*Cough, cough—*
Xu Tingbai suddenly put down his fork, and in his surprise, the not-so-spicy soup went down the wrong way, causing him to cough hard.
Lin Qingle didn’t expect such a big reaction from him. She quickly pushed the water towards him and grabbed his wrist to steady the cup. “Drink some water! Be careful!”
The boy, who had spent most of his time in a small room, had very fair skin, and after choking, his pale complexion turned a shade of crimson.
Lin Qingle, worried, said, “I’ll get you another cup of water!”
“No need!” Xu Tingbai drank a couple of sips of water to calm himself, but his face still looked unnatural. “Why didn’t you say anything earlier?”
Lin Qingle froze for a moment. “Huh? Oh, you mean the noodles? I didn’t react right away… It’s fine, here, this is yours. You keep eating. I’ll take mine.”
When Lin Qingle pushed his noodles toward him, she also meant to take hers back, but as soon as her hand touched it, he stopped her.
Lin Qingle asked, “What’s wrong?”
Xu Tingbai replied, “…I’ve used it, don’t touch it.”
Lin Qingle glanced at the fork he had used. Honestly, she didn’t mind that he had used it. But at her age, she also understood the small distance that should exist between boys and girls, like not sharing a fork.
Lin Qingle withdrew her hand. “Then I’ll go get a pair of chopsticks, is that okay?”
Xu Tingbai’s throat was still burning from the choking, and he endured the sharp sensation, his expression stern as he mumbled a “hmm” in response.
After finishing the bowl of noodles, Lin Qingle headed back home. Although she could excuse herself by saying she was too immersed in studying at the library, she couldn’t stay out too late.
The following week, the temperature dropped suddenly, and everyone bundled up in thick down jackets over their school uniforms.
Winter had fully arrived, and on Sunday, it even started to snow.
“It snowed outside today, and the ground is slippery. Don’t go to the library, study at home instead.” That day, Lin Yufen was taking a day off and was cleaning the house.
Lin Qingle was packing her bag by her desk and said, “But they’re still playing Mahjong, the noise is too loud.”
The gap between the floors was very small, and the sound of Mahjong being played and the conversation from the building across the street was clear and loud.
Lin Yufen frowned, muttered a few curses under her breath about the people across the way, and finally said, “Then just be careful when you walk.”
“Okay, I know.”
As she put on her bag and headed out the door, the snow, which had stopped for two hours, began to fall gently again.
Lin Qingle really enjoyed snowy days. The feeling of everything being blanketed in white made her feel like the world was so clean, and it always brightened her mood.
Today, as she walked to the library, the route still led her to Xu Tingbai’s house. She planned to drop off her bag at his place first and then go to the nearby market to buy some vegetables.
She had mentioned last weekend that she’d cook at his place today to make sure he got some nutrition.
When she arrived at Xu Tingbai’s doorstep, she took her hand out of her pocket and reached into the nearby box. This time, she successfully found the key.
Fortunately, Xu Tingbai hadn’t hidden it again after she discovered it.
Once inside, Lin Qingle initially planned to just drop her bag and head out to buy groceries. But when she saw that Xu Tingbai had left his room door slightly ajar, she suddenly had a different idea.
She walked up to his room door and gently knocked.
“Come in.”
Lin Qingle pushed the door open and peeked her head inside. “Xu Tingbai.”
Xu Tingbai, who had been crouching on the floor organizing school materials, paused and stood up when he heard her.
“I’m about to go out to buy groceries,” Lin Qingle paused before adding, “It’s snowing today.”
Xu Tingbai furrowed his brows slightly, seemingly unsure of the connection between her two statements.
Lin Qingle smiled. “What I mean is, do you want to come with me?”
Xu Tingbai hesitated for a moment before replying, “I’m not going.”
Lin Qingle knew that Xu Tingbai rarely left the house unless he had to, and he usually either brought food from the school area or had it brought by Grandma Jiang.
He kept himself isolated, staying in his little world and avoiding the outside.
“But it’s snowing today,” Lin Qingle insisted.
“…So what?”
“The snow is getting heavier. When I was coming here, the grass, trees, and even the rooftops were covered. The ground is thick with snow, and it feels so nice to walk on.” She reached over and tugged at his sleeve. “It’s the first snow of the year. Come experience it with me, please?”
Her voice was full of charm, and as she spoke, the world she was describing subtly appeared in his mind. This chapter is updated first at novelping.com.
“You pull me, I’ll follow,” he said.
Xu Tingbai was momentarily stunned, but she continued, “Don’t worry, I’ll protect you.”
The snow kept falling, and the accumulation on the ground grew thicker. The crunch of shoes pressing into the snow echoed with each step.
Xu Tingbai didn’t know how he ended up outside, but when the cold, icy flakes hit his face, he felt like he was snapping back to reality. But it was too late.
“Be careful walking, it’s slippery.”
Since Xu Tingbai wasn’t using his cane, Lin Qingle became more cautious. One hand held his sleeve, guiding him, while the other held an umbrella.
But given their height difference, it was a struggle for her to hold the umbrella for him. She tried her best to raise her arm, but the position was uncomfortable and couldn’t be maintained for long.
After a short while, Xu Tingbai noticed how unsteady she was.
“Give it to me,” he said, extending his hand.
“What?”
“The umbrella.”
Lin Qingle quickly extended her arm further. “It’s fine, I can hold it!”
Xu Tingbai’s tone darkened. “Give it to me.”
“…Oh.”
The umbrella was now steady in his hands, unlike when she held it, which made it sway.
