The snowy day was very cold, even with the heater on inside, but there was still an unshakable chill throughout the vast Abnormal Strategy Bureau. The snowflakes that lted outside the window kept stripping away the warmth from the room, allowing the cold to continuously invade the space.
But at this mont, Bai Jingxuan's words seed to possess a kind of Magic Power, bestowing warmth upon the omnipresent snow.
Although it was deep winter, the snow outside could no longer bring any trace of coldness. An inexplicable warmth seed to flow through Lin Yun's limbs and bones, leaving him feeling sowhat dazed.
After a long silence, he suddenly gathered up the docunts on the table and slowly stood up.
"Indeed, I can't make it to your birthday party,"
He extended his hand and ruffled Bai Jingxuan's hair, "But since there's nothing much going on right now, I can take you to the shopping mall, help you pick out a birthday gift."
"I didn't co to Uncle for a gift!" Seemingly feeling that her words had been misconstrued, Bai Jingxuan pouted slightly in dissatisfaction.
"I know,"
Lin Yun withdrew his hand from her head and pulled open the door to the Director's Office, "It's not for anything else, I just want to buy it, that's all."
...
...
The sky on snowy days was very gloomy, with the gray-white clouds sealing the sun so tightly that they didn't leave even the slightest crack for sunlight. Although it was just past five o'clock, the sky had already turned dark early on, as though it was already night.
Even on a workday, the shopping mall next to the Abnormal Strategy Bureau was bustling—after all, it was the only shopping center in the vicinity and monopolized most of the foot traffic.
Among this stream of custors, a pair seemingly like a father and daughter had appeared. A middle-aged man, dressed ticulously, with an indifferent expression and the aura of a career elite, was walking slowly through the mall with a little girl.
Though they ca to buy a gift, it was actually more like a stroll. All the way, Lin Yun had already taken Bai Jingxuan to experience quite a few things, such as the indoor skating rink in the shopping center and the high-end headset experience area specially carved out... Although these leisure activities weren't novel to those who often shopped, Bai Jingxuan nevertheless thoroughly enjoyed them.
It was only at tis like these that she would show her relatively immature side, her threshold for joy being very low, finding delight in whatever they did.
However, while she was unburdened in playing, as soon as Lin Yun ntioned buying a gift, Bai Jingxuan beca much more reserved. No matter what gift Lin Yun suggested, she had a sowhat resistant deanor, clearly feeling that "accepting a gift" would make her visit to Lin Yun seem impure in motive.
This thought left Lin Yun sowhat bemused, but he didn't insist and simply continued to stroll with her in the mall.
To onlookers, it looked like a father taking his daughter on a leisurely walk, pausing now and then in front of toy or clothing stores' entrances, as though asking the girl beside him about sothing. However, most of the ti the girl just shook her head, and the man would smile helplessly before they continued on their way.
They kept on walking like this until they ca to the entrance of a sowhat deserted handicraft store, where their pace finally began to slow down. Lin Yun noticed that Bai Jingxuan's gaze seed to be caught by sothing in the display window.
Following her gaze, he saw a delicately crafted piano music box with its lid open. The music box revealed intricate transmission parts under its lid, but as it wasn't wound up, it simply lay still without any motion.
"Interested in that?" Lowering his head, Lin Yun wanted to consider Bai Jingxuan's opinion but found that the girl had already turned her head away, pretending as if nothing had happened and looking forward.
"No, just a casual glance,"
Bai Jingxuan muttered softly, tugging at Lin Yun's sleeve, "Let's go."
"Are you sure?"
This ti, Lin Yun did not just go along with her wishes, but instead asked again, "I never said you had to buy anything just by looking at it, but if you are simply interested and want to take a closer look, standing here and waiting for you a while is not a problem."
After he finished speaking, he felt the force with which Bai Jingxuan was tugging at his sleeve significantly weaken, and her gaze, forcibly fixed forward, once again glanced at the display window, clearly tempted.
"Go ahead," he waved to Bai Jingxuan, encouraging her once more before settling himself to stand by, indicating that he would not wander off.
Having been coaxed to this point, Bai Jingxuan hesitated no longer. She trotted to the shop's side and squatted there, scrutinizing the music box with great interest.
Lin Yun followed and stood quietly behind Bai Jingxuan, looking together with her at the piece of craftsmanship in the window. When a salesperson inside the store noticed the pair, who appeared to be father and daughter, and ca over to inquire, he gestured to her from afar to shake his head, then silently pointed to Bai Jingxuan, politely declining her offer of assistance for the mont.
Several minutes passed in this way before Bai Jingxuan's gaze gradually moved away from the music box. With a sense of reluctance, she turned and said to Lin Yun, "Let's go, Uncle."
"Do you really not want to buy it?" Lin Yun asked.
"It would be pointless to buy it,"
For so reason, after taking a good look at the music box in the store, Bai Jingxuan's mood seed to have dropped, and she shook her head, "It's just very similar, after all, but it's not what's in my mory."
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