one
"What a big bouquet of roses!" Wei Jiayin exclaimed as she looked at the large bouquet of red and blue roses coming towards her.
Lin Sitian had a bad feeling and grabbed Wei Jiayin's wrist: "Jiayin, let's run."
"Huh? Why?"
"Don't ask. If you ask, it's the desire to survive." Lin Sitian looked at the figure getting closer and closer, thought for a while, "Forget it, I'll run away. He's not here to find you anyway. Please help me check the name tomorrow. I won't be back tonight!" At the end of speaking, she didn't even wait for her friend's response, and hurriedly lowered her head and walked away.
"Ah, what are you talking about, Tiantian?" Wei Jiayin stared at her back in confusion, and saw that her route was getting more and more slanted, trying to bypass the figure holding a large bouquet of roses.
But just when the two were about to pass each other, the man reached out his hand to stop her. Lin Sitian was prepared. The moment he stretched out his hand, she dodged the outstretched arm and her walking speed had increased to that of running.
Unfortunately, the man had long legs, so he turned around and followed her quickly. The big bunch of roses also moved, swaying back and forth beside her.
"Tiantian, where are you going?"
"You recognized the wrong person." Lin Sitian deliberately lowered her voice by eight degrees.
The man chuckled, "You are still so cute."
Lin Sitian frowned and pretended not to hear. She had already been discovered. It was useless for her to run, and it would easily attract attention on campus. So she simply ignored him.
"These flowers are for you, please accept them first. Today is Christmas, shall I treat you to dinner tonight?"
“No.”
"I've reserved a table at Hanaden Minoyoshi. I'm sure you'll like it. No one else can reserve a table on this date."
Lin Sitian suddenly stopped, and the man didn't brake in time and rushed in front of her.
"Dai Jingyun, I'm telling you one last time, I! Have! a! Boyfriend!" Lin Sitian's face, which usually had a bright smile on it, was now red with anger. She clenched her fists and explained to the other party word by word.
The bouquet of roses was put down, revealing a face that was not particularly outstanding, but overall still attractive. Especially since the man was wearing a branded outfit and it was obvious that his styling had been specially curated. If he hadn't behaved too frivolously, he wouldn't have been so annoying.
"I know you have," Dai Jingyun shrugged and curled his lips, "It's just a meal. If you really care about him, I can invite him to join us."
"You're fucking sick." Lin Sitian was forced to swear and walked past him and continued walking.
Dai Jingyun followed with a playful smile and said, "Really, Tiantian, if you don't let me meet him, I'll throw a million in his face. A man who can't stand the test will definitely run away with the money. No, I don't want a million, I can even give him half of it."
"You've watched too many idol dramas, can you please stop clinging to me?" Lin Sitian gritted her teeth, "First of all, don't call me Tiantian, I'm not that familiar with you; secondly, my boyfriend is not that kind of person; finally, even if he really ran away for money, I wouldn't choose you, I have no interest in you even if I choose a woman for lesbian sex!"
Really... How much more does she need to explain? I don't know what's wrong with this guy. He just met her once at a classmate's dinner party and he has been completely obsessed with her. He comes to harass her every few days. Are all the rich second-generations in Beijing so idle?
Dai Jingyun followed her relentlessly, and the two of them quarreled all the way to the school gate. Lin Sitian saw from afar a dazed figure standing on the side of the road with his hands in his pockets.
Oh no, she didn’t want Dai Jingyun to see Zhou Sheng.
It's not that she has no confidence in Zhou Sheng, but she really doesn't want Dai Jingyun, the troublemaker, to use the same tactics on Zhou Sheng that he used on her. This guy is not worthy of Zhou Sheng wasting his time and energy.
But before she could think of a solution, Zhou Sheng had already spotted her and waved at her.
"Lin Sitian."
Dai Jingyun looked in the direction of the voice and his expression paused.
The love rival radar sounded at this moment. Through his secret investigations around Lin Sitian during this period, Dai Jingyun had met many male classmates who were interested in Lin Sitian, but none of them he considered to be his rival, and none of them could get special treatment from Lin Sitian, so he did not feel any sense of crisis.
But the boy in front of her, who even called her by her full name, seemed different.
"Zhou Sheng——"
Now that everyone had been discovered, Lin Sitian simply threw herself into Zhou Sheng's arms, carrying her backpack and ponytail.
Zhou Sheng staggered when she pounced on him, and caught her with a smile.
This kind of enthusiasm is a daily routine for both of them, but neither of them gets tired of it.
"You're not wearing enough." Zhou Sheng happened to hold her arm, feeling her slenderness under his palm, "Where's the sweater?"
"I have thermal underwear, a sweater, and this down jacket is also very warm."
