In truth, Lao Yan wasn’t inherently a bad person—
He changed his romantic interests every two months and girlfriends every three months in the snow circle. The fact that so many girls still pursued him was because… well, it was a mutually beneficial arrangement.
Young women sought him out for his looks, fame, exceptional freestyle skiing skills, and his generosity in gifting. While dating, he held nothing back, so when they broke up, although they might be angry initially, upon reflection, they realized they hadn’t lost out on anything.
They got what they wanted, so they moved on.
This was likely why Lao Yan could still navigate the snow circle so smoothly.
Jiang Nanfeng was different.
Not only was she a skiing novice unaware of snow circle celebrities or freestyle skiing hall-of-famers, but she also initially treated Lao Yan as an ordinary coach, dutifully paying for lessons.
Then, Jiang Nanfeng revealed herself as a prodigy, even impressing Shan Chong. This caught Lao Yan off guard… After all, men need a sense of achievement. Teaching a complete beginner who, after just a month of lessons, could perform freestyle techniques better than those who had been at it for two or three years—
Any skiing expert would want to showcase such a talented disciple.
It wasn’t just that Jiang Nanfeng wanted to learn; Lao Yan himself wanted to teach her.
Finally, there was the matter of money.
When Jiang Nanfeng first started skiing and was considering buying a snowboard, Wei Zhi was still contemplating whether she could use Burton’s children’s version to save a few thousand yuan. Meanwhile, Jiang Nanfeng asked Lao Yan if she could use the Dior snowboard that cost over 60,000 yuan.
Lao Yan was so shocked he couldn’t speak, eventually managing to say, “No, you can’t.”
In summary, Jiang Nanfeng was truly different. She didn’t want anything from him.
Now, in Lao Yan’s mind, after Jiang Nanfeng posted that status update, she loved him deeply—correction, someone who didn’t want anything from him loved him deeply.
And he had pushed her away over a mere hoodie due to his habitual attitude.
Lao Yan couldn’t understand it and drank himself into oblivion… Bei Ci, unable to watch anymore, patted his face and said, “Why bother? Stop deceiving yourself. If you wanted to be in a serious relationship with her, why didn’t you make it official?”
Wei Zhi listened, dumbfounded.
She tugged at Shan Chong’s sleeve: “I’ve realized I don’t even need to speak; you and Bei Ci are enough… I’m definitely on Jiang Nanfeng’s side, but out of humanitarian concern, I have to ask: is Lao Yan your friend?”
Shan Chong glanced at her, his tone nonchalant: “We’re just being honest. Did Bei Ci say anything wrong? He didn’t. If Lao Yan truly wanted to be in a serious relationship with Jiang Nanfeng, why didn’t he make it official?”
Wei Zhi retorted: “Neither did you.”
Shan Chong scoffed: “Even before we were together, I uploaded your video to the short video platform. Did you see me delete any comments asking if I had a girlfriend?”
Wei Zhi took out her phone to check—
She discovered that not only had he not deleted them, but he had also liked a comment asking, “Oh, has our God Chong found a girlfriend?” This comment was now prominently displayed due to its high ranking.
All right, he passed the test.
Wei Zhi put down her phone, her face flushed.
At that moment, they heard Lao Yan hiccup from behind them and slowly say, “I brought up making it official. She said if we were to do it, it would be on the short video platform and WeChat Moments without any privacy settings…”
Bei Ci: “That’s fair. What’s the point of making it official if it’s only visible to a select group?”
Lao Yan: “At the time, I thought it would be better to avoid the hassle, so the matter was dropped.”
Bei Ci: “?”
Bei Ci: “And she never brought it up again?”
Lao Yan: “Mm-hmm.”
Bei Ci: “She didn’t mention it, and neither did you?”
Wei Zhi: “Rome wasn’t built in a day.”
Bei Ci: “Atlantis didn’t sink overnight either.”
Shan Chong: “Both of your analogies sound a bit strange.”
By then, it was getting late. The men yawned and Bei Ci helped Lao Yan out of the bar, supporting him on either side.
Back at the apartment, Lao Yan usually lived alone, with Shan Chong and Bei Ci sharing a place. But fearing Lao Yan might choke on his vomit or accidentally smother himself with a pillow in his drunken state, Bei Ci stayed to watch over him.
