Chapter 643
Sharing the Snow
At first, Han Zhou assumed that Ouyang Lianyu was attracted by the eyeglasses promotional advertisement outside the mall—
That was a very old-fashioned customer referral program. As long as you refer a new person, both of you can enjoy the discount at the same time. That's why the other party suddenly asked about his glasses prescription, even though he doesn't wear glasses at all.
But then he became wary again, suspecting that there was a hidden meaning in her words. After all, he had just said that Ouyang Lianyu's former classmates did not pursue her because of poor eyesight, or even blindness. Now that she was asking him about his eyesight, was she indirectly questioning why he did not pursue her?
Fortunately, he realized he had been overthinking it until the very end. It turned out that a gust of wind had swept snowflakes into the mall, and Ouyang Lianyu had rubbed her eyes in the process, accidentally knocking out her contact lens. Her sudden question about his eyesight was simply to find out if he could see the lens on the ground.
With Han Zhou's excellent vision of 5.2, he easily found the contact lens. However, Ouyang Lianyu did not carry contact lens solution with her, so for hygiene reasons, she definitely could not wear the contact lens.
Han Zhou stood up and said, "You wait here, I'll go to the glasses shop and buy you a new pair."
"no need."
Ouyang Lianyu shook her head, "I wear daily disposables, and I have several spares at home, so there's no need to waste money."
"What is a daily disposable?" Han Zhou asked curiously.
"It refers to disposable contact lenses, as well as monthly and yearly lenses, which are contact lenses that can be worn for one month and one year respectively. Only those types of contact lenses require contact lens solution."
Ouyang Lianyu glanced at him sideways, "You don't think I'm careless for not carrying contact lens solution with me, do you?"
This was the first time Han Zhou had heard that there were so many different types of contact lenses. He waved his hands repeatedly, saying, "No, no, but is it really okay to see with only one eye?"
"It's okay, just a little dizzy."
Ouyang Lianyu glanced around, "But it's not a big problem."
Seeing how relaxed she sounded, Han Zhou didn't take it too seriously and suggested, "Since we're already here, why don't we go shopping?"
Upon hearing this, Ouyang Lianyu was completely certain of one thing: the "date" Han Zhou mentioned was not a date between lovers. He was simply worried that she would be too bored by herself, so he took the time to spend with her.
But that's fine too. If it were a real date between couples, she wouldn't know what to do.
She stood up and nodded gently: "Okay."
The two walked into the mall side by side, unaware that a girl was hiding in the crowd not far away, quietly watching them.
Ouyang Lianyu's dizziness was more severe than she had expected. She was already feeling dizzy and disoriented before she had even finished shopping at halfway through the mall, as if she had been drinking fake alcohol. Han Zhou suggested taking a taxi to send her back, but she refused, insisting on walking back in the snow.
Han Zhou couldn't persuade her otherwise, so he had to compromise and said, "We can walk back, but you have to take out your other contact lens first."
Ouyang Lianyu had actually considered this method, but unfortunately she was farsighted and had very poor night vision. If she really took off her glasses completely, she wouldn't be able to see anything.
She voiced her concerns.
Han Zhou had anticipated this, and sighed, "If you don't want to take a taxi, then I'll have to lead you around."
"How do we lead him?" Ouyang Lianyu was taken aback.
"How else can we hold hands? Of course, we hold hands."
Han Zhou originally intended to use this as an excuse to make her back down and obediently take the car back, but to his surprise, Ouyang Lianyu's face showed a thoughtful expression, as if she was really considering the feasibility of this suggestion.
So he quickly added, "Or you could grab my sleeve too..."
Before I could finish speaking, a warm hand slipped into my palm.
It's amazing how girls' hands always seem so small, no matter how old they are, only three-quarters the size of his... Wait, what am I thinking? Shouldn't the focus be on the fact that Teacher Ouyang really held my hand?
Han Zhou was startled and turned to look. He saw that Ouyang Lianyu, who had taken off her contact lenses, looked a little nervous. It seemed that she really couldn't see anything and felt very insecure, which was why she had to grab his hand.
"Walk slower later, I can't see where I'm going..."
It was clear that Ouyang Lianyu was somewhat embarrassed by being forced to do this. Her eyes darted away, and she didn't dare to look at him at all. Anyone who didn't know the situation would think that he was the one who took her hand first.