"Is this also a down jacket? I can pinch your wrist bone directly. Your lower body is still in a short skirt, and you are only wearing stockings." Zhou Sheng frowned slightly and slid his hands into her palms.
My fingertips are cold, you liar.
"This is a magic weapon for bare legs! You straight man." Lin Sitian frowned at him. Who would wear such bulky clothes during the holidays? She has gained several pounds recently, and she doesn't want him to find out.
The two men completely ignored the man behind Lin Sitian.
"Is this your boyfriend?" Dai Jingyun walked up.
Lin Sitian turned around quickly and Zhou Sheng protected her behind her, the three of them were in a strange position like an eagle catching chicken.
It’s a pity that with Zhou Sheng’s current height, Lin Sitian only reached his chin, so she was seen whether she should have been seen or not.
"Yes, I'm her boyfriend." Somehow, the usually reserved Zhou Sheng spoke before Lin Sitian could, "Who are you?"
"Her friend." Dai Jingyun stared at Zhou Sheng.
"I didn't admit it." Lin Sitian interrupted without giving any face.
Dai Jingyun raised his eyebrows and asked, "You don't look like a local."
Zhou Sheng: “It’s definitely not.”
As if he had the upper hand, Dai Jingyun showed the confidence of a local.
"She and I are from the same hometown." Zhou Sheng added very calmly.
"..." Dai Jingyun certainly didn't know that Lin Sitian and her family had moved out of the city where Zhou Sheng lived, but this didn't stop him from regarding Zhou Sheng as a strong rival. With her current boyfriend and fellow villager bond, and double buffs stacked up, it would be quite difficult to steal his girl away.
"It's not easy to live here. If you need help, you can ask me. I have some connections in Beijing. If you really need something, even if it's money, it doesn't matter. Just ask. I can protect you."
"He just said he would take a million and throw it in your face." Lin Sitian added fuel to the fire.
Dai Jingyun started coughing violently.
Zhou Sheng paused for a moment, "Why?"
"He said you would trade me to him for a million."
This time Zhou Sheng finally confirmed Dai Jingyun's sinister intentions, and his eyes suddenly became serious when he looked at him.
"Let's go." Zhou Sheng took Lin Sitian's hand and had no intention of continuing to entangle with her.
Dai Jingyun smiled, "That's it? You don't even refute it? What if I really give you one million?"
"First of all, I don't understand why you would put people and money on the same scale. In my opinion, these two are not comparable items at all. Secondly, even if you are at a disadvantage in the ability to find a partner, you should not be obsessed with other people's girlfriends. I think this is the most basic moral bottom line for being a human being. Finally, and most importantly -"
Zhou Sheng pulled Lin Sitian back behind him and said, "I won't give her to anyone else."
Dai Jingyun was speechless. How long have these two people been in love? How come even their speaking patterns are exactly the same?
And what does it mean to be at a disadvantage in the ability to woo a mate? When has Dai Jingyun ever been at a disadvantage in the ability to woo a mate?
"Did you hear that?" Lin Sitian hid behind Zhou Sheng and acted like a bully. "I won't give it to you. Give up! Tsk!"
Zhou Sheng tilted his head and glanced at her, "Why are you still provoking him?"
"He couldn't possibly beat us up at the school gate, right? How embarrassing for a rich man to do that?"
"One million is not considered very rich." Zhou Sheng corrected.
“That’s free.”
"Why is it free? Aren't we going to exchange you for it?"
"So you think the money is too little, right?"
Dai Jingyun, who was being discussed by the two men in front of him, took a deep breath and said, "You two didn't do anything that people do."
Lin Sitian was not convinced when she heard this, "Nonsense, we clearly fed it to the dogs."
The eldest son of the Dai family, who was used to being pampered, didn't understand the various meanings, "What do you mean?"
"She didn't mean any harm, she just said..." Zhou Sheng coughed lightly, "She stuffed you with dog food."
"...Okay, I understand."
I understand.
"Then let's go." Zhou Sheng pulled Lin Sitian up and turned around to leave, when he suddenly heard another sentence from behind -
"Five million?"
Zhou Sheng turned sideways and said, "Forget it, let's just have a fight."
Of course, there was no possibility of a real fight in the end, but on such a beautiful Christmas day, Zhou Sheng's mood was a little gloomy because of Dai Jingyun.
"I should have told you earlier, so that you would at least be prepared." Lin Sitian pulled at the corner of his clothes, "I'm sorry."
Zhou Sheng stopped walking, looked down at her eyes and said, "Why do you want to apologize to me?"
"Does it make you feel a little guilty about being in a bad mood?"
"It's not you who makes me feel bad, it's him." Zhou Sheng reached out and brushed the hair away from her eyes. "But if you have been entangled with him for so many days, you really should have told me earlier."
