“What a coincidence, really!”
Song Qiuyu grabbed the large hand around her waist with her small fingers and gave the back of it a little pinch. Smiling, she spoke to the young woman.
The young woman also smiled, then as if remembering something, stepped forward a few paces and said, in the tone of one offering sage advice, “Seeing how loving you two are, little sister, listen to this big sister’s advice—you must remember, never rush into having children.”
She patted Song Qiuyu on the shoulder, her eyes squinting in a smile as she continued, “When a woman has a child, it’s a big test for a man. If you’re not careful, men can easily fail that test.”
“……”
Song Qiuyu was briefly stunned.
Jiang Xiao shot a cold glance at the young woman but said nothing.
“Alright, I won’t disturb you two on your honeymoon any longer—have fun!”
The young woman smiled meaningfully as she spoke.
The man beside her seemed utterly unconcerned by the conversation, still holding her waist, smiling all the while.
The two of them were glued together, sweet and inseparable.
Song Qiuyu seemed to come back to herself, furrowing her brow and shaking her head.
She said firmly, “Thank you for your concern, but I trust my husband completely. He’s wonderful, so I’m not afraid!”
At her words, Jiang Xiao paused, while the young woman sighed, a look of ‘as expected’ on her face as she gazed sympathetically at the young lady before her.
“My wife is right, but thank you for the reminder, sister. I’ll keep it in mind.”
Jiang Xiao frowned as well and followed up quickly.
The young woman shot a glance at Jiang Xiao’s serious face, a bit surprised, unable to grasp the change in him.
He’d seemed a bit slow and awkward with words before—how had he transformed in just a few months, almost like a different person?
He seemed more like a reliable man now.
She narrowed her eyes and nodded, saying nothing more. “No need to thank me—after all, we do seem to have some fate together~”
With that, she left with the man at her side.
Song Qiuyu let out a breath, pressing her hand to her chest.
Since those two were just here to have fun, she just needed to keep up the act when they met.
But still, there was a problem—she’d have to tell Xie Zhuran and the others who knew the truth about those two. But what about the people who didn’t know?
To avoid surprises, maybe it was better to give everyone a heads-up in advance?
Hmm…………
Actually, maybe just confessing directly to that couple would be the simplest solution…
Jiang Xiao is so clever, he should know the simplest way, but instead, he chose the most dramatic approach!
Ha, this Jiang Xiao really is like a sesame dumpling—all black inside when you cut him open!
And just now, he even called her his wife without thinking!
Lost in these thoughts, she was suddenly blinded by the burning gaze of the person beside her. She squinted, looking away in discomfort.
“Qi’er, can you say what you just said again?”
Sure enough, Jiang Xiao caught the key point.
“…..”
Song Qiuyu pretended not to understand. “So I’m not afraid?”
“Go back a bit before that.”
Jiang Xiao’s voice deepened.
“He’s wonderful.”
Song Qiuyu squeezed the words out like squeezing toothpaste.
“Further back!”
Jiang Xiao’s eyes lit up, growing expectant.
“Thank you for your concern, sister.”
Song Qiuyu grabbed Jiang Xiao’s hand at her waist and pried his fingers off one by one.
“No! The line in the middle!”
Jiang Xiao suddenly grabbed her small hand.
“I already ate it!”
Song Qiuyu stiffened her neck, looking at Jiang Xiao.
“?”
Jiang Xiao was both exasperated and amused. After laughing, he blinked. “Then can you spit it out for me, Qi’er?”
At that, Song Qiuyu blinked back, pretending to be coy. “But it’s already digested!”
Jiang Xiao could only sigh.
Seeing this, Song Qiuyu was quite proud, raising her eyebrows.
Her conscience pricked a little, but knowing Jiang Xiao’s weakness and being able to get the better of him at a crucial moment was really satisfying!
Her lips moved as if to say something more, but nothing came to mind.
After glancing at her phone for the time, she dropped the thought.
“We should hurry and change our clothes. They’ve probably already gone over.”
“Let’s go.”
Jiang Xiao let go of her waist and hand, putting some proper distance between them.
In that moment, Song Qiuyu suddenly felt a little empty, biting her lip and saying nothing.
Then they each returned to their rooms to get changed.
The following dinner went surprisingly smoothly.
Most likely because Aider had praised them lavishly in front of the two Party As, the meal was much less stressful than expected.
The only source of pressure was the drinking.
“Come on, Teacher Lemon, let’s have another drink!”
The dapper owner of the Hot Spring Hotel was just as enthusiastic as Aider.
