[Master Wang is in love!]
[Master Wang has started a romantic long-distance relationship!]
[Please bless Master Wang!]
Wang Luxi wished she could tell all her good friends the wonderful news about how she and her crush had finally succeeded in holding hands after going round and round. Her friends were very confused, wasn’t she having a late-night emotional breakdown just a few days ago, saying her peace of mind was shattered? How did they make up so quickly? Wasn’t there any cooldown period at all?
But Wang Luxi felt this was reasonable: “He likes me, and I like him too. There was just a tiny little conflict, nothing major.”
“So what about the conflict? Is it resolved?”
Wang Luxi was very certain: “Of course!”
Although most likely, Yuan Bei would never be able to maintain one hundred percent trust and anticipation for the scenery along the journey like she did, at least with her pulling Yuan Bei along the way, letting him see as they walked, she could give him some confidence in that so-called unknown outcome.
This seemed pretty good too.
Wang Luxi was content, but her friend’s next words made her hesitate: “From this perspective, he’s gambling.”
“…What do you mean?”
“Hard to say. Maybe your boyfriend and I are the same type of person. If I determined that a relationship had high risks and I couldn’t see the future clearly, I absolutely wouldn’t dare to start,” her friend said. “Unless…”
“Unless?”
“Unless I liked that person very, very, very much, then I’d be willing to step up to the gambling table. Pay attention, I’m not the one placing bets, I am the stake.”
Wang Luxi gripped her phone tighter and began picking at the iron railings of her dorm bed.
In love, to use yourself as a stake, to bare your true heart and put it on the line… that takes enormous courage.
Especially for someone like Yuan Bei.
This was the first time since confirming their relationship that Wang Luxi, amid her wild joy, looked at this relationship from Yuan Bei’s perspective.
She suddenly felt that perhaps she had underestimated Yuan Bei, underestimated the determination he showed that day when he appeared at the airport and held her in his arms in front of everyone.
Wang Luxi’s new roommates also quickly learned that Wang Luxi had a boyfriend.
First, because they always saw her making phone calls in the dorm, and second, because she politely declined a male student from their college’s invitation to go mountain climbing together during National Day. Her reason was: “Ghost Laugh Stone? My boyfriend and I went there once. If it rains, the path gets very slippery, and it’s quite cold on the mountain. Remember to bring an extra jacket when you go.”
…As for Mom and Dad, Wang Luxi didn’t hide it either, openly saying she was in a relationship with a senior from the same school.
Mom and Dad were initially surprised. It had only been a few days since school started. Wasn’t this too fast?
Then came the reasonable parental concerns, repeatedly reminding Wang Luxi that young people could date, and intimate contact was inevitable, but she needed to be safe.
Wang Luxi naturally understood what they meant, so she chuckled: “We don’t have any intimate contact. I can’t even see him.”
“Isn’t he a senior from the same school?”
“Yes, but he’s now… a bit far from me.”
…
How far exactly?
Actually, it was just over six thousand kilometers of flight distance, nine hours of flying time.
That’s all.
Wang Luxi took a deep breath.
At first, she couldn’t calculate the time difference accurately and couldn’t figure out Yuan Bei’s biological clock. When she called, she often heard his hoarse voice, clearly having just been pulled from sleep. Wang Luxi would apologize repeatedly, then suddenly realize: “Wait, don’t you usually put your phone on silent when you sleep?”
Yuan Bei chuckled softly on the other end: “…I don’t have that luxury now.”
At least he needed to maintain an attitude of being on standby at all times, this was the basic quality of being a boyfriend.
…
Although she had Yuan Bei’s house’s door code, Wang Luxi rarely went there because she found the empty house quite boring. She only went when she was out shopping and bought some interesting little ornaments or refrigerator magnets to place in Yuan Bei’s home.
Looking at his living room through video chat, Yuan Bei could see it was no longer that showroom without any soft furnishings. There were many colors everywhere he looked, especially the refrigerator door, which was almost covered with magnets.
Wang Luxi had also carefully selected and decorated her Polaroid photos, creating a photo wall right next to Yuan Bei’s shoe wall. In the center was their only photo together, the one where Yuan Bei stood behind her, quietly watching her.
Wang Luxi particularly loved this photo.
“Oh right, I received a package for you. It seems to be wedding favors mailed by your friends,” Wang Luxi asked. “Should I help you open it?”
“Go ahead.”
The wedding favors came from those two good friends who happened to get married on the same day at the same hotel. Yuan Bei couldn’t attend the wedding, so they mailed the gifts.
