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The pitch-black night loomed over the hilltop, where three gravestones stood side by side.

Ai Xiang filled her wine cup and set it down, accompanied by portions of roast chicken, meticulously arranged in front of each gravestone.

It was a tradition in her family to visit and pay respects to relatives each Christmas, no matter how busy, she always made time for the ritual.

"Dad, Mom, Grandpa, I promised you I’d live well and celebrate Christmas cheerfully. Did you see the fireworks? Weren’t they prettier than last year?" Ai Xiang’s thin lips curved upwards slightly, her black trench coat fluttering and whistling in the wind.

Shrouded in darkness, her tall silhouette exuded boundless loneliness.

Yun Xiao hid behind a tree, shivering with her neck shrunk in, her hands and feet icy cold. But her heart was joyful.

Regardless of whether he knew or not.

Just being by his side was more than mere loneliness.

...

As she rubbed her fingers nonstop, shivering from the cold, Ai Xiang suddenly turned around and stared towards the dead tree not far away, barking, "Who’s there?"

Yun Xiao startled, not expecting to be discovered so quickly.

She quickly raised her hands and walked out from behind the tree, forcing a cheerful smile, "It’s so dark out, and it’s not safe for you to be here alone. So, I followed to check on you."

Hearing Yun Xiao’s voice and seeing a shadow approaching him, Ai Xiang frowned and spoke with a cool tone, "From what you’re saying, are you here to protect me?"

"Ah!" Yun Xiao scratched her head awkwardly, "No, I, I, I..."

She stuttered for a long time, unable to say another word.

Watching her shivering from the cold, Ai Xiang glared at her and said, "It’s so cold out, and here you are making a fuss. Didn’t you think to wear more clothes? If you get frostbite, I’m not taking responsibility."

Although he complained, he still took off his coat while grumbling.

"Don’t worry about me, I have good resistance. Training doesn’t scare me, so cold definitely won’t..." Yun Xiao’s words were cut short when she suddenly felt a warmth on her shoulders.

His strong hands had draped the warm jacket over her shoulders.

Yun Xiao stood there, taken aback for a moment.

All at once, the chill was dispelled from her body, and endless warmth enveloped her. The warm coat still carried his faint scent of tobacco.

She hadn’t expected this sudden stroke of happiness.

What to do, her heart was now beating even more violently in just a moment.

"Let’s go back!" Ai Xiang’s icy voice suddenly came from behind her.

He had already started striding back.

She stood still for a moment, then, snapping back to reality, she quickly pulled the coat from her shoulders and followed his steps.

"I’m not cold, you give me your coat. What are you going to do? Put it on quickly! As soldiers, we are not afraid of the cold..."

"Stop the nonsense. Just put on the coat if I say so. You’re my only family after all, and you’re a girl at that!" Ai Xiang said very firmly.

Yun Xiao’s cheeks flushed slightly. Thankfully, in the darkness of night, no one could see.

She held the coat in her arms, unwilling to wear it! Because if he got cold, she would share the cold with him.

Just a coat, whether to wear it or not, what did it matter.

She’d grown accustomed to the cold winters long ago.

When she was even younger, without any proper clothes, even in the chill of winter she would wrap herself in straw skirts, sleeping on thatched grass.

She had gotten used to the cold.

One coat, two people, you offering it to me, I offering it to you.

In the end, neither wore it, and they returned to the villa just like that.

Ai Xiang was speechless, she had never seen such a stubborn woman.

He dropped her off at the villa she was staying at, grabbed his own coat, and said firmly, "Go to sleep quickly! Don’t get cold again. It’s cold at night, remember to turn on the heat."

"Mm!" Yun Xiao clenched her fingers, feeling her cheeks becoming even hotter for no reason. "Then you should head back early too."

With that, she ran off with big strides.

Watching her disappearing back, Ai Xiang sighed. What a stubborn and strange woman.

...

On Christmas night, after the Quan Family had been lively for quite a while, Jing Mingcheng took his family back home.

The servants were busy tidying up the dishes and cutlery, and Gu Xiaoxi had been taken back to her room by Quan Mo early on.

She bathed her, chose a pretty nightgown to wear, and then lay in bed, waiting for a story.

Gu Xiaoxi pulled out a fairytale book from the big bookshelf, sat on Quan Mo’s little bed, and the little girl happily hugged her waist, snuggling against her to listen to the story with her big ears perked up.

"Xiao Mo! Have you heard of ’Frozen’?" Gu Xiaoxi asked.

"Not yet! Can Mommy tell it to me?" Quan Mo asked expectantly with her big watery eyes.

Gu Xiaoxi pinched her little nose and said with a smile, "Okay, then let’s start the story!

It goes like this: In the Arendelle Kingdom, there were two princesses who were young: the composed and graceful Elder Princess Aisha, and the lively and cheerful Little Princess Anna.

One night, Anna woke up Aisha who was in bed. .."

The story was a bit long, part of a very classic animated movie.

The story was full of thrills and had a legendary air.

Quan Mo listened intently.

Gu Xiaoxi finished the story, but Quan Mo hadn’t fallen asleep yet. She just lay there with her big watery eyes, and said in a soft voice, "Aisha is so amazing! I like her, and I like her castle too."

"Mm, any girl with a kind heart deserves to be liked," Gu Xiaoxi put down the book and hugged Quan Mo, "Why haven’t you fallen asleep yet!"

"Because the story Mommy told was so interesting." Quan Mo showed her teeth in a giggle.

Gu Xiaoxi stretched out her arms to hug her and sighed, "Then no more stories. I’ll stay with you to sleep."

It was her good fortune to have stumbled upon such an endearing little treasure.

She liked Quan Mo very much, and although the name ’Mommy’ made her feel a mix of laughter and tears, she forgave her, considering how much she wanted a mother.

Gu Xiaoxi turned off the lights, and in the darkness,

She felt a little restless.

Suddenly, the word ’mother’ popped into her mind, bringing a sense of unfamiliarity she had never felt before.

Mother!

Haha!

In her memory, it was as if she had sprung out from a crack in the rocks, lacking a biological mother.

In her life, the luckiest people she had encountered were Gu Lirou and Shaoqing.

...And in her life, she had only the surname Gu and was the wife of Shaoqing.