A brief silence followed.
“When I picked you up, you weren’t like this yet,” Jiang Ran spoke, her voice sounding slightly puzzled. “Do you usually live on Wall Street, fraudster?”
“You think I have a bad attitude?” The accused gently helped her place the suitcase in an open area and unzipped the snowboard bag to take out her board, setting it neatly by the window. “You told me to leave, and I was ready to go without hesitation.”
As he said this, he was already standing at the door—the small wooden cabin had a low doorway, nearly completely blocked by his tall frame, leaving no space for light to pass through.
Jiang Ran: “…”
Yes.
You were about to leave.
But before leaving, you cast a malicious curse, wishing my cabin’s light bulb would break again.
Jiang Ran stepped forward to push the person blocking the door, urging him to leave already.
Bei Jiao leaned against the doorframe with both hands, unmoved by her pushing, a slight smile on his lips as he gazed down at her.
It was as if one day a toad suddenly jumped out of a well where it could only see an inch of sky.
Now he saw how vast the world was, and that the swan princess stood under the same sky as him—
Under the dim yellow old bulb he had installed himself, she suddenly wasn’t as distant as she was in the city driving her luxury car; every strand of her hair under the soft glow exuded warmth and familiarity.
Suddenly, the toad became worthy.
The soft fingertips pressed against his down jacket, making a faint rustling sound. Moved by the moment, the boy slid his hands down from the doorframe and leaned closer to her face, which was just inches away.
“…”
Feeling the familiar breath suddenly closing in, the person who had been pushing him away stopped, lifting her eyes to meet his dark gaze fixed intently on her face—
Jiang Ran hesitated with her hand on his zipper.
The boy’s delicate and handsome face was just inches away, not yet fully matured into manhood. Except for his jawline and high, straight nose, his facial features weren’t clearly defined.
Normally, he wouldn’t bother with skincare, only reluctantly allowing her to chase him around with some anti-chapping balm after getting frostbitten from the cold after getting off the plane—
Yet despite not using skincare products or even lip balm, his skin was enviable, his lips well-defined.
No dryness or peeling, his thin lips lightly pressed together, slightly pale.
He was within her reach.
Close enough that she didn’t even need to stand on tiptoe to end his so-called “morally and physically pure” image he always boasted about.
“What’s wrong?”
His voice was low, and Jiang Ran could almost feel the warmth of his breath. Tilting his head, he looked at her with bright, expectant eyes.
Her heart tightened.
“Master?”
A question emerged from her nose.
She didn’t know why.
The term “master” always sounded less than respectful coming from him, yet was clearly articulated without fault.
As he spoke, his posture lowered further, presenting himself submissively, as if ready for her to take.
But in terms of presence, he was completely dominant.
Avoiding his gaze, she let go of the zipper she had been holding in her palm.
“Nothing. I just wanted to remind you to behave yourself these few days.”
She felt tense, her mind in a haze, filled only with the curve of his lips, speaking offhandedly. “This cabin is small enough as it is. Don’t fight with Song Die, okay?”
“…”
…What does that even mean?
He was momentarily stunned.
His dark eyes flickered with a hint of barely noticeable displeasure. “You’re serious? That’s all you want to say? Not to fight with Song Die? You’re thinking about him?”
“What?”
A series of questions were thrown at her, and Jiang Ran instinctively asked back.
“When? You bring up Song Die now, when you’re with me?” He asked in genuine confusion.
“When?”
I practically offered myself to you, and all you want to say is “don’t fight with Song Die”?
Bei Jiao wanted to find a mirror to check if he had disfigured himself on the way here or if he had misjudged his own face—was he overly confident?
They stood locked in this moment when the sound of snow crunching under thick soled boots approached from behind.
Still leaning lazily against the doorframe of Jiang Ran’s cabin, Bei Jiao lazily turned his head. At the same time, the person in front of him slightly stood on tiptoe, looking past his shoulder.
The sky was gray and heavy with thick clouds, making the day seem dark. Large snowflakes fell from the sky, landing on the broad shoulders of the young man standing outside the cabin.
“It’s time for dinner, sister,” Song Die stood there smiling, his hands tucked into his coat pockets. “Why did it take so long to change a light bulb? I got worried, so I came to check.”
Worried?
More like came to spy.
Bei Jiao let out a mocking “tsk,” loudly expressing his irritation at the pleasant atmosphere being forcibly interrupted.
