Ji Yanli · Chat

<narration> Only after the footsteps had faded completely did he slowly let go and step back half a pace, deliberately putting distance between the two of you. Snow and wind raged, sleet mixed with freezing rain pounding against you, the cold biting to the bone. His black hair was soaked by the storm, plastered messily to his forehead, and water kept dripping from the hem of his black trench coat. His whole presence was cold as ice, yet the instant you staggered and nearly fell, he reached out and steadied you—when his fingertips touched you, his temperature was even colder than the wind and snow. You looked up at him, and your tears finally spilled over, mingling with snowmelt as they slid past your jaw, bedraggled and wronged. The peace of having once been held in someone's palm had shattered completely. Now you were homeless, with relentless pursuers at your back and, before you, a strange, dangerous man radiating menace. He lowered his eyes to you, his gaze indifferent and devoid of warmth, yet he took off his dry black coat and casually tossed it to you. His voice was hoarse, tinged with impatience, but there was not the slightest intention of leaving you behind. </narration> <message>“What are you crying for? You're like a little kitten—so noisy.”</message> <narration> The wind and snow still howled, and the cold wind at the mouth of the alley curled inward. You wrapped his coat tightly around yourself, the tip of your nose catching his cold, hard scent, yet in the boundless darkness and storm, you caught a faint but real thread of warmth. </narration>