Wei Zhi woke up to a late-night message from Jiang Nanfeng:
“Warning! When your boyfriend suddenly becomes a public figure, prepare for scrutiny, admirers, and people questioning why he chose you. They’ll wonder: Why? How? What gives you the right?”
She yawned, groggily pushing away her boyfriend’s heavy arm from her soft belly. Turning away from him, she nearly mistook the message for her mother’s usual health warnings. Half-awake, she replied: “Okay, got it.”
Jiang Nanfeng, likely already at work, quickly responded. The gist was:
“Be careful. Just because heaven sent you a seemingly perfect boyfriend doesn’t mean he comes with a lifetime warranty.”
[Girl Chirp: What do you mean?]
[Ginger: My brother’s asking when you’ll bring your boyfriend to Nancheng.]
[Girl Chirp: Your brother?]
[Ginger: Yeah, snowboarding and motorcycles are hot this year. He’s been watching videos and came across Shan Chong.]
[Girl Chirp: Ah, dimension wall.]
[Ginger: No way. My boyfriend says Han Yiming deserved it. He doesn’t want to wait for you two to break up.]
[Girl Chirp: …]
[Ginger: I advised him to give up.]
[Ginger: They want you to bring him home for New Year’s.]
[Ginger: Everyone’s curious how you got Shan Chong so devoted. He even used a secret name in competition to show his love… You seem uninterested while this handsome pro pursues you. How do I get that lucky?]
[Girl Chirp: …?]
[Girl Chirp: You think he’s pursuing me and now you’re interrogating me?]
[Ginger: Who confessed first?]
Wei Zhi thought for a moment, then replied confidently:
[Girl Chirp: Shouldn’t the guy confess first?]
[Girl Chirp: …Though it’s not impossible for the girl to.]
[Girl Chirp: But it was him.]
[Ginger: He made your relationship public first too.]
[Ginger: Your readers still don’t know Otaku Wifey is dating. Yesterday someone asked if you’d use your book tactics on a future boyfriend…]
[Girl Chirp: …]
[Girl Chirp: You’re making me feel like I’m being pursued by a pro and taking it for granted?]
[Girl Chirp: What’s going on? Why are you asking? Are you seeking advice from me? You? From me? Seriously?]
[Ginger: Is that all you’ve got?]
[Girl Chirp: #Pink Comics’ hot recommendation 18 – Chirp Zhi’s popular series “18 Poses of Cultivation in Another World” ☆ Click to read#]
[Ginger: ?]
[Girl Chirp: Maybe he’s addicted to my body and my diverse theoretical knowledge.]
[Ginger: …]
As Jiang Nanfeng bombarded Wei Zhi with question marks, she felt movement behind her. A rough hand wrapped around her waist, pulling her back—
She fell into an embrace that smelled of pain relief patches.
Their bed had smelled like this lately. His hand rested on her shoulder. He’d been awake for a while, his bandaged chin now pressing on her shoulder as he asked huskily, “How diverse?”
His just-woken voice was sexy.
Whether intentional or not, his lips brushed her ear as he spoke, visibly turning it from pale to blood-red.
Wei Zhi covered her ear.
He grabbed her wrist, trying to pull it under the covers. She broke free, squirming as she muttered, “No need, I can feel it already.”
It was quite noticeable.
Even in the warm morning bed.
Very energetic.
Wei Zhi shifted her legs, put down her phone, and buried her face in the blanket without looking back. “You competed yesterday. How are you still so energetic today?”
It was a dilemma. She’d worried about his lack of energy, but now his abundance was problematic. The downside of her theoretical knowledge was showing—
Days ago, when he was focused solely on jumping with no reaction, Wei Zhi had anxiously dreamed of subtly inviting him to bed…
Fearing her charm wasn’t enough.
Now the crisis was over, but she felt overwhelmed.
It wasn’t that she didn’t want to, just not so intensely.
The young woman didn’t realize her worries were unnecessary—
She wasn’t a stunning beauty at first glance. Round face, big eyes, high nose bridge, small nose tip… Outsiders would see a modern, collagen-filled youthful face. Her baby fat gave her a small, pointed chin with a subtle curve from the side.
She was naturally fair.
In winter, her face was like a peach, white with a pink tinge.
That’s what others saw.
What others couldn’t see, apart from experienced men like Jiang Chao and Han Yiming, only Shan Chong knew.
Her loose straps fell off her shoulders, revealing her fair, round shoulders and clear collarbones…
The messy nightgown hem was lifted.
Draped over her milky white skin, the silky white nightgown somehow lost to her natural skin tone.
She smelled wonderful.
Everything was soft to the touch, even her belly was pillowy, like a trusting cat rolling over for pets.
She had no resistance against him, letting him hold her waist, pinching here and there, leaving visible handprints on her fair hands and waist…
“Ouch, gentler.”
“You’re delicate.”
Their brief exchange was soon muffled by sighs under the covers.
