They embraced and kissed again, just like every time before, intertwining with each other, drawing from one another, being reborn and immersed in each other’s increasingly strong breath.

When they finally ran out of oxygen, they released each other, but were reluctant to move away, maintaining a position with their noses touching.

Zhou Mi’s skin was flushed red, as if illuminated by the rekindled fire in her heart.

She panted slightly and said with a small voice: “You looked so handsome today, I mean, when you were skiing… I praised you behind everyone today, but I still feel I need to tell you separately, you looked so handsome when skiing.”

Zhang Lian curved his lips, said nothing, and pecked her lips once more.

Kissing him always felt so warm and smooth, the pressure always so appropriate, always stirring ripples in her heart.

“You’re so warm,” she couldn’t help but praise.

Zhang Lian smiled: “Keep complimenting me, I like to hear it.”

“I’m telling the truth,” Zhou Mi chuckled a couple of times. “Your kisses, your hugs, they always make people feel so warm, from the very beginning, even though I used to think you were a cold-blooded animal.”

This description made Zhang Lian’s eyes flash slightly. He covered Zhou Mi’s mouth again, deciding not to let her talk too much.

When they separated, Zhou Mi looked at him a few more times, suddenly smiled, and pointed at him: “Your ears are so red.”

Zhang Lian casually touched them: “Really?”

Zhou Mi’s gaze was mischievous: “Yes.”

Zhang Lian chuckled: “Look at yourself before talking about others.”

Hearing this, Zhou Mi touched her face with the backs of her hands and found it indeed burning hot.

She smiled shyly, hurriedly grabbing the towel ice pack from the bedside table to cool down: “I’ll go back to my room soon.”

Zhang Lian said, “I’ll walk you.”

Zhou Mi refused: “No need, my knee is just swollen and painful, not like my left leg was amputated.”

Zhang Lian nodded: “Alright.”

Despite agreeing, when it was time to go back, Zhang Lian still accompanied Zhou Mi to her guest room.

Along the not-so-long corridor, they walked and stopped like in an art gallery, conversing in low voices, taking quite some time, treating each other like masterpieces, lingering and reluctant to part.

Gently taking out the key card from her pocket, Zhou Mi turned her head, winked, and urged in a breathy voice: “Go now— go back—”

“Mm.” Zhang Lian responded, but remained unhurried and motionless.

“Go on.” She bared her small front teeth like a marmot to intimidate him.

Zhang Lian laughed, finally turning to leave.

After unlocking the door, the lights were on inside. Zhou Mi closed her eyes in despair, changing from sneaking in with small steps to striding in boldly, putting on a righteous expression.

Sure enough, as soon as she passed the entrance, Tao Ziyi was sitting on the bed staring at her, with a face full of teasing interrogation: “Well, Mimi, you’re back, how’s your little leg?”

She then peered toward the door: “Where’s the boss?”

“…” Zhou Mi stood still, scalp tingling, only answering the first question: “Nothing serious, just swollen.”

Tao Ziyi narrowed her eyes: “Hmm.”

Zhou Mi hurriedly went to rummage through her suitcase: “I’m going to take a shower first.”

Tao Ziyi smiled: “We’ll chat when you come out.”

Zhou Mi greased her soles, hugging her pajamas and slipping away efficiently.

When she returned to bed, Zhou Mi received a WeChat message from Zhang Lian, reminding her not to forget to apply the ointment before sleep.

Zhou Mi replied: Got it.

She immediately got out of bed to retrieve the ointment from her coat pocket, sat back on the bed, and carefully applied it. When she looked back, she still met Tao Ziyi’s keen scrutiny.

Zhou Mi tightened the cap, surrendering with her hands up: “Please, stop looking at me like that.”

Tao Ziyi laughed and waggled her phone: “Everyone in the group chat is gossiping about you. Someone in the know said Fabian started pursuing you not long after you joined the company?”

Zhou Mi was surprised: “Who said that?”

Tao Ziyi said: “Jiang Shi. He said Fabian bought ice cream for the whole company because of your Weibo post, just so you could have some.”

She cupped her face: “God, what kind of idol drama plot is this?”

Zhou Mi loudly denied: “…No way! It was just a coincidence!”

Then she uncomfortably rubbed her forehead: “Honestly, I don’t even dare to look at the group chat.”

Tao Ziyi said, “Don’t worry, they’re chatting in a group without you and Fabian.”

Zhou Mi glanced sideways: “You guys are too real.”

