At the edge of the U-shaped pool in the Altay General Mountain Ski Resort, fellow skiers were fortunate to witness three big shots huddled together around a mobile phone, forming the shape of a prestigious Mercedes-Benz logo…
Unfortunately, the three-pointed star failed to illuminate their path forward.
The three present fell into a collective silence. Facing a bewildered Shan Chong and Da Shixiong, who was equally confused but delighted by the unfolding drama, Lao Yan paused before asking Shan Chong, “So, the call you took from such a distance earlier… was that from Little Shimei?”
Shan Chong hesitated before replying, “Yes.”
Lao Yan pressed, “What did she say?”
Shan Chong explained, “Hua Yan and Yan Yan took her off-piste. She fell on some rocks and broke her binding… Those two senior sisters never do anything good, always setting bad examples.”
At that moment, as if on cue, Hua Yan and Yan Yan, having had their fill of off-piste skiing and suddenly remembering they needed to practice, were slowly making their way back to the park terrain when they both sneezed simultaneously.
Bei Ci glanced towards the girls, “Speak of the devil, here they come, asking for a scolding in person.”
Lao Yan continued, “You guys are passing the buck… Anyway, from the perspective of a normal person—”
Bei Ci interjected, “A scumbag’s perspective, you mean. Class is in session, Chongli’s number one scumbag is lecturing.”
Lao Yan grabbed a handful of snow and pressed it into Bei Ci’s face. As the latter fell back with a yelp, Lao Yan, still squatting with his knees hugged to his chest, turned to Shan Chong.
Shan Chong barely lifted his eyelids, calmly stating, “From any perspective, I did nothing wrong. I immediately asked if she was hurt, and she said no. Then I asked if she needed a ride, and she said no.”
So, what’s the problem?
What’s the issue?
Lao Yan probed, “No offense, but when a young girl falls and breaks her binding at a ski resort, trudging through ice and snow for two li with her board, and she calls her boyfriend who’s at the same resort to report this, if she’s not hurt and doesn’t need a ride, why did she call?”
Shan Chong: “…”
Lao Yan continued, “Couldn’t the chat wait until she reached the equipment hall? It’s freezing out there, and she had to take off her gloves to make the call.”
Shan Chong emphasized, “She said she didn’t need a ride.”
Lao Yan retorted, “So you didn’t go?”
Shan Chong: “?”
Even the densest person would have sensed something amiss by now. Shan Chong suddenly recalled a phrase Lao Yan often used:
When a woman says no, she means yes.
When she says yes, she also means yes.
When she tells you to get lost, that’s when she means no.
Unfortunately, this realization came too late. The seeds of wrongdoing had already been sown and taken root. As the man pondered how to handle the situation, he took out his phone and liked the young girl’s post to acknowledge he had seen it.
Lao Yan watched his action in stunned silence for a few seconds, thinking to himself, “Is he determined to dig his own grave… wave after wave?”
Lao Yan questioned, “Why are you liking her post? To provoke her? To express your unyielding spirit or your refusal to admit defeat?”
Shan Chong replied, “If I don’t like it, it’ll be another reason to get scolded later.”
Lao Yan conceded, “Well, that does make some sense.”
As the three men were muttering among themselves, Hua Yan and Yan Yan approached, dragging their boards. Seeing the three engrossed in a heated discussion over the phone—
Shan Chong and Wei Zhi had only been together for two or three days. Apart from Jiang Nanfeng, who couldn’t avoid knowing since he shared a room with Shan Chong, Bei Ci was the only one aware of their relationship. Lao Yan knew because Jiang Nanfeng had hinted at it, telling him not to be surprised if he saw anything… And Lao Yan being who he was, even the slightest hint was enough for him to deduce the whole story.
So now, Hua Yan and Yan Yan, completely in the dark, excitedly sidled up to them. Tossing aside their boards, they asked, “Did you guys see Little Shimei’s Moments post?”
“We saw it. Whoever proposed the idea should take responsibility,” Shan Chong said. “Later, you two split the cost of buying her a new binding.”
Hua Yan chuckled, squeezing into the group and crouching down with them. Her colorful braids fell over her shoulders as she excitedly said, “Who told you that? I mean, I didn’t even know Little Shimei had a boyfriend—must be someone in the industry, right? How else would they know what a binding is!”
Yan Yan curiously asked, “She’s with us all the time, how did she meet someone else?”
Hua Yan replied, “There are always opportunities. What about that guy from Wantong Hall? If you want opportunities, they’re everywhere… Though I don’t think Little Shimei’s boyfriend is him.”
Yan Yan nodded, “Oh, I see.”
