Now, whether beneath the polar night or the daylight, they will always have each other.
—Love Letter from the Polar Night
Ken
—
“Damn. The car’s broken down.”
Ning Cheng frowned at the hood, frustration in her voice.
“What? What are you going to do?” Her best friend, Man Zhang, cried out through the car phone.
Ning pressed her lips together, picked up the phone from the passenger seat, and glanced at the blizzard beyond the window.
After a moment of silence, she said, “I can only call a towing company.”
Then she added, “Don’t worry about me. Don’t you have another scene to shoot soon?”
Noisy voices suddenly rose on Man’s end of the line. Two seconds later, she muttered, “I should never have taken this drama. I should have gone with you.”
Ning’s mouth curved. “Hang up. We’ll talk later.”
After ending the call, she tightened her scarf and heavy coat, got out, and walked around to the front of the car.
The sky was fully dark. Snow blanketed the road, and flakes immediately gathered in her hair. With some effort, she raised the hood and shone her phone’s flashlight over the complicated machinery, only to stare at it helplessly.
One hand tucked in her coat pocket, Ning sighed, lowered the hood, and found the towing company’s number—the one she had written down at the rental counter. She was about to call when a black SUV slowly approached from twenty meters away.
She looked up. Her hand moved before her mind could catch up, lifting in a small wave.
Seconds later, the SUV stopped beside her. Before Ning could react, its window rolled down. In the warm light inside, she saw the driver’s face.
He wore a black knit cap. His amber eyes and finely carved features made him look like a vampire stepped out of a European film.
Leo Jiang turned toward her too. After two seconds, he leaned closer to the window and silently studied Ning, his deep amber eyes blinking once.
Then he opened the door and got out.
“Chinese?” he asked in crisp English with a proper London accent.
Ning nodded.
Before she could speak, he glanced at the car behind her and switched to flawless Mandarin. “Your car broke down?”
Ning’s brows lifted, surprised by his Chinese. As if he understood her question, Leo smiled faintly.
“Have you called a towing company?” he asked.
“Not yet. I was just about to.”
“Would you mind if I take a look?”
Leo went around her, stopped at the front of the car, and looked back. Ning shook her head and joined him.
He raised the hood, bent over, and carefully inspected the engine, trying to locate the problem. Ning held the soft scarf around her neck and leaned in to watch. Without noticing, they drifted close together.
Leo turned, about to say something, and suddenly saw her.
Snow had settled in her hair. Her scarf covered her neck and most of her face, leaving only a pair of beautiful almond-shaped eyes. At that exact moment, she met his gaze.
For an instant, time seemed to stop. The wind and the whisper of snow hitting the ground grew impossibly loud.
Then every sound Leo heard was slowly drowned out by his heartbeat.
Ning looked away first. She straightened, her gaze darting around in faint confusion. Leo lowered his eyes to the snow, lifted one brow, and let a smile touch his lips before standing upright.
He circled the car once and stopped in front of her. “The rear-left tire is leaking. There also seem to be problems with the ignition and power systems.”
“What?” Ning glanced at the rental car and pressed her lips together.
She gave him a polite smile and thanked him, then took out her phone again.
“A friend of mine owns a repair shop nearby.”
Just as Ning was about to place the call, Leo’s words stopped her. She looked up at him. Without saying more, he took out his own phone, removed the black glove from his right hand, and dialed.
“Alan, I need a favor.”
...
A minute later, Leo ended the call beneath Ning’s astonished stare. He watched her expression in silence for three seconds, then gave a low laugh.
“What are you laughing at?” Ning brushed snow from her shoulder and asked suspiciously.
“Nothing. I just wanted to tell you that once he fixes the car, he’ll drive it back to the rental company.”
Ning frowned slightly. After thinking for several seconds, she murmured, “Will that really be all right?”
He nodded with complete seriousness, then turned toward his SUV.
Ning watched him go. After a second of hesitation, she followed and called after him.
“Um... could you give me a ride?”
Leo stopped with one hand on the door. The corner of his mouth lifted. He turned to her and tilted his head slightly.
“I’d be happy to.”
When those deep, amber-diamond eyes smiled, they looked so tender that Ning was inexplicably reminded of the phrase Man often used: eyes made for devotion.
She blinked, refused to think too much about it, and returned to her own car to collect all her luggage. Leo, who had already come to her side, naturally picked up her largest suitcase and carried it toward the SUV.
Ning said nothing. She retrieved her camera from the back seat and followed him.
After she got in, but before starting the car, Leo photographed her rental car. He tapped at his screen a few times, set the phone down, and drove north through the snow.
—
The heater kept the SUV warm, and the journey was quiet.
Ning gradually relaxed from her initial wariness. Leaning against the seat, she finally picked up her phone when it vibrated several times. The screen showed a string of messages from Man.
Man: Honey, I just wrapped. How are things there?
Man: Do I need to fly over and rescue you?
Man: Reply already. Without news from you, I’m exhausted like a dog and still can’t sleep!
Ning smiled and typed back.
Leo kept his eyes on the road. When he happened to glance sideways, he saw the smile on her face. By the time she lowered her phone and noticed his gaze, he had already turned back to the road.
He spoke first, his voice low and magnetic. “Leo. That’s my name. My Chinese name is Jiang Yi. I’m half Chinese and half British, so I speak Mandarin.”
As he introduced himself, Ning turned to study his profile. Under the warm yellow light of the car, she could see him more clearly. He was more handsome than any of the male stars she had met around Man.
Leo noticed her gaze from the corner of his eye. His Adam’s apple moved; something flashed in his eyes, and his mouth curved.
“You haven’t told me your name yet,” he said.
Realizing she had been staring, Ning hurriedly looked away. She touched the camera resting on her lap, gave a small cough, and answered, “My name is Ning Cheng.”
Her voice was gentle. Once she finished, the car fell quiet again.
Leo parted his lips and softly repeated her name, silently fixing its sound in his mind.
The car traveled through the snow for a while. Leo glanced at the clock on the console.
23:46
“Do you have somewhere booked for the night?” He lifted a brow and looked at her.
Ning, who had been searching travel apps for cabins and hotels, paused.
Noticing her reaction, Leo asked carefully, “You didn’t book anything?”