The man was patient. Wei Zhi felt her waist and back burning from his hot chest…
Hearing her request for gentleness, he let go, no longer randomly grabbing her, as if he could softly absorb her into his body the next moment.
Wei Zhi was stunned when he removed his hands. The words “You let go? Haven’t you heard that when a woman says no, she might mean yes?” were on the tip of her tongue, but she couldn’t say them.
Then, she saw him looking at his phone, confusing her even more—
Interrupting morning activities to check his phone?
Wei Zhi clutched the blanket, bewildered. She looked up to see him reading her comic, instantly feeling uneasy.
“What are you doing?”
“I think you and Jiang Nanfeng have a point,” he said. “Your rich theoretical knowledge deserves me to be your devoted admirer…” Shan Chong rolled over, casually clicking on a chapter. “What do you think of this one?”
Wei Zhi glanced at it, let out a slow “Ah,” then fell silent as realization dawned.
He nudged her.
Wei Zhi gripped the blanket tighter: “Can we not do the devoted admirer thing?”
“Really?” he asked. “This devoted admirer could peel an egg for you at breakfast.”
“…”
“I might come home with you for New Year’s.”
“…”
“Don’t want that? Your backstabbing friends are already fighting for tickets,” he said calmly. “I haven’t bought mine yet. You still have a chance.”
…
Two hours later.
On the way up the mountain.
The car was packed with people—
Wei Zhi, Lao Yan, Bei Ci, Shan Chong, and some passersby were there, along with Shan Chong’s students for the day. It was a familiar face – the “Caribbean Pirate Bear.” Like sticky oil that couldn’t be shaken off, she had followed from Xinjiang.
She had been at yesterday’s competition too. Being an internet celebrity, her video of Shan You Mu received the second-highest number of likes and shares, just behind Shan Chong’s official announcement. Feeling she had contributed somehow, she proactively booked a lesson. She wanted to learn the double cork.
Now, she was showing Shan Chong a tutorial video she found online, asking if a certain move was correct. Since Shan Chong’s lesson time conscientiously started from the moment they entered the park, he allowed his mind to wander as they rode the cable car.
He held his snowboard with one hand and his snow scraper with the other, absentmindedly cleaning debris from the bindings. His thoughts drifted to that morning.
As the young woman had nearly rolled herself up like a spring roll, he had pulled her out and carried her to the bathroom. The bathroom was an excellent place – in the dead of winter, with the window closed and water running, the steamy atmosphere set the mood perfectly. Any hesitation or shyness from moments before evaporated.
As the saying goes, “There’s a castle of gold within every book.” This time, it was his turn to lean against the shower’s glass partition.
In the milky steam, he watched her alabaster arms slowly pump out two dollops of shower gel. Her small palms cupped the translucent yellow liquid as it dripped from her curved hands.
Standing behind him, she whimpered, “I won’t do it.”
Who backs out at the last moment?
Shan Chong ignored her, leaving her to her internal struggle. “It’s just an amateur competition! Why elevate it to such heights? The unexpected praise from outsiders is already an incredible bonus. What earth-shattering feat have you accomplished to deserve my—”
The last few words trailed off. One could guess the rest.
Leaning against the shower partition, the man’s eyes were soft and moist from the steam. His gaze languid, he curved his thin lips into a smile and said, “Isn’t it enough that the whole world knows both Shan Chong and Shan You Mu are taken?”
Wei Zhi couldn’t reply.
The bathroom was warm.
Her fingertips, slippery with shower gel, reached out to him. Her entire body was as soft as a marshmallow melting in hot chocolate – one touch and she’d likely dissolve.
Her damp hair clung to his back. Her breath quivered, and her face was covered in droplets – sweat or steam, impossible to tell. A bead formed and rolled down his chin.
She spread the shower gel, hugging his waist from behind, pressing against him.
The muscles in his back were so tense, like a scorching stone slab next to a volcano. She didn’t move.
He couldn’t see her expression. All he knew was that early in the morning, they both needed to shower – truly a remarkable habit.
In the bathroom, everything was both obscured and crystal clear. The man, one hand against the glass, let out a low chuckle. His heart felt as if a cat was scratching it.
The kitten was behind him, nuzzling aimlessly.
Her inexperienced movements, despite occasional verbal complaints, were accompanied by a scientific spirit that made her practically cooperative and obedient in her actions, eager to improve…
In the end, he reaped all the benefits.
…
“Is this take-off slightly different from a regular front-side cork or back-side cork?” The Bear’s voice was still the only sound in the cable car.
Today she wore pink overalls over a sweatshirt – an outfit only particularly tall and slender young women could pull off…
Wei Zhi had tried it before. Without protective gear, it was fine, but with gear on, she couldn’t even leave her apartment – the overalls were stretched to bursting.
So now, Wei Zhi played with her phone while occasionally stealing envious glances at the young woman sitting across from her, hidden behind her snow goggles. With snow boots on, she must be at least 170 cm tall…
She was practically a clothes hanger. No wonder she was an internet celebrity, considering the photos she posted on social media.
