“Once again.”
Winter mornings still arrived early. When the sky outside began to lighten, Jiang Ran burrowed under the covers, transforming from a graceful swan into an ostrich, frantically digging into the bed like she was trying to hide from the world.
At the sound of the word “again,” she instinctively shuddered like she’d been startled, letting out a whimper of protest. Before she could fully bury herself, the covers were yanked away and she was dragged out.
The moment her skin met the air, her back stiffened. “Don’t touch me anymore, you pervert. That’s enough—”
She no longer knew what nonsense she was spouting. Perhaps at this moment, on short video apps, the trending topic “#JiangRan” was still trending… No one knew that this woman, praised nonstop for an entire day and night, a woman who even men would willingly admit defeat to, was now hugging a pillow, her nose red, her eyes wet with physiological tears, sniffling pitifully.
A figure loomed over her back, lightly biting her earlobe. That small action was full of suggestion, and she trembled violently.
“Don’t chicken out, Jiang Ran,” Bei Jiao said with a chuckle, his voice hoarse. “It’s embarrassing for someone who needs herbal medicine to be reduced to this state.”
His tone was mocking, yet smug.
Amid her instinctive attempts to evade, he fully regained the upper hand.
His hand landed on her shoulder, only to be met with a flurry of weak slaps from her trembling hands. His knuckles turned red, but he didn’t let go—
He flipped her over, leaving a red mark on her pale, delicate waist.
She instinctively kicked at him, but he caught her ankle and hoisted it over his shoulder… Her entire body was limp like noodles, yet she still tried to stomp his face with her foot.
Bei Jiao laughed, capturing her foot and kissing the sole. He propped himself up, like a master butcher facing a lamb, exuding patience, in no hurry to continue his conquest, instead letting his shadow envelop her.
Beside the bed stood a floor lamp, its soft yellow light the only illumination in the room. It bathed everything in a warm, orange glow, forming a vivid contrast with the snowflakes drifting outside.
Jiang Ran had originally refused to leave the lamp on, but as Bei Jiao grew older, his perverted tendencies only intensified—he insisted on keeping the light on, watching every subtle change on her face and body with hooded eyes, greedily.
At this moment, the light shone on her flawless abdomen, revealing faint abdominal muscles with clear shadows cast by the illumination, as if bathed in holy light.
What should have been a flat stomach was now slightly rounded, glistening with sweat that trembled with her shallow breath.
His warm, large hand covered it, his palm damp, the sticky sensation making her frown slightly. “What are you doing?”
His hand gently pressed against her rounded belly, and her irritated voice abruptly ceased as she let out a soft whimper.
He leaned in with that handsome face, so perfect it seemed otherworldly, nuzzling her belly. “It’s getting round, like you’re really pregnant. Amazing.”
He rested his chin on her stomach, his hair damp with sweat, strands clinging to his forehead. His black eyes, dark and intense, gazed at her, filled with pure possessiveness and excitement.
That “amazing” was clearly a compliment to himself—
After all, this swollen phenomenon was the result of his hard work.
Jiang Ran didn’t even have the energy to roll her eyes, watching his head move slowly upward until it reached her lips…
This demon now wanted to act affectionate with her. “Kiss me.”
He was in the emotionally vulnerable state following satisfaction, his usually cold eyes now uncharacteristically soft. He rubbed his chin against her neck, his thin lips hovering near hers—
His lips, usually pale, were now flushed pink.
Jiang Ran knew all too well that one kiss would likely ignite a new round, but at this moment, she felt like a worn-out old horse, barely clinging to her last breath.
She turned her head away. “No more kisses. I’m sorry, okay? I’m the one who needs medicine—medicine for my brain or to make me mute—”
His sweet laughter followed, making her skin crawl.
She pushed his head away. “Bei Jiao, you can’t just kill off a rising new star from the snowboard world right here in the Olympic Village abroad—”
She was furious.
Furious that her event, parallel giant slalom, was the only one she had to compete in, and once it was over, she was done. Other athletes, like park riders, might participate in two or three events, like big air, halfpipe, or slopestyle…
She was finished. Even if she died of exhaustion in the Olympic Village, no one would care.
Wu.
She almost pitied herself into tears, but would anyone come to her rescue? No.
He reached out, gently turning her sweaty face toward him, and kissed away the sweat on her nose. “Tired?”
