Heavy snow.

A vast expanse of white filled his vision.

Since birth, he had never seen such heavy snow. It covered his calves, stealing his warmth and making him shiver from the cold.

Red lanterns hung before the gates of Heshan Academy, their fiery color reflecting on the ghastly white snow like congealed blood.

Suddenly, someone behind him shouted, "Senior Brother!"

He turned his head and saw the people from the academy. He moved his mouth, just about to ask "What is it?" but saw the large group bypass him and walk toward the back.

He froze for a moment, then looked back to see a person surrounded by them in the center, their face blurry and unrecognizable.

For some reason, the moment he saw that person, his heart began to beat wildly.

The cold wind blew from north to south, carrying their distant voices to his ears: "Senior Brother Jiang, the lanterns on the south wall are hung!"

"Qingxue Cliff is done too! The couplets have all been written and distributed..."

"New Year's Eve is so cold this year. The custom here in Xufang is that the colder it gets, the more lucky money you receive. Hand over the red envelopes!"

...

Laughter, the sound of the wind, and the sound of the snow all poured into his ears at once.

He moved his stiff, cold legs, wanting to walk over, but he suddenly tripped and fell into the thick layer of snow. The bone-chilling cold made him shudder. As he struggled to get up, he suddenly heard a familiar voice.

"Jiang Zhen."

His struggling movements stopped. He froze in the snow, the warm breath from his mouth and nose condensing into mist, blurring his vision even more.

He slowly raised his head and saw the smile on Chu Jin's face clearly. Unfortunately, that smile was not directed at him. He could only watch helplessly as the other person walked toward the center of the crowd.

The person with the indistinct face, surrounded by the crowd, slowly walked in his direction. No one could see him; he was like a piece of melting snow, leaving no trace in this vast expanse of white.

As the crowd was about to pass, he desperately stretched out his fingers and grabbed a corner of the central person's robe.

A strong sense of unease and anxiety tore at him, as if it wanted to rip him apart. He curled up in pain, but still held on tightly, hooking that piece of fabric.

"I'm the one," he murmured, "I'm the one..."

That person stopped, squatted down, and studied him carefully. Even at such a close distance, he still couldn't see the face clearly.

"No, you're not," that person said. "You are Shen Mengzhi."

"Everything you possess now belongs to Jiang Zhen. So, one day, you will have to return it."

Shen Mengzhi's eyes shot open.

He stared blankly at the ceiling beams for a while, his vision slowly coming into focus. Then, pain and exhaustion washed over him like a tidal wave.

What happened? Why couldn't he remember?

Shen Mengzhi moved his fingers and only then realized his hand was being held tightly. He turned his head slightly and saw Chu Jin resting beside him with his eyes closed.

The other man was leaning against the bed, a hint of imperceptible fatigue on his face. Even in his sleep, he gripped Shen Mengzhi's hand tightly, the force not diminishing in the slightest.

He was a light sleeper, and Shen Mengzhi's slight movement had awakened him. Chu Jin first unconsciously nuzzled his fingertips, then, as if realizing something, the sleepiness in his eyes vanished completely. He reached out to feel Shen Mengzhi's forehead.

"The fever's gone down." He breathed a sigh of relief.

Shen Mengzhi stared at him blankly, his muddled mind unable to keep up for a moment. But the cool hand resting on his forehead did a good job of soothing the lingering pain of waking up.

He wanted to recall the details of his dream, but found that it had already vanished like smoke.

Shen Mengzhi took the water that was handed to him, moistening his throat as he slowly recalled the events of last night.

Everyone in the Red Sleeve Pavilion was dead drunk. No one would have known that just a few steps away, by the railing, two people who had secretly slipped out of the banquet were quietly kissing amidst a sky full of fireworks.

It was an exceptionally thrilling thing. If anyone had come out from the banquet, they would have inevitably witnessed the scene. So when the two separated, a faint blush from nervousness and excitement colored Shen Mengzhi from his neck to his earlobes.

His whole body felt hot, his mind was feverish, and his mouth was dry. After returning, he downed another cup of tea, but his condition didn't improve at all.

Shen Mengzhi thought it was the aftereffects of that cup of wine finally catching up to him, so he didn't pay it any mind. No one present noticed anything amiss with him either.

By the time he realized he wasn't simply drunk, all the previously ignored signs surged back with a vengeance, rapidly devouring his remaining consciousness.

Misfortunes never come singly. The moment he completely lost consciousness, he happened to be standing on the steps of the Red Sleeve Pavilion.

His only memory was of uncontrollably falling forward, and someone grabbing him, only to be dragged down with him.

Shen Mengzhi finally understood where his body aches came from. His fingers suddenly tightened, and he looked up to survey Chu Jin. "How are you? Where did you get hurt?"

At that time, the other man had cushioned his fall, tumbling down the stairs for real. He must have been injured.

Before Chu Jin could say "I'm fine," he caught a glimpse of a figure flashing past the window. The words on the tip of his tongue took a natural turn: "It hurts."

His tone was completely convincing, playing the victim perfectly. Shen Mengzhi's mind was filled with concern for his condition and he didn't notice the change in his expression. Frowning, he reached out to check. "Where does it hurt?"

Chu Jin leaned close to his ear and whispered, "I pulled my side."