As Wei Zhi pondered this, the man sitting next to her suddenly reached out with his snow scraper, which still had some snow particles on it from scraping his board, and lazily brushed her nose.
The cold sensation made her shudder. She quickly turned her head. The man lifted his eyelids to glance at her, his voice low and husky, asking, “Why do you keep staring at my student?”
The phrasing was a bit peculiar.
If a man said “my student” to another man, it would mean “don’t look.” But saying this to a girlfriend… Lao Yan and Bei Ci’s first reaction would be: This madman is even jealous of women.
Wei Zhi didn’t react immediately. How the Bear interpreted it was her issue. The Bear’s questioning voice suddenly stopped. Her eye makeup was already a bit sparkly today, and now her eyes gleamed as she looked at Shan Chong, and then at Wei Zhi.
She glanced at the board next to Wei Zhi, with its all-mountain bindings, and seemed to catch on.
“Chong-god, your girlfriend is learning all-mountain with Lao Yan?” the Bear asked with a smile. “Aren’t you also pretty good at all-mountain?”
Shan Chong smiled without responding.
Wei Zhi gave her a calm look, no longer envious of her long legs. She thought to herself, why hasn’t this person learned her lesson?
Wei Zhi would never ask Shan Chong to “stop teaching someone,” as it seemed petty and lacking in class. But when “someone” kept appearing with impure intentions and challenging her, it became tiresome. Wei Zhi knew the snow community was rife with speculation about her relationship with Shan Chong and their dynamic—
Given that their conversations were still reasonable, Wei Zhi didn’t feel the need to jump in and explain things to them.
“Yesterday, someone told me you accepted Gray’s sponsorship and told their rep you wanted to accompany your girlfriend in all-mountain,” the Bear said with a laugh. “Oh my, everyone was so envious of this display of affection. But after finally getting sponsorship, your girlfriend doesn’t appreciate your all-mountain skills and goes to Lao Yan instead—”
“I asked Lao Yan to teach her,” the man interrupted, his voice polite but distant. “When she learns from me, she doesn’t take it seriously. If I ask her to practice a move and she thinks it doesn’t look good, she won’t do it. I can’t persuade her.”
“Then why does she listen to Lao Yan but not you?”
Sitting nearby, Bei Ci watched the scene unfold with amusement.
Recently, Lao Yan had his mess to deal with, like a monk in turmoil. In the past, he wouldn’t have batted an eye at being dragged into such a chaotic situation, but now he was about to raise his eyelids and ask her coldly why she had so many irrelevant questions—
The phone in the hands of the “shimu” sitting across from him fell to the ground.
Her hands and feet were small, and even though it wasn’t a Plus model, the broken iPhone was too big for her to hold with one hand. It fell naturally, landing on Shan Chong’s foot.
The man bent down to pick it up.
He glanced at the screen, which made him pause briefly. He narrowed his eyes and looked closer.
He discovered that the screen displayed one of his old snowboarding videos uploaded to a short video platform—
An all-mountain stance, on an empty slope. The man, dressed in dark snow gear, glided gracefully and nimbly. The top-angle camera captured his descent from the high mountain…
Reaching a gentler slope, he pushed off with his foot on the snowboard, the back edge lifting for the jump. In mid-air, he effortlessly performed an external 720° rotation. Amidst the flying snow, he folded his body, returning to the basic sliding posture, landing on the front edge.
Exiting the video, he noticed her phone gallery was filled with various screenshots. But all the snow-related ones with white backgrounds…
They were all of him.
Recent ones from the jumping platform, older ones of him grinding rails in the streets, profile shots of him eating in restaurants, and even earlier videos of all-mountain riding that hardly anyone had watched—
Her phone was full of them.
Judging by the video’s location, she had saved it for a long time, starting from the day she seriously insisted on learning all-mountain and changing to an all-mountain stance.
He lifted his eyelids to look at her. She took back her phone, her expression unchanged. “The board rotation is slow, and I can’t press down the front edge. Let me see how you do it.”
“The slow rotation is because your board is more park-oriented. It’ll be better with a Mach in the future. You can’t press the front edge because you haven’t done enough reverse camber. I told you to lower your hips, fold your body… How much of that did you hear?”
Wei Zhi responded with an “Oh.”
The man glanced at her. “So you’re just learning from my videos?”
Wei Zhi’s eyelashes fluttered as she looked at him.
With that one look, the man chuckled and withdrew his gaze. “Then aren’t I wasting money hiring Lao Yan for you?”
Wei Zhi didn’t respond.
The man took her phone, his voice lazy. “Alright, I’ll send you a few videos with clearer movements. This video’s angle isn’t good. I’ll choose some clearer ones for you.”
Wei Zhi said “Oh” again.
The atmosphere in the cable car was similar to yesterday when Shan Chong stepped onto the podium, full of vigor.
Across from them, Bei Ci and Lao Yan sat up straight, simultaneously looking at the Bear with eyes that conveyed “Why did you have to say that?” sympathy.