Qing Muye responded, "Alright, I promise you everything."
"Thank you."
She said "thank you."
But as the words left her lips, Qing Muye suddenly stopped. He tilted his head, his gaze fixed on her, his handsome face etched with displeasure. "I don't want to hear you say those two words to me again."
Meng Jingwei pouted, "Why are you so domineering?"
"I just don't want us to be so distant."
Meng Jingwei: "..."
For some reason, hearing him say that, a warm current suddenly surged through her heart.
The two continued to walk forward, heading to the plum grove. Plum blossoms in a courtyard bloomed in the snow, glowing with specks of red amidst the white landscape, exceptionally beautiful and striking.
Meng Jingwei stood in the snow, admiring the plum blossoms. Her small hand instinctively held Qing Muye's, and she pointed ahead, saying, "They're so beautiful. The wintersweet at my house is yellow, and compared to the red plum blossoms, it's so much inferior."
The man's palm warmed. He glanced at the hand being tightly held by the young woman, a curve forming on his chiseled lips as he smiled knowingly.
"Yes, they are beautiful."
"I told you so. Appreciating plum blossoms in the snow is the best."
Meng Jingwei was as happy as a little girl. She let go of his hand and darted towards a plum tree, tilting her head to look at the blossoms, clearly delighted.
Qing Muye followed behind her, quietly accompanying her, watching her play, watching her laugh, watching her fool around, feeling immensely satisfied and content.
A taut heart gradually settled down at this moment, leaving only a sense of peace and beauty.
She ran for a while, and after playing enough, she ducked under Qing Muye's umbrella, rubbing her frozen red hands and exhaling, "Phew, I'm freezing, I'm freezing."
The man's large hand cupped her hands and pulled her close, embracing her. He unbuttoned his jacket and wrapped her in it, saying, "Silly girl, are you still cold like this?"
He called her... silly girl?
Although she often heard Qing Si Huai call her that, Qing Si Huai's address only made Meng Jingwei feel disgusted, repulsed, and even suspicious of his intentions.
But Qing Muye's address, on the contrary, warmed Meng Jingwei's heart, a knowing smile gracing her lips.
She inexplicably found him somewhat alluring.
From childhood to adulthood, apart from her adoptive parents and master, it was Qing Muye who had shown her the most care and protection.
At this moment, held in his arms, Meng Jingwei felt immersed in a honey pot of love; even the air felt sweet.
She shook her head, "I'm not cold anymore."
He held her like this. Meng Jingwei placed her hands against his chest, creating a slight distance between them.
She lowered her head, not daring to meet Qing Muye's eyes.
The cold wind blew fiercely, and snowflakes danced in the air. In the midst of this vast snowfall, the two stood in the plum grove, exuding a sense of leisurely beauty and pervasive romance.
"Um... can we be a little more low-key? It might not be good if someone sees us." She lifted her fair, oval face, her beautiful eyes blinking as she spoke.
Qing Muye gently shook his head. "Let me hold you for a little longer."
He was greedy, wanting to hold her a moment longer, fearing that if he let go, she would leave.
"Alright then. I'll... allow you to hold me for one more minute."
"Can I put a price on it? I want to use my account balance to buy your future." Qing Muye smiled gently.
"Tch, you wish."
Meng Jingwei scoffed lightly, her red lips blooming with a rich smile, her dimples appearing as she looked sweet and adorable.
"If I can't have it, I can only dream." He sighed, saying with earnestness.
Despite his casual tone, this statement made Meng Jingwei feel a sense of dejection and humility.
This him was entirely different from the aloof, incomparable man who appeared before everyone else.
Meng Jingwei looked up at him, her gaze intense.
Just then, Qing Muye looked down, and their eyes met. They gazed at each other, their eyes filled with profound affection.
The man's breathing grew heavy, his exhaled breath misting and scattering with the wind.
His Adam's apple bobbed. He suddenly raised a hand and covered her eyes, "Don't look at me like that."
"Why?"
Meng Jingwei shook her head, moved Qing Muye's hand away, and frowned in confusion.
Then she heard him say, "Your gaze is too fiery, it makes me unable to resist... wanting to kiss you."
Meng Jingwei: "..."
She didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and in the end, she forcefully pushed Qing Muye away, "You'd better stay away from me, it's too dangerous."
The warmth in his arms suddenly vanished. Qing Muye gathered his jacket, as if trying to retain the warmth she had left on his chest. "Let's go back."
Meng Jingwei raised her wrist. "It's past one o'clock, but... I still can't sleep."
As she walked, she mumbled, "When I was little, during heavy snow in winter, my mom and dad would light a fire in the storage room, and our family would sit around the fire pit, chat, and roast sweet potatoes. It felt so good."
As she spoke, she sighed to the sky, "Alas, I can never go back to those times."
Her casual words struck a chord.
Qing Muye immediately said, "I can't sleep either. Come on, I'll take you somewhere."
He held the umbrella with his left hand and pulled the woman standing in the snow to his side with his right, naturally wrapping an arm around her neck. He then switched the umbrella to his right hand, so he could shield her from all the snowflakes.
The two left the plum grove and headed towards the front courtyard.
The journey was silent.
But both of them tacitly savored the warmth and romance of the moment.
"By the way, what about the underground palace matter?"
Meng Jingwei had wanted to ask about this when she came to the old house last night, but due to the rift between her and Qing Muye, she hadn't bothered to speak up.
Now that they had inexplicably made up, she had impulsively agreed to his confession.
Meng Jingwei really felt she had gone mad.
"It's already been handed over to the relevant departments for processing. Don't worry about it."
"Oh my god, all those rare treasures inside, you handed them all over? That pains me so much." Meng Jingwei felt a pang of heartache.
Those were all genuine antiques. Although not all of them were extremely ancient, a large quantity of them represented a considerable sum of money.
"Marry me, and all my money will be yours."
The man suddenly said.
Meng Jingwei glanced at him, "You wish. I don't want it."
"What, are you still thinking about other men?" The man's expression darkened slightly, his gaze towards her carrying a hint of warning.
"I'm still young, and I haven't had enough fun. I don't want to get married yet."
Meng Jingwei stated truthfully, "Life is long. Getting married now would be too disadvantageous. You're seven years older than me, so even if you want to get married, I'll wait until seven years from now."
Seven years?
Qing Muye's expression instantly soured.
His brow furrowed. Looking at the young woman beside him, he suddenly felt that seven years...
Was indeed a very long time.
He led her to a room in the front courtyard, turned on the light. A large brazier was placed in the room. Qing Muye said, "There's no firewood here, so let's burn charcoal."
"You brought me here just to start a fire?"
"I messaged Song Jun earlier to bring some skewers. Let's have some drinks and grilled skewers together."