But what’s the point? "However long you stay, you still have to leave," Li Sihe looked around the quiet yet opulent hall, his eyes heavy with weariness and his voice rough and unpleasant. He said, "How can an island where it snows all year round keep the moon of Xiangjiang?" Li Sihe’s gaze, through the floor-to-ceiling windows and the snow outside, seemed to go back to that year. Bian Yue, at 16, ran towards him. That was their first New Year’s Eve living together. Wen Jiao, Bian Yue’s new friend, had gone to the countryside for the New Year and disappeared. Bian Yue stayed with him in the quiet hall of the Li Family, watching the dense drizzle outside. There is no snow in Xiangjiang all year round, but there is always unexpected rain. Holding a sparkler in her hand, Bian Yue looked out the window with annoyance and dissatisfaction in her voice: "Why is it raining again? We haven’t set off fireworks yet!" Li Sihe was spirited that year, not yet knowing how arduous the road ahead would be. He had finished a year’s work, and Li Tingmo, along with Tang Yuwei, were out enjoying themselves; a rare chance for him to ease up. So, he walked over to Bian Yue and said with a smile, "Why do you want to set off fireworks?" "At home, Dad and Mom would always set off fireworks with me..." She said, her head lowered, as if she was about to cry again. Li Sihe merely asked casually, not intending to make Bian Yue’s eyes brim with tears. He panicked a bit and quickly said, "Then we’ll set off fireworks too, don’t cry, okay?" Bian Yue, with her delicate nose and childish face that was both cute and beautiful, said, "Li Sihe, will you send me away?" Googlᴇ search novel~fire~net "Why do you ask that?" "Auntie and Uncle adopted me because of my mom and dad... but... you can’t adopt me forever... we’re neither kin nor kindred..." Bian Yue clutched the sparkler in her hand and said, "I don’t want to go to a strange place, if you think I’m a burden, could you sell this house to me?" By then, Li Sihe knew that Bian Yue was the fiancée chosen for him by Li Tingmo. She held the Bian Family’s expensive inheritance, her value was considerable, she possessed everything that matched him. She wouldn’t be kicked out. This was exploitation. It was also a good match. But at this moment, these high-sounding words became flimsy excuses in the girl’s watery eyes. He was silent for a moment, then said: "You won’t be kicked out, as long as you want, you can always live in the Li Family." Bian Yue quickly wiped the tears from her eyes, her smile appearing in the moment after she finished speaking. She completely, thoroughly, without a hint of hesitation, believed his words. What kind of trust was this? "Really? I can always stay here, never leave?" Li Sihe’s expression was complex as he said, "You can always stay, never leave." Exploitation should exist; it was the unexpected affection that shouldn’t. But humans are not plants or trees; how could everything be driven by rationality? Li Sihe felt Bian Yue taking his hand, she said, "Then let’s go outside to set off fireworks, I want to make a wish." Feeling their palms touch, the instant warmth transmitted between them, Li Sihe was momentarily dazed before he responded, "But the rain hasn’t stopped." "It’s okay if the rain hasn’t stopped! You can still make a wish in the rain!" With these words, Bian Yue grasped his hand without any hesitation and rushed towards the door. That night, the two squatted in the rainy courtyard, Li Sihe draping his jacket over Bian Yue’s head, looking at the young girl’s face shielded beneath the garment. Within the rain and fireworks, a bright and beautiful smiling face. Bian Yue’s face was partially hidden in the shadows, but her eyes shone so bright and beautiful. She spoke slowly and melodiously, "Li Sihe and Bian Yue must not part; we should always be together." Her words did not contain love, but rather an affectionate longing and dependency. How to distinguish between love and habit? Li Sihe thought that if the outcome was the same—a consistent inability to separate—then there would be no difference. At that moment, he was certain of one thing: his feelings were definitely not mere dependency. After Bian Yue finished making her wish, she looked at him happily, her voice low as if she was waking from a dream, "If I say it out loud , does it mean it won’t come true?" "It will," Li Sihe said. "It will come true." "Then you make a wish too! I want to hear it," Bian Yue said, handing him the sparkler. The sparkler was already half burnt. Li Sihe took it, his face gentle, his smile graceful, "My wish is for Bian Yue’s wish to come true." She giggled foolishly, joyfully, and cheerfully said, "Li Sihe, you really are the best person in the world, the very best!" Her words were so sincere. Li Sihe knew what kind of person he was, knew how hypocritical he was, and how self-serving. Only in Bian Yue’s eyes was he tender and perfect. But Li Sihe did not want Bian Yue to have even the slightest doubt. So he calmly accepted her praise, smiling, "Yueyue, you are also the cutest girl in the world." Bian Yue’s smile deepened. She moved closer to him, whispering, "Li Sihe, let’s light some big fireworks. I want to see the big ones!" "The best would last 10 minutes!" So Li Sihe had Bai Xu bring a bunch of fireworks, and they set them off in the courtyard for a very long time, until Bian Yue, looking up, complained she couldn’t do it anymore, her neck ached. They witnessed a magnificent display together; then, after the fireworks had faded, they stood under the quiet eaves. The rain had stopped at some unknown time, and with a genuine smile, Bian Yue said softly, "Li Sihe, I was really happy this New Year’s too!" She spoke of happiness, yet there was a fog of rainy season moisture in her eyes. Li Sihe, looking at her, felt that the moisture in her eyes fell so accurately and directly onto his heart. Thus, his heart ached, and his love was unavoidable... He had actually fallen for her much earlier than Bian Yue... It’s just that his rationality suppressed his emotions inch by inch, only to be uprooted without mercy by Bian Yue. And now, looking at the snowy scene outside the window, an inexplicable, warm sourness filled the bottom of his eyes... Bian Yue woke up several times in the night, her periods had come, and she found it hard to sleep at night. Shen Jinci always woke up promptly, patting her back, his voice full of concern, "Can’t sleep again?" "I feel awful," Bian Yue said. "Shen Jinci, I had a nightmare." In a gentle voice, Shen Jinci asked her, "What did Little Yue dream about?" Bian Yue said she dreamt that we were separated again. Shen Jinci was silent for a moment before turning on the bedside lamp. Bian Yue looked at Shen Jinci’s face, his demeanor cool, his eyes and brows tender. He took Bian Yue’s hand and placed it on his face, saying patiently, "See, I’m right here with you, aren’t I?"