CHAPTER 359: CHAPTER 352: AREN’T YOU COLD?

Time trickled into early December, and Qin Guanglin gradually got used to painting at home again.

He hadn’t yet started to paint.

He had just established a few character images and planned to have the initial draft finished this month, then officially release it by New Year’s Day.

He Fang’s novel was also still in the planning stages. According to her, the time travel theme that’s mainstream in the market now is all about going back to the past, slaying gods and Buddhas in their way, stirring trouble in various industries, standing shoulder to shoulder with the two Boss Mas. She didn’t like that and needed to carefully consider how to make a more mundane story appealing.

"Mundane? Might as well read the Historical Records then. Even that has stories about dramatic outbursts of anger."

That’s what Qin Guanglin said.

"Everyone has different regrets. Some people regret not having enjoyed wealth and power, some regret specific people and events, some are so lazy they have no regrets at all, going with the flow... like you."

"How am I without regrets?"

"Oh? What do you have then?" He Fang asked, curious.

"Going back to the movie theater, when you annoyingly fed me popcorn, I would bite your finger off."

"..."

"Even earlier, when I was in elementary school, I’d work out and build muscles, go to He City to tease you, and when your brother tried to hit me, I’d beat him up and snatch you away."

"That’s enough; you can shut up now."

He Fang rolled her eyes, a thirty-year-old still so childish... There’s always a child hidden in a man’s heart.

"Even earlier than that... it would be useless, too young then, couldn’t even save my dad."

Qin Guanglin sighed, "Time travel isn’t all-powerful unless you bring your body along. In that case, I’d be an old man dating a young girl, waiting for you to grow up, then I’d become an old man..."

Unlike other powers, after time traveling, he was still himself, no special talents other than painting, with twenty years of life experience that wasn’t much use.

To apply for college, he’d still need to bury his head in books, experiencing the dark days of senior year all over again — everything he’d learned he’d returned to the teachers the moment the exams were over.

He wasn’t cut out for business, never memorized lottery numbers, and wasn’t sure if betting on too many soccer games would affect the outcomes. Going to Hangzhou to find a young man surnamed Ma... he feared he’d get sent back with Tai Chi Fist or, once successful, get buried in a pit.

Indeed a lazy person, even his fantasies involved only teasing his wife.

"Wait... what did you say?" He Fang stretched out her hand to interrupt.

"I said becoming an old man."

"..."

"What’s the matter?" Qin Guanglin blinked, watching He Fang frown in deep thought, unsure of what she was considering.

"The sentence before that."

"Time travel isn’t all-powerful, unless you take your body along, I’d be an old man dating a young girl..."

He Fang’s eyes brightened, sitting there with her big belly, she waved him over, and when he approached, she smacked him hard.

"That’s great!"

"What?" Qin Guanglin, confused, wiped the saliva off his face.

"You’ve inspired me."

"Inspired you with what?"

"Protection."

He Fang’s eyes sparkled, and she pursed her lips, "The main line is a story about time travel and protection."

"Isn’t it about searching?"

"No."

She had already found happiness, so it was time to write a new story.

...

The first snow of the winter came down a week before Christmas.

Unlike the usual progression from small to large flakes, it began as heavy snowfall. Qin Guanglin pulled the hood of his down jacket over his head, holding a meal box in his arms, taking tiny, stamping steps while waiting at the school gate for He Fang to finish her class and come to get the meal.

Maternity leave would start around New Year’s Day. For now, he would still prepare a small meal every day at three in the afternoon and bring it over.

"Coming to deliver food to your wife again?"

The original gatekeeper, who had long been familiar with Qin Guanglin, used to let him wait in the reception room, where they would have a cup of tea and chat together. However, the old gentleman had retired a few days ago, replaced by a new gatekeeper who hadn’t come out of his room. Qin Guanglin didn’t want to trouble him, but now, seeing the gatekeeper open the window to talk, Qin nodded and said, "She’s pregnant, so I need to bring her some supplements."

"Wow... that’s a good man." The gatekeeper, a man in his forties, smiled, "Come in and wait, it’s so cold outside."

"It’ll just be a little while... class is ending soon..."

"Come in, you look freezing."

After exchanging pleasantries, Qin Guanglin tightened his grip on the meal box and, checking the time, worried the food would get cold outside. He nodded in agreement, shook off the snowflakes from his body, and sat down in the gatekeeper’s room. As soon as he entered the warm room, he shivered from the cold, which made the gatekeeper chuckle. Handing over a paper cup filled halfway with hot water, he said, "Have some hot water to warm up."

"Thank you, thank you."

Qin Guanglin nodded his thanks. Then no one spoke again. In the small gatehouse, two men each held a cup of hot water and looked out the window. Outside, the heavy snow danced in the air, while the distant classrooms carried the sound of clear reading. It was quite harmonious.

In about ten minutes, the bell for the end of class rang. Moments later, He Fang’s figure appeared in the distance, also fastening the hood of her down jacket, her pregnant belly leading the way step by step.

"Have you been waiting long?"

As soon as He Fang spoke, a mist of cold air puffed out. Qin Guanglin hurriedly shook his head, not wanting her to stand in the cold for too long. He stuffed the meal box into her arms and said, "Go back quickly, this snow... I’ll come to pick you up after school."

"Hmph, you make it sound like picking up a child from school." He Fang grumbled, holding the meal box tight and slowly turned around, then looked back and said, "You should go back quickly, too."

"Okay."

Qin Guanglin chuckled like a fool, looking like he was freezing silly, stomping his feet as he watched her walk away before calling out to the gatekeeper’s room, "Thank you, I’m heading off now."

With hands in pockets and neck retracted against the cold, Qin Guanglin walked home. When he reached the intersection, his steps halted as he watched the traffic lights change from red to green. He crossed the street and glanced at the ground.

Snowflakes fell gently, the cold wind stinging his face with icy chills. After a while, he exhaled a breath, a white mist spraying from his mouth and then dissipating into the air. He chuckled and took steps towards home.

How could anything go wrong? He was so happy now.

After crisscrossing the intersection twice, he returned to his neighborhood. At the entrance of the building stood a figure in a sweater, shivering and hugging himself in the heavy snow.

"Lin... you’re finally back."

Qin Guanglin paused for a moment and circled around Xiao Yu, who was huddling against the cold, touching his chin in mock surprise, "What kind of Divine Skill are you practicing? Aren’t you cold?"

"I’m freezing my ass off, can’t you tell?" Xiao Yu’s teeth chattered as he looked at Qin Guanglin with a plaintive gaze, "I’ve been ringing the doorbell for ages. Didn’t you say you were off work and at home painting... Where did you run off to in this snowy weather?"

"I had to bring a meal to the pregnant lady... Let’s go inside, we’ll warm up."

Qin Guanglin laughed, swiped the door open and led him inside, chatting as they went up the stairs, "What’s happened? Got caught playing hooky and got thrown out?"

"We had a little quarrel. I told her to stay home and reflect, and I came out for a bit of fun."

By this time, Xiao Yu was still stubbornly trying to save face.