“Tired—mm…”
He bit her lip, and she wrapped her arms around his neck, mumbling pleas for mercy, apologizing for every bit of teasing she’d ever given him over the past decade. “Please, I’m really tired. I competed this morning, and now my head is buzzing—please, A Jiao, good A Jiao—”
He chuckled, listening to her soft voice begging him, kissing her earlobe, his strong arms propped on either side of her head. “What did you call me?”
“…Husband?” She blinked. “Let me sleep, okay, husband? If we do it again, I’ll really cry!”
To the eyes of the entire nation, this was a woman fierce enough to slice through the Earth’s surface with her snowboard.
In the world of snowboarding, she was widely regarded as a female rider who, more than ten years ago, could make male competitors tremble with fear…
Yet at critical moments, she could also be sweet.
She said she was going to cry.
Bei Jiao tilted his face slightly. “Cry? Really?”
Jiang Ran thought his conscience had returned and nodded vigorously.
But the next moment, that dog pinned both her hands above her head, and in the instant she froze, he leaned in and kissed her slightly parted lips with a loud smack. “I haven’t seen that yet. I’m kind of looking forward to it.”
Outside the window, the merciless snowflakes kept falling without the slightest intention of stopping.
Trying to negotiate with the fickle weather was a naive and foolish act.
That night, heavy snow blanketed the entire Olympic Village, covering every corner with thick layers of snow… As the old Chinese saying goes, auspicious snow heralds a bountiful year. This was likely another year of good fortune.
…
Before the Lunar New Year, Jiang Ran prepared to fly back to China on a private jet.
Also on the plane was Shan Chong, who had won another gold medal later on. She blamed him for all her recent and past grievances. While waiting for the flight, she took the opportunity to video chat with Shan Chong’s wife when he wasn’t looking. Jiang Ran approached and greeted the girl with a cheerful “Hi!” before loudly asking in a tone like a wicked female antagonist, “Chongzi, have you bought your wife a diamond ring yet? Men can’t just talk the talk, you know.”
As soon as Jiang Ran finished speaking, the girl on the video call giggled with her hand over her mouth, her fair face with eyes curved like a crescent moon—it was clear she was a sweet girl.
Even though she already had a daughter in elementary school.
“Tsk tsk tsk, Ah Chongzi, don’t you have even a little sense of guilt?”
Jiang Ran wasn’t completely unfamiliar with Shan Chong’s wife, Wei Zhi. Back in the 2020 snow season, when she had just successfully given up her dog, turning it from a pet into a stray, Bei Jiao was still in Guangzhou preparing for his final exams. She went to play at the summit ski resort in Chongli.
That was when she met Wei Zhi. Funny enough, just like her own protégé who couldn’t resist a park jump, the wife of the Olympic champion was obsessed with carving turns…
Jiang Ran met Wei Zhi that day while she was taking a lesson with Zhao Keyan, that scoundrel. Because Jiang Ran scolded two silly guys who were messing around on the chairlift, the girl became extremely admiring of her.
At the time, Jiang Ran didn’t know who the girl was and mistook her for a high school student, pulling out two candies from her pocket, and even playfully tugging on the rabbit-ear hood she was wearing with her helmet. The girl sweetly said, “Big sis, I’m 23 already.”
How could Shan Chong have the heart to do this!
Jiang Ran crowded next to Shan Chong, insisting on video chatting with someone else’s wife, clearly enjoying the conversation.
When the chat got lively, she even shoved a box of chocolates into Shan Chong’s ski bag, turning around to tell the girl on the screen, “Here’s candy for you, here’s candy…”
“Can you stop acting like a pervert? My daughter can already call you ‘Auntie’ in four languages,” Shan Chong said. “Are you here to pamper my wife with candy?”
Jiang Ran wanted to chat with Wei Zhi a little more, trying to persuade her to break her park board and burn it as firewood—
Shan Chong could no longer bear it and called Bei Jiao.
At this time, Bei Jiao had just finished dealing with the tax refund and passed through security, holding a bunch of lists and counting the euros he had received back. As he approached Jiang Ran, he raised his eyes lazily and asked, “What are you doing?”
Before Jiang Ran could speak, Shan Chong spoke first: “Flirting with someone else’s wife.”
Bei Jiao raised an eyebrow.
Shan Chong: “Take her away.”
Bei Jiao waved a stack of cash in his hand.
