28

Pei Yujang spoke with a serious tone, devoid of any mockery or jest. It was clear that she genuinely wanted to comfort her.

Yu Zhiwan took a deep breath, opened her arms, and tried to hug Pei Yujang's shoulders.

The woman's shoulders weren't too broad nor too narrow. Pei Yujang didn't have a large frame; her figure was well-proportioned, not too thin nor overly muscular, with beautifully maintained muscle lines. It wasn't difficult for Yu Zhiwan to hug her, and she rested her head on Pei Yujang's shoulder, letting her tears fall, soaking through the fabric.

It had been a long time since Yu Zhiwan had allowed herself to cry so freely, especially in front of someone else.

But even as she cried, she didn't sob loudly or cry like a damsel in distress. Instead, she remained silent, like a wounded little beast, suppressing her voice and trying to make as little noise as possible while quietly processing her emotions.

She cried in small, shaky breaths, and Pei Yujang didn't offer any comfort or urge her to stop. She simply let Yu Zhiwan lean on her, offering her shoulder as support.

After a while, when Yu Zhiwan had exhausted herself from crying, she lifted her head, her face marked with streaks of tears and creases from where she had been leaning. She wiped her face haphazardly with her hand and, feeling a bit embarrassed about her earlier display, awkwardly changed the subject:

"Are you hungry? Let's go eat something, okay?"

Her attempt to change the topic was clumsy, a clear sign of her embarrassment over her earlier vulnerability. Pei Yujang, of course, didn't press the matter and instead naturally asked:

"What do you want to eat? I'll order us some delivery."

In the end, they ordered some essential barbecue ingredients like enoki mushrooms, cardamom, eggplant, and potato slices, all pre-sliced and ready to grill. They also got some frozen chicken fillets and tenderloin, just enough for two people to avoid wasting food.

Pei Yujang also ordered two small servings of cold dishes. After everything was prepared, she packed the small automatic barbecue grill onto a trolley and headed out with Yu Zhiwan.

Ningxiang, known as both a flower city and a water town, had waterways crisscrossing throughout. While Yicheng wasn't lacking in water, it was still different from the southern water towns.

A stream of water gently flowed by, with streetlights casting a hazy glow that rippled across the surface. There weren't many people by the river, and even fewer were setting up for a barbecue. After setting up the grill, Pei Yujang began skewering the pre-cut vegetables, planning to fetch some water to keep nearby, just in case the fire got too large.

Yu Zhiwan, unable to move easily, sat and waited.

Although blind, her hands were dexterous. If she could make herbal extraction strings, skewering meat wasn't a challenge either. When Pei Yujang left, there were still some skewers unfinished, so Yu Zhiwan continued the task. As she worked on cleaning the tenderloin, she suddenly heard a rustling noise.

Near the water was a park, complete with public restrooms and grassy areas. Yu Zhiwan couldn't see, but she could hear what seemed like the panting of a dog.

The barbecue hadn't started yet, so there wasn't any food scent to attract a dog. From the sound of the footsteps, she could tell this dog was quite large. Hearing the heavy breathing, Yu Zhiwan immediately pictured a large dog with its tongue hanging out.

Yu Zhiwan quickly set down the tenderloin skewer and bent down to pick up the firewood stick Pei Yujang had left on the ground earlier.

She wasn't afraid of dogs, but she was wary of rabid ones. In small towns like this, it wasn't uncommon to see people walking their dogs without a leash. Yu Zhiwan figured the owner might be nearby and was about to call out when a sharp sound cut through the air—the dog was lunging at her!

Clang!

The wheelchair moved swiftly, reacting far faster than most people could. Deprived of sight, Yu Zhiwan's hearing and sense of smell were exceptionally sharp. The moment she heard the strange sound, she immediately backed away, avoiding the dog's bite.

The large dog missed its target, then aggressively charged at her again.

This time, Yu Zhiwan didn't dodge. She raised the stick, calculating the angle, and silently waited. As the sharp claws were about to land on her, she jabbed the stick at the spot where the dog's hot breath came from.