Wang Luxi had heard this story and had sighed about it. These two people were so fated, breaking up and getting back together, so why couldn’t they end up together? In the end, it was still an unsatisfying conclusion.
She used scissors to open the package. Wedding candies fell out, along with a handwritten thank-you note that read: “Thank you for witnessing our happiness. This is our tenth year together.”
“Huh?” Wang Luxi’s brain crashed. “Why ten years?”
Yuan Bei laughed: “Since they kept breaking up and getting back together, isn’t it possible they changed their minds at the last moment?”
“?”
…
Yuan Bei learned about it later from his childhood friend, who said these two were actually fighting and trying to spite each other. What blind date, what flash marriage, what engagement party, it was all an act to show the other person. In the end, they pushed each other to the point where they both got fired up and stormed to each other’s homes.
The subsequent development probably didn’t need much explanation.
The next morning, they made up, everything returned to normal as if they’d never fought. They explained the situation to their respective families, got scolded, then continued with the wedding process, harmoniously as if nothing had happened. The only pitiful ones were their circle of friends who got played around.
Wang Luxi laughed along and unwrapped a piece of chocolate to put in her mouth.
She loved this kind of plot where lovers finally get together.
This was how it should be! If there were feelings, you couldn’t pretend to be indifferent, and you definitely couldn’t suppress them. Green mountains and clear waters would always be there, but love didn’t come often. If you encountered it but didn’t fight for it, you’d regret it someday.
…
“…Tomorrow’s weather forecast says it will snow. My classmates and I made plans to go to the Corner Tower of the Forbidden City.”
In early December, this year’s first snow in Beijing came later than usual.
“Go ahead,” Yuan Bei said.
“I’ll take photos for you!”
“Okay.”
…As it turned out, Wang Luxi was nowhere to be found the entire next day, and the promised photos never materialized. When Yuan Bei asked, he got a melancholy response: “What first snow? It was just a few tiny snowflakes, like fine sand, and they melted before even hitting the ground!”
“Did you get any photos?”
“No.” Wang Luxi was frustrated. “My Polaroid couldn’t capture anything.”
“Then we’ll go again next time.”
“Who knows when next time will be!”
Beijing, as a northern city, had snow in winter, but frankly speaking, the frequency of snowfall wasn’t very high, especially in recent years. The kind of scene with snow flying everywhere was becoming increasingly rare.
Because it was rare, it was more precious.
Yuan Bei had experienced heavy snow in his childhood that could make bicycle front wheels sink in, but Wang Luxi hadn’t.
“I’ll keep an eye on the weather forecast and remind you,” Yuan Bei said.
There should be at least one heavy snowfall.
But no one expected that waiting for this snow would stretch all the way to the end of the year.
Christmas Day was a Monday.
Wang Luxi had her first class in the morning. After class, she wanted to return to the dorm to read, but it turned out that in cold weather, the temptation of her bed was simply too great. As long as the bed was within her field of vision, she couldn’t do anything else.
She sat at her desk struggling for ten minutes without reading a single page, then finally threw her book aside, climbed into bed, hugged her coral fleece pillow, and sighed contentedly.
She dozed off for who knows how long.
During this time, she heard her roommates come back and leave again. They were chatting about how the weather outside wasn’t very good, it was too cold and they needed to wear hats.
Wang Luxi really wanted to get up, but she was held hostage by her bed.
Finally, it was Yuan Bei’s phone call that woke her up.
“Baby, still sleeping?”
Wang Luxi pulled the blanket over her head, laughing while kicking her legs frantically. She loved how Yuan Bei called her, lazy and leisurely, with casual natural intimacy.
“I’m awake…”
“It’s snowing outside.”
“Huh? Where’s it snowing?”
“Beijing,” Yuan Bei’s side was very quiet. “It’s snowing in Beijing. Go take a look.”
Wang Luxi rolled out of bed and quickly walked to the dorm balcony. She pushed open the door and looked, wow.
“Such heavy snow, Yuan Bei!”
Such heavy snow, the snowflakes like cashmere, falling leisurely in clusters. This was the heavy northern snow Wang Luxi had imagined. The ground was already covered with a layer of pristine white, carrying clean and clear brightness, hanging on tree branches and covering car roofs.
The snowflakes were still falling.
Wang Luxi stared in amazement, leaning against the balcony railing in frustration: “Oh no, I have class this afternoon!!!”
With such heavy snow, she couldn’t even imagine how beautiful the Forbidden City would look in the snow.
But she had class!
“Which period?”
“The first period… I should be able to skip the later one, right? I should be able to…” Wang Luxi’s mischievous thoughts began to stir.
