HP: At the beginning, I influenced Snape's childhood.

Snape explained to Lin Mo that he was not feeling well when he left that day. Although Lin Mo knew that was not the reason, he did not bring it up again.

After a few rounds of drinks, Snape showed signs of slight intoxication, his face flushed slightly, and his eyes were a little red, whether from drunkenness or something else was unclear. Although he was far from being drunk, Snape was certainly in a slightly tipsy state.

Looking at the person in front of him, who was much taller than him even when seated, Lin Mo propped his head up and admired him. At first, Snape noticed Lin Mo's gaze, and Lin Mo thought Snape would say he was impolite, but in the end, he only received a soft snort.

Just like back then, Lin Mo finished his meal early and gazed at the man in black with gentle and warm eyes, his eyes only on him.

...In this calm and warm atmosphere, the two finished their battle over dinner.

A light snow began to fall outside, the snowflakes drifting and disappearing into the ground. Like beautiful fairies, or mischievous sprites, they transformed into shattered crystals from the sky, scattering across the earth.

Turning his head to look at the snow falling all around, Lin Mo picked up the blanket.

Seeing this, Snape also picked up his glass, lightly touched it to Lin Mo's, and said softly, "Mr. Lin... thank you."

After finishing their drinks, Lin Mo and Snape sat for a while longer before getting up, tidying themselves up, and leaving the restaurant together.

A thin white blanket had been laid on the ground, and pedestrians left their marks as they walked. Who says that people leave no trace? Clearly, they left some footprints. But who says that traces last forever? They were covered by snowflakes in just a moment after they left.

Snowflakes landed on their hair, eyebrows, and shoulders. Snape looked down and saw the snowflakes on Lin Mo's head. He involuntarily squatted down to Lin Mo's eye level, placed his large hand on Lin Mo's head, and gently brushed the snowflakes away.

Feeling the sensation from his hair, Lin Mo turned and met Snape's eyes. The deep, black, gem-like eyes made him momentarily stunned. Snape also realized his mistake and quickly removed his hand.

Just as he was about to stand up, he saw Lin Mo reach out his little hand, and for a moment he didn't realize what the child was going to do. The next second, Lin Mo patted Snape's head.

The texture was quite nice; it looked like he'd just washed his hair today. Lin Mo smiled contentedly and withdrew his hand. His sly smile made it seem as if he hadn't done anything, and his two blue-gray eyes blinked innocently.

Looking at the child, Snape couldn't bring himself to get angry. Besides, he didn't want to be angry in the first place. He was just a little surprised by the other party's initiative to approach him and wondered if his power to intimidate students had diminished.

(A group of snakes and lion cubs from Hogwarts: Help, Professor, don't you want to see how gentle you are with him first? So this is double standards.)

The young eagles said: It's none of my business, don't deduct points from my score. I may be a gossip, but I still want to be a top student who stands out from the crowd.

The little badgers ate while saying, "Hehe, this is so delicious..."

Lin Mo, pleased with his success, skipped and jumped around, indulging in a rare display of childishness. Snape watched Lin Mo's retreating figure, muttering something through gritted teeth. Lin Mo, with his excellent hearing, was fortunate enough to hear the words "little troll."

Hearing Snape's quiet voice, Lin Mo turned to look at him and gave him a big smile. Severus, if your lips hadn't curled into a slight smile, I might have believed you were angry with me.

"Where are you planning to go?" Snape asked about the upcoming itinerary, honestly not understanding why he, an adult, would ask a child for advice.

"Let's take a look around the neighborhood," Lin Mo turned around and waited for Snape's footsteps. "Perhaps the gentleman doesn't have much time to enjoy his surroundings on a regular basis."

Lin Mo's strides weren't as long as Snape's, but perhaps Snape intentionally or unintentionally slowed down, and he actually walked a little slower than the lively Lin Mo.

Suddenly, Snape felt a small hand pull his large hand. Lin Mo smiled, like a cunning little fox. Snape didn't let go, nor did he stop him; he simply tightened his grip on the small hand without thinking, as if afraid the child would leave.

Feeling that Snape's hands were a little cold, Lin Mo frowned slightly, almost imperceptibly, then looked at Snape with his original expression back: "Your hands are a little cold. Are you not dressed warmly enough?"

"...No." Snape hesitated for a moment before answering. His hands were always cold for some reason, no matter how many layers he wore. "My hands are cold. You should put them in your pockets."

As she spoke, she reluctantly moved the hand she was holding closer to Lin Mo's pocket.

"It's alright, my hands are warm," Lin Mo said with a smile, shaking the hand he was holding. Seeing that Snape didn't quite understand, he continued, "Let me warm them for you."