When drunk, Lao Yan always looked for Jiang Nanfeng.
Now, he was doing the same.
He was making a fuss, calling for his “jiejie” (older sister), but where was his jiejie now? She had come, and he had sent her away himself.
Wei Zhi stood by the bed, observing for a while before taking a three-second video to send to Jiang Nanfeng—
[Little Chick: Your medicine hit him hard. When I first arrived at the bar, he could at least lie there and talk. Now he can only lie there and cry.]
[Little Chick: He’s looking for you everywhere.]
The reply from the other side was quite realistic.
[Jiang Zhi: Who knows, maybe those young girls can’t handle seeing him drunk, getting vomited on, cleaning him up, letting him rest his head on their lap while drying his hair, and then bringing him hangover soup the next day.]
[Little Chick: ?]
[Jiang Zhi: That’s what a jiejie should do.]
[Little Chick: …]
[Little Chick: Is an older woman-younger man relationship that demanding?]
[Little Chick: Good thing Shan Chong is older than me.]
[Little Chick: Next time, I’ll date an older man. These young puppies are all show and no substance.]
Wei Zhi put down her phone: “Stop calling. Jiang Nanfeng has already returned to Nancheng. Even if you drink yourself into a stomach bleed, she won’t be able to come.”
Wei Zhi recalled the last time Lao Yan got drunk and searched everywhere for Jiang Nanfeng. He found her, and the two of them in the car…
That was when she stumbled upon them.
Wei Zhi lowered her eyes and crouched next to Lao Yan, clinging to the hotel bed. Shan Chong wondered what she was up to but didn’t stop her, just standing by lazily watching.
He saw the young girl lean close to the drunk man and ask a surprising question: “Lao Yan, have you and Jiang Nanfeng… How far have you two gone?”
At these words, Lao Yan did not react, but it caught Bei Ci and Shan Chong’s attention.
Shan Chong looked a bit surprised.
Lao Yan made an indistinct sound from his throat.
Wei Zhi said expressionlessly: “It’s better if you haven’t. You’re only nineteen, it’s not appropriate, is it?”
Shan Chong: “…”
Bei Ci inexplicably blurted out: “As expected of you.”
Lao Yan grabbed a pillow, covered his face, and turned away from the young girl at the bedside.
Then.
The world fell silent.
…
After Lao Yan had become completely comatose, Shan Chong took Wei Zhi out of the apartment building and headed back.
Wei Zhi’s hotel was right next to their rented apartment. Of course, Shan Chong had to escort her back late at night. At first, neither of them felt anything was amiss. They walked hand in hand, with Wei Zhi not saying much, her head lowered as she pondered the meaning of Lao Yan’s last mumbled words.
Until they reached the brightly lit lobby of the hotel.
While waiting for the elevator, a couple in their thirties stood nearby. They hadn’t separated since pressing the elevator button, leaning against each other.
The man’s hand was around the woman’s waist, occasionally squeezing it.
The woman laughed and slapped him playfully, then they kissed, oblivious to their surroundings.
Wei Zhi began to feel awkward.
Looking at the reflection in the elevator doors, she saw the man standing behind her showed no reaction, his face cold as if he were both deaf and blind.
When the elevator arrived, the couple embraced as they entered. Wei Zhi hesitated for three seconds before gritting her teeth and following them in. She was going to the seventeenth floor, while the couple was headed to the seventh. Even for this short distance, she felt like the floor beneath her feet was burning.
Finally enduring until the couple left, Wei Zhi had just breathed a sigh of relief when she heard the man standing behind her ask, “Are you that nervous?”
He was standing quite close to her.
When he spoke, his voice was just above her ear, the low, magnetic male voice startling her.
From Shan Chong’s perspective, he could see the young girl in front of him jump slightly, then turn her head to glance at him—
Just that one look.
It was filled with a complex flavor. The girl’s eyes were always bright, and sometimes when she quickly glanced at someone and then looked away, it gave off a guilty yet mischievous vibe, both adorable and infuriating.
He heard her say slowly, with a hint of hesitation: “It’s not nervousness…”
Seeing her like this, Shan Chong laughed, leaning against the elevator wall and saying lazily: “Mm, you’re already twenty-two.”