Jiang Ran’s eyes instinctively followed the money.
“You don’t still want to buy skincare products, do you?”
“Yeah.” She replied lazily.
“Didn’t you say outside that you’d go in first to choose, and then I’d come with the cash after getting the tax refund?”
“Yeah.”
“So why are you dawdling here now?”
“Mind your own business. I’m tired from standing in line at security and my back hurts. Can’t I take a break?”
Jiang Ran hadn’t been very nice to Bei Jiao these past few days; her patience and affection had been worn thin by the nights spent clinging to his neck, calling him “husband,” “big brother,” and other hard-to-say endearments.
Now, she reluctantly stood up, but before she could steady herself, her waist was caught in a strong arm. She stumbled slightly, her shoulder bumping into his, tilting her head up to glare at him.
He, however, remained unfazed, not minding her anger, his expression calm. “Your back hurts?”
He said, rubbing her waist.
Jiang Ran had become almost hypersensitive to his touch these past few days. At this moment, a simple rub on her waist made her go limp, and she nervously glanced around. “In public, show some restraint!”
Bei Jiao chuckled softly. “Can’t I even show you care?”
“You’re not showing me care. You don’t care about me or my snowboarding skills. You’re just obsessed with my body—”
Bei Jiao looked at her silently for a moment.
Then his eyes narrowed slightly, his voice dropping to a lower register, speaking only for her to hear: “Haven’t been properly tamed yet?”
…
Tamed.
How not tamed.
She just didn’t want to reenact [“Airplane Restroom.RMVB”] on the flight.
She tilted her head to rest on his shoulder. “I’m going to buy skincare. Wang Jia Ming just asked me what girls like these days, so I’ll grab a few bottles for him to give as gifts.”
She tugged at his sleeve. “Husband, was the tax refund line busy? Did you get tired waiting in line?”
Bei Jiao didn’t respond to her, instead nodding at Shan Chong to signal, “I’ll take this troublemaker away,” to which the latter replied expressionlessly, “Thanks a lot.”
…
The next day, the group safely returned to Guangzhou.
The crowd at the airport was massive. Wearing sunglasses and a fisherman’s hat, wrapped in a coat, Jiang Ran was escorted forward by security and for the first time experienced the joy of being a top celebrity, her vanity greatly satisfied.
On the twenty-ninth day of the twelfth lunar month, the group visited a cemetery.
Some southern regions have the tradition of visiting graves during the New Year. Jiang Ran burned incense for her mother, grandfather, and grandmother, then took an olive branch wreath in hand and went to visit Lin Shuang’s grave.
The olive branch wreath had been given to her upon arrival at the Milan Winter Olympics. After receiving it, Jiang Ran placed it in a pot of water to keep it fresh. Though it had lost some of its original vibrance after soaking for half a month, it was still green.
It looked perfect placed on the gravestone.
Jiang Ran lit a lighter and burned a postcard with a Finnish postal stamp on it, murmuring as she did, “I did it. Don’t complain when we meet again decades later—”
She paused, thinking back to the moment her final results were announced, when snowflakes had fallen from the sky.
She smiled, her eyes crinkling. “Oh, but you’ve already seen it.”
A cold wind blew.
Guangzhou winters are cold, but never snowy.
Yet there are so many places in the world that do see snow. As long as memories remain, there will always be a chance to meet again somewhere with those you miss.
…
After the New Year, the snow season was nearly over.
By mid-March, ski resorts across the country began issuing announcements ending the season and temporarily closing. Accompanying each official notice on social media were countless posts of despair and lamentation.
Reluctantly, people had to pack their bags and return to their respective cities.
The once-calm Guangzhou Rongchuang Icebox became lively again.
Because both China’s snowboarding teams—freestyle and alpine—had set numerous new records at this year’s Milan Winter Olympics, bringing endless surprises. This year, Guangzhou Rongchuang was packed like dumplings being dropped into boiling water, with endless lines at the chairlifts.
In the afternoon, when Jiang Ran dragged her BC snowboard into the refrigerator, she took a look at the line and wanted to step back—but thinking of her dog sending her a WeChat message three minutes ago saying, “Waiting for you at the summit,” she figured that if she backed out now, he might catch her in the act and make her pay up again… Honestly, she had been a bit scared of him lately.
