"I'm glad that you like it," Sheffield whispered into her ears and circled his arms around her slim waist. He kissed the back of her ears and tightened his arms around her. Evelyn's happiness was the only thing that mattered to him the most.
The fireworks brightened up the sky. They varied in their shapes and sizes. Some were like the blooming chrysanthemum, while others seemed as if they were peonies. Several eyes lit up as they gazed at the scenery without blinking.
Women would raise their heads and express their admiration, pointing fingers at the fireworks.
Evelyn and Sheffield stood holding hands on the bridge. Their clothes fluttered in the wind. From a distance, it seemed to be beautiful scenery in the snow.
The fireworks kept blooming in the air for half an hour before they were over. Sheffield gently tugged Evelyn down the bridge by pulling their interlaced fingers. The two walked toward the courtyard.
The snowfall stopped, but the ground was still covered in a white sheet. It wasn't too cold, though, since they wore warm clothing.
They came to an empty area when a thought flashed in her mind. She cast him a meaningful look before letting go of his hands. Evelyn squatted down and began to write his name on the snow.
She admired her work, but still, she felt like something was missing. Her brows furrowed for a moment before she looked at the name in the snow again. She smiled and gave a quick glance at Sheffield only to add a heart shape around the name. Sheffield, who was gazing at her with a smile on his face, took his phone out to snap a picture of the scene to forever capture her ancient beauty on his phone.
Sheffield put his phone away and added Evelyn's name beside his only to admire the scene after standing up. Their names were close to each other, as were their hearts.
This moment was so beautiful that Evelyn wanted to freeze it for eternity. She touched the area of her chest where her heart was overflowing with warmth. Evelyn swept an affectionate glance at him and her mouth curved up.
Sheffield caressed her cheek. "Evelyn," —he paused for a moment, staring at her with eyes full of longing—"let me take you away."
"To where?" She frowned and cast him a confused look.
Evelyn gazed into his eyes, trying hard to see through his serious face. She wanted to know what he had been feeling, but she failed. That was when Sheffield smiled sweetly at her. "Let me get you out of here, to a place where no one knows us. I will support and protect you all your life. It will be just us and no one else to break us apart."
Her heart skipped a beat. If it weren't for her crazy rational mind, she would have nodded right there. She became desperately tempted as soon as she heard his words.
If they left this place and secretly eloped to another city or state, no one would know. They could start over and be together forever. How wonderful would that be!
That was when a thought came in her head with lightning speed. Her expressions changed from sweet to scared in the blink of an eye. Various 'what ifs' took over her heart making her thoroughly frightened. Evelyn's heartbeat quickened, and she released his hand looking at the ground. "I'm sorry." She didn't know what else to say.
She just didn't have the courage to run away with him. Evelyn couldn't drop everything and leave without hesitation. Her family loved her too much, and she couldn't afford to leave them for the lifetime. Even if she ignored her father's feelings, she had to think about her grandma and her mother. That was why she couldn't leave.
Sheffield could scold her for being a coward, or timid, but she really couldn't abandon her family.
Just when Evelyn thought she had hurt Sheffield's feelings, he burst out laughing. She could see his chest vibrating constantly. He pulled her closer. "I was just kidding! You freaked out, didn't you? I wouldn't have run away with you. I'm afraid if I do, Mr. Huo would hunt me down and break both of my legs. If I lose my legs, you would not want me anymore." His eyes flashed a hint of sadness momentarily. "It's really not a good deal! I'm smarter than that."
She narrowed her eyes, trying hard to read his mind. Still, it was impossible to find a shred of disappointment because of her rejection. It seemed he either hid his feelings well or he really was just teasing her. She couldn't see anything except a smile on his face. Maybe it was the second reason.
Since she was still silent, he continued consoling her. "Wow, it turns out you are so timid. I was just kidding. Look at you. You're even too scared to talk."
Evelyn heaved a sigh of relief and hit him on the shoulder. "How can you joke about something like that? It's not funny." She was really scared to death.
"Alright." Sheffield stopped laughing and smiled at her. "I'm sorry. It's my fault." He gently held her hand that hit him earlier. Evelyn rolled her eyes.
