Chapter Eleven (Part One) The weather grew steadily colder after that day, causing Yin Xia Mo to limit Ou Chen and Yin Cheng’s outdoor activities. She would only take them for short strolls in the garden around eleven in the morning, when the sunlight was at its most generous, just to breathe the fresh air.

She seemed to have gradually put the matter of Luo Xi out of her mind, until one day, when Zhen En was helping her prepare steamed fish in the kitchen, she suddenly said with a sigh, "Luo Xi is officially leaving the entertainment industry; did you hear?" The fingers salting the sea bass paused momentarily. Yin Xia Mo gently lowered her long lashes and resumed salting, replying, "I heard."

That night, her phone vibrated relentlessly, the faint blue glow of the screen illuminating the constantly flashing characters: "Luo Xi."

Yin Xia Mo’s body was rigid, like stone.

Inside her chest, a sharp pain tore at her, as if something within was being ripped apart. She didn't know what she could possibly say to him if she answered the call.

How could a few words possibly mend the debt she owed him?

If she picked up and spoke words that weren't from her heart, would that just cause him more pain? Besides, she no longer had the right to hear his voice. She was Ou Chen’s wife now; feeling desolate over another man would surely hurt Ou Chen as well.

After vibrating for about two or three minutes, the phone fell silent. She sat motionless on the edge of the bed, watching the night pass without sleep.

"Oh."

Zhen En glanced at her cautiously. Seeing that her expression was utterly placid, she continued, "I heard he’s flying to America the day after tomorrow. His company is throwing him a huge farewell banquet tomorrow night, and—get this—they even sent you an invitation. You..." While chopping scallions into segments and placing them on a plate, Yin Xia Mo asked without looking up.

"Tomorrow night?"

"Yes."

"I already have something on tomorrow night; I can't go. Please handle the invitation for me."

Covering the pot with a lid and turning on the fire, Yin Xia Mo ran the tap to wash her hands.

"Oh, alright then."

Zhen En hesitated, looking at the covered pot where the fish had begun to steam, wondering if she should remind Xia Mo that she’d forgotten to put ginger and garlic in the fish dish.

The evening of the next day, after dinner.

The flames in the fireplace burned brightly, the warm fire crackling softly.

With Xia Mo absent from the room, the house suddenly felt vast and empty. Ou Chen, resting on the sofa, closed his picture book. He saw Yin Cheng sitting by the hearth, drawing. His face still appeared pale, and even the orange glow of the fire couldn't bring any color to his complexion.

Ou Chen frowned slightly.

Yet, despite the lack of color in his cheeks, Yin Cheng seemed spirited, a faint smile playing on his lips and his eyes bright and dark. He would pause occasionally while drawing, gazing at the canvas with a gentle smile, lost in a daydream for a moment, before resuming his work.

"What are you drawing?" Ou Chen rose from the sofa and walked over to Yin Cheng.

On the easel was a depiction of Xia Mo under the maple tree, calling him and Xiao Cheng in for dinner. Golden sunlight streamed down through the deep red leaves. She was holding Xiao Cheng’s hand while turning to him, smiling and saying something.

In the painting, her smile was breathtakingly radiant, as if the light reached right into her eyes, so beautiful it was impossible to look away.

Ou Chen stared, lost in the image. Had Xia Mo ever smiled like that? It seemed that from the day he first met her, there had always been some degree of distance in her smile.

"Sister is beautiful, isn't she?" Yin Cheng looked up at him, his tone brimming with undisguised joy, like a child showing off his most prized treasure.

Continuing to gaze at the intimately rendered scene bathed in sunlight, a bright light gradually flickered in Ou Chen's eyes. He hadn't registered what Xiao Cheng had said. After a long silence, he finally asked softly, "Can you give this drawing to me?"

"Yes, but I need a little more time to finish it. Can I give it to you tomorrow?"

"Thank you."

His gaze finally lifted from the painting, yet a hollow sense of loss settled in Ou Chen's chest.

Xia Mo had gone out after dinner, saying she was returning to the old house to fetch some thick winter clothes for Yin Cheng.

Unconsciously, he had grown accustomed to her presence. Even this brief absence made him feel lonely.

"Don't stay up too late drawing. Go to your room and rest early shortly."

