The next day was New Year’s Eve. In the morning, she always remembered needing to clean the house and unpack candies and chocolates to arrange them on plates. Jiang Ran got up early, climbing out of bed the moment her eyes opened.
After taking a shower and stepping out of the room, she suddenly saw a boy wearing a short-sleeve T-shirt, barefoot, leaning against the wall in the living room, idly messing with the lantern she had hung the day before. For a moment, she was taken aback—what was this kid doing here so early in the morning when he should have been skiing?
Then she remembered: Oh, the ski resort had closed.
Hearing footsteps, he lazily turned his head, as if finally seeing a living person, his eyes lighting up. No longer toying with the little lantern he had nearly ruined, he approached her.
Jiang Ran looked up at him. “Free? You’ve got nothing to do? Then go clean the windows.”
The floor-to-ceiling windows were high, but with a chair, his height was just enough.
Seeing her clean, fresh face right in front of him, looking up expectantly, Bei Jiao couldn’t help but lean down and kiss her cheek. “Okay.”
Afterward, he returned to the sofa contentedly and turned on the TV.
Jiang Ran: “?”
She went over and kicked him lightly. He looked startled, shrinking his shoulders slightly as he reproachfully looked at her. “What?”
“You’re not even here mentally?” Jiang Ran said expressionlessly. “Did you even hear what I asked you? You said ‘okay’ so quickly and then just sat here pretending to be dead?”
“…What did you say?” Bei Jiao asked blankly.
“…”
Bei Jiao’s heart had already been on the brink of death the moment he learned the ski resort had closed the day before. He had spent the entire night trying to recover from that heart-wrenching moment…
And when he opened his eyes in the morning, he solemnly declared his heart had died on the spot.
“You can’t blame me. I haven’t recovered yet… thinking back to that message, ‘We’re sorry we couldn’t stay open for the last snowy day together,’ my heart still aches,” the boy muttered, hugging the remote control, aimlessly flipping channels while staring blankly into space. “Whoever came up with that copy was a real genius. If you’re closing, just say you’re closing. Why get all emotional? It’s like you don’t want people to sleep well.”
“Yeah, it was a bit sad,” Jiang Ran took the remote from him. “But the way you’re acting like the sky fell on you is kind of ridiculous.”
“True,” he accepted his ridiculousness calmly, even nodding earnestly. “Right now, I think the only thing in the world that could hurt as much would be if you said to me, ‘Let’s break up.’”
“…That’s not going to happen.”
Jiang Ran reached out and, as if caring for someone mentally challenged, gently patted the dog-like boy’s head.
The boy immediately let out a happy sound, wrapping his arms around her waist and burying his face in her stomach, rubbing back and forth.
“There’s no such thing as breaking up when we were never officially together.”
She finished speaking.
The head resting on her stomach stilled, the arms clasped tightly around her waist loosened, and the boy retreated to a corner, grabbed the remote, and began aimlessly flipping channels again, expressionless. “Go away. I’m not cleaning the windows anymore. Only my girlfriend can order me around… and you’re not her, so you can’t tell me what to do.”
Jiang Ran took off her slippers, thought for a moment that her feet might get cold, and put them back on.
She bent down, picked up the slippers he had kicked near the sofa, and threw them at his face.
They played around for a while, eventually waking up a few people downstairs. Qiu Nian walked out yawning, sleepily looking at Jiang Ran, who was still holding another slipper and preparing to throw. “So affectionate so early in the morning. Makes me envy the young.”
Jiang Ran: “Affectionate with a dog? There’s species isolation.”
Bei Jiao pointed at Jiang Ran and complained to Qiu Nian: “She abandoned me after using me!”
Jiang Ran: “Used you for what?”
Bei Jiao: “She kissed me so many times but won’t acknowledge our relationship—”
Jiang Ran’s voice suddenly stopped, and Qiu Nian shook his head with a “tsk tsk” and went into the bathroom.
…
The morning incident gave Bei Jiao a new idea. Finally, he recovered from the grief of the ski resort closing and found something new to do: ask Jiang Ran when he could officially become her boyfriend.
Anyone who didn’t know better might think he was already carrying Jiang’s child and eager to inherit the family throne.
Jiang Ran brought a basin of water to help him clean the windows. He handed down a used cloth, and she would wash a new one and pass it up. During this exchange, every time he took a new cloth, he repeated like a broken record: “A new year, new cloths. Shouldn’t I have a new status too?”
Jiang Ran threw the dirty cloth into the water: “We’ll talk about it next year.”
Bei Jiao said indifferently: “There are less than fourteen hours left until next year.”
We’ll see how long you can hold out.
Jiang Ran carried the basin to refill it with clean water. Bei Jiao, standing on the chair, turned to watch her, admiring the way she walked with her head held high and her back straight.