"What can you do if I tell you? I can't really pick a fight with him." Lin Sitian held Zhou Sheng's arm and leaned her head against him. "Besides, you have an exam in the next few days. It's more important to prepare for it seriously. I'm not a person who doesn't know my limits. There's no need to distract you because of such a small matter."
“这不是小事情甜甜，如果他真的过激了呢？你要是哪天被他掳走，我至少知道应该找谁。”
“哎呀我的高材生，又不是金三角，你不要想得太钻牛角尖啦，今天不是跟他讲清楚了吗，他也就喜欢拿钱打发人了，你只要意志坚定不要被他收买……”蔺思甜说到这里，余光察觉到一抹锐利的视线，匆匆扫了周晟一眼，讪讪笑道，“不会不会，我家宝贝不会那么容易被收买。”
“把‘那么容易’去掉。”周晟叹了口气。
“遵命！”蔺思甜赶忙转移话题，“宝贝我饿了。”
“已经到餐厅楼下了，上去吧。”
“啊？”
“之前你不是一直想吃这家？”
蔺思甜抬头望了眼招牌，这家餐厅一个月前刚开业已经成了王府井的爆款网红店，蔺思甜当然也想凑热闹，可是网上都说基本订不上座位，只能实地排几个小时碰运气，最关键的是……
她摇摇头，“还是算了吧，太贵了，我们去吃火锅？我记得上个月吃的那家火锅就在前面，也很好吃啊。”
“我订到位置了，不用等。”周晟把手从呢大衣兜里抽出来，拉住她径直前行的身子，把她往回拽，“而且男朋友请客，你怎么能不给面子。”
“就是你请才想帮你省钱。”
周晟扬起唇角，“钱要花在刀刃上，值得花的时候就不要省。”
蔺思甜听得一愣一愣，平日里周晟自己生活费都是精打细算的类型，怎么还有这种消费观——不过细想起来，从他们谈恋爱到现在，周晟在她身上似乎确实没有吝啬过。
“那……我帮周爸爸省钱？”
“是我自己家教赚的钱，和我爸什么关系？”
“……”
“好了。”周晟一把揽过她，搂在怀里轻声道——
“Merry Christmas.”
呜呜呜，她认输。
从餐厅出门已经过了晚八点，两人漫步在步行街上，这里人流涌动，两旁百货商铺张灯结彩，金色小灯与斑斓彩灯交错蔓延向长街另一头，时不时还能听见不知从哪儿传来的圣诞歌声，颇有节日的氛围。
“那个火焰烧肉塔也太吓人了，一点着火苗就蹭得窜得这——么高，我差点以为我的眉毛要被它烧掉。”蔺思甜一只手高高举至眉心，比了比高度，夸张地感叹道，“还有什么‘云烟雾绕’好坑，全都是干冰，我找了半天就中间那么几片三文鱼……”
也不知是不是被餐厅的暖气烘得周晟面上微红，他安静地听着她说话，不时微弯嘴角。
“说是这么说，最后那盘菜的生蚝你好像一点没动。”全让他一个人收拾了。
蔺思甜神情掠过一丝臊意，不自然地哼道：“那我不吃生的啊。”
周晟狐疑地拧起眉心，“三文鱼也不是熟食。”
“三、三文鱼看起来像是熟的！”
低头思忖了半晌，周晟忽然自语：“你点的那道‘三羊开泰’你也没碰过。”
吃都吃完了，为什么要翻旧账？蔺思甜撇过头不敢看他。
菜单实在太厚，周晟并没有看完，点菜的时候让蔺思甜随意点她自己爱吃的，可是她却点了至少两道她不碰的菜，多少有点奇怪。
幸好这家餐厅的菜品份量少，不然他今晚也得横着出来。
“所以，那是什么？”当时她一直催促他吃，还笑得很甜很乖巧，他就总觉得有什么不对，现在结合起她刚才找的借口，在恋爱面前少了半个脑子的周晟多少有点回过神来。
“我也没仔细看，差不多就是羊肉嘛……”
周晟抿抿唇，“那口感不是羊肉。”
“不同地方做法不一样。”她悠哉悠哉地望向一侧的商店街，“你看，那边有圣诞老人在发糖欸，我们要不要……”
“蔺思甜。”
“走走走，去拿。”
