Love at First Novel by Gu Lingfei

Evan had been standing outside the company gate for hours. If he caught a cold again, Abby certainly wasn't going to make him ginger soup this time. After all, this wasn't her family's doing it was entirely his choice to freeze out in the cold. A few minutes later, as Abby drove toward the gate, she caught sight of the familiar figure. She considered ignoring the "ice sculpture" standing in her way, but Evan suddenly darted out and blocked her path. Abby wasn't driving fast, so she hit the brakes in time.

Rolling her window down slightly, she scolded, "Evan, if you're determined to die, don't do it under my car. I don't want your foolishness dirtying my tires."

"I'm sorry, Abby," Evan said, his tone apologetic. "Stopping your car like this was reckless, but if I hadn't, you wouldn't have stopped for me at all."

"What do you want?" Abby snapped, her voice frosty. Taking a deep breath to steady herself, she continued, "It's late, it's freezing, and no one asked you to stand here. If you get sick, that's on you-not me. I told you already, I'm not interested in having dinner with you." Evan offered her a smile, ignoring her sharp words. "Abby, I've been waiting here for hours. Can't you give me just one meal together?"

He extended the bouquet in his hands, though it had frozen solid, its once vibrant flowers now wilted and encased in frost. "The temperature dropped after sundown," he said sheepishly. "The flowers didn't survive the cold."

New Year, then the temperatures began climbing again. On sunny afternoons, it could even reach over 20

further north, was a different story. The temperature there had plummeted again, and cold fronts would soon push south, bringing colder weather to Wiltspoon in the coming weeks. Still, no matter how cold

the frozen bouquet but quickly turned her gaze away. "No. There's nothing for us to talk about, Evan. Sharing a

voice was firm, each word cutting. "Evan, stop wasting your time on me. I'm not the girl you're looking for. Go find someone you

you keep this up. And honestly, wasn't

rolling up the window and

hit the brakes again. Lowering the window slightly

"I saw

sharp. "Did she say or do