Chapter 78: Anomalous Time 44

As someone who had grown up in Skystar City and never seen snowflakes as big as goose feathers, Yu Bai naturally couldn’t suppress his impulse to dash into the snow and fool around on such a rare snowy day.

He wanted to stomp deep and shallow footprints one after another on roads blanketed in white, to lie in the snow gazing blankly at the sky, to pile snowmen of all shapes with hands numb from the cold, to have a rowdy snowball fight with his companions who had ventured into the snow together…

The more he thought about it, the more excited he became. He couldn’t even wait through the time it took to brush his teeth and was itching to rush outside right that instant and play to his heart’s content.

Of course, he couldn’t forget to invite Xie Wufang along.

But the moment the words left his mouth, Yu Bai realized something and quickly added on his own initiative, “Piling snowmen means, uh, after it snows, gathering the snow from the ground and shaping it into all sorts of forms…”

This was, in theory, a winter pastime unique to humans, and Xie Wufang probably hadn’t heard of it. After all, the real world before had been peak summer with not a flake in sight, so he never had a chance to learn about it.

Yet before the muffled words, wrapped in white toothpaste foam, could fully fade, the man in the living room responded calmly, as if it were the most natural thing. “Sure.”

“I know what piling snowmen is,” he said.

“Huh?” Yu Bai was instantly surprised, blurting out, “Do they pile snowmen where you’re from too?”

Even gods liked playing in the snow?!

He couldn’t quite picture the scene.

Before he could indulge in his bizarre imaginings, Xie Wufang said, “No.”

“You mentioned piling snowmen last night.”

…So it was something he had taught him.

The brown head poking out from the bathroom doorway nodded in sudden realization, then hastily ducked back in, clearly speeding up his morning routine.

At the same time, he couldn’t wait to say, “Then wait for me to finish washing up and change clothes. It’ll be quick!”

It seemed he had only fallen asleep after the snow started last night, just like when he was sober—he had brought up piling snowmen to the person beside him.

So, it really was just normal chatting after all?

Perfect.

No need to worry about what he might do when drunk in the future.

Yu Bai still didn’t particularly like drinking, but life was unpredictable, and who knew when he might want to drown himself in alcohol someday—whether out of joy or sorrow.

Besides, when he woke up today, aside from the fading headache, an inexplicable and hard-to-describe sense of happiness coursed through his body.

Light and fluffy like snowflakes, a happiness he hadn’t felt in ages.

So the person brushing his teeth and washing his face before the spotless mirror was in an exceptionally bright mood.

The god waiting in the living room asked softly, “What kind of snowman do you want to make?”

Amid the rush of running water, Yu Bai laughed and replied, “I don’t know yet—it’ll depend on what the snow feels like in my hands.”

Moments later, his fair, warm palm truly touched the snow.

Snowflakes drifting from the sky landed in his hand, stirring up a brilliant ripple in his pale eyes.

The two walked side by side into the beautiful, serene courtyard. The fur trim on their overcoats swayed gently in the wind as Yu Bai finally touched the snow that had fallen all night with his own hands.

Pure white snowflakes quietly settled into the deep black hair of the man beside him.

Then melted away without a sound.

At a distance close enough to hear each other’s breaths, gray-blue eyes like a lake gazed quietly at the person full of wonder. In this dreamlike winter day of falling snow, it etched an especially vivid and unforgettable impression.

Yu Bai stared blankly for a moment, then said in realization after a beat, “I’ve decided what kind of snowman to make.”

Xie Wufang asked, “What is it?”

“I’m not telling,” he whispered. “I don’t even know if it’ll turn out right.”

He wanted to make a snowman of Xie Wufang.

Because in that dazed instant just now, Yu Bai suddenly realized he might actually be a bit of a face-con.

…Who wouldn’t like beautiful things?

Hand fetish and face fetish were both super common human quirks.

He had just never paid attention to his own interests before, so he hadn’t noticed.

Thinking this way, Yu Bai couldn’t help laughing. He had completely forgotten about his hunger.

He took two sips of the chocolate that had been chilling overnight, then casually set the cup down on the rustic long corridor sheltered by the eaves before officially starting on the snowman.

The young man in the snow-white overcoat scooped up thick handfuls of snow from the steps. The man beside him helped gather snow too, and snippets of their quiet conversation drifted faintly through the air.

