Rapid Advances Inside the Carriage

Over the next few days, the weather in Ancheng remained overcast, permeated with its characteristic damp cold.

But in Ke Yujia's world, these past few days had been brighter than the midsummer sun.

Every afternoon, that domineering black Land Rover Defender would appear punctually at the intersection of the textile factory's family compound. Su Bai acted like a dutiful old classmate and tour guide, taking her to explore every corner, big and small, of Yun County and the Ancheng urban area.

From newly opened commercial complexes to hole-in-the-wall eateries hidden in alleyways; from Ancheng's newly built amusement park to the scenic suburban wetlands.

During this process, Ke Yujia experienced firsthand, almost suffocatingly so, what a billionaire's overwhelming dominance felt like.

In the mall, she only took an extra glance at a five-figure new season coat in a boutique window, and Su Bai, without batting an eye, immediately told the saleswoman to wrap it up. She was so anxious she almost cried, waving her hands desperately to say no, even trying to drag him away to escape.

But Su Bai silenced her with just one sentence:

"You are my employee, and the female companion I brought out. If you dress too shabbily, I'm the one who loses face. Take it, count it as a company clothing allowance."

Faced with this domineering CEO-style forced consumption, Ke Yujia, a little white rabbit, had absolutely no power to fight back.

Over these few days, several sets of designer clothes she normally wouldn't even dare to dream of were added to her wardrobe. Even the white stockings and snow boots on her feet had been replaced with high-end luxury goods bearing designer logos.

However, this material satisfaction did not fill the anxiety in her heart.

On the contrary, as the time they spent together increased, the feeling of worrying about personal gains and losses in Ke Yujia's heart became more and more severe.

She was anxious because she didn't know how to advance the progress between them.

These past few days, Su Bai had indeed been very good to her. He took her out to eat, drink, and play, bought her things, and naturally protected her when crossing the street. Occasionally, he would even pinch her cheek or mess up her twin tails like teasing a pet.

But other than that, there were no further moves.

No holding hands, no hugging, and definitely no mention of that stolen kiss at the cinema entrance that day.

He was like an experienced older brother patiently playing house with an un-grown little sister. This boiling-frog sense of distance made the romantically inexperienced Ke Yujia toss and turn in bed, hugging her pillow and agonizing for half the night every time she went home.

"What does he really mean by this..."

"Am I too boring? Or am I too childish?"

Ke Yujia fell into deep self-doubt.

Actually, what she didn't know was that the reason Su Bai wasn't in a hurry was entirely because he was currently in a state of extreme saturation.

Even a billionaire is human. Although he had a super physique of 150 points, during his time in Ancheng, his nights were completely filled up by that top-tier vixen living in the Yundi Villa.

Zhou Jialu had completely let loose these past few days.

Perhaps it was because she had just finished a top-tier anti-aging beauty treatment and was glowing with bursting self-confidence; or perhaps it was because she knew Su Bai was accompanying that little rabbit during the day, so she harbored a hint of competitive desire in her heart.

In short, every night, this mature beauty would toss and turn in various ways on the oversized Egyptian long-staple cotton bed. From the leather sofa to the scenic bathtub, from the living room bar to the floor-to-ceiling windows, she almost turned this minimalist tech-style villa into her exclusive home court.

Under this extreme mature charm and unreserved catering, Su Bai's daytime urges were completely drained clean.

Facing Ke Yujia, this trembling little white rabbit, he naturally had plenty of patience to slowly savor and enjoy the pleasure of nurturing this green and pure innocence.

...

This afternoon.

The grayish-white sky hung extremely low, and the wind carried a biting chill.

Su Bai drove Ke Yujia to the old site of the Yun County First Institutional Kindergarten.

Although more than ten years had passed and the kindergarten had been renovated several times—the original bungalows had turned into several brightly colored teaching buildings, and a synthetic track had replaced the dirt ground of the past—that big iron gate and an old camphor tree next to it were still there.

The two registered at the guardhouse. Because the New Year was approaching, there were only a few teachers on duty left in the kindergarten.

Coincidentally, the principal from back then, Ms. Wang, who was now about to retire, happened to be on duty today.

"Ms. Wang, do you still recognize me?"

Standing in the office, Su Bai smiled at the gray-haired elderly woman wearing reading glasses.

Ms. Wang pushed up her glasses, squinted to observe Su Bai for a moment, and then looked at Ke Yujia, who stood beside Su Bai looking as well-behaved as a middle school student.

"Oh my... you look familiar, but I really can't recall the names right now. You are..."

"I'm Su Bai, formerly of the Sunflower Class. This is Ke Yujia, the Little Sniveler from back then," Su Bai smiled and revealed the answer.

"Su Bai?! Ke Yujia?!"

