Chapter 99 Spring Amidst Snow and Wind

Chapter 99: Spring Amidst the Snowstorm

The only certainty was that beneath the clouds and atop the snow—shining brighter than both—were the people laughing and living in the world.

Shu Yangkuo leaned lightly against the tail of an ice-carved dragon, glancing at his wife, who was diligently building a snowman—or rather, not a snowman. At the moment, it looked like she was trying to sculpt a snow ceramic vase, insisting on participating in the square’s "Creative Snowman Competition." The other contestants were mostly teenagers, around Qin Yuteng’s age. His wife was truly something… She wanted him to join, but he didn’t have the nerve for that.

He checked his phone again, frowning slightly. After a moment’s thought, he called out, "Wife." He was met with a retort: "Whatcha want? Can’t you see your man’s busy? You’re not helping, just glued to your phone all day long…" Shu Yangkuo didn’t bother listening to the rest. Even while being scolded, he still managed to say, "Wife, someone’s sending spam ads again." This earned him another scolding: "So what if they are? It’s no big deal. What, is it going to cost you an arm and a leg or something…"

Shu Yangkuo paused, then said, "Quit picking up those local accents." Hearing his wife’s hearty laughter, he turned away, still puzzled.

His wife had installed the app, insisting he keep up with the times. Shu Yangkuo was noncommittal but went along with it to learn something new. However, after a few days, he found nothing particularly interesting—it was all about antiques. He didn’t see the appeal. Strangely, he had sneakily checked his wife’s app, and her feed was full of things like "Husband gets jealous" or "How to make your husband more frisky." How could the same app so accurately cater to users’ interests? Shu Yangkuo disapproved of his wife’s interface but couldn’t do anything about it.

Shu Yangkuo was about to exit the app, thinking of uninstalling it, when he noticed the search icon in the top right corner. His face froze—how could he have forgotten? His wife had taught him how to search for things he wanted to see, but he had only used it once and barely touched the app since.

Clicking "Search," he hesitated for a moment before typing: 【How to deal with spam ads】.

Soon, Shu Yangkuo found various posts and images related to "harassment," including one titled 【Between couples, harassment is part of the game—how to make your wife more seductive…】. After reading it, Shu Yangkuo arched a brow—his wife already knew all these tricks. As he exited, he accidentally liked the post and couldn’t find it again to undo the like. He had no choice but to leave it.

He'd learned something. Regarding the annoyance of "spam ads," Shu Yangkuo now had a plan. He reopened the private messages, found the sender who had messaged him twice, and replied: 【If you send spam ads again, I'll report you to the police】.

Returning to his homepage, Shu Yangkuo was a little surprised to see that his feed was no longer filled with antiques but instead showed posts like "How to make couple time more fun" and "My wife tried to seduce me today."

After the initial surprise, Shu Yangkuo understood how to use the app. He clicked the search icon again and typed "How to make the best Guobaorou." His wife had eaten this dish three meals in a row, so Shu Yangkuo decided to learn how to make it himself. However, as he browsed, he frowned at a post titled "Top Ten Cooking Tips." His cooking skills were already excellent, and he had only wanted to refine them further, but the content was absolute nonsense—how could cooking be compared to…? It made no sense.

With a raised eyebrow, he exited the post. If it were about cooking techniques, he could learn something, but "cooking" in that context? He didn’t need it—his wife always took care of that.

Wife…

Wife…

Why wasn’t his wife done yet? Shu Yangkuo sighed softly, took out his wife’s phone, and checked her private messages. Her inbox was still clean—how odd. Shu Yangkuo wondered if he had been "tainted." The thought annoyed him.

Opening the search bar on his wife’s phone, Shu Yangkuo typed phrases like "Spend more time with your husband," "Quality time for couples," and "Benefits of couple alone time." Ten minutes later, he checked the homepage and was pleased—he had tamed his wife’s app.

His wife called out to him loudly, so Shu Yangkuo quickly put away both phones, picked up a shovel nearby, and walked over to her.

The large snow vase reached Shi Zai’s chest, and hollowing it out was exhausting. He had just called out when his recently phone-obsessed husband came over—so dutiful. Being tall was such an advantage. While Shi Zai’s arms were sore from lifting, his husband had to bend down, and within moments, he had hollowed out a significant portion of the snow vase with a clang, clang, clang. Deeper inside, the snow Shi Zai had packed was solid and partially frozen. Shu Yangkuo gripped the shovel with one hand and vigorously chipped away at the interior with more clang, clang, clangs… Shi Zai’s expression turned peculiar, and he suppressed a laugh as he tugged at Shu Yangkuo’s clothes from behind:

"Bro, can you be a bit more gentle?"

