Chapter 66: The wooden beauty of Young Master Sheng

 **Chapter 66: The Shattered Heart**

Everything was dark, but in that brief moment of distraction in the darkness, that moment of heartbeat, everything had to come to a halt. Unexplainable. The dim yellow light of the streetlamp revealed her face. And the handful of snow she handed over. The snow in the palm of her hand was icy, pure white—she was giving him the thing he hated most in the world. Yet, his heartbeat inexplicably slowed down a bit. Just because that handful of snow was in her hand. Because of her, it seemed like he didn't dislike the icy snow so much anymore. But... he could only be her relative, her brother. He should never entertain any inappropriate thoughts. His pitch-black gaze lowered as he looked at her, and his voice turned cold, "Be careful not to catch a cold." Jiang Chenchen looked at him, holding the snow carefully in front of him. "Don't you like it?" Sheng Mingsi saw the crystal-clear snow in her delicate hands and, with a dry throat, said, "I hate snow." Hearing him say that, Jiang Chenchen lowered her head to look at the snow in her hands. Hated it? Such beautiful snowflakes, how could he hate them so much? "I'm sorry." She took back the snow in her hands, looked at it for a moment, and then threw it out of the window. At that moment, her heart seemed to drift away like the snow carried by the wind—cool and nowhere to settle. Sheng Mingsi gripped the steering wheel tightly. The pale and cold hand seemed to be able to grasp only this way and couldn't catch what he wanted to grab, straining. "I'm not angry. It's just too cold, close the window." His tone softened and slowed down. Jiang Chenchen turned to look at him, her emotions always fluctuating because of him. "Really, not angry anymore?" "Yeah, really." Sheng Mingsi closed the window and restarted the car. "Then, can I call you Brother As?" Sheng Mingsi felt a knot in his heart again because of this "brother," but since she wanted to call him that way, let it be. "When no one's around, call me whatever you want." Jiang Chenchen moved closer, sounding delighted. "So, I can only call you that in front of you?" "Brother As~" She quickly called him, her tone rising, filled with joy. So much like a child. Sheng Mingsi responded with a soft "hm." Jiang Chenchen: "Brother As~" She repeated it seven or eight times. Sheng Mingsi: "..." That heart shattered into pieces...! She finally quieted down when they arrived home. When she got out of the car, she looked at the snow-covered ground outside. The snow was so beautiful, and she couldn't understand why he disliked it so much. So she asked, "Why do you hate snow?" Sheng Mingsi unfastened his seatbelt, glanced outside, and replied, "It's too cold." Thinking for a moment, Jiang Chenchen continued, "So, if the snow isn't cold, or if you're not afraid of the cold, you won't hate it, right?" "Probably." Sheng Mingsi lazily responded as he got out of the car. Jiang Chenchen also got out and walked towards him, stepping on the fallen snow. Then, within his line of sight, she threw herself into his arms, her face against his chest, and her hands circled his waist. His thick black coat enveloped her, and his warmth surrounded her. His heart, abnormally beating fast, couldn't control its pace. "Will it be less cold like this?" She lifted her head from his chest, looked up at him, and her warm breath dissipated. Sheng Mingsi stood frozen, thinking: Did she know how dangerous this was? He wasn't really her brother! But the words that wanted to sound stern couldn't be uttered. He didn't want to reprimand her. She asked him, so he lowered his head to look at her. Underneath the long eyelashes was an unprecedented tenderness, and in those pitch-black eyes, warmth melted in. "It seems not so cold anymore." She asked him, so he lowered his head to look at her. Beneath long eyelashes, there was an unprecedented tenderness, and warmth melted into his pitch-black eyes. "It seems not so cold anymore." "Then, take another look at the snowflakes. Are they beautiful?" She asked earnestly. "Very beautiful." He answered seriously. Hearing this, Jiang Chenchen was very happy. "Do you want to build a snowman? Shall we build one together?" Sheng Mingsi was momentarily lost in thought. It seemed like something he used to do when he was a child, a long time ago—so long ago that he had started to dislike the snow. "The snow isn't thick enough." "Then we can build while waiting for it to get thicker. How about that?" "Alright, as you say." With the person in his arms already gone, she found a spot with thick snow and started building. Sheng Mingsi came to her side, and she gently tugged at his coat. Then he crouched down, and Jiang Chenchen grabbed a handful of snow and handed it to him. "Let's do it together." As the icy snow entered his hands, Sheng Mingsi's stern brows became even colder. But he didn't let go; instead, he held it tightly. So, in the midst of the snowstorm, the two of them huddled closely together and clumsily built a rather unattractive chubby bunny. Jiang Chenchen was quite satisfied. This snowman was much larger than the previous one, not that big, and it was built quickly, but she loved it. Sheng Mingsi sneezed several times in a row, his whole body shivering. It seemed strange to him that she wasn't afraid of the cold. Staying outdoors in this weather was deadly. So, he grabbed Jiang Chenchen's wrist and led her inside. The indoor warmth felt like spring, keeping the severe cold outside. Through the glass window, they could see their creation standing tall in the snow. The chubby bunny standing firm in the wind and snow seemed exceptionally resilient. Sheng Mingsi suddenly felt a bit trance-like, as if he had seen himself as a child playing in the snow with family, building various snowmen, having snowball fights with his elder sister, and the little dog frolicking in the snow—a memory of pure joy. His thoughts were quickly brought back by another sneeze. His head felt heavy, and it seemed like he had caught a cold from the cold wind. He refocused, prepared two cups of cold medicine, drank one himself, and let Jiang Chenchen drink the other. "It's late. Go upstairs, take a hot bath, and get to bed early." Jiang Chenchen nodded, took a few steps, and turned back. "You won't leave, right?" She was afraid he might disappear suddenly again. Sheng Mingsi raised his eyebrows, his tone deep. "Rest assured. This is my home; I won't leave." So, Jiang Chenchen went back to her room, took a bath, and went to sleep. She slept very soundly, without nightmares. When she woke up, the wind and snow outside had already stopped. She had slept for such a long time; it was almost noon, and the bright sun was shining. She rushed to the balcony to see the snowman they built last night. Unable to see it from the balcony, she bundled up and went outside to take a look. The snowman had melted a little, changing from a chubby bunny to a small one. Jiang Chenchen patted its head and sighed, "Ah, it would be great if you could last forever." As long as there was sunshine, it would disappear. She went back inside and upstairs. When she reached her room, she heard voices coming from the diagonally opposite room. Sheng Mingsi didn't go to the company today? She walked over and knocked on the door. "Brother As, it's me. Are you in?" After a while, she heard a hoarse voice from inside, "The door is not locked."  

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