On the way to the hotel.
While chatting along the way, Blake Su learned that he had a very good relationship with Quinnie. Mia Quinn had just turned twenty and had recently graduated from the Affiliated Opera School of the Academy of Dramatic Arts.
Before long, they arrived at the hotel.
After Mia Quinn set down her luggage, Blake Su took out a gift he had bought earlier and handed it to her with a smile.
"Here, a little gift for Quinnie, who came all this way."
"Wow! That's so thoughtful."
Mia Quinn looked pleasantly surprised as she accepted it with a smile.
"Blake Su, where did you go to polish yourself up like this?"
"Hehe."
Blake Su only smiled without answering—or rather, he couldn't be bothered acknowledging how clueless he used to be.
"Open it and see if you like it."
"Ooh~"
Mia Quinn happily unwrapped the gift. Inside was a plaid knitted scarf, along with a big bright red apple placed inside like part of a little ceremony.
"Wow~ It's so pretty~"
"Pretty, right? That's good."
Seeing her satisfied made Blake Su happy too. He hadn't mentioned the gift beforehand partly to surprise her—but of course, the best outcome was that she genuinely liked it.
"Grrr~"
At that moment, Mia Quinn's stomach growled loudly and very impolitely.
She froze for a second, then gave Blake Su an awkward smile.
"I didn't eat on the plane~"
"Why are you looking at me? Go tidy up. Let's go eat."
"Alright!"
That "tidying up" took half an hour—!
Then...
Mia Quinn came out dressed almost exactly the same as before, except now she had the scarf Blake Su gave her wrapped around her neck.
Blake Su blinked.
Uh… what?
"Dressed like that, you'll still be cold even with the scarf."
"I didn't know it would be this cold here. I didn't bring any really thick clothes, so this is the best I can do."
"Come on then. I'll take you to buy a coat first."
With that, he pulled her straight toward the large shopping mall across from the hotel.
While Mia Quinn browsed through clothes, Blake Su stepped out briefly. When he returned, there was an extra shopping bag in his hand.
"Where did you go?" Mia Quinn asked.
Blake Su simply pointed at the clothes in the store.
"Did you find anything you like? If we don't buy something soon and go eat, we'll starve."
"Okay, okay!"
She looked around for a while longer before finally picking a beige coat she liked.
After Blake Su paid for it, Mia Quinn immediately put it on, pairing it with the scarf.
"A coat really is warmer. I feel warm right away."
She spun once in front of Blake Su and asked with a smile,
"So? Doesn't Quinnie look good in this outfit?!"
"Of course! With your fairy-like figure and looks, you'd look good in anything."
"Smooth talker~"
Mia Quinn rolled her eyes at him, but inside she was delighted.
After all… no woman ever gets tired of hearing compliments like that.
"Let's go eat. I'm starving~"
Only after picking out clothes did Mia Quinn realize how hungry she actually was.
"Wait."
Blake Su opened the shopping bag and took out a caramel-colored fluffy bucket hat decorated with a small Christmas tree pattern—very festive—and placed it on her head.
Then he took out a pair of red mittens connected by a long string, decorated with Santa Claus and snowman patterns, and put them on her hands.
"What are you doing?"
"It's Christmas. Of course we need some Christmas spirit."
"Let's go, let's go—time to eat."
Blake Su looked her up and down with satisfaction, then smilingly pulled her along to find food.
Los Angeles was the second-largest city in America, and they were currently in the busiest downtown area. There were countless places to eat, and after wandering around here and there...
They spent more than two hours eating before finally leaving the food court.
Outside was a massive plaza.
On Christmas Eve, the plaza was filled with sparkling Christmas trees everywhere. Children and adults wearing festive outfits played and laughed, and occasionally a mischievous Santa Claus would stroll past.
In short—
The entire place was overflowing with joyful Christmas atmosphere.
"Ah~ That was so good! I'm so happy!"
After dinner, Mia Quinn stood in the plaza eating ice cream, spinning happily in circles.
Making it in the entertainment industry was never easy.
In that ruthless world, it was actually very common for people to rely on unspoken rules and shady deals to rise quickly.
But Mia Quinn disdained that.
She refused to do such things and had no intention of agreeing to any "shortcuts" like that. She only wanted to rely on her own ability.
Because of that...
Even though she truly had both talent and beauty, the start of her acting career after graduation had been rough, and she had yet to get any good opportunities.
Just before meeting Blake Su, she had been rejected by several production teams.
Some directors, after speaking with her and seeing how conservative she was about such matters, simply chose not to work with her.
As a result—
Even though she had originally planned to come earlier, she had been forced to postpone the trip because of her acting career.
Tonight
was perhaps the happiest night she had had in a long time.
Of course, Blake Su knew none of this.
He simply watched the beautiful girl ahead of him eating ice cream, occasionally turning back to grin foolishly at him—and his mood couldn't help but lift as well.
"Quinnie, say cheese~"
"Yay~"
Blake Su took several beautiful photos of Mia Quinn as she flashed a cheerful "V" sign at the camera.
They strolled slowly through the brightly lit plaza.
Looking at the snow piled on the grass and trees nearby, Mia Quinn said somewhat regretfully,
"It's Christmas Eve, but it didn't snow tonight. It would've been so beautiful if it had~"
"Yeah."
Blake Su nodded.
A snow-covered Los Angeles would definitely be beautiful.
Especially in the early morning—streets blanketed in thick white snow, with only scattered footprints here and there.
That scene...
For some reason, it felt especially wonderful.
"It might snow tomorrow."
After checking the weather forecast, Blake Su asked,
"Quinnie, where do you want to go tomorrow?"
"Anywhere is fine!"
Mia Quinn replied cheerfully while wandering around the plaza.
Blake Su followed behind her, and the two of them strolled around leisurely for quite a while. By the time they returned to the hotel, it was already nearly eleven.
"Quinnie, how about I take you skiing tomorrow?!"
"Okay—sure~"
Mia Quinn agreed weakly. After running around all night, she was already getting sleepy.
Women really do get sleepy easily, huh?
After a quick wash.
"Good night, Blake!"
Mia Quinn greeted him and immediately went to sleep. Within just a few seconds, she was already fast asleep.
Blake Su chuckled, turned off the light, booked the ski tickets, and went to sleep as well.
However...
In the middle of the night, Blake Su woke up.
More precisely, he was frozen awake.
Because the central heating in the room had somehow broken down and couldn't produce heat anymore.
In this freezing weather, with no heating and blankets that weren't thick enough—
Even with Blake Su's strong physique, it was hard to endure.
He glanced at the time. Even if he tried to call someone to fix it now, there was no guarantee he could find anyone—and even if he did, the whole night would probably be ruined anyway.
Just as Blake Su was feeling annoyed, he suddenly heard movement from the bed beside him.
Wrapped tightly in her blanket, Mia Quinn murmured softly—
"Blake~ I'm cold~"
...
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