Chapter 113 Snowball Fight
The West Hill Villa lies quietly in a sea of white, with pine branches covered in snow and the air so clear that it can cleanse the lungs.
Fan Shengmei stood on the steps in front of the villa, looking up at the snowflakes falling from the sky, with a layer of fine frost hanging on her eyelashes.
She was wearing a military green parka from Mr&MrsFurs. The big white fur collar made her face look rosy. Under her black woolen hat, a few strands of hair were slightly swaying in the wind.
Meng Yanchen stood beside her, reached out to gather her scarf, and gently brushed the snowflakes on her eyelashes with his fingertips.
"Are you cold?" he asked in a low voice.
Fan Shengmei shook her head, her gaze still fixed on the snow-covered pine forest in the distance, but there was a hint of fatigue between her brows.
"That Star Journey article...isn't it true that Guokun's PR department shouldn't handle it? My unilateral statement would only make it seem more obvious."
"Need not."
Meng Yanchen's expression did not change. He just raised his hand and gently brushed away the snowflakes that had just fallen on her shoulders with his gloves.
"Although Guokun didn't directly invest in it, I personally am optimistic about its prospects. You're on the right track, so there's no need to doubt yourself."
Fan Shengmei pursed her lips, "But Dong Chengmin and the others—"
"alright,"
Meng Yanchen gently interrupted her, "Don't think about it. Just relax today."
"Sister Fan! Sister Fan!"
Qiu Yingying was wrapped up like a round snowball, jumping and running towards me.
"This place is so big! So beautiful! I'm going to take lots of pictures! There's a ski slope in the back where we can ski and have snowball fights!"
Behind her, Yao Bin and Jiang Yu were together, Guan Juer and Andy were walking side by side, Bao Yifan was smiling and whispering something to Andy, and Qu Xiaoxiao was wrapped in an extremely eye-catching bright pink down jacket.
Fan Shengmei smiled and rubbed Qiu Yingying's head.
"Okay, as long as our little earthworm has fun."
At this time, several off-road vehicles drove into the parking area in front of the villa.
Zhao Ziqian got out of the car first, followed by the Pei brothers. Pei Yuchen wore a long black down jacket over his suit, looking calm as always, while Pei Yu was much more lively and looked around as soon as he got out of the car.
Fan Shengmei was a little surprised. She didn't expect so many people to come.
Pei Yu saw Fan Shengmei and immediately ran over with a bright smile.
"Sister-in-law! Long time no see! You look beautiful again!"
His words were as sweet as honey, and then he changed the subject.
"By the way, sister-in-law, do you have any positions left in your Star Path? I have a classmate who is starting a business, and he's very reliable. He wants to join your company, can you arrange it?"
Fan Shengmei smiled faintly and said, "Okay, ask him to contact me directly."
"Sister-in-law, I knew you were the most reliable!"
Pei Yu opened his arms to give her a bear hug, but was stopped by Meng Yanchen.
Pei Yuchen behind him also raised his hand helplessly, twisted his brother's collar and pulled him back, with a disgusted tone,
"Be more careful."
As everyone was chatting and laughing, a black Maybach slowly drove in.
Xiao Yixiao helped Mrs. Xiao out of the car.
The younger generations present all restrained their joking expressions and bowed politely to greet him.
Meng Yanchen took a step forward and nodded slightly.
"Auntie, you are here. Thank you for your hard work on the way."
Madam Xiao smiled gently, "It's not hard."
Her eyes fell on Fan Shengmei, she took her hand, and her smile deepened.
"Yixiao's father is not at home, so I came here to enjoy the snow with you young people. Do you mind?"
Fan Shengmei immediately smiled and said, "Auntie, what are you talking about? We are all very happy that you can come."
Xiao Yixiao clapped his hands. "Alright, now that everyone's here, go back to your rooms and put your luggage away. We'll gather in half an hour for a snowball fight. The loser will be responsible for tonight's dinner."
—
Xiao Yixiao stood on the snowdrift, holding a loudspeaker he had gotten from somewhere.
"Come on, come on! Divide into teams! It's your free choice. The losing team is responsible for dinner. No professional equipment allowed. Handmade snowballs!"