Taking a deep breath, she pulled up her face mask and wrapped herself tightly, blending into a group of skiers. Because there were so many people, she inevitably had to ride the gondola with strangers.
The person with Jiang Ran was a young lady. Both glanced down simultaneously at each other’s binding angles and, upon noticing they both had the same forward-forward setup, looked up and smiled at each other.
Jiang Ran was so well wrapped up that only the tip of her nose was visible. The young lady didn’t recognize her and leaned against the gondola railing, tugging Jiang Ran’s sleeve to get her to look too—
Not knowing what was so fascinating, Jiang Ran curiously leaned over for a peek and saw her husband showing off like a peacock on the slopes.
Probably because he had waited too long at the summit and grew impatient or cold, he started to descend the hill, followed closely by Ah Tuan.
A young man in a black hoodie, layered under a white windbreaker jacket, carved his way down. Amidst the swirling snow, he executed a 180° jump, switching to fakie (riding with the back foot forward)—
Even with his bindings set with the right foot forward, he could still ride switch, effortlessly touching the snow with his hand while launching himself into a high-speed leap, his trajectory perfectly parallel to the fall line…
A switch 900°, landing with a thud and spinning another 180°.
Behind him, Ah Tuan, still in middle school, followed his master’s lead, completing a 720°.
The spectacle drew everyone on the gondolas ahead and behind to stick their heads out and watch.
“Jiao God,” Jiang Ran heard the young lady say. “There are only a few people in Guangrong who can pull off a forward 900°, ahhhh, so cool! Too bad he got married too early. Good men really don’t stay on the market—”
The young lady pulled her head back in. “Still, his amazing skiing skills make me want to take lessons from him.”
Jiang Ran smiled. “Go ahead, he’s free these days. You’d better hurry before the line gets long.”
This was the first time she had spoken since getting on the gondola.
The young lady found her voice familiar and paused, suddenly narrowing her eyes and leaning in to peer through Jiang Ran’s goggles, then looked down at her BC snowboard—
A moment of silence followed.
“Ran Jie?”
“…It’s me, yeah.”
At Jiang Ran’s “yeah,” the young lady grabbed her hand, then realizing she might be too forward, let go abruptly. After a stunned and speechless moment, she muttered excitedly, “I’m going to make it now, Mom, I’ve finally made it—riding the same gondola as an Olympic champion who can do 1080°! I’ll definitely be able to do a 540° effortlessly after this ride—”
Jiang Ran placed her hand over the young lady’s.
“I started carving because I watched your videos, waaah! Ran Jie, watching those men tremble under your control gives me the same joy as reading a great novel!”
“Alright, alright, keep working hard?”
“I hope you ski forever! I want to see you at Guangrong every day, even just from afar, it makes me feel so happy!”
This anime-style dialogue was actually happening.
Jiang Ran didn’t dare nod, afraid she wouldn’t be able to get off the gondola.
Then she realized that some things really were flags—soon she would be the one breaking her own words.
…
They skied together for several hours that afternoon, and under Jiang Ran’s near-contemptuous psychological pressure, Bei Jiao’s 1080° was barely shaped, while Ah Tuan’s 900° now had a clean landing and snow spray, looking promising.
After barely making it through the session, Bei Jiao was in high spirits. She personally helped Jiang Ran take off her ski boots in the locker room, then leaned shoulder to shoulder with her, snuggling close for a while.
Until a phone call dragged him back to the lab for overtime. Before leaving, he summoned Qiu Nian to keep an eye on Jiang Ran and stop her from wandering off.
Qiu Nian was about to give birth and still had to take orders from him.
Li Xingnan hadn’t torn his head off yet, which showed just how much brotherly affection had developed over the years.
So when Bei Jiao reached the lab and video-called Jiang Ran, she was already sitting in a Western restaurant drinking hot chocolate, while Qiu Nian was oddly curious why this dog had suddenly become so clingy, since he hadn’t been this watchful before.
Jiang Ran didn’t know either, but she thought maybe it was because she had suddenly become famous, and he was worried she might get kidnapped—
Jiang Ran asked Bei Jiao this directly. On the other end, he was using the lab water dispenser to boil instant noodles, holding a plastic fork in his mouth, looking puzzled. After a moment, he said, “Don’t know.”
Seemed like he really didn’t.
At the time, she hadn’t yet connected this behavior to animal stress responses.
