Chapter 236

As the year drew to a close, Hong Kong was hit by an unexpected and drastic cold front. Temperatures that had been in the twenties plunged into the teens, and even single digits. The chill swept through the city like a rising tide, forcing pedestrians on the streets to bundle up and hurry toward their destinations. It was already ten o’clock at night when they headed to the airport. A light rain had just fallen, leaving the ground damp and reflecting the flickering lights of the storefronts lining the streets. Inside the car, a fine drizzle began to fall again. Tiny droplets hit the glass, leaving winding, meandering trails like haphazard sketches. Song Xi had originally planned to wait until they reached the Kyoto airport to put on her warmer clothes, but now, seeing the conditions, she put them all on immediately—which at least saved her the trouble of buying new ones. She peered through the rain-streaked window at the passing streetscape, feeling a strange, indescribable emotion. Having stayed in Hong Kong for over a week, she had been eager to return to Kyoto, yet now that the moment was truly here, she found herself feeling a reluctant tug of sadness.