Arriving at the hotel, it was already two in the afternoon.
Su Yue had booked a forest cabin at a resort.
The wooden house design was warm yet elegant, with a retro Nordic style inside, giving the illusion of stepping into a fairy tale world for a moment.
"When we go to the department and can work more regularly, I'll take you to see snow in Northern Europe,"
Chen Ziming said as he hung their coats on the rack by the door, looking at the girl who was delightedly touching the indoor decorations.
"Hmm? Okay!" Su Yue was overjoyed, turning back with a happy smile.
In winter, Changbai Mountain gets dark exceptionally early.
The hotel offered room service. After dinner, they took a hot bath together before settling onto the sofa by the floor-to-ceiling window on the first floor.
The weather forecast predicted snow at seven in the evening.
Su Yue waited, focused and engrossed.
Perhaps knowing that everyone had come to see the snow, the hotel had placed strategically lit lampposts throughout the forest.
Looking up, one could also see the boundless dark sky.
In this silent night, white snowflakes, like little sprites, quietly descended from the sky.
At first, it was just a light snowfall, which elicited a cry of delight from the girl inside.
"Look, it's starting to snow." Her eyes widened, filled with childlike innocence, and she reached out to gently tug the corner of the man's clothes beside her.
He merely glanced outside casually, his gaze returning to her face.
How to describe this beauty.
How to describe her almost reverent gaze.
It was snowing tonight, and there were no stars in the sky.
But there were stars in her eyes.
Not just one, she possessed a brilliant, vast galaxy.
The corners of his lips curved into a handsome arc.
The snow grew heavier, and the delicate white snow weighed down the branches, casting a sacred, faint soft glow.
It was a rare, breathtaking sight.
Chen Ziming called out to the smart speaker and played romantic music at random.
He picked up the red wine, poured two glasses, and handed one to Su Yue.
"Happy New Year, baby." He lightly clinked his glass against hers.
This gesture made her freeze for a moment, then a smile, almost impossibly sweet, bloomed on her young face.
"Happy New Year, Officer Chen." She clinked her glass again and took a gentle sip.
After setting down her glass, she leaned comfortably into his embrace, continuing to admire the snow as she softly said, "This is our first New Year together."
After speaking, she looked up, meeting his gaze, which was as gentle as the moon.
The man looked down and placed a light kiss on the girl's forehead, smiling indulgently, "We'll have many more New Years together, until we're both old and our hair is as white as the snow."
She smiled even more sweetly, her eyes curving into tiny crescents, and continued along his words:
"By then, there will be little children running around us, clamoring for delicious food and lucky money."
There was a moment of silence in the air.
Su Yue saw the smile on Chen Ziming's lips deepen, then his hand fumbled in a nearby drawer, retrieving a heavy gift box and presenting it to her.
"What is this?" she asked curiously, accepting it.
"A New Year's gift for you, and lucky money," he replied casually after taking a sip of red wine.
"What lucky money are you giving me..." Su Yue found it amusing, saying this as she opened it.
Then she froze, managing to suppress the exclamation that was about to escape her.
This must be a custom-made gift box, with a place to set a watch.
It was the couple's watch to the one he had worn before, priced in the seven figures. The women's model had diamonds added to the dial, making it sparkle more than the men's.
But that wasn't the main point. The main point was that beside the watch, sat two plump golden ingots.
Unlike ingots from ordinary stores, these two looked older, their shapes less regular and exquisite, clearly showing their age.
"This..." she carefully picked one up to examine.
"Passed down from the Tang Dynasty," he explained specifically, lest she think it worthless.
Su Yue was astonished.
Every day with Chen Ziming seemed to refresh her understanding of the world.
"This must be very expensive, right?" She instinctively wanted to refuse, but remembering how she had angered him by refusing before, she kept her words to herself.
"Perhaps, but I didn't spend money on it," he replied distractedly after another sip of wine.
She opened her eyes wide, thinking it was likely a gift from someone else.
Given his family's status, it wasn't unusual for him to receive gifts...
"I stole it from my grandfather," the man beside her said, setting down his wine glass and turning his face, his voice full of laughter.
Su Yue felt the hand holding the golden ingot tremble, and then the plump piece of gold clattered to the floor, rolling a few times before stopping somewhere.