Wei Zhi: “…”
She stared at the man’s reflection in the elevator doors, seeing his relaxed expression as he turned her earlier question to Lao Yan into an innuendo. That half-smiling, half-smirking curl of his lips made her want to scratch his face.
The elevator chimed as it reached the seventeenth floor.
Wei Zhi, caught off guard, remained motionless. Behind her, the man straightened up. She felt his familiar presence envelop her as his sturdy chest pressed against her rigid back. His hand seemed poised to embrace her—
His breath lingered just above her head.
Wei Zhi held her breath.
At that moment, his long arm effortlessly reached past her, pressing the elevator’s door-open button. His low voice, tinged with a nasal quality, resonated close to her ear: “We’ve arrived. Reluctant to leave?”
“…”
Wei Zhi couldn’t recall how she managed to step out.
…
Before reaching the room, she had already retrieved her key card. Her demeanor suggested she was being pursued by a fearsome beast, ready to swipe the card, enter the room, and shut the door in rapid succession. Shan Chong observed her but didn’t comment.
Upon reaching the door, her urgency waned. She bit her lower lip, slowly swiped the card, and pushed the door open without entering.
She glanced back at the man standing behind her.
He lowered his gaze, his eyes cool. “What are you looking at? Where’s that courage you had when asking about cigarettes earlier?”
Wei Zhi nearly snapped the key card in her grip.
Half-stepping into the room, she stammered, “Um—”
Noticing the young woman’s frightened state, Shan Chong’s expressionless face softened slightly. His gaze swept over her nearly transparent, now reddening ear tips. He pressed his lips together and said, “Go in.”
She looked up at him.
“I was just teasing you earlier,” the man said in a husky voice, raising his hand to gently brush her soft cheek with his calloused thumb. “I won’t come in, all right?”
His voice was relaxed.
Wei Zhi responded with an “Oh,” seemingly unsure if she fully comprehended his words.
Shan Chong sighed inwardly, patting her head resignedly before turning to leave.
After taking two steps, perhaps on impulse or because he hadn’t heard the door close behind him, the man suddenly stopped and looked back—
There, standing in the shadowy corridor, the young woman had fully turned to face him. Her eyes were bright and dark, showing no sign of the relief he had expected…
Her lips, reddened from her biting, were slightly parted.
Seeing him turn, she didn’t startle. Instead, she blinked, her expression suggesting unspoken words.
“Hmm?”
The man narrowed his eyes slightly, emitting a low hum from deep in his throat.
Wei Zhi averted her gaze.
In that second, Shan Chong turned back.
In two strides, he covered the distance he had just walked, returning to stand before her. As she looked up at him again, he reached out, grasping her waist and lifting her—
She let out a soft gasp of surprise but didn’t struggle. Instead, she wrapped her arms around his neck… The man chuckled softly, using his foot to kick open the barely ajar door.
They entered the room.
The door naturally slammed shut behind them.
He carried her, letting her sit on his arm, his back muscles taut with exertion… He turned slightly, allowing her back to rest against the wall for support. Looking up, he kissed the young woman’s chin from their current position.
He held her tightly, his hands still and not wandering, leaving the initiative entirely in her grasp.
Feeling the soft touch of her lips brushing against his chin, she tightened her arms around his shoulders. In the pitch-black room, only the faint starlight from outside the window provided a sliver of illumination.
Her heart raced.
Like the beating of a drum.
Lowering her head, she boldly captured his lips with her own.
In the darkness, all senses seemed heightened, and perhaps emboldened by the shadows, she entwined her tongue with his, hearing his breath grow heavier, more ragged—
It was a sound she had only heard once before.
She could feel the heat rising from his chest, pressed close against hers, and the kiss that followed was possessive, exploring every corner of her mouth as if he wanted to consume her whole.
The atmosphere was so intense it felt like she was being roasted over a fire. She let out a soft whimper, uncertain whether it was urging him to continue or begging him to stop… and then he did stop, his tongue retreating from her lips, which were now red and swollen as if they might bleed.
He tilted his head slightly and asked, “Don’t want to continue?”
In the darkness, his eyes gleamed like a predator lying in wait, focused and sharp.