"...Huh?"

"Are you trying to poke me? Hahahahaha…"

"…"

Shu Yangkuo paused, his ears turning slightly red, and changed his movement—no, his action… Well, he stopped digging. The snow inside had softened, so he began shoveling it out bit by bit, quickly hollowing out the snow vase.

Shi Zai chuckled, looked up, and whispered, "Fill me up again tonight," before continuing to refine his competition entry.

As expected, his snow vase won first place. Standing among a group of teenagers to receive the award, Shi Zai remained unfazed. The organizers had clearly stated in the morning that there were no age restrictions and creativity was encouraged. Before leaving, Shi Zai took several photos of the snow vase, inside and out. He couldn’t reach the bottom, so he asked Shu Yangkuo to take the photos—heh heh, that rascal surprised him with a kiss after taking the pictures.

Shi Zai shook the two pom-poms on his woolen hat and grinned:

"Bro, are you happy being inside me?"

"…Darling, be serious."

Hearing this, Shi Zai drew out an "Ohhh," blinked, and said:

"Then don’t you dare tonight—"

"Wife, you must be tired. Wanna head back to the hotel?"

Interrupted, Shi Zai chuckled, then shook the pom-poms again and snorted:

"At least let me have dinner first?!"

"…"

Dinner was still a while away. Shu Yangkuo hadn’t meant anything else—he just didn’t want to discuss inappropriate topics in a crowded place, so he worked up the nerve to cut off his wife. As for returning to the hotel, it was just to rest—he could give her a massage before heading out for dinner.

At noon, the two ate Northeastern home-style dishes near the square.

In the evening, they went to the night market and enjoyed themselves immensely, especially Shi Zai. Walking through the brightly lit, starry night market, there were endless delicacies to eat and amusing sights to see—all walks of life, each person living their own story while collectively portraying the grand themes of "happiness" and "warmth." Holding hands in the snowy night, their eyes and hearts filled with each other, they occasionally paused to watch vendors sculpt sugar figures, shared a cup of hot drink, or video-called their family to show what they were up to… It was utterly comforting and satisfying.

As they reached the end of the market, snow began to fall again—light, unhurried flakes dancing gently in the breeze, lifting their hearts along with them. Strangely, despite the cold wind and snow, their hearts were warm, their gazes burning… When Shi Zai was pulled into his husband’s embrace and held tightly, he laughed—Yes, no matter how the world turned, their love thrummed with the same frequency.

Amid the howling wind and snow, his little world remained warm and fervent. Shi Zai lifted his face to meet a searing kiss.

After the kiss, Shi Zai opened his eyes and exclaimed:

"Bro, you've gone all white!"

"...Yeah."

Shu Yangkuo paused, about to brush the snow off his hair, when the person in his arms stopped him. His wife’s bright eyes held even more warmth and love than before. Moved, Shu Yangkuo caressed those loving eyes, then lowered his gaze and kissed him again.

After a long while, Shi Zai buried his face in his husband’s chest, catching his breath, then removed his hat and stayed still, pressed close to Shu Yangkuo for a long time. When he looked up again, Shi Zai grinned, took a half-step back, and pointed at both their heads:

"Bro, this is what we’ll look like when we’re truly old. So you see—even with gray hair, we’ll still be happy, still love each other even more in each other’s eyes. If today were our last day, I wouldn't have a single regret, only endless satisfaction."

"Come here, let me hold you again."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than Shi Zai was pulled back into Shu Yangkuo’s embrace, where they held each other for a long time.

The snow fell heavily, then lightly. After calming his emotions, Shu Yangkuo gently brushed the snow from his wife’s hair and kissed him several times:

"Xiao Zai, I’m not afraid anymore. Even with gray hair, Xiao Zai will always be my little pup. Even then… I’ll be happy, holding you forever. These hundred years are worth a thousand; this lifetime is worth countless others. My Xiao Zai is worth everything."

"Heh heh, Bro, you’re getting better with words. Piggyback me home."

Replying with an "Okay," Shu Yangkuo hoisted his wife onto his back. Feeling the warmth against the back of his neck, he smiled slowly:

"Because of Xiao Zai—even without the end of the snowstorm, we already have endless spring."

"Wow—"

After exaggerating his admiration, Shi Zai shook his head behind his husband’s back. Yes, even without reaching life’s end, they already had immortal love.