She used a lot of force with that jab, causing the large dog to stagger and locking it into a standoff with Yu Zhiwan. Her angle was precise yet risky; just a little off, and she wouldn't have blocked it. If the dog's teeth had landed, getting a rabies shot would be the least of her worries—this massive dog could have easily bitten off an unarmed blind person's arm!

Yu Zhiwan's hands trembled as she used all her strength, sweat dripping down her arms and slipping through her fingers.

When Pei Yujang returned, this was the scene she encountered.

She had chosen a safe spot, away from traffic and runners, yet here was Yu Zhiwan, locked in a struggle with a large wolfhound, her forehead damp with sweat, her arms shaking, clearly struggling to hold on.

The wolfhound wasn't drawn by the scent of meat. Its coat was clean and shiny, clearly not a stray. And typically, wolfhounds wouldn't attack people unless provoked.

As Pei Yujang rushed towards them, she quickly noticed a young man in a black jacket and sunglasses hiding behind some bushes nearby, watching the scene unfold.

There weren't many people around at this time. A child who had seen the wolfhound attacking someone was crying in fear, and their parents quickly whisked them away, not wanting to get involved.

Pei Yujang didn't immediately rush to help Yu Zhiwan. Instead, she sprinted over to the young man, and before he could react, she had him pinned against the rough bark of a tree using a submission hold.

"Mmph! Mmph!"

The young man hadn't noticed anyone behind him and struggled violently, but he was no match for Pei Yujang. His instinctive cry for help caught the wolfhound's attention, and the dog, which had been aggressively attacking Yu Zhiwan, turned tail and rushed back to defend its master.

Pei Yujang delivered a sharp elbow strike, knocking the man unconscious, and as the wolfhound charged at her with bared teeth, she grabbed it by the scruff of its neck and shouted to Yu Zhiwan:

"Call the police!"

Yu Zhiwan, using a phone designed for the blind, was already reaching for it, preparing to dial.

The planned barbecue never happened, and the fireworks went unseen. Instead, the two of them spent over two hours at the police station, giving statements on empty stomachs.

The police in Ningxiang were diligent, thoroughly questioning them for details, not simply going through the motions or dismissing them as out-of-towners. They even checked surveillance footage to confirm what had happened.

Though Yu Zhiwan was from Yicheng, her beauty was undeniable. She wasn't the delicate type typically seen in southern women but had a striking, undeniable presence. A weak Omega almost getting attacked by a dog on the street was a serious disruption of public order, so the police sternly interrogated the young man who had unleashed the dog and watched the drama unfold. At first, he tried to deny it, but when he realized he couldn't, he stubbornly insisted:

"I did it on purpose."

"I just saw she was blind and wanted to scare her with the dog. I know I was wrong now, and I'll definitely keep the dog on a leash next time."

When asked for a reason, he kept repeating the same line, claiming his only motive for setting the dog on Yu Zhiwan was to satisfy some twisted sense of humor, never expecting the dog would actually bite her, though it didn't, and it got hit with a few sticks.

But Pei Yujang instinctively felt he was lying.

The young man's expression was tense, and his gaze was shifty. Yu Zhiwan had no enmity with him, and there were other people on the street. Yu Zhiwan's clear, beautiful eyes and skilled movements wouldn't have immediately marked her as blind. How could he have known?

Claiming he targeted her because she was a disabled person with lost legs would have been more believable.

But she had no evidence, and she couldn't ask the police to arrest someone based solely on her suspicions.

They had left late and spent so much time at the station that it was already past eleven o'clock by the time they left. Although Ningxiang was in the south, the weather in November was still chilly at night. Outside, the wind was even colder and more piercing. The police station was heated, but stepping outside, the wind seemed to strip away all warmth.

The bright flowers scattered throughout the city appeared to lose their color under the harsh glare of the streetlights, fading from vibrant hues to dull and muted shades.

At this time of night, it was hard to find a taxi in places other than big cities. Pei Yujang tried calling a ride through an app, but after waiting in the wind for several minutes, nothing showed up. She didn't mind the cold, but she was worried Yu Zhiwan might catch a chill, so she suggested:

"How about I push you back?"

The guesthouse was a few miles from the police station—a short distance for Pei Yujang, who could easily run it. Yu Zhiwan's wheelchair made walking slow, so it seemed more efficient for her to push her along quickly.