It was a beautiful scene.

So much so that the people not far away hesitated, not daring to interrupt.

Behind the snow-covered bushes, a muscular guy who had been up playing in the snow for half the morning peeked out. He sniffed from the cold air, his face conflicted.

“I really want to have a snowball fight with Little Bai…” Yan Jing clutched his phone, full of reluctance. “He even replied to my message earlier, saying he’d come soon.”

The little boy beside him, sporting a pair of red, puffy goldfish eyes, looked exasperated and snapped irritably, “Then go call him over! What are you doing hiding here?”

Yan Jing glanced at the person next to Yu Bai, his gaze shrinking back. His tone turned mournful. “…I don’t dare.”

He dared to launch a surprise snowball attack when Little Bai wasn’t looking.

But for some inexplicable reason, he didn’t dare do it in front of Xie Wufang.

A mysterious fear from the depths of his soul welled up inside him.

“It’s just a snowball fight. Is Teacher Xie really gonna eat you or something?” Yuan Yuxing immediately scoffed in disdain. “What a wuss!”

Yan Jing let out an “oh” and shot back with a look of contempt. “Don’t you have something to talk to Little Bai about? Why are you hiding here with me?”

“…” Yuan Yuxing cleared his throat and said stiffly, “None of your business!”

If he rashly barged into that idyllic duo’s serene world up ahead, he had a feeling that enigmatic young man would be seriously pissed.

…And that guy was technically his dad!

It was only natural to be scared of his dad.

“I-I’m just waiting for the right moment, okay.”

Hearing this, the little girl standing between the two adults burst out laughing.

He Xi wasn’t afraid of God Big Brother like the grown-ups were, so she thought for a moment and volunteered, “Want me to go call Brother Little Bai?”

“No no no!”

Yuan Yuxing and Yan Jing shook their heads in unison, pulling the little one behind them by the hand. “Don’t go, don’t go. We’ll wait till they’re done with the snowman!”

He Xi blinked in surprise at suddenly being protected.

Then her innocent, pure smile brightened even more. Her small hand gripped the adults’ hands tightly in return, and she happily agreed, “Okay!”

The little girl poked her head out from behind the adults, watching the scene nearby with curiosity.

She asked, “What’s Brother Little Bai drinking? It looks yummy.”

Yan Jing, taking advantage of his height and better view, peered carefully and told her, “Probably chocolate—the same kind you had at dinner last night.”

“But Little Bai just woke up not long ago. I didn’t see him in the restaurant earlier,” Yan Jing said, puzzled. “Where’d he get chocolate from? Did he order delivery?”

The habitually early-rising little boy shook his head casually. “I didn’t see any delivery come.”

“Did Little Bai make it himself? No way, he doesn’t cook that stuff.” Yan Jing suddenly looked shocked. “…Don’t tell me the Xie guy made it for him!”

“Huh?” Yuan Yuxing, who had been lost in his own thoughts, asked in surprise. “What’d you say?”

“—I said Brother Xie!”

“No, that’s not what I—” Yuan Yuxing said, then cracked up, laughing in exasperation. “Man, you’re something else!”

Yan Jing paused, then laughed too, scratching his head sheepishly. “You too.”

Snowflakes gently settled on people’s shoulders, carrying the laughter from beyond the bushes.

They drifted past the little boy’s conspicuously swollen, puffy eyes.

Once Yan Jing finished laughing, he asked him, “Uncle Yuan, did you sneakily cry again last night?”

“…What do you mean ‘sneakily’? I cried right in front of He Xi!” Yuan Yuxing shot back immediately.

Hearing this, the little girl beside him nodded vigorously in agreement.

Last night, sitting outside the chess room amid the heavy snowfall, the old man reminiscing about bygone years couldn’t hold back his tears. Right in front of a real child, he bawled his eyes out.

The slightly taller sister, after a brief moment of fluster, quickly fetched tissues and then, imitating the adults, gently patted the little boy’s back to comfort him.

It wasn’t the first time she had seen Grandpa Yuan cry.

Last time, he had even crawled under the dinner table!

Yuan Yuxing’s rebuttal was so brazenly confident that even the usually airheaded Yan Jing fell silent for a few seconds.

Was he getting away with this because he was a kid now?