“蔺思甜，”任凭她怎么拉，周晟揣着衣兜岿然不动，“看着我。”
少女矫揉造作地抬起头朝他眨巴眨巴眼睛，“看了。”还很委屈。
“算了，”周晟拿她没有办法，“我自己查餐厅菜单。”说罢他从兜里掏出手机就要打开点评软件——
“哎呀你都吃了，不就是羊腰和那什么什么吗……”她越说越小声。
周晟不自觉抬手，用手背碰了碰发热的脸颊，穷根究底追问道：“羊腰？”
“嗯。”她闭嘴，用鼻子应了一声。
“还有什么？”周晟不是傻子，那道菜肯定不止一个羊腰的口感。
“羊……羊宝。”最后那个字被吞了一半进喉咙里。
周晟对这个词有点陌生，又好像在哪里听过。
“那还有一个呢？”
“小老师……”
“你就算谋杀亲夫也得让我死得瞑目吧？”
“什么‘谋杀亲夫’啊，吃个羊腰羊宝羊鞭能怎么样你说！”蔺思甜这一听就被激起了脾气，“我这不是——”
啊？亲夫？
她怎么忽然有点雀跃。
嘿嘿，周晟自称“亲夫”欸。
——虽然是被谋杀的那个。
可是等蔺思甜再仔细看向他，却发现眼前的周晟僵硬成了石头，刚才红润的面色此刻更是涨得通红，耳垂仿佛要滴下血来。
“……羊鞭？”
“啊。”
“羊腰、羊鞭……”周晟细数着刚才她口中出现过的词汇，又联想起那几只生蚝，“所以羊宝是我想的那样东西吗？”
三年恋爱的默契让蔺思甜缄默了半晌，随后点了点头。
“蔺思甜！”一股作呕感袭来，周晟猛地捂住口，三步并做两步冲向路旁的垃圾桶。
蔺思甜赶忙跟上去，心下有些慌了，“不是，我跟你确认过你没什么过敏的呀，哪里不舒服，我们要不要去医院？”
周晟缓了足足半分钟，这才幽幽转过头看她。
这次她是真的知错了，满眼焦急，莹亮的眼瞳里全都是周晟的倒影。
周晟挫败地捂上额角，仰头长吁了一声。
“你可真的会给我‘惊喜’。”他哭笑不得，和蔺思甜在一起之后，他时常会感慨，以前的人生实在是太平淡了，她总能发现一些奇奇怪怪的小事物让他找到平淡人生里的特别之处，至少在这一点上，他真的很受触动。
毕竟，没有人生来只是为了活下去，保持对生活新鲜感才是生命的真谛。
“……你没事了吗？”蔺思甜紧张地注视着他，就这么短短的一分钟，她眼底已经浮现起一层湿意，生怕周晟出了什么意外。
周晟歪头看她，两人的眼神几个来回后，他终于赧然问道：“你是对我有什么意见么？”
蔺思甜急忙摇头。
周晟很好，超级好，无敌好。
她与他交往了三年，从当初不知世事的青涩学霸，到现在已经和她磨合得炉火纯青的暖心男友，她自己选的人，怎么会有意见？
“我是说……那方面。”周晟有些懊恼。
蔺思甜一开始还不太理解，思考了几秒种后，瞬时杏眼圆睁，“我才不是嫌你不行！”
一只手蓦地捂住她的口。
“嘘，”周晟瞥了眼身旁走过的路人，“你再这样叫下去，我行也不行。”
蔺思甜被捂着嘴，点了点头。
“而且，什么叫不是嫌我‘不行’，我哪里不行了。”他脸色越说越红，但还是努力自辩清白。
开玩笑，事关男人尊严。
蔺思甜推开他的手，张开双臂上前将他抱紧。
“你不要误会我，我就是……就是想让你能稍微……对我有点那样的心思。”
周晟一秒错愕，“我怎么没有了？”
“上一次还是一个多月前！”她用事实控诉。
周晟憋红着脸道：“上个月不是你有考试？然后紧接着那周你说你心情不好所以我带你去散心……”
“再后来那周呢？你一点表示也没有。”
“那周你‘不方便’不是吗？”
蔺思甜一怔，她都没告诉他，他倒是记得比她还牢。
“然后这两周我有考试，所以……”周晟清了清嗓，“我不是不想，甜甜。”
蔺思甜尴尬地咬唇。
其实她也不是真的为了那种事，就觉得是不是周晟对她已经少了那种感觉罢了。
都怪最近佳音一直和她灌输思想说什么性和谐是男女关系和谐的必要条件……
好丢脸。
其实她和周晟做得频次虽然不算多，和谐倒还是挺和谐的。
她也一直享受其中。
周晟正想再开口说些什么，忽然几点白色从天而降，落在她的发间。
两人似乎都感应到了什么，不约而同抬起头。
被夜灯照耀得通透，步行街两侧金碧辉煌的建筑更映衬出路中央天空的晦暗浓绀，穹顶之下，无数飘摇的雪花纷纷扬扬从天而降，落在树梢，肩膀，和路面，逐渐星罗棋布，仿佛一片银河倾泻。