Han Zhou was both amused and exasperated. He wanted to say something, but seeing her like this, he gave up the idea of teasing her. He simply said, "Watch the steps," and then led her towards another entrance of the mall.
"Are we going back now?" he asked.
Since she couldn't see anything anyway, there was no point in shopping anymore. So Ouyang Lianyu nodded and turned to look at Han Zhou's expression, but all she saw was a blurry patch of color. She couldn't even tell if he was looking at her or not.
It is said that after losing sight, other senses become more acute, but she did not feel that way at all. Instead, she felt that her hearing and sense of smell had deteriorated.
The mall was noisy just a moment ago, and the aroma of pastries filled the air. But now, the world seemed to have suddenly become quiet, and the sweet fragrance that had been lingering around my nose had vanished.
The only thing that was still somewhat clear was the scalding heat coming from my palm.
Stepping out of the mall, perhaps due to the illusion caused by my lost vision, the snow seemed to be falling even heavier.
The world was a vast expanse of white, mixed with colorful lights. Blurry figures rose and fell in the lights, and the sound of traffic kept ringing in her ears. It was as if there were traffic lights everywhere and pedestrians crossing the road everywhere, which made her subconsciously tighten her grip on Han Zhou's hand.
Even so, she still stumbled and almost fell to the ground, but fortunately Han Zhou pulled her up in time.
Then I heard the other person's laughter: "Aren't you really going to consider taking a taxi back?"
She did not speak.
After stumbling for the fourth time, even though Han Zhou always managed to pull her up in time, she no longer wanted to live in fear like this. Unconsciously, her actions changed from holding hands to hugging Han Zhou's arm.
The next second, Han Zhou's voice rang in my ears again: "Teacher Ouyang, the candied hawthorn in your hand is almost poking my face."
She had no time to correct the other person's form of address, nor did she care about how she addressed them. She said apologetically, "Could you help the teacher with this?"
Even though they were at their closest physical distance, the distance between them inexplicably returned to that of teacher and student.
Han Zhou took the candied hawthorn, and said with a wry smile, "How long have you had this candied hawthorn? Why haven't you eaten a single bite?"
"You have to take off your mask to eat, what if a student passing by sees you?"
"You can just pull your mask down a little, take a bite, and then pull it back up immediately."
Han Zhou often hung out with Mo Yixia. Although he hadn't seen her eat in public much, he had seen how she drank water.
"Wouldn't that be too strange..." Ouyang Lianyu hesitated.
She had actually wanted to try that candied hawthorn for a long time, but she just hadn't had the chance.
Isn't it strange that you're hugging my arm like this...? Han Zhou suppressed the urge to retort: "Don't think so much, just keep your head down and eat, no one will recognize you."
He held the candied hawthorn to her lips.
Ouyang Lianyu hesitated for a moment, then pulled her mask down further and leaned in to take a small bite.
The next second, Han Zhou gasped.
"Teacher Ouyang, you bit my hand."
"Oh? But your hands smell so good..."
"Because I was just kidding you."
Han Zhou laughed heartily, "Those are boneless chicken feet. I just bought them on the way. You didn't even see them?"
"You!" Ouyang Lianyu was about to lash out, but she couldn't see Han Zhou's expression at the moment. She could only hear his heartfelt laughter, and for some reason, she also started to laugh.
"Is it good?" Han Zhou asked.
“…Mmm,” she replied softly.
"Want another bite? Ouch—wait, wait, Teacher Ouyang, you really bit my hand this time..."
Even though it wasn't a date between couples, today's date was undoubtedly a failure.
The entire activity consisted of just strolling around, and it snowed the whole way. She also accidentally lost her glasses, so now she has to hold onto someone's arm to get home.
But her heart felt filled with something else.
Perhaps it's because, on this snowy night when the roads are blocked, having someone willing to lead you home, even though you can't see, is inherently a very romantic thing.
You should know that Han Zhou wasn't wearing anything, not even a scarf. After walking for just over ten minutes, a thin layer of white had already accumulated on the top of his head. In her blurry vision, it looked as if his hair had turned white overnight.
A subtle feeling arose in my heart.
The next second, the murmur beside me perfectly described this feeling—
If we are together in the snow someday, then we can be considered to have grown old together in this life.
On this snowy night, watching the couples coming and going on the street, Han Zhou naturally thought of this widely circulated saying from his previous life and murmured it aloud. But this saying does not exist in this world. His sudden "poetic inspiration" made it seem as if he had just expressed his feelings.