Song Qiuyu picked up her wineglass, two-thirds full of red wine, already feeling a bit tipsy.
Everyone drank tonight—except the youngest, Jiang Yu, who replaced red wine with peanut milk.
After toasting with the hotel owner, there was still the Ski Resort boss waiting. Song Qiuyu was beginning to struggle.
It was her first time at such a gathering—she hadn’t realized just how hard it could be to drink with Party A for work.
“Hahaha, Teacher Lemon, you need to work on your drinking! One more glass!”
“Alright!”
She no longer cared who was saying what, just picked up her glass and rose to clink glasses again.
Xie Zhuran, Lin An, and Sang Tian could all see she was about to get drunk, and exchanged glances with Jiang Xiao.
After all, they all knew that once Song Qiuyu got drunk, she wanted to hug everyone!
Jiang Xiao, it’s time for you to step in!
Jiang Xiao had been waiting for this chance.
“Sorry, Teacher Lemon can’t really handle alcohol. I’ll drink this one for him.”
Jiang Xiao stood and took the glass from the person beside him, offering a polite smile and speaking with poise.
Song Qiuyu, tipsy, looked at her now empty hand, tilting her head to gaze at Jiang Xiao, who had his head slightly raised as he drank.
The bright lights of the room shone down, and it seemed that just standing there, he attracted all her attention.
Her eyes couldn’t leave him, drawn to the movement of his Adam’s apple as he swallowed.
How come she’d never noticed before how sexy that was…
Come to think of it, Jiang Xiao’s table manners really were good now. He’d grown—she didn’t need to look after him in every way anymore…
Mmm, feeling a bit sleepy.
After finishing the drink, Jiang Xiao suddenly felt a slight weight on him and a wisp of fragrant breeze drifted over.
Looking down, he saw Song Qiuyu had gotten drunk much faster than they’d expected—her forehead was leaning against his arm, her body suddenly collapsing against him!
That was bad news, but in a way, also good news.
Jiang Xiao successfully excused her from the dinner and took her back to their room.
But as soon as they arrived, the drunk girl cracked her eyes open a little, gazing at him in a daze, like a little fox, both enchanting and bewitching.
In the next moment, he lost control and pressed her up against the wall.
With a thud, he pinned her between himself and the wall, locking eyes with her dewy gaze.
Unable to help himself, Jiang Xiao lowered his face, taking in her heated, wine-scented breath, his heart pounding faster and faster.
“Qi’er, do you want a hug? Let me kiss you first, and then I’ll let you hug me as much as you want.”
Jiang Xiao knew all her drunken habits—and decided to use them.
Song Qiuyu stared at him, slightly drunk and a bit dazed, not really processing his words.
She simply followed her feelings and mumbled, “Jiang Xiao, you… and Sang Tian… did you talk today?”
Jiang Xiao paused, then narrowed his eyes, a satisfied smile curling at his lips.
He’d sensed she’d ask about this eventually, but he hadn’t expected it so soon.
Did that mean he still weighed heavily in her heart?
Jiang Xiao didn’t intend to keep her guessing; he pressed his forehead against hers, gazing deeply, lips slightly parted. “We just—”
Before he could finish, the sound of light footsteps came from outside the door.
The door was still open. Knowing what Song Qiuyu cared about most, Jiang Xiao quickly put some distance between them.
In the next moment, the footsteps stopped at the door. It was Jiang Li.
“Brother, I want to talk to you again about Qiuyu.”
Jiang Li looked at Song Qiuyu, who was sitting against the wall, and spoke.
“Alright, give me a minute.”
Jiang Xiao thought for a moment, then nodded.
Jiang Li obediently left.
But before she left, she couldn’t help taking another look at the drunken Song Qiuyu—no matter how she looked, she seemed like a girl…
What a pity, why couldn’t she really be a girl?
With a sense of regret, she walked away.
Jiang Xiao turned and went to help Song Qiuyu up from the floor.
With a smack, she slapped his hand away.
“Go ahead, don’t worry about me…” Song Qiuyu lowered her head, seeming a little more sober. “I’ll be fine by myself.”
Jiang Xiao looked down at her, speaking after a pause. “Then I’ll go?”
Song Qiuyu said nothing.
Jiang Xiao turned to leave, but then felt his sleeve tugged a few times—a gesture both coquettish and pleading.
But when he turned around, that small hand had quietly retracted.
Song Qiuyu pretended nothing had happened.
Jiang Xiao hesitated for a while, then gave in to her.
With a creak, the door closed. Song Qiuyu, dizzy and exhausted, slumped to the floor and closed her eyes.