Ms. Wang stood up abruptly, her wrinkled face full of surprise. "Oh my! It's you two! This... this is too big of a change! Especially Su Bai, that naughty monkey from back then has now grown into such a handsome young man!"

The elderly woman held their hands, excitedly chattering about the past.

"I remember you two. Back then, when taking afternoon naps, you two slept next to each other. This kid Su Bai was mischievous, but he always protected Yujia. Once, to protect Yujia, he even fought with the kids in the senior class and got two stitches on his forehead!"

"I never would have thought..."

Ms. Wang looked at the two standing side by side with a smile, her eyes full of kindness and gratification. "Two little brats with runny noses back then have actually come together now. This is truly a talented man and a beautiful woman, a match made in heaven! Seeing you two so compatible makes your teacher truly happy."

"A talented man and a beautiful woman..."

Hearing these words, Ke Yujia's face instantly flushed bright red, and she subconsciously tried to explain, "Ms. Wang, we aren't..."

"Thank you for the compliment, Ms. Wang."

Su Bai did not deny it. Instead, he naturally reached out and wrapped his arm around Ke Yujia's shoulders, interrupting her words. "It's been so many years, and you're still in such great health."

Being embraced by Su Bai's broad and warm hand, Ke Yujia stiffened all over, forcefully swallowing back the explanation that had reached her lips.

A surge of sweetness welled up in her heart, but after the sweetness came an uncontrollable wave of sorrow and bitterness.

A talented man and a beautiful woman?

When walking out of the kindergarten, Ke Yujia lowered her head, stepping on the fallen leaves on the ground, her mood inexplicably sinking.

She looked up and stole a glance at the tall, handsome, and powerfully auraed Su Bai beside her.

Over these past few days, she had deeply realized the gap between herself and Su Bai. He was not only wealthy and knowledgeable, but also possessed a calmness and tact that was extremely rare for his age.

And what about her?

She was just an ordinary dance student, not even the official lead dancer of her troupe. Wearing the designer clothes Su Bai had bought for her, she always felt a bit out of place, like a child secretly trying on an adult's clothes.

Moreover, the image of Zhou Jialu involuntarily surfaced in her mind.

That Sister Zhou had a glamorous face like a celebrity and a tall, hot figure. Every movement she made exuded the charm of a mature woman. She could chat and laugh effortlessly with Su Bai while driving, and handle any situation with ease.

What did she have to compare with her? Her height of less than 1.6 meters? Or her pitiful lack of romantic experience?

"I don't deserve to be his girlfriend at all..."

"He put his arm around my shoulder probably just to play along with Ms. Wang's words, not wanting to disappoint the elderly lady."

The more the little girl thought about it, the sadder she became. A layer of mist gradually gathered in her doe-like eyes. On this empty street, she felt like a soap bubble ready to pop at any moment, humbled into the dust.

Just as she spiraled into extreme self-doubt.

"Plop."

A freezing drop landed on the tip of her nose.

Ke Yujia froze for a moment and looked up.

In the gloomy sky, white snowflakes had begun to fall at some point.

At first, it was just a little, dancing like willow catkins. But soon, the wind grew stronger, and the snowflakes turned into massive, goose-feather-like flurries, blanketing everything as they crashed down.

"It's snowing?"

Su Bai reached out his hand, catching a snowflake with some surprise.

Ancheng was located in the south. Although winters were cold, it rarely snowed this heavily. Most of the time, an entire winter would pass with just a bit of sleet. Today's snow not only came suddenly but also fiercely. In just a few minutes, a thin layer of white had already accumulated on the road and the branches of the old camphor trees.

"Let's go, this snow is a bit weird. Don't catch a cold."

Su Bai reacted quickly. He grabbed Ke Yujia's hand, took off his coat to wrap around her, and pulled her into a brisk jog toward the Land Rover Defender parked by the road.

The two ducked into the car and slammed the door shut with a thud, completely isolating themselves from the wind and snow outside.

"Achoo!"

As soon as she sat in the car, Ke Yujia couldn't help but sneeze.

Su Bai quickly started the car, turned the heater to the maximum, and handed her a tissue.

"Are you cold? I told you not to wear so little. Thermal leggings are useless in this kind of weather." Su Bai looked at her small legs, which were a bit red from the cold, and frowned slightly.

"It's not the cold..."

Ke Yujia took the tissue but didn't wipe her nose.

She curled up entirely in the spacious passenger seat, her hands tightly gripping her own shoulders. Her already pale little face was now completely devoid of color. Her eyes stared at the wild snow dancing outside the window, filled with undisguised terror.

She was trembling.

Not the physiological shivering caused by the cold, but a shuddering born of extreme panic that seeped from her very bones.

"What's wrong?"

Su Bai astutely noticed her abnormality. He immediately unbuckled his seatbelt and leaned over.

"I... I'm scared..."