Jiang Yu almost subconsciously raised his hand first, his eyes fixed on Guan Juer, with a subtle hint of expectation in his voice.
"Guan and I—"
The air was silent for a second.
Everyone's eyes flickered between the two of them.
Guan Juer turned her head away abruptly, avoiding Jiang Yu's sight, her voice was urgent and fast,
"Yingying and I are on the same team!"
Qiu Yingying, who was named, looked confused and pointed at her nose in disbelief.
"Ah? The two of us? We'll be buried alive if we're in a group of two, right?! I want to be with Yao—"
Before she could finish her words, Guan Juer immediately tugged at her sleeve from below.
Qiu Yingying received the signal, looked at Guan Juer, whose face was flushed, and then looked at Jiang Yu, whose face suddenly darkened. She had no choice but to swallow the rest of her words and said angrily,
"……All right."
Pei Yu jumped over and hugged Qiu Yingying's shoulders, "Don't be afraid, Xiaowanzi! My brother and I will protect you two and kill them all!"
Jiang Yu's hand froze in mid-air, and he turned silently to Yao Bin.
"...What about the two of us?"
Yao Bin shrugged indifferently and played with the snowball in his hand.
"Okay, they're just cannon fodder anyway, so we can just beat anyone we want."
On the other side, Bao Yifan was already clinging to Andy.
"Master~ Your human shield is in place."
Andy took a deep breath and looked away helplessly, "Bao Yifan, be normal."
Meng Yanchen naturally stood behind Fan Shengmei, lowered his head and rolled up her sleeves.
"Hide behind me for a while."
Fan Shengmei raised an eyebrow, "Mr. Meng, I learned how to play snowball fights by beating up Fan Shengying."
Now, Qu Xiaoxiao was the only one left, standing outside the circle with her arms folded, her chin raised, and an expression that said "you are just mortals".
Xiao Yixiao looked at Qu Xiaoxiao and said, "You choose between me and Lao Zhao."
Qu Xiaoxiao looked Zhao Ziqian up and down with disdain and rolled her eyes.
"I hate people with the surname Zhao the most."
Zhao Ziqian smiled, not annoyed. He scratched his eyebrows and still looked calm.
Xiao Yixiao was amused at the disliked Zhao Ziqian, and turned to look at Qu Xiaoxiao.
"Then come with me?"
Qu Xiaoxiao snorted, "Humph, I hate dudes the most too."
As soon as she finished speaking, she suddenly bent down and rolled up a solid snowball with lightning speed, and unexpectedly threw it into the center of the crowd.
"I'm the only one who's beautiful! Watch out!"
The war is about to break out!
Jiang Yu's protection of Guan Juer is almost blatant.
Pei Yu was like an energetic husky, holding a snowball and shouting, "Protect our Xiaowanzi," and stepped in front of Qiu Yingying.
Yao Bin’s goal is very clear, which is to deal with all kinds of "disobedience", especially those who are rebellious like Pei Yu.
Qu Xiaoxiao was undoubtedly the most hated person in the audience.
She was agile and eloquent, jumping up and down and launching indiscriminate attacks.
Andy keenly judged the situation three minutes after the melee began and quickly retreated to a safe area.
Bao Yifan was killing like crazy throughout the game, and the number of times he was hit was proportional to his momentum.
Meng Yanchen and Fan Shengmei naturally became the focus of the whole audience and became the tacit target of everyone's fire.
He had always protected her well, but he couldn't withstand the siege, and they both fell heavily into the thick snow.
Snow foam splashed.
Meng Yanchen immediately stood up and anxiously checked Fan Shengmei under him. His fingers brushed away the wet hair on her cheek.
"Did you fall?"
Fan Shengmei shook her head in his arms, looking at his unusually messy hair and eyes full of nervousness, her heart felt warm and soft, and she couldn't help but smile.
"It's okay. It doesn't hurt."
At this time, Mrs. Xiao came out of the house and appeared in the corridor with a smile, looking at the group of children who were having fun.
