Chapter 659
All or Nothing
"Sister Yin! Senior! Over here!"
At 6:30 p.m., the gymnasium was already bustling with noise. The seats were almost full, and many students who hadn't found seats were still crammed into the aisles, standing on tiptoe to look at the stage. The red velvet curtain hadn't been drawn yet, and the warm-up music was playing loudly on a loop, pushing the anticipation to a critical point.
The Zhong sisters looked in the direction of the sound and saw Han Zhou holding up two program schedules, waving to them from the crowd.
He was wearing a long black coat today, making him stand out by the checkpoint at the entrance. The wisps of hair on his forehead were slightly ruffled by the wind brought in from outside, but it did not detract from his handsome face at all. Several girls passing by noticeably slowed down and couldn't help but glance at him.
Zhong Yin frowned upon seeing this.
Zhong Ling thought she didn't want to see Han Zhou, and suddenly became a little nervous.
That night, a lot happened after my sister and junior got drunk, but the junior seemed to remember nothing. As for my sister... she felt like she remembered some things, but she wasn't sure.
"What are you waiting for? If you don't go in now, there won't be any seats left." Han Zhou smiled and waved to them, signaling them to follow.
Zhong Yin and Zhong Ling followed him into the museum. Two student council members checked the tickets and then symbolically scanned them with a detector before letting them in.
This is almost the size of a small concert… Zhong Yin surveyed the elaborate setup inside the venue and asked, “Where are the others?”
“Everyone except Xiaoxiao is here,” Han Zhou replied. “Even Yixia is here.”
"Yisha?"
Upon hearing this, both sisters were taken aback. Zhong Ling looked worried and glanced towards the stage subconsciously, while Zhong Yin frowned slightly, "Isn't letting her come at this time just adding fuel to the fire?"
"I didn't ask her to come."
Han Zhou didn't explain much, and instead sent a message to Xiao Xiaoxiao on his phone, "Don't worry, I won't let her meet Gu Zheng tonight."
"Where is she now?"
"The broadcast control room has monitors that can show tonight's performance."
"You just left her there all by herself?"
“I don’t want to either, but I can’t be in two places at once. Tonight’s performance is very important for Guzheng. I promised to sit in the front row and watch her dance. Besides, this is also Yixia’s idea.”
Han Zhou remained calm. Just as Xia Qing had said, it's impossible to keep the water level. So sometimes, he had to give up trying to keep the water level. Rather than wasting his time, he might as well just give another person a fresh bowl of water.
"Heh." Zhong Yin sneered, "Have you considered the worst-case scenario? What if one day they both have very important matters to attend to?"
"To be precise, the worst-case scenario would be that all three of them have very important matters to attend to..."
Han Zhou's previously calm expression faltered slightly, and he said somewhat awkwardly, "If that day ever comes, I will try my best to figure out a way to create clones."
As he spoke, he led the two to the fourth row of seats. The first row was reserved for faculty and staff. If he hadn't gone to great lengths to get through Xia Qing's back door and used Ouyang Lianyu's connections, he would have been able to sit in this seat anyway.
Wang Lengqiu had been waiting there for a long time. When she saw the two arrive, she nodded slightly. She seemed indifferent, but in fact, she was much better than before.
Zhong Yin nodded in acknowledgment and sat down beside her, while Zhong Ling sat to her left, with an empty seat next to her, clearly reserved for Xiao Xiaoxiao.
If it were Yi Xia sitting here, this scene would really feel like we were back at the concert... Han Zhou chuckled to himself and said, "Sister Yin, I'll have to trouble you to look after Senior Wang Lengqiu. Xiao Xiao hasn't replied to my messages and isn't answering her phone. I'll go look for her."
"You really have a lot on your mind," Zhong Yin said coldly.
"After all, it's a New Year's Eve party that only happens once a year."
Han Zhou turned around and smiled, "On this rare day, I hope no one is missing."
Zhong Yin was slightly taken aback, looked at his back, and ultimately said nothing more.
Wang Lengqiu, standing beside her, turned her head and looked at her quietly for a moment before speaking softly:
"Sister Zhong Yin".
"What's wrong?" Zhong Yin responded subconsciously.
"nothing."
Wang Lengqiu shook his head, his gaze lingering on her face for two seconds before looking away.