Wei Zhi felt her scalp tingle. Already a little nervous, his voice, low and resonant with a nasal undertone, buzzed in her ears like a flame igniting in her belly, and she felt as though she were burning up.
It turned out that women were just like men.
When aroused, they too wanted nothing more than to press themselves into their lover’s embrace, to feel every inch of skin touch, a force like a fire that could burn away all reason in an instant…
Her previously tense body suddenly relaxed. She buried her face in the crook of his neck, her lips brushing against his earlobe. “Go,” she said, her voice hoarse, “to the bed.”
The words barely left her lips before she fell silent, closing her mouth.
God knows how much courage it took just to say that one sentence.
Shan Chong chuckled softly, lifting her into his arms—
The room had originally been shared with Jiang Nanfeng, a double bed, but the bed was small. When Wei Zhi lay down, it felt spacious, but once Shan Chong joined her, it became a bit cramped.
When he pressed down on her, the whole bed sagged under their combined weight.
Even though it wasn’t particularly cold in Guangzhou during the winter, Wei Zhi had already taken off her coat when they entered the hotel, leaving her in just a single layer and a jacket. At this moment, who knew where that coat had ended up?
Now, as she was tossed onto the bed, her clothing shifted, exposing a sliver of soft, pale skin. The cool air in the room brushed against it, sending a chill through her body and raising goosebumps.
She reached down nervously to tug at her clothing, but he quickly caught her wrist, pinning it to her side.
“Mm.”
She made an unintelligible sound of protest.
…How could anyone see so well in the dark?
It was almost inhuman.
This time, Wei Zhi was truly nervous. She struggled a bit, but the hand holding her wrist only tightened its grip, and he began to gently rub the pulse point, causing heat to flare up under his rough touch.
“Stop, stop rubbing!”
She tried to push herself up, wanting to flip over and get away, but he released her wrist only to press her chest back down onto the bed with his body.
“You—ah!”
His soft hair brushed against her lower abdomen, and then his cool, moist lips pressed against her skin, biting down gently on the tender flesh.
“Don’t, don’t,” she stammered, her voice trembling with a hint of tears, “I-I haven’t showered yet.”
Her peculiar concern made the man resting against her stomach chuckle, his hot breath fanning across her navel as he murmured, “It’s fine. I don’t mind.”
Sensing her tension, he pushed himself up slightly, his rough hand slipping beneath the loose fabric of her clothing, his palm warm and solid as it pressed against her waist.
It was like touching a block of tofu.
Soft and tender.
Shan Chong hesitated for a moment—he had held her waist through her clothes before and had thought that her figure wasn’t particularly slim. Now, with nothing in the way, he realized that he could almost wrap his hand around half of her waist.
Just that much.
Wei Zhi shuddered and let out a small sigh as his rough palm touched her, her body trembling.
The man was only wearing a pair of sweatpants, having discarded his outer clothing after leaving the ski resort. The thin fabric did little to conceal any changes in his body, and she could feel everything.
When his hand settled on her waist, her whole body stiffened, but in the darkness, he didn’t take the next step. Instead, he stared at her for a few seconds, watching the delicate flutter of her lowered eyelashes…
He leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on the corner of her mouth.
His other hand gathered her soft hair, lifting her head to deepen the kiss.
As the kiss grew more intense, the hand on her waist applied a bit of pressure, his fingers sinking into her soft skin, causing a slight pain… perhaps leaving a faint red mark behind.
When the kiss finally ended, they pulled apart.
Their breaths were hot and heavy, mingling in the air as he looked down, his strong nose brushing against hers with a sigh.
“Zhi Zhi, help me, will you?”
Wei Zhi blinked in confusion.
Outside, the moonlight had emerged from behind the clouds, casting a pale glow into the room. It illuminated one side of his face, where a faint mole on his nose bridge became the most captivating thing in the world.
He knelt up slightly, one hand still on her waist, guiding her hand downward with the other.
He placed her hand at the waistband of his sweatpants, her soft fingertips pressing against the elastic folds…
In the moonlight, she quickly glanced at his current situation. She hadn’t gotten a good look at him in the gym, but now it was clear—the bulge in front—
She blinked.
It was…
A big…
Uh.
Package.
“…”
Oh my god.