During The Blizzard (Amidst A Snowstorm Of Love)

Bonus Chapter

This chapter will be the opening for our upcoming project, featuring Lin Lin and Meng Xiaodong.

***

The wedding reception buzz faded into a distant hum as Meng Xiaodong and Lin Lin found themselves by the venue's koi pond. Laughter lingered on Lin Lin's lips, a bittersweet echo of the day's festivities.

"Happy for them, aren't you?" Lin Lin asked, her voice soft.

Meng Xiaodong traced the ripples in the water, a flicker of something unreadable crossing his features. "Yiyang's a good guy. Xiaoguo deserves someone who looks after her."

A comfortable silence settled between them, a language only shared by those who knew each other's stories etched in every line on their faces.

"Remember the Dragons?" Lin Lin said with a hint of a smile, the nickname they earned alongside Yiyang for their vigilante antics.

Years had passed since their teenage days in Dongxin City, yet the memory of that fateful night remained vivid.

A ghost of a smile tugged at Meng Xiaodong's lips. "How could I forget? You and Yiyang, always getting into trouble."

"Hey," Lin Lin nudged him playfully, "Someone had to keep you out of it."

The playful jab held a deeper meaning. Back then, the bravado they displayed masked a vulnerability in Meng Xiaodong, a naivety that often landed him in precarious situations.

The image flickered in his mind: a dark alley, the stench of stale beer thick in the air. A group of three thugs, their faces obscured by shadows, circled him like wolves. Fear, cold and sharp, clawed at Meng Xiaodong's throat. He clutched his pool cue tighter, the wood slick with sweat in his grip.

A cruel laugh ripped through the silence. "Look at the little wannabe champ, all alone." The leader, a hulking brute with a shaved head, spat on the ground.

Meng Xiaodong swallowed, his voice dry. "I-I haven't done anything."

"Doesn't matter," another sneered, a wiry man with a missing tooth. "Just another rich kid to teach a lesson."

Their eyes gleamed with malice. Meng Xiaodong backed away, his heart hammering against his ribs. Just then, a sound pierced the tense air - the unmistakable clatter of footsteps.

Hope surged through him. Maybe someone, anyone, would see what was happening. But his hope turned to dread as he saw Lin Lin and Yiyang burst into the alley, their faces etched with concern that morphed into fury when they saw the scene.

"Leave him alone!" Lin Lin roared, her voice surprisingly fierce. The thugs scoffed, but before they could react, she was already a blur of motion.

With a well-placed kick, she sent the wiry man sprawling into a heap of garbage bags. Lin Yiyang, ever calm and collected, launched into a series of practiced kicks and punches, disarming the leader of his knife in a swift move.

Meng Xiaodong watched in awe as they fought. Lin Lin moved with a dancer's grace, her kicks and punches precise and powerful. Lin Yiyang was a whirlwind of controlled movements, deflecting blows with lightning speed. The thugs, surprised by the sudden resistance, fought back clumsily, fueled more by drunken bravado than skill.

But they were outnumbered. A sickening crack echoed through the alley as a brick, thrown by the remaining thug, connected with Lin Lin's arm. A gasp escaped her lips, but her eyes held a steely resolve. Ignoring the sharp pain, she spun and used her leg to sweep the last thug off his feet.