The red alert was lifted. The traffic light ahead turned yellow, signaling a temporary slowdown and the need for further inspection.
“Next time, tell me earlier,” Wei Zhi said pitifully, rubbing her reddened eyes and speaking with a hoarse voice. “I’ll have to cancel my flight to Changbai Mountain now and pay a hefty cancellation fee.”
What next time? And how much earlier should he have told her? Did she give him a chance to speak this morning? Or should he have left her a WeChat message yesterday?
Shan Chong’s mind was racing with numerous thoughts. He had many questions, particularly about her fiancé. What was that all about?
When he heard about the fiancé at the dinner table that day, he felt uneasy, as if he had arrived a step too late. He was quite confused at the time…
Later, in the car, she threw a fit, insisting he shouldn’t like anyone else. Her attitude was quite clear, making him hesitate. He felt that she didn’t seem like someone who had a fiancé—
After all, who would cheat on their fiancé before even getting married, liking another man as a sign of respect? No normal person would do such a thing.
So he kept thinking about finding a time to pull her aside for a proper talk. Unexpectedly, the next day when he woke up, she was already ignoring him.
Now, although the issue wasn’t resolved, they had moved on to the next step. The man originally wanted to take this opportunity to ask—
In this situation, she would be mindful of the atmosphere and wouldn’t say anything that could anger him to death…
But before he could ask, she changed the subject. The man was slightly taken aback and asked, “What’s this about Changbai Mountain?”
“I bought a flight ticket to Changbai Mountain for tomorrow,” the young girl blinked and said, “Because I wanted to go somewhere without you and the person you have a crush on.”
“…”
“That was the original plan,” she added, driven by her survival instinct.
“…”
Miscalculation. She could still anger him to death.
These words plunged the man into silence. He lowered his eyes and looked at her.
Although the confession a moment ago had been a relief, now, under the suddenly pervasive pressure, Wei Zhi soberly realized—
The invisible pressure this person exerted when silent didn’t increase or decrease based on who he liked.
She tugged at the hem of her down jacket and stammered, “Uh… don’t be angry with me! I’m… I’m still upset, you know!”
She was quite upset, although when he nodded earlier and admitted “there was never anyone else,” she felt like she could do a big air jump…
Now that she had calmed down, she thought this person was just bizarre. If he liked her, why couldn’t he just say it? Why did he have to add the phrase “someone I shouldn’t like”? What kind of roundabout expression was that? Was he afraid she’d find out?
It was terrifying.
They were practicing skiing, not some ancient tomb raiding. Was liking her something so shameful that he couldn’t say it out loud?
Now he was saying it just fine, wasn’t he?
“What are you upset about?” he asked.
“That ‘person you shouldn’t like’—”
“I wanted to ask you about that.”
“Huh?”
“Your fiancé?”
When he asked this question, Wei Zhi was stunned. She looked at him, somewhat puzzled, and had just started to ask, “What fiancé? Han Yiming?” when suddenly someone behind them called out, startling them both.
They turned to see it was Lao Yan. He looked at Wei Zhi, pointed behind him, and said, “Nanfeng asked me to check what you two were talking about… and to pass on a message: ‘If you start crying every time you talk to Shan Chong, then don’t talk to him. If you really can’t help it, I’ll sew your mouth shut. Period.'”
Wei Zhi: “…”
Shan Chong: “…”
Lao Yan: “I’m just the messenger. The above statement doesn’t represent my personal views.”
Shan Chong looked at him expressionlessly. His issue wasn’t with the content of the message, but rather with the boy’s lack of situational awareness—
Wei Zhi had been crying earlier.
But wasn’t she not crying now?
Why did he have to come over and interrupt?
They were having a good conversation, why break it up?
Lao Yan felt uneasy under the man’s piercing gaze. “Brother Chong, haven’t you heard of ‘don’t shoot the messenger’?”
He paused, looked back at Jiang Nanfeng, who was three or four rows away and saw her raise her eyebrows at him.
Caught between a rock and a hard place, Lao Yan finally decided to risk offending his master. He gritted his teeth and finished delivering the message: “The sister back there says if I don’t bring little Shimei back, I won’t be able to go back either.”
Wei Zhi looked at Jiang Nanfeng, then hesitantly turned back to look at Shan Chong.
“Go ahead,” he nodded, his perpetually frozen face showing a rare hint of warmth, his tone gentle. “We’ll talk later.”
