Moscow was already blanketed in endless snow.

Lin Ke shoved her phone into her pocket, breathed warm air into her freezing hands, then dragged her suitcase forward with the crowd.

Meng Jing had personally come to pick her up.

While checking into the hotel, he struck up a conversation.

“You really don’t plan on coming to work with us?”

Last time, Si Yuming had been present, so she hadn’t said much.

Now, after thinking for a moment, she answered seriously,

“I’ve been preparing for it. I’m taking the exam this year. I just registered two days ago.”

Meng Jing visibly relaxed and smiled.

“I was just wondering how I should convince you. Looks like I don’t need to waste my breath after all.”

Lin Ke smiled too.

“Thank you, Brother Meng Jing.”

“No need to thank me. I can’t actually help you much.” He paused. “Besides, I’m selfish too. Compared to other people, of course I’d rather choose you.”

Then he glanced at her right hand.

“How’s your wrist?”

Lin Ke looked surprised.

“Brother Meng Jing, you knew?”

“How could I not?” Meng Jing laughed. “During National Day, Yuming spammed our group chat with photos.”

Then he added,

“Speaking of which, I’ve never been to Inner Mongolia before. Looking at those pictures, I should really make time to go. The scenery looked incredible.”

He continued,

“Once this work is done, I’ll head back to China too. Then I can come over with Yuming to attend a wedding banquet.”

Lin Ke grew even more shocked.

“How come Yuming never mentioned you had a girlfriend?”

Meng Jing smiled faintly.

“We’re not really dating. We’ve only met a few times. It’s mostly the elders’ arrangement.”

Lin Ke took a moment before understanding what he meant.

She suddenly felt that people in their privileged circles were rather pitiful too.

Forced into marriages without love.

If lucky, they might live a peaceful, stable life.

If unlucky, they could waste an entire lifetime.

So she smiled politely.

“Congratulations.”

“Thanks.”

Just then, Meng Jing’s phone rang.

He lifted it slightly.

“I’ll take this.”

Walking off to the side, Meng Jing looked at the caller ID, then glanced toward the woman already checking in at the front desk.

Feeling puzzled, he answered.

“You looking for me? Or looking for your wife?”

The man on the other side spoke quietly.

A faint sound of a door opening and closing followed.

“I’m looking for you.”

“Oh?” Meng Jing leaned against the counter lazily. “What’s up?”

“Lin Ke’s there alone. Take care of her.”

Meng Jing understood instantly and grinned teasingly.

“Got it, Boss Si. Even if you didn’t say anything, I’d still take care of her.”

He glanced toward the front desk again.

“She’s right beside me. Want me to pass her the phone?”

The man paused.

Then his low voice came through.

“No need.”

“Alright then.”

Meng Jing moved the phone away from his ear, but suddenly heard him call out again.

He brought it back.

“What?”

“Is it snowing in Moscow?”

“It is. It’s been snowing for two days already.”

Lin Ke hated winter the most.

She was afraid of cold weather.

Once winter arrived, she barely wanted to leave the house and always bundled herself in thick clothes.

Yet she loved snow.

Every time it snowed, she became unbelievably happy.

Before the snow even stopped, she’d rush outside with her friends to build snowmen and have snowball fights.

Back then, he used to watch her from upstairs.

Every time, he’d see her cheeks and nose frozen bright red, her tiny body wrapped inside a puffy down jacket like a little snowball.

Even after marriage, she was still the same.

When the weather turned cold, she became lazy and unwilling to move.

Whenever he returned home, he’d often find her curled up on the sofa with their daughter watching cartoons.

Even with the heating on, the mother and daughter still covered themselves with two fluffy blankets.

Whenever he carried their daughter, her body was always warm.

……

The next morning, Lin Ke called Si Xiaotie first thing after waking up.

The little girl sounded more energetic today, though her nasal congestion remained heavy.

Thankfully, she still hadn’t developed a fever.

Watching the little girl giggling on screen as if she weren’t sick at all, Lin Ke deliberately adopted a stern expression.

“You’re not allowed to take your clothes off whenever you want anymore, understand?”

“Got it, got it!”

It was noon in China now.

Lin Ke asked,

“Did you eat lunch yet?”

“Daddy’s cooking.”

Holding the phone up with both hands, Si Xiaotie asked worriedly,

“Mommy, are you tired?”

