pan family next door.

Pan Jiawei, who was playing video games at home, asked who it was. When he didn't hear a response, he slipped on his slippers, went over, opened the door, stared at the person at the door, and after a long pause, finally managed to stammer, "What are you doing here?"

"May I borrow your window?"

As Fu Xuanliao spoke, he put on his shoe covers. Clearly, he had no intention of telling anyone his purpose, and then he darted into the house like a gust of wind and ran upstairs.

Pan Jiawei followed him upstairs for no apparent reason and saw Fu Xuanliao standing by the window in the second-floor living room, craning his neck to look across.

"What are you looking at?" Pan Jiawei looked too, then exclaimed, "Holy crap, why is that old man here again?!"

Fu Xuanliao also wanted to ask, but it wasn't convenient to do it in person, so he could only observe the situation from the other side like a peeping tom.

"Could this older man really be interested in him?" Pan Jiawei was still full of questions. "Is he here to take him away?"

Fu Xuanliao was annoyed: "If anyone's leaving, it's only me who can take him with me."

Pan Jiawei curled his lip: "Tch, so you still got kicked out?"

"I..." Fu Xuanliao, who was indeed asked to leave the room because he was worried that he would say something shocking, had no words to refute. "I came out to get some fresh air."

"Okay, let it air out." Pan Jiawei saw through it but didn't say anything, and even opened the window. "I feel hot too."

Two hot-tempered young men opened the window and let the cold wind blow in the snowy winter. As they calmed down, they finally had a chance to have a proper chat.

"Big brother, you like him too?" Pan Jiawei asked.

Fu Xuanliao gave him a look as if he were an idiot: "What do you think?"

"He likes you too, right?" Pan Jiawei said sadly. "He told me that he used force on you before."

Strangely enough, the things that Fu Xuanliao once felt ashamed of were now being brought up to his face, and he felt a strange sense of pride.

He suddenly realized that he didn't need to make such a fuss. What old man or male college student? Shi Meng would only treat him differently.

“Yes.” Fu Xuanliao raised an eyebrow. “He only used force on me.”

Upon hearing this, Pan Jiawei indeed showed envy.

She even lamented that she wasn't born a few years earlier: "Sigh, I wish I could have been treated like that once."

Fu Xuanliao: "..."

After spending some time persuading college students to steer their increasingly dangerous thinking back on track, Fu Xuanliao successfully retired, only to run into Aunt Pan, who was returning from shopping.

The enthusiastic neighbors were astonished when they saw him: "Oh, young man, you're out of prison!"

Fu Xuanliao spent some more time explaining that he hadn't been to jail, but had only been detained for investigation. Aunt Pan waved her hand and said, "Hey, it's all the same. According to the custom in our hometown, you have to step over a fire basin when you get out of jail."

Then they actually set up a brazier and placed it in front of the courtyard gate where Shi Meng lived, inviting everyone to come and step over it.

The man surnamed Wei had already gone back. Fu Xuanliao took the lead and stepped back and forth, then turned around and caught Shi Meng steadily as he stepped back, muttering incantations about avoiding misfortune and turning bad luck into good fortune, completely unlike a modern person who had received higher education.

However, people only do auspicious things to bring good luck, praying for favorable weather and a year free from worries by facing the blazing fire in the auspicious snow.

Since we've run into each other, let's have dinner together.

Aunt Pan brought some freshly marinated and dried braised meats from home, and Li Bihan showed off her skills by making several of her signature dishes. The small round table was filled to the brim, and the aroma was so enticing that everyone sat down early. The windows were also covered with a layer of warm steam.

Ordinary families like to chat during meals, and the Shi family mother and son gradually adopted this habit. They talked back and forth until they clearly explained their backgrounds.

I heard that the Shi family is the legendary leader in the construction industry, and they have a stake in many real estate projects in Xuncheng. Aunt Pan exclaimed in surprise, "Wow, so Shi Xiao is the heir to a wealthy family!"

And drawing on plots seen on TV, they speculated: "So, when he was young, he ran here to avoid trouble because of family infighting?"

Shi Meng didn't know how to answer, so Li Bihan explained for him, "No, Mengmeng came here to relax. He's an artist and doesn't concern himself with business."

Aunt Pan nodded, then turned to Fu Xuanliao: "Young man, you came all this way just to go to jail?"

Fu Xuanliao almost choked, but managed to remain calm amidst Pan Jiawei's teasing laughter: "I'm here to keep him company."

Aunt Pan exclaimed, "What a wonderful friend!"

“He and I are not just ordinary friends,” Fu Xuanliao said.

"So who are you...?"

Receiving a warning look from Shi Meng, Fu Xuanliao leisurely took a sip of soup, ultimately refraining from uttering anything earth-shattering.

“We grew up together.” Fu Xuanliao looked at Shi Meng with a smile. “You’ve always thought of me as an older brother, right?”

After a few rounds of drinks, Shi Meng went to the restroom.

My cheeks were still a little hot, so I patted them with cool water, which helped a little.

Looking at his face in the mirror, he recalled when he first arrived at his home as a child. He didn't know how to address this person who was neither a relative nor an acquaintance but always appeared before him. He had indeed called him "brother" under his aunt's guidance, but later, as their relationship became distant, he started calling him by his name. If he hadn't been reminded just now, he would have almost forgotten.

Shi Meng attributed this feeling of embarrassment to being taken advantage of, thinking to himself that this person was two years older than him, yet he had been so indecent for twenty years, and he was not acting like an older brother at all.

