It’s Snowing
A Happy Day
To prepare for the year-end party performance, Lin Sifei roped Luo Ke into a singing practice session.
“I’ve never really sung before, aside from the national anthem and the Red Songs1 at school.”
Lin Sifei was stunned. “You’ve never even been to KTV2?”
“I’ve been, but I don’t sing.”
A bad feeling crept over Lin Sifei. She clapped her hands together. “Alright, then just listen to the song I picked and try to sing along with the rhythm.”
Music bounced from the speakers. Luo Ke stared at the lyrics in her hand and opened her mouth to sing along.
Each note hammered against Lin Sifei’s forehead, leaving her dizzy and disoriented. What kind of world-ending singing voice3 was this? She could send a person to their grave the moment she started.
“Stop!” Lin Sifei shot her hand up in a halt gesture.
Luo Ke stopped. Lin Sifei went to turn off the music, then looked back at her, troubled.
Luo Ke offered a small smile. “My five tones are not complete4, are they?”
“You knew?!”
“I do now,” Luo Ke said, sinking into the sofa. “You’re making it pretty obvious.”
Lin Sifei scratched her chin. “Actually, being tone-deaf isn’t a big deal.”
She peeked at Luo Ke, afraid of hurting her pride.
Luo Ke waved the lyric sheet in her hand. “But if this is the case, I can’t get the present. What do I do?”
Lin Sifei had been on the verge of giving up, figuring she could just sing by herself. But hearing that made her hesitate. It seemed like Luo Ke was really looking forward to that gift.
“Okay, then.” Lin Sifei took a deep breath. “Time for some special training!”
Lin Sifei pulled out the lyrics and put the music on, first letting Luo Ke listen before guiding her line by line.
Three sentences in, Lin Sifei was already thrown off-key herself and couldn’t help but burst out laughing.
“Again, again.”
She changed Luo Ke’s phone ringtone to the song and, when dividing up the lyrics, tried to give her the simplest parts.
The day of the party drew closer, and everyone was buzzing with excitement. The holidays were almost here, which meant a big feast and bonuses.
The company was swamped at the end of the year, but no one complained. They even found time to gossip while working. The party’s performance list had gone viral, and everyone knew President Luo was going on stage with her girlfriend.
【Is President Luo trying to show off graceful love5?】
【We welcome the PDA, just make sure the bonuses are generous.】
【No, that’s our dog food6 money.】
Zhao Min, the resident gossip expert, immediately dropped a bomb7 in the group chat. 【It was Miss Lin’s idea. President Luo is completely smitten.】
The chat instantly flooded with messages.
【I knew it! Why else would President Luo have such a personality change?】
【The power of love.】
【That’s still just dog food!】
【Single dogs8 are a protected species!】
Pleased with the reaction, Zhao Min put her phone away and eagerly went to get a real-life taste of the dog food. “Miss Lin, I’ve never heard President Luo sing before. She must really dote on you.”
“Oh, it’s nothing, really,” Lin Sifei said, grinning so wide she couldn’t close her mouth, her modesty coming off as playfully smug. It was the kind of attitude that just owes a beating9.
She leaned down and placed several oranges on the secretary’s desk. “I suddenly got a craving on the way here, so Luo Ke made a special detour to buy them. That’s why we were a little late for work.”
Zhao Min ate up the dog food, her eyes shining. “You might not know this, Miss Lin, but ever since you came along, President Luo stopped being such a work maniac10. Her temper has gotten so much better, too. The managers downstairs absolutely adore you. We even have less overtime now.”
Lin Sifei peeled an orange with a smile. “Still, you should let them know they need to take their work seriously. Otherwise, they’ll get more than just a scolding.”
“Of course, of course. Everyone is working very hard.”
Smiling, Lin Sifei ate her orange and shared the rest with the people at the secretary’s desk before clapping her hands clean and heading into the office to find Luo Ke.
The moment the door closed, the secretaries slumped into their chairs, filled with envy. “I want to be in love.”
The year-end party finally arrived. The company closed up early. Those with cars gave their colleagues a ride, and the company’s vehicles were used for everyone else.
The Luo Corporation was wealthy and breathing coarsely11, so they’d booked the entire venue. Inside, a wide array of drinks and dishes were available, with both Chinese and Western cuisine to suit every taste.
