During The Blizzard (Amidst A Snowstorm Of Love)

Canto 48: The Past Is A Foreign Land

"The past is a foreign country, they do things differently there." - L.P. Hartley

Translator: Wuxia Studio, Editor: Wuxia Studio

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Lin Yiyang was thinking, if it's this moment he was still a teenage boy. He would definitely take her to bed, strip all her clothes, and devoured her body that he longed for. No matter what games he plays, he already reached the summit, he's the king of the field, and this little fruit beside him will be his.

Yin Guo bit her lower lip, restrained and uncertain. She didn't understand her own actions, and they caused him pain. Lin Yiyang looked at her gently and arranged her clothes.

"It's pouring outside," he said. "Stay inside. I'll be back soon."

Yin Guo nodded. Her fingers reached out, tracing the contours of his face - his chin, the bridge of his nose. Finally, her hand cupped his neck, brushing against the newly trimmed hair. It was short, especially at the back, leaving a ticklish sensation against her palm.

The feeling was both... intense and unsettling.

Lin Yiyang's heart stuttered at her touch, a tremor that belied his nonchalant search for a better restaurant. He glanced at her, his voice rough with unspoken questions, "What's on your mind?"

Silence stretched, thick and heavy. Her mind pulsed with conflicting emotions, both a hollow emptiness and a dizzying fullness. This was uncharted territory, an intimacy reserved only for him, the first man to breach her walls.

A fleeting image of Chengyan flickered across her mind, and she blurted out, her voice tight, "Chengyan's pretty, isn't she?"

Lin Yiyang's brow furrowed, the gears in his mind grinding to catch up. "Chengyan?" he echoed, his voice devoid of the usual warmth. "Why bring her up?"

Her cheeks flushed, a traitor betraying her masked indifference. "I don't know," she mumbled, looking away. "Maybe... maybe it makes me jealous."

He watched her, a flicker of understanding dawning in his eyes. Perhaps, he mused, even the most carefree hearts could become possessive under the cloak of affection.

He gently pulled her hand away from her neck, holding it as he tried to find the right words. Chengyan was truly a separate story, and he felt unsure how to address the situation. With a bittersweet smile, he squeezed her hand, saying, "I need to go."

Internally, he wrestled with a complex mix of emotions. While seeing her jealousy could be seen as a way to strengthen their connection, it also felt wrong to manipulate her feelings, especially knowing their relationship was temporary. He understood it wouldn't last, making the possessiveness he felt all the more difficult to manage.

--

Alone in the bathroom, Yin Guo washed her hands and face with a bar of soap. Compared to the more thorough cleansing she did after competition, this felt quick and incomplete.

The light makeup felt heavy and restrictive, a necessary evil for the event's aesthetic requirements. Feeling a slight discomfort with her undergarments, she wiped her hands, adjusted them briefly, then checked her reflection. The faint redness on her neckline was fading slightly.

Her face glowed softly, a shimmer of unshed tears welling up in her eyes as she stood distracted by the poolside. Her fingers unconsciously twirled a loose thread on the white towel, the motion betraying her internal turmoil. Recalling how his face flushed red at her comment, she dropped the towel and entered the empty room.