Snapping out of his sudden reverie, Ou Chen told Yin Cheng, "I'll be in the study. Call me if you need anything."

"En, okay."

Listening to Ou Chen repeat the gentle instructions Xia Mo gave every day, Yin Cheng smiled and nodded obediently.

However, watching Ou Chen's retreating figure, the boy suddenly seemed to remember something and called out, "Brother-in-law, wait a moment!" Ou Chen turned back. Yin Cheng reached into a stack of papers and handed him a document bearing five prominent, bold characters: "Divorce Settlement Agreement!"

Staring at Ou Chen, whose body had suddenly become stiff, Yin Cheng said quietly, "You should take this. It isn't appropriate for me to keep it."

"You want me to..." His jaw clenched tightly, Ou Chen could barely form the words.

"Give it to Xia Mo myself?" Finally, this inevitable day had arrived.

It was like a soap bubble in the air—growing larger and more beautiful, and just at the moment one holds one's breath, praying it will never burst, it shatters without warning.

"I don't know."

Yin Cheng answered honestly. For a long time after being discharged from the hospital, his thoughts were too tangled to figure out the right course of action. "When I learned that Sister married you to get a kidney for me, I hated you for coercing her, for destroying her happiness."

"But, even though your method was terribly wrong, I was moved by the genuine affection you hold for her. I don't know who loves Sister more, you or Brother Luo Xi, nor do I know who she would be happier with. But Sister has been very happy lately; she smiles every day. Perhaps living with you will keep her happy forever."

"Brother-in-law," Yin Cheng looked up and smiled at him.

"I'm grateful that you've brought happiness back to Sister, and I'm glad you are my brother-in-law."

Yin Xia Mo folded the thick winter clothes for Xiao Cheng and packed them into a suitcase, adding a few of Xiao Cheng’s favorite old picture books. She smiled; it seemed Ou Chen had suddenly developed a fondness for picture books lately, spending more time looking at them daily than Xiao Cheng himself. Taking these books over, he would surely be pleased.

Pulling the suitcase, she walked into the living room and paused briefly, staring at the empty sofa. She hadn't been back in a long time, and the place already felt a little unfamiliar. She turned off the main light, took one last look around the interior, and closed the front door, carrying the suitcase as she walked slowly down the stairs.

It had started to snow! Yin Xia Mo stepped outside and gazed in astonishment at the swirling flakes descending from the sky. There had been no sign of snow when she first arrived, but now the earth was blanketed in pristine white.

The light snow danced in the air, brightening the dark night. She set down the suitcase and unconsciously held out a hand to catch a falling flake; it was crystalline and clear, melting instantly in her palm, leaving only a cold, damp sensation.

She stood there, lost in thought.

Was this snow a send-off for him? He should be at his company’s farewell banquet right now, and tomorrow he would leave for America. For some reason, on this very night before his departure, she couldn't bring herself to stay by Ou Chen’s side as usual, nor could she summon her usual calm smile. She just wanted to be alone for a while, so she had declined the driver and come here on her own.

The cold wind swept the snow into her face.

Perhaps leaving the entertainment industry for a while wasn't entirely a bad thing for him. No longer facing so many camera lenses every day, no longer living in the public eye—perhaps he could live more freely and happily. Maybe he would meet a truly wonderful girl who would love him completely, a love as deep as the ocean, and he would fall for that girl and finally forget her.

Amidst the pervasive chill, the faint, twisting pain in her heart seemed negligible. Yin Xia Mo stared at the footprints she was leaving in the snow and silently told herself that nothing in this world was impossible to forget. Once the snow melted, even a single gust of wind across the surface would erase those tracks. So, he would forget her. All she had to do was never disturb him again.

Yin Xia Mo walked through the snow in a daze. She seemed to hear hurried footsteps behind her, but she paid them no mind. The snow covering the ground was thin and slick. Distracted, her foot slipped, and her body tilted straight backward!

A desk lamp glowed in the study. Looking at the divorce settlement agreement lying on the desk, Ou Chen's eyes grew dimmer, yet a faint glimmer of hope sparked in their depths. He sprang up abruptly, walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, and threw it open. The night wind howled, carrying swirling snow into the room.

He had always believed that the day Yin Cheng handed that divorce agreement to her would be the end of everything. That signed document was his final judgment; she would leave him, and this beautiful period would be nothing more than a fragile illusion, like foam.