When she came back, it was Li Xingnan who brought the basin. Bei Jiao threw the dirty cloth into the clean water—watching intently as the dirt from the cloth spread and stained the previously clear water. He lazily raised his eyelids and asked Li Xingnan: “Did she run off again?”
Li Xingnan nodded toward the door: “A call from your family.”
“She’s her, I’m me. My mom didn’t marry her dad. Where did you get ‘your family’ from?”
Bei Jiao muttered in protest—although Jiang Ran refused to acknowledge his special status now, it was okay. He still had patience…
But thinking about the possibility of appearing on the same household registration with Jiang Ran in the future made him a little restless.
Without hesitation, he handed the cloth to Li Xingnan, who was about the same height as him or even slightly taller. Then he jumped off the chair and searched the house for Jiang Ran. He finally found her on the living room sofa.
“We’re fine here. The ski resort is far from the city, and they stopped letting new people in days ago. Those who remained stayed on the mountain, so there was no chance of infection spreading in.”
She was speaking to Jiang Huaimin on video, clearly the news from home had already reached them.
“They wanted us to come to Canada for the New Year.”
“But that’s not convenient. Bei Jiao doesn’t even have a passport yet. He’d have to apply in person, and even a blank visa is hard to get—”
“Where is he?”
Before Jiang Ran could answer, she heard a faint sigh from beside her. The next second, she felt the light from the window dim. Instinctively, she glanced sideways. The person who had been cleaning the windows had mysteriously abandoned his post and was now beside her.
She stared at him.
He hesitated for a moment. Originally leaning close to her, he now unusually pulled back slightly, as if wanting to turn and leave.
Jiang Ran blinked. “He’s—”
Busy.
Before she could say the last word, the person beside her suddenly paused in his retreat. His thin lips parted slightly, and he said, “Here.”
Jiang Ran’s voice stopped abruptly, as if confused.
The boy, however, acted as if nothing had happened. He sat down next to her, leaning closer to the screen, and called out, “Uncle Jiang.” Jiang Ran had never heard him speak so politely to anyone before.
Jiang Huaimin happily responded—
Bei Jiao was good-looking and academically excellent. Now he was behaving like a well-mannered son, naturally making Jiang Huaimin’s heart bloom with joy. Although their relationship wasn’t officially recognized, he still felt like he had gained a promising son-in-law out of nowhere.
As Jiang Huaimin warmly asked Bei Jiao about his well-being, Jiang Ran rolled her eyes beside him.
Jiang Huaimin: “What have you been up to these days? Your sister said the ski resort closed. No fun, are you feeling down?”
Before Bei Jiao could answer, Jiang Ran cut in: “Who’s his sister—He’s already turned twenty-one. Why are you talking to him like he’s three?”
Bei Jiao said, “Okay”: “Ran ran me to clean the windows. I just finished and came over.”
That “Ran ran” made Jiang Ran instinctively turn her head to look at him. The boy’s face was calm, seemingly not at all guilty or emotional, as if he always called her that.
Fortunately, Jiang Huaimin, being a laid-back person, didn’t notice anything wrong and was completely led along: “She likes bossing people around. Next time, don’t listen to her. Hire a cleaner with a little extra money. You’re a college student now, why bother cleaning—”
Jiang Ran gave a loud, cold laugh: “Why can’t a college student clean?”
Jiang Huaimin: “She’s your sister!”
Jiang Ran: “Who’s his sister—”
She originally wanted to argue more, but suddenly her voice stopped.
Jiang Huaimin: “What’s wrong? Did it feel like your throat was suddenly choked?”
Jiang Ran: “…”
Jiang Ran: “Nothing.”
She was holding the phone, the screen showing only her head and upper body, taking up the entire screen.
Just now, while she was arguing about the “sister” thing, the boy, who had originally been sitting beside her, had gradually moved closer while talking to Jiang Huaimin, until he was almost on top of her.
Where the parents couldn’t see, his hand silently went around from behind and held her waist.
She was wearing the long dress pajamas from when they pasted the couplets, and over it the thick wool sweater. At that moment, she looked like a soft, white puffball. His hand naturally went around the sweater, only separated by a thin layer of silk fabric, resting on her waist.
When she looked over, his eyes were still fixed on the phone screen, chatting with the elders with a smile, his face showing no emotion.
Yet that hand lazily rubbed her soft waist, his fingertips even gently pressing, signaling her not to keep staring at his face.
“…”
Jiang Ran came back to herself. By then, Jiang Huaimin had already turned the phone screen toward a middle-aged woman behind him who was living comfortably—compared to most women of her age, Jiang Ran could immediately tell where Bei Jiao got his good looks from…
Although Bei Jiao’s mother looked cold and unfeeling from her appearance, she was indeed well-preserved and still charming.