仰头的蔺思甜睫梢停驻了一朵雪花，她不由自主勾起了笑意。
“下雪了欸。”
今年北京的第一场雪。
也是她人生的初雪。
路边巨大的金色圣诞树灯火辉映，恰恰好成了此时此刻相拥两人的布景，蔺思甜拉了拉周晟颈上的羊绒围巾，而他也自然而然低下头，吻上了她的唇。
北京的冬天很冷。
可是他的吻始终温热。
二
北京的这场初雪来得迅疾，从细碎零落的雪花到纷纷扬扬的大雪，也不过十多分钟的时间。回去路上蔺思甜挽着周晟的臂弯，一个不问送，一个不问留，两个人谈了三年恋爱的默契在此刻达到了高度的共鸣。
随手拦了一辆的士，周晟说了一个地址，是两人大学附近，但如果说是打算步行送蔺思甜回宿舍，又多少有点远了。
蔺思甜上了车就开始打开地图偷偷查附近的酒店，除开几家连锁，好像也没什么特别。
周晟偷偷瞥了一眼，心有灵犀似的，捏了捏她的手心。
“干嘛？”蔺思甜匆忙收起手机。
周晟凑过来和她咬耳朵，有些想笑又不敢笑，只能憋着揶揄：“你好着急。”
蔺思甜羞恼得脸瞬间应景，红成圣诞树上高挂的苹果，通透红润的一抹全都是被他激上头的热血，一把就甩开他的手。
“我是看你要把我拐骗到哪里去，万一到时候大雪打不到车，我怎么回学校？”
手里顿时空空，车里的暖气都煨不热指尖顿生的冷清，周晟又把她的手拉回来，两手握着摩挲，有一点迟钝地问：“还要回去么？”
他问得很轻，不想防护板另一头的司机听见。
她当然没打算回去，连明天早课都安排好魏佳音替她点名了，可是这话她当然不可能告诉周晟，刚还被他吐槽自己着急，蔺思甜决定挽回尊严。
“当然回去啊，不然你还有什么安排吗？”蔺思甜佯装淡定。
两人谈了三年的恋爱，周晟也从愣头青进化到如今偶尔会和她聊几句荤话脸不变色的地步，更不要说本来他逻辑思维就厉害，口齿伶俐的蔺思甜偶尔也会被他堵得哑口无言。不过，所谓道高一尺，魔高一丈，这些年周晟在恋爱中成长，蔺思甜也不是原地踏步，尤其在逗弄周晟的技巧上愈加炉火纯青，而作弄周晟的最朴实无华的技巧就是——把尴尬的问题丢给他。
果然，她这一句把周晟闹得不会了。
“也……没有。”
圣诞节出来一起逛街吃饭，饭后也一起看了圣诞树赏了初雪，好像这时候把她平安送回学校，就是最绅士的发展。
可他就没好好思考过，作为她的男朋友，为什么还在讲究绅士的发展？
看他几度欲言又止，脑子里斟酌措辞的样子，蔺思甜的笑声如果能得到解放，估计司机师傅下一秒就会在路边战战兢兢地停车。
下车的地方是一个小区门口，小区不算新，门口的罗马柱污渍斑驳，看起来已经有一些年头了，但进小区还有保安岗亭，内部绿化景观也不错，蔺思甜不由得拽了拽周晟的呢大衣，“我们来这里干什么？”
“帮我哥看下文件。”周晟说道。
看文件？一定要挑他们约会的时候？
等周晟用钥匙打开门开了灯，蔺思甜才发现屋子里空无一人。
“二哥呢？”
周晟会被委托帮忙他哥那一定指的是在北京工作的二哥周晏，不过蔺思甜已经有好长一段时间没看到他了。
“他出差去了，要去几个月。这是他租的房子。”周晟招呼蔺思甜进来，“你先坐一会儿，要是想喝水冰箱里有。”
看周晟熟练地找到各处开关，想必也不是第一次来。
“二哥开着保时捷，在北三环租房子。”蔺思甜坐进沙发里，好奇地环视这间住所。
虽然不是那种市中心的摩登公寓，但屋子里的装潢还算现代，灰白原木风为主，简洁大方，客厅正对着阳台，二十三楼的高度，可以俯瞰附近的灯火通明。
“不然买它吗？北京现在的房价，他可没打算当冤大头，”周晟的声音从主卧里传来，“而且他也不确定日后会不会在这里安家，可能过两年去其他城市走走，也可能到时候出国，他不是可以定下心的人。”
这句话忽然之间好像戳中了蔺思甜心中的某处软肋，她开口状似不经意的接茬，“那你呢？”
房间里周晟问：“什么？”
“你到时候会去哪里？”
蔺思甜会这么问不是没有理由的，那些从知名高校毕业的天之骄子，尤其是清华北大的毕业生，这些年大半都去了国外，不说工作生活，哪怕是为了追求更理想化的学术环境，也会有很多人选择出国深造，现状如此。
魏佳音就问过她：毕业后你们是不是又要异地啊？
蔺思甜有点慌。
