As they talked, the square became increasingly crowded, the narrow Night Market pathways slowly filling with people.
Shen Shuyu reached out, her slender fingers grasping the pocket of Yu Mo’s down jacket, just like last time at the Night Market.
There was no physical contact; Yu Mo couldn’t even feel the temperature of Shen Shuyu’s hand-back.
Yet, the moment Shen Shuyu drew close like this,
Yu Mo’s heart, for some unknown reason, pounded twice heavily, the thuds unsettling her momentarily.
“What’s wrong?” Shen Shuyu didn’t notice Yu Mo’s reaction. She tugged the pocket of Yu Mo, who had stopped walking.
“Ah, I…” Yu Mo snapped back to reality, scanned the surroundings quickly, and randomly made an excuse: “I want to go ice skating.”
Shen Shuyu followed Yu Mo’s gaze to the simple, large words “Ice Skating Rink” on an advertisement board in the opposite mall and agreed readily, “Okay.”
Shen Shuyu and Yu Mo walked against the flow of Christmas music to the ice skating rink on the mall’s third floor.
As soon as they arrived on the third floor, the cold aura emanating from the rink hit Yu Mo, who was utterly unprepared.
She looked at the giant ice skating rink not far away, her eyelids twitching.
Only then did Yu Mo realize she’d missed a detail on that ad board: beneath the artistically rendered words “Ice Skating Rink” was a drawing of a gleaming ice blade.
So, this was ice skating, not rollerblading.
Yu Mo watched Shen Shuyu pull out two pairs of ice skates, her throat bobbing with difficulty.
She had never skated on ice like this before.
“What’s wrong?” Shen Shuyu handed the skates to Yu Mo, seeing her a bit stunned, and asked puzzledly.
Yu Mo deliberated.
Would it be bad to tell Shen Shuyu she didn’t know how to ice skate? After all, she was the one who suggested coming here…
How different could one style of skating be from another? She knew how to rollerblade, so surely ice skating wouldn’t be a problem?
Just one word difference, how hard could it be?
I’m an S-Class Alpha; learning something like this should be a piece of cake.
Reality proved: one word difference made a huge distinction.
The moment Yu Mo, staking her Alpha dignity, stepped onto the ice rink, she realized her legs no longer belonged to her.
The ice was even more slippery than a rollerblade rink.
The second Yu Mo set one foot onto it, the skate beneath her seemed to gain a mind of its own, sliding forward, taking her leg with it.
But the key problem was, her other leg was still off the ice!
Because of this very unpleasant start, Yu Mo developed a natural wariness and fear of this ice surface.
Shen Shuyu, however, was the opposite of Yu Mo.
Zhou Yan loved having fun and owned an ice rink in the Eastern Suburbs. Unable to drag Shen Lin out, she would drag Shen Shuyu along to play with her for days.
Shen Shuyu already had a solid ballet foundation. Over time, her ice skating skills were close to a professional level.
Here, Shen Shuyu glided out a few steps on the rink, light as a butterfly.
Turning around, she found Yu Mo hadn’t followed.
Confused, she looked back towards the entrance area.
She saw Yu Mo gripping the railing at the edge of the rink tightly, inching her skates along purely relying on arm strength.
Apart from her legs, Yu Mo’s whole body was straining.
Her face was slightly flushed, her eyes completely focused on the path beneath her feet.
Awkward yet adorable.
Shen Shuyu couldn’t help but smile. She gently propelled herself on her skates back to Yu Mo’s side: “Can’t skate?”
“…No.”
Though admitting it was difficult, Yu Mo still nodded.
Shen Shuyu naturally extended her hand to Yu Mo: “Come, I’ll lead you.”
Yu Mo looked at the hand Shen Shuyu extended towards her, feeling a slight flutter in her heart.
Her fingers loosened slightly from the tightly gripped railing, but then clenched it again.
Yu Mo’s resistance towards Shen Shuyu surged forth.
She didn’t dare entrust herself to Shen Shuyu.
Shen Shuyu could see Yu Mo’s hesitation.
In an environment that made her feel fearful, asking her to fully entrust herself to someone who had once hurt her was very difficult.
Yu Mo’s words, “I will never hold any hope for Shen Shuyu,” echoed in Shen Shuyu’s ears.
Shen Shuyu’s hand remained steadily outstretched towards Yu Mo, never withdrawn.
The cold air invaded her fair fingertips, leaving a faint red on her knuckles.
She wanted to give her hope, give her everything she could do.
Give her the devotion of one who had never held faith.
“Yu Mo, trust me.”
“I won’t let go of your hand.”
Shen Shuyu said this.
Yu Mo looked at Shen Shuyu upon hearing this.
She saw Shen Shuyu gazing at her quietly.
Her silver-tinted eyes shone brighter than the stars in the night sky beyond the large window glass behind her.
Little by little, they dispelled the dark fear in Yu Mo’s heart.
“…Okay.”
Yu Mo inhaled a breath of cool air, trying to suppress the apprehension inside her.
Then, her fingers tried to loosen their grip for the second time.
Shen Shuyu watched Yu Mo’s arm, trembling slightly, reach towards her.
She didn’t wait for Yu Mo to place her hand in hers; instead, she directly, proactively, took hold of Yu Mo’s hand.
Their two hands finally met and clasped together.
The warmth of their palms, in this freezing ice rink, intermingled.
The world fell silent.
Shen Shuyu, who had only intended to hold Yu Mo’s hand and lead her skating, felt countless feelings arise in her heart.
Jade-green vines broke through the soil in Shen Shuyu’s heart field, already blooming with countless flowers.
They intertwined, climbing straight towards the dome.
Among the clouds, they bloomed one after another, enormous pink flower buds.
“Hold tight, don’t let go.” Yu Mo reminded, her fear still lingering.
