103 Carlos... I'm cold.

On the way to the hotel, Carlos engaged in conversation with Cindy, learning about their close relationship. In 2010, Cindy, who had just turned 20, had recently graduated from the drama school affiliated with the Mexico City Drama Academy. However, she had not yet become one of the "Four Beauties of Mexico," the renowned quartet.

Upon reaching the hotel, Cindy placed her luggage down, and Carlos presented her with a pre-purchased gift, saying, "Here you go, a little something for Cindy who came from afar."

"Wow! So thoughtful," exclaimed Cindy, surprised. She accepted the gift and said, "Carlos, did you learn this in school? Where did you pick up such consideration?"

"Hehe," Carlos chuckled without giving a direct answer. Instead, he said, "Open the gift and see if you like it or not."

"Oh!" Cindy opened the gift, revealing a checkered knitted scarf. Along with it was a ceremoniously bright red apple.

"Wow... it's beautiful," she exclaimed.

"Beautiful, isn't it? I'm glad you like it," Carlos responded, pleased to see Cindy's satisfaction. He hadn't mentioned it earlier, but surprising her was one thing; it was even better if she liked the surprise.

"Growl..." At that moment, Cindy's stomach made a rather unfriendly noise. She paused, then awkwardly smiled at Carlos, "Didn't eat on the plane."

"Why are you looking at me? Pack your things; let's go eat," Carlos suggested.

"Okay!"

It took about half an hour to get ready – girls are just like that.

Later on, Cindy emerged, almost identical to her previous appearance, with the addition of the scarf Carlos had gifted her wrapped around her neck. Carlos teased, "Are you sure about dressing like this? It's going to be cold even with an extra scarf."

"I didn't know it would be this cold here; I didn't bring particularly thick clothes. This will have to do," she replied.

"Alright, let's go. I'll take you to buy a coat first."

And so, they headed straight to the large shopping mall across from the hotel. While Cindy was choosing clothes, Carlos went out alone for a while. When he returned, he had an extra shopping bag in hand.

"Where did you go?" Cindy asked.

Carlos pointed to the clothes in the store, saying, "Did you find anything you like? If we don't hurry up and buy, we might starve."

"I got it!" After another look, she picked out a beige coat. After Carlos paid, Cindy put it on, along with the scarf.

"A coat is much warmer; I instantly feel cozy," she remarked, twirling in front of Carlos. "How do I look, Carlos? Do you think Cindy looks good in this outfit?"

"It looks great! With your figure and looks, anything you wear looks good!"

"Thank you for the compliment."

"Let's go eat. We're starving," Carlos suggested, satisfied with Cindy's appearance. Only after choosing the clothes did Cindy realize how hungry she was.

"Wait!" Carlos opened the shopping bag and took out a caramel-colored, fluffy hat with a small Christmas tree pattern, putting it on her head. He also pulled out a pair of long, connected gloves with Santa Claus and snowman patterns, putting them on her hands.

"What are you doing?" Cindy asked.

"It's Christmas time; we should have a Christmas atmosphere. Let's go, let's go, time to eat."

After looking Cindy over, Carlos was very pleased, smiling as he led her to find something to eat. Los Angeles was the second-largest city in the United States, and the two of them were now in the bustling city center, surrounded by countless delicious options as they strolled around.

The two of them spent over two hours indulging in the delights of the food court before finally leaving. They arrived at a spacious square on the outskirts.

It was Christmas Eve in the square, adorned with sparkling Christmas trees everywhere. Children and adults alike frolicked in Christmas attire, and mischievous Santa Clauses occasionally strolled by.

In short, the entire place was filled with a cheerful Christmas atmosphere.

"Ah... so delicious, so happy!" Cindy, who was happily eating ice cream in the square after the meal, spun around with joy.

Succeeding in the entertainment industry was not an easy task, especially in the treacherous world of showbiz, where climbing the ladder through unconventional means was common. However, Cindy scorned such methods. She wouldn't resort to any shortcuts and wanted to rely solely on her own abilities.

Despite possessing both talent and beauty, her career struggled to take off after graduation. She had faced rejections from several productions, with directors dismissing her for being too conservative.

Until she met Carlos.

Perhaps this night was one of the happiest for her recently.

Of course, Carlos was unaware of this. He watched the beautiful girl ahead, eating ice cream and occasionally turning around to smile at him, feeling particularly content.

"Cindy, give me a smile!"

"Yay!"

Carlos took several cute pictures of the beautiful Cindy as they strolled through the lively square.

Walking amidst the colorful lights, Cindy looked around at the snow on the grass and trees. She sighed, "It's a pity there's no snow on Christmas Eve; otherwise, it would be so beautiful."

"Yeah," Carlos nodded. Indeed, Los Angeles after snowfall would be enchanting, especially in the early morning, with streets covered in thick, pristine snow and scattered footprints.

"That scene... is unexpectedly beautiful!"

"Maybe it will snow tomorrow."

Carlos checked the weather forecast and then asked, "Cindy, where do you want to go tomorrow?"

"Anywhere is fine!"

Cindy answered, happily wandering around the square with Carlos following behind. They roamed for quite a while and returned to the hotel around 11 PM.

"Cindy, how about going skiing tomorrow?"

"Sure!"

Cindy weakly agreed, feeling a bit exhausted from the day's excitement. After a simple wash-up, she bid Carlos good night.

"Good night, Carlos!"

Cindy greeted and went to sleep, drifting off within seconds. Carlos smiled, turned off the lights, booked ski tickets for the next day, and also settled down to sleep.

However, around midnight, Carlos woke up, precisely due to the cold. The central air conditioning in the room was unexpectedly broken and couldn't provide any warmth. It was freezing without the air conditioning, and the blankets were not thick enough.

Even Carlos, with his strong physique, found it challenging. Checking the time, he realized that even if he managed to find a maintenance person, it would take time to fix. It seemed like a sleepless night.

Just as Carlos was feeling frustrated, he heard Cindy from the adjacent bed, tightly wrapped in her blanket, saying, "Carlos... I'm cold."