The first snow also marks her return.
Time flies, and winter has already arrived.
Qi Xu wrapped himself tightly in a thick cotton-padded coat and ran all the way from the apartment into the company.
The warmth instantly enveloped her, dispelling the chill. Her painting was nearly finished, with only the final figure requiring coloring.
As soon as Qi Xu sat down at her workstation, she noticed several packs of hand warmers on everyone's desks, and she knew without a doubt that Li Mo had prepared them.
Hongming, a new artist at the next table, had just returned from the hot water room, carrying a kettle of hot water.
"I just got some hot water, let me pour you some to warm your hands," Hongming said warmly.
Qi Xu unscrewed the lid of the cup and placed it on the table: "Thank you."
Hongming poured her a full glass, put the lid back on the kettle, and said, "We don't need to be so polite."
Qi Xu focused intently on coloring, while Hong Ming glanced at her phone for a while, then leaned over and said, "How about we go skiing together this weekend?"
"I probably can't go; I have to go home."
"Alright then." Hongming had barely finished speaking when she received a new task. She sighed softly, "Well, I guess I can't go either." With that, she tidied up her desk to prepare for work.
"Don't be discouraged, there will be another chance next year," Qi Xu comforted her.
Hongming seized the opportunity to laugh and said, "Then you have to promise to go with me next year, you can't go back on your word."
Qi Xu casually agreed, but by the time she realized what she had said, it was too late. She stopped writing, turned to look at the beaming Hong Ming, and asked, "When did I agree to that?"
"You said we'd go together next year, you can't go back on your word." Hongming finished speaking and changed the subject before Qixu could argue, "Get back to work, aren't you going to rush back?"
"I'm not in a hurry."
"I saw in the weather forecast that there will be heavy snow tomorrow, so it might be inconvenient for you to go back tomorrow."
Qi Xu then remembered that it was going to snow tomorrow, so this afternoon was indeed a good time to go home.
She immediately focused her attention and devoted herself to coloring.
After finishing, she carefully examined the figures in the painting and was very satisfied with both its novelty and color scheme.
After packing his things, Qi Xu said goodbye to Li Mo and his colleagues, and then went back to his apartment to unpack his luggage.
She didn't bring much with her, just a small shoulder bag containing a charger, her phone, and her ID card, before setting off on her journey home.
Sitting by the window, Qi Xu gazed at the scenery outside, wondering how everyone had been doing lately.
On the fogged-up car window, she subconsciously wrote the name "Hao Nan," her eyes dark and her emotions unreadable.
At this moment, she felt conflicted, experiencing both excitement at the reunion and inexplicable sadness.
The defenses in her heart were like a shell, tightly wrapping and sealing her true feelings, making her mistakenly believe that her feelings for Hao Nan were just friendship and dependence.
Halfway there, a few snowflakes suddenly began to fall from the sky.
During a self-study period at Mingde Middle School, Tingyue's eyes were getting tired from doing her homework. She looked out the window to relax, only to find that snow was falling and the ground was quickly covered in a white blanket. Her eyes lit up, just as the bell rang to signal the end of class.
"It's snowing!" Tingyue shouted.
The students immediately poured out of the classroom and ran to play in the snow.
Hao Nan also walked out of the classroom and stood in the corridor, looking at the endless white snow. At this moment, he was like this sudden snow, seemingly beautiful, but cold and piercing when held in his hand.
When Qi returned to the small county town, he originally planned to go home first, but when he realized that he didn't have his keys with him, he decided to go to Mingde Middle School to ask Han Cheng for them.
As she walked to the school gate, she looked up at the four large characters "Mingde Middle School". Scattered snowflakes fell on her hair, adding a touch of decoration to her flowing long hair, as if she belonged to this winter.
She strode into the school. Qi Xu was already quite well-known thanks to her guaranteed admission; aside from the freshmen, almost everyone knew her. The gatekeeper initially tried to stop her, but after recognizing her, he opened the gate himself.
Qi Xu strolled leisurely through the long-missed campus, with past campus scenes flashing through her mind.
As she approached the high school building, her classmates looked at her curiously, and some boys even came up to ask for her contact information, but she refused them all.
The senior high school building is very close to the principal's office, and it's on her way to the school.
Even though he was still far from the senior high school building, Hao Nan seemed to sense something and looked in the direction of Qi Xu.
His gaze shifted from calm to ripples, and upon recognizing the figure, he took a slight step back but did not take another step.
He wasn't sure if it was Qi Xu; it looked similar yet not quite, and he was afraid of being disappointed again.
As Qi Xu slowly approached, a gust of wind blew by, lifting her hair and revealing butterfly earrings on her ears.
Hao Nan saw it clearly and could no longer contain himself, so he excitedly ran towards her.
The students in the corridor looked at Hao Nan with curiosity. They had never seen him like this before, and their eyes followed him to Qi Xu.
Qi Xu was blocked by a person who suddenly appeared. He looked at the person in front of him and felt that he was familiar, but he could not remember the name.
Hao Nan looked at her tenderly. Another gust of wind blew by, and her hair fluttered again, making the butterfly earring clearly visible to Hao Nan.
His smile grew even brighter, and his voice, which was usually cold, became incredibly gentle: "You're back."
Hearing the familiar voice, Qi Xu looked at him in disbelief: "Hao Nan?"
"It's me." Hao Nan asked uncertainly, "Are you leaving again after coming back?"
Qi Xu himself didn't have an answer to this question, since he was definitely going to leave: "Uncertain."
She looked Hao Nan up and down, her eyes showing a hint of approval: "Not bad, you've become quite handsome."
