Chapter 199: Snowflakes
Xu Youyou was pulled out of the kitchen by Lele.
Lu Jingyao had changed into a different outfit and was now standing under a tree in the courtyard, next to a snowman, tilting his head as he examined its face.
Xu Youyou rarely saw him show such a childlike side.
“How about we build a snowman first? My stomach is too full—I can’t run right now,” Xu Youyou said to Lele.
Lele liked being around Xu Youyou and instinctively wanted to get close to this warm and comforting big sister. She said, “Then I’ll go tell Xiaoguang that we’ll stay here and build a snowman with Sister Youyou first.”
Soon, a group of children came running over behind Lele.
“Sister Youyou, let’s make a little dog! Just like Guai Guai!” one child suggested.
Xu Youyou nodded.
That child immediately said, “Sister Youyou, Guai Guai only listens to you. Please tell him to stand still and be our model, okay?”
After the snowfall, someone had dressed Guai Guai in a tiny cotton jacket. The little dog was now standing under the eaves, stretching its neck to peek in their direction.
“Guai Guai, come here,” Xu Youyou called.
Reluctantly, Guai Guai trotted over and stood straight next to Xu Youyou’s leg. Its dark eyes were filled with wariness toward the group of children.
In just a few days since returning home, Guai Guai had gone from forming a truce with the kids to completely breaking ties. Now, it avoided them as much as possible.
“Woof woof! Human, I don’t want to play with these little troublemakers! They threw mud at me! They pelted me with snowballs! They almost rubbed all my fur off!” Guai Guai barked, complaining to Xu Youyou.
Xu Youyou gently patted the dog’s head to soothe it. Although Guai Guai sounded fierce, she could tell that it was still energetic and unharmed, which meant the kids had exercised some restraint.
“They all really like Guai Guai. They want to build a Guai Guai snowman,” Xu Youyou said with a smile.
Before Guai Guai could respond, the children excitedly chimed in, “We want to make lots and lots of Guai Guai snowmen—one for each of us! We love Guai Guai the most!”
At first, Guai Guai had been avoiding the kids, but upon hearing this, its expression immediately turned smug. It was no longer as guarded as before.
“Woof woof! I knew it—human children can’t resist my charm!”
Xu Youyou nodded earnestly. “Yes, Guai Guai is the most lovable!”
With its head held high like a victorious general, Guai Guai strode toward the children without needing any encouragement.
However, the moment it got close, it was instantly swarmed by eager little hands, rubbing and petting it from all directions. It was as if they had been waiting for this moment—not to build a snowman, but just to cuddle the dog.
“Woof woof! I’ve been tricked by these little brats again!” Guai Guai howled helplessly.
“Here.”
Lu Jingyao, who had been silent all this time, suddenly extended his hand toward Xu Youyou.
When Xu Youyou turned her head, she saw that he was offering her a tiny snowdog, no bigger than the palm of his hand. It had short legs and no discernible facial expression, yet it was unmistakably Guai Guai.
Even a domineering CEO wasn’t completely immune to the cold. Lu Jingyao’s hands had turned red from sculpting the little snowdog.
Xu Youyou took off the pink gloves hanging around her neck and handed them to him. “Warm your hands. These are rechargeable heated gloves—they’re really warm.”
Lu Jingyao hesitated for a moment as he stared at the pink gloves, but in the end, he took them.
“Thud.”
In the midst of their play, a child kicked a tree.
The snow-laden branches trembled, sending a flurry of snow cascading down onto the two standing below.
“Watch out!”
Lu Jingyao instinctively reached out to shield Xu Youyou’s head, completely ignoring the fact that he himself was getting covered in snow.
Xu Youyou looked at him—once elegant and composed, now with snow covering his head, shoulders, and even his eyebrows, making him look like a little snowman. She couldn’t help but burst into laughter.
“You little troublemaker,” she playfully scolded.
The culprit, Xiaoguang, stuck out his tongue and said, “Sister Youyou and Uncle Lu look like they’re in a romance drama! You two look perfect together!”
Xu Youyou immediately felt an itch in her hands—she really wanted to teach this little brat a lesson.
But seeing the situation, Xiaoguang bolted.
Lu Jingyao reached out and gently brushed the snow off Xu Youyou’s shoulders.
As she watched him focus so intently on the task, his normally cold eyes seeming to hold a sky full of stars, his long eyelashes lightly trembling, and his handsome face still dusted with snow, he looked absolutely dazzling.
Xu Youyou forced herself to look away. She was afraid that if she stared too long, she would fall for him without realizing it. After all, not everyone could face such top-tier beauty every day and remain unaffected.
Lu Jingyao suddenly asked, “Do I have snow on my head? It feels cold.”
Xu Youyou, however, only felt that she was doomed. It was bad enough that he was rich and handsome—now he was standing so close with such a captivating voice? She swore her ears were tingling.
Then, Lu Jingyao lowered his head slightly.
Startled, Xu Youyou took a step back before realizing what he was doing. She reached out and gently brushed the remaining snow off his head.
Not far away, Mother Lu watched the young man and woman under the tree—handsome and beautiful, a perfectly matched pair. Unable to resist, she picked up her phone and took a picture.
“Thank you,” Lu Jingyao said softly.
“You’re welcome,” Xu Youyou replied casually.
Then, she quickly looked away, once again marveling at the fact that if Lu Jingyao ever decided to enter showbiz, he and Song Zhibai would completely dominate the industry, leaving no room for other male idols.
“Mr. Lu, I bought the snow molds!”
Assistant Liu came running in, carrying a large bag of snow molds.
Upon seeing Xu Youyou and Lu Jingyao, he quickly pulled out two and handed them over.
“I want a duck one!”
“I want a bear one!”
“I want a dinosaur!”
The kids swarmed around Assistant Liu, completely forgetting about their snowball fight in favor of grabbing a mold.
Snow molds weren’t expensive, but as orphans, these children had never had the luxury of such things before. Every penny at the orphanage had to be spent wisely.
Xu Youyou held a heart-shaped snow mold and pressed it into the snow, forming a little heart. Just as she handed it to Lu Jingyao, she suddenly regretted it. If only she’d chosen a duck mold! Why did it have to be a heart? Now it looked like a confession!
Lu Jingyao held the pure white heart, smiled slightly, and then carefully placed it under the tree.
Xu Youyou exhaled in relief.
[Side Quest Activated: Please proceed to the target location immediately.]
Xu Youyou froze. The system had been quiet for so many days—why was it suddenly giving her a task during the New Year? Did it really want her to go out and make money on a holiday?
