Wei Zhi put down her phone and called Jiang Nanfeng. The other end was slurping bird’s nest soup when she heard Wei Zhi’s forlorn voice: “I’m so stupid. I knew not to trust what men say, but I still thought I was some fairy descending from heaven who could straighten a rice stalk into bamboo. I forgot that men are essentially scumbags – they can’t survive without being scumbags, living off cheating and tricking…”
“What’s wrong, Sister-in-law Wei Lin?” Jiang Nanfeng politely held back her laughter. “Did your boyfriend get snatched by wolves?”
Wei Zhi was nearly dying of grievance. “I wish he had been snatched by wolves!”
“Oh? What happened?”
“He’s a bastard! He played the role of a deeply devoted man who couldn’t live without his girlfriend in Chongli, then just up and left! Leaving behind a mess and bewildered disciples! They’ve been tagging me in the group chat all afternoon, calling me Wei Daji! I figured, fine, I’ll accept being scolded as a sweet burden – but this man who was supposedly late and leaving early for love just slept one night at home – the bed wasn’t even wrinkled! The next day he went to Songhua Lake Ski Resort!!!!”
Jiang Nanfeng stirred the bird’s nest soup in her white porcelain bowl, watching the red date swirl in the vortex she created. She wasn’t surprised at all.
The corner of her mouth quirked up, almost wanting to laugh at the shouting from the other end of the phone.
She let out another “Oh”: “What’s going on, Shan Chong went to Jilin?”
Wei Zhi: “Yes!!!! Damn it!!!! Is he crazy?!”
Jiang Nanfeng: “Both ski resorts in Jilin are pretty good. I’ve always wondered why he went all the way to Chongli. Aren’t the two resorts at his doorstep – Beidahu and Songhua Lake – just as nice?”
Wei Zhi fell silent for a moment.
Then she finally couldn’t help but say: “Did I call you to discuss which domestic ski resort is the best?”
“No, but what else can I say? Wasn’t it you this morning who was eating preserved egg and lean pork congee like it was an emperor’s feast, smiling and flaunting your relationship to me… Look, it’s the New Year, I didn’t even dare to say that those who flaunt their relationships usually end up crashing and burning.”
Jiang Nanfeng paused, then added:
“I just didn’t expect your crash to come so quickly.”
Wei Zhi angrily hung up the phone.
She wanted to throw her phone out the window like in TV dramas –
But looking at the phone in her hand, bought new this year, she couldn’t bear to do it.
What to do now?
She could only take out her anger on the culprit.
Thanks to the video poster that enabled downloads for Shan Chong’s jumping video, Wei Zhi quickly downloaded it and sent it to her boyfriend, with the caption: Who’s this? His double cork is as good as yours!
Then she put down her phone and went to eat.
While eating, she found the same excitement as when she first started crushing on her master –
Waiting for his WeChat reply, afraid he wouldn’t respond, yet also afraid he’d reply too quickly and rob her of the perfect time to contemplate her next move. Every time she typed something, she eagerly anticipated what he might say next to make her smile, her heart pounding…
Except this time, she wasn’t anticipating what he might say to make her smile.
She was anticipating what kind of nonsense he’d come up with.
An 800-word self-criticism of his deceptive behavior, or better yet, kowtowing on the spot.
Her phone vibrated a few times during the meal, but she resisted checking it, afraid she’d forgive him after just a couple of explanations.
After absentmindedly finishing her takeout, she leisurely returned to her bed and picked up her phone. She found that all the unread messages on the screen were from Jiang Nanfeng:
[Ginger Juice: Come on, he just secretly went to a ski resort, it’s not like he’s secretly giving lessons to some girl.]
[Ginger Juice: Don’t you have to give men some freedom?]
[Ginger Juice: He probably realized Chongli was boring without you, then impulsively went home, only to find home even more boring without you and no skiing…]
[Ginger Juice: Men, you know, even at 50 they’ll do such impulsive things, let alone at 30.]
Wei Zhi was somewhat persuaded.
Then she scrolled down and saw that her boyfriend had replied, but instead of an 800-word self-criticism essay, he had just responded with six dots.
Her anger flared up again.
[Little Chirp: What do you mean by “…”?]