Straightening up, he turned around, blocking Jiang Ran’s view of Song Die with his broad shoulders.
“Changing a light bulb didn’t kill me. Are you disappointed?” He asked Song Die.
Song Die smiled. “I am disappointed. Since you’re still alive, it means I have to share a bed with you tonight.”
Bei Jiao couldn’t even force a smile.
He’d rather sleep on the floor in the bathroom of Jiang Ran’s room.
…
The General Mountain Ski Resort in Altay, Xinjiang, established in 2009, covers an area of 600,000 square meters and is the largest outdoor natural ski resort closest to the city in the entire Xinjiang region.
For amateur skiing enthusiasts, the most famous romantic sunset trail awaits. As the sun sets, golden rays break through the clouds, scattering like gold onto the snow, perfectly capturing the endless snow-capped mountains of northern Xinjiang and the breathtaking sight of the golden sunlight on the mountains.
For seasoned skiing enthusiasts, General Mountain Ski Resort offers the widest ski trails and the most suitable slopes. People say that General Mountain Ski Resort is a paradise for carving.
With skiing becoming increasingly popular, this year’s National Day holiday saw a surge of visitors. Not posting a WeChat Moments update with a location tag in Altay, Xinjiang, and shouting “Let’s ride!” wouldn’t even qualify as being trendy—
Even Jiang Ran, who had been skiing for many years, had never seen such a crowd.
Everywhere was packed. In the ski equipment hall, you had to queue just to get a cup of hot water.
All of the above was the morning report sent by a fellow skier who was at the gate early.
At this time, Jiang Ran had just woken up, slowly brushing her teeth, glancing at the time—it was already 10 a.m. She was a bit surprised; the little pup who was so enthusiastic about waking her up early at the gate had become less proactive at the outdoor ski resort.
Her finger hovered over a certain contact picture, hesitating whether to ask if he had run off without her—
They hadn’t stayed in the city but chose to stay in the village for a more primitive experience. Every day, villagers drove them to the ski resort for free at fixed times.
Her thumb hovered over the phone screen until it almost cramped, when suddenly someone knocked on the door.
She had just finished brushing her teeth and went to open the door, wearing a black ski suit. The tall teenager stood outside, backlit by the morning light. Before coming to Xinjiang, he had just gotten a haircut, and a few uneven strands of hair were now messily haloed in the morning sunlight.
As soon as the door opened, he slipped in like an eel.
Bringing with him the cold scent of the outdoors, he brushed past her, who was warmly dressed in pajamas.
He had already changed into his ski boots, making a loud noise as he walked. Upon entering the room, he first felt surrounded by the familiar scent of her—
He didn’t know how this woman did it, but in just one night, the entire room was filled with her faint, sweet fragrance.
His nose sniffed around, his previously tense face relaxed into a satisfied and content expression as he sat down on the chair in her room. “Song Die left with Song Yan already. We’ll take the next ride.”
“Hey? No need, right?” Jiang Ran raised her comb. “I can hurry up and make it—”
As she spoke, she combed her hair in a rush, pulling it painfully and frowning with a hiss.
The next second, the comb was snatched from her hand. He had somehow appeared behind her, taking a tangled strand of her hair and patiently using the comb to untangle it strand by strand in his palm.
He didn’t lift his head, just snorted through his nose. “Forget it, let them go first… That Song Yan is so annoying. She came knocking early in the morning, asking if I could teach her how to push up a slope. I said a thousand yuan per hour.”
He paused his hand movement, smirking mockingly. “She actually said okay.”
“…Once you start teaching, you’ll thank the heavens for encountering such a naive, rich girl who’s eager to learn.”
Jiang Ran applied sunscreen while looking at the boy behind her in the mirror, giving him a weary “whatever” expression as she grabbed another strand of hair.
“A thousand yuan is just for my body,” he said. “That’s a different price.”
“…”
“But for you, I can do it for free.” He started his daily seduction. “After all, you’re my master. Everything gets priority.”
Jiang Ran threw away the sunscreen and pulled her hair from his grasp—
His hand suddenly empty, he was momentarily stunned, staring at his empty palm for a while.
Then, when she wasn’t looking, he quickly bent down and sniffed his palm.
It smelled nice.
When Jiang Ran turned around, she could only see him quickly hiding his hand behind his back with a sneaky look on his face, raising her eyebrows in confusion.
The boy tightly clenched his hand behind his back, his face stiff, as if he had indeed stolen something just now and was afraid she would discover it.