And since tomorrow was Yu Zhiwan's birthday, they didn't want to end up celebrating it on the side of the road.

Yu Zhiwan tightened her coat around her. She had dressed warmly enough, so she wasn't too cold. The Omega had been quiet in the police station, answering questions when asked, without expressing much suspicion towards the young man. Now, in the cold wind, she tilted her head back and asked Pei Yujang:

"Are you cold?"

"No."

"Are you tired?"

"No."

Pei Yujang wasn't exactly a night owl, but she could function on more or less sleep—it didn't matter. She'd still wake up on time for her morning run. Yu Zhiwan's cheeks, soft and pale in the streetlight, looked particularly pinchable as she gazed up at Pei Yujang, sparking the urge to reach out and give them a squeeze.

Yu Zhiwan said, "Then let's take our time walking back. You don't need to push me; we can just wander back slowly. If you get tired, you can hop on the footrest of my wheelchair, and we can stroll our way home."

As Yu Zhiwan spoke, Pei Yujang couldn't help but wrap her coat tighter around herself, wondering if her resistance to the cold had dropped, making her feel chilly in Ningxiang's weather despite wearing a trench coat.

But since Yu Zhiwan was the birthday girl, Pei Yujang naturally agreed to whatever she wanted. It wasn't an unreasonable request anyway.

Despite the chill, Pei Yujang began to realize something strange as they left the police station—it was snowing in Ningxiang.

This time, the weather forecast had been off. The heavens had played a trick on the southern city, sending cold air from the north straight through without giving Ningxiang any special treatment.

But southern snow is soft and wet, unlike the heavy, dry flakes in the north. The delicate snowflakes didn't fall as distinct crystals but dissolved like raindrops in the air, swirling and dancing under the streetlights.

A few snowflakes landed on Yu Zhiwan's head, immediately melting into droplets that slid down her smooth brow. The air she breathed was filled with coldness, but it wasn't the biting cold of the north. The November wind in Ningxiang wasn't yet fierce, and the city's unique mild and humid climate softened even the snow-laden wind into a gentle caress, like a soft blade brushing her face.

The Omega's gentle voice came from behind as Yu Zhiwan rolled along the path Pei Yujang had cleared:

"You wanted to see fireworks, right? Since we missed that, how about enjoying the southern snow instead?"

"Can you tell me if the southern snow is beautiful?"

"It's beautiful, but it's a shame that such a good day was spoiled by an idiot."

As Pei Yujang inhaled and exhaled, her nostrils caught the moisture of the falling snow. She wrapped herself more tightly in her coat, refraining from bringing up the young man's strange behavior or asking any more questions about Yu Zhiwan.

In the light snow, she raised her wrist to check her watch as the minute hand slowly ticked toward midnight. Cold, wet snowflakes fell on her lips and melted into droplets. Pei Yujang suddenly remembered that in some novels, the main characters often kissed during special moments.

Be it a birthday, the first snowfall—any memorable occasion seemed like a good reason for a kiss. Pei Yujang usually skimmed through these parts, never understanding why the characters were so obsessed with these intimate scenes, wondering if the authors were just padding the word count, coming up with eight hundred different reasons for a kiss.

"Yu Zhiwan, happy birthday."

As the clock struck twelve, Pei Yujang turned back with a bright smile. Knowing Yu Zhiwan couldn't see, her voice carried the warmth of her smile. There was no cake, but making a wish in the rare southern snow seemed just as romantic. Pei Yujang didn't want to admit that she was immune to romance, so she asked:

"Do you have any wishes?"

Yu Zhiwan stopped her wheelchair:

"No wishes, but I have two things I want to tell you."

Pei Yujang asked, "What are they?"

"My hands are cold."

Pei Yujang rubbed her hands together, generating some warmth, and moved behind Yu Zhiwan, taking the Omega's hands and slipping them into her pockets. She leaned over to rest on the wheelchair, changing position so she could push Yu Zhiwan from behind.

Yu Zhiwan started moving again.

She seemed pleased with Pei Yujang's sudden thoughtfulness, a smile creeping onto her lips as the warm breath from her mouth melted the cold snow at her temple.

"The second thing is, using our full names feels too distant. Can we use something else outside of work?"