“Not tired.”

“Okay then. Daddy said Mommy has soooo much work and must be super tired. Mommy, you have to take care of yourself, okay? Daddy and I miss you soooo much!”

Lin Ke smiled gently.

“Okay. Mommy will take care of herself.”

“And Daddy also said it’s snowing where you are…”

Before she finished speaking, a muffled male voice came from the other side, sounding utterly helpless.

“Si Xiaotie.”

The little girl blinked and turned around.

“What’s wrong, Daddy? Did I say something wrong?”

Then she thought seriously for a moment all by herself.

“I didn’t though.”

Immediately after, she grinned brightly at the screen again.

“Daddy said Mommy’s city is snowing, and he told me I have to remind Mommy to wear more clothes. Otherwise Mommy will catch a cold just like Xiaotie!”

“Mommy, you need to wear loooots of clothes!”

Children’s words were innocent and natural.

But Lin Ke’s heart paused slightly.

She smiled softly.

“Okay. Mommy understands.”

Then Si Xiaotie turned her head toward the kitchen.

“Daddy, do you wanna talk to Mommy?”

Footsteps sounded from the other side.

For some reason, panic rose in Lin Ke’s chest.

She hurriedly said,

“Xiaotie, Mommy still has work. Next time, okay?”

“Okay then.”

Then the little girl shouted loudly,

“Daddy! Mommy doesn’t wanna talk to you!”

“……”

After the call ended, Lin Ke shook her head helplessly, smiling.

This Si Xiaotie…

She put away her phone and prepared herself for work.

This international conference was extremely important, with major political leaders attending.

The externally hired interpreters wouldn’t have access to the inner political circle and were only responsible for communication between ordinary officials.

For confidentiality and security reasons, everyone only learned their assignments on the morning of work itself.

Moreover, there would be two full days of closed training beforehand.

During training, phones would be confiscated and all outside communication prohibited.

Lin Ke had never taken on work this serious before.

She treated it with utmost caution.

The person in charge of the training was a senior interpreter named Zhou Rong, who had already stepped back from frontline work.

She had appeared behind national leaders countless times before.

Back in school, professors often used her as an example to encourage students to dream bigger.

Videos of Zhou Rong interpreting had once been one of Lin Ke’s most important study materials.

So Lin Ke had looked forward to these two days immensely.

After arriving at the training hall, she signed in, handed over her phone, and finally saw Zhou Rong herself standing onstage discussing details with the staff.

Lin Ke found her seat and sat quietly, gazing toward the podium.

Elegant. Capable. Composed.

Becoming a woman like Zhou Rong had once been Lin Ke’s greatest dream.

She wanted to climb step by step toward the highest level of interpretation.

She wanted people to think of someone named Lin Ke whenever Russian interpretation was mentioned.

She had never once given up on that dream.

And she firmly believed she would achieve it.

After finishing her conversation, Zhou Rong looked down from the stage.

Her gaze swept across the room before stopping on Lin Ke.

Then she beckoned her over.

Lin Ke looked surprised and immediately stood up.

“Hello, Teacher Zhou.”

Zhou Rong looked her up and down before smiling warmly.

“So you’re Professor Fan’s student?”

“Yes, Teacher Zhou.”

Zhou Rong spoke kindly.

“Before you came, Old Fan told me one of his students would be joining us and asked me to look after her a little.”

“I didn’t expect such a pretty little girl.”

“Teacher Zhou flatters me.”

“How old is your baby?”

Lin Ke froze briefly, then guessed Professor Fan must’ve mentioned it.

“She’s almost four.”

“That’s good.” Zhou Rong nodded approvingly. “Settle the things that need settling early, then you won’t have worries later when focusing on your career.”

She looked at Lin Ke.

“Old Fan said you’re taking the Foreign Ministry exam this year?”

“Yes.”

“Work hard. I look forward to becoming colleagues.”

“Thank you, Teacher Zhou.”

After the conversation ended, Lin Ke returned to her seat.

She looked up at the solemn national-style ceiling overhead.

For some reason, her heart suddenly filled with strength.

After two days of closed training, the official work finally began.

On the first day, Lin Ke was assigned to assist a Ministry of Commerce leader during the first round of talks with economic leaders from various countries.

She received the details only the night before.

She prepared until two in the morning.

