"Isn't the president coming to play?" Rong Shenghan looked up and met her gaze. He smiled gently. "We need someone to deal the cards."

"No, I'm going to see President Xie." Yu Jiuyuan shook the milk glass in her hand. "Perfectionists are probably still struggling with the observation instrument."

Lin Yanran scoffed and slammed the cards on the table: "Pretending." But his gaze followed her back to the door, only returning to it after it closed, his ears turning slightly red.

The snow at the observation point was already above ankle-deep.

Xie Zhecheng was still standing in front of the observatory, the windproof cover steadily protecting the lens. He wasn't looking at the starry sky, but rather looking down at the star chart in his hand, his fingertips repeatedly rubbing a certain coordinate.

As Yu Jiuyuan walked over, she heard him sigh very softly. This was probably the first time she had heard him express any emotion other than "dissatisfaction" and "indifference" since she had known him.

"What are you looking for?" She handed him the hot milk.

“Mercury’s transit trajectory.” He took the cup; the warmth of his fingertips seeped through the ceramic, making it a little warmer than before. “Two minutes later than expected.”

"It might be due to atmospheric refraction." Yu Jiuyuan leaned closer to the eyepiece of the observation instrument and adjusted the focus. "Look, there..."

Her hair brushed against Xie Zhecheng's hand, like a feather brushing against ice. He abruptly pulled his hand back, spilling a little hot milk onto the snow, where it instantly froze into tiny ice crystals.

Neither of them spoke; only the low hum of the observation instrument and the occasional exclamations of surprise from Yuan Xu in the distance could be heard.

"I'm sorry," Yu Jiuyuan said first, her tone carrying just the right amount of apology, "I'm sorry to have bothered you."

Xie Zhecheng looked at her, the indifference in his eyes thinned as if by the wind and snow. He wanted to say "It's okay," but then he saw the snowflakes clinging to her eyelashes, just like the cherry blossoms that clung to the ends of her hair when she first stopped him at the entrance of the astronomy club.

At that time, she asked, "President Xie, may I borrow this star chart?" Her tone was as innocent as a harmless rabbit. But he later discovered that this rabbit's claws were sharper than anyone else's.

"It's alright," he finally said, his voice less harsh.

On the system panel, Xie Zhecheng's favorability rating jumped to 10, while his positive emotion value remained at 55.

Yu Jiuyuan smiled and turned to look at the starry sky.

Orion's belt is clearly visible, Sirius is dazzlingly bright, and a faint green light has appeared on the northeastern horizon, indicating that the aurora is truly on its way.

She knew that this trip to Changbai Mountain was just one page in her "taming manual".

Yuan Xu's focus, Rong Shenghan's probing, Lin Yanran's awkwardness, and Xie Zhecheng's softening were all within her calculations, like star trails on an observatory, slowly moving along a predetermined trajectory.

But when the aurora finally broke through the clouds and spread a flowing green across the dark blue sky, the gasps, exclamations, and even Lin Yanran's involuntary "Holy crap!" all carried a real sense of excitement.

Xie Zhecheng paused, holding the camera. When the lens turned from the aurora to her, the light in his eyes was brighter than the starry sky.

Yu Jiuyuan met his gaze, smiled, and raised the hot cocoa in her hand as if clinking glasses.

The snow is still falling, landing on everyone's shoulders, and also on that invisible handbook, blurring new words.

Tonight, even the increase in goodwill towards Changbai Mountain carries the warmth of the aurora borealis.