But Yin Cheng had returned it to him. It was like a death row inmate suddenly being granted a reprieve; he felt unexpectedly adrift. Perhaps he could let this dream continue, never waking up. This thought tormented him almost to madness. He wanted to seize every opportunity, regardless of the cost, to keep her by his side! Yet, why was there always a bitterness in his heart? By getting a reprieve, had he perhaps extended her sentence? Had she truly been happy all this time, or was it just a facade?

Snowflakes drifted gently inside.

Ou Chen clenched his fingers, stopping himself from thinking further. He decided he would sort it out later; let this dream last a little longer. In this moment, he desperately wished she were beside him, her warm presence and tranquil smile near. Just being near her would calm his heart. But why wasn't she back yet? She had said she needed to get some air alone when she left, insisting she didn't need a driver. Gazing at the snow falling outside, Ou Chen's concern deepened.

So, he left the study, grabbed his car keys, and strode out the door.

The moment he started the engine, the hand holding the steering wheel froze. An image flashed unbidden into his mind: that pale, transparent figure standing beneath her old apartment building. Could she have encountered—No! At this moment, he should be at his farewell banquet.

A slender arm supported Yin Xia Mo just as she was about to fall! The instant those fingers touched her, her mind exploded with millions of shattering snowflakes, and a thick white fog filled her vision. The world instantly fell silent, devoid of breath, save for his presence surrounding her, like the last, fragile cherry blossom petal melting in the snow—cold, transparent, and suffocatingly delicate.

"So it really is you." The voice came from just above her head. Yin Xia Mo stared blankly at the accumulating snow on the ground, gripping the handle of her suitcase tightly, as if it were her only source of strength.

"When I saw you walking out of the house just now, I thought I must be mistaken..." The voice paused, then continued, holding its breath, "Why are you here? Are you coming back?" That voice, thick with choked hope, stabbed straight into Yin Xia Mo's heart. The pain forced her to bite down on her lip as she slowly raised her head to look at him.

"Aren't you flying to America tomorrow? Why are you here?" In the darkness, tiny, crystalline snowflakes settled silently on his shoulders and hair. Hearing her words, a bitter smile touched his lips as his dark eyes fixed intently on her.

"I've been here the whole time."

Yin Xia Mo's chest tightened.

"I just fell asleep in the car, but I woke up suddenly, and then I saw you walking out of the house. I thought heaven had finally granted me a miracle..." The white BMW parked in the distance was lightly dusted with snow, as if it had been sitting there for ages. "But maybe I should have just stayed in the car and watched you leave, I shouldn't have chased after you..." The snow fell silently.

The silvery-white flakes danced lightly between them, like beams of light in the night. Beyond the soft sound of the falling snow, there was only a long, lingering silence.

"I'm sorry. Am I troubling you again by saying these things?" After the silence, Luo Xi spoke with a bitter tone. "I was foolish just now. If you were coming back, you wouldn't be walking away with a suitcase."

Yin Xia Mo felt entirely frozen, the churning pain inside her making her feel that anything she said would be wrong.

"Why are you out here alone? No driver? If you don't mind, I can take you back; it’s hard to get a cab right now." Seeing her persistent silence, his gaze finally shifted from her face. Forcing a smile, he reached out and took hold of her suitcase handle.

"No, you don't need to..." Yin Xia Mo instinctively took a half-step back, but her voice caught as she looked at the hand Luo Xi had placed on the suitcase handle. Luo Xi's hand froze as well.

"I'm sorry, I was presumptuous. If I drove you back, someone would be angry, wouldn't they? I'm not really appropriate..." Yin Xia Mo seemed not to hear his words, merely staring at his hand. Following her gaze, he saw the shockingly vivid red scar still prominent on his wrist. He flinched, covered it with his sleeve, and murmured, "I apologize; I scared you."

"Don't say sorry to me anymore." Yin Xia Mo’s chest rose and fell slightly, her lips turning suddenly pale. "I'm the one who should be apologizing, not you."

"But I did so many things wrong." In the night, the falling snow was as light and transparent as his voice. "I never trusted you. Several times you tried to explain, and I stubbornly refused. I even hurt you with the rumors involving me and Shen Qiang, breaking up with you, deliberately provoking you at the banquet..."

