The sleepy Zhu Zhixi took a few seconds to react, then with a jolt, he immediately got up to put on his clothes and pack the tent, seizing the opportunity to lead Fu Rangyi down the mountain.

It was quite a coincidence. The thick fog didn’t stay clear for long, just enough for them to smoothly and steadily leave the summit and reach the halfway point of the mountain. And this happened to be the most treacherous part of the road.

Now the fog rolled in again, gathering.

Zhu Zhixi was puzzled. “How did you happen to wake up at just that moment?”

Fu Rangyi thought of the overripe fruit in his backpack. “I was woken up by a pomelo.”

“Huh?” Zhu Zhixi found it incredible. “I didn’t even notice. So the tree we set up our tent under was a pomelo tree.”

Fu Rangyi carefully protected him as they continued down. The fog was sometimes very thick, and sometimes it would thin out a little. The water vapor was hazy, the tree shadows overlapped, and everything in their vision was like a maze made of plants. Zhu Zhixi stood at a high point halfway down the mountain, checking his position.

“Have you ever gotten lost before?” Fu Rangyi asked.

“Often. The most important thing when you’re lost is not to panic and to look for landmarks.”

He looked up at Zhu Zhixi and found that Zhu Zhixi, placed in nature, had a different kind of vitality. His expression was relaxed, not flustered, his eyes sparkling with a burning expectation for the unknown, as if there were two clusters of fluffy flames, deep and bright.

Zhu Zhixi climbed a little higher, took out his binoculars to look around, and then his figure froze.

“What’s wrong?” Fu Rangyi asked.

Zhu Zhixi pointed in a certain direction. “There’s a large patch of white stuff over there. It’s a bit far, I can’t see clearly.” After speaking, he came down, made a mark and a route on the map. “Let’s go that way. Maybe there are other people there. It could be clothes or a tent.”

After coming down, they followed that direction and went deep into the valley forest again. They stumbled along in the water vapor, dreamlike. The further down they went, the more difficult it became. They almost ran out of a path to walk on. Zhu Zhixi even felt a little intimidated, afraid he had made the wrong decision.

But they still reached the destination they had seen through the binoculars.

It was getting late. There was no sunset, and the light grew dim. They艰难地 stepped over slippery boulders, pushed aside overlapping branches, and the obstructed view suddenly opened up, surprisingly bright.

Both of them froze. Before them was a large patch of snow-white flowers, dotting the landscape, emitting a cold halo like silverware. They swayed gently in the mountain wind and mist, like sprites.

“It’s narcissus,” Zhu Zhixi’s voice was very soft.

Fu Rangyi was too surprised to know what to say. He just followed him forward, watching as Zhu Zhixi half-knelt down, caressed the petals, and saw him turn his head and say to him in surprise, “It really is narcissus.”

This time his tone was very childish, and his voice trembled a little. A layer of mist covered his translucent eyes.

He took a deep breath, inhaling the fragrance of the flowers with attachment and greed. He turned his back to Fu Rangyi and raised a hand to wipe his face. Fu Rangyi came closer, also knelt down, and pulled him into an embrace.

“This is my mother’s scent,” Zhu Zhixi said with a sob.

“Mm,” Fu Rangyi kissed the top of his head. “Thank you, Mom.”

This patch of blooming narcissus grew by the water. Finding them meant finding a water source—the river in the valley. Finding the river meant finding the way down the mountain.

Zhu Zhixi held the narcissus he had picked from the ground, held Fu Rangyi’s hand, and followed the gurgling stream, safely descending the mountain before dark.

When they left the valley, both of them turned back in unison and gazed deeply at the vast white fog. Everything was so mysteriously dreamlike. A bitter pomelo, a patch of narcissus—it seemed as if something was guiding and protecting them in the unseen.

The final shot was of this mysterious fog.

Zhu Zhixi said softly, “Mom, look.”

Fu Rangyi continued his sentence, saying in a deep voice, “We’re getting ready to go home.”

The journey home was long. Zhu Zhixi made the narcissus he had picked into a bookmark, but Fu Rangyi couldn’t make the pomelo into a specimen. He wasn’t willing to throw it away either. He carried it all the way back, and when he got home, he looked around. Finally, he placed the pomelo under the Christmas tree that Zhu Zhixi had meticulously decorated, even placing a soft cushion for it.

At Zhu Zhixi’s request, Fu Rangyi went to the kitchen, put on an apron, and made him a strawberry soufflé.

