Chapter 256: Footsteps

Returning home in the evening, after handing over the purchased medicine to Wang Mama, they each went to their respective rooms.

Yang Chen entered the bedroom and suddenly noticed through the wide floor-to-ceiling window, snowflakes were fluttering down like velvet outside. In this bustling city of Huinan, although not common, snowfall wasn't unheard of, especially near the sea where rapid temperature drops caused condensation.

"It's probably below -7 or -8 degrees Celsius," Yang Chen muttered. It was late at night, and indeed, the temperature must be quite low.

Suddenly, his phone vibrated. Yang Chen picked up the call—it was from Mo Qianni. This woman was always so independent, never one to call casually, so there must be something important.

"Darling, did you see it?"

"See what?"

"The snow."

"Are you excited about it?"

"No, just feeling a bit melancholic," Mo Qianni said.

"Why?" Yang Chen asked with a smile.

Mo Qianni fell silent for a moment. "Because when it snows, it means it's really cold."

Her words carried a dense sense of loneliness, making Yang Chen feel a pang of melancholy himself.

"I'll come over to your place," Yang Chen said.

Mo Qianni lived alone in a small apartment. She must feel very lonely, especially on a night like this, with snow falling amidst the concrete jungle.

"Don't come. I'm about to go to sleep. I'm not a little girl anymore, not that naive," Mo Qianni giggled.

"Oh, what should I do then? My little Qianni always faces me like a strong woman. When can I cuddle with you to sleep?" Yang Chen joked.

Mo Qianni chuckled, "That must be your real intention for wanting to come over."

"Hehe," Yang Chen laughed without replying.

After a moment of silence, Mo Qianni asked, "Yang Chen, are you free after work on Friday?"

"What's up?"

"I want you to accompany me to a banquet," Mo Qianni said.

Yang Chen sighed. "It's the Liu family's banquet, isn't it?"

"How did you know?" Mo Qianni asked in surprise.

"Because Ruoxi said she's taking me along," Yang Chen replied.

Mo Qianyi sighed on the phone, "Xiao Xi never used to go there before. It seems she went because of you."

"Yeah, occasionally she does things like this, which makes me feel she's a contradictory person," Yang Chen chuckled.

"Knowing full well her husband is cheating outside, and yet able to do this, do you think an ordinary woman could do that?" Mo Qianyi said.

"That's why I say she's contradictory."

Mo Qianyi sighed softly, "Then I won't go. It'll be awkward to go there alone."

Hearing the loneliness in Mo Qianyi's voice, Yang Chen felt a pang of guilt. He looked out at the night, dark as ink, with snow shimmering like silver. "Dear, tomorrow, this city will be covered in snow, won't it?"

"Yeah, so?"

"Although I can't go out with you on Friday, let's have a date tomorrow. Consider it my apology for neglecting you," Yang Chen said.

Mo Qianyi giggled, "Do you really think you're an emperor or a romantic?"

"Come on, I'm begging you," Yang Chen said with a smile.

"Alright then, reluctantly I'll agree, but I get to choose the place," Mo Qianyi said.

Thinking back to the strange places he had accompanied Mo Qianyi to before, Yang Chen's heart skipped a beat, but he still agreed, "Let's have lunch together tomorrow and then we'll set off, no matter where you want to go."

The next morning, the entire city of Zhonghai was indeed dressed in silver. As soon as he stepped outside, Yang Chen felt the biting cold of winter.

Yang Chen wore a blue turtleneck sweater, a black coat, and a grey knitted scarf. Though he wasn't cold himself, at least he looked appropriately dressed for going out.

After buying breakfast at the market and making a round in the company's PR department, Yang Chen noticed many employees were late for work, clearly due to the inconvenience caused by the heavy snow.

After leaving the PR department, Yang Chen headed straight to Yulei Entertainment across the street.

Though he didn't do much substantive work himself, at least paying attention to the company's operations would prevent Zhao Teng and Wang Jie from feeling disheartened.

As soon as Yang Chen entered Wang Jie's office, he saw Wang Jie happily hanging up the phone. Seeing Yang Chen come in, Wang Jie immediately stood up and said happily, "Director, the company you mentioned for investment cooperation has confirmed they will come tomorrow to discuss project cooperation. They're expected to invest more than 100 million, I really didn't expect Zhonghai to have such economically powerful companies that are not well-known."

Yang Chen smiled knowingly; it must have been a shell company acquired by Rose. Rose's efficiency had indeed improved.

"The road has been paved, I won't involve myself too much in the process," Yang Chen said with a smile.

"This is already a great achievement. Even with bank loans, because our company has just been established, we couldn't secure a loan of one hundred million," Wang Jie said excitedly.

After discussing future cooperation plans with Wang Jie for a while, Yang Chen saw it was almost time for lunch and left the company first.

