Redemption from the Abyss: The School Beauty Insists on Pulling Me Out of the Mire

Half an hour later.

The street corner of Shichahai.

Winter in the capital city carries a chilling, desolate atmosphere.

A cold wind whistled through the bare willow branches, and the faint aroma of roasted sweet potatoes from a street corner wafted in the air.

Xie Wang got out of the car first, opened a large black down jacket, and wrapped Su Qinghe, who got out of the car after him, tightly inside. He then pulled up the red plaid cashmere scarf around her neck, leaving only her clear, bright eyes exposed.

"You brought me here?" Su Qinghe stared blankly at the familiar scenery before him.

Shichahai at this time is completely different from when they came in the summer.

The lake that once reflected the magnificent sunset is now completely covered with a thick layer of ice.

A huge ice rink has been artificially divided on the ice, and everywhere there are people wearing thick cotton-padded clothes, riding ice sleds and ice crawlers.

Laughter and cheers accompanied the ice skates as they glided across the ice, sounding especially vibrant in the crisp winter air.

In the distance, there are the drum tower with its red walls and gray tiles, and the rooftops of the courtyard houses bathed in the golden light of the setting sun.

"Never seen a frozen lake before, have you?" Xie Wang took her gloved hand, put it in his coat pocket, and pulled her towards the ice rink: "We're going to have a tough battle tomorrow, let's relax our minds and... revisit this familiar place."

Xie Wang rented a very traditional old Beijing double ice sled, a small cart simply welded together from wooden planks and iron bars.

"Hold on tight, Teacher Su." Xie Wang straddled the back seat, trapping Su Qinghe in the seat in front of him. He pushed off with his long legs and forcefully shoveled the two iron shovels in his hands into the ice. "Whoosh—" The ice sled glided away instantly on the smooth ice.

"Ah!" The sudden feeling of weightlessness and speed made Su Qinghe exclaim in surprise. The biting cold wind rushed towards him, stinging his face, but it was followed by an unprecedented sense of exhilaration.

"Xie Wang! Slow down!" Su Qinghe turned around and glared at him, but her eyes were full of suppressed laughter.

"No time to slow down! Hold on tight!" Xie Wang laughed wildly and arrogantly, braving the cold winter wind. He darted left and right across the wide ice surface, nimbly weaving through the crowd. Seeing an empty ice surface ahead, a wicked glint flashed in Xie Wang's eyes. He suddenly pushed off with the iron shovel in his hand, exerted force with his waist, and the entire ice sled pulled out an extremely beautiful stationary drift tail on the ice surface.

"Ah—Xie Wang!" The ice sled spun violently, and Su Qinghe was so frightened that he closed his eyes and leaned back tightly into Xie Wang's arms. All he could hear was the whistling wind and the low, resonant laughter from the boy's chest.

"What are you afraid of? I'll take your fall." The ice sled came to a stop, and Xie Wang rubbed his chin against the top of her fluffy hair.

Su Qinghe opened her eyes and found several children skating around her watching them curiously. Her face flushed, and she stood up from the sled, defiantly. "I'm not sitting anymore, you paddle yourself, I'm leaving."

However, she underestimated how slippery the ice on Shichahai Lake was. The moment her feet touched the ice, her flat shoes lost their grip, and Su Qinghe's body fell backward abruptly.

"Watch out!" Xie Wang reacted quickly, his long arm scooping her up and steadily supporting her lower back, pulling her into his arms. The ice was too slippery, and using the momentum, Xie Wang, holding her, slid and spun halfway around in place.

It was like dancing a clumsy yet perfectly synchronized waltz in this icy and snowy landscape.

Still shaken, Su Qinghe clutched Xie Wang's coat and looked up.

Xie Wang looked down at her. The afterglow of the setting sun shone on the boy's eyebrows and eyes. His nose was slightly red from the cold, but his breath was hot, and white mist swirled between them.

On this frozen lake, they were just two eighteen-year-old kids playing wildly on the ice.

Panting, Su Qinghe looked at Xie Wang's smiling peach blossom eyes, and suddenly burst out laughing, as if she had thought of something.

Her eyes crinkled as she looked around at the ice rink enclosed in the center of the city; her voice rang out clearly on the empty ice.

"Xie Wang, look." Su Qinghe pointed to the distant shore and said with a smile, "Shichahai, how come you're so small? You're not even a sea."

Yes, after seeing that real jelly-like sea in the south, this lake enclosed in the center of Beijing is indeed as small as a pond.

Xie Wang didn't look at the lake; his gaze remained fixed on the bright smile of the girl beside him.

He reached out and gently tucked her wind-blown hair behind her ear.

"In the capital, it is the sea."

Su Qinghe was stunned for a moment, then turned to look at him.

As they emerged from the ice rink, night had fallen. Xie Wang, with practiced ease, led Su Qinghe through the alleyways and arrived once again at that familiar terrace restaurant.

It's still the same window seat from summer. Only now the terrace is enclosed by a transparent, windproof glass cover, and a warm charcoal stove burns nearby.

Taking off their heavy coats, the warmth of the indoor heating instantly enveloped them. The two sat facing each other, with steaming food laid out on the table.

Looking out the window at the ice surface illuminated by red lanterns, Su Qinghe felt as if she had been transported back to that sweltering summer night a few months ago. Back then, Xie Wang had sat in this very spot, his palms sweating with nervousness, before handing her that black velvet box.

"What are you thinking about?" Xie Wang skillfully peeled a shrimp with his long, slender fingers and placed it on her plate.

"I was thinking about someone who was here back then, so nervous that his hands were shaking when he was cutting his steak." Su Qinghe mercilessly exposed his weakness.

"Ahem..." Xie Wang tactfully took a sip of water to cover his embarrassment, but then raised an eyebrow with self-righteousness: "Can you blame me? Back then, I was just a poor, nameless boy. How could I not be nervous about trying to abduct Miss Su in a place like this?"

As he spoke, he extended his left hand and placed it on the table.

On his slender middle finger, the silver Möbius strip shimmered with a cold luster under the warm light.

Su Qinghe looked at his hand, a slight smile playing on her lips. She also reached out her left hand and gently placed it on his.

Two hands, one large and one small, and two identical Möbius strips, are perfectly joined together at this moment, without beginning or end.

After finishing their meal, the two did not leave immediately. They leaned against the glass window, quietly watching Shichahai Lake outside.

Most of the tourists had already left the ice, leaving only the red lanterns on the shore swaying in the cold wind, casting a mottled and colorful reflection on the ice.

"Qinghe." Xie Wang walked behind her, wrapped his arms around her waist naturally, rested his chin on the top of her head, and looked at the night sky with her.

"Hmm?" Su Qinghe leaned against his warm chest.

"I'll definitely win tomorrow's showdown." Xie Wang's voice was exceptionally clear in the quiet terrace.

Su Qinghe turned her head slightly and pressed her cheek against his: "Xie Wang, no matter what you face, don't be afraid, I'm right behind you."

Snow and wind are coming.

Su Qinghe closed her eyes, feeling his steady heartbeat.

She knew that Xie Wang could definitely do it.

Because life is more than just this one Shichahai.