Little Pink Starfish

The First Snow, Warm and Gentle

The death of the Shadow Guard commander passed in complete silence. Aside from the shadow guards themselves, no one even noticed that such a person had disappeared from Emperor Xianzong’s side. But Jingzhong’s death stirred up a storm in the court of Fengtian. At this moment, Gu Xingnuo revealed a second talent besides leading troops—under his control, the storm didn’t become a tempest, but it still cleared out all who needed to be eliminated.

In just under two months, the imperial court of Fengtian looked like it had been renewed.

Xianzong spent those two months on edge, waiting for Mo Wen’s retaliation. Though he eventually got word that Mo Wen had returned to Yongsheng Temple, the expected revenge never came. This gave Xianzong a moment of relief, but also left him tormented by the suspense of not knowing when the sword hanging over his head would fall. This waiting was even harder to endure than waiting for the fall of his empire.

Yu Xiaoxiao, on the other hand, felt no such pain. During this time, the gang leader (Bear Bear) and Li Wan got married. The second-in-command also married Miss Zhao San. On their wedding day, Yu Xiaoxiao even pulled Zhao Beicheng out of prison to preside over his sister’s wedding as her elder brother.

Then there was Xiao Zhuang and Miss Qian. The two were constantly revolving around the now significantly larger bear cubs. The Gu residence even arranged a guest room for Miss Qian. From Yu Xiaoxiao’s perspective, the two were clearly in the throes of romance.

Of course, that was just her opinion. To everyone else, Miss Qian was at the Gu residence every day with only one goal: to find a way to buy Bear One and Bear Two (names given by Her Highness the Princess ==). Meanwhile, Xiao Zhuang was so annoyed with Qian Mingzhu that he was ready to take his bears and leave the planet.

Boss Qian had tried to cause trouble for Xiao Zhuang too. Unfortunately for him, Yu Xiaoxiao happened to be present that day and gave him another solid beating. Left with no other option, Boss Qian turned his frustration toward Chancellor Zhao. His daughter had been betrothed by the princess to a lowly bodyguard—at the very least, he had to keep her dowry from going to waste.

As for Chancellor Zhao, his quality of life had plummeted during this time. In Yu Xiaoxiao’s eyes, he was practically living like a dog. Still, like Consort Zhao, he managed to survive with surprising tenacity.

Exactly two months after Mo Wen left Fengtian, every official in court was convinced that Gu Xingnuo would be the one to replace Zhao Qiuming. But just then, Gu Xingnuo discovered the whereabouts of a Grand Witch in the Miao region of the Zhuque Kingdom. Without hesitation, he coughed up blood in front of everyone and took a long-term medical leave from Emperor Xianzong. Without informing anyone of his plans, he left Fengtian that very night with only four guards—five men on horseback, riding south.

By this time, Fengtian had already entered winter. Three days after Gu Xingnuo’s departure, the city welcomed its first snow of the season.

That morning, without telling anyone, Yu Xiaoxiao stayed in the bedroom with Gu Xinglang. Her Highness the Princess sat on the edge of the bed, unwrapping the bandages from Gu Xinglang’s ankles.

Gu Xinglang glanced at the scars left behind. Though Yu Xiaoxiao had done an excellent job stitching the wounds, the scars still looked ugly—like two long earthworms clinging to his ankles.

“Not very pretty, huh?” Yu Xiaoxiao gently touched the scars and said, “I can do some cosmetic surgery to fix it.”

Gu Xinglang grabbed her hand and placed it on his knee. “You dislike them?”

“I don’t,” Yu Xiaoxiao shook her head. Compared to zombies, these looked great.

“Then no need,” Gu Xinglang said. “No one sees this part except you anyway.”

Yu Xiaoxiao thought that made sense. She jumped off the bed. “Xiao Gu, get down and walk a few steps for me.”

Gu Xinglang moved his feet. The wounds no longer hurt, but could he really walk? He had little confidence. He’d long since stopped hoping for a full recovery—expectations only led to disappointment.

Seeing him hesitate, Yu Xiaoxiao simply picked him up.

Gu Xinglang’s balance faltered, and he instinctively clung to her neck.

“I’m here,” Yu Xiaoxiao said. “What are you afraid of? Just try walking.”

Looking down at himself being carried by his wife, Gu Xinglang felt… this image was just too “beautiful.” He couldn’t look directly at it.

Yu Xiaoxiao set him on the ground but didn’t let go. After being bedridden for so long, it wasn’t just walking—even standing required practice.

Gu Xinglang leaned all his weight against Yu Xiaoxiao to stay upright.

“Try to feel it. Does it hurt?” Yu Xiaoxiao asked.

Gu Xinglang lifted his left leg, then set it down.

“Does it hurt?”

He shook his head.

“Right leg,” Yu Xiaoxiao said.

He tested that one too, then shook his head again. “No pain.”

Yu Xiaoxiao helped him kick both legs a few times. After a thorough check, she said happily, “Xiao Gu, congratulations—your injury is fully healed.”

Gu Xinglang tried taking a step forward, but immediately stumbled.

Luckily, Yu Xiaoxiao was strong enough to catch him.

“I think I’ve forgotten how to walk,” Gu Xinglang admitted, a mix of frustration and embarrassment on his face. If he was healed but couldn’t walk, wouldn’t he be letting his wife down?

Yu Xiaoxiao smiled—her smiles always looked stiff, but her eyes were crinkled with joy. “That’s normal,” she said. “You have to relearn how to walk like a toddler. Let’s take it step by step.”

Gu Xinglang tried standing on his own without leaning on Yu Xiaoxiao—but failed.

“You really want to walk?” Yu Xiaoxiao asked.

He nodded. Lying in bed this long had almost driven him crazy.

Yu Xiaoxiao supported him as they slowly walked forward. She didn’t let him use any force on his feet—just gently guided him from the bed to the window.

“Xiaoxiao, I can really walk?” Gu Xinglang asked.

“Yes,” she said. “Aren’t we walking right now?”

Even though Yu Xiaoxiao had always told him he would recover, when he actually found himself able to stand and take steps with his wife’s help, the happiness was so overwhelming that Gu Xinglang wondered if he was dreaming.

Yu Xiaoxiao tiptoed and gave his lips a little bite.

“Ah!” Gu Xinglang winced.

“Wake up,” she said. “You’re not dreaming.”

Gu Xinglang pressed his lips together and looked at her smiling eyes. He was so overjoyed he didn’t know how to express himself. He leaned down—whether it was a kiss or a collision, his lips landed on hers.

Yu Xiaoxiao opened the wooden window. Snowflakes, carried by the wind, landed softly on her face.

“Ah!” she exclaimed, having never seen snow before. “Xiao Gu, it’s snowing!”

Gu Xinglang leaned against the window, holding Yu Xiaoxiao close. He looked out at the snowflakes dancing in the air—silent, pure, and white. In his 17 years of life, this was the most beautiful—and warmest—snow he had ever seen.