Shocking! The school heartthrob who was adopted by a wealthy family is actually a heiress!

Chapter 74 Don't Hide
The cold wind howled and bit the bone, but Qin Zhao's room was warm as spring, with IELTS test papers on the table.

She went to the window to get some fresh air.

The warm yellow light illuminated the outlines of everything in the darkness, and the leaves were rustling in the cold wind.

Suddenly, white goose feathers fell diagonally.

Qin Zhao paused for a moment, then realized it was snowing.

Snow seems to be the last bit of hope in the bleak winter, because it makes the long, desolate, and lifeless winter forgivable.

The urban village where she used to live also had snow, but it would soon be covered in all sorts of mud and dirt.

The snow here looks so pure.

She opened the window and reached out to catch the snowflakes that were being blown about by the wind.

A breeze blew in, and a little joy crept into her heart; she suddenly had the urge to share.

It's already past eleven o'clock; Qin Qiong should be asleep.

A pair of dark eyes popped into her mind, and she inexplicably opened the chat window—

"Brother Yanci, it's snowing."

Qin Zhao hesitated upon realizing what he was doing.

Why did she specifically send this message to Shen Yanci? Is snow that important?
She hesitated, and the other party's message popped up first.

"Snowing."

She stared at the three words on her phone screen for two seconds, her heart pounding as if struck by something warm and gentle, a slight itch spreading through her.

Before she could fully process this novel feeling, a video call came in.

The sudden ringing of her cell phone made her heart skip a beat.

The apartment layouts in Rose Garden are all pretty much the same. He stood in front of the same window as her, one button of his pajamas undone, revealing a somewhat languid posture.

"why are not you sleeping?"

"I was just studying."

"Why are you studying so late?"

IELTS.

Shen Yanci remained silent, calmly gazing at her through the camera lens.

Qin Zhao pursed his lips: "I know you're very capable, but it's very difficult for me."

She only realized the significance of Shen Yanci's IELTS score of 8 after she started studying. When she saw the questions in those mock exams, she understood what it meant to be overwhelmed.

My foundation was very weak, so it was really difficult for me to learn. So even though I didn't learn much, I studied until very late.

Shen Yanci saw that she had lowered her eyelids and looked somewhat dejected, so he hummed in agreement and said in a low, magnetic voice, "Our Zhaozhao has worked hard."

His voice was tender, with a hint of praise and coaxing.

Qin Zhao immediately felt a little embarrassed. It was her own exam, wasn't it her duty to study?

But for some reason, after Shen Yanci said that, she suddenly felt that she could still learn more.

Her lips unconsciously curved into a smile, and her clear eyes sparkled with tiny lights.

"If you're tired today, don't continue. I'll tutor you tomorrow."

“I have a teacher.”

"Isn't it great to give you one for free?"

"..."

Shen Yanci lifted his eyelids slightly: "What were you trying to say to me just now?"

Qin Zhao's brain was overloaded today, and it took her a while to turn the camera towards the window. With her back to the camera, she reached out to catch snowflakes with one hand: "I wanted to tell you that it's snowing, but you already know."

Her voice was soft.

A gust of wind blew by, and she couldn't help but sneeze.

"Aren't you going to close the window?"

Qin Zhao sniffed, reached out and locked the window, shutting out the sound of the wind and snow.

Her outstretched arm revealed a slender, fair wrist, its skin red from the cold. Shen Yanci longed to go over and hug her.

Qin Zhao, my snowfall isn't just about snow, what about yours?
Shen Yanci blinked slightly: "I'll play with you tomorrow, go to sleep."

Qin Zhao said "oh" and crawled into bed. She belatedly realized that Shen Yanci's behavior was like coaxing a child.

She was surprisingly obedient. She pondered for two seconds: "Brother Yanci, you seem like an adult."

"..."

Shen Yanci laughed in exasperation: "Yes, unlike you who are still a minor."

"..."

He strolled to the bedside and lay down as well: "I'm only a year older than you, don't make it sound like we're twice as old."

Qin Zhao responded with a yawn, feeling sleepy. She kissed her lower eyelids, her eyelids drooping slightly, and said, "Brother Yanci, I'm sleepy."

She seemed a little out of it and mumbled "goodnight" as if in her sleep.

A peaceful sleeping face lay on its side on the screen, as if it were lying beside him. After a while, the sleeping face was replaced by the ceiling, and only a small part of the owner's shoulder could be faintly seen.

Shen Yanci looked at the screen, her voice incredibly gentle and tender: "Goodnight."

"Zhao Zhao."

"..."

The snow fell all night, covering the city with a thick, romantic blanket.

It had been a long time since City B had seen such heavy snow, so Qin Qiong invited her and Lin Shi to go out and play.

Lin Shi saw that she was fully armed and scoffed, "You're dressed like a bear."

Before Qin Zhao could retort, Qin Qiong scoffed at him, "Who's like you, risking your life just to look cool?"

The soft snowflakes crunched underfoot, leaving a trail of footprints in no time.

Qin Qiong and Lin Zheng held hands, enjoying the snow and taking photos.

Unable to resist the temptation, Lin Shi grabbed a snowball and threw it at Qin Zhao.

Qin Qiong saw this, grabbed a snowball, and commanded, "Zhaozhao, throw it at him!"

Lin Shi grinned, showing his bright white teeth: "Dad, let's team up, 2v2!"

"Sorry, I'm paired with your mom, so it's 3v1 now!"

"..."

"Little Shi, look here!"

"Son, watch the game!"

Taking advantage of the chaos, Qin Zhao decisively made his move.

Lin Shi was driven mad by the snowballs and stopped making snowballs. He just scooped up snow and threw it at them, yelling, "I'll fight you to the death!"

"Hahaha!"

Laughter and cheerful voices enhanced the atmosphere of the snowy day, creating a joyful and harmonious scene.

Tired from fighting, Qin Qiong and Lin Zheng took a break and went home to drink water and change their shoes.

Qin Zhao wanted to follow, but Lin Shi pulled him back: "Play with me a little longer, I haven't had a chance to shine yet."

"..."

As she hesitated whether to agree to his proposal, a tall, slender figure suddenly came into view—it was Shen Yanci!
She made a decision immediately: "No, I'm going to study."

She walked towards Shen Yanci and smiled, "Yanci... ah~"

Before she could finish calling Shen Yanci's name, Lin Shi grabbed her collar and threw a snowball inside. The sudden coldness made her shiver and cry out in surprise.

When people are off guard, the sounds they make are natural and unadorned.

Lin Shi and Shen Yanci both turned their gazes to her.

Lin Shi stopped halfway through his prank, feeling somewhat confused and surprised.

Shen Yanci, on the other hand, was observing a deep and unclear emotion.

Qin Zhao pursed his lips awkwardly and said in a gruff voice, "Lin Shi, are you sick?!"

Lin Shi nodded twice, unusually not snapping at her: "I was just teasing you."

Qin Zhao pursed his lips, turned his back to grab the snowball, but couldn't reach it because he was wearing too many layers.

As she was about to go home to change her clothes, a slender hand reached into her collar.

The cool fingertips rubbed against the skin of the back of her neck, sending shivers down her spine. She shrank her neck and looked up at Shen Yanci, her nose filled with the chill of snow and the faint smell of bitter orange.

Shen Yanci lowered his eyelids: "Don't hide."

(End of this chapter)