Zhu Zhixi helped cut the strawberries. As he was cutting, he suddenly held up the knife like a microphone and passed it over. “Surprise inspection! What day is tomorrow?!”

Fu Rangyi stared at the cold glint of the knife’s tip, wanting to laugh.

He took Zhu Zhixi’s hand, moved the dangerous object away, and said, “An anniversary.”

“What anniversary?” Officer Little Rabbit continued to question.

“The anniversary of Zhu Zhixi’s first blind date where he went to the wrong person.”

Zhu Zhixi immediately deflated. “How long are you going to remember that…” He picked up a strawberry and stuffed it into Fu Rangyi’s mouth as if to vent his frustration.

Fu Rangyi chewed the strawberry and continued, “And also the anniversary of when Zhu Zhixi agreed to marry me.”

“That’s more like it, but it was fake,” Zhu Zhixi huffed twice.

Fu Rangyi stopped stirring the batter and leaned over to kiss his lips. “It’s very real now.”

“Husband, I want the very fluffy and soft kind. Do you know how to make it?”

“I’m pretty good at making it,” Fu Rangyi said casually.

Zhu Zhixi looked alert and narrowed his eyes. “Why does that sound a little improper?”

Fu Rangyi smiled. “I’m afraid that’s your problem, Officer.”

After dinner, the two changed their clothes and went downstairs. As soon as they exited the elevator, a cold wind hit their faces. Zhu Zhixi hugged Fu Rangyi’s arm tightly and walked close to him, as if that would make it much warmer.

He chattered on about their plans to celebrate their marriage registration anniversary and Christmas, ordering Fu Rangyi to remember and execute them seriously.

Fu Rangyi, carrying the garbage bag, nodded all the way, only asking one question, “What gift are you giving me?”

“How can I tell you that?” Zhu Zhixi tilted his head back and forth. “It won’t be a surprise if I tell you.”

“Alright,” Fu Rangyi said, throwing away the garbage and putting his hands back in his pockets. “Thank you for the surprise in advance.”

“You’re welcome, Xiao Fu,” Zhu Zhixi said, then suddenly froze, pulling back Fu Rangyi who was about to leave.

He bent over slightly, followed the sound around to the back of the recyclable trash can, knelt down, pushed aside the grass, and found a shivering white puppy.

“Fu Rangyi…” He was so surprised his voice tightened. He gently picked up the little dog and found a blue plastic string wrapped around its neck.

His line of sight was covered by a shadow. Fu Rangyi also knelt down beside him. He froze for a few seconds, then reached out to help untie the string, picking up the nearly suffocated puppy.

Zhu Zhixi carefully checked the puppy’s body, from head to tail, muttering, “It’s only about a month old. Doesn’t seem to have any skin diseases…” As he spoke, his hand suddenly stopped. The puppy’s left front paw was curled up and couldn’t be extended.

This was all too incredible. Zhu Zhixi’s heart felt as if it had been gently tugged. His eyes wavered. He couldn’t believe it, yet he held a glimmer of hope. In the end, he couldn’t help but tentatively call out that sleeping name.

“Xueqiu?”

The little life nestled in Fu Rangyi’s arms opened its eyes and let out a soft whimper.

In the garden, the lights lit up like a multitude of stars. On this warm winter day, the two protected children received a return gift from fate.

[Mom look, Snowball came home too.]

__

Author’s Notes:

Another book finished. I wonder if you all expected this ending. (Baby Xueqiu: I’m back again!)

I feel so reluctant to say goodbye to this little couple.

Because my previous novels were basically put on pre-order and planned out very early on, this one was different. It was a sudden idea; they were like a gift that fell from the sky for me. When I first asked on Weibo if everyone wanted to read it, I received far more support than I ever imagined. I’m really grateful for those voices that allowed this book to be born smoothly, growing from a sprouting seedling into a tree.

It was still a cold winter when it started, and now it’s the transition between spring and summer. The sun has been plentiful lately. In the public garden of my residential complex, there are many lush and tall pomelo trees. When I first set Fu Rangyi’s pheromone, I didn’t actually think that much about it. Now that it’s finished, I suddenly realize that the air is already filled with the clear fragrance of pomelo blossoms. It gives the illusion that their sweetness has penetrated dimensions, come to our side, and surrounded us.

It’s very beautiful and very dreamlike.

