Wei Zhi couldn’t be bothered with his threats or enticements. She simply replayed the video. The other side probably sensed that if he didn’t answer, he might end up single on the spot. After three or four seconds, the man reopened the video.
His handsome face, seemingly indifferent, filled the entire camera.
Wei Zhi swore this was the first time since meeting Shan Chong – with or without face protection – that she felt this face wasn’t much to look at.
She cleared her throat and said pitifully, “You hung up on me.”
He didn’t respond.
Crouching in front of the phone, he gave her a cursory glance, then took the water handed to him by someone nearby. He casually wiped off some sweat, unscrewed the mineral water bottle cap, and took a sip…
The sweat he hadn’t wiped away congealed along his jawline. As the man tilted his head back, that drop of sweat slid down.
It glided over his Adam’s apple.
Just then, the man swallowed the water in his mouth, his Adam’s apple bobbing. An overwhelming masculine aura hit her through the screen.
Wei Zhi: “…”
When men want to employ some “underhanded” tactics…
They usually don’t need anyone to teach them.
They’re natural at it.
“The sound of you swallowing was too loud,” the man said, putting down the water bottle with a serious face and calm voice. “I cut the video to let you cool down.”
Wei Zhi: “I didn’t, I was just eating candy—”
As she spoke, the tiny remnant of the round fruit candy in her mouth slid down her throat along with her excited denial.
Her voice cut off abruptly as she choked, her eyes widening slightly. After the candy finally slid down her throat, she covered her mouth and coughed twice painfully, then took a deep breath!
Shan Chong hadn’t said a word since she choked, staring at her as if ready to call for emergency help. Now, seeing her face return to normal from red, he slowly said, “Slow down when you talk. How are you like a three-year-old, choking on candy?”
Wei Zhi stood up, grabbed the water glass from the table, and took two big gulps. Patting her chest, she said, “It’s fine… Don’t mind me, continue your workout.”
The man sneered, “Almost called an ambulance and you’re still at it.”
Wei Zhi: “Watch what you say. Do you still want me to come to Guangzhou?”
“Up to you.”
As he said those words women hate hearing the most, he raised his hand to the phone screen, meaninglessly brushing the spot where the girl’s face was.
“If it’s not convenient for you, forget it,” he said in a hoarse voice, slowly adding, “Just miss you a bit.”
Wei Zhi was instantly defeated.
After the physical attack came the mental assault.
Ms. Yang was right; good-looking men are no good. In ancient times, even Su Daji would have to call him senior.
She raised her hand to pinch her burning earlobe, thinking this was a case of absence that made the heart grow fonder. How come his charm doubled after being gone for just two days? When he was around, he just knew how to keep that face of a grim reaper.
Wei Zhi mumbled “I’ll try my best” while biting her tongue. She crouched by the sofa, no longer updating her work, and watched intently as the man completed his entire equipment routine.
When he started core exercises and the movements weren’t so stimulating anymore, she remembered why she had called: “Oh right, I have a question. What are the key points for a double cork?”
The man was doing a plank, nearly four minutes in, when he turned his head to look at her. His eyelashes didn’t even quiver as he said steadily, “Jump high, then lead with the shoulders, hips— Why are you asking this? You couldn’t do this move in your next life.”
“…” Wei Zhi didn’t like hearing that. “Can I at least do a 360?”
“You can’t even do a 180— Does this phrasing sound familiar? The last time with a similar phrase was at Aiwen, remember how you ended up?”
………… This guy was insufferable.
“You comforted me last time saying I could at least be a civilian expert.” “This is the highest coefficient jump move. Forget civilian expert, you couldn’t do it even if you were Chang’e from the moon,” Shan Chong said. “Ask Dai Duo how many rotations he can do in a double cork. If it’s more than four, I’ll do a handstand and wash my hair.”
These two could spin themselves like hula hoops in the air while standing on snowboards.
If it was difficult for them, then this move must truly be challenging.