Hua Yan winked at Shan Chong, “Chong-shen, what do you think? Your disciple has been snatched away by a wolf. Oh my! I wonder who Little Shimei’s boyfriend is. Haha! He’d better not be at this resort, or he’d be a real idiot to let his girlfriend walk down the mountain with a broken binding. No wonder she’s never mentioned such a boyfriend—it would be heartbreaking to talk about—”
She looked gleeful.
Then she saw the man crouching opposite her calmly lift his eyelids, glance at her, and say nonchalantly, “Oh. It’s me.”
Hua Yan’s excited chatter came to an abrupt halt. Yan Yan let out an “Uh” and also turned to look at their master in bewilderment.
They heard their master say lazily, “It’s me.”
Hua Yan: “…”
Yan Yan: “…”
Surprised? Unexpected?
…
Once upon a time, there was a person who could make a big shot and willingly hold her hand and help her push up the slope. One day wasn’t enough; the next day, he’d leave a mountain full of eager people waiting for him to review their practice results and take her to a different mountain to continue pushing.
Once upon a time, there was a person who could make a big shot willingly come out of seclusion to face an old enemy, just because her ski goggles were always fogging up, while the old enemy’s goggles were this year’s expensive new model.
Once upon a time, there was a person who could make a big shot and willingly sell his body, promising to perform in exchange for intercepting the ski boots his disciple had reserved (which didn’t fit that well) at the ski equipment store.
Once upon a time, there was a person who could make a big shot and willingly pick up a needle and thread to sew a little turtle butt pad, something he had never touched in his life.
Once upon a time…
Well, there were too many instances to count.
If all the previous coincidences could be summed up as “That day, the big shot was in a good mood, what a coincidence,” then with so many coincidences coming together, this person was destined to become their Shimu (master’s wife) from the moment she boarded the plane to Zhangjiakou.
Hua Yan and Yan Yan had long lost interest in and fantasies about their master due to the ravages of time. Now, seeing his expression, the thoughts flying through their minds were more like—
[How can this be?]
[How is this possible?]
[Why would Little Shimei settle for this?]
[A flower planted in… not exactly cow dung, but something not very nutritious?]
[Ah, today is surreal.]
After pondering her words carefully, Hua Yan squeezed out a sentence: “Leaving your girlfriend on the ski slope while you practice in the park… I must say, this is very much in line with your character.”
Yan Yan chimed in softly, “Chong-ge if we were in the habit of fantasizing about you, this would indeed be the kind of daily occurrence we’d imagine you capable of… although we don’t fantasize about you.”
Hua Yan asked, “When did this happen?”
Bei Ci replied, “A couple of days ago, on the day of the World Cup.”
Hua Yan gasped, “It hasn’t even been three days, and you’re already leaving your girlfriend alone on the mountain while you practice?”
Yan Yan: “Master, that’s so like you.”
Hua Yan: “Master, that’s so like you.”
Yan Yan: “Getting dumped less than three days into your first relationship seems a bit unlucky, doesn’t it?”
Shan Chong stared at them expressionlessly.
Having gotten their revenge for all the sarcasm and frustration they’d endured during practice sessions, the two girls had had their fun. Hua Yan rested her chin on her hand and said with a smile, “Actually, looking on the bright side, Little Shimei’s Moments post is kind of like an official announcement, right? The words ‘boyfriend’ shining so brightly will keep all sorts of riffraff away from now on—”
Yan Yan interjected, “Assuming she didn’t set it to be visible only to certain groups.”
Hua Yan slapped her arm, “Can’t you see Chong-ge’s face has turned green? We’re done with the merciless teasing phase and entering the ‘say nice things’ phase now.”
Yan Yan quickly added, “Oh, right. The wind is so strong up there, it’s hard to keep your eyes open. How could she have the ability to block people one by one? She probably just posted it directly, without group settings.”
Bei Ci let out a “Whoa” from the side. Everyone turned to look at him as he hugged his knees and nodded, “That’s indeed worth letting a certain Mr. Dog see…”
“Who?” Hua Yan asked, “That guy from Wantong Hall? Are you comparing him to Chong-shen? He’s not even as good as you.”
Bei Ci retorted, “Sister Hua, isn’t that comparison a bit off?”
Shan Chong said calmly, “Bei Ci is probably referring to your Little Shimei’s fiancé.”
As he finished speaking, he saw Hua Yan and Yan Yan snap their heads around again, almost twisting their necks, both widening their eyes—
Fiancé?
Little Shimei has a fiancé?
This… these adults are playing quite a complicated game, aren’t they?
They’ve certainly had their fill of gossip this afternoon!