He must have had his phone in hand because as soon as she sent this message, it showed “typing…” His reply came quickly this time, with a few more words at least.
[Chong: Nothing in particular.]
This phrase, ranking in the top three of “Things Men Say When Asking to Be Scolded,” made Wei Zhi raise her metaphorical 80-meter sword.
Before she could call him to scold him directly –
[Chong: Just thinking about what to say to make you scold me less.]
[Chong: Can’t not reply to you right now.]
[Chong: So I replied with that first, to hold the fort.]
Wei Zhi: “…”
The raging fire that had reached her chest, not yet having a chance to burst out of her nostrils, was miraculously extinguished by his submissive attitude, which flowed down like a waterfall.
Facing her phone, with emotions stuck between rising and falling, she blinked, pondering how to reply to this dog…
Seeing no response from her for a while, he directly initiated a voice call.
Wei Zhi hesitated for three seconds before accepting.
Given that her facial expression was probably a bit twisted and complex at the moment, she instinctively covered the camera when she answered. She saw her boyfriend still wearing the same hoodie from the video earlier, sitting in what looked like a restaurant.
The phone was placed on the table. As soon as the call connected, the man leaned in and asked, “What’s wrong, are you really angry?”
His voice was magnetic, perhaps deliberately so. It sounded even more charming than usual.
Wei Zhi was silent for a moment: “Speak normally, don’t talk with your legs crossed.”
Her voice was neither high nor low. As soon as she spoke, laughter could be heard from the surroundings. Perhaps the snow enthusiasts who had caught Shan Chong at Songhua Lake were eating together. “Is that your girlfriend?” “She’s angry?” “Go on, comfort her,” various voices sounded from outside Shan Chong’s screen.
The man ignored them, picked up his phone, threw out a “You guys eat first,” and left the restaurant.
He crouched down outside in the dead of winter.
Icicles were hanging from the eaves. Wei Zhi watched as the man shivered, then made an “Mm” sound, his voice a bit casual: “Where are you? I’m outside now, talk?”
Wei Zhi’s lips twitched: “Is it cold there?”
Shan Chong thought for a moment and said, “Is there any Northeast winter that’s warm and flowery? It’s cold.”
“Then go back inside to talk.”
“There are too many people inside, I’m afraid they’ll disturb you,” he said naturally. “We can talk like this.”
Wei Zhi hesitated for a moment, then moved her hand away. She saw her face appear on the screen, flushed red from the warm air conditioning, in stark contrast to the other half of the screen where the man’s face had turned pale from the cold…
She paused for a moment, feeling sympathetic for two seconds, then came to her senses and asked quietly: “Shan Chong, are you trying to gain sympathy from me?”
The other side was very honest and didn’t deny it at all.
“I thought carefully about how to comfort you if you’re angry, given we’re separated by the internet,” he said. “After thinking it over, this was all I could come up with. If you’re angry, I’ll just stand outside as punishment, okay?”
As he said this, there was a hint of a smile in his dark pupils.
If this man were to become some kind of romance scammer, he’d probably make it onto the Forbes billionaire list within a year.
Wei Zhi felt goosebumps all over from his submissive tone. Her lips moved helplessly, and she could only say: “Go back inside first.”
“No rush,” he said calmly. “Let’s finish talking.”
“We can talk inside too.”
“No,” he flatly refused. “If I use this tone to talk to a young girl in front of so many people, I won’t be able to take on disciples in the future.”
“…”
Damn.
This guy…
He knows how to talk!
Even top-tier playboys like Lao Yan would have to kneel and kowtow to him, still calling him master.
Wei Zhi was thoroughly coaxed, stumbling over her words, but still trying to maintain a stern face to uphold her long-gone dignity: “Well then, explain why you secretly went to Songhua Lake!”
“This morning, the rooster I raised didn’t crow, so my mom woke me up early and made me drive twenty minutes to wait in line for an hour and a half at a breakfast stall for some inexplicable buns,” Shan Chong chuckled. “I figured coming home early for the New Year wasn’t such a good idea after all.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“If I told you, you’d ask why I went home from Chongli that afternoon.”
“Why?”
