Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
âI donât think so. If the person I love loves me as deeply, and his body only responds to me but to no other woman, Iâd be very happy.â Nian Xi laughed.
âYeah?â Nian Junting thought for a moment, then abruptly stood up.
Nian Xi raised her head and asked, âWhat are you doing?â
âIâve gotten the answer. Iâm going to sleep now.â Nian Junting smiled. âSangsang is having these thoughts because she loves me so much that sheâs lacking a sense of security.â After saying that, he walked upstairs with confident strides.
Looking at her brother, who had started to get arrogant again, Nian Xi really regretted comforting him and enlightening him. That idiot, who knew nothing about love, deserved to be puzzled. Now she was the one who was puzzled. Why wasnât Ji Chuan glum about the possibility of losing her?
...
At seven in the morning, Nian Junting got up and drove straight to Xiao Siâs place. Mrs. Xiao opened the door for him. After that, he went directly upstairs and threw back Xiao Siâs quilt.
âWhat?â Xiao Si was still sleepy. âWhat time is it? You came so early to wish me a happy New Year. I know you want me to be touched, but itâs too early. I havenât even woken up yet.â
Nian Junting sneered, dragged him up from the bed, and said, âWish you a happy New Year? In your dreams. Let me ask you something. Did you tell Leng Shuangwei about my illness?â
Xiao Si rubbed his eyes and responded, âI didnât.â
âExcept for you guys, who else know about it? Youâre my closest friend, so you know about my illness better than anyone. Even Nian Xi didnât know what had happened to me after my physical injury was healed. But now, Leng Shuangwei knows. Except for you, I canât think of anyone who might have told her about it.â Nian Junting narrowed his eyes and said, âOr, did you tell Ji Chuan?â
âI really didnât.â Xiao Si raised three fingers to signal he was swearing it was the truth. âWeâre brothers. Donât I know what privacy means? I didnât tell Ji Chuan, either. I know that heâs close with Shuangwei. Iâm not an idiot.â
âWho told her then?â Nian Junting asked in a deep voice.
âNot me.â After saying that, Xiao Si suddenly recalled that day when he had gotten really drunk. Instantly, he turned less confident. âI didnât say anything that day when Shuangwei drove me home after I got drunk with the Feng family... did I?â
Nian Junting recalled that as well and got extremely angry. âCanât you control yourself when youâre drunk? There are some things that you cannot tell just anybody.â
âI was too drunk that day. I was nearly unconscious.â Xiao Siâs scalp grew numb under Nian Juntingâs gaze. âShuangwei really shouldnât have told Sangsang about that. How could she? Sheâs ruining your happiness, isnât she?â
âYou finally get it. I was supposed to have a girlfriend to warm my bed this New Yearâs, but you ruined it.â Nian Junting clenched his teeth. âAfter New Yearâs, youâll be responsible for the case in the Northwest, and you wonât be allowed to come back.â
âNo.â Xiao Si shivered and said, âThat place is all desert with only a few roads. Itâll require two months to develop that area. Itâs so cold now, my handsome face will be destroyed by the gale over there. I donât have a girlfriend yet. Ah, my mom says that sheâll arrange blind dates for me during the New Year. I want a girlfriend.â
âGo to the Northwest and find a girlfriend. Iâll send lots of roujiamos[1] to you. By then, in the frenzied desert, you two will enjoy roujiamo together. How happy will that be?â Nian Junting laughed coldly, then turned and stalked out.
Xiao Si lowered his head to look at himself and shuddered, as he was only wearing a pair of shorts. Leng Shuangwei had put him in such a miserable place. He swore that he would stay as far away from that woman as possible.
...
In Harbin, at eleven oâclock in the morning, Luosang woke up, checked her Weibo[2] on her phone, and was stunned. A picture titled, âChi Shengxu and his mysterious girlfriend went to a movie at midnightâ was on top of the hot search list. In the picture, both she and Chi Shengxu were wrapped in clothes. Honestly, she could barely recognize herself. But still, it got her a little worried, so she hurriedly knocked on Chi Shengxuâs door and said, âYou and I are on hot search. Check it and do something.â
Chi Shengxu rubbed his eyes and said, âDonât worry, my manager called me this morning. I told her to release a Weibo post to clarify that the person in the picture wasnât me. We even had our faces covered, so who could possibly recognize us?â
âGreat then,â Luosang sighed in relief.
âWhat? Are you afraid that Nian Junting might misunderstand this?â said Chi Shengxu jokingly.
Luosang smiled awkwardly and said, âWe already have enough to argue about. I donât want new problems to crop up unexpectedly.â
âYouâre right. We had planned to go to Central Avenue together this afternoon, but since some reporters already have their eyes on me, weâd better cancel that plan,â said Chi Shengxu with faint helplessness in his eyes. âLetâs just stay here in this apartment.â
âIâm thinking the same thing. I have to fly to Shanghai tomorrow morning for my voice acting job,â said Luosang, feeling guilty.
âIâve heard about that. Ji Nuanyi wants you to be her exclusive voice actor. Some directors I know want to work with you as well. This time, Yi Jingxi is not going to stop you.â Chi Shengxu was happy for her. âI hope that weâll have a chance to work together.â
âWe will.â Luosang was cheered up talking about voice acting.
...
At night, Nian Junting went to Shanghai by air. Ji Nuanyi had told him where Lusoang would be staying. He had been down for days, but knowing that he would see Luosang tomorrow, he was now thrilled. He planned to tell her clearly that he loved her, and that he would only sleep with her, not any another woman.
On the quiet plane, a conversation between two young girls was overheard. âI heard that Chi Shengxu has a girlfriend. Yesterday, they went to a New Yearâs premiere together.â Nian Juntingâs attention was instantly attracted when he heard Chi Shengxuâs name.
âThatâs fake news. Chi Shengxuâs studio has clarified it,â said another girl. âChi Shengxu was in Beijing for the New Yearâs Gala last night. How could he suddenly go to Harbin for New Yearâs Eve?â
Harbin... Nian Junting remembered that he had sent someone to the airport to check, and according to them, Luosang had taken a plane to Harbin. He hurriedly switched on his phone and searched for the news about Chi Shengxu. There was a picture in which a man and a woman were walking out of a cinema with their whole bodies wrapped in clothes. Even their faces were covered.
That wasnât Luosang. That was definitely not Luosang. How could Luosang ever dress so unattractively? There must be a mistake. Besides, Chi Shengxu had denied it.
...
The day after New Yearâs day, at eleven in the morning, Luosang arrived in Shanghai and took a taxi to the hotel. When checking in, the front desk manager checked her ID card, then gave her a weird glance.
Luosang didnât think too much about it before she went upstairs and opened the door. She first saw a manâs suit on the floor hanger by the door and a pair of menâs shoes on the ground. There was water on the floor and the sounds of a hair drier coming from the bathroom.
She glanced at her room card to confirm the room number. That was her room, but why was a man already here? With discontent, she turned and prepared to leave, but suddenly, a familiar, deep voice stopped her. âDonât go.â
She paused, turned around, and saw the tall and sturdy Nian Junting standing at the door. He was wearing a pair of trousers with his upper body bare, and his hair was still damp.
[1] Roujiamo, also known rou jia mo, meaning âmeat sandwich,â is a street food originating from the cuisine of Shaanxi Province and is now widely consumed all over China.
[2] Sina Weibo (æ°æµªå¾®å) is a Chinese microblogging (weibo) website and one of the biggest social media platforms in China. Launched by Sina Corporation on August 14, 2009, it is one of the most popular social media platforms in China.