The boy’s dark pupils showed no ripple. From deep in his nose, he let out a soft, meaningful snort that only Jiang Ran could hear. After a pause, he called, “Mom.”
Madam Zhang naturally knew that men of Jiang Huaimin’s age liked to see scenes of “motherly love and filial piety.” She greeted the screen warmly, asking about her son’s life since starting college, how he got along with his roommates—
No one exposed the fact that this was already Bei Jiao’s second year in college.
On this side of the phone, the boy smiled politely and answered every question.
It didn’t fall silent, but his tone was slightly cold and perfunctory—
After all, his mind was not on this at all.
His hand was large enough to easily wrap around most of Jiang Ran’s waist. On the soft silk fabric, he gently tapped twice. When Madam Zhang said, “Take good care of yourself,” he smiled and responded, all the while moving his hand upward a few centimeters.
His palm pressed against her ribs.
The edge of his little finger had already touched the edge of her soft curve.
If the phone camera had moved down just a little, the parents on the other end, whether genuinely or falsely enthusiastic, would have seen the scene that completely contradicted the “sisterly and brotherly affection” they thought they were witnessing.
Jiang Ran barely spoke anymore, her attention completely on the hand at her waist—
Until Bei Jiao finally found an excuse to hang up the call.
Jiang Ran tried to pry his hand off again, and this time it came off easily.
He still stared at the phone for a few seconds, expressionless, then silently lifted her sweater to look—although he couldn’t see anything, his dark eyes only grew deeper. He raised his eyes to ask her, “Did I hurt you?”
It was just some rubbing, of course not painful.
But at that moment, the friction of skin against fabric still left a distinct sensation, as if his hand had never left.
She silently shook her head.
Bei Jiao tilted his head, looked around the empty living room, then leaned down to gently kiss the corner of her lips.
“It’s been years since I talked to my mom like that.” His voice was no longer polite and cold as it had been during the call. Now it carried a slight nasal tone. “So annoying.”
The feeling of that light, fleeting kiss still lingered at the corner of her lips.
His voice was very restrained, as if his chest had already digested a ton of negative emotions. Now, the word “annoying” was just a calm summary after everything had passed—
Who doesn’t yearn for family love?
Unfortunately, parents don’t need a license to have children. Just like some people jokingly say, “Some things you’re born without and will never have later,” those who say this probably never guessed that the phrase might not only refer to money.
She raised her hand and touched his head.
At this moment, the coldness and distance on Bei Jiao’s face finally dissipated. He reached out and pulled her over, settling her on his lap… she straddled him, her hands resting on his shoulders.
He looked up at her, his previously dark and murky eyes gradually becoming clearer.
Jiang Ran’s heartbeat quickened slightly. She reached out and touched his clearly defined jawline, her soft fingertips brushing his lower lip.
She felt the thigh muscles under her tighten slightly. She saw his pupils constrict, then fill with excitement, as if he had finally received a moment he had been longing for—
So many times before, she had never kissed him first.
So it felt like everything was one-sided on his part?
He had no position and no sense of security, so every day he had to loudly declare his so-called ownership to everyone who could know them.
He had waited for so long, every cell in his body screaming for something, his heartbeat becoming heavy, his breathing quickening.
It felt like an eternity had passed before he finally felt a kiss land on his forehead.
“If you don’t like phone calls, I won’t call you next time.”
Her voice was soft as she gently brushed aside the strands of hair that had fallen over his forehead.
There was a sense of relief, as if a long-awaited shoe had finally landed, and even her heartbeat paused for three seconds…
It wasn’t what he had hoped for, but it was progress compared to before—
Okay.
He was always easily satisfied.
That way, he was less likely to be disappointed.
Smiling slightly, those cold eyes curved into crescent moons. He hummed softly. Just then, in the living room, Ah Ju called Jiang Ran’s name, asking which candies should go in which dish. Jiang Ran turned and responded in the direction of the voice.
“Go ahead.”
His voice was slightly hoarse. Bei Jiao pinched her waist and gently placed her beside him, then sat still beside her, quietly watching her get up from the sofa, pick up her phone, let her feet dangle from the edge of the sofa, and search for her slippers.
Jiang Ran walked out, the boy still sitting on the sofa motionless behind her, his eyes fixed on her back.
After taking three steps, she suddenly halted. Then, under his bewildered gaze, she turned around expressionlessly and strode back with a commanding presence—her heels clicking sharply against the floor.
“What? Did you forget someth…”
Before he could react, she bent down to put the phone aside, kicked off her slippers, and climbed back onto the sofa in the same position as before, onto his lap.
The soft sensation pressed against his firm, tense thigh muscles. Her warm fingertips cupped his face, which was now filled with surprise, and the next moment, a wave of sweetness and the rich aroma of red wine covered everything.
She opened her mouth and bit his lower lip, her tongue prying his teeth open, hooking his tongue.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage