Lu Xun felt something had derailed, but fortunately there was still a chance to correct it.
Jiang Qiao had been feeling rather bored lately. 166 had made a brief appearance before vanishing again.
Lu Xun had always been that icy, detached type, but after the birthday party, he’d started treating her like she was invisible.
With winter break approaching, the weather had turned so cold people didn’t even want to extend their hands. Some girls in class had secretly bought yarn to knit scarves, and Ye Qingqing was no exception.
She’d started dating an art student from another school two days ago.
“Why bother making one when you can just buy one?” Jiang Qiao said dismissively.
Ye Qingqing glanced at the teacher lecturing at the front while continuing her knitting, lowering her voice: “What do you know? Handmade things carry so much more warmth and heart.”
Jiang Qiao looked at the loosely knitted scarf: “…………”
She didn’t think it would be warm at all.
Ye Qingqing said she just didn’t understand and asked: “Tomorrow’s Christmas, what are you planning to give the straight-A student?”
After several exams, Lu Xun remained firmly in first place by a wide margin, securely maintaining his position as the “straight-A student.”
He was truly impressive.
By the window, Lu Xun listened attentively to the lesson, his expression calm. Jiang Qiao withdrew her gaze, feeling troubled but unable to express it: “We’ll see.”
During school years, holidays like Christmas were particularly popular. Even though teachers had warned against celebrating foreign festivals beforehand, it couldn’t dampen high school students’ enthusiasm.
Early in the morning, people were already visiting other classes to deliver gifts. For friends, they gave fruits like apples or oranges packaged in nice boxes.
For romantic interests, they gave more meaningful gifts like chocolate or scarves.
Lu Xun’s seat was piled high with gifts, each containing love letters placed quite openly, without any consideration that Lu Xun already had a girlfriend.
In fact, as time passed, Jiang Qiao’s one-sided affection and Lu Xun’s cold indifference had become increasingly apparent.
The girls who had crushes on Lu Xun had progressed from initial envy to now openly mocking Jiang Qiao.
So what if she was a rich young miss? She was still shamelessly clinging to someone who didn’t like her, completely without dignity.
Beside her, Ye Qingqing was secretly texting her boyfriend, her face glowing with a sweet smile: “He said he has a surprise for me tonight.”
Jiang Qiao: “That’s nice.”
“Hehe,” Ye Qingqing’s cheeks flushed pink: “What did the straight-A student get you?”
“………… I don’t know.”
Jiang Qiao lowered her eyes, her expression dejected.
Ye Qingqing comforted her: “It’s fine, it’s only been half a day. I’m sure the straight-A student is saving your surprise for tonight too.”
But even after the final class ended and the teacher dismissed them, Lu Xun hadn’t said a single word to her.
After Lu Xun delivered a bag of gifts to the school’s lost and found counter, Jiang Qiao waited for him at his seat.
Bored, she flipped through Lu Xun’s textbooks. His books were neatly organized, his handwriting elegant, with minimal notes—clean and sparse, much like his personal style.
Just as she was about to close the book, a small note fluttered out—”Tonight at 7:30, Times Square, I’ll be waiting for you.” Signed by Song Qingying.
“…………”
Jiang Qiao lowered her gaze, placed the note back exactly where it was, her expression unchanged.
When Lu Xun returned to collect his things, the two walked out of campus one after another as usual. Seeing Lu Xun heading toward the bus stop, Jiang Qiao rushed forward and grabbed him: “Today… could we take a break?”
Lu Xun pulled his sleeve back: “Why?”
“Christmas…” Jiang Qiao felt somewhat embarrassed, her voice as faint as a mosquito’s.
Lu Xun nodded slightly. As Jiang Qiao’s eyes gradually lit up with anticipation, he said unhurriedly, “There will be more customers coming to have fun during Christmas, so we should get overtime pay.”
Jiang Qiao widened her eyes in disbelief. “Have you gone crazy thinking about money?”
“I’ll pay you, I’ll pay you, alright?” She was so angry that she said, “If you spend the evening with me tonight, I’ll pay you double… no, triple your wages!”
……………
The air fell silent for a moment. The surrounding sounds faded away completely, leaving only their exhaled breaths forming white mist in the air, quickly scattered by the wind.
“…Triple?” After a long pause, Lu Xun suddenly laughed. “Miss Jiang, you’re truly generous.”
The bus arrived at that moment. Lu Xun turned and boarded without the slightest hesitation, leaving Jiang Qiao standing there in a daze.
As the bus doors closed and drove away, the bus stop became empty. Jiang Qiao stood alone for a long time, her face red from the cold.
She slowly curled her stiff, frozen fingers and exhaled a puff of warm air.
Something landed on her face, icy cold and quickly melting. Jiang Qiao lifted her face and squinted her eyes.
It was snowing—the first snow since she came to this world.
[Do you like snow?] 166’s mechanical electronic voice sounded.
Jiang Qiao: [No, not really.]
Everything was white and vast—too lonely.
Though she said she didn’t like it, she still reached out her hand to catch the snowflakes. 166 found her behavior strange, but then again, humans were inherently peculiar. Thinking this, it stopped dwelling on the matter.
This kind of weather was perfect for hot pot. Instead of going home, Jiang Qiao searched online for a nearby hot pot restaurant.
By the time she arrived, the sky was dimly dark. As she entered, a server came to greet her: “How many in your party, miss?”
Those coming for hot pot were all groups of friends, arriving in twos and threes, creating a lively atmosphere.
“Two,” Jiang Qiao said casually after glancing around. After ordering the dishes and soup base, she added, “The other person will arrive later. You can serve the food first, no need to wait.”
“Alright,” the server replied without suspicion.
Jiang Qiao sat at a corner table by the window. The spicy red oil broth she ordered had just been served, its fragrant aroma wafting through the air.
She dipped the tripe in the broth a few times, making 166 unconsciously swallow saliva. Unfortunately, being just a System, it could only watch Jiang Qiao eat.
Outside, the snow fell heavier, covering the ground in a layer of white. The square across the street lit up with lights, where a large Christmas tree stood in the center, attracting many young men and women taking photos.
Jiang Qiao stared at a familiar figure for a long time—the same person who had claimed he was going to work and rejected her just over an hour ago was now at Times Square.
Song Qingying wore a white short jacket today, with a scarf covering everything except her smiling face, looking adorable and gentle.
Beside her, Lu Xun wore a simple black long down jacket, making him appear calm and handsome.
The attraction between the main characters truly couldn’t be changed, Jiang Qiao once again reinforced this realization.
Times Square was already crowded, but with the double buff of Christmas and the first snow, even more people had come to enjoy the festivities.
The girl beside him said something with a laughing tone. Lu Xun took his phone from his pocket and pressed a few buttons before realizing it had shut down from the cold.
He had originally planned to work at Red Pavilion today, but when he arrived, he found someone waiting at the bar’s entrance—it was Song Qingying.
“I knew you hadn’t seen it…” Song Qingying muttered something under her breath that Lu Xun didn’t catch. Out of politeness, he still stopped walking: “Is something wrong?”
“Um… are you free?” Song Qingying didn’t dare look at him, her face slightly flushed.
Lu Xun’s expression remained unchanged as he rejected without hesitation: “Sorry.”
Song Qingying looked up and, seeing him walk away, hurriedly said: “I have something to tell you.”
“About Jiang Qiao.”
“…………….”