“Ugh…”
Maybe it was the alcohol, but all the things she didn’t want to face, all the feelings she’d repressed, suddenly burst out.
A wave of sadness surged up in her heart, making it hard to breathe.
She tugged at her clothes in frustration, tearing off the Chest Binder, her upper body bare, letting the cold air and lonely night embrace her.
She fell into a deep sleep.
When Song Qiuyu woke up the next morning, her whole body felt heavy, her head splitting with pain.
She glanced at her exposed body, reflected for a moment, then quickly got dressed.
Today’s schedule was simple: stroll around, tour the Hot Spring Hotel and the Ski Resort, and, if possible, hand in the Proposal Script as soon as possible. The sooner it was approved, the sooner they could start filming.
It was everyone’s first time at the Hot Spring Hotel and Ski Resort.
The novelty gave them courage to face the winter head-on, to confront the snowy mountains.
Xie Zhuran even borrowed ski equipment and started playing on the slopes.
At first, it was just him, but soon, nearly everyone joined in.
Song Qiuyu didn’t go skiing. She stood to the side with a camera, taking photos of everyone.
Aider, the professional photographer, only skied for a bit before joining her for photography, giving her plenty of useful tips.
They chatted happily as they took pictures—naturally, all of this was observed by three pairs of eyes.
Jiang Xiao said nothing. Sang Tian said nothing. Jiang Li watched thoughtfully.
After a round of sightseeing and play, in the throbbing pain of her head, Song Qiuyu managed to catch a wisp of inspiration.
In just one afternoon, she wrote four simple drafts.
After everyone read them, they were handed to the two Party As.
In the end, the Snow Woman plan was approved.
Next, they needed to flesh out that plan in detail.
“Sorry, I might’ve drunk too much last night. I’m not feeling well—I need to go sleep for a bit.”
Song Qiuyu pressed her aching forehead, bidding everyone goodbye early and returning to her room.
She took off her coat and crawled into bed, feeling her body start to burn, her mind too muddled to think any further.
She clutched her small blanket tightly, her mind running wild with thoughts of Lin An and Xia Qi’s enviable interactions today.
Those childhood sweethearts seemed to have such a smooth, effortless love.
Surely, those two would make it easily to the altar.
Song Qiuyu squeezed her eyes shut, unable to stop secretly envying Xia Qi—envying her for having such caring parents, for such a good personality. The more she envied, the more she realized there was an endless list of things to be envious about.
But she didn’t feel inferior. She knew she was wonderful too—even if she was a little monster, she was the best little monster of all.
Because she was so good, she couldn’t stop herself from longing for what she didn’t have.
Gradually, she even started envying the couple she’d run into again at the hotel.
She didn’t know their exact circumstances—she simply envied how loving they appeared.
She grew more and more uncomfortable, her consciousness blurring, Jiang Xiao’s face appearing over and over in her mind.
She seemed on the verge of sleep, yet not truly asleep, stuck in the most painful place.
Her body temperature kept rising.
The sluggish gears in her brain turned, her frown deepening, until she suddenly realized she was sick—just like that fever she’d had last summer.
Once again, Jiang Xiao’s face floated through her mind. Her expression twisted with pain as her feverish body curled up, thin arms hugging herself tight.
“Wu…”
She had never felt so helpless. Usually, she could handle being sick on her own—so why did she suddenly long to see Jiang Xiao so badly now…
Tears shimmered at the corners of her eyes. She burrowed even deeper into her blanket, hoping she could sweat it out and get better.
But the tears kept coming. She buried her face in her pillow, crying quietly, her heart filling with loneliness and emptiness.
Certain parts of her body ached intensely, at once familiar and strange.
Her mind, uncontrollably, recalled certain shameful scenes.
And in those memories, Jiang Xiao was always there.
Half-dazed, Song Qiuyu opened her eyes, biting her lip. Her small hands trembling, she lifted the blanket and sat up a little.
The cold air swept over her. In a daze, she let out a hot breath, her small hand lifting the hem of her shirt, biting down…
Her brain must be completely broken. If it wasn’t, why would she want to do something like this—
Her fingers trembled.
Thinking back to the “just friends” relationship she’d forced Jiang Xiao to agree to, she suddenly found it so laughable.
Jiang Xiao…
You’ve succeeded.
Qi’er isn’t satisfied with being just friends anymore—but Qi’er will never tell you that!
Awkwardly, she tried to take care of herself. As a sweet scent drifted through the air, her mind grew even fuzzier, her consciousness fading.
The tears still wouldn’t stop.
At that moment, the door was suddenly knocked.