It was a freezing night, but all she could feel was the warmth. Freed from the threat of Threnodian, Jinzhou finally began to thrive again. Everyone was celebrating their new era.

She was walking along the road, enjoying the view of her city. It was the first time for Jinhsi to look up the snowy sky with no concerns. The fear inside her mind was gone; being a magistrate of Jinzhou became a pure glory.

However, a tiny problem remained. She planned to walk the road with Changli in the morning, but she couldn’t find her teacher in her office. Instead, there was a letter with a single sentence. “Today is not the time to appreciate, but the time to feel joy.”

As usual, Changli didn’t tell her any details. She always taught Jinhsi with puzzles. While they were complicated and labyrinthine, they never betrayed her way of seeking answers. After all, Changli was a splendid teacher. She loved to hear her lesson, regardless of the subject.

She stopped walking in front of the souvenir shop. It was closed like other shops in Jinzhou. The city was expecting the biggest festival of all time. Ganxue’s fashion sense was very helpful for those who don’t know how to dress formally on occasions like that.

“Like the General,” She smiled gently. There was no way Jiyan could dress well that day without any help. “Especially the General.”

She heard familiar footsteps behind her. Someone was slowly approaching. She didn’t need a lot of time to realize what she was wearing: the golden dress. It was specially made for the magistrate. She was still not familiar with it. She was not ready for it.

Unfortunately, It was already impossible for her to escape. Only one option remained. She decided to be confident. “Rover, where are you going?” She asked politely, trying to hide her shudder.

“Looking for somewhere quiet,” Rover responded. “It’s too noisy up there.” She suddenly stopped walking, and began to observe Jinhsi’s attire. It must be the first time for her to see the golden dress. She wanted to her what Rover thinks about it.

“Is it bad?” said the magistrate. She wanted to find out whether the dress suits her or not. Rover’s opinion could be a reliable source of confidence. So she began to wait.

Rover seemed to struggle at choosing words. “No.” She started her comment with a single word. “It is wonderful. You’re more shiny than the nexus over there.”

She was happy to hear that. “I appreciate your compliment, Rover.” She smiled again.

A strong wind blew from the north. Her dress fluttered; her bare leg, with the color of snow, exposed. The Rover began tracking uncovered skin unintentionally. It was hard to stop before Jinhsi noticed her observation. She somehow barely managed.

“Do you feel cold? Your face is red,” the Magistrate, without knowing her thought, approached. Rover intended to keep distance from a streetlight. Perplexed, she took a long time to choose her answer. That deliberation, however, was not a correct choice.

Jinhsi didn’t wait. She swept Rover’s hair delicately; her fingers were long and elegant. There were scars on her hands, unable to ignore, but they made her more polished. “Yours are beautiful as well. I love it,” She smiled.

“Mine?” It didn’t take long for her to find out what she meant. “Dress?”

Her face blushed slightly. “Baizhi gave me this. I don’t know how, but it seems she planned to order mine as well as hers,” Rover smiled. She looked a bit embarrassed when she talked about it. “I didn’t think it suits me.”

“What do you mean?” Jinhsi answered immediately. “Not at all.”

Rover couldn’t make her answer easily. “Really?” She seemed a little unfocused; It was difficult to face Jinhsi from the front. They walked along the road together, holding hands but not looking at each other.

Considering her schedule as the magistrate, Rover wanted to ask if they could spend the night together. Still, there were no suitable words that came to her mind. “Really,” She nodded with no doubt. “I can’t believe you, the hero of Jinzhou, left the party because of the dress.”

She smiled bitterly. She had never imagined herself attending a lavish party. The sight of people dancing, with their hands on their partners, swaying to the music, looking into each other's eyes - she considered every one of them romantic.

"How was the party?" Although she was the magistrate of the city, it was still unfamiliar to her. She couldn't imagine herself participating in it. "Did you dance? or did anyone ask you to dance with?"

Rover grumbled. Jinhsi chuckled. It was hard to hide the sound, but she succeeded flawlessly. "Can you dance?" asked Rover politely, staring at her with curiosity.

“You’ll not consider yourself bad at dancing if I am the partner,” Rover smiled. She extended his hand without hesitation, and asked for a dance. “Maybe I’m worse than you.”

“We could learn,” said Jinhsi. Now it was Rover’s time to be speechless. “There’s no one around. It doesn’t matter if there is, actually.”

This is unfair, right? she wasn’t able to handle the speed of her heart beating. The adrenaline kept surging. She could even smell the fragrance. Her thoughts began to stray. Considering the magistrate cute might be far from the truth, but that was the biggest impression Rover had for her.

So they began to hold each other’s hand, as proof that they are going to dance together.

The night was so quiet that Rover thought she could hear how loud her heart was beating. Her mouth felt dry. Impatience and nervousness bubbled up inside her. It was always too easy to imagine; but going beyond imagination was never the same.

“My heart is pounding. Should we walk a little further?” asked Rover. Jinhsi nodded and smiled slightly, showing that she valued this friendship very much. Her teacher was right. What she needed to seek today was joy; So she found hers.

She dreamed of dancing with Rover every night. Now it has become a reality. Every time she saw stars before going to sleep, she wished she had one. Without even realizing it, however, there was a star right next to her. Her star was holding her hands.