Tao Ziyi laughed heartily, continuing her interrogation: “So is it true or not? Don’t hide it anymore. Today was the first time I’ve seen Fabian so serious and nervous. Two years ago, our company had a major marketing crisis that offended a foreign celebrity, causing our client to be savagely criticized by forum fans. He wasn’t even this anxious then. That afternoon, he had the website clear all the posts, contacted the celebrity’s team, and perfectly resolved the PR crisis.”

Zhou Mi blinked: “That’s impressive, what else?”

“Right,” Tao Ziyi nodded, her voice suddenly rising: “Don’t try to change the subject!”

Well… Zhou Mi stuck out her tongue mentally. Just as she was about to speak, her phone, by the pillow, vibrated. She picked it up to see a WeChat message from Zhang Lian: Forgot to give you the snacks.

Zhou Mi replied: Eat them yourself.

And rapidly typed, urgently seeking help: I’m being all kinds of…

Before she could finish, Tao Ziyi’s question popped up from the other side of the room: “Are you messaging Fabian?!”

Zhou Mi immediately turned off her screen.

After ambiguously dealing with Tao Ziyi, Zhou Mi could finally catch her breath. After turning off the lights and lying down, she crawled under the covers, tossing and turning with her head covered.

After a while, she wrapped herself tightly and secretly lit up her phone in the darkness, sending a WeChat to Zhang Lian: What should I do? After dealing with one person, there’s always another! I’m going to be interrogated constantly!

Zhang Lian replied casually: What did they ask?

Zhou Mi said: About you and me.

Zhang Lian: What about you and me?

Zhang Lian: Tell me.

Zhou Mi’s knuckles tightened, and her smile muscles were completely activated.

She lightly tapped on the screen with one finger, like a ballerina spinning on a music box, and replied with three characters: Blocked you.

Zhang Lian also replied with three characters: Pinned you.

Zhou Mi couldn’t stop smiling: Really?

Zhang Lian sent a screenshot of his “Chat Details” interface. Not only had he set her as a pinned chat, but the notification bar was also set to green.

She noticed her contact name, recalling what she had seen in his phone last time, and couldn’t help but ask curiously: Have I always been saved as ‘Zhou Mi’ in your WeChat?

Zhang Lian replied: Yes.

Zhou Mi only said half her thought: I thought.

After waiting a moment, he asked: What?

Zhou Mi said that I would have a nickname.

Zhang Lian said: What nickname do you need? You are you.

Zhou Mi’s thoughts extended: What about before, when we were hooking up? At that time, you didn’t know my name was Zhou Mi; we only called and texted. What code name did you have for me in your phone?

Zhang Lian asked back: What did you save me as?

Zhou Mi: You tell me first, then I’ll tell you.

Zhang Lian didn’t beat around the bush: Half Moon Serenade.

Zhou Mi’s head inexplicably warmed up because of this multi-layered nickname: What the heck.

Zhang Lian: What’s wrong?

Zhou Mi thought for a moment: Can’t quite put my finger on it, seems a bit romantic, but also a bit, you know.

Zhang Lian: Which?

Zhou Mi was frank: Erotic.

Zhang Lian deliberately or unintentionally agreed: It does seem a bit like that.

Zhou Mi’s ears started feeling hot: You’re admitting it???

Zhang Lian stopped dwelling on the connotations: What about mine?

Zhou Mi felt embarrassment growing in her mind, because she felt hers was even more “that way,” and immediately performed a live retraction: I don’t want to say anymore.

Zhang Lian:?

Zhang Lian: Little liar.

Zhou Mi’s smile expanded to twice its previous width: Are you unhappy now?

Zhang Lian: Mm.

Zhou Mi tugged at her tingling cheeks, once on the left, once on the right, then said: If I tell you, don’t laugh at me.

Zhang Lian: Okay.

Zhou Mi half-covered her eyes as she typed those four characters, sending them with extreme embarrassment, then quickly flipped her phone face down in front of her, silently laughing.

Shortly after, a small area of her chest was illuminated by the screen, as if her heart was emitting light.

The covers rustled as Zhou Mi raised her phone back to her eyes, seeing Zhang Lian’s suggestive reply: Next time, call me that in person.

Zhou Mi sent back a “dame” cat face expression pack: No way.

Zhang Lian: I just checked the date.

Zhou Mi also glanced at her lock screen: It’s the 21st.

This scene felt extremely familiar, making her recall the old days when she was waiting in the dormitory for each date: It’s so far from the 15th of next month. Suddenly reminded of how stupid I looked counting the days.

