The closer they got to the riverbank, the stronger the holiday atmosphere became. Since they were heading to the mall and didn’t want to attract attention, Nora Scott decided against wearing her warm military coat. Although she tried to stay warm, the sharp river wind was biting and it was definitely chilly. Looking to her side... Pedro Langley, true to his reputation as a trendsetter in the health and wellness world, was dressed both warmly and stylishly. He wore a long black coat that looked thick and warm, unafraid of the biting wind, and undeterred by snow and ice. His confident strides seemed steadier than those of the people around him. Pulling her scarf a bit tighter, Nora frowned and asked, "Are you cold?" Pedro replied, turning his head to look at her. Nora eyed his coat, memorizing the brand mentally. Just as she was about to look away, she heard him drawl slowly, "I can’t give you my coat, but you can have a pocket." Her gaze dropped to his pocket, lingering there for two seconds before looking away. "You keep it for yourself," Nora said. "We martial world people are frost-resistant." Pedro glanced at her, speaking leisurely, "Is it because of your righteous aura or your thick skin?" Nora raised an eyebrow, challengingly tilting her head, "Huh, if your mouth doesn’t shut up for a while, will it automatically sew itself shut?" Pedro replied, "That doesn’t seem scientifically possible." Raising her eyelids, Nora silently stared at him, unable to find words to retort. "That watch you picked..." he shifted his gaze to the bag she was carrying, squinting slightly, "Is that for my birthday present?" At his mention, Nora’s eyelid twitched. Instinctively, she moved her hand back, although she stopped just in time, but it didn’t stop the bag from slightly swaying, betraying her guilty conscience. Then, Nora lifted her gaze to meet Pedro’s probing, playful eyes. She paused for two seconds and said flatly, "No." Ninety percent sure, Pedro was a bit surprised to hear this and raised an eyebrow, "Really?" Nora nodded calmly and confidently. Faced with the choice of either ’shoving the bag at him’ or ’adamantly denying being seen through’, Nora unhesitatingly chose the latter. Pedro’s lowered voice held an undertone of meaning. Nora pretended not to hear. Her gaze fixed not far away, beyond the stone railing by the river, the scene of people pressing against each other met her eyes, bustling and crowded, barely any open space to be seen. Another gust of river wind blew across her face, the cold wind was like knives, slicing through her skin and sinking into her bones, leaving her head tingling with cold. "You don’t have to watch fireworks by the river," Nora glanced at the time, seeming to suggest casually, "How about we go somewhere else?" Pedro quietly watched her, his pupils reflecting shallow ripples of laughter, layer upon layer under the refracted neon lights. After a while, he smiled lightly, nodding in agreement. There’s still half an hour to midnight. The light was dim, shadows overlapped, and the narrow gap was just enough for the two of them to stand face to face, a few fists apart, eyes locked on one another. This was an alleyway sheltered from the wind, with the river wind sneaking through from the side occasionally, lightly brushing by, but not a major issue. After peeling a chestnut and popping it into her mouth, Nora leaned against the wall, furrowing her brows and giving Pedro a look, "You seem not very pleased?" Pedro’s expression was hard to read; he sighed, "I shouldn’t have had hopes for your taste." Pedro’s tone held a touch of helplessness, "To see higher, to see further." Instinctively, Nora tilted her head back, looking upward. Through the narrow gap, she could see the pitch-black night sky, no stars or moon, only occasional snowflakes appeared in the dim yellow light. The edge of a tall building was visible out of the corner of her eye, a streak of grey standing tall and cold amidst the city’s dazzling lights, lacking some warmth and humanity. Yet, the view was indeed good. After a long pause, Nora grabbed a handful of sugar roasted chestnuts from the paper bag in her pocket and extended her fist towards Pedro. Pedro frowned curiously but instinctively opened his hand. With his fingers open, Nora placed the roasted chestnuts in his hand, saying, "Eat them. By the time you finish, it’ll almost be time." Surprised, Pedro raised an eyebrow, glancing around; though the narrow alley was cleaned up, it had a damp and stale smell, and a trash can stood not far away, rather eye-catching. "Eat here?" Pedro was simply astonished. "Or should I book you a place in the high-rise?" Such sincere words, delivered in such a sarcastic tone. Pedro said nothing, silently staring at Nora. Nora didn’t meet his eyes; she tugged at her coat’s hem, clutched the bag, and squatted down to sit directly on the stone steps leading to the residential area. Peeling a chestnut and tossing it into her mouth, Nora hooked the plastic bag handle of the bag, speaking slowly, "We’re just temporary partners here; if you’re not happy, you can leave anytime." Before she finished speaking, a shadow suddenly fell, and the bag tugged at her fingers was pulled away. Pedro took the paper bag out, leaving one plastic bag empty, throwing chestnut shells into it, then walked to her side and sat down on the cool stone steps. Turning to look at him, Nora tossed the chestnut shells into the bag, frowning, "Don’t you think..." Pedro handed her two peeled chestnuts. After contemplating for a while, Nora said strangely, "Doesn’t this scene look familiar?" After peeling another chestnut, Pedro paused for two seconds and nodded, "Kind of like the time you were prepared to head toward a path of crime." Nora hissed through gritted teeth, "With a mouth like yours, why haven’t you been beaten to death yet?" "Isn’t it because you have my back?" Pedro asked as if it was self-evident. Prompted by Pedro, Nora did remember an incident like that. The year she met Pedro, she was helping the police stake out someone, squatting in a similar alley half the night. Pedro passed by in the latter half, surprised to see her, and after learning the context, he stayed with her for the rest of the night until dawn. That spring was chilly, just as cold as today, the two frozen into human ice statues, foolishly standing in the northwest wind, wide-eyed and clueless. She really had said those words. "How did I end up on a path of no return while doing good and standing up for justice?" Nora asked, bewildered. Glancing lazily at her, Pedro calmly replied, "Without me holding you back, you could have turned your righteous stand into excessive homicide." Nora was at a loss for words and wanted to wipe her face but realized her fingers were pitch-black, so she gave up. Pedro timely handed over a pack of wet wipes. Taking one, Nora wiped her fingers one by one, when suddenly she heard Pedro ask— "What is it that you can’t let go of?"