Under the shocked gazes of his disciples, the man’s expression barely changed. He lowered his eyes and casually drew in the snow, feeling the cold snow melt on his fingertips. He spoke unhurriedly, “It’s just a one-sided arrangement by her family. It’s not a big deal. If she’s unwilling, who can force her to get the marriage certificate… Besides, there’s me, right?”
The four burning gazes fixed on his face disappeared.
“What do you mean it’s not a big deal? It is a big deal, isn’t it? Chong-ge, I advise you to go down the mountain right now, take the cable car up, and find her,” Hua Yan said. “The idiom ‘mending the fold after the sheep are lost’ exists to tell people that although it might be a bit late, it’s still better than not mending at all.”
Shan Chong let out an “Oh,” stood up, bent down to pick up his board, and started to put it on.
Halfway through, he straightened up.
“I don’t want to go,” the man said, pursing his lips. “If I go, I’ll get scolded.”
Everyone: “…”
Bei Ci: “You’re afraid of that?”
Yan Yan: “Just think of it as paying off a debt. Didn’t you used to scold us every day?”
Hua Yan: “Go and get scolded for an hour, or don’t go and get scolded for three days. Are you going?”
Shan Chong: “…”
He immediately put on the binding for his other foot, twisted his hips slightly on the snow surface, rotated the snowboard 180 degrees, and with a wave of his hand, disappeared from everyone’s sight in three seconds, moving at a speed comparable to his big slalom race with Dai Duo on the top of Chongli Mountain that day.
…
Meanwhile, on the advanced slope to the north, Wei Zhi was changing her posture for the third time as she dragged her snowboard down the slope—
Within ten minutes, the snowboard had moved from her left hand to her right. Now she was dragging it by the broken binding strap, carrying it on her back.
It was long and heavy.
If she could, she’d like to throw away the snowboard along with its bindings.
However, on the ski slope, carelessly letting the snowboard out of sight or letting it slide down on its own were both inconsiderate and dangerous behaviors. An uncontrolled snowboard was heavy, with sharp edges that could seriously injure someone if it collided with them on the way down, potentially sending them to the hospital.
A good girl couldn’t do that.
Wei Zhi, carrying the snowboard, felt utterly helpless. The phone in her pocket hadn’t stopped ringing since she posted on her Moments.
She didn’t take it out to look, but she could guess with her toes who was now raging like Godzilla attacking Tokyo Bay—
After all, that Moments post wasn’t set to any specific group.
It was visible to everyone.
Including the cleaning lady who came to her house on weekends.
Ah.
She didn’t know where she got the courage from.
She inched forward step by step with the snowboard on her back, eventually feeling as if she was carrying her coffin board rather than a snowboard. After what seemed like an eternity, she suddenly heard the “swish-swish” sound of a snowboard cutting through the snow behind her—
They say a dog raised for years can recognize the sound of its family members’ footsteps coming up the stairs, barking even before they reach the door. Humans can do this too.
Wei Zhi’s ears perked up instantly, but she stubbornly refused to turn around.
From the corner of her eye, she saw a yellow figure brush past her, followed by a beautiful hip twist and front edge throw, creating a two-meter snow wall that blurred her vision. The man stopped steadily in front of her.
Bent over from the weight of the snowboard, Wei Zhi looked up at the man standing before her from the side. They stared at each other for a few seconds.
She broke the silence first: “Why did you come?”
The young girl had a round face with round eyes, usually looking harmless. Even when she put on a serious face to speak, it was hard for anyone to feel tense…
Shan Chong: “Just passing by.”
Wei Zhi raised an eyebrow.
Shan Chong: “…Actually, no. After hanging up the phone earlier, I thought about it seriously and felt I should come pick you up.”
“…” Wei Zhi let out an incredulous laugh, “Did you think about it yourself, or did you have a serious meeting with Bei Ci and Lao Yan, maybe even taking a vote before deciding to come?”
Shan Chong: “…”
She had seen through him.
And it wasn’t just Bei Ci and Lao Yan; Hua Yan and Yan Yan were also present at the meeting.
Shan Chong wasn’t stupid, of course, he didn’t follow her lead.
Wei Zhi was exhausted from the journey, hot and panting. At this moment, she had taken off her face guard, helmet, and goggles, all piled into her helmet hanging from her elbow. The man looked down to see her cheeks flushed red, her pale lips slightly parted as she breathed unevenly—
The young girl’s face was about half a palm’s distance from his at this moment. Her dark brown eyelashes fluttered lightly, her nose small and delicate, her pale rose-colored lips slightly open…
At such a close distance, he could smell her breath, her lips seemingly coated with something that smelled of peaches with a hint of cool mint.
His Adam’s apple bobbed.
On this deserted slope, the man narrowed his eyes slightly, forcing himself to move his gaze from her lips… He shifted his snowboard left and right, saying calmly, “Get on.”
