[“If you don’t listen, you’ll definitely regret it.”]

From that day on, Zhou Leqi and Hou Zihao began another “cold war.”

This “cold war” was more intense than the last one. The previous time, only Zhou Leqi had ignored Hou Zihao, but this time they were mutually ignoring each other. At school, they no longer passed notes or even spoke to each other.

This situation drew a lot of attention. Ge Ao noticed it again and quickly alerted Yan Lin. After observing the situation for several days, he seriously discussed with Yan Lin: “Do you think Monkey got dumped again?”

Since winter break was approaching and there wouldn’t be any exams until next semester, Yan Lin’s mood was unusually relaxed. He had time to enjoy the drama and agreed with Ge Ao’s assessment: “Looks like he got dumped again.”

Ge Ao was thrilled that Yan Lin wanted to discuss it and quickly shared some sharp insights to keep the conversation going: “I think this definitely has something to do with that Pei senior—Monkey must’ve been cut off!”

Logical and dramatic, it was quite the spectacle.

They loved the drama, especially Ge Ao, who hoped for more juicy gossip. However, he was disappointed to find that Hou Zihao and Zhou Leqi were actually in a mature relationship. Even during their breakup-style cold war, they didn’t argue or fight—they simply ignored each other as if the other didn’t exist.

Hou Zihao returned to his state from sophomore year. During breaks, he no longer accompanied Zhou Leqi to change her hot water and instead reconnected with his old friends. During long breaks, he even started playing basketball again—something he hadn’t done much since sharing a class with Zhou Leqi.

He also resumed gaming. During breaks, his seat was surrounded by people—he had always been popular and naturally became the center of attention wherever he went.

These changes did not escape Yuan Jiahui’s notice.

Since their disagreement over Zhou Leqi at the start of the term, Yuan Jiahui and Hou Zihao had not repaired their relationship. He treated her politely but remained distant, and she knew he hadn’t forgiven her.

This troubled her deeply, affecting her studies. She had entered Class One ranked 26th in the grade after the major reshuffle at the start of senior year, but in the recent fourth mock exam, her ranking plummeted to 93rd. This dramatic drop in performance prompted Teacher Pan to call her into his office for a talk, making her even more frustrated.

Yuan Jiahui wasn’t good at hiding her emotions. Whenever something upset her at school, her parents could tell as soon as she got home.

Zhang Min and Yuan Jianxin adored their only daughter, treating her like a precious gem since birth. Upon hearing she’d been scolded by her homeroom teacher, they were immediately heartbroken. Yuan Jianxin quickly arranged for his secretary to prepare gifts, planning to invite Teacher Pan to dinner at a club in a couple of days. Zhang Min consoled her daughter, saying it didn’t matter if she didn’t perform well on the college entrance exam because they had always planned to send her abroad. They would start preparing the necessary documents over the winter break.

Despite this, Yuan Jiahui remained gloomy.

Yuan Jianxin, being a man, couldn’t guess the thoughts of his teenage daughter, but Zhang Min, as a mother, could tell her daughter still liked Renie’s son. Her current gloominess likely stemmed largely from him.

After discussing it, the two parents expressed differing attitudes: Zhang Min supported Yuan Jiahui’s relationship with Hou Zihao, while Yuan Jianxin’s stance was more ambiguous. Even Yuan Jiahui, young as she was, could sense her father’s disapproval—he even suggested she keep her distance from Hou Zihao.

“Why, Dad?” Yuan Jiahui was puzzled. “Didn’t you used to say you thought highly of Monkey?”

Yuan Jianxin didn’t directly answer the question. His eyes flickered slightly, but the 17-year-old Yuan Jiahui didn’t catch this subtle evasion. She believed her father’s explanation: “What good is he if he doesn’t treat my daughter well? Our Jiahui has everything—looks, ability, and conditions. Why should she settle for someone else and cater to them?”

It sounded rather indignant.

Zhang Min covered her mouth and laughed, saying Yuan Jianxin was just being overprotective. Privately, she comforted Yuan Jiahui, explaining that her father was just venting. She added that Hou Zihao was too focused on the stress of the college entrance exam to think about romance now, but everything would improve after the exam.

Yuan Jiahui didn’t fully believe these explanations at first, but recently, as Hou Zihao and Zhou Leqi’s relationship cooled, she began to reconsider. She thought Hou Zihao’s interest in Zhou Leqi was just temporary novelty—it was fading now. Someone as outstanding as him wouldn’t revolve around one girl forever.

Perhaps… she still had a chance.