Ke Yujia's voice was trembling, and tears finally burst from her eyes. "Brother Su Bai... I'm scared of the snow... It's snowing so heavily..."

Seeing her look as if she had seen some terrifying monster, Su Bai's frown deepened.

He didn't rush to ask for the reason. Instead, he decisively reached out his arms and pulled this huddled, shivering girl into his embrace.

"Don't be afraid, I'm here."

Su Bai's voice was deep and powerful, carrying a soothing magic. He held her tightly against his chest, gently patting her back with one hand and stroking her hair with the other.

The man's chest was broad and warm, his strong heartbeat transmitting through his thin sweater.

In this enclosed and narrow cabin, outside was a raging blizzard, but inside was a safe haven filled with absolute security.

Ke Yujia tightly gripped Su Bai's lapels and buried her face in the crook of his neck, bursting into loud sobs like a drowning person clutching their only piece of driftwood.

It turned out that when she was six years old, the winter shortly after Su Bai had transferred schools and left Ancheng, a heavy snowstorm had also hit the city.

That day after class, she was walking home alone. To avoid the bad kids who often bullied her, she ran aimlessly into an unfinished building complex. As a result, she slipped and fell into a deep pit covered by snow.

The pit was very deep. She couldn't climb out, and she had sprained her ankle.

In that cold, dark snow pit, she screamed until her throat was hoarse, but no one heard her. The heavy snow kept falling, almost burying her completely.

During those several hours of despair and freezing cold, little Ke Yujia thought she was going to die there. The only thing on her mind at the time was the little boy who had once waved a rock to protect her and given her White Rabbit candy.

"Brother Su Bai... save me..." That was the last sentence she cried out before falling unconscious.

Later, workers passing by after their shift found her and rescued her. But that snowstorm became the deepest childhood trauma in her heart. Ever since then, whenever she saw heavy snow, she would experience intense claustrophobia and a stress reaction.

Listening to Ke Yujia's intermittent, tearful account, Su Bai's heart suddenly clenched.

He finally understood why this girl had shown such a strong sense of dependence when she saw him at the rest area, and why she had developed such a blind and stubborn crush on him.

It turned out that, without even realizing it, he had long become the only light in her life.

"It's okay now, it's okay."

Su Bai tightened his arms, hugging her even closer. "I'm here. From now on, whenever it snows, I'll be here. I'll never let you fall into a pit alone again."

In this warm embrace, hearing that promise that sounded like a vow.

The fear in Ke Yujia's heart finally faded slowly.

It was replaced by an unprecedented yearning and a fluttering heartbeat.

She stopped crying and slowly lifted her head.

Because of her earlier tears, her eyes were red, and teardrops still clung to her long eyelashes. Her fair, doll-like face revealed a pitiful fragility.

Outside the car, the heavy snow swirled, dyeing the whole world pure white.

Inside the car, the temperature from the heater gradually rose.

The distance between them was incredibly close. So close that Su Bai could clearly see the fine peach fuzz on her face, and so close that Ke Yujia could feel the warm breath brushing against her cheeks as he exhaled.

The air suddenly became thick and ambiguous in this moment.

That long-suppressed emotion, after undergoing the extreme push and pull of fear and comfort, seemed to reach a breaking point.

Ke Yujia looked into Su Bai's eyes, deep as the night sky, clearly reflecting her own image.

She suddenly felt that whoever Zhou Jialu was, or whether she was worthy or not, none of it mattered anymore in this moment.

She only knew that this man was the light she had waited over a decade for. If she did not hold onto him now, she would regret it for the rest of her life.

And so.

Under the wide-eyed gaze of this innocent little rabbit.

Su Bai slightly lowered his head.

As if under some kind of spell, Ke Yujia's eyelashes fluttered. She slowly closed her eyes and slightly tilted up her soft, red lips.

On this snowy winter afternoon, their lips finally met in a natural, inevitable union.

There was no hesitation, no pulling back.

Cupping the back of her head with one hand and wrapping the other around her incredibly slender waist, Su Bai instantly took control and deepened the kiss.

Unlike the fleeting, stolen peck at the cinema entrance.

This was a highly aggressive, passionate, and deep French kiss.

Carrying a faint hint of mint, Su Bai's tongue domineeringly parted her unguarded lips, driving deep and recklessly drinking in the girl's innocent sweetness.

"Mmm..."

Ke Yujia let out a soft, sweet murmur, her entire body instantly melting into Su Bai's embrace.

She offered no resistance. Her small hands simply gripped the lapels of his coat tightly, allowing him to conquer and claim her territory.

The tingling sensation that spread from her lips to the rest of her body was like an electric current, shattering her rationality to pieces.

Not knowing how to catch her breath, she could only passively endure it, feeling his domineering yet intoxicating demands.

Gradually, a layer of mist fogged up the car windows.