“Focus on your classes first,” Yuan Bei said. “The weather forecast says this snow will last a long time.”
Really?
Wang Luxi was skeptical.
She rummaged through her wardrobe for thick clothes and added another sweater before daring to step out into the snow toward the cafeteria.
During lunch time, the school paths were lively, and with such heavy snow, some people hurried along with umbrellas while many others gathered to take photos and build snowmen by the roadside.
Wang Luxi wore earphones, keeping her eyes on her feet, she was afraid of slipping. But the more you fear something, the more likely it is to happen. Walking to the bicycle shed under her dorm building, trying to avoid the scattered shared bikes, she almost fell flat on the ground.
A hand pulled her up.
A male student’s hand.
Wang Luxi stood up and brushed off her knees, hearing the male student ask: “Can you still walk?”
“I can, it’s fine.”
She looked up and realized the male student looked somewhat familiar, probably from some large lecture class.
“Are you going to the cafeteria?”
“Yes.”
“Then go slowly, they’re spreading de-icing salt up ahead,” the male classmate reminded her.
Wang Luxi didn’t think much of it and walked alongside this male student toward the cafeteria, occasionally exchanging a few words.
On the way, they encountered people having a snowball fight.
She learned for the first time that northern snowball fights were truly “fights”, a group of people laughingly pressed one person into the snow and tried to bury him with snow. Wang Luxi watched excitedly, wanting to try it herself, but the male student dissuaded her: “Don’t, it’s not safe.”
The male student took an umbrella from his bag and opened it: “It’s getting heavier. Better use an umbrella. Look, your hat is all wet.”
Wang Luxi raised her hand and touched the fluffy ball on her head, indeed, it was listless.
She thanked the male student again and ducked under the umbrella.
The umbrella was black with sturdy ribs, large enough for two people. Wang Luxi looked up and surveyed it with satisfaction, then brushed the snow off her shoulders.
It was at that moment.
Her peripheral vision caught sight of a lone figure standing at the corner at the end of the road.
A man with broad shoulders, very tall, dressed all in black, an oversized down jacket that looked quite warm, a black baseball cap with the brim pulled low over his brows. Combined with the collar covering half his face, she could only vaguely make out a pair of eyes.
A pair of very familiar, light-colored eyes.
The gaze was very calm, directed toward her.
He stood in the snow like a black sculpture.
Wang Luxi’s palms began to sweat. She stared fixedly in the man’s direction, trying to identify him carefully, and her feet became disobedient as a result.
…
“What’s wrong?” the male classmate asked her.
“…I forgot something,” Wang Luxi made up an excuse.
“Should we go back to get it?”
“…” She nodded. “Mm, I’ll go back first. Thanks for your help, you don’t need to wait for me.”
The male student hesitated, then said okay.
But Wang Luxi didn’t move.
She pretended to return the way she came, walked a few steps, then stopped again. Looking back toward the end of the road, that “sculpture” was still standing there. When the male classmate passed by him with the umbrella, the “sculpture” even stared at him, watching him walk far away before looking back at Wang Luxi.
Then he looked at Wang Luxi again.
The sky was overcast, separated by the dancing snow curtain, with hurried pedestrians. From this end of the road to that end, clearly a path she walked every day, but today, Wang Luxi walked for a very long time.
Her pace was very slow because she couldn’t believe it.
With each step forward, her surprise decreased by one point while her amazement and wild joy increased by one point, until the cold air was heated to boiling point and elation filled her entire chest.
The snow was still falling.
But she could no longer feel the cold.
Walking to the end of the road, she stopped and looked up.
“Excuse me…” Wang Luxi stared at the pair of eyes under the brim, trying hard to suppress her heartbeat. “Excuse me, classmate, where are you from?”
Yuan Bei’s eyes curved slightly.
He didn’t answer, but he smiled.
Wang Luxi’s eyes felt a bit warm. She looked Yuan Bei up and down, from his hat to his shoes, examining every part of him carefully… still finding it hard to believe.
How did he travel through wind and snow to appear before her?
“What’s with your outfit today? Yohji Yamamoto?” Wang Luxi wanted to laugh too, but when she did, there was a slight sob in her voice. She raised her hand and punched Yuan Bei’s shoulder. “Why do you look so good! Standing here waiting for someone to hit on you? Senior!”
“Sorry, I have a girlfriend,” Yuan Bei spoke, his familiar voice finally jumping out of the phone and becoming reality, ringing truly and steadily in Wang Luxi’s ears. “I’m here to find my girlfriend. Do you know her?”
You’re crazy!