“You’ve become much prettier too.” Hao Nan thought for a moment and then added, “You’ve always been pretty, you’re just a bit more mature now.”
Qi Xu was stunned. Hao Nan's smile remained bright; it was clear he was genuinely happy.
The students in the teaching building watched with envy as the school heartthrob chatted happily with a girl.
The girl leaning on the railing said, "I thought the school heartthrob was joking when he said it in the broadcasting room, but I didn't expect he actually has someone he likes."
"I feel like that girl looks familiar," another girl said.
The girls around looked closely at Qi Xu downstairs, and the more they looked, the more familiar he seemed. One girl exclaimed, "It's Qi Xu!"
"That's the same Xu Qi who got into the Central Academy of Fine Arts without taking the entrance exam!"
"Yes, it's her."
"They really are a good match." The girls all agreed, and no one disagreed.
Qi Xu's excellence is widely recognized, and art students regard her as a role model.
Qi Xu and Hao Nan were walking side by side on the snowy road when suddenly a snowball hit Qi Xu on the back. The snow got into her neck and made her shiver.
Hao Nan's gaze never left her; no reaction of hers escaped his notice.
It turned out to be Tingyue, who then made another snowball and threw it at Hao Nan.
The two turned to look at a group of people not far away, all of whom were kneading snowballs and smiling at them.
Han Xue shouted at them, "You're the only ones left!" Her voice was exceptionally loud.
Looking at everyone, Qi Xu felt a warmth in his heart, and stood there watching them play and joke around.
Xu Sheng made a snowball and threw it at Wan Xiaoyi. Wan Xiaoyi immediately got angry and threw snowballs at Xu Sheng one after another. Xu Sheng didn't have time to fight back.
Hao Nan looked at Qi Xu tenderly, his eyes and heart filled with her.
Seeing that the two of them didn't move, Xu Bai came up with an idea and gathered everyone together, saying, "Let's all shout together in a moment and let Qi Xu and Hao Nan have a snowball fight."
Everyone agreed.
"One, two, three," Wan Xiaoyi began to count.
"Qi Xu and Hao Nan, let's have a snowball fight!" Everyone shouted in unison, instantly attracting the attention of everyone around.
"Qi Xu and Hao Nan are having a snowball fight!"
"Qi Xu and Hao Nan are having a snowball fight!"
Qi Xu was infected and excitedly ran towards everyone with his arms outstretched. Hao Nan followed closely behind.
Han Xue, Wan Xiaoyi, and Tingyue also opened their arms, and the four of them hugged each other tightly.
The boys looked at them with eyes full of doting affection.
Ting Xubai threw the snowball in his hand at Hao Nan. Hao Nan was no longer sullen. He bent down, grabbed a handful of snow, rolled it into a snowball, and threw it at Ting Xubai. It missed Ting Xubai but hit Xu Sheng right in the face. Xu Sheng ate a mouthful of snow, which was icy cold.
Hao Nan and Ting Xubai burst into laughter. Xu Sheng, enraged, grabbed a snowball and threw it at the two of them, and a chaotic fight ensued.
After a while, the girls released their embrace. Han Xue, Wan Xiaoyi, and Tingyue stared at Qi Xu with bright eyes, praising him one after another.
"Wow, Xuxu is even more beautiful now."
Han Xue brushed the snowflakes off Qi Xu's head: "Looks like you're doing well, your hair has become smoother."
"Xu Xu, are you leaving again this time?" Tingyue asked.
"I'm not sure. If nothing else comes up, I'll probably leave soon."
Tingyue blinked at Qi Xu: "I heard a rumor that there might be a carnival soon. It'll be really lively, and the whole school will participate. Why don't you stay until after you've finished?"
Han Xue nodded in agreement: "Yes, we should hold it every year so that students can relax."
"My club teacher said that there was supposed to be a class tomorrow, but it was canceled. They said that we can start preparing for the carnival program freely starting tomorrow, and there are no special requirements," Wan Xiaoyi added.
Finally, everyone looked at Qi Xu and tugged at her arm, pleading, "Let's go after we've finished."
Since there were no tasks at the company anyway, Qi Xu agreed. "What fun things have happened at school lately? Tell me about them."
The group exchanged knowing smiles, their expressions sly. Tingyue spoke first: "Yes, for example, Hao Nan has become handsome."
"Uh, I know that." Qi Xu said with a hint of helplessness.
"He's the school heartthrob now," Wan Xiaoyi said with a smile, looking at Qi Xu.
Qi Xu's gaze fell on Hao Nan, who was playing around with his friends. He thought to himself, "He really has the looks to be the school heartthrob. He's really handsome."
"There's another matter, do you want to hear it?" Han Xue leaned closer to Qi Xu.
"You guys are so strange." Qi Xu asked in confusion, feeling dizzy as he looked at them.
"Hao Nan used to have many girls chasing after him, with love letters and snacks flying all over his head." Han Xue said while observing Qi Xu's facial expressions.
Hearing love letters and snacks flying everywhere, Qi Xu felt a tightness in her chest, but her expression remained calm.
Qi Xu's reaction left everyone puzzled; she shouldn't have reacted this way.
Tingyue continued to embellish the story: "Then those first-year high school students went crazy, trying to get his attention."
"Then what?"
"Yes, that's it." Tingyue nodded, her lips pursed.
Everyone observed her reaction. If Qi Xu didn't have that kind of interest, saying too much would only cause more trouble.
If Qi Xu is interested, then we can tell her the story.
Qi Xu felt that they were trying to find ways to mess with her.
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