Putting the phone away, Qiu Nian leaned on his chin, staring at her strangely. “I just thought of Li Xingnan’s dog. That Alaskan puppy he raised from a pup, Naihuangbao, remember? He used to be super attached to him—”
Jiang Ran: “Ah?”
Qiu Nian continued, “Since I got pregnant, Li Xingnan hasn’t slept in a bed. Mainly because whenever he gets close, Naihuangbao growls at him like they have some deep grudge… Now it sleeps on my belly every day, and Li Xingnan has been sleeping on the sofa for a while. He’s planning to send it back to Northeast China.”
Jiang Ran: “…What are you trying to say?”
Qiu Nian: “Don’t you think Dog Brother now looks like Naihuangbao?”
Jiang Ran: “He hasn’t bitten anyone or growled at you—”
Qiu Nian raised his hand and hit her lightly, as if annoyed by her unseriousness: “I mean that protective look, like he’s guarding you like his own eyes! The protective vibe!”
Jiang Ran looked relaxed: “Too much thinking.”
Qiu Nian cupped his face, using the other hand to poke at her engagement ring. “Or maybe he just loves you more and more. Tsk tsk, after all these years of marriage, your husband still gives you a big diamond—”
“He’s just obsessed with my body,” Jiang Ran made a disgusted face. “Loves me more and more? Puke—”
It started as just a sound effect.
But as she spoke, she suddenly felt a wave of nausea rise in her throat. She covered her mouth and dry-heaved, blinking back tears that had welled up—
Thinking, thank goodness that dog wasn’t here. If he saw her getting sick just from thinking about him, he’d go completely crazy tonight!
As she was genuinely feeling scared, Qiu Nian was still cupping his face, staring at her.
“Have you two been using protection lately?” he asked.
Jiang Ran spat her mouthful of water back into the cup.
She pushed the glass away, grossed out, and asked for a new one.
“So that means no?” Qiu Nian said. “Don’t be so shy. After dinner, I’ll go with you to buy a pregnancy test.”
“Don’t want to. Not buying.”
Qiu Nian looked at her new glass of iced water the waiter had just placed down. “Did your period come this month? You’re still drinking iced water? Wasn’t it around these days last time?”
“Might be late,” Jiang Ran said. “And I went to Europe, jet lag messed things up—anyway, no buying.”
Qiu Nian stared at her face, noticing her rosy complexion, probably from embarrassment, and finally said, “…Then I’ll lend you Naihuangbao for a couple of days. See if it gets attached to you.”
And that’s exactly what she did.
That very night, Li Xingnan led the 120-pound dog to her doorstep, a rare happy expression on his usually expressionless face.
“Here,” he shoved the leash into Jiang Ran’s hand. “You can keep it if you want. I can come get it back next year.”
Naihuangbao was a light gray husky, not shy around strangers. As soon as he reached Jiang Ran, he leaned against her and settled down.
Bei Jiao had just arrived home. Hearing the commotion, he peeked in, first seeing Li Xingnan, then looking down and seeing the giant fluffy creature in Jiang Ran’s hand. He raised an eyebrow. “What’s this? Are you abandoning small animals?”
He was still defending Naihuangbao, but the dog had already leaned into Jiang Ran and growled at him.
Bei Jiao: “?”
Li Xingnan turned to Jiang Ran. “Are you pregnant too?”
Jiang Ran: “………………No!!”
Bei Jiao: “Why are you shouting?”
Bei Jiao turned back to Li Xingnan. “What’s wrong with your dog? Is it suddenly misogynistic because you’re expecting? Should you take it to a therapist?”
He was still smirking.
Jiang Ran didn’t want to hear their nonsense anymore. She took the dog back to the living room sofa, pressed play on a half-watched variety show, and lay down peacefully—
Naihuangbao jumped up beside her.
A weight settled on her stomach as the giant dog head pressed against her, sighing contentedly. His doggy eyes stared at Jiang Ran intensely.
Jiang Ran: “…”
Bei Jiao had been at the entrance, discussing what else should go into Qiu Nian’s hospital bag with Li Xingnan from a professional perspective. Hearing the commotion, he turned around and saw the scene on the sofa. Frowning, he said, “What are you doing? That’s my spot.”
There we go.
Jiang Ran thought expressionlessly—
Now I’ve got two dogs. Truly a winner in life.
——————–
(This book is from Longfeng Interconnection)
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage