When A Snail Falls In Love

Xu Jun's Story Part 1

Lin City experienced its first snowfall in December. The snow fell in a continuous sprinkle, like delicate feathers flying in the night sky.

This was the third year after Xu Xu's marriage. The child was already four years old, and Xu Jun was thirty-two years old.

This was the prime of a man's life, and he was still single. His career, on the other hand, was flourishing.

Tonight started off as a perfectly ordinary night. He and several friends were always happy at night. While his companions were all warmly embracing their dance partners, he looked at the young lady by his side, whose exquisite beauty was tinged with a bewitching allure. His interest suddenly waned, and he made an excuse to get up and leave.

It was not the first time this had happened.

Xu Jun stood at the long, secluded walkway outside the private room, smoking. He gazed at the white snowflakes falling in the night, and felt a sudden upsurge of emotion.

Perhaps he had been a good, responsible uncle for too long. Or, it could be because Xu Xu's earnestly given advice, "You must really find a girl and get married", was finally taking effect . . . A smile gradually appeared on his handsome visage. He definitely had no interest in blindly playing around at the moment.

But, marriage . . .

He had no notion of who his future wife could be, not even an outline to be gradually filled in.

He had avoided love for too long, such that he could not recall anything at all of the flavour or emotions associated with love.

At this point, the snow stopped falling. The moon emerged from behind the thin layer of clouds, spilling its light all over the brilliantly white, snowy land. Xu Jun stood outside for a while longer. Just as he decided to head back inside, he heard voices coming from around the corner. Amidst a confused jumble of male voices, he discerned a woman's voice, saying, "I will pay back whatever he owes. He was foolish; please forgive* him."

*见谅 (jian liang) – a formal term used to ask for forgiveness

The voice was clear and pleasant to listen to and was simply incomparable in its warmth and gentleness, slowly seeping into one's heart.

Xu Jun could not stop himself from walking over – such a beautiful voice, like a beautiful face that people would not dare to compliment*. But he still wanted to see what kind of person it was who possessed such a beautiful voice.

*(T/N because no compliment could do justice to the beauty)

It was in this way that Xu Jun first met Mu Tong.

Winter night, snow-covered land, a place in the middle of the city for souls to lose themselves in merriment and pleasure. He was an impeccably attired financial backer, totally different from those around him: the rogues who lived a life of idle luxury and the rebels who refused to be bound by convention. And, she was holding the hand of a young man, encircled by the nightclub's security guards. She was wearing an ordinary black down-filled coat. Her face was plain and as fair as snow; her eyes were exceptionally large and her pupils were especially black. She looked quietly at the crowd.

Totally incompatible.

She was like the pure, sweet-tempered girl next door, totally incompatible with the prevailing atmosphere of extravagance and impulsivity.

The youth with her was also delicately good-looking. The expression on his face, however, was that of fury and willfulness. She was clearly the more tranquil of the two. The security guards all had different expressions. Some looked disdainful and put out, some were hesitant, and some were quietly sympathetic. However, when each man's gaze landed upon her, they all paused. It was not because she was too beautiful. Rather, she was too pure, too clean, such that it caused their thoughts and feelings to become confused.