“…”
Wei Zhi casually propped her phone against a chair, crawled up herself with a huff, and moved to the computer. Kneeling on the floor, she reached for the mouse, rested her chin on the edge of the computer desk, and silently changed a move in the already drawn dialogue script where the male lead was supposed to show off…
On the other side, Shan Chong saw her kneeling there holding the mouse, fiddling with something and ignoring him. He didn’t think she was really angry… He glanced at her legs bent at a 90-degree angle as she knelt there. They were fair, full, and proportionate. Even if they weren’t the legendary long legs, they were still beautiful.
After finishing the plank, he started doing hand switches, chatting with her while exercising: “What are you up to? Feeling ambitious? Want to hit the jumps?”
“Huh?”
“Come to Guangzhou, I’ll teach you.”
Wei Zhi slid right off the computer desk, one hand propping herself up on the floor. She bent over to look at Shan Chong, her eyes slightly widened in surprise as she asked, “Can I hit the jumps at my current level?”
“No.”
“Then why did you say that crap?”
“How crude,” the man chuckled softly, lowering his brows and saying calmly, “I just want you to come, what’s wrong with that?”
“…”
Nothing’s wrong.
Whether on the slopes or off, I’m just completely at your mercy.
Wei Zhi immediately grabbed her phone and opened the app to check the basic ways to get to Nancheng. Whether by car or train, it wouldn’t take long… not even the time for a meal.
After chatting idly with the man for a bit more, she hung up the voice call, somewhat absent-mindedly.
She switched to a WeChat group and casually arranged to have dinner at home with her parents tonight, planning to give them a heads up— Running away from home was a one-time thing. Now she had a partner waiting to be official, and she needed their approval, so she had to behave.
In WeChat, Ms. Yang quickly popped up with “Don’t come if there’s nothing important,” which she ignored and started ordering dishes: sweet and sour ribs, crucian carp soup, mapo tofu, and garlic water spinach.
Just as she was pondering how to broach the subject tonight, her QQ pinged. She opened it to see a message from her editor—
After a long spiel, the core content was: Honey, should we move this extreme sports-related comic to the regular version app for serialization? You seem to be focusing on the male lead’s career development rather than romance. Mainly because there’s now an official channel for Winter Olympics-related sports themes, and I need to submit your work. We can’t exactly list our pink software app in the publication app section, right?
[Otaku Chirp: Official channel?]
[Editor: Like TV5?]
[Otaku Chirp: That official? Our software’s made it big time. Being shut down is just around the corner.]
[Editor: …]
[Editor: Are you going or not? You might need to travel to places like Guangzhou Sunac and Olympic venues — in person.]
[Otaku Chirp: I just got back from Zhangjiakou!]
[Editor: Go again, go again. Winter’s just starting anyway.]
…
That evening.
“I want to go to Guangzhou.”
Wei Zhi sat at the dining table at home, hands on her knees, back straight.
It wasn’t that she was particularly righteous, but mainly because she had successfully entered the house and now had sweet and sour ribs, crucian carp soup, mapo tofu, and garlic water spinach in front of her.
Her clever mind quickly realized this meant there was still room for negotiation.
“Why are you going to Guangzhou?” Wei Zhi’s father, Mr. Wei, put down his chopsticks. “You just got back two days ago and now you’re running off again.”
“Her boyfriend is in Guangzhou,” Ms. Yang said. “That’s my guess.”
“It’s for work,” Wei Zhi confidently showed a screenshot of her conversation with an editor. “Look, we’re going to Guangzhou Sunac for inspiration.”
Ignoring the context and timing, it was indeed true.
Then she casually added, “Shan Chong just happens to be there.”
Ms. Yang exclaimed, “See!”
Mr. Wei said, “Shouldn’t a young lady be more reserved? How can you chase after a boy for a relationship? Was going to Xinjiang also for him?”