In a setting this formal, if anything went wrong, nobody could bear the consequences.

At seven in the morning, she headed out for breakfast.

Afterward, everyone assembled and proceeded separately to their assigned posts.

Zhou Rong personally led them.

Before entering the conference hall, she asked,

“Nervous?”

Others might not know, but Lin Ke was extremely nervous.

Even with experience in many major events, her palms still sweated.

Years after graduation and countless rounds of training had taught her calmness.

Usually, once she sat at the interpreter’s seat, she became composed and steady.

But standing here today, she felt like a rookie interpreter taking her first solo assignment all over again.

She worried whether her knowledge reserves were enough.

Whether the leaders would ask difficult questions.

What if unexpected situations occurred?

Zhou Rong glanced over.

“What about Lin Ke?”

Lin Ke took a deep breath inwardly and smiled.

“Not nervous.”

Back in school, her teacher had once told her:

Never show fear.

Confidence is something you give yourself.

The conference hall doors opened.

Turning her head, Lin Ke saw rows of national flags standing solemnly in place.

Every seat was perfectly arranged, dignified and majestic.

And her seat—

was directly behind the main delegation.

At nine o’clock sharp, the meeting officially began.

The Russian officials offered greetings.

Lin Ke delivered her very first interpretation.

She steadied herself.

Her mind and pen began moving rapidly in sync with the speaker’s words.

The high-intensity work continued nonstop until five in the afternoon.

When the meeting finally ended, Lin Ke’s waist hurt so badly she could barely straighten up.

While the staff cleaned the hall, she secretly stretched lazily for a moment.

Unexpectedly, one of the leaders suddenly turned around.

The woman immediately sat upright again in one second flat, restoring the same solemn expression as the conference room itself.

“What’s your name, young lady?”

“Lin Ke.”

“You interpreted very well.”

“Thank you, Minister Gao.”

The leader rose and departed.

Inside the hall, important figures from various countries still lingered, discussing with one another and with staff members.

They were discussing economic policies that might shape the future.

Lin Ke glanced toward the nearby five-star red flag.

Quietly, she curled her lips upward.

Inside her heart, she praised herself.

You did great, Lin Ke.

The peak moments in life come from realizing one’s own value.

At this instant, all troubles no longer felt like troubles.

She walked forward with her head held high and her spirits soaring.

All work officially ended on Sunday.

Everyone packed up and prepared to return home the next day.

Back at the hotel, Lin Ke felt incredibly relaxed while chatting with Si Xiaotie.

Even her voice sounded lighter.

“Si Xiaotie, why are you still awake at this hour?”

The little girl giggled before launching into an excited report about today’s amusement park trip.

“Mommy! I rode the pirate ship and the carousel horsies too! It was sooo fun!”

“Did Daddy take you?”

“Yep! Yesterday Daddy also took me and Brother to the park. We flew a huuuge kite and it went all the way into the sky!”

Si Xiaotie’s giant face completely filled the phone screen.

Lin Ke couldn’t see the person outside the frame, but he was probably nearby.

Before she could respond, Si Xiaotie suddenly asked,

“Mommy, were you happy today?”

“Happy.”

Lin Ke smiled.

“Very happy.”

“Yay! I’m happy too!”

The phone was taken by someone beside her.

Lin Ke finally saw his face.

His sharply defined features seemed sculpted by God Himself.

His pure black eyes narrowed slightly as his warm gaze settled quietly on her.

Lin Ke looked back at him silently.

At that moment, she suddenly thought—

leaving him no longer felt like such a terrifying thing.

Love or no love.

Responsibility or not.

None of it seemed that important anymore.

“When do you arrive tomorrow?”

“Seven in the evening.”

“Xiaotie and I will pick you up.”

“Okay.”

……

At seven in the evening, Lin Ke landed.

After collecting her luggage, she entered the arrivals hall.

Si Xiaotie had been waiting eagerly, clutching a bouquet of flowers in her arms.

The moment she spotted her mother, she rushed over.

Lin Ke crouched down and hugged the little girl.

Si Xiaotie kissed her cheek softly.

“Welcome home, Mommy!”

Lin Ke tapped her nose lightly.

“Who taught you to say that?”

“Daddy!”

Lin Ke’s gaze shifted.

Si Yuming stepped forward and loosely embraced both mother and daughter.

    “Welcome home.”