"How did you know?" Yin Xia Mo startled, gazing at him in shock!

"Yes, I know." Another long silence followed, and then his eyes dimmed as he said quietly, "When I first found out, I resented you for not telling me, for making decisions on your own. But after staying here for many days, I've finally understood."

"At that time, what right did I have to ask for your trust? In your eyes, I must have been completely unreliable."

"Luo Xi—"

"If I had been more patient then, would you not have married him?" Luo Xi’s eyes were dark as a deep pool, but a faint spark still flickered in their depths. "If that were the case, you wouldn't have married him. Would you not have married him—"

The snow fell harder and harder.

The night wind was biting. Feathery flakes drifted down thickly. He and she stood stock-still before the old house, their hair and shoulders already piled high with white snow, looking from a distance like two snow-covered statues.

"It wasn't like that," Yin Xia Mo said, her lips pale. "Even if we hadn't broken up then, I would have made this decision anyway. So, it has nothing to do with you; you didn't do anything wrong."

"..." As if struck by pain in his chest, Luo Xi suddenly coughed, unable to catch his breath. After a long moment, he stopped, gave a lost smile, and said, "Must you be so cruel? Couldn't you just let me believe I was deceived? Must you make it absolutely clear that you could sacrifice me without hesitation? Are you only satisfied when you’ve shattered my last lingering fantasy?"

"Because saying anything now is meaningless. I am already married. The most important things to me now are Xiao Cheng's health, and... and Ou Chen. Nothing else matters anymore." Her gaze drifted back to his wrist, which he still shielded, and Yin Xia Mo’s fingers clenched tightly at her sides. "Stop hurting yourself. That only hurts the people who care about you."

"And you no longer care about me?" Luo Xi stared at her blankly. He lowered his head, slowly raised his arm, and his fingers traced the jagged, terrifying scar, his voice hoarse. "You blame me for threatening you with suicide, don't you?"

She took a deep breath, avoiding his gaze. The vast snow had turned the world a blinding white; the distant trees had also become white silhouettes. Paper-thin flakes landed on her eyelashes.

"Life is too precious to be given up for someone unworthy. In the future, you will meet someone you need to cherish, and you will regret ever doing something so foolish."

"No, I won't regret it." Luo Xi cut her off, a smile as delicate as a snowflake blooming faintly on his lips. "Although I was selfish and willful then. I wanted you to remember me forever, even if it meant death, to hold a significant place in your heart. When I was lying in the bathtub, I just felt so tired, so utterly weary, completely disillusioned."

"But there is one thing you must know: at that time, I only wanted to escape that pain forever; I never intended to use death to threaten you."

"But now, I’m glad I didn’t die. Heaven has been good to me, letting me meet you and giving me so much joy and happiness. If I had died then, it truly would have been irresponsible—it might have forced you to carry a cross that should never have been yours. I was too willful, Xia Mo, I am so sorry."

"You are a cruel person too, Luo Xi." She suddenly laughed bitterly, a shimmering mist appearing in her eyes. His final "I'm sorry" shattered all the composure she had fought so hard to maintain!

"If you hated me, if you could never forgive me, perhaps I would feel better about myself."

"You saw right through me," Luo Xi breathed out a smile, gently brushing the snow from her hair. "Yes, I wanted you to feel indebted to me, to never forget me. We are the same kind of people, which is why we share the same cruelty."

"That's why we aren't suited to be together. We are both insecure people; being together would only lead to mutual harm," she said.

"I will change!" His fingers trembled slightly as he touched her icy hair, forcing a smile to his lips. "I will work hard to learn to let go of that possessiveness and fear. I think I've found a way, but you refuse to give me another chance."

"Luo Xi," she bit her lip, tilting her head slightly away from his touch.

His hand stiffened amidst the swirling snow. Luo Xi looked at her and said hoarsely, "But will you be happy? That so-called marriage is just a transaction. If you are not happy, then—"

"I am happy." She said softly.

"You aren't lying to me this time, are you? Don't lie to me again, Xia Mo."

"I’m not lying. I am genuinely happy." Yin Xia Mo’s eyes were clear as the sea. "Lately, life has been very calm. I haven't known such a peaceful existence in a long time."

"Is calm the same as happiness?"

"For me, yes." Her eyes held profound tranquility.