As was tradition, Luo Ke gave a summary of the year’s work, praising everyone and reflecting on a few issues.
After that, it was time for the performances, and platters of fruit and pastries were brought out.
Lin Sifei sipped her orange juice and straightened Luo Ke’s clothes. “You’ve memorized the lyrics, right? You haven’t forgotten the tune?”
Luo Ke nodded seriously and took out a lipstick for her. “Don’t forget to touch up your makeup.”
“I won’t,” Lin Sifei said, pulling out a small mirror.
Their performance was scheduled for the middle of the show. When the host announced their names, the crowd below erupted in cheers.
Lin Sifei covered her mouth with a giggle and whispered, “Looks like everyone is giving you, the boss, a lot of face.”
“Shh, don’t tell them that, or they’ll start clamoring for red packets12 again.”
The little money-grubbing cat13 immediately nodded. “My lips are sealed.”
The spotlight hit them. Lin Sifei took Luo Ke’s hand and strode confidently onto the stage. She was wearing a white and pink tulle dress today, looking like a little princess.
The company staff immediately started catcalling. “A perfect match!”
“Wishing you a hundred years of good union14!”
“Hand over the red packets!”
Luo Ke couldn’t help but smile. She raised the microphone. “If I give you red packets now, you’ll all have to return the favor when we get married.”
“Ooh! President Luo is already thinking about marriage!”
“Isn’t that a little soon?”
Luo Ke turned to exchange a smile with Lin Sifei. “Don’t worry. The bonuses and the red packets will be given out separately today.”
“Alright!”
“President Luo looks so good when she smiles!”
The atmosphere was electric. The crowd only quieted down when the opening notes of the music began to play.
Lin Sifei held the microphone and sang the first line.
Countless practice sessions had made Luo Ke familiar with her cue. The two performed a love song duet, stepping off the stage to thunderous applause.
“Red packets!!!”
Luo Ke led Lin Sifei by the hand. Laughing into the microphone, Lin Sifei called out, “Don’t be impatient. We’ve put the red packets into the games later on.”
She and Luo Ke left the stage and returned to their table.
“Eat some fruit. The cake is too rich,” Luo Ke said.
She brought a fruit platter over for her and handed her a fork. Lin Sifei would take a bite, then feed one to Luo Ke.
The two of them, you you, me me15, finished the fruit. Then Zhao Min came to find them; it was time to prepare the red packets for the game.
The money inside was just a slip of paper with an amount written on it, which could be exchanged for the real thing. Trading or fighting over them was forbidden, or they’d be voided. The cash was distributed on the spot.
The game was incredibly simple: each person had a set amount of time to pop balloons, and whatever red packets were inside belonged to them.
The floor was quickly filled with a massive number of balloons. Each department sent a representative to their designated area.
The departments all sent out their strongest members. At the sound of a whistle, they all dove in and started popping.
Time ticked by. A second whistle signaled that half the time was up. The cheers from the crowd grew even louder.
The person holding the stopwatch stood on stage and began a loud countdown. “Ten, nine, eight, seven…”
“Go, go, go!”
Hearing the countdown, a burly man threw himself onto a pile of balloons, instantly bursting a whole cluster.
The others stared in shock for a second. You can do that?
“Three!”
The others immediately followed his example, diving to the ground while flailing their arms to pop a few more.
“One! Time’s up!”
The representatives were pulled to their feet, and everyone began to collect their spoils. The total amount from the red packets would be divided evenly among the departments later.
After the ruckus, the formal dinner began. The large round tables were laden with dishes.
“This is our company’s Year Night Meal16. Special Assistant Lin will distribute the bonuses to everyone in a moment.”
Luo Ke nodded and sat down beside Lin Sifei.
Special Assistant Lin emerged with a smile, pushing a cart piled high with red packets—all bonuses—and handed them out one by one.
Everyone cheered as they received their bonus. Lin Sifei, caught up in the atmosphere, couldn’t stop smiling.
Luo Ke watched her, leaning close to her ear. “Are you happy?”
“So happy!” Lin Sifei looked at her, her smile growing even wider.
The meal was just as lively, but the Luo Corporation had rules despite the festive mood. No one was pressured to drink. You drank if you could, and if you couldn’t, you substituted with juice.