不过这次她不像高中的自己，那时她还小，害怕的东西多，和周晟的感情刚起步，考虑问题也谈不上多成熟，自作聪明就决定了分手。
如果不是周晟后来追着她靠近，也许两人真的会慢慢淡出彼此的视线。
今时不同往日，时间向她证明了周晟有多坚定，而自己对周晟的心思也一直有增无减，如果周晟要选择出国的话，她不想只是被动等待。
还在沉眸思索间，屋子里一片静谧，蔺思甜抬眼就看见周晟斜倚门框，双手环胸望着自己。
“我到时候哪里也不去，”周晟认真说道，“在哪里学习工作对我来说都一样，但有没有你对我来说不一样。”
只末尾半句，就胜过她听过的所有情话。
蔺思甜紧张地撩了一下耳边的发丝，“那你也不能因为我就影响了你的前程打算。”
口不对心。
似乎一眼就被周晟看穿，他噙着笑淡淡问：“蔺思甜，你要不想想再说一遍？”
蔺思甜起身，走到他面前，懊恼地用脑袋撞进他怀里。
“周晟你烦死了。”闷声嘟囔。
周晟笑着把她拢进怀中，“我从来没被别人嫌过烦。”
“就会烦我。”
“嗯，”周晟捧住她的脑袋，自然地吻了一记她头顶的发旋，“就喜欢烦你。”
她的心噗通噗通跳得厉害。
三年了，还是会因为周晟脸红心跳，他一句话一个吻就能轻易拂动她内心一池春潮，那春水漫上来，晃晃****，要满不满，撞得她心口酸涩，好像高二那年穿过黄昏的晚风，好像那一刻印上她嘴唇的吻，这个人铭刻下的初恋印记，时间根本洗刷不掉。
“但是如果你真的决定要……”蔺思甜本来想和周晟解释，以前她就没想过拦住他的脚步，而现在她可以让自己跟上他做得更好，她没打算放弃。
“如果我真的决定往更高的地方去，我不会犹豫，”周晟浅浅弯起嘴角，“我说过不是吗？”
那一次分手，他确实这么说过，他不会因为她回头，但他可以等她。
“高中的时候，清北就是我的目标，可是这以后真正决定我人生的是我自己，我并不认为国内外影响我的差距有多少，这里已经有我想要的所有东西。我不需要逼着自己不停往上爬，毕竟，本来也不是为了享受站在顶峰的成就感。”
周晟不是竞争者，也没有填不满的虚荣心，他只是享受他想要的人生，而他想要的，一直都很简单。以前他想要进入清北接触更多优秀的人，摄取知识，开拓眼界，而现在在取舍的天秤已经达到了他想要的平衡。
他总是这样，可以不加思考地说出自己对未来的规划，似乎在没有提及这个话题之前，他就已经深思熟虑过千百次。
“甜甜。”
他后退了小半步，让自己得以看着她的脸说话。
“——你本来就是我前程最重要的一部分。”
前程：前面的路程，将来的美好光景，成就。
是的，都与她有关。
从他心甘情愿成为她裙下之臣的那一天起，他就没再想过换人，绝对理性的周晟，也有理想主义者的一面，蔺思甜就是他的例外。
就是一条路走到底，又有何妨？
蔺思甜忽然瘪嘴，眼里闪起了泪光。
周晟被她眼里的湿意惹得心慌，赶紧抬手擦去她还没掉出来的眼泪，“怎么了，我说错了什么话？”
“大过节的你干什么呀，”蔺思甜推了他一把，“你知不知道感动也会很难受，万一到时候你骗我——”
“我不骗你。”周晟打断她，甚至都不给她假设后果的机会，“我从没骗过你，这点你最清楚。”
“……嗯。”她低头闷闷地哼了声。
房间里再度安静下来，周晟抬眼看了看墙上的时钟，轻咳了一声，“好像有点晚了。”
“什么晚了？”
“——送你回学校的话。”周晟装模作样掏出手机，点开打车软件划拉了一遍，“大雪天附近没什么车，回去也不知道安不安全，到学校你今天都没时间洗澡……”
他越说越含糊，因为余光里感觉到蔺思甜在直勾勾盯着他。
一瞥，就见到她在笑。
抿着唇，刚才还未完全消殆的泪眼盛着盈盈笑意，又软又甜，像是两颗滴挂着晨露的葡提。
漂亮得他止不住想要吻她的冲动。
所以周晟抬手抚上她的眼角，低头吻了吻她的睫梢。
脸庞困着若隐若现的赧然之色，嘴里还要不争气地轻声告饶：“……别笑。”
别把他的借口揭穿。
蔺思甜迎上去，每当周晟害羞的时候，她体内属于害羞的那一部分矜持就好像被他夺走，变得大胆又冲动，柔软落在他嘴唇上，一下一下地亲吻。
“说出来，”热气从她到他再由他到她反复过渡，一点点升温，“不然我不懂。”