Luo Xi looked at her. In truth, he had known long ago that whatever the reason she married Ou Chen, once she became his wife, she would strive to be a dutiful one. Ou Chen was already family in her eyes, and family held far more weight in her heart than romantic love. So, he had known long ago that he had lost. Not at this moment, but at the very instant she decided to marry Ou Chen, he had already been utterly defeated.

"Then, did you ever love me?" In the falling, crystalline snow, Luo Xi stood perfectly still, his voice seeming to be squeezed from his throat, his lips stark white. A sharp ache twisted in Yin Xia Mo's chest. After a long silence, she murmured, "I loved you."

The snowflakes whirled violently in the air, each one crystalline and translucent. Her words echoed in the stillness of the snowy night, and a tear-bright sheen gradually appeared in Luo Xi's eyes.

“Even if it’s just comfort, I’m happy.”

This one sentence was enough. In the days without her, he could live on, knowing that she had once loved him, truly loved him.

“Thank you, Xia Mo.”

“Forget me, alright?” Snowflakes dusted her long hair, making her face appear as pure and white as jade. “Start a new life when you get to America. Forget me, alright?” “Is that what you wish?” “Yes.”

“Fine, I will forget you,” Luo Xi gazed at her with a faint smile, mist swirling in his eyes, dark and deep as a pool. “But you have to promise me one condition.”

“Tell me.”

She listened intently.

“Don’t forget me. No matter how much time passes, never forget me.”

He looked at her, as if trying to deeply carve her image into his mind. “Even if it’s just keeping me in a very, very small corner.”

Amidst the endless, dancing, crystalline snowflakes.

Luo Xi slowly opened his arms and gently embraced her.

The snow was pure and transparent.

A thin layer of snow softly covered both of them. He held her very lightly, like a friend he would never see again. His voice was also soft, murmuring close to her ear— “Xia Mo, I wish you well.”

She closed her eyes, trembling, and gently raised her arm, embracing him back like a friend, saying, “I wish you well too, Luo Xi.”

As if lightning flashed from afar, a deep blue Lamborghini sped towards them across the vast, white snowfield. The brilliant twin beams of light bathed the embracing pair in a blinding glare! Yin Xia Mo instinctively shielded her eyes from the intense light, but Luo Xi had already pulled her behind him, watching the approaching car slow to a stop.

In the snowy darkness, the person inside the car was indistinct, yet Yin Xia Mo instinctively pushed Luo Xi aside; she knew who it was.

The car door opened.

The snow seemed to fall harder now. Flakes settled on Ou Chen’s black hair. He wore a black overcoat and a deep green wool scarf, his footsteps crunching ‘kri-kri’ on the packed snow. His face was devoid of expression, only his eyes were deep and bottomless.

“Are your things packed?” Ou Chen asked in a low voice, staring at the stunned Xia Mo.

“They are.”

She paused, then looked up. “Ou Chen, Luo Xi and I were just—”

“Let’s go home.”

Ou Chen brushed the snow from her shoulder, took off his coat, and wrapped it around her. He seemed unwilling to hear any explanation, immediately grasping the handle of her suitcase, which was already covered in a thin layer of snow.

He circled an arm around her shoulder and walked expressionlessly toward the car.

As they walked, Yin Xia Mo suddenly stopped.

“Goodbye,” she turned and whispered to Luo Xi, who remained behind her, her voice as light as a falling snowflake.

Luo Xi heard it, though.

Ou Chen heard it too.

In that instant, the hand Ou Chen had placed on her shoulder stiffened further, but he said nothing, simply leading her onward toward the car.

The deep blue Lamborghini vanished into the far end of the snowy night.

The night suddenly became profoundly quiet. The snowflakes continued to drift softly, but now, only he remained in this world.

He held out his palm, just as she had done when she first stepped out of the building. Luo Xi watched a pristine, crystalline snowflake land gently in his palm. Yet, this flake refused to melt, lying there quietly, radiating a small, cool, translucent glimmer.

Even snowflakes can be this stubborn. Luo Xi took a deep breath, clenched his fist, and silently gazed at the trail of footprints she had left in the snow.

The white BMW drove down the empty street. Luo Xi looked ahead at the road blanketed in snow and activated the sound system, filling the car with a song she used to sing.

Bubbles of Summer III