Wei Zhi’s gaze lingered on his face for a moment, reluctant to leave. She hesitantly asked, “You won’t disappear again because of… this or that reason, will you?”
The man chuckled softly, his dark eyes fixed on her. “No, I’m not going anywhere this time.”
How could he hide away?
The moment he admitted he liked her, he was prepared to hear “Although I like you too, we can’t be together” and be rejected.
But she didn’t say anything.
Even if it meant going from a death sentence to life imprisonment, it was enough to make him rejoice.
Having taken a step forward, he wouldn’t retreat.
Hearing the man’s gentle and slow promise, Wei Zhi finally felt reassured. Her gaze drifted back to Lao Yan, and she said, “You know, your sister Nanfeng isn’t the only one who might beat up kids when angry.”
With that, she left a bewildered Lao Yan behind and headed up the stairs.
Lao Yan felt threatened. The situation had escalated from “caught between a rock and a hard place” to “surrounded by wolves.” He hesitated for three seconds, looking at his master who had sat down emotionlessly to continue watching the competition. He slightly regretted his earlier choice.
So he thought for a moment and said to the man, “Maybe I should just sit with you.”
Unfortunately, the latter didn’t even glance at him.
“Go away,” the man said, “I don’t want you either.”
…
The competition ended close to 1 PM.
Despite facing many strong competitors, Dai Duo attempted an FSc Cork 2160 in his third jump to secure a high score. Unfortunately, he couldn’t stick the landing and ended up sitting on the ground… With barely effective scores from the first two rounds, he ended up in third place.
Shan Chong checked the FIS website for the point rankings and estimated that after the Altay station, he could barely squeeze into the lineup eligible for the Winter Olympics.
After the New Year, with two or three more qualifying competitions, as long as he didn’t completely bomb, there would be at least one spot for him in the snowboard big air event at next year’s Winter Olympics.
Opening WeChat, Shan Chong slowly sent Dai Duo a screenshot of the rankings with a dry “Congratulations” as the caption.
The other side must have had his phone in hand, as he replied within two seconds: Jealous?
Shan Chong couldn’t be bothered to respond to that.
[Chong: Some people are only fit to hear dogs bark.]
After sending this, he put his phone away.
He looked up and surveyed his surroundings. They were now sitting in a restaurant having lunch. Besides Lao Yan and Beici, Hua Yan and Yan Yan had also joined them. Wei Zhi was sitting on his right, currently engrossed in a battle with a nang bread.
The others were casually chatting about today’s competition, unusually praising Dai Duo a few times. Strangely, Beici, who usually disliked Dai Duo the most, was silent today, just staring at his little Shimei.
Wei Zhi, who had been seriously communing with her food, felt uncomfortable under his gaze and looked up to ask, “Am I smacking my lips or eating through my nostrils?”
This comment showed she still held a grudge against Beici for his earlier false message.
Shan Chong snorted in amusement and leaned back, folding his arms.
Beici: “It’s not that deep a question. My question is very simple: why are you here?”
This morning at the spectator stands, she had acted as if they were strangers who would never cross paths again. How come she was now eating under the benevolent gaze of their master?
Huh?
What had happened during the time he left the stands to find his teammates?
However, Wei Zhi couldn’t be bothered to explain. She tilted her head and said, “Should I leave then?”
Beici looked at Shan Chong as if to say, “Look how she’s bullying me.”
Just then, the lazy Susan turned. The man, eyeing Beici’s complaining look, sat up and reached out with his long arm to grab a bowl of freshly divided lamb offal soup, placing it in front of the young girl.
Beici: “…”
Beici: “?”
The senior disciple watched in disbelief as his little Shimei accepted the bowl of soup instead of throwing it in their master’s face. She even naturally picked up the bowl and took a big sip.
Yesterday, Wei Zhi’s appetite had been poor due to anger (not really), so she had only eaten instant noodles. Instant noodles are that magical food that you crave after not having it for months but want to vomit after just one meal…
Now, finally able to eat normal food, she lowered her head, sipping the soup and nibbling on the nang bread. She put small bites into her mouth, her movements quick and agile, like a squirrel that had been starving for eight lifetimes.
Watching her eat made the nang bread seem quite delicious.
“Is it good?” Shan Chong leaned in slightly to ask.