她当然知道，和周晟谈了这么久恋爱，怎么可能不知道。
周晟被她撩拨得气息发颤，手不由自主勾上她的腰，声音压在喉咙里，跟着喉结一同翻滚。
“……留下来。”
“留下来作什么？”她抿着笑后撤了半分。
“陪我。”周晟的吻跟上去，绕在她颈项，“……想你了。”
他有些时候的直白真的让人心动。
蔺思甜心跳快得话都有些说不利索，但索性思考的能力还在，“等、等下……那你至少先订酒店？”
总不能在这里……
“我哥把备用钥匙交给我了。”周晟忽然停住。
“我们也不能借机住他的房子吧？”
“不是借机，是交换条件。”
“？”
“他让我帮他忙，我提出的交换条件，以后这间屋子的次卧就是我的房间，不回宿舍的时候都可以来。”
蔺思甜没想到这两亲兄弟还要明算账。
“可是那也不是让你带人……”
“只要是‘蔺思甜’就可以。”
“啊？”
“我哥说的，他怎么会不知道我为什么要偶尔住校外，他只提了一个要求，如果我的女朋友换了人，就带着行李滚出去。”
周晟毫不犹豫应承下来，反正这假设发生的可能性本来就不存在。
蔺思甜“扑哧”笑出声，感觉这两兄弟的关系，二哥发起狠，真能把周晟一脚连人带行李踹出去。
倒也不辜负她这几年用心“收买”了周晟的家人。
谢谢二哥大力支持，她铭记在心。
“这样说起来，你说看文件是假，想把我拐骗过来留宿是真。”
周晟有点心虚，“看文件是真的，另外一条我也不否认。”
“那你看完了吗？”
“已经给他拍照发过去了，其实他只是要里面的几条信息而已。”
“这么简单？”
“反正他屋子空着也是空着。”
周晟面对他二哥的时候是真的一点也不客气，真搞不懂他们这关系算好还是差。
窗外大雪纷纷，浴室的高窗上水珠滴落，洗好澡的蔺思甜换装出来，客厅没有人。
“周晟？”
“——我在房间。”
次卧的房门虚掩，内里透着昏昧的光线，蔺思甜走过去，里头隐隐传出悠扬的乐声。
她把着门框朝里探出一个脑袋，忽然动作僵在那里，眨了眨眼，一脸的不可置信。
卧室没有开灯，所有的光源来自窗边那棵比周晟略矮一些的圣诞树，上面一圈圈缠绕上熠熠闪烁的金色小灯，枝丫间点缀着琳琅满目的小饰品，最底下还摆放着几份礼物。
她张了张嘴，许久都没发出声来。
圣诞树旁的周晟穿着最简练的一身，白衬衫黑西装裤，半长的短发微乱，像是匆忙才完成了这份布置，见她一动不动，他脸上的表情略显局促。
“怎么样？”周晟很紧张，下意识舔了一下上唇，“喜欢吗？”
“你问哪一个？”
“啊？”
蔺思甜收回被他迷惑的心神，可恶，他记得真牢，还记得她喜欢他穿得一派斯文衬衫西裤的设定。
“没什么，问了也一样，我都喜欢，”她上上下下把这个房间的布置打量了一遍——
屋子里不仅布置了圣诞树，还放了非常低调的爵士乐，周晟拿着一大束白梦郁金香，在金色光影的衬托下，花瓣上的水珠娇艳欲滴。
难怪刚才周晟打发她去洗澡，不让她进房间。
窗外正是大雪，不甚明亮的屋子让外头飞扬的雪花清晰可辨。
初雪，圣诞树，爵士乐，郁金香……
还有，周晟。
一时之间，蔺思甜迷失在眼前的景象里，不知作何回应，只是一味发怔。
他真的是用心了，虽然这份圣诞惊喜带着一点属于他的奇怪乱炖风格，但她无法形容自己有多喜欢。
世界上最浪漫的转变之一莫过于，不懂浪漫的人愿意为你学着去营造浪漫。
“你喜欢的话怎么不进来？”周晟疑惑地看着她。
直到此刻她还是歪着头只探出一个脑袋，大半个身子全藏在门后。
“啊，我、我再去一下厕所。”
“甜甜？”
“啊，你先别过来——”
周晟总觉得不对劲，追到卧室门口一把抓住了她的手腕，把她拽了回来。
四目相对，这回轮到周晟愣住了。
三
“不许看了。”
蔺思甜站在周晟面前，一身鲜艳的红色圣诞装，露肩短裙滚着白绒裙边，手里还握着一支麋鹿发箍没有戴上，因为手腕被周晟握在手心，她进退不得，只觉得周晟的眼神烫在她身上，她全身流淌的血液都在发热。
周晟回神，声音有些发哑，“为什么，穿了不就是要我看么？”
蔺思甜没回答，挣扎了几下，还是没把手从他那头抽回来。
“甜甜，”周晟喃喃叫她，稍一使力就将她拉进了自己怀里，“我喜欢的。”