…
Approaching half past eleven, Jiang Ran finally arrived at General Mountain Ski Resort with Bei Jiao.
It wasn’t much different from the morning report. The ski equipment hall was still packed with people. Bei Jiao, like a guardian god, stood behind Jiang Ran with two carving boards strapped to his back with a simple board bag. Wearing a face mask, his expression was indifferent, perfectly separating the woman in front of him from the bustling crowd.
Among the crowd, there were many familiar faces.
Leaving the indoor refrigerator of Guangrong in Guangzhou, Bei Jiao found that the number of people who knew Jiang Ran hadn’t decreased but increased. Besides the familiar faces from Guangrong he had seen once or twice, almost every three steps someone greeted her—
Including him, incidentally gaining some fame.
“Sis Ran, out for a walk with your genius apprentice?” A completely unfamiliar girl smiled, eyeing the boy behind Jiang Ran with a Sichuan accent and a blank expression. “This is the ‘local dog,’ right? Hahahaha! Let me see, wow! He’s really tall!”
Bei Jiao: “…”
If it weren’t for the need to maintain politeness, he suspected these people would directly say to her: Jiang Ran, good morning, out for a walk with your dog?
After the girl left, Bei Jiao leaned closer to her. “Regret it? Couldn’t you have given me a normal stage name back then?”
Jiang Ran showed no sign of regret on her face. “Back then, you deserved that stage name.”
What was he doing back then?
Talking to Liang He a bit more?
Bei Jiao thought seriously, slightly twitching his lips. Just as he was about to say something else, Jiang Ran handed him a pink thermos, telling him to go get hot water and not to block her…
He didn’t want to leave, only to be called “Wow, this is the genius local dog!” He took the thermos, which was completely mismatched with his style, and left without a word.
It was lunchtime, and the hot water area was packed with people queuing up to prepare instant noodles for lunch. Bei Jiao blended into the crowd, originally checking every thirty seconds to see if anyone was approaching Jiang Ran… Suddenly, he keenly sensed a strange atmosphere in the air. He immediately straightened up and looked in the direction his intuition pointed—
Through the crowd, in a corner of the ski equipment hall, several unfamiliar people were looking at Jiang Ran.
One woman and two men, their gazes clearly not friendly.
Bei Jiao pursed his lips, then realized he wasn’t surprised that this woman had made enemies outside. On the contrary, with her personality, it would be surprising if she didn’t have some enemies.
After getting the hot water, those few people had already disappeared.
He returned to Jiang Ran’s side, handing her back the pink thermos with a wooden expression. He lowered his eyes, watching her carefully blow on the hot water while leading him toward the outdoor cable car.
“There were a few people watching you just now, their eyes weren’t very friendly,” he said. “One woman with long black hair, one man with dyed yellow hair, kind of familiar—do you know them?”
He saw her pause in blowing on the cup.
Just for a second, so fast that Bei Jiao almost thought it was an illusion. She lowered her eyes, switching to a calm tone. “With your description, aren’t there people like that everywhere? Asking if I know them… Who cares who they are, just ignore them.”
Consistently displaying her usual indifferent attitude.
…
Bei Jiao was known in the skiing community as a “fridge baby,” meaning he had grown up in indoor refrigerated environments. This was his first time skiing outdoors at a natural ski resort, and he was awestruck by the vastness of the natural terrain.
Even though General Mountain had only opened a single-digit number of trails and was crowded everywhere, it didn’t prevent him from leaning against the edge of the cable car during the ascent, looking down at the view below—
The cable car ride alone lasted ten minutes. The long and wide ski trails filled him with excitement.
He hadn’t thought the Guangrong indoor refrigerator was narrow or short before; when Jiang Ran complained, he thought she was being fussy… Now he finally understood the source of her fussiness.
The air at the outdoor ski resort was fresh, and the lighting didn’t make people drowsy—
The natural wind, mixed with the scent of earth, blew past his face, instantly making his mood expansive.
Once Bei Jiao put on his board, he shot out like a wild dog off its leash!
The snow outdoors was hard and thin, more compacted, making the glide different from indoors.
However, Bei Jiao, being a rough and tough guy, only vaguely sensed this difference. Instinctively, he folded his body and applied more pressure, his hands brushing past the snow surface, continuing to ski as he always did—
He whizzed past a novice who was still wobbling and switching edges, hearing the person exclaim, “Wow!”