……
The snow hasn't stopped all day. The night is chilled by the snow. Fine snowflakes, like stardust crushed by the wind, flutter and fall between heaven and earth, shimmering faintly under the streetlights.
Han Zhou walked from the girls' dormitory all the way to the library, sending several messages to Xiao Xiaoxiao's roommates along the way, but none of them knew where Xiao Xiaoxiao was. So he simply put away his phone and walked towards the place where she was most likely to go.
Lake Angel in winter is already frozen over, presenting a deathly gray-white appearance, like a huge piece of black jade covered in dust, silently embedded in the snow.
A petite figure stood by the lake.
Xiao Xiaoxiao stood alone in the wind and snow. Her milky white down jacket looked particularly thin in the snow. She didn't have an umbrella, and fine snowflakes had already covered her hair and shoulders. From a distance, she looked like a delicate and fragile snowman.
When winter ends and spring arrives, the frozen Lake Angel will thaw and melt away, and the snowmen on the lake shore will disappear.
Cheers could be faintly heard coming from the direction of the stadium in the distance. Across this cold lake, they sounded like echoes from another world—lively and noisy, but irrelevant to her.
She reached out and caught a few falling snowflakes; in a moment, the glistening snowflakes melted into cool water droplets in her palm.
"...So it disappeared so easily."
Such a feeling arose in her heart, and a melancholy sigh dissipated in the wind, but it did not come from her mouth, but from behind her—
Turning her head, she saw Han Zhou walking towards her with an umbrella, a helpless smile on his face. "Why aren't you at the gym at this hour? You didn't come here specifically to wallow in self-pity, did you?"
Xiao Xiaoxiao was taken aback: "Why are you here?"
"Since you weren't answering your phone, I had no choice but to come out and look for you."
When did you call me?
"Don't tell me your phone is dead."
Han Zhou sighed helplessly, walked up to Xiao Xiaoxiao, raised his hand to brush the snow off her head and shoulders, then tilted the umbrella to shelter her under it.
"Don't pat my head."
Xiao Xiaoxiao glared at him, took out her phone from her pocket, and pressed and held the power button several times, but the screen remained black, so she had no choice but to put it away.
"It really is out of power."
Han Zhou looked suspicious: "Sometimes I really feel like you're not a 'modern person.' Who doesn't even know their phone is out of battery?"
"Does being inseparable from your phone mean you're a 'modern person'?" Xiao Xiao rolled her eyes at him.
"What I mean is, people will worry about you if you don't answer the phone for so long."
Does this "everyone" include you?
"of course."
Han Zhou smiled and shook the snow off his umbrella. "Let's go, the party is about to start."
Xiao Xiaoxiao followed behind him at a leisurely pace, pulling her scarf up around her neck, and asked curiously, "How did you know I was here?"
"Guess."
"Nonsense, I'm just asking how you guessed!" Han Zhou moved the umbrella back and looked up at the moon: "Don't you think the moon is very bright tonight?"
Although it's a snowy winter night, a bright moon hangs in the sky tonight, pouring out its silvery glow.
Xiao Xiaoxiao paused for a moment, then lowered her head and muttered, "So you still remember..."
"Remember what?" Han Zhou asked, puzzled.
Seeing his blank expression, Xiao Xiao's initial feeling of gratitude vanished instantly, and she widened her eyes: "Didn't you know I was here because you remembered what I said?"
"What I mean is, the moon is very bright tonight, and my eyesight is excellent, so I can see you from far away."
"you!"
Xiao Xiao was furious and wanted to kick him in the shin, but when she saw the snow and mud on his shoes and remembered that he had to perform on stage tonight, she had to grit her teeth and give up.
Han Zhou chuckled: "Why do you like kicking my shin so much?"
"Of course, it's to break your legs," Xiao Xiaoxiao gritted her teeth viciously, "so you won't run around all day."
"Isn't that a bit too cruel?" Han Zhou chuckled.
Xiao Xiaoxiao snorted coldly: "It's good that you know you're scared."
Seeing her smug look, Han Zhou just smiled and didn't say anything more.
As Xiao Xiaoxiao walked onto the playground, she subconsciously glanced at the icy running track, lost in thought, when she suddenly heard Han Zhou speak beside her:
"Actually, I remember."
Her pupils trembled slightly, but she feigned calmness and asked, "Remember what?"
“‘Angel Lake is most beautiful on moonlit nights, the brighter the moon, the more beautiful it is, you've definitely never seen it like that.’”