蔺思甜干脆一整张脸都埋进了他胸口，“我本来……”
“本来？”
“本来想给你一个惊喜，结果没想到被你抢先了，而且你这一布置，我穿成这样就很滑稽。”
“哪里，”周晟笑得很欢，显然心情好得不行，“很应景，圣诞树配小麋鹿。”
“只是圣诞COS！”
“COS麋鹿？”
“才不是麋鹿！”
“手里拿的是什么？”他笑个不停。
“我没有戴！”蔺思甜不服地仰起头道，“你看清楚我没有戴！”
蔺思甜一直是让他很不可思议的一个存在，她总有用不完的热情，还能把这种洒脱的正能量带给身边所有人。对周晟来说，她就像是一颗小太阳，什么都不用做，便能温暖他。
明艳，元气满满。
所以红色很衬她。
他抬手摘去了鼻梁上的眼镜，搁在床头。
眼镜是蔺思甜去年送他的生日礼物，黑色半框镜架，当时他一戴上她就兴奋地前后绕他转了三圈，那以后他和她外出就很少戴隐形，只有两人独处的时候才会摘掉眼镜。
恍恍惚惚的，蔺思甜想到了高二那一年，教室里上午的那一抹晨曦。
暖金色的。
那年周晟也是这样低着头，刘海垂落遮眼，只不过彼时的他忙着擦拭眼镜，少年鼻梁高挺，唇红齿白，脑子里只有昨夜做的题，和那天要写的练习册。
真可爱，她的周晟真可爱。
沉浸在回忆里分神的蔺思甜纤指岔进他的发间摩挲，她想，她这辈子慧眼的高光时刻一定就是那一秒，才能发现这么一个无人发掘的宝贝。
“周晟。”
“嗯？”他埋首在她耳边，一声淡淡的应。
“爱你。”
没有什么前因后果，就是单纯地想告诉他。尤其时光荏苒，物换星移，高中和大学，昨天和今天，三年前和三年后，他们换了无数的前缀，感情却还是一如既往，甚至更强烈也更稳定，这本来就是很难得的事情。
身前的周晟微微一顿，许久，深吸了一口气，像是将她这句话的余韵也深深吸入肺腑，直到心跳躁动到无法掩藏，他直起身凝着她的眼睛，温声道——
“我爱你。”
严谨如他，每一句告白都坚持正式，他的“我爱你”，从来不是随口一提。但周晟并不介意蔺思甜想到就说爱他，更享受这种无时不刻的小浪漫——每个人都有表达自己爱的方式。
“甜甜。”
“嗯？”
“大学毕业我们就结婚好不好？”
蔺思甜心跳漏了一拍。
她睁开眼，眼前是一片暗夜。
“你这是……求婚吗？”
他靠上来，嘴唇抵上她的耳轮，深吸了一口气，“不是。”
“你——”
“这么不正式，怎么能算求婚，”周晟说，“这只是提前询问你的意愿，为那一天做准备而已，真要求婚的时候我一定会好好安排。”
蔺思甜忽然觉得心口发酸。
鼻子也酸。
“……只是和我结婚，不会影响你人生之后的打算，工作还是生孩子都依你，要是你不愿意那么快结婚也没关系，我可以等。”
蔺思甜缓缓转过身来，看向周晟的脸。
窗外飘着大雪，但还有依稀光线可以看见他的眼睛。
“我想早点把你绑在我身边。”
“我怕我不够优秀，或者什么时候没有做好，把你弄丢了。”
——傻子。
她想。
他们两人之间，明明他已经是出类拔萃的那个人，却还是想着那些有的没的，惴惴不安。
也是，这才是爱情吧，会为了对方患得患失。
她和他都一样。
“甜甜？”
"Let me think about it."
"Um?"
"I promise you now, so there won't be any suspense when you propose to me, right?"
“…”
"So, you still have to behave well in the future, little teacher."
“You are really…”
He suddenly laughed and kissed her on the lips.
"Little fox."
Zhou Sheng, I really like you.
If you can, if possible.
From now on, we will spend every snow in our lives together.
Okay?
"The Extra Story of My Deskmate: First Snow" is finished.