"Of course I know,"
Thankfully, I glanced at the calendar despite being busy—otherwise, I would have missed it. Earlier, Ji Nian had specifically called Lu Zhi to ask about Lu Jinghuai’s birthday. Lu Zhi had answered with a smile and even jokingly suggested that if Ji Nian wanted to give a gift, she could send a selfie.
Ji Nian took it as a joke. If she actually did that, Lu Jinghuai would probably think she was full of herself.
"It’s nothing expensive, just a crystal I made myself. I had it set into earrings."
Ji Nian adjusted her ski goggles and motioned for Lu Jinghuai to come closer so she could use them as a mirror.
Lu Jinghuai…
From the moment he heard she had made it herself, his silver-gray eyes seemed to melt into honey, so sweet that not even his breath fogging in the cold could hide it.
"Little Crown Prince?"
Ji Nian called him again.
Lu Jinghuai’s lashes fluttered slightly as he suppressed the emotions in his eyes. He leaned in, using Ji Nian’s clear ski goggles as a mirror, tilting his head to brush aside his long golden hair and examine his earlobe.
The earlobe was slightly red from the cold, but its owner paid no attention.
The pale gray crystal, with a faint pink mist swirling like a drop of blood at its center, wasn’t dazzling. Unless you looked closely, it might even seem unremarkable—but once noticed, it was impossible to look away.
"It’s beautiful. I love it."
His eyes curved into crescents as he gently traced the small crystal with his fingers, his voice soft.
"I’m glad you like it."
Ji Nian suddenly lifted her goggles, her emerald-green eyes meeting his up close—clear, unclouded, and pure. Her slightly curled hair still carried snowflakes from her earlier fall, some melted into droplets clinging to her cheeks. She was radiant, impossible to look away from.
Lu Jinghuai instinctively tensed, and in doing so, lost his balance, toppling straight backward.
The snow here was soft, and he sank right into it.
Frozen like a statue.
Ji Nian laughed at him. "Hahaha, and you made fun of me! Look who’s falling now."
Not satisfied, she crouched down with effort, steadied herself, and scooped up a handful of snow to toss at him.
Just as she was about to stand back up, the "corpse" on the ground suddenly reached out, lightning-fast, and grabbed her wrist, pulling her down.
"Whoa!"
Ji Nian yelped as she tumbled onto him. Before she could steady herself, Lu Jinghuai, beneath her, pressed his ice-cold fingertip to the tip of her nose.
A fleeting sweetness lingered in the chill.
His pale gold hair fanned out against the pure white snow, his face fully exposed. Ji Nian’s long strands brushed against his cheek, making him tilt his head slightly. He smirked at her, eyes gleaming with mischief, and said, voice laced with amusement, "You smiled."
Ji Nian snapped out of her daze.
Had she not been smiling much lately?
System: Nods vigorously.
Ji Nian grinned like a donkey. "Hahahahaha, is this enough for you?"
She even poked at Lu Jinghuai’s nostrils with her gloved hand.
Naturally, Lu Jinghuai, ever conscious of his image, turned his head away to avoid it. The two of them tussled, rolling around in the snow like a mess.
After playing for a while, both exhausted, they finally headed back.
Fresh from a warm shower, Ji Nian changed and stepped out, accepting a hot drink from the resort manager. As she took a sip, she glanced up and saw Lu Jinghuai sitting on a bench across from her, chin propped on his hand, watching her.
In his other hand, he dangled the hat she had given him, idly playing with the little cat ears on it. When he noticed her looking, he flicked his bangs aside, the gray earring flashing briefly.
Ji Nian thought, It really suits him.
As she approached, Lu Jinghuai suddenly said something unexpected.
"Let’s not go skiing next time."
"Huh?"
Ji Nian paused in the middle of tying up her hair.
Lu Jinghuai lowered his gaze and murmured, "You don’t like it."
Tossing her tied-up hair over her shoulder, Ji Nian marveled inwardly at how perceptive he was.
"Can you even tell when I need to take a shit?"
Lu Jinghuai chuckled softly, not even denying it. "Maybe?"
Before Ji Nian could respond, Lu Jinghuai’s demeanor shifted, his usual gentle and composed mask slipping back into place, hiding the earlier playfulness.
Ji Nian followed his gaze.
The automatic doors slid open, and a figure stepped in, smiling at the two of them.
Shen Qingtang didn’t seem surprised at all to see Ji Nian and Lu Jinghuai.
"What a coincidence! I didn’t expect to run into you two while skiing."
Ji Nian’s foot froze mid-step. "You two?"
She glanced behind Shen Qingtang—there was no one else.
Then Shen Qingtang pulled her hands from behind her back.
In each hand, she held a phone, screens lit up with active video calls.
On the left was He Xiang, sitting stiffly, silently watching.
On the right was Gu Xiuyuan, arms crossed, phoenix eyes simmering with irritation.
Ji Nian: "……"
Did anyone else feel the surreal horror of Shen Qingtang holding two familiar faces like trophies?
Shen Qingtang’s cheerful expression didn’t waver as she glanced at Lu Jinghuai, whose lips curled in a faint smile, her eyes flashing a warning.
Ji Nian had been so busy lately that everyone had restrained themselves, giving her space. Now that things had finally settled, this guy had the audacity to sneak in first!
"……Today is Lu Jinghuai’s birthday."
Seeing that Lu Jinghuai wasn’t going to explain, Ji Nian spoke up to justify why she had only invited him.
Hearing this, the others reluctantly accepted the excuse.
Ji Nian first took the phone connected to Gu Xiuyuan and promptly ended the call, sending him a message:
‘It’s the middle of the night there. Go to sleep, don’t stay up late.’
‘Boys who sleep late don’t grow tall where it counts.’
The "typing" indicator on the other side flickered for a long time before finally going silent.
As for He Xiang’s side:
‘Grandma’s back home now, right? I’ll visit her in a few days.’
He Xiang replied almost instantly: Okay.
Finally, Shen Qingtang.
Before Ji Nian could even say anything—
Her expression suddenly changed.
Lu Jinghuai reacted just as quickly, stepping in front of Ji Nian in an instant, his usually mild eyes sharp as they locked onto something behind Shen Qingtang.
Shen Qingtang, noticing their tension, turned belatedly.
The previously lively sounds from outside the ski resort had gone eerily quiet.
When she saw what had put them on edge, shock flickered across her face.
It was a woman in a wheelchair.
A woman so beautiful she seemed unreal—yet her imperfections were glaringly obvious.
The woman didn’t spare Shen Qingtang or Lu Jinghuai a single glance. Her one remaining eye, gleaming with amusement, fixed on Ji Nian, who was being shielded.
That gaze made Ji Nian feel as if something cold and slithering had coiled around her, stealing her breath.
She had seen this woman before…
Years ago, at that winery. A fleeting encounter, but unforgettable.
Sensing the woman’s focus, Shen Qingtang snapped out of her daze. She and Lu Jinghuai stood side by side, blocking Ji Nian from view.
"Hello, may I ask what this is about?"
The woman's beauty was so striking that she initially overlooked the man standing behind her, pushing her wheelchair.
Dressed in an ordinary black suit, he was tall, and though his face seemed unremarkable at first glance, there was an inexplicable pressure emanating from him.
It was the same unsettling feeling she had only experienced once before—when she first met Ji Tingzhou as a child.
These visitors meant trouble.
She glanced subtly at Lu Jinghuai beside her, but his expression remained unchanged, so she steadied herself.
"We're here for Ji Nian."
The woman stayed silent, but the man behind her spoke in a deep, resonant voice.