He had never been particularly fond of this kind of dry pastry before, and eating too much beef and mutton could be cloying. Every year when he came to Xinjiang, he would lose a few pounds before going back.
“Mm,” she replied without looking up, “Want to try some?”
She had asked casually.
Unexpectedly, the man took the nang bread she offered, tore off a small piece, and slowly chewed it.
The others at the table fell silent, staring at him and Wei Zhi in bewilderment—
They watched as the man, without any hesitation, tore off a piece of bread from where the young girl had been eating and popped it into his mouth, chewing thoughtfully.
The table was dead quiet.
Everyone’s gaze simultaneously shifted to the center of the table, where a basket held four or five untouched nang breads.
Hua Yan couldn’t help but ask, “So, is it good?”
Shan Chong handed the bread back to the young girl beside him, his face expressionless. “Still not used to it.”
Hua Yan withdrew his hand that had been inching towards the basket in the middle of the table.
…
After this small incident, the atmosphere at the table became a bit strange. Beici spent the rest of the meal alternating between taking a bite and glancing at Wei Zhi.
Eventually, Wei Zhi couldn’t help but ask him, “Is my face making your food taste better?”
Feeling a cold gaze from beside her, Beici shuddered and lowered his head, eating quietly.
After the meal, everyone prepared to return to the hotel.
Hua Yan and Yan Yan were discussing whether to go skiing again in the afternoon. They asked Shan Chong, who seemed noncommittal and a bit lazy. After thinking for a moment, he said, “I might have something to do this afternoon—”
Hua Yan: “Oh.”
Hua Yan: “What about little Shimei?”
Wei Zhi: “Ah? I can—”
Before she could finish, she felt a cold gaze from beside her. She hesitantly turned her head to see the man’s face clearly saying: We’re not done yet, remember?
Wei Zhi: “…”
Oh.
Wei Zhi: “I can’t. I got up too early today, I need to go back and take a nap.”
Shan Chong got up to pay the bill and then went to get the car from the parking lot at the nearby competition venue. It was a bit far, so there was no need for everyone to brave the cold wind to retrieve the car.
As soon as he left, Wei Zhi made an excuse about going to the restroom and tried to follow him. However, she was caught by Beici as soon as she stepped out.
Beici’s eyes flashed with keen insight: “Where are you going?”
Caught red-handed, Wei Zhi turned back reluctantly: “Big shixiong, why are you like a sheepdog? I barely stepped out of the pen… I’m going to the bathroom, want to come?”
“Doesn’t the restaurant have a bathroom?”
“Oh, I prefer the one at the competition venue.”
“…”
“Do you prefer the bathroom at the competition venue or the man getting the car at the competition venue?”
“The man getting the car at the competition venue,” Wei Zhi put on an ‘I’ve said it, what are you going to do about it’ expression. “Whatever opinion you have, save it. I don’t want to hear it… Don’t blame me for being harsh, I treated you like a sister and told you everything, but what did you do? You didn’t pass on messages properly and even stirred up trouble! What’s this about Master liking someone else? I was so upset yesterday that I only ate instant noodles!”
For a moment, Beici genuinely felt guilty.
He had betrayed his sister—this thought flashed through his mind—he opened his mouth to say “Didn’t I apologize to you?” but then he realized something wasn’t right…
He had almost been led by the nose of the young girl.
After pondering for a moment, he said, “Brother Chong does like you.”
Wei Zhi: “By the time you tell me that, my son will be in elementary school.”
Beici: “…”
Beici: “This isn’t about whether you want to kick me out of the sisterhood or not. I asked Brother Chong what he thought, and he said you seemed to have a fiancé… That’s not okay—a married woman shouldn’t be messing around like this. He’s never been in a relationship before, he’s just been a cold skiing machine. He could easily fall head over heels.”
“I’ve only heard that kind of line from the female lead’s sisterhood in comics.”
Wei Zhi finally understood what Shan Chong had meant earlier when he asked about her “fiancé.” After a moment of silence, she said, “That fiancé you mentioned is just my family’s wishful thinking. I’ve told the whole world I don’t acknowledge it. I might as well post it on social media, announce it to everyone including my elementary school teacher, pin it on Weibo for half a month, and buy the top trending search—I came to Xinjiang after flipping the table, you know? I flipped the table in your so-called fiancé’s face.”
