Her question was left unanswered when the car stopped. Lu Xinyi stepped outside and stared at her coldly. The chilling wind was no match against the coldness on her niece’s eyes. It was as if a demon was accompanying her to her final destination.

They made their way to deserted grounds. No one dared to break the silence. Sun Ruying then thought that her niece might have wanted her to apologize to her mother. However, wasn’t it also too late for her to repent? She had never bothered to see her sister’s burial; neither did she know where she laid her final rest.

They crossed the gravel pathway that weaved between the rows of tombstones. The chilly wind caught up to them, making Lu Xinyi’s hair and black coat flutter around her; but she ignored it and continued to walk numbly from pain. She headed down the path until their destination came into her sight.

Her bodyguards, as well as Sun Ruying, stopped several meters away from her. They watched as Lu Xinyi adjusted her coat and kneeled down at the ground covered with thick snow facing a black tombstone. Everything was covered in a thick blanket of white, statutes peeked out under their new white caps, footsteps and paw prints criss crossed each other around the labyrinth of paths. Aside from the brown of the denuded trees, the only other color was the vivid saffron, staining around the base of each lamppost, tree, and shrub.

Lu Xinyi read the name on the tombstone and smiled bitterly. She raised her hand in her side pocket and smiled to herself as the image of her cousin came into her mind.

“I’m sorry I haven’t visited you for a while. I was so busy with school; I barely had enough time for myself. But here, see this? I brought you your favorite.” She took a small box from her coat and opened it before placing it beside the tombstone.

“I made this snow skin mooncake for you…”

Then, she started speaking softly, saying everything that happened since her last visit. On how she won her first cooking battle as a member of the Cream of the Crop and how she managed to beat Ye Xieren at the last minute. She knew that there was no point telling the dead how her life was, but somehow, the loneliness in Lu Xinyi’s heart lessened after doing so.

Fear blossomed into Sun Ruying’s heart when she heard what her niece said. Snow skin mooncake wasn’t Meixiu’s favorite… but Qiushan’s. Her heart beat rapidly in her chest, and her face paled at the realization.

‘This couldn’t be! No! Impossible!’ These were the words that continue to play in her head as she tried to reason out Lu Xinyi’s action. Her niece might be playing with her! There was no way in hell that her youngest daughter departed from this world without her knowledge!

However, her hopes easily crushed down upon hearing her niece’s next words.

“Qiushan, you don’t mind me bringing you a guest, right? She’d been worried about you and sought me to find you,” Lu Xinyi said with gentleness. Her cold eyes then took a glance at her aunt. “Aunt Ruying, didn’t you say you want to see Qiushan? Why are you still standing there? Come and see how your youngest daughter ended up dead because of your other child”

Sun Ruying opened her mouth to retaliate, but no words came out. Her feet moved and took the remaining steps while her mind was refusing to believe what Lu Xinyi said. When her eyes read the name engraved at the black tombstone, her strength left her body forcing her to fall into her knees.

There, written on the well-polished tombstone that still shone in spite of a thin layer of snow accumulated on top of it, was her daughter’s name… Sun Qiushan.

“Lu Xinyi! I know you hate me, but I don’t want to play this sick game of yours!” She yelled at her niece.

Lu Xinyi smiled, but it wasn’t that smile that showed her mischief or happiness. In her heart, she also wished that none of these were true—that somewhere, her dear cousin was still alive and leading a happy life. However, in the end, it would be just another wishful; thinking knowing full well that her cousin had already departed from the world of the living.

“I also wish that none of these are true, Aunt Ruying. If there’s someone that I was glad to meet from the Sun family, it would be Qiushan. Her pure heart and innocence had accepted me. She treated me with respect and gave me a smile that made my stay at the Sun Estate bearable.”

“No! This isn’t true! My Qiushan isn’t dead! You are lying!” Sun Ruying lunged at Lu Xinyi and pulled the lapel of her coat.

As she looked at her niece closely, she noticed the tears that spilled from Lu Xinyi’s eyes. Her expression was filled with grief and helplessness. The older woman couldn’t see any trace of deceit from her. She released her hold at Lu Xinyi and wailed in front of her daughter’s tombstone.

Lu Xinyi stood up. Breath paled against the numbing air, she blinked thoughtfully as the frost patiently kissed her face, captivated by the soft, dusty illusions of light that sat heavy on her eyelashes. She adored the snow, more so when it was falling.

She remembered the days when she and Qiushan played with the snow during winter. Neither cared if they caught a cold as long as they could play outside. Her cousin loved the snow.

Qiushan once told her that there was a warmth that tumbled out in the wintertime when all else was so cold. It radiated from those who loved and nurtured as easily as they breathed. In truth, the sparks of warmth were always there no matter the season, just like a warm rock blending into a summer beach yet melting the winter ice.

Under a dove gray sky, the colors of the world donned their winter coats, each hue darker and richer than before. The path sparkled and crunched, like sugar underfoot, and the coolness brought Lu Xinyi right into the now… into the moment of life.

It was now winter; the hibiscus which was Qiushan’s favorite was no longer in bloom. The red slowly faded, petals falling off each day. Sometimes, Lu Xinyi looked out the window of her home, longing for it to be spring again. Longing to be able to turn back time.

To a time where the blossom trees were full of pale pink petals, creating awnings over pavements. To a time where she could go out without a jacket and wear t-shirts instead of a thick layer of clothes. To a time where hibiscuses bloomed.

She’d never thought that something could survive the harsh winter until she saw the plum blossom tree outside the balcony of her husband’s study room. When all flowers died and the land grew pale in color, the plum blossoms would bloom. She then understood why Shen Yi loved the plum blossoms. The plum blossom was seen as a symbol of winter and a harbinger of spring.

The blossoms also bloomed vibrantly amidst the winter snow, exuding an ethereal elegance.

Maybe she should be like this brave flora, that should bear the strength to continue to move forward and be courageous enough to stand the harsh reality of her life.

As she continued to begin to mull over the various possibilities and plans to deal with Sun Qiyan and Xi Yunchuan, Sun Ruying wailed in grief.