I had just finished complaining to myself when I went outside and ran into someone even more indecent.

Fu Xuanliao, who had been waiting at the door, suddenly appeared, grabbed Shi Meng's hand, and led him to a secluded corridor.

Before Shi Meng could even utter a sound, a raised index finger was pressed against her lips.

"Shh—" Fu Xuanliao lowered his voice, "Someone's coming."

When he realized that this was his residence and that Fu Xuanliao's actions were clearly imitating him, Shi Meng was ashamed and angry, but dared not move, because someone was indeed coming.

It was Pan Jiawei. He had just finished using the restroom when the phone rang, so he answered it in this secluded spot.

They first talked about school matters, projects, and experiments, and then chatted about other things at the end. Perhaps when asked about his love life, Pan Jiawei said dejectedly, "No, she rejected me."

After a while, she added, "But he promised to go to the art exhibition with me next week and even bought me some snacks."

"If it weren't for that crazy older brother interfering, there might still be a chance."

Fu Xuanliao only let go of her hand when the footsteps faded into the distance.

"Intervening out of the way?" He chuckled. "It was clearly this brat who stole her away."

Shi Meng ignored his jealous words and turned to leave.

Fu Xuanliao pulled him back again.

"Have you looked inside the cardboard box?" he asked again.

Shi Meng stiffened his neck and said, "I didn't see it."

Fu Xuanliao seemed to sigh, and then said as a compromise, "Then next week, let's go back to Fengcheng together."

"Why go back?"

"Let me show you something."

"I won't look."

"..."

Fu Xuanliao asked anxiously, "Are you really going to go to the art exhibition with that kid?"

Shi Meng nodded: "Yes, it's a promise."

"But that was Saturday."

"What's wrong with Saturday?"

"We agreed that Saturdays would all be mine."

"Who said that?"

"It's written in black and white in the contract."

“You always broke your promises before.” Shi Meng looked up at Fu Xuanliao. “Why should I be the one to keep them?”

With just one sentence, Fu Xuanliao was shut down.

While relieved that the little mushroom had returned to its former stubborn self, Fu Xuanliao couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness.

"No... well, I guess." He counted on his fingers, then said hesitantly, "Only twice."

Shi Meng looked away and bit her lip: "It's three times."

He came back once on his birthday, once at the strawberry farm, and once by threatening him with illness.

Fu Xuanliao didn't know that Shi Meng had once rented an entire strawberry farm for him. He only remembered that on the night Shi Meng fed him strawberries, he said some very hurtful things in a fit of anger because he was threatened again.

Even when Shi Meng retaliated and asked him standing in the rain if he was shameless, he only felt that he deserved it and wished that Shi Meng would curse him a few more times, preferably punch and kick him.

Fu Xuanliao finally gave in: "Then, I'll wait a little longer."

He slowly stepped forward, hugged Shi Meng, and buried his face in the crook of his neck, saying, "From now on, there will be no one waiting for me but me waiting for you."

The two stood in the darkness for a long time.

Fu Xuanliao was pondering how to express his belated apology, while Shi Meng was haphazardly thinking about what constituted a "stable and healthy" relationship.

Later, Fu Xuanliao said "I'm sorry" again.

Shi Meng said he didn't want to hear it, but he started repeating "I love you" over and over again, in his ear and in his heart.

Meng felt that all the love she had received in her life had been concentrated at the end of this bleak year.

He felt so much so that he thought it wouldn't matter if he died right now.

But he couldn't die, because the book said that the body is a container for memories, and if he died, all the memories of love would disappear.

He finally got it, how could he be willing to lose it?

Shi Meng felt as if her madness had really relapsed. She was so mad that even though she knew she shouldn't soften her heart so quickly, and even though she knew she should be aloof and distant, she still wanted to respond, so as not to let the person in front of her be saddened by being immersed in memories.

He had even begun to feel uneasy and afraid of losing it.

As if sensing his struggle and fear, Fu Xuanliao moved his hands down, grasped Shi Meng's narrow waist on both sides, and then exerted force to lift him up.

With her back against the wall not enough to support her entire body, Shi Meng lifted her leg and wrapped it around Fu Xuanliao's waist, crossing her legs behind her. The subconscious movement was so practiced that it made Fu Xuanliao smile slightly, just like on many Saturdays before.

He raised his neck, his jawline and Adam's apple forming a sharp line, while his lips were in a soft arc. He lightly touched Shi Meng's lips, then quickly withdrew as if afraid of disrespecting her.

As they distanced themselves, Shi Meng suddenly noticed that Fu Xuanliao also had a pair of very bright eyes.

When Liang arrived, Meng suspected that this time they had changed their tactics and were using a honey trap.

Fu Xuanliao knew that this appearance was somewhat useful; at least it caught Shi Meng's eye and would make him show infatuation.

In addition, he wanted to do everything in his power to put Shi Meng at ease.

The book also says that love that is too easily obtained will make people look down on you, despise you, and despise you.

Shi Meng had already lost once, but he was not afraid to retreat again and again, even if it meant losing face.

So Fu Xuanliao personally switched their positions and looked up.

At that moment, he realized where his almost blind pride and confidence came from.

"Don't be afraid," Fu Xuanliao told Shi Meng, who was looking down at him. "From now on, I won't be looking down on you; you'll be looking down on me."

So many people like you, but only I understand your timidity and fear.

Only I willingly submit to you and worship you as my eternal god.

A note from the author:

The book is *Wild Palms*.