My wife is a witch princess.

Xia Li buried her head in her food, Jiang Xiaoxiao was lost in thought, and Song Che and Jiang Shuo tacitly avoided mentioning anything related to [Tang Xiaoniang], instead just chatting idly about random things.

"My cat barks like a dog."

"You're talking nonsense."

"I'll bet you a hundred bucks, wanna bet?"

"My cat can even do backflips, so let's bet on it."

"I'll bring Bruce out for you to see next time."

“Okay.” Jiang Shuo said casually, but his eyes kept glancing at Jiang Xiaoxiao. He couldn’t hide his heartache. He knew he shouldn’t say anything now. He could only rely on Xiaoxiao to resolve her inner conflict. The problem was, could a girl who had just entered the first year of high school resolve her inner conflict on her own?

If it were him—his best friend Song Che had given it to him, and from then on, he would be all alone when eating, going home from school, or playing games. His QQ profile picture would always be gray, and there would be no one to chat with him about endless gossip... In the end, when he was seventy years old, he would sit alone in the sunset, with Song Che no longer by his side, and no one to call him "good boy" anymore. Honestly, he would cry his eyes out.

Song Che, don't die!

Although neither of them smoked, Jiang Shuo secretly resolved to give Song Che a few more lighters in the future, just to have something to remember him by.

“Brother Che…” Jiang Shuo’s appearance at this moment was exactly like Xia Li blinking.

"What's the matter with you?"

"It's nothing, I just feel so happy and fulfilled to have you as a brother. With such a good friend, I have no regrets in this life."

"..."

It made me feel like I was about to die.

Song Che was momentarily speechless.

Whatever, do whatever you want.

The people at this table were all lost in their own thoughts, and no one could figure out who the others were.

Outside the window, night has fallen.

Jiang Xiaoxiao suddenly raised her finger, "Brother, it's snowing."

The dancing snowflakes resembled blooming flowers. Xia Li looked up, and the countless snowflakes reflected in her blue eyes. One by one, they fell to the ground, silently. The first snowflakes, carrying soil, melted into ice water. The later snowflakes fell, spotless. When passersby stepped on them, the snowflakes lost their shape, but the snowflakes continued to fall, one after another, giving the soil and ice water a new coat.

"...It's snowing." Xia Li swallowed the last grain of rice. "Song Che, I'm full."

Song Che barely ate anything, preoccupied with processing his memories. Hearing that Xia Li had finished work, he glanced at his phone.

Before Song Che could speak, Jiang Shuo said, "Thank you for coming today. We have to go now, or our parents will start nagging us."

Song Che understood and nodded in response.

"Okay, we'll leave too."

"You can take the bike; I won't return it. The charger is under the seat; you can use it for now and give it back to me this weekend."

"Okay, I'll treat you next time, remember to come."

Song Che got up, put on his coat, and most of the people in the store had left. He said a simple goodbye and left with Xia Li. Jiang Xiaoxiao needed some time to be alone and accept reality. She needed time to get over her sadness and had to rely on herself.

……

The snowflakes were icy cold, and I kissed my hand. The first snow of the year fell before the winter solstice. Xia Li opened her fair palm to catch a few flakes, breathed out a puff of white breath, and quietly waited for Song Che to push the cart out.

"Song Che, how long have you lived in this world?"

"Eighteen years."

It was so short, it passed in the blink of an eye.

Xia Li put her hands in her pockets. "'Birthday' means what? Does everyone have one?"

"A birthday signifies the day of one's birth, and everyone has one."

Xia Li tilted her head, snowflakes sliding down her silver hair by her ear, her blue eyes reflecting the lamplight, "Can Xia Li celebrate her birthday every day?"

"No." Song Che had just refused when he suddenly paused. He had asked his mother the same question when he was a child, wishing he could celebrate his birthday every day and eat cake. He changed his mind, "Birthdays aren't every day, but you can eat cake every day."

Xia Li nodded, "But I don't know my birth date, so I don't have a birthday, right?"

That's true. Xia Li was born of magic, unlike here where there are birth certificates. The exact date is impossible to verify. Being an unregistered person is such a hassle…

Song Che helped Xia Li into the back seat. "You can choose a date as your birthday and celebrate it on that date from now on."

“Then I want to have my birthday on the same day as Chinese New Year.”

"That's pretty good." Song Che completely understood what Xia Li meant. She was like a child, looking forward to eating delicious food and having fun activities during the New Year and her birthday. She would be very happy if her birthday and the New Year fell on the same day.

Song Che got into the car, turned his head and said, "The Lunar New Year is late this year, it will be in February, which is more than eighty days from now."

When is Song Che's birthday?

March 10rd.