Ouyang Lianyu was stunned.
However, she didn't ask about the origin of the quote, nor did she ask Han Zhou why he would suddenly say such a thing. She simply closed her eyes and suddenly asked this question:
"Han Zhou, do you believe in Santa Claus?"
This was the question Han Zhou asked her at the beginning, and now she also wants to know his answer.
"I'll believe it if there's a gift in the stocking I hang by my bed tomorrow morning," Han Zhou said with a smile.
"Then when we get to my house later, you can give me your socks."
"But I only have this one pair of socks on my feet..."
Ouyang Lianyu didn't respond. She kept her eyes closed and began to try to recall her personality and appearance when she was eighteen. She also tried to recall the people and things around her at that time, but it had been too long and she could no longer remember most of them.
However, she vaguely remembered that she received quite a few greeting cards and confessions of love back then. From high school to college, she also received many holiday gifts, including apples for peace and safety.
But why didn't I accept any gifts back then?
She couldn't figure it out. Unlike mathematics, which always has a definite answer, this kind of thing seemed to never have a definite answer.
But she seems to have figured it out now.
Perhaps it was because... at that time, I didn't believe that Santa Claus existed in this world.
She opened her eyes and subconsciously looked around, but all she could see were blurry lights and figures.
Since she couldn't see clearly, she decided to pretend that no one was passing by. So she pulled down her mask, lowered her head, and gently bit off a candied hawthorn from Han Zhou's hand.
The crisp, hard sugar shell of the candied hawthorn shattered between her teeth, and the sweet and sour taste melted on her tongue, making her squint her eyes and quietly tighten her grip on his arm.
"Han Zhou, Merry Christmas," she said softly.
"Merry Christmas."
……
When Han Zhou arrived at the pastry shop, it was already nine o'clock in the evening.
After escorting Ouyang Lianyu home, he ultimately couldn't bring himself to take off one of his socks and leave it for her, but she still gave him a gift—
It is a complete set of "Fox Shadow Hero" hardcover comics.
Han Zhou never expected that Teacher Ouyang would give him such a gift. Could it be that she is also a fan of Fox Shadow Knight in private?
As for why I said "also"...
Pushing open the glass door of the pastry shop, the doorbell rang crisply, and the rich aroma of baking instantly enveloped the surrounding wind and snow.
The store was still open, and Zhong Yin was cleaning the counter. Hearing the bell, he thought it was a customer, but when he looked up and saw him, his expression instantly turned cold.
"Sister Yin, I'm here."
Han Zhou shook off the snowflakes from his clothes and walked into the shop with a smile.
Zhong Yin looked outside the shop and, seeing that no one else was following, frowned slightly: "What are you doing here?"
Han Zhou rubbed his hands together and sat down at the counter without any hesitation: "According to the usual procedure, you should say 'you shouldn't have come' at this time."
Zhong Yin didn't understand what he was saying, and without looking up, said, "You really shouldn't have come."
“But I still came.” Han Zhou immediately replied.
"Get out if you talk like that again."
Zhong Yin spoke coldly, but despite saying that, she still went to get a cup of hot water and reluctantly placed it on the table, the steam rising slowly in the cold air.
Han Zhou chuckled and placed the comic book set on the counter: "Want to read comics?"
Zhong Yin paused in her work, and upon seeing the man wearing a half-mask on the cover, she was taken aback: "A gift for me?"
How did this guy know I like Fox Shadow Hero...?
"Uh... this was a gift from Teacher Ouyang, so I can't give it to you."
Zhong Yin's expression turned cold again. She threw down her things and went to clean the kitchen, ignoring him completely.
Han Zhou felt bad watching her work alone, so he grabbed a broom and followed her.
"Didn't my senior come to help at the store today?" he asked while cleaning.
“Xiaoling has her own things to do. Do you think everyone is like you, doing nothing all day long?”
Zhong Yin said expressionlessly, "Also, you haven't answered my question yet. Today is Christmas Eve, why aren't you with Gu Zheng? What are you doing here?"
"I'd like to confirm the details of that incident again," Han Zhou said truthfully.
Zhong Yin paused in his actions: "Are you sure you want to choose tonight?"
"I thought you weren't interested in these kinds of holidays," Han Zhou said in surprise.
"I'm not really interested in Christmas, but today is Christmas Eve."
Zhong Yin deliberately emphasized the pronunciation of the word "peace," as if to stress something. (End of Chapter)