Suddenly glancing down, Shi Zai noticed Shu Yangkuo’s ears were slightly red. He playfully brushed them with the pom-poms on his hat, making them redder, and brushed again… Hahahaha, it was too amusing—that rascal was so easily flustered. To spare his dignity, Shi Zai laughed and said, "Bro, are your ears cold?" as he cupped them in his hands, warming them with his own heat.

But he could tell—that rascal was at his limit.

Sure enough, as soon as they entered the room, Shi Zai was spun around and pressed against his husband’s chest, planted with a fierce kiss.

Even before taking off their down jackets, he was pushed up against him. The room’s heating was too intense, and soon they were slightly sweating. Shi Zai quickly coaxed him toward the bathroom—if they kept kissing, he’d melt from the heat.

Special environments and weather can evoke extraordinary emotional experiences, and similarly, mind-blowing sexual encounters.

Before long, Shi Zai was hoisted and held in front of the bathroom mirror, then against the sprawling window. He looked at himself first, then at the howling wind and snow outside, his whole body trembling slightly. It was: half winter's rest, half spring's awakening.

Without needing to reach the end of the storm, endless spring had already arrived.

Shi Zai tilted his head and nibbled on Shu Yangkuo's firm arm, teasing with his teeth slightly as he hummed:

“Brother, how’s… uh… the spring scenery inside me?”

“…”

Before Shi Zai could ask a second time, fierce thrusts surged from behind him. All he could see was nothing but white-hot pleasure and overwhelming joy.

Gasping for air, he slowly recovered. Shi Zai shivered contentedly and laughed hoarsely:

“Brother, are you completely gone?”

After a moment of silence, Shu Yangkuo, his ears flushed red, couldn’t resist moving gently before his partner had fully recovered. “Mhm,” he replied:

“Spring warmth, flowers blooming.”

“…”

“Spring runs deep like the sea.”

“…”

“The garden is filled with spring colors.”

“…Enough talk! Just do me!”

Hearing this, Shu Yangkuo naturally obeyed, holding the trembling treasure in his arms and resuming his efforts.

Spring passions all night, snow-gazing half the day.

At noon, Shu Yangkuo was holding his partner while napping when he suddenly felt his arms empty. He opened his eyes—??

He decided to wait it out, to see how far his partner would go.

After closing his eyes, every sense went on high alert—his partner’s small hands, lips… Shu Yangkuo imagined while trying to steady his breathing. Though his breath calmed, his heartbeat suddenly quickened, and…

Suddenly, his pajamas were lifted. Shu Yangkuo couldn’t help but swallow hard as his partner’s warm fingertips traced lightly. What was he up to? He restrained himself, knowing patience was key. But after waiting a long time, he felt no further movement from him.

Stealthily, Shi Zai took four photos in a row, but none satisfied him. The light outside the window was too harsh, overexposing the shots. He glanced up—the man was still sound asleep—so he gently rose, straddling Shu Yangkuo’s legs without sitting down, keeping his hips raised as he lifted his phone to try again. This time, it worked better; his body blocked much of the light, perfectly capturing the man’s abs in the photo album. Hnngh... so hot...

After taking the photo, Shi Zai tried to get up, but his legs had gone numb from squatting. As he paused to rub them, he glanced down and saw the shameless tent in the man’s pants! How could he be like this even during a nap?! Was he sensing things from a distance?! That troublemaker was already standing at attention!

Just as he raised his hand to swat it away—not happening today. Instinctively looking up, Shi Zai was startled for a moment, then quickly scrambled off the man’s legs with a nervous laugh… When had he woken up?! Shi Zai grabbed his phone and tried to slip off the bed, but halfway there, he was firmly dragged back, crashing into Shu Yangkuo’s chest—“So hard, next time I’ll take a photo of those pecs…” Shi Zai snorted:

“You woke up and didn’t say anything? I wasn’t doing anything, just messing with you a bit.”

“Give me the phone.”

Hearing this, Shi Zai immediately raised his phone, grinning:

“Brother, don’t you usually never check my phone out in the open?”

“…”

Shu Yangkuo didn’t waste words, grabbing the phone. The screen showed an app interface.

It… wasn’t the account his partner had shown him before? This was a secret alt account he’d been using?! Shu Yangkuo held his struggling partner firmly with one hand while quickly brightening the dimming screen with the other, scrolling through his homepage and profile.

A minute later, Shu Yangkuo was shocked—so much that he flushed down to his chest.

He’d long suspected his partner was up to something sneaky on his phone.

He’d long suspected those spam DMs were him.

…

Screen after screen, perfectly curated… countless photos of abs! So many likes! So many comments! So many followers! Shu Yangkuo’s eyelids twitched repeatedly, in utter disbelief. His partner had actually… pimped him out… for clout.