After dinner, Luo Ke had the leftovers packed up for everyone to take home.
“We’re participating in the Clear Plate Campaign17. Everything was served with public chopsticks, so don’t be picky,” Luo Ke said, taking a portion of braised pork trotters for herself to feed Lin Sifei later.
Lin Sifei had been eyeing them all night, but she’d held back to maintain her image, staring until her eyes turned green with longing.
Luo Ke led Lin Sifei out, leaving the final cleanup to the secretaries.
With one hand carrying the pork trotters, Luo Ke used the other to wrap Lin Sifei’s scarf snugly around her neck. “Don’t let your ears get cold.”
“The car’s not far. I won’t get cold,” Lin Sifei said, but she stood still and let her fix the scarf anyway.
Once it was arranged, Luo Ke took her hand and tucked it into her own coat pocket.
Lin Sifei ducked her head, unable to suppress another smile.
The car pulled up in front of their home. Lin Sifei got out, holding the braised pork trotters.
The moment she opened the door, her eyes lit up as she looked at the sky. “Luo Ke! It’s snowing!”
She held out her hand, waiting for a snowflake to land in her palm. A tiny flake fluttered down, melting into a droplet of water almost instantly.
Lin Sifei ran happily into the snow, even taking off her hat to watch the flakes drift onto it.
Luo Ke parked the car and walked toward her with a smile. “Don’t run, be careful not to slip.”
Lin Sifei spent a while catching snow. When she saw Luo Ke approaching, she held out her hat like a treasure. “Look, they’re snowflakes.”
Luo Ke leaned in for a closer look. “They’re beautiful.”
She reached out and brushed Lin Sifei’s hair. “This is all snow, too.”
Lin Sifei just looked at her and grinned foolishly.
Luo Ke touched the corner of her own mouth, feeling like Lin Sifei’s silliness was contagious. She couldn’t stop grinning either.
She took Lin Sifei’s hand; it was ice-cold to the touch. “Your hands are freezing. Let’s go home.”
“I want to play in the snow.”
“When you wake up tomorrow, there’ll be a thick layer, and we can build a snowman.”
“Okay!”
The mention of a snowman was enough to get Lin Sifei to happily follow her inside.
Once in the room, Luo Ke turned on the heat. Only after the warmth began to spread did she let Lin Sifei take off her coat.
Luo Ke heated up the braised pork trotters and set them in front of Lin Sifei, watching as she gnawed on one.
Lin Sifei offered her a piece. “Aren’t you having any?”
“I’m happy just watching you eat.”
A faint blush colored Lin Sifei’s cheeks. She licked the sauce from the corner of her mouth and went back to devouring the trotter.
Luo Ke watched her eat with such delight that she found herself mesmerized by her face.
Feeling a bit shy, Lin Sifei offered her the trotter again. This time, Luo Ke didn’t refuse, and the two happily gnawed on it together.
Lin Sifei looked up and saw a smudge of sauce on the corner of Luo Ke’s lips, and she couldn’t help but laugh out loud.
Luo Ke took a napkin and wiped her mouth, smiling as she pointed back. “You’re one to talk.”
Lin Sifei quickly grabbed a napkin to wipe her own mouth.
Their eyes met, and they both started laughing again.
After finishing the pork trotters, Lin Sifei stood up, completely satisfied. “I’m going to brush my teeth and take a shower.” She rubbed her cheeks. “I smiled so much today my face hurts.”
“Then stop smiling.”
Lin Sifei turned back to her, then suddenly leaned in and kissed her on the cheek. “Seeing you makes me happy. It makes me want to smile.”
Luo Ke froze for a second, but Lin Sifei had already scampered upstairs.
Luo Ke touched her cheek, then smiled and followed her.
She walked into the bathroom and stood beside Lin Sifei, brushing her teeth.
Their matching couple’s mugs and toothbrushes were held together in their hands.
After they finished, they shared a toothpaste-flavored kiss.
Luo Ke reached out and tugged on her collar. “Where’s my present?”
“You’re so impatient.”
Lin Sifei kissed her again. “You go run the bathwater. I’ll go get it.”
“Okay.” Luo Ke brushed her lips against hers again. Her breath hitched as she looked into Lin Sifei’s glistening eyes.
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