"Alright, alright, I'm already dressed up and rushed over. How could I leave you to face this alone?"
Qin Xiao smiled, enjoying the sweetness, though at her age she could hardly handle Ji Yu's clingy, girlish charm. "But listen, if you really want that poor boy to leave with a bit of dignity tonight, then you'll have to dress up properly."
"Huh?" Ji Yu froze. "But… I'm going to reject him tonight. Wouldn't dressing up on purpose just make it even crueler?"
"Silly girl. How can you be so clueless about what goes through a boy's heart?"
"You're right that you plan to reject him. But if you want him to have a graceful ending, then even more so, you should appear at your very best."
In an instant, Qin Xiao transformed into a fashion critic, her brows furrowed as she studied Ji Yu's neat but plain winter outfit. It was proper, yes, but it hid more than it revealed. Practical for warmth, but…
"This won't do. For the sake of your kindness, let's dress you up properly, alright?"
Her tone was coaxing, like speaking to a child. Ji Yu sighed, lowered her head, and obediently let Qin Xiao ruffle her hair. When Qin Xiao finally returned from the back room with something in her hands, Ji Yu nervously asked:
"But if I go all out to look beautiful and then reject him… wouldn't that hurt him even more?"
"Hm?"
Qin Xiao tilted her head, puzzled. She looked down at Ji Yu's anxious face. Her hands trembled slightly; even through her trousers, her legs quivered. But her voice was calm.
"Why would you think that?"
Ji Yu opened her mouth, closed it again, then sat back down, pressing her palms to her cheeks. Her knitted brows showed just how tangled her thoughts were.
"If you make me look pretty and I reject him… then won't it hurt him worse? Because he'll know he'll never have the girl he saw right in front of him. Isn't that a kind of control? Control is part of the bond between people. If he fails tonight, then even that bond as friends will break. Isn't that more humiliating for him?"
Her indigo eyes lifted, meeting Qin Xiao's. The older woman looked momentarily startled, then thoughtful.
"…Didn't expect you to be this self-aware, Ji Yu. But you're wrong in one thing, and I'll tell you why."
She set a white hat with satin flowers onto Ji Yu's head. Ji Yu touched its fine texture before tilting it slightly atop her dark hair.
"Precisely because you plan to reject him, you should appear at your most beautiful. That way, you sever the desire, but leave him with the best memory possible. From then on, you'll never need to go all out again. He'll know that what you shared—the way you met, the time spent together—that was already the best ending."
Snow continued to fall, pure and untainted. The night had just begun, yet streets were already dazzling with festive lights. The six-pointed crystals danced in the cold air, melting in people's warm breath before they touched the ground.
Ji Yu's white boots pressed into the snow, leaving crisp crunches behind her as she walked toward the plaza. Under the statue stood a figure, tall and still—Mo Yachen. Even from afar, his presence was unmistakable.
"Sorry, I'm late! Ah—Yu Yuan, you're here too?!"
Ji Yu's bright voice carried through the falling snow as she walked up with Qin Xiao at her side, whose forced smile twitched just slightly.
The four of them stood together, and the air turned awkward.
Technically, Ji Yu was early—half an hour before the agreed time. But Mo Yachen had come even earlier, unable to wait. He had invited Ji Yu for a date, though he never said explicitly she had to come alone. Yet here she was… with another woman.
Qin Xiao and Yu Yuan, caught off guard, looked more like unwilling accomplices than companions. Passersby, however, could only see two handsome men and two beautiful women standing together—it looked like two couples.
"You're not late," Mo Yachen said softly. "I just couldn't help myself. I wanted to arrive early… just the thought of spending this holiday with you was enough. Don't worry—the wait wasn't boring. I had company."
"Ah… I came early too, full of anticipation for tonight." Ji Yu rushed to respond, almost too eagerly.
Full of anticipation, and yet she brought a light bulb with her…
Still, Mo Yachen let it go. After all, he had someone else by his side as well.
He stepped closer, his gaze brushing briefly over Qin Xiao and Yu Yuan, then returning to Ji Yu. His plan, his feelings—they were ready.
The night air was sharp with cold. Ji Yu lowered her head, glancing at the Louis Vuitton bag on her arm. The phone screen inside lit up briefly.
"You look beautiful tonight," Mo Yachen said, taking her bag like a gentleman. "The outfit suits you. Elegant and refined."
He motioned toward the restaurant he had chosen as their first stop and began walking. Ji Yu hesitated, then reached out and brushed her fingers against his hand.
He stiffened at first, then quickly wrapped her small hand in his warm grip.
"…Something feels different about you tonight."
"Ah? No, it's nothing. Just… cold weather."
She smiled faintly. Normally, she kept her distance from him. But tonight, she had reached for his hand first. For him, that was more than just strange—
It was a gift.