It’s still snowing outside, and the snowflakes are getting bigger. Just after a few steps, my shoulders were covered in white.
"Nora, are you heading out?"
Passing by Ward’s house, Eleanor Taylor had just picked up a puppy that was running around the yard and waved at them both amidst the heavy snow.
"Yes."
Through the wind and snow, Nora Scott nodded slightly to her.
Eleanor’s face was red from the cold, and she jumped up and down a few tis, then waved goodbye and hopped back into her house with the puppy.
Through the narrow window, a warm orange light glowed, casting strands of warmth in the silent snow night.
Nora exhaled, her breath turning into white mist, quickly scattered by the cold wind.
The two passed by and continued walking forward.
Reaching into her pocket, she touched the hand warr Pedro Langley had given her before they left. Nora turned her head slightly and saw Pedro walking by her side. The faint streetlight cast a hazy glow on him.
He walked slightly ahead, shielding her from the biting cold wind.
Nora suddenly spoke, "Do you rember that argunt we had?"
"Yes."
Pedro replied softly, turning his head to look at her, "You said I was too controlling and interfering with your personal freedom."
The mory was vivid.
Neither of them were good at sweet talk; they’d argue after a few sentences, but it didn’t matter. They would irritate each other, but neither took it seriously afterwards.
So that was the only ti during their relationship that they had a truly significant argunt.
At the ti, they had a disagreent.
He didn’t want to see Nora get hurt or take risks. He took charge of her daily life, wanting her to be safe from any harm, but that careful protection wasn’t what she wanted.
It was inevitable that they had a big argunt.
During the ti between their argunt and her bringing up the breakup, he was figuring out how to resolve the conflict. But she directly proposed a breakup, leaving no room for reconciliation.
He was furious and didn’t contact her for a week.
The result was even more infuriating: she had taken a break from school and disappeared.
The hand warr in her pocket started to heat up. Nora squinted slightly as her fingers sensed the continuous warmth.
She said, "If I had told you back then that I wanted to take a break from school, would you have agreed?"
Pedro stopped, and at the mont his eyelids lowered, snowflakes fell on his lashes, with a hint of white.
He answered honestly, "No."
Now, he could answer without hesitation: Yes, as long as you’re happy.
Undeniably, at that ti, he wouldn’t have.
"Right, you would persuade , work on my mindset, analyze pros and cons, find argunts and evidence to convince ," Nora smiled slightly, "You guessed that my proposal for a breakup had sothing to do with Madam Langley, and you’re not wrong."
She didn’t linger, stepping forward, passing him as her voice drifted back.
"You might not know, but Madam Langley agreed."
She paused, and as she turned around, the wind lifted her black hair, strands fluttering, with her dark, bright eyes slightly curved with a smile.
She added, "She understood my thoughts and supported my break from school."
Pedro was slightly taken aback, furrowing his brow slightly in surprise, yet it also seed natural.
His grandmother was soone who didn’t follow conventional rules.
Born into a noble family, she didn’t love arts or learn etiquette, having a sense of the Martial World discipline. In those war-torn tis, she studied abroad, participated in marches, been on battlefields... doing things she should and shouldn’t do.
Later, she liked Grandfather Johnson first and pursued without any reservations, regardless of parental opposition, and they stayed together fearlessly.
And so they were happily together for a lifeti.
Before Madam Langley and Nora t, Pedro had always thought that they would definitely get along well if they t.
"What did you two talk about?" Pedro asked.
"It’s been a while; I can’t rember clearly," Nora said, "We talked from the afternoon till midnight, and after saying goodbye to her, I decided to take a break from school."
Nora kept moving forward step by step, and Pedro followed each step.
"She said, if there’s sothing you want to do, do it early, regardless of right or wrong. Ti will indeed provide answers, but if waiting turns out to be wrong, then that part of life will always be wrong."
"She persuaded ."
"A college diploma doesn’t an anything to . Why should I waste another two years for a piece of paper?"
"And that’s exactly what happened. I’ve been to many places, t many people, experienced interesting things..." At this, Nora gave a soft laugh, a hint of laughter hidden in her cool voice, "They’re all more important to than that piece of paper."