Wei Zhi replied, “That wasn’t the case. I went to Xinjiang to avoid Han Yiming. He’s the one who crossed half of China to follow me to the south. He was originally planning to spend the New Year in Altay, earning over 10,000 yuan for three classes a day. Isn’t that good? You insisted on calling me back, so he had no choice but to come here to help a brand with a winter camp at the nearby Guangzhou Sunac—”
Mr. Wei interrupted, “Over 10,000 yuan a day? Your boyfriend’s salary is quite high.”
Ms. Yang added, “It only snows for a few days a year!”
Wei Zhi retorted, “Sunac Snow World is open 365 days a year, 366 days in a leap year, thank you.”
Mr. Wei began, “That boyfriend of yours—”
Ms. Yang cut in, “He’s just good-looking, bewitching her. She even claims it’s first love. How can she believe such nonsense? Good-looking guys with high incomes don’t save their first love for you to pick up!”
Wei Zhi was grateful for Jiang Nanfeng’s sophistry, never imagining she’d use it at the dinner table: “If five million is there for someone to win, why can’t it be me?”
Then she turned to her father, asking sweetly, “Dad, Mom says good-looking guys are never good people—wasn’t her most frequent saying before ‘If it weren’t for your good character, I wouldn’t have married you’… Oh my, what a sin.”
Mr. Wei was speechless.
Ms. Yang put down her chopsticks, “I shouldn’t have let you in when I invited the homeless man downstairs for dinner!”
Wei Zhi picked up her chopsticks from the bowl, “Today’s ribs are well-flavored. Did you stew them a bit longer?”
Mr. Wei conceded, “Let her go, let her go! Keeping her here just drags me into your arguments!”
After the meal, Wei Zhi sat cross-legged on the sofa and called Jiang Nanfeng, opening with “Guangzhou, coming or not?”
Jiang Nanfeng was sending a package and replied, “Oh, sure.” The courier asked if it was cash on delivery or prepaid. Wei Zhi waited for her to scan the code and pay the courier fee before asking, “What are you sending?”
“Lao Yan said yesterday that the snow gear he brought was too thick and too hot to wear indoors in the refrigerator. I just went out and bought him two fleece-lined hoodies to send over,” Jiang Nanfeng said casually. “If you had called two seconds earlier, I could have saved on shipping.”
“Can’t you buy hoodies in Guangzhou?”
“He’s busy,” the person on the other end didn’t seem to care much. “Kids don’t know how to take care of themselves. If we let him buy it himself, it might take three or four days.”
Listening to this, Wei Zhi felt a pang of jealousy, wishing she could put the call on speaker for her parents to hear—
She wasn’t the only one in a relationship!
At least she didn’t have to bring gifts when visiting!
Jiang Nanfeng seemed to be the one head over heels in love!
She expressed her dissatisfaction, and Jiang Nanfeng chuckled, “He gave me that Novemberdesire freestyle board worth over 6,000 yuan. Do you think I’m after his money, sister?”
Wei Zhi let out an “Oh,” feeling slightly relieved. She had worried that Jiang Nanfeng was completely revolving around a 19-year-old boy. That would have been too much.
Lao Yan was a decent person, but when it came to relationships, he was truly disappointing. Perhaps due to his young age, his personality wasn’t fully formed yet. Taking a serious relationship with him might only lead to heartbreak.
However, at this moment, Wei Zhi was just casually pondering, not thinking too deeply—
After all, Jiang Nanfeng was like a female demon, celebrating a third anniversary with her first boyfriend when she was in seventh grade. She surely wouldn’t fail in such a trivial matter.
…
Wei Zhi didn’t tell Shan Chong about her trip to Guangzhou.
She planned to surprise him.
She packed her luggage overnight, hugging her snowboard as she left. She didn’t dare video call her boyfriend that day, using the excuse that she couldn’t at home… After arriving at the hotel in Guangzhou, she bought Sunac tickets a day in advance, slept for a night, and then sneaked into the refrigerator.
Inside Guangzhou Sunac Snow World, there were more people than she had imagined.
Although natural snow resorts were already open, it wasn’t easy for Southerners to make a long journey to the North. With long distances and high costs, most people willing to try for the first time preferred the indoor refrigerator.
