Chapter 29: Snow Traces

The appearance of those two security guards didn’t dampen Yan Dong’s enthusiasm for taking photos at all.

After sending them away, he finally stopped insisting that I help out, choosing instead to wander alone around the Abandoned Amusement Park with his Camera.

Honestly, I’d just wanted to find a spot to review my PPT, but my mind was so restless that I couldn’t focus on studying at all.

In the end, I simply found a snow-free staircase, sat down, rested my chin on my palm, and stared absentmindedly at the figure in a hoodie standing out in the snowy curtain.

I’d always been a pretty easygoing person, rarely ever getting into conflicts with others.

That all changed after I met Yan Dong, he turned my whole world upside down.

I can’t even remember how many times we’ve fought.

The last time, if I recall correctly, was when I tried to donate his old clothes and he caught me.

We argued until things got physical, and I think we even tore each other’s clothes.

Come to think of it, from an outsider’s perspective, I should’ve been a girl back then, right?

Under those circumstances, it’s a bit baffling that Yan Dong didn’t get locked up for a few days.

This was the first time I’d fought with him since becoming a girl, and it ended with him pinning me down one-sidedly.

If he hadn’t suddenly let up at the end and given me a chance to kick him in the crotch, I probably would’ve ended up with a mouthful of snow.

“Do I really look better all riled up than when I’m behaving?”

Only someone as out-of-touch as Young Master Yan could spout nonsense like that.

If I had as much money as he did, I wouldn’t need him teaching me how to live freely.

Watching that hoodie-clad boy shiver in the cold wind, I pulled my snow-scented coat tighter around myself and muttered a quiet insult.

“Idiot.”

I had to admit, Yan Dong really was acting pretty dumb right now.

Not that he wasn’t smart, anyone who can ace exams without studying is a genius in my book.

I just meant that the way he squatted there, shivering and taking photos, looked utterly ridiculous.

If you’re cold, why not just come over and put on your coat?

Anyway, it took that idiot a whole twenty minutes to trudge back through the snow.

The skin at his hoodie’s collar was already bright red from the cold.

When he saw me still resting my chin in my hand and watching him, he suddenly raised his Camera and snapped a photo of me.

“This one’s good. I’ll call it ‘Snowman in a Daze.’”

“Young Master, don’t forget to pay the copyright fee.”

“I was taking a picture of the stairs. You just had to sit there and ruin my shot.”

I let out a soft sigh, not bothering to argue further.

As he drew near, I handed his Down Jacket back to him.

“Put it on. If you catch a cold, I’ll have to take care of you.”

Yan Dong’s slender fingers paused as he grabbed the Down Jacket’s collar, but he still put it on quickly.

Then he sat down next to me on the steps, and the two of us just dazed off in silence.

In the quiet Abandoned Amusement Park, only our two thin figures sat side by side on the stairs.

For once, Yan Dong didn’t pester me. He just fiddled with the lens of his Single-lens Reflex Camera from time to time, his mood seeming rather low.

“Young Master, did Yan Madam used to come here a lot?”

The words slipped out before I realized how out of line I was, but once spoken, there was no taking them back.

Yan Dong, knees drawn up, darkened at the mention.

His face, usually so full of mockery, was now shadowed with a gloom that refused to lift.

“Yeah. When I was little, Mom used to bring me here to play. She always said the snow looked like frosting. That’s why I come here every year to take snow photos.”

I didn’t respond, just tightened my grip on my phone.

After a long while, I heard a soft rustling beside me.

He pulled out a faded photo from his jacket pocket.

It was indeed a photo of Yan Madam, with the once-bustling amusement park in the background.

“The last time you disappeared for a day, was it because you snuck here to take photos too?”

“Yeah. After taking pictures, I just sat here like an idiot all day.”

“So why’d you bring me here this time?”

“No special reason. I just got tired of seeing you wipe the floors every day. Thought I’d take you out for some fresh air, call it a whim.”

“You really do as you please, Young Master.”

“Of course. I hate being rigid the most.”

Yan Dong’s fingertips traced the gentle smile on Yan Madam’s face in the photo, but his voice sounded strangely weary.

“But I don’t dislike you, Lin Yunxia.”

“Are you saying that so I won’t tattle on you?”

“Don’t be ridiculous. I’ve never been afraid of anyone. But, like the gentle and clever Miss Lin, I care about the physical and mental health of the elderly.”

Though he spoke with his usual teasing tone, his expression was more complex than usual, lacking the usual mischief.

“I don’t dislike you either, Young Master.”

As I said this, Yan Dong glanced up at me, the corners of his mouth quirking slightly.

He raised his voice a bit, teasing me, “If you don’t dislike me, I’ll take it as you like me.” Despite his words, the gloom on his face didn’t fade. He just lowered his head, slowly turning the lens cap in his hands. “Let’s go back. Any longer and we’ll both catch a cold.”

I nodded.

When I stood, my joints gave a soft click.

I reached out a hand to the tired figure curled on the steps.

Yan Dong, head tilted back and face ashen, stared at me in surprise, then suddenly let out a soft laugh.

“Lin Yunxia.”

The scent of snow pines and winter chill filled my lungs.

My outstretched hand hovered in the air as I watched the cloudy sky reflected in his eyes.

After a long pause, he teased, “You’re so virtuous—what if I really fall for you?”

“If that happens, my ancestors must be turning in their graves.”

***

On the way back in the Metro, Yan Dong and I sat shoulder to shoulder.

The bite mark I’d left on his hand twenty minutes ago was still oozing blood, and the Jasmine Hair Tie I’d just thrown into the snow now quietly held my hair in place.

Yan Dong leaned against the carriage wall with his eyes closed, feigning sleep.

I passed the time staring at the advanced math PPT on my phone, the red hair tie brushing my shoulder as the train swayed.

As for the message I sent Uncle Yan to check in, let’s just call it a white lie to keep him from getting too worried.

“Lin Yunxia.”

I didn’t look up at Yan Dong, my eyes never leaving the screen as I replied, “What is it?”

“The hair tie…”

Yan Dong’s hand, slipping from his hoodie sleeve, hovered in the air before tugging lightly at my upturned collar.

I turned my head slightly to avoid his breath and caught a glimpse of his conflicted profile, along with a flicker of unfamiliar emotion in his eyes.

“If you think it’s an eyesore, I can give it back.”

“No need.”

He withdrew his hand and stuffed it into his pocket.

The scent of snow pines mingled with the Metro’s station announcements, drifting in the warm air.

“The hair tie suits you.”

…