In reality, Hou Zihao wasn’t as indifferent as he appeared on the surface. At school, he indeed stopped talking to Zhou Leqi, but he still paid close attention to her throughout the day.

Whenever she was called on to answer a question, he would immediately start writing answers on scraps of paper in case she missed them due to distraction. Every time he passed the convenience store on his way to school, he would buy a bread roll in advance, just in case she skipped breakfast and got a stomachache. Every evening after school, he would take a taxi to her neighborhood and discreetly escort her home from a distance where she wouldn’t notice him. Even when playing games with his friends during breaks, he would intentionally make some noise, hoping to catch her attention.

But heavens above—her heart was at least twenty thousand times harder than his! For days, she hadn’t even spared him a glance!

It drove him to the point of insomnia.

The only thing keeping him from losing his mind was noticing that she was using the hand warmer he gave her. Whether in class or during breaks, she held it tightly in her hands, seemingly fond of it. Occasionally, when their eyes met by chance, she sometimes lingered a bit longer, as if silently conceding.

Though Hou Zihao was reluctant to admit it, he... quite enjoyed this.

Enjoyed it enough to consider compromising first and initiating reconciliation.

He wallowed in self-pity over this absurd decision for a long time but ultimately decided to confess to her about an error that didn’t exist. He realized that winter break would start on January 15th. If he didn’t reconcile with her before the last day of school, it would mean they’d have difficulty contacting each other for over twenty days. A prolonged cold war after the argument could ruin the already fragile connection between them.

This decision might be easy for an adult to make, but for a teenager, it often felt difficult. Young people hadn’t yet experienced life’s ups and downs or the pain of loss.

Hou Zihao didn’t know these things either, but even so, he clearly understood one fact: compared to his pride, he loved her far more.

Thus, on January 15th, after school, he planned to casually walk with her to the bus stop as if nothing had happened—of course, within the school, he still needed to maintain some dignity and not follow her too closely, or else Ge Ao and the others might gossip behind his back.

He decided to approach her once they reached the Cultural Palace station and strike up a conversation. He had already prepared an opening line: he would ask if she liked the hand warmer he gave her and whether she wanted to exchange it. This might soften her heart and increase their chances of reconciliation.

His plan was detailed and meticulous, but it still had one flaw:

He hadn’t foreseen Pei Qiming’s appearance.

Zhou Leqi arrived at the entrance of her building at 8:50 PM.

She had dinner with Pei Qiming, and although he offered to walk her home, she politely declined. She walked back alone from the bus stop.

It was January 15th, one of the coldest periods of the year. In City A, the cold was straightforward, unlike the damp or biting chill of many southern cities. It was simple and relentless, freezing your hands even without wind.

Zhou Leqi tucked her face into her large scarf, her hands buried deep in her thick down jacket pockets, where the warm hand warmer emitted comforting heat. Its warmth was lifesaving, and she clutched it tightly, alternating it between her left and right pockets.

After a long walk through the winding path, she finally reached her building. The warm apartment was just a few steps away, but she paused at the dark doorway, standing there for a while until the night’s chill became unbearable. Finally, she asked softly, “...Are you still here?”

A solitary sentence, straight and clear, dropped into the icy air of the night, receiving no response.

Still wrapped in her scarf, she pursed her lips and stubbornly asked again. Still, no reply came. Her actions seemed like self-talk, but she firmly believed someone was nearby, just angry and temporarily unwilling to respond.

She waited a little longer, her patience ample, but her body couldn’t withstand the cold anymore. She began to urge, “Are you really not coming out? ...I have something to say to you.”

Her breath misted her vision.

“It’s important,” she paused and added, stamping her feet lightly for warmth. At first glance, it seemed like a small tantrum. “You’ll definitely regret it if you don’t listen.”

Ah, the second half of the sentence sounded even more like a tantrum.

She thought that after saying this, the person would surely appear. But in reality, he didn’t. Even so, she didn’t doubt his presence—she knew he was there.

He just needed her to come up with a way to bring him out.

What method would work?

Zhou Leqi thought for a moment, then suddenly smiled silently. Her eyes curved slightly, showing a faint sweetness and joy.

“Hou Zihao...” she said softly, “...I’m cold.”

What kind of method was this? Clearly, a useless statement—especially under unresolved conflict, showing weakness wouldn’t help.

But... astonishingly, it worked.

As the soft “I’m cold” faded into the icy air, Zhou Leqi heard familiar footsteps approaching from behind.

She turned her head—

—and saw the long-awaited him.