Zhang Lian said: No need for that now.

Like spilled jam, sweet feelings spread all over Zhou Mi’s mind, with some sentiment: Do you remember, last time was also a team-building event?

Like a circle, arriving at the end, which is also the beginning.

Zhang Lian said: That was our least romantic time.

Zhou Mi said: Why?

Zhang Lian said: Too impulsive.

Zhou Mi’s nose stung from his simple words: Now I really want to know, if I had wanted to keep the baby, wanted to get married, what would you have done?

Zhang Lian said: You wouldn’t have chosen that.

Zhou Mi was a bit annoyed by his certainty: Why?

Zhang Lian: Because you chose Aoxing, you wanted to be an AE, plus your resume, your direction was clear and distinct. You’re not the kind of girl who would be hobbled by these unexpected events.

Zhou Mi said: How do you know? You didn’t even ask me.

Zhang Lian: I did ask you in that breakfast shop.

Zhou Mi: My brain was a mess that day. My mind was a mess during that whole period.

Zhang Lian: I’m sorry. But you already had the answer in your heart, didn’t you?

Zhou Mi posed the question again: What if, I’m saying what if, I insisted on having the baby and getting married! If I had to be like that, making unreasonable demands, what would you have chosen?

Zhang Lian said: I probably would have gotten married. Accepted a wife because of a child.

Zhou Mi’s eyelids flickered twice: But not Zhou Mi, right?

Zhang Lian: Mm. Do you think if you had chosen that way, you would have accepted Zhang Lian?

Zhou Mi’s eyes suddenly heated up: Damn you.

Zhang Lian: Why the sudden curse?

Zhou Mi said: I don’t know.

Zhang Lian said: Let’s visit a temple when we have time.

Zhou Mi paused, immediately understanding his meaning, and responded: Okay.

Zhang Lian: I had planned to before, but didn’t want to bring these things up with you again.

Zhou Mi pinched her nose: It’s actually nothing, really doesn’t matter, I’ve thought it through. People always have to take responsibility for each of their choices, right? The way things are now is good.

Zhang Lian: Regret letting you go back to your room.

Zhang Lian: I want to hold you right now.

Zhou Mi broke into a smile through her tears: I’m not letting you hold me.

—

During the next two days of team-building activities, Zhou Mi couldn’t go to the snow resort to play because of her injured knee, so she stayed at the hotel to rest. Zhang Lian also didn’t go to the snow resort, but accompanied her wandering around the streets near the hotel, completely unafraid of suspicion.

The employees who came along had various opinions about the relationship between the two, expressing different views, and searched for clues like drug-induced excited chickens, but because it happened so suddenly, it was eye-popping, and the parties involved were low-key, they couldn’t figure out a clear sequence of causes and effects.

On the last day in the waiting area at the airport, Yuan Zhen, who had been holding back for two days, could no longer stand it and sent a soul-searching question to his boss in the executive group chat:

@Fabian, I can’t hold back anymore. What’s going on between you and Minnie? Many people in the company are saying you’ve been pursuing her for a long time.

Zhang Lian replied: Yes, I have been pursuing Minnie for a long time.

Yuan Zhen: Wow!

With one sentence, a group of executives secretly watching the drama were shocked, filling the group chat with exclamations.

Having already started, Yuan Zhen decided to get to the bottom of it: So, have you succeeded?

Zhang Lian said: I don’t know, since you’re so curious, help me pass a message and ask her.

It was like lifting a rock only to drop it on his foot. Yuan Zhen deeply regretted it, but had to be the courier, like a class committee member helping the class monitor pass a message to his secret crush. He privately messaged Zhou Mi:

“Mimi, secretly tell sister Zhen Zhen, has Fabian won you over?”

After receiving the message, Zhou Mi turned her head while sitting in her chair, and saw Yuan Zhen in the back row giving her a forced smile and waving.

Zhou Mi then turned to look for Zhang Lian on the other side, blinking her eyes at him in confusion, while the man remained calm, only curving his lips at her from a distance.

Zhou Mi lowered her head to look at her phone again, pretending not to understand and replying to her superior: Why are you suddenly asking this?

Yuan Zhen sent a friendly smiley face: Just curious and concerned, caring about subordinates’ emotional lives. We’re in the same company, it will have to be made public sooner or later, so don’t hide it.

Zhou Mi secretly raised the corners of her mouth, and could only tell the truth: I think, he probably has succeeded.

Yuan Zhen’s face changed in a second: You two should act like decent humans!!!!!

Zhou Mi: ????