Chapter 1: Red Snow

“Xiyan! Xiyan! It’s Christmas today, let’s go out and eat~~”

The girl saw the man standing by the platform from afar.

She skipped and jumped into his arms, her smile bright and lively.

The dimples on both her cheeks appeared and disappeared, making it easy for one to fall for her charm.

The man rasped out in a hoarse voice, gently pushing her away:

“Qin Sheng…”

“Hm?”

“Let’s break up.”

Hearing that, the light in the girl’s eyes gradually faded.

“What did you say?”

Her voice was full of disbelief.

“I said, let’s break up…”

Qin Sheng’s shoulders suddenly slumped, as if the strength holding her up had been drained.

Shen Xiyan, worried she might not be able to stand, instinctively stepped forward to support her.

“Don’t touch me!”

Qin Sheng held back the tears brimming in her eyes. Her heaving chest betrayed her intense anger.

Her fists were clenched tightly, and she had bitten her lower lip so hard that it bled—yet she didn’t even feel the pain.

Shen Xiyan hesitated and took a few steps back.

The previously lively atmosphere quickly fell into silence.

The snow scratched softly against their clothes with a “shhh shhh” sound, making the air feel even more quiet and empty.

The two of them stood facing each other like that.

“…Let me go, and I’ll let you go too.”

“What do you mean ‘let go’?!”

“Say something!”

“You check my phone every day when I come home. I didn’t mind, because I knew I never did anything to betray you. If that gave you a sense of security, fine…“

You call me every thirty minutes. I didn’t mind that either, because I knew you couldn’t be without me, so no matter how busy I was, I would always pick up.

“When I was too busy to answer once or twice, you dropped everything and came to my office—I still understood. I rarely missed your calls, so I knew you were scared something happened.“

When you saw me talking to other girls—even just to ask for directions—you got jealous, threw a fit… but I still understood, because you never liked me interacting with other women.

I’m your boyfriend, of course I should care about your feelings.

“Even when you went behind my back and talked to Wenwen, telling her not to bother me anymore—I still understood. Even though we’re like siblings, now that we’ve grown up, being too close could cause gossip.”

“…Xiyan.”

“If I hadn’t accidentally found out, how long were you planning to keep hiding it from me?”

Each of Shen Xiyan’s words sounded considerate—but none of them truly were.

“Qin Sheng, we’ve grown up. We can’t keep living like we’re still in high school.

“You always cling to me like this, and I really… can’t breathe anymore!”

“But I never wanted you to work. I can support you!”

“So I’d just stay by your side all day?”

“What’s wrong with that?”

“We’re not rich. We need to buy a house, get married, make money…”

“I’m not saying… How much are you short on the house? I’ll make it up for you.”

“…I’m a man. I need to have my own career. What, you want to be my sugar mommy?” Shen Xiyan looked helpless.

A girl who would give up the whole world for you—sounds ideal, doesn’t it?

But that’s all it is—an idea.

Qin Sheng’s voice started to choke:

“Xiyan, do you know how long a lifetime is?”

“A year has 365 days. Ten years, 3,650 days. If we live to 80, that’s less than 30,000 days total. At our age, we probably have about 20,000 left. Every day that passes, there’s one less…”

Seeing those numbers laid out like that, Shen Xiyan suddenly felt a pang in his chest.

It really… wasn’t that long.

Now in his twenties, factoring in a third of life spent sleeping, another third working—the time left to truly live freely only amounted to a few thousand days.

Shen Xiyan was startled by his own math.

“You’re my boyfriend. Why can’t I cling to you? I love you! I want to be with you every second of every day—forever!”

“…But is that really love from you to me?”

“Shen Xiyan!!”

Qin Sheng’s shoulders trembled.

Her pupils shook.

Even when he first said “let’s break up,” she hadn’t looked this devastated.

“If I hadn’t helped you that day, you never would have known me. And you wouldn’t have taken the initiative like you did… You’re a good girl, but we’re not compatible.”

“You’re lying!”

Qin Sheng completely panicked.

“Xiyan, I’m sorry! I’m sorry, please take it back! It’s Christmas—let’s spend it together!”

“Qin Sheng, we both need to calm down.”

Shen Xiyan subconsciously reached out to touch her head—but in the end, his fingers only twitched slightly.

“…Goodbye. Take care of yourself from now on.”

“Shen Xiyan!!”

Qin Sheng stubbornly lifted her head, trying to hold back the tears.

But the tears still came, crystal drops falling down the side of her face and dripping onto her clothes.

“If you dare walk away—I’ll die here today!”

“You’re always like this! Don’t you think it’s selfish?”

This breakup wasn’t the first.

Every time followed the same cycle:

“Break up” → “Cry, threaten, throw tantrum” → “Promise to change” → “Get back together” → “Repeat mistakes” → “Break up again”

In the past, she had half-seriously slit her wrists, taken pills…

Every time Shen Xiyan hardened his heart, he would give in halfway.

“There’s no one in the world you can’t live without. Without me, maybe your life would be easier. You wouldn’t have to compromise for me… Really. If you don’t believe it, we can try.”

Shen Xiyan pulled his coat tighter.

The crying behind him made him pause—but he didn’t turn back.

“Beep! Beep beep beep!!”

The blaring of a car horn suddenly rang out wildly.

Shen Xiyan’s heart clenched.

He turned around.

The blinding headlights of a large truck came from the side, the beam so intense it made his eyes feel like they were burning. He couldn’t see anything clearly.

Even more terrifying was that the truck seemed out of control, thundering toward the pedestrian crossing—where Qin Sheng stood.

“Qin Sheng!!”

She was unresponsive, her eyes unfocused—just two black, empty holes staring blankly at him.

Shen Xiyan ran toward her desperately.

If she got hit—the consequences were unimaginable.

What was going on in her head?!

Did she not hear the horns?!

Seeing him rushing toward her, a light finally returned to Qin Sheng’s dull eyes.

She opened her arms toward him.

“…I knew you wouldn’t leave me… right?”

Bang!

The moment she was pulled into Shen Xiyan’s arms, Qin Sheng felt like her head had been smashed with a hammer. Her ears buzzed like countless flies were flying inside.

She reached out—

All she could see was red.

Evening News Report from S City:

On December 25 at around 10 PM, S City Public Security Bureau’s Traffic Department released a statement:

At the intersection of Yunshan Road and Pudong Avenue, in the right-turn lane heading east, a drunk truck driver veered onto the sidewalk, resulting in one death and one minor injury.

The injured person has been taken to the hospital and is in stable condition.

Traffic at the scene has returned to normal, and further investigation is underway.