Pedro stopped beside her.
He asked hoarsely, "What about ?"
What about him?
To her, a certificate of marriage was insignificant.
Was he no different from that piece of paper?
Nora Scott paused, catching a fleeting emotion from him, and her smile faded slightly.
"She asked , ’You’re only 19, so young, and the future is so long. Are you ready to spend the rest of your life with him now?’" Nora’s tone was light, fearing it might sting him, her voice gentle, "She told , if I’m with you, she’ll be happy. But if I choose to leave you, she’d still support ."
Among the interesting people Nora t, Madam Langley definitely counted as one.
Wise, carefree, open-minded.
She was kind and warm, always considering things from your point of view.
Nora didn’t speak too directly.
The truth was, after arguing with Pedro Langley, Nora never thought about breaking up.
It wasn’t until Madam Langley found her, ntioned their issues in a chat, and asked her: Have you considered breaking up with Pedro?
"Your environnt for growing up is different from his. His education taught him to think comprehensively, to consider ten steps, even a hundred steps ahead with every step."
"You’re different. I can see you walk with your eyes closed, taking each step as it cos, even enjoying veering off the path for surprises."
"The conflict between you two is inevitable. For a stable life, soone must compromise. But you’re great, and he’s great too. If you both develop independently, you’ll both have amazing lives. Any compromise for the other would an losing sothing."
"You’re both too young, whether it’s you or him. Your lives are just beginning. Are you willing to tie two lives together without first walking so distance for yourself?"
...
These words, when Nora recalls them now, are still very clear.
That was a very transparent piece of conversation.
Not for her and Pedro’s considerations, but purely for her own.
Extre wisdom harms, deep affection shortens life.
The problem between her and Pedro lay precisely in this.
Gazing at Pedro’s silent scrutiny, Nora continued, "I don’t like a life that’s predefined."
The wind and snow blurred his vision, Pedro said, "I won’t set your life for you."
"You won’t. You handle things thoroughly and steadily, and all the things I want to do, you’d arrange for one by one, slotting them into your life plan."
Pausing, Nora lifted her eyelids; a snowflake fell into her eye and lted into water.
She said, word by word, "But my future doesn’t need planning."
"..."
Pedro remained silent.
Incredibly, there was a mont when he was actually convinced by Nora.
He knew well what Nora was like.
Sent to train in martial arts at ten.
For the next six years, she never properly attended school, always off on adventures. Young as she was, she had her first taste of the Martial World.
At sixteen, after completing her martial arts training, she transferred back to Capital City. With just a year of effort, she went from being predicted unlikely to enter university to being admitted to Capital Tech by exceeding the required score by nearly thirty points.
She never followed the conventional path since childhood.
During the half a year they were together, he witnessed her interacting with all sorts of people.
There were business tycoons who nodded and bowed to her; police officers seeking her help with connections; street thugs she’d encounter who would unreservedly swing bats at her; and gang mbers who panicked at the re sight of her...
Her world was not like ordinary people’s.
One person, one affection, couldn’t hold her back.
Nora shrugged, laying it out openly: "Pedro, if we’re together, we’ll keep arguing forever."
Silence.
After a mont, Pedro slightly adjusted his emotions, turned aside, and stood before her, facing her directly.
He asked, "If you don’t try, how will you know?"
Nora lowered her head, her gaze wandering left and right. Suddenly, she lightly raised her right foot and kicked away the stone that was in the way.
She said almost willfully, "I don’t want to try."
Heartless.
Troubling.
Pedro breathed out lightly.
He grabbed Nora’s arm and, while she was unprepared, suddenly pulled her forward. She instinctively took a step forward, froze, and when she looked up in surprise, he bowed his head.
Their foreheads touched lightly together.
The wind was too strong, the snow too cold, skin soaked through with the chilly night, leaving only a piece of cold. But, when touched lightly, there was still warmth, whether cold or hot, slowly blending and spreading through tiny hairs.
"Can’t you consider it for the five years I’ve waited for you, hmm?"
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