"Today is……"

"It's already over, we'll have to wait until next year."

Xia Li made a mental note of the date so that she could eat cake on Song Che's birthday next year.

"Just a heads up, from now on call me Song Che, not Song Che anymore, it sounds weird."

"……it is good."

"Your Highness, hold on tight."

"Ah."

Under the streetlights, snowflakes, like willow catkins, whitened Song Che's head, and he felt the fingers on his shoulder tighten slightly.

He and Xia Li were both familiar and strangers.

In another world, Xia Li is a high and mighty witch princess, and he is her contractor. Their interactions are mostly about work and war. Song Che is in charge of foreign affairs negotiations, while Xia Li is in charge of being aloof and pretentious. With their cooperation, they defeat the forbidden kingdom repeatedly.

Here, Xia Li is a big believer, and most of their communication revolves around eating... Hmm, something's not right. No matter how I think about it, I'm the one who's at a disadvantage... How should Xia Li make it up to me?

However, there is indeed an inexplicable tacit understanding between the two of them.

"If my hands are cold, I'll put them in my pockets. I'll ride slowly so I won't fall."

"……May I?"

Even putting something in your pocket requires asking.

"Sure, it's warm in my pocket, I can just put it in."

Xia Li hesitated for a moment, then her fingertips slid down his back and gently slipped into his coat pocket—

No, it was shoved directly into the pocket in front of his stomach.

"Ok?"

Song Che felt a chill on his stomach. Ten icy fingers pressed against it, clearly using his stomach as a heater.

He grinned but didn't say anything; let's just assume he didn't say anything, given our unspoken understanding.

We can't just let them pull their hand back.

After riding through the No. 1 Middle School Street, the alley came into view. Song Che parked his bike next to the iron gate, locked it, and hurriedly rushed back to his rented room. This awful weather was really not suitable for going out.

He stomped his feet and patted the snow off in front of the door, then shook the snow out of Xia Li's hat. Bruce was already at the door to greet his master, rubbing against Song Che's trouser leg and making a comfortable purring sound.

Song Che closed the door, turned on the light, glanced at the cat food bowl, turned around and grabbed half a handful of food to fill it.

Physics test questions and last week's exam paper were spread out on the small sofa.

He glanced at it.

Headache.

Reading books now is like cramming for exams at the last minute; it's like getting athlete's foot from overthinking.

When I looked at Xia Li, she was holding a magazine, staring blankly at the chandelier.

She wondered why Song Che hadn't moved when she put her hand in his pocket.

It was so cold, as cold as snowflakes.

But it’s okay,

You can't hold the cold snowflakes in your hand, but you can hold onto warm shoulders.

Xia Li shifted her gaze and landed on Song Che's troubled face.

Chapter 27 I'm Very Serious

If you can't concentrate on studying, just wash up and go to bed.

Song Che closed his book and prepared to wash up. There was no room for luck when it came to learning. Hoping to cram knowledge back into one's head overnight was no better than letting Xia Li evolve into a magical girl directly.

"Xia Li, remember to brush your teeth."

He called out towards the living room.

……

After washing away his fatigue with warm water, Song Che walked out of the bathroom, drying his half-dry hair. He saw Xia Li brushing her teeth at the sink, engrossed in reading a magazine. Hearing the door open, she turned her head blankly, her lips dimpled with foam. Xia Li subconsciously raised the back of her hand to wipe it.

"How long have you been scrolling?"

“…I forgot.” Xia Li puffed out one cheek, bit the toothbrush, and thought seriously for a few seconds. “I’ve been brushing it ever since you took a shower.”

"Then rinse your mouth and go to sleep." Song Che turned to the side and picked up the hair dryer. "You still have the scar on your leg. Wait until it heals before you take a shower. I'll tell you how to use the water heater and hair dryer then."

"it is good."

"Don't read while brushing your teeth. Read after you're done." Song Che pressed the switch, and the sound of the airflow immediately attracted Xia Li's attention. This kind of thing, without magic or spells, was probably what the books called science.

Xia Li rinsed her mouth and cleaned the corners of her mouth. She put down her toothbrush and her gaze lingered on the hair dryer. There were no wind sprites around to help her, yet air kept coming out of the outlet. She asked, "This is science, right?"

"Yes, it needs electricity, just like the living room chandelier. It can work as long as it's plugged in."

Xia Li looked puzzled and bit her lip, speaking softly.

"Electrification...this science is not magic at all."

It's magic, it doesn't make any sense at all!

Song Che silently corrected her. He understood that perception couldn't be changed overnight. Besides basic common sense, Xia Li had a lot to learn, from astronomy and geography to interpersonal relationships, from social rules to the unspoken meanings in everyday conversation.