Winter break is about to arrive, and the weather in Jiangcheng has become cold enough.

Snowflakes are dancing, winter has already arrived.

Jiangcheng, being situated even further north than Capital City, is even dryer and colder, and at this time Si Ruoran has already put on her snow boots.

Xin Yibin continues reading, seemingly oblivious to Si Ruoran and Li Xiao’s chatter beside him.

"Xin Yibin, doing homework all day long, doesn’t it get annoying?" Si Ruoran drew a little closer, and his heart suddenly skipped a beat as he saw her long hair falling over her shoulder.

There’s a peculiar scent on her, faintly detectable.

"No, it doesn’t bother me, I’m used to it." He put down his pen, his fingers stiff from the cold.

"Your hands are frozen, aren’t they? Serves you right!" Si Ruoran giggled as she pulled out a hand warmer from under the table and patted it, "Come and warm up."

Without waiting for him to react, Si Ruoran roughly forced the hand warmer onto his hand.

"Does it feel warm?"

He looked at her, lips curling into a smile.

At this time in Jiangcheng, the sky always darkens early.

After saying goodbye to Si Ruoran near the parking lot, Xin Yibin slowly walked alone toward the villa where he lived.

With snow flying everywhere, he suddenly lifted his head to see, feeling the whole sky was gray.

He extended his hand to his lips, blowing out a breath of cold air.

No one knew that today was actually his birthday.

"Young master, you’re back?"

The butler opened the door and looked at Xin Yibin, covered in snow, suddenly appearing at the door like a painting, bright and clean.

He was just slightly stunned: "Young master, the master and madam are not back yet. They just called, saying they are still stuck in Alaska and told you to rest early."

"Okay, I got it," Xin Yibin entered the door expressionless, his thin lips pressed tightly together, as he routinely bent down to pet the Shiba Inu begging for his attention.

The butler looked at him, a subtle sense of pity in his eyes.

This child has been this way since young, with thoughts difficult to fathom.

"Young master, what would you like to eat today? I’ll have the chef prepare it."

"Whatever."

After dropping these two words, he slowly walked down the corridor. The butler glanced at the boy’s quiet silhouette, shook his head, and moved aside.

Turning the corner, Xin Yibin sat on the sofa.

The fat cat seemed to sense his distress, quietly crawled to him, nestled in his arms. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

It’s always been like this, yet on a day like today, there’s an extra layer of sadness. Even though he urged himself that he was used to it, in reality, he’s only been hiding his wounds.

Xin Yibin gently stroked the cat beside him, his clear eyes unmoving.

He didn’t know how much time had passed, when suddenly he heard a piano melody gently float towards him, with a dreamy and profound feeling.

Xin Yibin felt like he had been pricked, instantly rising from the sofa, startling the fat cat who jumped off, circling around him while meowing.

Holding his breath, Xin Yibin listened carefully, clearly recognizing it as a rendition of the "Happy Birthday" song.

He stepped toward the sound, walking through the hall until he saw a scene he would never forget.

In the spacious living room, at a corner covered with carpet, the girl sat by the piano, her long hair almost obscuring half her face.

The butler stood beside her, his brows showing satisfaction, happiness, and laughter.

Standing there, Xin Yibin looked from afar, finally understanding what an eternal moment truly felt like.

As the piano music ceased, the girl suddenly looked over, got up, and gently pushed the cake toward him.