After saying this, he very cooperatively and proactively took Shen Mengzhi's hand and placed it on his own waist. The lean waist and abdomen had an undeniable strength, its warmth seeping through the thin layer of clothing into Shen Mengzhi's palm. Chu Jin's appearance was too beautiful and deceptive, so much so that when Shen Mengzhi felt those well-defined muscles, he was stunned for a few seconds.

He uncertainly felt it again, his expression becoming subtle.

'Seems even more... firm than my own?'

Just as his thoughts were running wild, a loud shout exploded from outside the door: "What are you two doing?!"

Shen Mengzhi's hand trembled, and he subconsciously applied a bit of force. Chu Jin's face paled, and with a hiss, he took the opportunity to fall onto the bed, his head landing squarely on Shen Mengzhi's lap.

Shen Mengzhi's attention was immediately drawn by his cry of pain, and he instantly relaxed his grip. "Did I hurt you?"

He was about to pull his hand away, but Chu Jin held it firmly in place. The latter's face was a bit pale—he had probably really been hurt by the squeeze—but the corners of his lips were curled. "It hurts. Senior Brother, help me rub it."

Shen Mengzhi froze on the bed, looking up at Qi Yu, who had stumbled upon the scene. Young Master Qi's face looked as if he had swallowed a fly. The upper half of his face still held the anger from when he first entered, while the lower half was already numb and stupefied.

His gaze fixed on the hand on Chu Jin's waist. He slammed the door shut, blocking any possible view from the outside.

The three of them stared at each other in the strange atmosphere.

To be precise, only two of them were. The instigator of the incident was leisurely resting his head on someone else's lap, comfortably watching the show.

After a long moment, Qi Yu forced a few words out from his throat: "You, you two..."

In his eyes, his best friend was sitting disheveled on the bed, his hand on the Former Crown Prince of Old Qin's waist. The latter, meanwhile, was lying on Shen Mengzhi's lap as if he had no bones, smiling with extreme provocation.

Qi Yu had never found this beautiful face so detestable.

'Smile? What are you smiling at! Are you smiling because you've stolen my precious cabbage?!'

While he was letting his imagination run wild, Shen Mengzhi had already formulated an explanation in his mind. He rubbed the bridge of his nose and said, "Listen to my explanation..."

Before he could finish, Chu Jin suddenly propped himself up slightly and, taking Shen Mengzhi by surprise, pecked him on the chin.

Then, he turned his head and calmly met Qi Yu's murderous gaze. "That's right. Your Senior Brother, he's mine now."

Shen Mengzhi remained silent.

Qi Yu interpreted his silence as tacit approval. In an instant, a mix of grief and joy washed over him, and he murmured, "I knew it, I knew it... Back at the Flower and Willow Lane, I already saw something was off, but you wouldn't admit it when I asked. And when you fell into the Ji River, I was wondering why Chu Jin ran faster than anyone else when he saw you fall. I hadn't even jumped in yet, and he was already in the water pulling you out!"

"And when you fell down the stairs, it was him too..." Qi Yu paused, then said angrily, "I get mad just thinking about it. You didn't dry off after falling in the water and went outside into the wind. If you don't get a fever, who will? If someone hadn't cushioned your fall, from such a high staircase, wouldn't you have broken your neck?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Shen Mengzhi felt someone touch the back of his neck. It was Chu Jin's restless hand. He lowered his gaze and met the other's quietly smiling eyes, which held a hint of seeking credit.

The incident had happened suddenly. He was walking ahead, with several people between him and Chu Jin. If Chu Jin hadn't been paying constant attention, he absolutely wouldn't have been able to grab him in time to stop his fall.

Shen Mengzhi softened his voice. "I know."

This was said to Qi Yu, but also to Chu Jin. The latter raised an eyebrow and smiled.

Qi Yu tried his best to ignore the exchange of glances between the two. He held back for a moment, then said in a slightly stiff tone, "Brother Chu, about this matter... thank you."

Chu Jin replied casually, "We're family, don't be so formal."

"..."

Qi Yu raged, "Who's family with you!"

He opened his mouth, then closed it. He pointed at Shen Mengzhi, then at Chu Jin, and opened his mouth again, his expression suddenly becoming indescribable. "I... I don't have to call you... Senior Brother's Wife, do I?"

A shiver of disgust ran through him as he said it, but he was willing to sacrifice his own dignity to nauseate Chu Jin.

"..." As expected, Chu Jin's smile froze for a second. "That won't be necessary."

Perhaps Qi Yu's use of "Senior Brother's Wife" had made him realize something. After the person left, he stared thoughtfully at Shen Mengzhi for a long time. The latter felt uncomfortable under his persistent and unabashed gaze, and raised a hand to cover his eyes. "What are you looking at?"

Chu Jin gently pushed aside the fingers covering his eyes, lifting one fingertip to play with it. His tone was a little strange. "Senior Brother, what do you think Qi Yu meant?"

"Which part?"

"The part about Senior Brother's Wife."

"..." Shen Mengzhi said, "It's one thing for him to joke, but you don't have to take it seriously."

Chu Jin pulled his hand down and looked him up and down thoughtfully. "I wasn't talking about that... forget it." He finally sat up, though his posture was a bit awkward, likely because of his sprained waist.

But before he could get up, Shen Mengzhi stopped him. The latter avoided his gaze and said in a low voice, "Don't move yet. Let me help you massage it."