Luo Shu and Lu Hanmo exchanged a smile, holding each other’s hands and leaning in closer to one another.
"Come on! Smile! Could you show just a little smile, sir?" the crew-cut man directed them through the camera lens.
Luo Shu turned to look at Lu Hanmo, and upon seeing his tranquil expression, she smiled slightly, "Say ’eggplant’." In her past life, everyone would say ’eggplant’ when taking photos.
Lu Hanmo’s lips curled slightly, "Eggplant."
"Right, just like that. When we take the photo, just say ’eggplant’ with me," Luo Shu chuckled, turning her face towards the camera, "We can start now."
"Alright! Get ready, I’ll count one, two, three, and then you’ll both laugh," said the crew-cut man, scrutinizing them through the lens, "One, two, three!"
"Eggplant!" Luo Shu and Lu Hanmo shouted in unison.
It was then that the photograph was taken, the woman lovely, the man staunch. Although the smiles on their faces seemed a bit stiff, their eyes brimmed with love for one another.
"Boss, when can we pick up the photos?" Luo Shu asked after Lu Hanmo had paid.
The crew-cut man thought for a moment and replied, "It’s almost Chinese New Year, so come back after the festivities. Then you can just collect them with your receipt."
"Okay!" Luo Shu and Lu Hanmo left the photography studio.
By this time, the sky had darkened, and the streets were deserted, with most of the shops already closed.
"Let’s hurry back, or they’ll be waiting for us. Oh? It’s snowing!" Luo Shu exclaimed with delight, gazing up at the sky as white snowflakes fell thick and fast, landing on her face and melting into cool droplets of water. It had been a long while since she had seen snow.
Lu Hanmo, gazing at Luo Shu who looked like a child, smiled tenderly, took her hand, and walked towards their home, "By tomorrow, it should turn into a vast expanse of white."
"Will you help me build a snowman tomorrow?" Luo Shu turned her head, looking expectantly at Lu Hanmo. She’d hardly ever seen snow throughout her childhood, and even when it did snow, it was only symbolic, a few flakes that quickly stopped.
"Sure!" Lu Hanmo smiled and nodded. Whatever she liked, he would be there with her.
"Why haven’t those two children come back yet?" Zhu Huizhen looked outside, somewhat worried.
"Big sister, don’t worry, with Hanmo’s capabilities, they won’t be in any danger. They probably just lost track of time while having fun," Ye Shanshan reassured her with a smile. Who would dare hurt them here in Jinchen?
As they were talking, they saw two figures, one tall and one short, walking towards them.
"See? They’re back now," Ye Shanshan smiled.
Zhu Huizhen, seeing Lu Hanmo and company return safely, finally relaxed and watched them warmly. They really were a perfect match!
"Mom! Auntie!" Lu Hanmo greeted them.
"Auntie! Aunt! I’m sorry to have worried you both!" Luo Shu said apologetically as she looked at the two women.
Zhu Huizhen smiled and shook her head, "It’s okay! You all must be hungry, right? Go and have dinner." It was normal for young people in love to lose track of time; as long as the two of them were alright.
"Oh, and tomorrow you will come with me to the Bai family," Zhu Huizhen said, recalling the wedding invitation she had received from the Qin family today.
"What’s the occasion?" Lu Hanmo asked.
"Qin Yue, that girl, is getting married. She’s marrying Bai Moyao from the Bai family," Zhu Huizhen said. She had always liked Qin Yue and thought she would marry Hanmo, as she could tell that Qin Yue had feelings for him.
Upon hearing this, Luo Shu was somewhat surprised. She was certainly familiar with Qin Yue and had not expected that in just over two months, Qin Yue would be married. The ways of the world were truly unexpected.
Qin Yue sat alone in front of the window, her cool eyes staring dully out at the ever-increasing snowfall.
Tomorrow she would become someone’s wife, yet she couldn’t feel any happiness. She didn’t like Bai Moyao, but this was a family decision, and she had no power to resist.
As she extended her hand, snowflakes immediately began to fall into her palm, cold and icy, "I heard you’ve come back, too. How are you? Will you come to my wedding tomorrow? Hanmo, I really want to forget you, I really do, but..." that deeply etched love wasn’t something she could just forget.
A tear slowly slid down Qin Yue’s cheek. But what could she do about not forgetting? She was going to be someone else’s bride, and he already had the person he loved by his side.
Qin Yue sighed softly and stood up, walking toward the bookshelf.
She reached up for a book and flipped to a certain page, revealing a black and white photograph of a young boy and a girl. The boy had a stern face, while the girl, with her two little braids and a pretty face, displayed a shy smile.
Qin Yue’s slender fingers gently caressed the boy’s face in the photo, "Starting from tomorrow, it really will become impossible for us. Hanmo, I wish you happiness!"
Placing the photo against her chest, Qin Yue closed her eyes, allowing tears to slowly fall from the corners of her eyes. Let it be her last indulgence.
The wedding of Qin Yue and Bai Moyao was held at the old Bai family house. Because of the status of the Qin and Bai families in Jinchen, almost all the prestigious families in Jinchen sent representatives to attend the wedding.
"Cousin, do you think Luo Shu will come today?" Yao Qing asked Song Xiran, who was beside her. From her mother, she had learned of the shameless behavior of Luo Shu’s mother, who had tried to seduce her father and committed acts that disgraced their family, leading to their expulsion from the Song family.
Now, the Song family had let bygones be bygones by taking that woman’s child back in, and there was even someone who was disrespectful. She really wanted to see what that disrespectful person was like and how they dared to disregard the Song family.
"She probably will," Song Xiran said with a meaningful curl of his lips. The fact that Lu Hanmo had brought Luo Shu back to the Lu family already showed how important she was to him. Luo Shu certainly had some skills, having managed to win over even Lu Hanmo, the man as cold as ice.
There was a commotion at the door, followed by the entrance of a tall, wildly charismatic, and handsome man.
Yao Qing’s eyes lit up as she fixed her gaze on the tall figure walking in, "Yan Lixing is here! Cousin, let’s go say hello." Among the three young masters of Jinchen, one was her own cousin, whom she naturally couldn’t have feelings for. Lu Hanmo was as cold as a mountain of ice, certainly not her type. Only Yan Lixing met her standards for a partner.
Backed by both the Song and Yao families, considering her noble status, Yan Lixing was the only one in all of Jinchen who was worthy of her.