He scrolled through the photos one by one, each titled something like “Hnngh... so hot...”

He knew his partner had taken photos of his abs—that was a month ago. After they’d finished, he insisted on taking one. Shu Yangkuo refused, making him cry. Reluctantly, he let him take one photo of his abs right after.

But only that once. Shu Yangkuo told him to behave, and he never took another—or so he thought. Turns out he’d been sneaking around, though Shu Yangkuo hadn’t been completely unaware. Once, while he was working out, he’d slipped in unnoticed. By the time he realized, he’d already fled with his phone. He didn’t think much of it—just his sneaky brat up to no good, maybe using the photos as a gift for him.

He never expected this.

Among the accounts that had DMed him, the second one was his partner’s main account. Shu Yangkuo had only glanced at the profile then exited with a frown. Surely it wasn’t him—he wouldn’t be this much of a deviant. But he was even more extreme than he imagined.

Seeing the man’s conflicted expression as he browsed his main account, Shi Zai burst out laughing:

“Brother, read the messages too! Hahaha…”

“…”

Shu Yangkuo opened the DM list, his face burning red, and started purging the messages one by one.

Seeing this, Shi Zai quickly protested:

“What are you doing, Brother? Can’t I have any privacy? This is my account—I worked hard for it, almost at a million followers. I’m not even jealous, why are you deleting them?! Besides, they’re just thirsting over your abs…”

“I'm deleting the account.”

“Why?!”

“…’Cause I’m your man!”

His voice raised slightly, and Shu Yangkuo quickly drew him closer, kissing his pouting lips.

Shi Zai tried to grab his phone back, tears welling up as he blinked. But this bastard was even more skilled—already red-eyed and looking down, putting on a wounded act… Tsk, as if he’d done something wrong! It was just selling some softcore content, haha!

He accidentally laughed aloud, then quickly stifled it, wrapping his arms around the man’s neck and whining:

“Brother, I just wanted to keep memories of you, record our life together. Don’t make me delete it, please.”

“…But you can’t treat me like this.”

“Treat you like what? Hahaha, Brother, you’re killing me…”

After laughing, Shi Zai suddenly stopped. The man was genuinely upset, his chest rising and falling with frustration.

Tsk.

So reluctant to abandon an account with so many likes. Shi Zai wasn’t lying—he really just wanted to document the two of them. At first, he didn’t know how to use the platform either. He posted pictures of the flowers and vegetables they planted together, recording their life, but got zero likes.

Shi Zai thought the posts were only visible to himself, so he casually uploaded a photo of Shu Yangkuo’s abs, thinking he could save it here to look at whenever he felt like it. To his surprise, it got ten thousand likes in less than a day! Overjoyed, Shi Zai threw all hesitation to the wind, swept up in the thrill of going viral, and from then on, he couldn’t stop. He figured, since no faces were shown, just abs, what was the harm?

As the man in his arms begged pitifully, Shu Yangkuo calmed down, raised his hand, and lightly smacked the little rascal, saying irritably:

“Are my abs the only thing worth looking at, bro?”

“Hehe, I wanted to take pictures of your chest too.”

“…In your eyes, is that all bro has to offer?!”

Hearing this, Shi Zai stuck out his tongue and chuckled:

“But no one would look at other things, and you’re too shy to show your face. Bro, I know our life doesn’t need an audience, but it’s just so fun. I want to document our love, our joy and happiness, in all kinds of ways.”

“…”

After a moment of silence, Shu Yangkuo compromised again, though only relatively—all the ab photos had to be deleted. If they wanted to document their life, they should do it properly. If no one was watching, his love would probably find it boring… so he had the family members create accounts to like their posts.

Soon, Shu Yangkuo found out the accounts of those few at home were the same ones that had privately messaged him—all used by his love to tease him.

That’s too much.

Shi Zai laughed heartily while organizing the accounts, first making all the ab photos on the million-follower account private, then logging out of the several alt accounts. When he saw the “I’ll call the police” threat, Shi Zai could hardly breathe from laughing so hard—his man was just too hilarious!

Seeing the man’s face darken with anger again, Shi Zai quickly leaned in, grinning as he coaxed:

“Bro is actually happy, right? Every day with me brings different kinds of joy.”

“…”

After a moment of silence, Shu Yangkuo let out an “Mmm,” holding the person in his arms tighter—if only he hadn’t secretly used his abs to gain attention.

Shi Zai shook his head and opened one of his social media alt accounts:

“Bro should’ve searched for my account and added me, hehe. You missed out on a fun game.”

