Chapter 154 (First Release)...
The whole world has lost its color.
"The blizzard has arrived." Xiao Zhou walked up to her without her noticing, and together they looked at the pristine white world outside.
"And this will continue until the unexpected factors are eliminated."
Xiao Zhou's voice wasn't loud, and it was somewhat muffled when it reached Ning Wanwan's ears.
Ning Wanwan slowly bent over and took a few deep breaths.
For some reason, she felt an indescribable pressure and... malice.
It's as if this snow is specifically targeting...her.
But how could that be?
It's absurd that a blizzard was brought down on her.
Just as Ning Wanwan felt short of breath and inexplicably panicked, a cool, soft little hand grasped her wrist, giving her a point of support.
"Ning Wanwan, don't be afraid." Xiao Zhou's voice, unusually unsettled, rang out, as if trying to reassure her.
"You'll be fine... this is just a hurdle."
Ning Wanwan subconsciously tightened her grip on Xiao Zhou's hand and took a few deep breaths.
Fresh air entered her lungs through her nasal cavity, carrying a slight chill. Ning Wanwan's heartbeat gradually calmed down, and she straightened her body.
Xiao Zhou's tense body finally relaxed a little.
Ning Wanwan looked at the small boat with a complicated expression.
It's obvious that Xiao Zhou is not a simple person.
"Xiao Zhou, do you... know something?"
Xiao Zhou pursed her lips, hesitated for a moment, and finally shook her head at Ning Wanwan.
"Ning Wanwan, I can't say."
"But don't worry, neither I nor he... have any intention of really hurting you."
"All you need to do is clear this level."
Xiao Zhou seemed to have provided a lot of information, but Ning Wanwan, lacking key details, became increasingly confused.
"...Is the level some kind of code? But if you want me to clear the level, you have to tell me what the level actually is, right?"
Xiao Zhou looked up at her, his silver-gray eyes revealing no emotion: "Ning Wanwan, you don't need to worry anymore."
"The blizzard has started, and the opportunity to clear the level will appear soon."
Ning Wanwan looked at Xiao Zhou for a while, feeling somewhat troubled.
No matter how much you questioned Xiaozhou after that, he wouldn't reveal any further information.
Clearly, the others whom Xiaozhou believed shouldn't be told to her wouldn't utter a single word more.
Ning Wanwan instinctively felt that Xiao Zhou was doing this for her own good, but not understanding the reason, she still didn't know how to get along with Xiao Zhou.
At that moment, several people who had returned from shoveling snow outside also entered the house.
"Wanwan, you're up." Zhou Yanyao was casually shaking the snow off his body when he noticed Ning Wanwan in the living room. He immediately gave her a bright smile and strode towards her.
The first thing Qi Lin and Ansil did upon returning was to clean the snow off themselves.
Qi Lin didn't walk over directly like Zhou Yanyao. He looked up and met Ning Wanwan's gaze. His dark eyes were devoid of emotion, yet they seemed to be reminding Ning Wanwan that the two had exchanged secrets last night, and their relationship was different from before.
Ning Wanwan looked away uncomfortably, only to meet Ansel's gaze again.
Ansel was unusually quiet, unlike usual when he would come over and rub against her, making all sorts of intimate physical contact.
The boy's violet pupils were like precious gems, or like some unknown beast lurking in the forest, concealing a kind of displeasure at the invasion of his territory by outsiders.
However, when he noticed Ning Wanwan looking at him, he immediately changed his expression, his purple eyes curving into a smile without any gloom, and the sweet dimples on his cheeks appearing and disappearing.
For some reason, Ning Wanwan was not touched by the smile; she only felt that danger lurked beneath it.
However, Ning Wanwan quickly remembered another important matter.
"Is the blizzard heavy? How is it outside?" she asked with concern.
Even Qi Lin, who was usually calm and composed, frowned slightly at this.
"It's very heavy. The snow started falling in the latter half of last night, but it wasn't very loud yet. It started falling exceptionally hard as soon as it got light today." Zhou Yanyao's expression was also not good as he explained from the side, "Many houses outside... have been buried."
Ning Wanwan pursed her lips and fell into an unspeakable silence.
Although Zhou Yanyao probably didn't want to put pressure on her, he tried to soften his words as much as possible, and didn't go into details about the situation outside. But just from this one sentence, you could glimpse how serious the losses were and how tragic the scene was.
In comparison, their place is quite peaceful and stable, the house is in good condition, and at least Ning Wanwan is not under any pressure except psychologically.
She's not stupid; she couldn't possibly be unaware that the pressure was definitely being borne by them.
However, the atmosphere in this village wasn't exactly one of genuine kindness and beauty to begin with, so what would happen if it fell into trouble...?
"Don't worry, even if something happens, it won't affect us," Qi Lin said calmly.
Ning Wanwan: "...Mm."
"Alright, Wanwan, don't think about it so much. There are so many of us here."
Perhaps sensing Ning Wanwan's low spirits, Zhou Yanyao started circling around her like a cheerful dog, offering words of comfort and concern. Ning Wanwan responded with half-hearted, low voices.
