Chapter 118: Heavy Snow
After a few small, tentative snowfalls mixed with rain, it finally snowed in Qingchuan. The snow, which had fallen just as winter was beginning, lasted all night. In the morning, all that could be seen through the window was a hazy whiteness.
On the dormitory’s walkway, many people, wrapped in thick coats, were looking outside. Their vision was blocked by the damp, thick fog, but they could still vaguely see the white snow on the leaves of the trees. Many were cheering, and early in the morning, the dormitory was filled with the sound of hurried footsteps, disturbing the quiet of the morning.
Qingchuan was located further north, and winter came much earlier than in Su Yu’s hometown. He had never seen many snowfalls in his life, and the few he had were just thin layers of snow that would melt in his hand.
This was a novel sight for someone from the south. But Su Yu, wearing thin clothes, stood on the walkway and watched the still-falling snowflakes. A strange, cold feeling welled up in his heart. The damp and cold air seemed to be crazily drilling through his pores and into his flesh, as if to freeze the warm blood in his veins into icicles. His hands and feet were so cold they were numb with pain.
The snow had come a bit suddenly, triggering many memories hidden deep in his mind. He had not seen much snow, but two snowfalls were deeply etched in his memory.
Those were two heavy snowfalls. It was as if the world was about to be buried in the vast expanse of white snow. But in the snow, it seemed as if only he and the girl were standing there. They had broken up, and the girl had turned and disappeared into the hazy fog. He had stood in the snow for a long time, frozen to the bone.
When they met again, it was during the second heavy snowfall. The air conditioner was humming in the rented apartment. The room was as warm as spring, full of an ambiguous intimacy, but outside, the snow was falling heavily. Fireworks exploded in the sky, creating a brilliant display of light. The girl held a sharp dagger and plunged it into his heart. It was as if a window had been opened in the rented apartment, and the howling, cold wind rushed into his heart, his blood freezing into ice.
The phone in Su Yu’s palm vibrated, interrupting his thoughts. He looked down at the lit-up screen. Nie Hong had sent a message in the Youth Association’s group chat, asking for people to go to the track to clear the snow.
The Youth Association had not had any major activities since the welcome party. It was mostly just a few people chatting about trivial things in the group chat. Su Yu rarely looked at the messages and had naturally become marginalized in the association. An Zhi, on the other hand, was often dragged to the Youth Association by Nie Hong. Every time Su Yu asked her what she was doing, she would always stammer and refuse to say.
The screen flickered. An Zhi had excitedly sent him a message, her words filled with the excitement of the moment. She urged him to come down and help her clear the snow.
“Hey, hey, hey, come down quickly, Su Yu. You saw it, right… such a heavy snow. I had a feeling it would snow today yesterday, and you didn’t believe me.”
An Zhi’s messages came one after another, her childish sense of victory on full display. She had grown up in a hot, coastal city and had never seen snow. Since winter had come to Qingchuan, she had been complaining every day about why it wasn’t snowing yet. Now, it was finally snowing.
“Wait for me a bit. I just got up.”
“Oh, okay. Then I’ll wait for you on the track.”
Su Yu replied with a “received” in the Youth Association’s group chat. He took one last look at the now-stopping snow and turned back to his dorm.
…
The hot water poured down on his head, soaking the hair that was draped over his neck. The water droplets slid down the curve of his hair and fell onto the delicate curve of his neck, leaving a watery trail on his delicate skin, and then sliding into the hollow of his collarbone.
The hot steam filled the entire bathroom, as if creating a hazy, illusory dream before his eyes. Xia Qian Ge closed her eyes, her long eyelashes wet and drooping. The water flowed down the curves of her body. The clear water, carrying the filth of her body, flowed into the drain, but it couldn’t wash away even a single bit of her even filthier soul.
Xia Qian Ge tilted her head back, letting the water pour into her nose. She couldn’t breathe. The oxygen in her lungs was gradually depleting, and her life was lingering on the edge of death.
Her consciousness began to blur, as if she had fallen into a dark sea, silently falling into a boundless darkness. Her survival instinct made her start to feel scared… terrified. She shouted loudly, but her voice was blocked by the cold seawater. She wanted to live… but she couldn’t find any hope of life.
A beam of light suddenly pierced through the deep sea. She stared at the only beam of light, her eyes stinging, but she was unwilling to look away. She swam towards the beam of light, but the oxygen was becoming scarcer. She lost her strength, and even with all her might, she still couldn’t see the source of that beam of light.
Su Yu…
Xia Qian Ge suddenly opened her eyes, gasping for the air mixed with water vapor. The sound of trickling water was clearly audible in her ears. The steaming water vapor left a faint blush on her delicate, white skin.
Her delicate fingers slid over her delicate skin, the touch smooth. She gently squeezed the full flesh of her chest, creating a deep and alluring cleavage. The water rushed through the deep groove, drawing a graceful curve on her body.
Such a seductive body… but it didn’t seem to attract any more attention from the boy. The affection in his eyes was clearly about to overflow, yet he refused to confess his feelings.
The sugar-fried chestnut vendor was gradually disappearing. Late autumn seemed to be completely over. How long had it been since the boy had looked for her? The ambiguous moments on the Ferris wheel in the sunset, the boy’s busy figure running through the hospital corridor… all seemed to have turned into her baseless and ridiculous fantasies. Was it her own wishful thinking, or was it the boy’s pity?
Xia Qian Ge was inexplicably annoyed. The stuffy heat that had spread in the bathroom became more and more unbearable. The thought of the boy’s sunny and handsome smile blooming for others, the smell of her heart’s blood being burned by jealousy, made her want to vomit.
She turned off the shower, dried herself with a dry towel, and walked out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel that reached her chest.
“Qian Ge, Qian Ge, it’s snowing so hard! Was it this heavy when you came back?”
A few roommates were gathered at the balcony of the dorm, shouting at her, their faces full of surprise at the sudden heavy snow.
Xia Qian Ge lowered her head, her wet hair falling down, hiding her sinister and terrifying expression. She just nodded, not in the mood for any nonsense.
She had worked the night shift yesterday. It was snowing heavily late at night, and it was inconvenient for her to go back, so she had rested in the store’s break room for the night. The manager had driven her back the next morning.
Xia Qian Ge used a dry towel to absorb the moisture from her hair and walked to her desk. The phone on the desk was lit up. She glanced at it patiently, but then she suddenly stopped.
“Sister, do you want to come down and play in the snow? It’s very heavy.”
Xia Qian Ge swiped open the screen and looked at the cute little rabbit profile picture. The restlessness in her heart grew stronger. She was about to type a refusal, but the other party’s message suddenly came in.
“I’ve also asked Su Yu and the others. There are a lot of people… you shouldn’t always stay in your dorm, sister.”
Xia Qian Ge’s gaze was fixed on the obvious name. She deleted the message she had just typed and replied.
“Okay, I’ll be right down.”
After she sent the message, she covered her phone on the desk, her eyes flickering with an uncertain light in her wet hair.