“You weren’t there anymore, it wasn’t fun alone.” The man’s voice didn’t even waver, displaying a sincerity that even top-tier scammers couldn’t achieve. “So I went home but found the atmosphere at home wasn’t very friendly either. If I hadn’t left, my mom would have saved the money for a cleaning service and made me do a thorough house cleaning. So I decided to get away for a couple of days.”
“…”
“I originally thought I’d just go for two days, it wouldn’t affect anything,” he pondered. “But as soon as I got on the jump, I was recognized. It was just a double cork 360, anyone can do that jump. How did these people recognize me?”
He seemed genuinely perplexed.
With a hint of humblebrag.
Wei Zhi pondered for a moment, unsure how to evaluate the situation. She wanted to suggest that next time before he set out, he should fiddle with that broken stabilizer of his, and maybe then no one would recognize him. However, given the serious atmosphere, she felt it might be inappropriate to say so…
On the other end of the phone, seeing her silence, he didn’t know if he had passed this test. He adjusted the phone in his hand and stood up, pacing around a bit.
Standing just outside the restaurant, the dim light from inside illuminated half of his exceptionally handsome face. The mole on the bridge of his nose moved slightly with his breathing, appearing and disappearing in the changing light.
“Next time I go somewhere, you’ll be the first to know,” he said. “Don’t be angry anymore, okay?”
He was patiently coaxing her, having spent all the patience of his lifetime on her.
On the phone screen, the young girl made an “mm” sound, then thought for a moment before saying, “Maybe I should stay angry for a bit longer.”
“?”
Standing under the eaves, the man’s expression froze for a moment.
She continued languidly, “Since we’ve been together, we haven’t fought yet.”
As he listened to her, he couldn’t help but laugh. His lips curled up, and he was about to ask if she was taking advantage of the fact that he couldn’t smack her through the internet to say such nonsense—
Then he heard her add, “People say you need to fight often to stay together for a long time.”
“…”
Oh.
…
Ten minutes later, all the dishes were served at the table.
Everyone sat politely, drinking and chatting casually. No one touched their chopsticks, waiting for the man outside to return. He came back with a chill about him, sat down, and put down his phone.
Everyone glanced at his expression, finding it rather blank. One of the people at the table, who had sent the video announcing “Shan Chong is here, come quickly,” poured Shan Chong a glass of wine: “Brother Chong, is your wife angry? Did you fight? Did we cause you trouble?”
The man clinked glasses with him, smiled, and said, “No.”
This smile brought a hint of spring to the table full of men.
Ah, at that moment they realized there was no fight, no anger. The couple was doing just fine…
They had worried for nothing.
…
Halfway through the meal, after several rounds of drinks, Shan Chong was slightly tipsy.
The guy next to him was already drunk, having disappeared without a trace, probably off to some corner to vomit.
He said goodbye to everyone, standing up to leave without any guilt. As he walked out, he was typing very seriously on his phone, promising his girlfriend for the eight hundredth time that he had just finished dinner and was going back to sleep, with no next round of drinking and no girls…
He heard the restaurant door open.
The door opened and closed, a gust of cold wind brushing his face.
A minute later, someone carrying the chill of winter brushed past his shoulder. The man never looked up, just paused his typing for a moment, then continued tapping away after a few seconds.
He heard the footsteps circle and follow behind him. He lowered his eyelashes slightly, the shadow cast hiding the emotion in his eyes.
Shan Chong chatted with Wei Zhi on the phone the whole way.
The person behind followed him the entire way without saying a word. In the cold, they followed him without complaint to the guesthouse where he was staying. Shan Chong swiped his card and pressed the elevator button, one hand against the wall…
A few seconds later.
Without any struggle, he turned around and said expressionlessly to the person not far behind, “If you keep following me, I’m calling the police.”
The middle-aged man behind him stood motionless, wearing a black down jacket. He had on a black mask and a baseball cap and was somewhat chubby. At first glance, he did look like a creep.
Looking up from under the brim of his baseball cap, he saw the man leaning lazily against the elevator. At that moment, the elevator dinged and opened. He didn’t rush to enter.
He just looked at him, the corners of his eyes slightly reddened by alcohol, giving him a cold appearance even without any expression on his face.
“Give me a break,” the middle-aged man cleared his throat. “If I hadn’t stopped them later, your house would probably have become a check-in spot for the sports bureau’s messengers.”