This book also has such an atmosphere. I made many changes during the writing process. They might not all be for the better, but they are more in line with the style of this book. At first glance, Zhu Zhixi and Fu Rangyi are a very common “little sun × iceberg” combination, but in my heart, they are far more than that.

Zhu Zhixi is a very altruistic and high-energy child, but he also has his bottom line and wisdom, and the courage to try anything. Just like the words he said when he tore up the contract to confess, he is very good, and he knows he is very good, which is very rare.

I don’t agree that Zhu Zhixi’s cute and clingy personality is “weak.” In fact, he is stronger and braver than many people who appear tough on the outside. His entire personality is complete and bright. If I had to find a tiny black spot in a sun, I think it would be that he never got over the experience of losing his mother in childhood. He travels the world for himself, and also to fulfill his mother’s last wish.

This point was not completed and released until Xueqiu and the countdown appeared, until Professor Fu walked into his life and became his inseparable lover.

The most significant point that distinguishes Teacher Fu from other cool and aloof male leads is his sense of vulnerability. In the early days, many comments joked that he was faking it. At that time, I was actually thinking, if you saw his background and experience, you might regret your jokes. But isn’t that how life is? Many times, our understanding of a person goes from a point to a surface. As we follow Xiao Zhu to touch the deepest part of Teacher Fu’s heart, unfolding his pain and suffering, we truly come to know his softness, kindness, and strength. Only then do we suddenly realize that this sharp-tongued person is also so altruistic, and the original intention of everything he does is “as long as you think it’s good.”

If you look back, you will find that before they confirmed their feelings for each other, from Teacher Fu’s perspective, he would avoid the word “love.”

A person who has never received love cannot easily mention love even in his own inner monologue.

But in the subject of love, he was so lucky to meet the best Teacher Zhu, who gently scooped him up and helped him get a perfect score on a fantastical journey.

To be honest, this is still essentially a love story, and it doesn’t have any particularly profound theme or purpose. But as a creator, my state of mind will imperceptibly seep into the text. This is unavoidable.

In 2024, I lost a very important relative. At that time, I was in the middle of serializing “Constant Engraving.” From being unable to bear it to gradually accepting it, the process of writing “Constant Engraving” gave me strength.

That was the first time in my life I faced real death. Therefore, after it ended, during the short blank period, the real experience of loss was still constantly flashing back. “Snowman” is different. It helped me move from “okay, I accept it” to not avoiding it and facing it calmly.

The common thread between the two books is “loss.” “Constant Engraving” is the roar and catharsis of rock music, while “Snowman” is a more peaceful and lighter fable. Writing is really such a wonderful and healing thing. Thanks to everyone’s long-term encouragement and companionship, otherwise, I would not be continuing today, nor would I have felt these things so personally.

Thank you all very much for your love for this book (bows deeply). I really didn’t expect that this novel would be loved so much from the very beginning. I have seen all your subscriptions, comments, paragraph comments, and nutrient solutions. I am truly, truly grateful.

Not only Zhu Zhixi and Fu Rangyi, but other characters have also received everyone’s love.

I know you all want to see extras for the side CP. During this time, I have slightly enriched the character settings and backgrounds of Zhu Zeran and He Xueyao, and I feel that this pair can be tried for a standalone novel (Xiao Zhu: On what grounds?!). The pair of Xiao Yu and Xiao En actually had their background set up very early on. As for whether there will be a standalone novel later, I need to think about it (I really can’t make myself too many promises TT).

I’m not sure when I’ll write the next book. My health has been a bit poor recently. My previous chronic illness has been recurring, and it got a bit serious this spring, so I might take a relatively long break.

However, after this book is marked as complete, I will also write bonus extras for everyone from time to time (it should come relatively quickly), so this is not the end~

(If you all like it, I hope you can give “Snowman” a five-star rating~ Thank you~)

Each of our lives is actually a countdown destined to be cleared to zero.

Of course, we won’t encounter someone who can pause the countdown, but we will definitely encounter people or things that make the meaning of every second special and precious. Cherishing these is cherishing time.

I wish that in everyone’s countdown, the special and precious “seconds” are many, many, innumerable.

Zhu Zhixi: (Takes a deep breath) Five! Four! Three! Two! One!

Fu Rangyi: (Claps the board) “How Long Can Your Snowman Live” wrap.

(The little couple bows hand in hand in thanks, waves goodbye, then goes home to eat and walk Snowball.)