Lin Qingle glanced at his hand holding the umbrella. His fingers were long, clean, and his bones well-defined. The way he held the umbrella was graceful…
“Where’s the market?” Xu Tingbai suddenly asked.
Lin Qingle quickly averted her gaze, realizing he couldn’t see and wondering why she was acting so flustered.
“It’s straight ahead, then turn right and left, about a ten-minute walk.”
After she spoke, she noticed Xu Tingbai’s expression stiffened, clearly disapproving of the idea that ten minutes was too far.
“Actually, it’s nice to get out and walk…” Lin Qingle said, extending her hand out of the umbrella.
Snowflakes gently fell and landed in her palm. Her eyes brightened, and her voice became lighter. “Xu Tingbai, the snow feels so cold. You should touch it.”
Xu Tingbai held the umbrella and kept walking forward, feeling her tugging on his sleeve. He said, “Haven’t you seen snow before? What’s there to get so excited about?”
“Well… I’ve lived in a southern city for the past few years, and it doesn’t really snow there. Even if it does, it’s very light,” Lin Qingle explained. “I haven’t seen snow this big in a long time.”
“Oh…”
“Reuniting with the snow after such a long time, it’s a bit exciting,” she said, stepping into the snow. She pressed her foot down, feeling content.
After walking a little further, they turned a corner. There was a stone path ahead, where the snow wasn’t as thick but had turned to ice in some places.
“It’s a bit slippery here.” Lin Qingle warned, tightening her grip on his sleeve, afraid he might slip.
“Xu Tingbai, be careful—ah!”
She slipped right after giving the warning!
Xu Tingbai felt the tug on his sleeve and almost lost his balance, but he quickly steadied himself and managed to support Lin Qingle as well.
“Shouldn’t it be you being careful?” Xu Tingbai frowned.
Lin Qingle puffed up her cheeks, her ears growing warm. “…Let’s both be careful.”
“Watch where you’re going.”
“Oh…”
But the snowy ground wasn’t something that could be walked on carefully just by watching. Lin Qingle slipped every few steps, struggling to maintain her balance. Finally, just as she thought she was almost done walking, her foot slid out from under her!
“Ah—!”
This time, she truly lost her footing. In a split second, Lin Qingle let go of Xu Tingbai’s sleeve and, with a soft thud, landed on the snow.
Xu Tingbai felt the arm holding him loosen, then heard her gasp before she suddenly disappeared. Enjoying the story? Read on at g.com.
He paused in his breathing. “Lin Qingle!”
“Ugh…”
Lin Qingle’s pants weren’t thick, and the fall left her with a sharp pain in her backside. She let out a breath and glanced back at Xu Tingbai, who stood behind her.
How embarrassing…
Not only had she failed to take care of him, but she almost caused him trouble too.
What kind of lousy shoes are these, so slippery…
“Lin Qingle! Speak!”
Xu Tingbai took a step forward, but since he didn’t know where she was, he could only call out for her to answer.
Lin Qingle saw him about to come over and quickly called out, “Don’t move! Don’t come over! I’m here, it’s really slippery!”
Xu Tingbai sighed in relief but didn’t listen to her. Instead, he moved toward the sound of her voice. When his shoe tip finally touched her, he reached out his hand. “Can you get up?”
Lin Qingle looked up and was momentarily stunned by his worried expression and the hand that reached out without hesitation.
For some reason, she suddenly felt that the fall was worth it.
“I can get up, it’s fine…” she instinctively reached out for his hand, but as her hand neared, she noticed his well-defined fingers and pulled back.
She felt a little embarrassed to take that hand.
Her ears turned slightly red as she quickly grabbed his arm instead.
“Didn’t we already walk slowly enough?” Xu Tingbai asked, somewhat puzzled.
Lin Qingle, using his support, managed to get up from the ground, feeling extremely embarrassed. “It’s all because of the shoes…”
“Then why did you let go earlier? If you had just held on, you wouldn’t have fallen.”
“I could feel myself slipping, so I had to let go. Otherwise, what if I brought you down with me?”
Xu Tingbai paused. “…I’m not as clumsy as you.”
Lin Qingle forced a dry laugh. “Well, standing here is cold. Let’s keep walking.”
“Wait.”
“Hmm?”
“Hold on.” His arm stretched out in front of her. “Hold both hands, don’t fall again.”
Lin Qingle glanced at the slippery stone path ahead. After a brief hesitation, she didn’t say anything about the road being less slippery than before. She just listened to him and held tightly onto his arm with both hands.
Xu Tingbai asked, “How much further?”
“Almost there.”
Xu Tingbai nodded, and they walked in silence. After a while, he noticed that Lin Qingle’s grip on his arm had tightened significantly, clearly afraid of falling again.
Her caution reminded him of the way she had stumbled earlier as they walked. He couldn’t help but picture the scene in his mind.
She must have looked like a little penguin, awkwardly waddling forward.
And now, that little penguin was practically clinging to him, walking almost too close.
So silly…
“What are you laughing at?” Lin Qingle was about to ask what he wanted to eat today, but when she looked up, she caught a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips.
Xu Tingbai froze, then quickly smoothed his expression. “Nothing.”
“You smiled,” Lin Qingle scrunched her nose. “You’re not laughing at me for falling, are you?”
Xu Tingbai heard the frustration in her voice, and now he really did want to laugh. “You know you were being silly just now.”
“How can you be like this…”
“What do you mean by that?” Xu Tingbai’s eyes held a real smile now. “I’m just curious, Lin Qingle, is it that I can’t see, or is it that you can’t see?”