Mentioning this, the man standing by the elevator changed his posture.
After thinking for a moment, he said, “Take off your baseball cap. Like this, I keep feeling like you’re about to pull out a knife and hold it to my throat.”
These drunk people, their logic is somewhat off.
Trying to reason with them is probably a fool’s errand.
Wang Xin couldn’t be bothered to argue with him over such a meaningless thing. He took off his baseball cap, revealing his naturally curly hair in a mess underneath.
Shan Chong stared at the slightly deformed cowlick on top of his head, exhaling a somewhat turbid breath from his nose: “What’s the matter?”
“Nothing,” Wang Xin said, “Just wanted to let you know my car’s outside.”
Shan Chong crossed his arms, looking at him without responding.
Wang Xin grew impatient under his gaze. His short temper flared up, and he lost patience for this wordless exchange. Waving the baseball cap in his hand, he burst out, “What’s the deal? I saw old Jiang’s video and set out immediately, driving for six hours to get there. Was it just to stand here in silence and have a staring contest with you? Are we dating or what?”
Shan Chong changed his stance again, his tone lazy: “Even if it were dating, I wouldn’t date you.”
“As if I’d want to date you!” Encountering this drunk, Wang Xin felt he had come at the wrong time. With an expression of utter disgust, he grumbled, “I’m asking you a question! What’s the meaning of this? Another impromptu departure, and then announcing it to the world, making sure everyone knows you’re at Songhua Lake… Don’t tell me you have no intention of moving forward at all!”
“Move where?”
“You tell me.”
“Where?”
“F*ck!” “Don’t swear,” Shan Chong said peacefully, “How are you going to represent the country in international competitions next year if you’re like this? They might as well lock you up for etiquette training instead of letting you roam around…”
Regardless of gender, people tend to ramble when drunk.
“Are you going or not?” Wang Xin paused, “Changbai Mountain’s platform has been renovated this year. Don’t you want to take a look?”
The elevator went up and came down again.
This time, there were two passersby in the elevator. As they exited, they were enveloped by the intense negotiation atmosphere outside. One of them noticed the man leaning against the elevator looked quite handsome, though he smelled of alcohol, and couldn’t help but take a second look.
They wondered what these two were discussing, looking as if they might draw swords at any moment.
After about ten seconds, the passersby heard the man staring at the other person, his slightly reddened eyes from alcohol showing no waves, yet seeming as if they could burn a hole through the other person’s body…
Until, in the tense atmosphere, his thin lips curled, and he said slowly in a superior tone, “Fine.”
Wang Xin’s suspended heart finally settled—
He thought, well, that’s okay.
Although the tone was irritating, at least he didn’t say “I’m just here to play around.” Otherwise, all the major news outlets would have to work overtime tonight to rush out headlines, probably something like “Midnight Murder at Vanke Songhua Lake Ski Resort.”
He took a deep breath, but before he could speak, he saw the man who had been standing by the elevator drop this word, stand up straight, and turn to walk into the elevator.
The middle-aged man standing not far away didn’t have time to feel happy. Seeing his manner of entering the elevator, he thought for a moment that this guy was trying to fool him. He hurriedly took a couple of steps forward and blocked the elevator door just before it closed, saying anxiously, “The car’s outside!”
With his hand blocking the door, the elevator opened again.
The man standing inside showed no change in expression, stubbornly reaching out to press the floor button before saying, “Don’t I need to pack my things?”
“…”
Wang Xin thought for a moment and realized he had a point. He withdrew his hand and, with an air of distrust, stepped into the elevator. As the doors closed and it started to ascend, before he could say anything, he heard the person standing behind him leisurely add, “I also need to let my wife know.”
“…”
“I promised her,” he rambled on, “From tonight on, I have to report to her even if I’m just changing slopes when coming down from the top of Songhua Lake.”
“…”
“Only go if she approves.”
“…”
This man who looked like a pillar of strength—
“Damn it, it’s either your mother or your wife. Are you even a man?” Wang Xin couldn’t hold back anymore.
Shan Chong gave him a casual glance: “That’s why.”
“That’s why what!”
“That’s why you’re still single, and your mom doesn’t even bother to nag you about coming home for New Year’s.”
“…”