Where Winter is Warm Where Summer is Cool

The wind was calm and the flowers were settled. When the weather changed for late autumn, I had already been in Finland for half a year and had adapted well. Although the main languages ​​of Finland are Finnish and Swedish, they fortunately have a high degree of education and English was also their main language for communication. So basic communication could be done, minimizing my problems.

As for work, I applied for an advertising company that was run by overseas Chinese. The employees at the company were equally divided between Chinese and locals.

I didn’t have to go to work this weekend so I told my aunt after breakfast that I would go out and I left on my bike. My aunt’s apartment was close to the university. The environment there was not as good as my alma mater in Paris, so I usually walked, or biked when I had time to incorporate some exercise into my life.

I rode all the way into the school. It had rained last night, but now the sky was now clear. The trees were dripping with green leaves, and their exotic fruit had been knocked down by the rain and was smashed in red stains on the road.

A voice shouted from behind me, “Hey, hey, miss, please wait a minute!”

I stopped and looked back, and saw a brown-haired boy running towards me, panting. He had a vigorous and pure Western face.

“Do you need something?” I asked in English.

“I am a student in the Fine Arts Department. I saw you last week. I think Orientals are very beautiful. You look like a person from a painting. Can I ask you to be my model?”

“Model?” I noticed the drawing board strapped to his back.

“Yes, it won’t take much of your time. It’s just a simple character sketch.” His eyes were very sincere.

I thought about it, but my phone rang as I opened my mouth. I looked at the number, nodded, and apologized to the boy. I pushed my bike a few steps forward before answering.

“I wanted to call in the morning, but I was worried that you would still be sleeping,” said a low voice.

“Um.”

“What are you up to right now?” His voice was soft, with a somewhat coaxing tone.

During this period of time, our relationship had continued through long distance, and we had only met four times in the past six months after my graduation.

“Not busy. I’m cycling.”

“In college?”

“Yea…”

There was a beat of silence, before he said in a low mutter, “Anjie, I miss you.”

Although it was not the first time I heard these words of sweet talk, it still felt a bit unnatural and I changed the subject.

“Where are you now…?” I looked at the time and counted backwards, “It’s four o’clock in the morning, right?”

I heard a heavy sigh, “Well, probably…”

Probably?

I didn’t think much about his vague words and glanced instead at the boy still standing behind me. I smiled, “Someone asked me to be a model for his sketch.” I could be a little bit biased when it came to art and painting.

“A friend you know?” His tone was normal.

“I don’t know him. He’s a student I met in school.”

“Student? He shouldn’t be too old.”

“Yes, quite young,” I said with no special meaning.

“It’s rare for boys to go into painting.”

“Yeah.” It was really rare. Painting requires care and patience.

“Xi Chen, wait a minute.”

I walked back to the boy. I was embarrassed to make him wait like this.

“I’m not free now,” I said, “can we do this in the afternoon or tomorrow?”

He immediately agreed.

“Thank you! My name is Oliver,” he said and he wrote his name and telephone on a blank piece of sketch paper and tore it for me. “Thank you, you make time to call me! Goodbye!” he said cheerfully.

His smile was infectious and I relaxed a little, and smiled back.

“Goodbye”.

His calm voice sounded in my ear, “Did he leave his phone number?”

I smiled vaguely and put the phone close to my ear, “Yeah.”

“Anjie, I think I want to see you now, and it should be soon too,” His tone was flat, followed by the sound of the phone being hung up.

This short, slightly cold answer followed by the call being ended puzzled me.

Just as I was about to jump back onto my bike, I looked up and froze.

A man was getting out of a taxi on the road in front of me. He was dressed in a white cotton shirt and light, coffee, linen pants, making him look slender and elegant. He stepped out of the car and walked towards me.

I stood staring in surprise, before quickly brushing it away. I waited for him to reach me.

“Your expression doesn’t look like you want to see me,” he said. He leaned down and his cold lips covered mine.

The kiss was very shallow. I think he restrained it.

“Didn’t you say you won’t be able to come here till next week?”

“I came early.” Xi Xichen took my hand. “I missed you very much.”

Getting along was becoming more and more natural.

“Let’s go.”

“Where to?” I asked.

“Come with me,” he said confidently, “I think you will be very busy in the next two days.”