Thinking of You at First Snow

Cool, aloof, and carefree little swan * Gentle, disciplined, and proper star lawyer [1] Lin Tingmo was the most sought-after person in the circles around Imperial Capital University. His looks and soul were both spotless, and he was so gentle that people praised him as a once-in-a-century celestial heartthrob. Countless people tried to win his affection, but he turned every one of them down with polite distance. Everyone wondered with a sigh: What kind of person could possibly earn his favor? No one knew about the night the first snow fell in the imperial capital. He had stood outside a villa in thin clothes, snow covering his shoulders. His bloodless, pale hand clutched the peace talisman she had given him as he begged over and over: "Jia'en, I miss you so much." Little did he know, she had lied to him and gone abroad for a vacation. You Jia'en preferred freedom to romance. She had always treated him like an obedient puppy. She especially loved mischievously cornering him in a coffee shop, pretending to be cold while pressing his hand against her thigh beneath the table, then admiring how his ears turned red in an instant as she softly teased him: "Well? Isn't sneaking around together exciting?" She loved watching him fall. He mistook her for the one and only. * Three years after graduation, a case targeting the entertainment industry's unspoken rules caused a nationwide sensation. On the day the case was won, countless cameras focused on the young lead attorney. The man stood alone in his lawyer's robe, his skin white as fresh snow and his cool, aloof bearing like the finest celadon. That victory made Lin Tingmo famous overnight. At the celebration banquet, he stepped away briefly. When he returned, several suggestive, overlapping hickey marks had appeared on his neck. Everyone erupted in commotion, demanding to know who was responsible. Lin Tingmo said indifferently, "Just a cat." Around the corner, You Jia'en had just finished straightening her evening gown. "..." She gritted her teeth in secret, wanting to expose his refined scoundrel nature. Only three minutes ago, he had pulled her into a corner, slipped his fingertips beneath her stockings, and teased, "Baby, now this is what sneaking around feels like." [2] One day, after finishing a ballet performance, You Jia'en, known as the "little swan of the human world," was stopped by a suitor. She smiled and said, "I'm afraid there's someone in my heart." The suitor replied, "I don't mind that you have a first love. I'm sure that if I stay by your side long enough, I'll win you over..." Jia'en asked, "What if I can't help going to see him?" Thinking of her powerful family, the suitor said, "That's fine. You can marry me without worrying. I'm very understanding about you having friends." "Really?" she continued, asking nonchalantly, "What if I cheat on you with him? He's really handsome, and I usually can't control myself. Maybe I'll get pregnant one day, and the baby's his..." Before she could finish her nonsense, the car window rolled up and locked. Inside the car, the man who had been pretending to be drunk all the way there snapped, "You Jia'en, that's enough." Her eyes lit up as she threw herself into his arms. "Then tell me yourself. Are you going to sleep with me or not?" He was nearly driven mad by her. Turning his head away, he refused to indulge her ridiculous talk. Only his ears grew redder and redder. When he got out and wrapped her scarf around her, he finally answered in a husky voice: "I will." * "Of course I know Jia'en prefers freedom to being in a relationship. Every time she tricks me, I swear it'll be the last time. But then the truth is: I had such a good time with her yesterday, I want to keep playing with her today, and tomorrow I'll go looking for Jia'en again. And so it goes, day after day, falling for her tricks. That's what happens when I love her more." Theme: ...