Wang Luxi couldn’t hold back anymore. She suddenly ran forward, leaped with all her might, and hung onto Yuan Bei. Yuan Bei’s arms supported her, lifting her off the ground.
Tiny snowflakes got into her nose, making it itch.
Girlfriend, girlfriend, your girlfriend wants to beat you up now!
“Why didn’t you tell me in advance! When did you come back!”
“Christmas break. I couldn’t help it,” Yuan Bei whispered against her ear. “I wanted to come back and see you.”
“How many days do you have?”
“I leave tomorrow.”
Tomorrow?!
This time Wang Luxi actually shouted: “You’re crazy, Yuan Bei!”
Coming back for 24 hours and then leaving?
“Yes.” Yuan Bei shrugged nonchalantly, after all, weather doesn’t wait for people, and at least he didn’t miss it.
People in love are either crazy or stupid.
He checked the time: “I’ll wait for you to finish class, then we’ll set off. I’ll take you to see the snow.”
“Where?”
Yuan Bei pinched her face: “Where else could it be?”
Of course, the Forbidden City.
The northeast corner of the Forbidden City, the Corner Tower, this was the romantic corner of the winter Forbidden City. Heavy snow fell, landing on red walls and golden tiles, silver-white covering the wilderness, quiet and solemn, everything filled with traces of heavy years passing by.
Wang Luxi loved Beijing’s summer passion and street-life atmosphere, and was also fascinated by winter’s dreamlike tranquility.
She would later return to the Corner Tower of the Forbidden City many more times to photograph snow scenes, leaving behind many photos, but none was more memorable than today.
Because Yuan Bei had traveled such a long, difficult journey to return, possibly spending more time on the plane than on the ground, but he still did it.
Just to accompany her to the Forbidden City to see the snow, that’s all.
Who said Yuan Bei wasn’t impulsive?
When he was impulsive, he was reckless, and Wang Luxi had finally witnessed it.
They returned home carrying snow and wind. Yuan Bei’s overwhelming kisses almost drowned and consumed her.
Her back pressed against the entrance, unable to move. With a sweep of her hand, she accidentally knocked over a bottle of flameless fragrance from the cabinet.
She had bought it recently and placed it at home because she felt it was very similar to Yuan Bei’s scent.
Oh no!
“My clothes are white, they’ll get dirty!”
“…I’ll wash them for you.” Yuan Bei blocked all her remaining words.
The entire house was enveloped by the fresh scent of grass and wood. Warmth rose in the home, and Wang Luxi felt dizzy.
…
Oh.
Someone with little needs, someone who couldn’t get interested in anything, she suddenly felt this assessment wasn’t entirely accurate.
She discovered Yuan Bei’s passionate side and willingly indulged, burning together with him.
Oh right, she also saw the tattoo on Yuan Bei’s shoulder.
A black mechanical skeleton that seemed ready to break through his skin with his movements. Wang Luxi thought the design was beautiful, just a bit too cold. She gently pressed her lips against it and carefully kissed it.
She wanted to plant a flower in those impenetrable metal gaps and water it with sunlight.
Until after the snow cleared and dawn spread everywhere.
Everything became bright.
…
She also discovered that Yuan Bei had changed his WeChat profile picture and moments cover photo at some point, to a candid shot of her looking at the snow while he stood behind her.
“This is so ugly!”
“I think it’s beautiful.” Yuan Bei held his phone high, not letting Wang Luxi mess with it.
“What time is your flight today?” Wang Luxi hugged Yuan Bei tightly, her cheek against his chest.
“Evening.”
“What should we do today?”
“You decide.”
Wang Luxi smiled: “We can go out for breakfast first, then go see your cat!”
Coming back for a trip and only seeing the person but not the cat didn’t seem quite fair.
Yuan Bei naturally had no objections.
He went to change clothes, but when he came out, he saw Wang Luxi standing in front of the photo wall in a daze. She held a thumbtack and had posted yesterday’s Forbidden City snow scene photo up there too.
“It’s almost full,” Yuan Bei said. “I don’t mind if you create another section.”
“Can we tear down your shoe wall then?”
“You dare.”
Wang Luxi laughed loudly and threw herself into Yuan Bei’s arms.
Sunlight streamed in through the window.
It was a new day.
The sun rises every day, the same, yet also different.
One photo wall indeed seemed insufficient to contain all of Beijing’s beautiful scenery, but that was okay, because more landscapes would be remembered in the heart.
Wang Luxi greeted the sun in her heart.
Good morning, Beijing!
Then she stood on tiptoe and kissed Yuan Bei’s chin.
I love you, Beijing.
(The End)