But for once, Yan Jing didn’t voice it. He didn’t banter with the old man like usual.

The little boy’s expression and words were so carefree, but those eyes—which should have been clear and innocent like any child’s—lacked the typical childishness. Instead, they held a thick, inescapable melancholy.

It reminded Yan Jing of another little boy from long ago.

He felt a secret pang of sadness in his heart.

Then, the muscular guy who often didn’t look too bright took a deep breath. He grabbed handfuls of snow from the bushes with both hands and flung it onto the heads of the two kids with swift, lightning speed.

“Bet you didn’t see that coming!” Yan Jing crowed after launching his attack. He bolted away. “Come on, snowball fight!”

“…”

The two kids who’d been ambushed jumped in instinctive surprise. Amid the flurry of snowflakes, they exchanged a glance, their eyes instantly igniting with fierce battle spirit.

He Xi bent down to scoop snow from the ground, her face alight with excitement. “Here we come!”

Yuan Yuxing temporarily forgot his worries. He squatted down indignantly and started packing a snowball. “You’re toast, Big Dumb Guy!!”

The sound of their boisterous laughter and shouts drifted over through the falling snow.

Yu Bai turned to look. Beyond the trees and the veranda, he vaguely glimpsed the figures of one big person and two small ones chasing each other and pelting snow, punctuated by occasional squeals.

They were having a snowball fight.

He’d join in later, too.

With that thought, he quickened the pace of his work.

His palms, reddened and stiffened from the cold snow, firmly packed the soft flakes, making the snowball in front of him grow bigger and bigger.

Yes, a big, round snowball.

…Not the snowman version of Xie Wufang he’d originally envisioned.

Yu Bai, who had never properly played in the snow before, had seriously underestimated how hard it was to build a snowman.

The image in his mind was beautiful, but his hands were frozen and clumsy.

He clearly had no talent for sculpting. Forget making a lifelike Xie Wufang—even piling up a simplified version with any real shape was a struggle.

After repeated failures taming his clumsy fingers, the human gave up on his original plan in frustration. He simply gathered all the snow he’d collected into one pile and focused on creating a big, back-to-basics round ball.

Making the snowball perfectly round was tricky too, since the snow hardened once packed and resisted shaping.

Fortunately, it was just about done now. Yu Bai found a short, crooked twig on the ground and carefully stuck it into the very top of the snowball. Finally, success.

He called out to the man nearby. “I’m done!”

Xie Wufang, who had been gathering snow earlier but then shooed aside, looked over at the sound of his voice.

There on the ground sat a big, round snowball with a crooked twig protruding from the top.

That was it. Nothing else.

“…” Xie Wufang pondered for a moment, still unsure of Yu Bai’s artistic intent, and asked, “What is it?”

Yu Bai raised an eyebrow slightly, feigning surprise. “You can’t tell? It’s that obvious.”

Xie Wufang shook his head. “Sorry.”

“It’s a watermelon!” Yu Bai announced the answer. “A huge, gigantic watermelon.”

The size of a yoga ball.

It had a plump, round body and a vine on top, so it was obviously, undeniably a big watermelon.

…Just without the stripes on the rind.

After all, he couldn’t find enough twisty twigs to decorate it.

After revealing it, Yu Bai quickly added, “Don’t you dare laugh at me!”

He told Xie Wufang not to laugh, but he burst into laughter first, stars sparkling in his eyes.

Seeing this, the man who had looked puzzled earlier had a faint smile ripple through his gray-blue eyes.

“Got it,” Xie Wufang said. “It’s a watermelon.”

…Got it, my foot.

He’d already laughed!

But Yu Bai didn’t argue further. His radiant smile spread through the endless white snow as he turned the question back. “Did you try making a snowman earlier, too?”

Xie Wufang replied, “I gave it a shot.”

Yu Bai immediately looked around. “What did you make? Let me see.”

He had used up most of the snow nearby, and as far as the eye could see, there were no signs of any other snowmen.

Where had Xie Wufang put his?

Only when Yu Bai pulled back his curious gaze did he suddenly spot the answer in the other’s outstretched palm.

Nestled in that pair of beautiful hands was a distinct, cute white five-pointed star, cradled gently in the circle of long, strong fingers and held quietly before his eyes.

The man looking up at him said softly, “It’s a star.”

A star made of snow.