Shen Shuyu nodded gently: “Mm, trust me. I’ll take you around once, and you won’t be scared anymore.”
Saying this, Shen Shuyu lightly lifted her foot and began to glide across the ice.
Yu Mo, beside Shen Shuyu, also started sliding along with her.
Anxiety and fear intertwined in Yu Mo’s heart, but because of Shen Shuyu’s tight grip on her hand, she gradually became less afraid.
Yu Mo tried to match Shen Shuyu’s rhythm, learning to control the blades beneath her feet.
The ice surface no longer felt so uncontrollable.
The cold wind seemed to become gentler, softly brushing across Yu Mo’s cheek.
Still holding Shen Shuyu’s hand, Yu Mo relaxed and slowly began to feel the warmth Shen Shuyu was transmitting to her.
And the faint scent of Camellia in her hair, stirred up by the breeze.
The lights were bright, the ice rink crowded with people.
Only Shen Shuyu was the one clear point in Yu Mo’s eyes.
Her gaze was calm, yet gentle.
As if enjoying this ice skating journey.
Under Yu Mo’s watch, Shen Shuyu seemed to casually glance towards Yu Mo.
The cold wind made the tip of her nose slightly red.
Her eyes held a smile, her fair face blossoming with a restrained, introverted camellia.
It also bloomed on the tip of Yu Mo’s heart.
.
The pitch-black night sky was brightened by neon lights reflecting off the glass of the commercial buildings, upon which many small dots floated in the air.
White snowflakes danced leisurely in the sky, one by one falling to the ground.
Some pedestrians outside the square hadn’t yet reacted, pausing their steps in a daze.
“It’s snowing!”
An exclamation came from somewhere unknown. Many people took off their gloves, using their palms to catch the pure white drifting down from the sky.
It really was snow!
Everyone exclaimed involuntarily.
Amid Christmas carols, the goose-feather-like swirling snowflakes cascaded from the sky.
Shen Shuyu and Yu Mo finished skating. Each holding a cup of warm milk tea, they walked out side by side.
Pushing the door open, they were greeted by blanket after blanket of pristine white on the ground.
Yu Mo paused, the gears of memory slowly turning.
She finally remembered: what she regretted most today in her previous life, and what everyone talked about most, was the snow on Christmas Eve.
Snow on Christmas Eve is a gift from heaven to all mankind.
No one can refuse it.
Golden lights illuminated the dark canopy as pure white slowly descended upon the earth.
The blend of pure white and brilliant gold was truly like a fairyland.
Yu Mo couldn’t resist stepping into the open, reaching out to catch a slowly falling snowflake.
Admiring this wondrous snowy night.
Shen Shuyu stood quietly behind Yu Mo, watching her merge with this purity.
Pure and innocent.
The air grew cold, each breath turning into a white puff of mist.
The tip of Yu Mo’s nose and the corners of her eyes were also tinged with a cold red.
Shen Shuyu’s hand, hidden in her bag, was itching to move.
She took a deep breath and walked straight towards Yu Mo into the white mist she exhaled.
A warmth spread around Yu Mo’s neck.
Looking down, a bright red scarf had appeared around her neck.
“Merry Christmas.” Shen Shuyu smiled slightly, saying to Yu Mo.
No one knew how nervous she felt looking at Yu Mo right now.
Yu Mo was slightly stunned.
She stared fixedly at the red before her eyes, her heart involuntarily thumping.
Had Shen Shuyu knitted this for her?
Then Yu Mo reached up to touch the scarf and looked at Shen Shuyu.
The pattern was so intricate; she probably bought it, right?
How could she possibly knit a scarf for her personally?
Thinking this, Yu Mo forcibly suppressed this unrealistic guess, along with the inexplicable flutter in her chest.
“Thank you, I really like it,” Yu Mo said.
Even if Shen Shuyu hadn’t knitted it herself, she still liked it very much.
This was the first holiday gift Shen Shuyu had given her.
Even though she was no longer her Wife.
“You’re welcome.” The smile on Shen Shuyu’s face deepened.
Beneath the pure white snow, the hour and minute hands of the clock tower were slowly approaching the number twelve.
It was nearly midnight; Christmas Eve would soon be over.
A world made sacred by snow.
Everyone was immersed in this sudden, unexpected joy. Only the vendors selling apples at nearby stalls began to worry.
After midnight, the Peace Apples, like Cinderella losing her magic, turned back into ordinary apples.
“Apples are cheap now, twenty for two!”
“Fifteen for two, including a greeting card!”
…
Yu Mo was drawn by the hawking. “Wait a moment.”
As she said this, Shen Shuyu watched Yu Mo stride purposefully towards one of the vendors’ stalls.
She watched Yu Mo carefully select items at the stall, even saying something unknown to the vendor.
Her heart was filled with a mix of curiosity and anticipation.
Was she going to buy her a Peace Apple?
Shen Shuyu watched Yu Mo expectantly, only to see her lift a large bag of apples from the stall.
Then, all smiles, she paid the vendor.
So she was just taking advantage of the cheap apples to buy some.
Holding the warm milk tea in her hands, Shen Shuyu’s long eyelashes lowered.
Her leather shoes crunched softly on the snow-covered ground.
An indescribable sense of disappointment crept into her heart.
A shadow fell, blocking the light in front of Shen Shuyu. Yu Mo, carrying the large bag of apples, returned to her side.
“Shen Shuyu.”
Yu Mo’s voice was full of delight.
Was she going to show off that she’d bought lots of delicious apples at a low price?
Shen Shuyu lifted her head, completely uninterested, and looked at Yu Mo.
In the interplay of light and shadow,
Shen Shuyu saw a bright red apple, held in Yu Mo’s palm, being offered to her.
“Merry Christmas.”