My mood did indeed improve considerably.
As the girl smiled, the atmosphere around her gradually relaxed.
However, after a while, Ning Wanwan really couldn't resist Zhou Yanyao's enthusiasm.
Of course, most importantly, the fact that she was constantly interacting with Zhou Yanyao in front of Qi Lin and Ansel made her inexplicably uneasy and a little guilty.
"Wanwan, did you sleep well last night? Why don't you go back and get some more sleep?" Ansel suddenly spoke with a smile, as if he had seen through Ning Wanwan's thoughts.
Ning Wanwan's heart skipped a beat.
Why are you suddenly bringing up not sleeping well last night...?
Zhou Yanyao seemed to have also remembered what happened last night, and his expression was a little unpleasant, but he quickly comforted Ning Wanwan: "Wanwan, why don't you go back to sleep for a while? It's okay, we're here outside."
Ning Wanwan hesitated for a moment: "...Okay."
Although she wasn't actually that sleepy... she really didn't want to stay there any longer.
After returning to her room, Ning Wanwan realized that she hadn't had time to return her coat to Qi Lin.
"I'll pay it back later when I have another chance..."
Just thinking about returning Qi Lin's coat in front of other people gave Ning Wanwan a chill down her spine.
Ning Wanwan casually stuffed Qi Lin's coat onto the bedside table, just in case he forgot it again next time.
Looking out the window at the pure white expanse, Ning Wanwan sighed silently and began to ponder the connection between these recent events.
Qi Lin and Zhou Yanyao from the royal city, Qi Lin's dream version of himself, the sudden blizzard, and what Xiao Zhou said that morning... all these things made it impossible for Ning Wanwan to ignore them.
She felt as if she were in a vast white fog, knowing that something must be lurking behind the fog, but she could never see it clearly.
What is it...? Why do I always have this feeling that my current life is unreal...?
Countless thoughts flashed through her mind, trying to find some connection. Ning Wanwan thought a lot, yet thought of nothing at all.
She fell asleep without realizing it, and when she finally woke up, there was a soft knock on the door.
Ning Wanwan was stunned for a moment, not expecting anyone to come looking for her at this time.
Oh right, Qi Lin's jacket is still with me. He probably needed it, so he came to ask me for it.
Thinking of this, Ning Wanwan said, "Wait a minute." Then she got out of bed, hurriedly straightened her clothes, grabbed her coat from the bedside table, and ran to the door to open it.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, your coat is here..." Ning Wanwan stopped halfway through her sentence.
The person standing outside the door was Zhou Yanyao.
"Wanwan, who did you mistake me for?"
Zhou Yanyao hung his head, his eyebrows drooping, looking pitiful like an abandoned stray dog.
Ning Wanwan: "I'm so sorry, I thought Qi Lin was coming to ask me for my coat..."
"Oh, I see." Zhou Yanyao looked enlightened, glancing at the coat in Ning Wanwan's hand, his expression suggesting he was itching to take it apart and throw it in the trash.
Ning Wanwan: "..."
Ning Wanwan: "Yes, is there something you want to say? Would you like to come in and sit down for a while..."
At this point, Ning Wanwan almost bit her tongue, feeling a little embarrassed. It was just a room, why did she sound like a neighbor visiting?
However, Ning Wanwan really didn't want Zhou Yanyao to stand at her room door like that anymore... If someone else saw them, Ning Wanwan had a feeling it would be a big problem.
"Um—can I go in? Will it be inconvenient?" Zhou Yanyao's ears turned slightly red, a little embarrassed.
Ning Wanwan: "Sure."
In fact, her room didn't have many personal belongings, and it wasn't decorated much. In contrast, the living room and other public areas, which were taken care of by Ansel and Xiaozhou, had a softer "home" atmosphere.
Ning Wanwan generously stepped aside to make room, while Zhou Yanyao walked in somewhat awkwardly.
He glanced around the room and then politely stopped looking around.
Ning Wanwan blinked and whispered, "Um... the room is a bit casually furnished, not as tidy as the outside... please sit here."
Ning Wanwan dragged the chair over.
Zhou Yanyao reached out and took over the task of dragging the chair, shaking his head without hesitation: "No, I think it's fine."
He really thinks it's great.
This small space is filled with the scent of a young girl, and even the slightest disturbance is caused by one of her actions.
Just thinking about this made Zhou Yanyao feel that everything in this room was wonderful.
only--
Zhou Yanyao hesitated for a moment, then asked, "Wanwan, are you only planning to stay here temporarily?"
Zhou Yanyao didn't just say it casually. While the room where the girl had lived for a long time was certainly lovely in Zhou Yanyao's eyes, he still retained his rationality and observational skills.
The room contained only the necessities of life, and it was clear that the owner had not made any unnecessary decorations.
This only shows that the owner of the room does not have a real sense of belonging here and believes that he will leave sooner or later.
Ning Wanwan didn't expect that Zhou Yanyao could see through her at first glance.
She suddenly thought of a question.
Ansel and Xiaozhou, they've lived with me for so long, have they noticed...?
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