Han Zhou said softly, "I remember you said that, so I found you."
Xiao Xiaoxiao's nose tingled with emotion.
A cold wind blew from afar, bringing a biting chill and reminding her that it was still winter, a very cold winter. In winters like this, the lake would freeze over for a long time, and the snowman on the shore would not melt for a very long time.
She scoffed and buried half her face in her scarf: "I thought that in your mind, Angel Lake was only associated with Senior Wang Lengqiu."
“I never said anything like that.”
Han Zhou asked curiously, "Or rather, why do you think that way?"
"Leave me alone."
Why do I feel like everyone around me is a hypocrite… Han Zhou shook his head inwardly, looking at the petite girl beside him, his suspicion growing stronger—
Is today truly the right time?
[Event Quest Now Open: You now know the correct way to use the Mysterious Pouch. Please use the Mysterious Pouch again at the correct time next month to obtain important information. Completing the quest will grant you an important opportunity.]
This was an event task released last month, which he kept in mind. He had initially guessed that the so-called correct time referred to Christmas, but after thinking it over, he did not use the mysterious pouch on that day, and instead kept the opportunity until now.
Today is December 29th, which means there are only three days left in this month. If the correct time is not today, then it can only be New Year's Eve.
He had no basis for this guess; it was just a gut feeling—the so-called right time likely referred to the most important day for Xiao Xiaoxiao.
So... will it be tonight?
He hesitated for a moment, then suddenly realized that he was really confused. Since the person in question was right next to him, why not just ask her directly?
So he asked, "Xiaoxiao, can I ask you a question?"
"If I said no, would you stop asking?"
"That's not it."
"Then stop wasting time and ask already." Xiao Xiao glared at him irritably.
Han Zhou considered his words carefully: "If you had to choose, which day do you think is more important to you, today or New Year's Eve?"
"Tonight," Xiao Xiaoxiao replied without hesitation.
"It really is today!" Han Zhou's eyes lit up, and he couldn't help but ask again, "Why?"
If the reason is that there's a New Year's Eve gala tonight, shouldn't New Year's Eve be even more lively?
"You decide for yourself."
Xiao Xiaoxiao snorted and turned her head slightly away. "Anyway, it's tonight."
"……All right."
Han Zhou let out a breath, no longer asking any questions or hesitating. He took out the mysterious brocade pouch from his inventory and used it without hesitation.
[Mission complete. You have been given a chance to go all in.]
The status bar notification flashed before his eyes, indicating that the task had been completed as expected. However, what puzzled him was that he did not see the so-called "important information" in the brocade pouch, nor even the "junk information" he had seen before. There was only a blank piece of paper in the brocade pouch.
Could it be written with invisible ink?
Han Zhou held the piece of paper and studied it for a long time, but he couldn't see anything wrong with it. He even asked Xiao Xiaoxiao for advice, but she couldn't see anything unusual either. Instead, she complained that he shouldn't use children's things to tease her.
Han Zhou was still unwilling to give up, muttering to himself, "Could it be that I have to roast it with fire?" But what he was really thinking was that he would ask Yi Xia to help him analyze it later.
"I think you're really stupid," Xiao Xiaoxiao said irritably.
"Even though you're so smart, you can't see anything, can you?" Han Zhou glanced at her sideways.
"Tch, boring."
Xiao Xiaoxiao pouted and stopped talking.
Even with an umbrella overhead, a few snowflakes were still blown by the wind onto her eyelashes, bringing a slight chill. She looked up at the white particles that kept swirling and falling under the streetlights.
They silently covered everything, including the bustling asphalt road leading to the city, and the noisy building illuminated as if it were daytime.
The noise was kept inside, while the cold and silence remained outside, and the two walked in the middle.
“I said, Han Zhou.”
"what happened?"
Han Zhou was about to check what the so-called "desperate opportunity" meant when he heard this, he immediately turned around and looked at him, "Have you thought of anything?"
"nothing."
"Are you kidding me?"
"Yeah, I was just kidding."
Xiao Xiaoxiao gently exhaled a breath of white air, watching it quickly dissipate in the cold air, just like her unfinished words, which were swallowed up by the overwhelming snow before they could even take shape.
"Who told you to always tease me..." she said softly.
This sentence, too, was swallowed by the wind and snow. (End of Chapter)