Wei Zhi hesitated, looking at him, then at his snowboard, not sure whether to let bygones be bygones and get down the mountain first before settling accounts with him.
Shan Chong sensed her hesitation and said, “This time, don’t sit. Stand on my snowboard, I’ll take you down. Hold my waist, put each foot on one of my bindings—”
“I know,” she interrupted before he could finish. “Last time at the mid-mountain slope, Bei Ci took me down like this.”
“?”
“?”
The man was silent for a moment, then raised his eyes and asked, “You hugged him?”
His voice was low and slightly hoarse, with a hint of an impending storm—
This man was being a bit unreasonable.
Her hugging Bei Ci on one board down the mountain was ancient history. Back then, he was still the heartless, mean-spirited disciple who would push her wheelchair and shamelessly show the world that she had wiped out…
Settling old scores was fine!
But going back that far was a bit ridiculous!
Wei Zhi: “For all I know, the doctor who bathed me when I was born might have been a man?”
Shan Chong: “Don’t quibble.”
Wei Zhi was still considering how to counter him when she heard the man say, “Fine, let’s call it even.”
“Who’s calling it even with you?” Wei Zhi was stunned. “That was so long ago. If it had been you who found me then, I would have hugged your waist going down too—”
The man stood still, just looking at her.
Wei Zhi stopped mid-sentence, not out of fear, but suddenly realizing why she was arguing with him. If he wanted to be jealous, let him be. Jealousy was a good thing, why stop him?
She simply curved her lips into a smile at him, muttering “Now you know how desirable I am,” then jumped onto the snowboard, standing steady. Her hands instinctively wrapped around the man’s waist, her elbows feeling his lean, strong torso. She inwardly clicked her tongue, wondering if his waist might even be slimmer than hers.
The young girl’s face pressed against his chest. After a while, she looked up at him from his embrace, as if to ask if he was done being jealous so they could go.
Shan Chong thought for a moment, bouncing the rainbow-colored board in his hand, and said, “It’s a bit heavy.”
Wei Zhi silently watched him, waiting to see what other tricks he might pull.
The man’s hand, originally fixed on her waist, moved away. Instead, he pulled down his face guard, that extremely cold handsome face lowering as he looked down at her lips, sniffing.
“I wanted to ask earlier, what’s that peach-flavored thing?”
“?”
“Can I kiss you?”
His pitch-black pupils stared at her, asking very directly.
“I haven’t touched you since that day.”
That word “touched.”
It made Wei Zhi’s legs go weak for a second.
Those thin lips were very, very close to hers, right at the edge. The arms around the man’s waist unconsciously tightened a bit, feeling the man’s chest tighten. He let out an “Mmm” sound, a bit of discomfort in his voice.
“Don’t hug me like that.”
His voice was husky, sounding a bit drawn out, lazy with a hint of warning.
“It’s uncomfortable.”
Wei Zhi immediately loosened her grip as if electrified. In this position, it wasn’t easy to push him away, so she could only lower her voice: “What do you mean uncomfortable! What time and place is this? Don’t come closer, stay away from me— Are you trying to cause trouble?”
Shan Chong: “…”
Shan Chong looked down at the young girl in his arms. Hmm, like a cooked shrimp, red and curled up tightly, even her hair seemed cooked.
He lowered his eyes, thinking he had scared her.
Tsk.
Shan Chong: “Oh.”
Shan Chong: “If you don’t want to be touched, then I won’t. Don’t be fierce, it’s scary.”
His voice, briefly husky, returned to its usual steady tone. He hesitated, then pressed on her shoulder, telling her not to move, and quickly brushed his lips against her left eye.
In an instant, the soft and warm bundle in his arms turned to stone.
The man’s gaze changed from jealousy to something slightly softer. He held the board with one hand and her waist with the other, slowing down the snowboard to take her down at a safe speed…
There weren’t many people on the slope, and he was going slow enough to allow him to look around. He looked down at the person in his arms, about to ask if she was sure she hadn’t bumped or hit anything if anything hurt now…
Suddenly his gaze fixed on the safety helmet hanging from her elbow—
He was about to tell her to put the helmet on.
Then he noticed something different.
Logically, all her small items should have been thrown inside it.
Shan Chong looked for a while, raised an eyebrow, and let go of her waist. He reached out to fiddle with her helmet, lifting her face guard to take a look.
Wei Zhi was startled, instinctively hugging him tighter. She was about to ask what was wrong when she felt the man come to a sudden stop. She froze.
Wei Zhi heard a very calm, deep voice above her head—
“I have a question for you, and I hope you’ll remain appropriately calm after hearing it: Where are your goggles?”