“…What?”

“Hahahahahaha…”

After laughing, Shi Zai snuggled into the man’s arms and whispered about the game. Before, whenever he mentioned playing something, the man would just blush and stay silent, but now he was becoming more open, even asking proactively what it was.

After hearing it, Shu Yangkuo regretted ever opening his mouth.

The next evening, under the dim glow of a small lamp, Shu Yangkuo stood in the living room, holding up his phone, bracing himself as, under commands from the other end of the video call, he slowly lowered the camera, lower and lower, until… for just a second, Shu Yangkuo immediately raised the phone back up, his voice hoarse:

“Now it’s your turn, honey.”

“Okay, you say it.”

“…Lower.”

“Bro has to say the name of the body part!”

Five minutes later, just as Shi Zai, now naked, burrowed under the covers to hide, he was forcefully dug out.

Two phones lay beside them, the video call hadn’t ended yet—the screen naturally wasn’t visible anymore, one phone aimed at the ceiling, the other at the bed, but the sounds… kept coming, mingling with their voices, surrounding them in stereo.

Shi Zai lay on his back, wanting to turn off the phones, but the moment the stinker noticed, he pinned both of Shi Zai’s wrists firmly above his head, leaving him unable to move. It was too intense; even Shi Zai couldn’t help blushing, but he only moaned louder, his sweet nothings becoming even more varied.

Within a couple of days, Shi Zai came up with a new game inspired by this.

A phone stand stood at the foot of the bed, silently capturing every overly intense movement—from the headboard, to the floor, to the window, and finally to a chair… Day was nearly breaking, the phone yawned—it ran out of battery. Humans really wear themselves out; it was going to sleep first.

The final shot: a slender man crying and shouting, trembling uncontrollably, quickly lifted into the arms of a tall man with dark red eyes, who then peed toward it… That’s so rude. Even if they were really like dogs, it wasn’t a tree.

After it ended, Shi Zai pounded the bed in frustration, blaming the stinker for taking so long that the phone died and shut off, recording nothing!

Shu Yangkuo fell silent for a moment, then pulled the person onto his lap to comfort him. What if the phone’s security wasn’t good and some messy system leaked the video?

“Bro only wants to document proper things with his love.”

“…Hmph! You didn’t enjoy it, did you?!”

“If my love keeps being improper, bro is going to get angry.”

Hearing this, Shi Zai paused, then threw his head back and laughed uproariously. Every time the stinker talked to him like this, the contrast was so funny he couldn’t stop laughing. Whenever the stinker was at his wit’s end, he’d say, “I’m going to get angry.”

After laughing, Shi Zai shook his head and mimicked in a teasing tone, “I’m going to get angry.” The moment he finished, he was pinned down and spanked twice.

Hahaha! So much fun.

Everything must be documented—some things shown to the world, some only in each other’s eyes.

Everything must be joyful—some moments bodies entwined, some hearts beating in sync.

The day before leaving City H, the two of them took a sightseeing train through the snow-covered forest, adding another shared beautiful experience. Shi Zai nestled in Shu Yangkuo’s arms, both unable to look away from the window—the wind rustling the snow, branches glittering like clouds, wild foxes, snow hares, and little squirrels hopping about now and then, leaving trails of footprints in the thick snow. Though soon covered, the joy and freedom remained.

Just like them, like everyone in the world.

Deep in the snow forest, a quiet, uninhabited clearing, the scenery was unrealistically beautiful, like a dream. But this time, it wasn’t the childhood fear of a fleeting fantasy… Shi Zai lifted his face, meeting the gaze of the person whose eyes were full of him—both burning, love profound, reaching new heights in this day’s snowscape. As Shu Yangkuo held him close and kissed him passionately, Shi Zai knew—

Love was still brewing new life and flowers beneath the thick ice and snow.

No need to wait for the end of the storm; endless spring was already here.

Right now, spring was already in full bloom.

As snowflakes began to fall one by one, the two stood with their backs to the camera, stepping forward—the taller one holding a coat in one hand and the love of his life in the other; the ever-energetic one holding the man’s hand with one hand and making dog ears above his head with the other. The moment the picture was captured, both were slightly turned, one looking down tenderly, the other looking up with smiling eyes.

Time stretches, carrying years.

Love lingers, emotions blaze.

This moment of tranquility was captured, the next moment laughter rises again.

The person looking at the photo exclaimed, “Such a schemer, bro! In this freezing weather, you really know how to show off! Others wear down jackets, and you wear a coat, fine, but to take a photo and still…” Before he could finish, the red-eared man lowered his head and kissed his lips.