William Carter glanced at the time—it was already nine in the evening. He stood up to say goodbye: “Fifth Brother, I have something to do tonight, so I’ll head out first!” Edward Harris nodded: “Alright! I’ll call you to hang out another day.” As William Carter nodded, his gaze drifted toward Little Emily Harris: “If you ever think of me, just call! No matter what, I’ll charge ahead for you!” Little Emily Harris’s face flushed slightly. She glared fiercely at William Carter, then quickly looked away from his eyes.

After parting ways with the Edward Harris siblings, William Carter headed straight to school. Who would have thought the whole campus would be deserted? Only then did William Carter remember it was the weekend. Most students at the Open University were from the city, and at this time, most had gone home. William Carter wandered around, but not a single one of his close friends was left. An indescribable sense of loneliness filled his heart. He suddenly realized it had been sixty days since he last went home. Even though it was only twelve kilometers from home to school, the distance still felt so far and long. Maybe it was time to call home.

William Carter had been pacing in front of the public phone for a full twenty minutes, the IC card in his palm growing warm from his grip. It had become almost indispensable in his life. Every weekend, he hesitated between ‘staying at school’ and ‘going home’. Ever since starting at the Open University, he rarely communicated with his mother; he had never given her his cell phone number or his rental address.

It was almost lights-out on campus. The students who stayed behind were heading to their dorms in small groups. William Carter quickly picked up the phone, covering half his face with the receiver.

He finally dialed his home number. On the other end, there was a burst of girlish laughter, then a familiar voice: “Who is it?”

William Carter’s eyes dimmed at the question. He almost impulsively hung up, but after a long silence, he finally said, “Sister Grace... it’s me!”

Sister Grace was not actually his sister. William Carter remembered that when he was little, he used to call her mom, but as he grew older, she started to avoid that title, as if afraid it would bring her inconvenience. Even though everyone knew she was his mother, William Carter could see her unease. From the age of twelve, he started calling her Sister Grace; that day happened to be her thirtieth birthday, and it seemed she had found a way to hold on to her youth.

“Xiao Yu! Why aren’t you coming home yet? Your Uncle Morgan is still waiting for us to go out for dinner together!”

A trace of disgust flashed in William Carter’s eyes. In his mind appeared the image of that short, chubby, balding government official, whose face was always piled with fat when he saw him, his beady little eyes squeezed into the folds. In the three times William Carter had met him, he had never managed to see his eyes clearly.

“My classmates invited me to play cards tonight. I’m not coming home!” William Carter’s tone turned stiff.

“Xiao Yu, you must come home tonight. Your Uncle Morgan proposed to me…” Her voice actually sounded a bit shy.

William Carter immediately sensed something. His eyes filled with anger. It seemed the day his mother had been waiting for had finally come. He almost snarled, “What the hell does his proposal have to do with me? I’m not his father, and he’s not my son. If you want to celebrate, go ahead without me!” He slammed the phone down hard onto the receiver. Turning around, he saw two sophomore girls whispering and glancing in his direction.

“Never seen a man before!” William Carter clenched his fists, his eyes reddened with anger. The two girls quickly lowered their heads and hurried toward the cafeteria. William Carter felt a fleeting sense of satisfaction after venting.

A pure white snowflake drifted down from the sky, marking the beginning of Beijing’s first weekend in December. William Carter tilted his head back, took a deep breath, and exhaled a thick cloud of white mist, as if trying to expel all the unhappiness and anger from his chest.

Then he started running wildly around the school’s 400-meter track. The snow was falling harder, but he only ran faster. Finally, his foot slipped and he fell heavily onto the snowy ground. The snow was thin, but the ground beneath was frozen hard, and the pain from the impact was sharp and deep. Yet William Carter felt much better inside. He lay sprawled on the track, looking up at the snowflakes swirling down from the sky, and at last, a faint smile appeared on his lips…

Grace Parker also saw the first snow of winter. But just as she glanced at the sky, Richard Morgan thoughtfully opened a large umbrella for her, then placed the handle in Grace Parker’s hand. Without even looking, Grace Parker knew what he would do next—sure enough, he took off his overcoat to drape it over her shoulders.

Grace Parker’s eyes flickered, and she felt a wave of warmth inside. The man before her was undoubtedly a good person; everything he did for her was sincere, without a trace of pretense.

Richard Morgan pulled Grace Parker close and suddenly said, “Why don’t we go to the school to find him? It’s so cold… Little William should put on a couple more layers…”

Grace Parker nodded silently, then shook her head. Richard Morgan seemed to notice her hesitation: “Don’t worry, I’ll drive you there. I’ll wait for you at the school gate!”

A surge of emotion rose in Grace Parker’s heart, and she snuggled a little closer to Richard Morgan. Richard Morgan awkwardly put his arm around her slender waist.