There were also office workers who couldn’t take time off for long trips but were tempted by friends’ social media posts about skiing. They could only come to the indoor snow park on weekends to satisfy their cravings…
Although the refrigerator was small, people who had skied on natural snow fields took a while to get used to it. Despite the three major Sunac Snow Worlds being considered spacious for indoor snow parks, they couldn’t compare to outdoor mountains. The longest snow trail was only about a kilometer, and the park features were limited to a small area.
At this moment, in that small area stood a lively group of people.
A group of kids and one adult.
Surrounded by a large group of children wearing the ski suits provided by the Sunac snow park, a man in a black snowsuit stood out prominently.
Most of the children could ski, some even better than many adults. A few boys were now gathered around their teacher, chattering away, tugging at the man’s sleeves to get his attention.
Amidst the rising and falling chorus of “Teacher, listen to me” from the little parrots, the man had to bend down to hear them describe, in their not-yet-fluent and mature language systems, how they had just performed on the rails—
Even from a distance, one could sense the man’s helplessness.
Wei Zhi stood far away, hugging her board at the park entrance, just close enough to hear them talking. A little boy was telling Shan Chong, “Teacher, watch me do a nollie 360 on the snow trail later, I’m good at it,” while on the other side, a little girl burst into tears with an “Ow!”
The little girl wore a small helmet, her hair still showing the light strands typical of young girls. She tugged at Shan Chong’s pant leg, “Teacher, wah, Zhang Yuanyuan made fun of me for not being able to get on the rail!”
The man clearly couldn’t be bothered to ask who Zhang Yuanyuan was. He bent down, picked up the little girl by her armpits, and placed her on the rail buried in the snow, which had been polished to a shine. Half-supporting, half-hugging the little girl who barely reached his thigh, he helped her over the rail that had caused her to be mocked.
The small snowboard scraped against the feature with a “whoosh” sound—
As soon as the little girl landed, more kids jumped up, surrounding Shan Chong with cries of “Me too!” “Me too!” “Teacher!” “Teacher, carry me!”…
A few skilled ones stood nearby, arms folded, boasting loudly that needing the teacher’s help to get over a rail was useless! They had learned it last year! Their dads had taken them to Chongli to learn!
It was chaos.
Just like a pond full of noisy frogs.
As Wei Zhi was enjoying the scene, a few young women who had come up on the magic carpet nearby to go to the beginner’s slope stood next to her. They were probably tourists trying out skiing for the first time, now holding rental boards from the snow park and standing with Wei Zhi, looking at the man standing by the park features in the distance—
“Who’s that?”
“A Sunac instructor? He’s so handsome, what’s with our instructor!”
“I don’t think so, he seems to be a winter camp coach invited by the snow gear shop at the entrance for their event… I heard some parents at the entrance say this coach is quite skilled!”
“Not only skilled, but he also seems to have a great temperament. Look at how he carried that little girl over the rail, damn, he’s too gentle!”
They stood there watching for a good while.
Wei Zhi went straight down.
The first feature at the park entrance was a box, something she was very familiar with from Altay and could usually handle with ease—
But the snow quality in the indoor ski resort was different from the outdoors. She felt it as soon as she straightened her board. It felt very fine and soft, with a bit of friction.
The foot feel was different. She barely managed to jump onto the feature but wobbled. She somehow made it through with a 50-50, but when she was about to get off the feature, her back foot twisted awkwardly, and she slid down a bit—
She didn’t fall.
At the crucial moment, a pair of large hands reached out from behind and grabbed her waist just in time. Her back hit a solid chest, and the man’s familiar scent enveloped her completely.
Shan Chong steadily held the person who had been wobbling on the box all the way to level ground.
As the two stood firm, before he could speak, the person in his arms twisted around like a pretzel, still standing on the snowboard, and hugged his waist.
“I missed you,” she said sweetly—
“Teacher, considering how much I’ve missed you, won’t you carry me over a rail too?”