The soft snow broke the silence of the night. The bonfire occasionally crackled, and the dim light cast shadows on people's faces, half bright and half dark, making them look exceptionally captivating.
Chu Rong watched Quan Jiu, who was immersed in joy, with fascination. It wasn't until a "crack" sound and a burst of flame that he was startled back to awareness.
Chu Rong stood up, went inside, and soon returned with a down jacket, which he draped over Quan Jiu.
A familiar scent of perfume wafted from her nostrils. Chu Rong had never changed it over the years, and it had become so familiar that it gave her a sense of closeness. Perhaps it was the aura of this scent that had brought about a subtle change in her mood, one she hadn't even noticed herself.
She quietly watched Chu Rong, who had returned to his seat. In a daze, her heart began to beat faster.
"There should be wild sweet potatoes in the mountains. I'll look for some tomorrow," Chu Rong said, adding more hot tea to Quan Jiu's cup.
She liked roasted sweet potatoes. Quan Jiu took a sip of the tea and suddenly remembered a question, "So what are we eating tomorrow morning?"
Chu Rong replied with a hint of helplessness, "We can only have porridge."
"Porridge is good too."
...
The night passed quietly, and the bonfire on the snow dwindled. Silence and peace spread.
Quan Jiu leaned back in her chair, her consciousness growing hazy, and finally, she fell asleep.
Chu Rong quietly approached Quan Jiu and gently scooped her into his arms.
In her sleep, Quan Jiu smelled the familiar scent and felt a sense of peace, subconsciously wrapping her arms around Chu Rong's neck.
Chu Rong carried Quan Jiu back to the room, gently placed her on the bed, tucked her in, and then quietly went out.
He extinguished the remaining bonfire, tidied up the kitchen, and then thanked the two cameramen for their hard work. After the cameramen left, he turned off the cameras in the room, went to the bathroom to wring out a towel, and then came to Quan Jiu's side. He carefully wiped her cheeks and hands, and finally applied some face cream before stopping.
Quan Jiu, perhaps tired from the day, slept soundly and didn't react to any of the movements. It wasn't until a moment when she felt the bed sink slightly that she suddenly woke up. Dazed for a while, she then realized someone was sleeping beside her.
The room was dark. Quan Jiu knew the cameras were off, so she spoke without reservation.
"There's another bed, go sleep in your own bed," she said, pushing Chu Rong, who was behind her.
Chu Rong, however, smiled gently and instead wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into his embrace, and then stated righteously, "It's too cold. It's warmer when two people sleep together."
"I'm not cold," Quan Jiu said, grabbing his hand at her waist and pushing it away forcefully.
"I am cold," Chu Rong said, moving closer.
Quan Jiu felt her back getting warmer and warmer. She turned around to face Chu Rong. Even in the darkness, she couldn't help but glare at him. "What does it have to do with me if you're cold? Am I your personal heater? Get off."
To her surprise, the hand on her waist became restless, stroking her back. With a gentle pull, he drew Quan Jiu closer, and a warm breath washed over her.
A lingering, ambiguous atmosphere soon enveloped Quan Jiu. She felt her face growing hotter and her breathing becoming unsteady. At a certain moment, when she felt like she was suffocating, her reason was forcefully pulled back, and she pushed Chu Rong away.
"You..." Quan Jiu glared at Chu Rong, embarrassed and annoyed.
"Too bad?" Chu Rong asked with a smile, clearly teasing.
"You're a big bad wolf," Quan Jiu said softly.
Her soft exclamation echoed gently in the night. Chu Rong's suppressed desire was easily rekindled.
He raised his hand and gently wiped the corner of Quan Jiu's lips, his tone possessive yet tender. "From now on, you're not allowed to make such sounds for other men."
Quan Jiu was stunned. "What kind of sound? What's wrong with my voice? My voice is perfectly normal, it's you with impure thoughts... Mmm..."
Before she could finish speaking, she was kissed again. Her teeth were gently parted, and her soft lips were skillfully teased. It wasn't until she felt a sense of suffocation again that Quan Jiu was released.
"Are you never going to stop?" Quan Jiu punched Chu Rong's chest.
Chu Rong caught her wrist and said in a low voice, "I wish I could stop, but this isn't the right place."
Quan Jiu yanked her hand back forcefully and turned away in annoyance, silently warning herself that if she spoke again, she would bark like a dog.
Chu Rong gently brushed all of Quan Jiu's hair over the pillow to prevent it from being crushed, then tucked the quilt under her. Finally, he gently wrapped his long legs around her, holding her cold feet between his.
"Goodnight," he said, kissing her neck lightly, and closed his eyes contentedly.
Quan Jiu's heart skipped a beat, and she almost blurted something out, but thankfully, she swallowed the words back in time.
She closed her eyes. Forget it. She was a wooden person, numb, numb, numb.
Under this self-hypnosis, Quan Jiu soon fell asleep. Perhaps it was due to the warmth, but she slept exceptionally soundly until the morning sun shone into the room, and she slowly woke up.
Seven thirty. Chu Rong was not in bed.
Quan Jiu got up, dressed, and washed up. She went outside and saw Chu Rong holding two bowls of porridge.
"Breakfast is ready?" she asked, a little surprised.
"After breakfast, we'll go for a walk and see if we can find other ingredients," Chu Rong said, pulling out a chair for Quan Jiu and waiting for her.
Quan Jiu sat down, surprised again. She had expected a bowl of plain white rice porridge, but instead, it was a fragrant meat porridge.
She suddenly had a feeling that this person, no matter the circumstances, could handle everything with composure and calmness. Moreover, this realization was different from her previous feelings. Before, she only knew Chu Rong as a formidable figure in the business world, but now she discovered that he was also so down-to-earth in his daily life.
"What's wrong?" Chu Rong asked.
Quan Jiu snapped back to attention, her cheeks involuntarily flushing. She quickly lowered her head to hide it. "Nothing, it smells very good."
But such small gestures could not escape Chu Rong's notice. A slight smile played on his lips, a smile of long-held joy.
...
After breakfast, Quan Jiu and Chu Rong set out again.
The early morning forest was different from the afternoon. The air was colder, and the surroundings were quieter. Last night's heavy snowfall meant that stepping outside today, the snow reached her calves.
Despite the cold, her mood was genuinely joyful. The beautiful snow-covered fir trees, illuminated by the sun, even shimmered.
Quan Jiu suddenly felt playful. She ran to a snow-covered fir tree and shook it vigorously. A shower of snow fell from the entire tree.
Chu Rong smiled helplessly and walked over in a few steps, shielding Quan Jiu from the falling snow.
"You'll catch a cold," Chu Rong advised.
"I won't, I'm healthy," Quan Jiu said, her spirits even higher. She pushed again, and clumps of snow fell.
Chu Rong, full of helplessness, could only pull Quan Jiu into his arms, holding his hands up like an umbrella to block the falling snow clumps. Quan Jiu, however, laughed heartily amidst the falling snow, like a child.