Once the holidays began, someone took over the Ji family’s dog-walking duties.
Father Ji was deeply worried. “What if Ji Xinxin gets taken away…? Sigh, she’s so smart, and she’s such a big dog.”
Unable to take it anymore, Ji Zhaoxi, curled up on the sofa, snapped, “No one wants such a huge, fat dog!”
Father Ji sprang to his feet. “Who says that? Your Uncle Li and Auntie Wang both adore Ji Xinxin.”
Mother Ji hoisted Ji Zhaoxi to her feet and said earnestly, “Hurry up and go keep your sister company. Stop making our guests walk the dog all the time.”
By now, she couldn’t tell whether her daughter was simply clueless or what. Ji Zhaoxi genuinely thought people were coming over just to walk the dog. If Mother Ji hadn’t dragged her downstairs, she’d probably still be snoring away in bed.
Since Lu Huainan was always coming over to walk the dog, the neighbors even assumed the family had hired a professional dog walker.
Wrapped in her padded coat, Ji Zhaoxi went outside with a look of utter despair. It was so cold. Really, really cold.
Lu Huainan was walking the dog in the chilly wind. It was a little warmer here than in City A. Ji Xinxin held her head high and surveyed the surroundings with a solemn expression.
Hearing the noise, Lu Huainan paused. “You’re up so early today?”
He looked at Ji Zhaoxi in her oversized hat and couldn’t stop himself from smiling as he rubbed his cheek against hers. “Are you cold?”
Ji Zhaoxi buried herself in his arms and nodded dully.
“Lu Huainan, are you really here to walk the dog? Mom says you’re not actually here to walk the dog.”
Supporting her, Lu Huainan rested his chin on top of her head, a trace of confusion in his eyes. “I am here to walk the dog.”
She had said she didn’t want to walk the dog, so he had come instead. Of course, it would be even better if he happened to run into her.
Ji Xinxin glanced at the two of them and let out several impatient whines.
These two weren’t walking the dog properly at all!
The two of them wandered all the way to the shopping mall again. Ji Xinxin was thrilled and charged straight toward the pet-toy section.
“When the weather gets a little warmer in a few days, do you want to go out for a meal together?” Lu Huainan asked awkwardly.
Ji Zhaoxi smiled. “What if I say no?”
“Then I’ll ask again next time,” Lu Huainan said softly.
He wasn’t afraid of her rejection anymore.
Ji Xinxin huffed and puffed as she carried toys into the basket. If it had been in her mouth, it was hers!
It sneakily glanced at Ji Zhaoxi, then added a few more toys to the basket.
Ji Zhaoxi crouched down to inspect them. Ji Xinxin watched her nervously, placing one paw on Lu Huainan’s shoe.
“My senior sister didn’t go home. She went to do an internship. Her advisor introduced her to the position.” Ji Zhaoxi put the toys back in place.
Lu Huainan gave a low hum. “Do you want to pursue a doctorate or start working after graduation?”
Ji Zhaoxi wistfully stroked Ji Xinxin’s head. “I haven’t decided yet.”
Knowing that its toys were safe, Ji Xinxin licked her a few times.
Lu Huainan couldn’t resist rubbing against her fluffy collar.
“I’ll go wherever you go.”
His hair tickled Ji Zhaoxi, and she leaned back a little, unable to stop herself from laughing. “Lu Huainan, why are you so clingy?”
Lu Huainan looked at her, the tips of his ears turning red. After a moment of silence, he gave a quiet reply.
He couldn’t bear to be apart from her.
Ji Zhaoxi hadn’t expected him to admit it so readily. His gaze made her feel a little self-conscious, so she lowered her head and coughed.
“Let’s go.”
Lu Huainan watched her flushed face, his eyelashes trembling slightly.
He wanted to kiss her.
Ji Xinxin ignored the two people clinging to each other and pulled them straight toward the checkout.
People who didn’t walk the dog properly deserved nothing more than to buy toys for the dog!
Winter evenings grew dark especially quickly. The two of them trudged awkwardly through the snow while Ji Xinxin, toy clenched in her mouth, had already run all the way home.
Under the dim yellow streetlights, the surroundings were so quiet that the only sounds were their breathing. Both of them were bundled up in thick padded coats, pressed tightly against each other.
Lu Huainan held Ji Zhaoxi close, the tip of his nose touching hers. Their faces were both flushed from the cold.
Looking into her eyes, he asked in a pleading voice, “Kiss me, okay?”
He had wanted to kiss her from the very first moment he saw her that day.
Ji Zhaoxi’s eyelashes fluttered. She stared at him in silence for a moment, then rose onto her toes and bumped straight into him. Because she had moved so abruptly, their foreheads knocked together.
Lu Huainan couldn’t help taking several steps back, his eyes filled with laughter. Ji Zhaoxi said in embarrassed annoyance, “Don’t you—”
Before she could finish, Lu Huainan’s kiss landed gently on her lips. He kissed her cool mouth with exquisite tenderness, every movement restrained. As their lips and teeth met, the warmth in both their faces steadily increased.
The kiss lasted a long time. When they finally parted, they leaned against each other, breathing heavily.
With a flushed face, Lu Huainan kissed her hand and whispered, “Xixi, I like you.”
Ji Zhaoxi buried herself in his arms, her ears burning red. “I know already!”
He had said it so many times!
The two of them finally parted, still reluctant to let go. Just as Ji Zhaoxi turned around, something light suddenly smacked her in the back.
She turned around sharply, her eyes lighting up. “You’re done for! You just hit a big-time influencer!”
Lu Huainan had only just begun to smile and wave goodbye when, in the next second, a large snowball flew straight at him.
Before Lu Huainan could react, countless snowballs came hurtling toward him.
Lu Huainan was stunned.
All right, actually, he had only wanted to say goodbye to her.
But now, the two of them had no choice but to wage war.
By then, the Ji household was filled with the fragrance of food.
Mother Ji watched Ji Xinxin wolf down her meal and asked in confusion, “How strange. The dog’s already back, so why aren’t the people?”
Then she glanced toward the floor-to-ceiling window and saw the two idiots pelting each other with snowballs outside the door.
Mother Ji: …
She truly had nothing to say.
By that point, Ji Xinxin had finished eating and was already tearing open her new toys.
Mother Ji patted the dog on the head.
“You’re always making your brother-in-law buy you toys.”
Across the vast snowy ground, the streetlights formed several pools of warm yellow light. Two dark figures appeared and vanished in the snow, while countless delicate snowflakes danced through the air. It was impossible to tell whether they were falling from the sky or being kicked up by the two of them. Every so often, their laughter drifted through the cold wind.