Beici: “…”
Beici: “Then will your family agree to you and Brother Chong—”
Wei Zhi looked at him: “They won’t. My mom might throw a check for a million yuan in his face and tell him to leave her daughter alone.”
Beici: “Is there such a good thing?”
Wei Zhi looked at this idiot expressionlessly.
Then he couldn’t continue speaking, having to admit that this dialogue indeed sounded like something from a sisterhood. Damn.
As they talked, they slowly walked towards the competition venue.
It had started snowing. Wei Zhi impatiently brushed the snowflakes off her head, thinking, what’s all this about, just for Han Yiming?
Then Shan Chong must have been so conflicted when he kissed her in the car, mustering up so much courage to break through his moral defenses and not see himself as human—
Beici: “Why are you suddenly smiling for no reason?”
Wei Zhi touched the corner of her lips.
Just as she was about to speak, a battered Jeep approached from not far away, stopping beside them. The driver’s window rolled down, revealing the man’s face, colder than the white snow, his tone neutral: “Taking a walk? How romantic.”
Ignoring his sarcastic and slightly jealous tone, Beici said: “Brother Chong, I asked her. Little Shimei doesn’t acknowledge that fiancé doesn’t. She’s so adamant about not acknowledging it that she might as well post it on social media, announce it to everyone including her elementary school teacher, pin it on Weibo for half a month, and buy the top trending search… Now it’s just her family’s wishful thinking. Don’t have any psychological burden, this doesn’t count as being a third party. You just need to focus on winning over her family.”
Shan Chong: “…”
Wei Zhi: “…”
Shan Chong remained silent for a few seconds, his gaze sweeping over the faces of the two standing by the car. The corner of his lips twitched slightly as he jerked his chin at them: “Get in.”
Beici clambered into the back seat first. Wei Zhi was about to follow him, but as soon as her foot touched the step, she felt the driver turn to look at her. She obediently closed the door and walked around to the passenger seat. She sat down and fastened her seatbelt.
Shan Chong released the brake.
As the car slowly moved forward, Beici suddenly slapped his forehead as if remembering something, and asked optimistically: “Oh right, little Shimei came out to find you earlier, did you two have something to talk about?”
The other two in the car didn’t respond immediately.
After a while, Shan Chong grunted an affirmative and said, “We did.”
Beici: “Then—”
Shan Chong: “You’ve already said it all.”
Beici: “…”
Shan Chong: “You won’t be upset if I don’t say ‘thank you’, right?”
Beici regretted getting in the car.
He reached out and patted the back of the passenger seat, calling out, “Sister.”
Help.
“Is that all you wanted to know?” Wei Zhi, who had been silent for quite a while, finally spoke up mercifully, asking the man driving, “Why don’t you ask me then?”
Shan Chong: “I did ask.”
Wei Zhi: “Yes, and I said no.”
Shan Chong: “Your ‘no’ was too casual. Who knows if the answer would still be the same the next day? What if you suddenly said, ‘Oh, actually yes. You still care about this?’ Should I nod or shake my head?”
Wei Zhi: “…”
Wei Zhi: “I’m just curious since it was brought up… If I said that, would you nod or shake your head?”
Shan Chong thought for a moment.
“Nod and then shake.”
“?”
The man driving pressed his lips together.
“I’d care, but there’s nothing I could do. I’d have to take a roundabout approach and pretend not to care first—it might not be polite, but it’s not illegal to wait in line for you to break up, right?”
Wei Zhi was silent for a few seconds, slowly processing the meaning behind the man’s “roundabout approach.” She made a sound of realization, her ears showing signs of burning…
She raised her hand, pretending to smooth her hair near her ears.
Then she lowered her head to fiddle with the seatbelt in front of her.
After a while, she felt a slightly cool large hand cover her left wrist. She raised her head in surprise, seeing his clean, well-trimmed nails and long fingers with distinct knuckles…
The man’s large hand gripped her wrist, removing her hand from the abused seatbelt.
His fingertips slowly pushed open her five fingers and paused.
After a slight hesitation, his calloused thumb pad gently squeezed her soft, plump palm, like a cat’s paw pad.
“…”
Wei Zhi watched as the man steered with one hand and slowly, brazenly held her hand with the other.
In the brief silence of the car, he kept his eyes on the road.
The rough, ticklish sensation on her palm from a second ago seemed to linger, followed by a warm feeling that threatened to ignite into flames.