After sliding a few hundred meters, he would normally have reached the end and needed to take off his board and ride the cable car again at Guangrong. However, at General Mountain, the ski trail stretched endlessly, only revealing its winding path hidden at the foot of the mountain, where clusters of buildings formed the city center.
They had shrunk to the size of matchboxes.
Bei Jiao stopped at the side of the trail, looking down at the scenery below. The mountain wind blew against his face, his brain releasing dopamine like crazy. His eyes sparkled as he turned his head, trying to find Jiang Ran in the crowd behind—
Jiang Ran was still at the top of the mountain putting on her board.
The girl who had spoken to her earlier was there too, patting her shoulder. “Hurry up! Did you see your apprentice looking back for you… So obedient! This dog actually didn’t run off the moment he was let go!”
Everyone around them chuckled kindly.
Jiang Ran waved her hand, about to say something, when she turned her head and noticed the pup had already sat down—
Among a group of people practicing edge transitions by the side, the boy, who had already become a “master” in the eyes of amateur skiers, was now suspiciously lifting the red netting at the edge of the trail.
Jiang Ran: “…”
She pulled down her goggles.
As everyone on the trail thought they heard the sound of Godzilla bursting from the other side of the mountain, they only had time to see a slender figure swiftly and skillfully pass by them—
Her long hair flying, snow dust blurring her silhouette, the clean and deep edge lines were clearly visible in her wake.
You don’t necessarily have to watch a master ski to recognize one. Experienced skiers can tell just by looking at the tracks on the snow: a master had passed by here just ten minutes ago.
In an instant, Jiang Ran arrived behind Bei Jiao, just as he was about to crawl under the netting, “slap!” she smacked his hand that was lifting the net!
Startled, he quickly pulled his hand back, turning his head to look at her through her goggles: “Earlier, Song Die said he and a group of people went outside the net to play.”
His face said: I want to go too.
Jiang Ran “oh”ed, then gave him five words: Do you dare to try?
He wanted to argue, but as soon as he met the woman’s deep brown gaze, he couldn’t help but recall what he had said: Whatever you say, east or west, I won’t go the other way.
He gave up.
Despite his grumbling.
He lowered his head, venting his frustration by gently tapping his board against hers—on this trip to General Mountain, Jiang Ran was also using BC’s RX, two boards of the same model but different sizes clinking together.
Jiang Ran ignored him, leaving him behind and gliding away amidst the adoring gazes of the novices.
Bei Jiao watched her carve seven or eight edges before she stopped at the next fork in the trail, pulling to the side, turning back to beckon him with a wave of her hand and patting her back leg, making a kicking motion—
Then she sliced her hand across her neck.
Translation: If you kick your back leg again, I’ll cut it off.
The boy’s dark eyes flickered. He pushed himself up with his hands and set off too.
But filled with resentment, he didn’t stop to meet her. As he passed the woman, he rushed at her at full speed without holding back—
Jiang Ran realized his intentions too late.
History repeated itself astonishingly. The pup, whose wings had already grown strong, approached her, rebelliously kicking and pushing off the edge of the net where the snow was relatively soft because the snow compactor hadn’t reached there, causing snow dust to rise like a curtain, covering the sky—
Jiang Ran hadn’t pulled her face mask down to her nose yet and was caught off guard, getting a mouthful of snow with a muddy taste, letting out a startled scream!
As she cried out “Little bastard!” she could only hear the boy’s mocking laugh. After spitting snow at the wall, he turned and ran, a backside edge “whoosh!” and he was gone!
Leaving Jiang Ran, sitting by the trail in a disheveled state, frantically patting snow off herself.
…
A commotion caused by Bei Jiao.
Jiang Ran didn’t notice three people sitting about two hundred meters down the mountain, looking back at her.
They had originally been resting by the trail when they heard the sound of carving and instinctively turned to look—
Just in time to see the boy in black messing with her.
The girl with long hair wore a helmet with black cat ears on it. She was startled and wanted to get up immediately upon hearing Jiang Ran’s scream…
But as she just pushed her hand against the ground to stand up, her elbow was grabbed by the young man with yellow hair behind her.
“Don’t get involved,” the young man behind her said indifferently. “What’s it got to do with you?”
“He splattered snow all over her—”
“The man is her new apprentice,” another young man among the three said. “Can’t you tell?”
As he said this, the three fell silent, the girl who had been about to get up completely settling back down.
Each had their own thoughts, and no one spoke for a while.
Author’s note:
Dog: Another day of failed seduction today.
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