Upon hearing this, Snape ultimately said nothing, letting the child pull him along. He himself was unaware of his own happiness, and no one saw the overflowing smile in his dark eyes.

The two walked and stopped frequently along the way. The sun set early, and Snape escorted Lin Mo to his doorstep.

Lin Mo smiled and waved to Snape, saying, "Goodbye, sir."

As if remembering something, she added, "Actually, you can call me Mo... You can come see me anytime you have time, sir. I'm usually at home."

Snape nodded, watching Lin Mo enter through the gate. (Lin Mo's house was a detached house with a garden. By the way, his house was connected to several other houses nearby; in fact, they were all where the two brothers' men lived. There were also some special rooms in the basement.)

Faintly, Lin Mo seemed to hear Snape's murmur: "Mo... Mo." Time had passed, as if separating that person's sealed memories and longing for the deceased.

small theater:

[Let's give them a little sweetness; the background is that the two know each other's identities and have already developed feelings for each other.]

Lin Mo: Severus, do you really look at me with eyes as pure and innocent as the snow-covered ground?

Snape: Ink, when the snow falls from the sky, it is no longer pure and innocent.

Lin Mo: Oh? ~

Snape: I mean... the way I look at you isn't innocent... maybe it's love.

Lin Mo: What do you mean by "maybe"? Let me tell you—that's it!

Snape: Okay, okay, yes. I love you.

Lin Mo: I love you too.

A——L——W——A——Y——S (Small theater, another scene)

Lin Mo: Severus, I used to think that what we had was friendship.

Snape: Now?

Lin Mo: Of course not~ It's love.

Snape: Then tell me how you know it's love.

Lin Mo: Later, I realized that for me, love is not that kind of longing, but rather like the red beans growing in the south, sprouting many branches in spring. I wish you would gather more, for this is the most evocative of longing.

Love is not just any kind of liking, but rather, it's like saying, "I live at the head of the Yangtze River, and you live at its tail. I think of you every day, yet I cannot see you, though we both drink from the same Yangtze River. When will this water cease flowing? When will this sorrow end? I only wish your heart were like mine, then my longing would not be in vain."

Love is like this: regret is not the kind of regret that lasts forever, but the sorrow that lingers endlessly.

Love is like this: not the kind of longing, but the feeling that can only be cherished in retrospect, even though at the time it was all in vain.

Snape: Then I...

Lin Mo: What?

Snape: Then I think I've been in love with you for a long time too.

Lin Mo: Hehe, I love you, Siever... no, my wife~ (๑＞؂＜๑)

Author's ramblings: Ahem, I don't know if this counts as sweetness, and I don't know if you laughed or not. Anyway, if you did laugh, please put away your maternal smiles and let your lips rest for a bit.

Speechless. I was planning to write more chapters these past few days, but I've been too busy playing games, watching dramas, and browsing Weibo. I haven't written a single word. But don't worry, tomorrow is New Year's Eve, I'll definitely have three chapters. (Whispering: Maybe)

Then I saw two issues in the comments. One is that it feels like the 20-year age gap between Xiao Mo and Si Jiao is a bit too big. I hadn't originally thought of that, but since you guys brought it up and I haven't drafted the details yet, I can add it. Near the end of the story, Xiao Mo's age will be adjusted to his real age, making them almost the same age.

Secondly, many people want them to recognize each other quickly, otherwise the plot is too drawn out. First of all, I didn't plan to write the romance too fast, because even if they recognize each other, they won't be in love yet, and there will be some psychological suggestion of friendship, which will make it harder to change. It's better not to recognize each other, let them get rid of the constraints and truly realize their feelings.

Furthermore, if you write too quickly, it won't be sweet if you're just sprinkling sweetness on every day. There needs to be some ups and downs, otherwise it will get cloying if you drink too much sugary water, and some people will find it increasingly bland, rather than the surprise of occasional sweet moments.

Then, although I don't have the habit of making outlines (whispering: I don't make outlines when the teacher asks me to do homework, please don't hit me, Chinese teacher). I already have a general outline for the rhythm of this emotional storyline, and I can't completely overturn it because of the preferences of a few readers.

Finally, maybe what I wrote isn't your type, maybe you don't like my writing style. If you don't like it, you can just skip it from the top left corner. I hope no one will give me a low score because their own preferences don't match what I write, but because my writing is bad (at least everyone is really nice these days (๑＞؂＜๑)).

Happy New Year everyone, it's Lunar New Year's Eve tomorrow! Hehe. (๑• . •๑)