When they were back in the room, he shut the door and pressed the woman against the door. "Evelyn, I will surely die in your hands!" His whisper made her tremble all over.
Evelyn's face went red at that. "That's an exaggeration!"
Before she could think of more comebacks, he shut her mouth by pressing his lips against hers. The room that was silent a moment ago echoed the sound of kissing for half a minute. He knew it was not an exaggeration. Both went to bed, exhausted by their exercise on the door and rolled on the sheets throughout the night.
The red candles in the room had been burning all night, and it was not until dawn when the couple in bed cuddled and fell asleep. Later, the candles gradually went out.
It was lunar December 30th. In the morning, Evelyn was woken up to a kiss from Sheffield. She could feel his swollen lips pressed against hers for a long time. Even though she wanted to kiss back, she couldn't open her eyes. She was just too sleepy! Her brows furrowed when he still didn't give up, and she turned her back to him.
He kissed her exposed neck and tucked her in. Although the heating was on, he was afraid that she might catch a cold in such a cold winter. "Evelyn, wake up. We have other plans later," he said softly.
The woman didn't move.
Evelyn would usually get up at six or seven o'clock in the morning. But it was already nine, and she didn't move an inch.
Of course, it was all the man's fault. He was now gentle and had the patience to wake her up. But the night before, he wouldn't let her go until after dawn!
He poked her shoulders. "Honey, I'm hungry." Sheffield had used too much energy the night before. Now when he had missed breakfast, his stomach started to grumble.
Evelyn still didn't budge.
He continued trying to get her out of bed only to fail after half an hour. He sighed and used his phone to order their breakfast.
Sheffield looked at the watch, and his eyes showed a flash of sadness. "Evelyn, if I take you home late, Mr. Huo will blame me for it, and I'll never be able to be with you anymore. Don't you want to be with me? I know you do. Evelyn, sweetie. Get up."
She had no choice but to open her eyes. In a hoarse voice, she asked, "Why are you nagging in my ears? Are you the incarnation of Tang Sanzang*?" (*TN: Tang Sanzang is the Master in "The Pilgrimage to the West.")
"No, I'm the incarnation of the White Dragon Horse*." (*TN: White Dragon Horse is the son of the Dragon King of the West Sea. He eats Tang Sanzang's horse, and he is forced to act as his steed for the rest of the Pilgrimage to the West.)
"Why?"
"Because I'm as handsome as him!"
Evelyn rolled her eyes at him. "Go away! I need more sleep."
"It's nine-thirty in the morning. Breakfast will soon be here. After eating, let's walk around. There is a beautiful maple forest. Imagine red maple leaves covered with white snow. How beautiful is that!"
It did sound beautiful, but... Her eyelids felt so heavy that they dropped again. "You are lying. It's winter. Maple leaves should have all fallen." Maple trees cannot live in a cold place.
"It's true in other places. But here, you would still see many leaves on the branches."
"I don't believe you. You're lying." Evelyn didn't want to get up. She could barely keep her eyes open.
"Liar! Liar! Pants on fire!"
Sheffield's grin widened. Evelyn had to control the urge to roll her eyes at him. 'Uh, how childish he is!'
She pouted and got out of bed. Evelyn kicked him lightly. "If you don't control yourself next time, I'll send you to the Black Horse Guild." She couldn't handle this man in bed.
Black Horse Guild was a famous entertainment center in Y City. The men there were all super handsome. They got acquainted with rich women.
She went to the bathroom to brush her teeth. Sheffield tagged along. "Are you sure you're willing to do that?"
"Yes, I am. Or I'll be tortured by you to death!" She didn't hesitate to give her reply.
He saw her putting toothbrush into her mouth from the mirror. "If you send me there," —he gave her a playful smile—"I'll have to accompany all kinds of rich women every day and come back at night to sleep with you, would you like it?"
She paused her movements and looked at him from the mirror. "I wouldn't."
"There you go!"
"Then I'll send you to a monastery to be a monk." Her voice wasn't clear because of the paste in her mouth.
Sheffield chuckled at her response. "Then I'll go to a monastery later. You won't be holding me anymore. It will break your heart." He put the toothbrush into his mouth and began to brush his teeth.