After calling Mo Qianyi, Yang Chen drove to the roadside of Yulei Building and picked her up. Mo Qianyi had her long hair down, neatly combed on one side of her face. She wore a coffee-colored windbreaker with an orange low-necked sweater inside. Even in thick winter clothes, her full and attractive figure couldn't be hidden.

Yang Chen couldn't help but take a few extra glances at Mo Qianyi, who was stylishly dressed for winter, upon meeting her for the first time like this.

Mo Qianyi looked slightly pleased. "Do you like the outfit?"

"Not the outfit, but the person wearing it is beautiful," Yang Chen replied.

Mo Qianyi chuckled and covered her mouth. "You really know how to talk. Here's a reward." Saying that, she leaned in and kissed Yang Chen on the cheek.

Yang Chen seized the opportunity and returned the kiss, earning a playful protest from Mo Qianyi. "Alright, where should we eat first?" she asked.

"I'll navigate, you drive," Mo Qianyi said without mentioning the destination.

Yang Chen smirked; it seemed it would be another quirky place.

Following Mo Qianyi's directions, Yang Chen drove for over half an hour out of Zhonghai city, then another forty minutes or so along a long expressway, finally arriving at a coastal mountain area in the north of Zhonghai.

Yang Chen was amazed to see endless fields covered in pristine white snow on both sides of the expressway, reflecting dazzling light under the sunlight.

Under Mo Qianyi's guidance, Yang Chen drove into a small farmstead. Inside this farmstead, local farmers operated specialty restaurants where city dwellers liked to dine in such rural areas for their tranquility and authentic flavors.

Looking at the bamboo and wood buildings, rows upon rows, with at least a dozen or more rooms visible, besides the restaurant, there were also rural-style lodges. The sparsely populated parking lot had only a few cars, as it was a weekday and not many guests were around.

Yang Chen asked Mo Qianyi in puzzlement, "How did you know about this place?"

"When you're bored alone, sometimes you just want to drive aimlessly to pass the time, so I stumbled upon this place," Mo Qianyi said with a smile.

Looking at Mo Qianyi's radiant smile, Yang Chen thought to himself: She must be very happy now, not quietly coming here alone, but having someone to accompany her.

The meals at the farmhouse restaurant were simple but hearty. Yang Chen and Mo Qianyi didn't drink alcohol, ordering four dishes and a soup. They sat in a cozy heated room and enjoyed a warm lunch.

After finishing their meal, Yang Chen finally asked Mo Qianyi, "Where to in the afternoon?"

Mo Qianyi pointed to the hilly terrain outside the window, shrouded in white mist, where not-too-high mounds carried a strong natural scent.

"Are we going hiking?" Yang Chen asked.

Mo Qianyi nodded. "Yes, when I came here before, I heard from the farmers that you can see the sea from the mountains there. But I was always scared to go alone. Today, I suddenly thought of this place."

Yang Chen smiled. "You have things that scare you too?"

"Can't I?" Mo Qianyi gave him a teasing glance. "Or do you prefer me to be fearless, a staunch feminist?"

"Ah, my dear Xiao Qianqian, let's go hiking," Yang Chen immediately stood up and said.

Because it was just hilly terrain rather than actual peaks, the path up the hill wasn't very steep. Although there were no specially constructed mountain trails, there were winding paths worn down by locals over the years.

The dense trees, now somewhat bare due to fallen leaves, gave the forest a slightly barren look, but the evergreen pines and cypresses still displayed their deep green vitality.

Walking on the uneven mountain path, their shoes made a "crunch, crunch" sound as they rubbed against the snow-covered ground.

Yang Chen led the way, occasionally looking back, while Mo Qianyi followed closely behind, keeping up without difficulty.

Mo Qianyi smoothed out her messy hair and exhaled a breath of white vapor. "Yang Chen, I really like this sound."

"What sound?" Yang Chen asked.

"The sound of your footsteps, my footsteps, rubbing against the snow," Mo Qianyi said.

Yang Chen smiled. "What's so special about it?"

"In the cold weather, in these desolate mountains, it feels like a place cut off from the world. Besides my own footsteps, there's also the sound of another person's footsteps. I can hear that person's footsteps, walking behind me with head bowed," Mo Qianyi said with a slight smile.

Yang Chen paused his steps, turned around, and gazed at the woman standing on the snow-covered ground, blossoming like a delicate flower.

"I grew up in my hometown, Kunshan Village, all mountains. When I was a child, I walked snowy mountain paths where all I could hear was the sound of my own footsteps. I was so scared back then. No matter how quietly I breathed, I could hear my own breath, even my heartbeat, feeling like I was the only person left in the world," Mo Qianyi smiled brightly. "But now, it's different. I finally hear someone else's footsteps."

"You silly girl," Yang Chen looked at her tenderly. "Since it's still early, let's keep going. There's no use dwelling on thoughts."

Mo Qianyi wrinkled her nose playfully and quickened her pace to catch up with Yang Chen.