When Fan Shengmei saw her, she immediately stepped forward and naturally took Mrs. Xiao's arm.
"Auntie, why did you come out? It's so windy outside, are you cold? How about I come in with you and sit for a while?"
Mrs. Xiao patted the back of her hand with a kind smile.
"It's not cold. Seeing you young people having so much fun, auntie feels happy too."
Meng Yanchen looked at the place where the two people had fallen just now. The two human-shaped snow prints tightly relying on each other were still clearly visible.
He felt a slight stir in his heart, took out his phone, took a photo of the snow mark, and posted it on his circle of friends with only three simple words:
"Visa on arrival." There is also a heart logo on the back.
He used to be the one who always thought that sharing life on WeChat Moments was more or less a form of showing off...
Once again, I find it difficult to empathize with my past self.
Meng Yanchen also went to meet him.
Madam Xiao turned her gaze to Meng Yanchen, her smile deepened, and she handed him the phone.
"Yanchen, please take a picture of Xiaofan and me."
Meng Yanchen understood and took the phone.
Mrs. Xiao gracefully held Fan Shengmei's hand, and the two chatted and laughed, intimately and elegantly.
She looked at the photos, was very satisfied and said to Fan Shengmei,
"Xiaomei, Auntie is a little thirsty. Could you please go in and pour me a cup of hot tea? I want Jin Jun Mei."
"Okay, Auntie, please wait, I'll be there soon."
Fan Shengmei didn't doubt it, agreed obediently, turned around and walked into the house.
For a moment, only Meng Yanchen and Madam Xiao were left in the snow.
Mrs. Xiao personally posted this photo on her personal account.
Meng Yanchen understands that its significance goes far beyond recording happy moments.
This was almost the Xiao family's way of declaring their recognition of Fan Shengmei to that invisible circle in an elegant yet powerful way.
"Auntie, thank you."
Meng Yanchen's voice was low, but sincere enough.
Madam Xiao raised her eyes to look at Meng Yanchen. "Your mother has a stubborn temper. Xu Qin's incident has broken her heart. It has also worn away her last bit of hope. She is now like a frightened bird."
She gathered her shawl and said, "This process is not as easy as you think."
She turned to look at Meng Yanchen, her gentle eyes concealing a shrewd look.
"That's all I can do to help."
Meng Yanchen's eyes flickered slightly, "I've taken note of the Xiao family's attitude."
Madam Xiao chuckled: "Yanchen, I have watched you grow up since you were a child."
She raised her hand to brush away the snow on his shoulders, her movements were gentle but her words were sharp.
"You know Yixiao. He's quick-witted, has many friends, and values friendship—those are his strengths. But when it comes to composure, decisiveness, and ruthlessness, he's nowhere near as good as you. He's the only child of the Xiao family, and sooner or later, the family business will fall on his shoulders."
She paused, looking at her son who was still playing in the distance, a trace of worry flashed across her eyes.
"The business world is full of ups and downs. You never know what will happen tomorrow. Who can guarantee smooth sailing forever?"
The snow falls silently.
Her gaze returned to Meng Yanchen's face, the kindness still there, but mixed with clear calculations and entrustment,
"You and Yixiao grew up together. If something happens in the future, I understand that it would be a favor for you to help him, and it would be my duty not to help him. But since Xiaomei and I get along so well, I hope you can remember this day."
Meng Yanchen listened quietly, without any surprise on his face.
He fully understood that Mrs. Xiao's "speaking out for justice" today was not only out of a little friendship for the younger generation and a little recognition of Fan Shengmei herself, but also a well-considered emotional investment, in order to lay a lifebuoy of sufficient weight in advance before her son might encounter storms in the future.
Parents who love their children will plan for them in the long run.
Gratitude and interests, warmth and calculation, have always been integrated in these complex family relationships.
He bowed slightly, his posture was extremely humble, and his tone was full of solemnity and understanding.
"Auntie, you are too kind. I will always remember your kindness today and will never forget it."
It's a promise and a deal.
Mrs. Xiao smiled, as if the conversation just now had never happened.
"Auntie, your tea."
Fan Shengmei came over, looked at the two people chatting happily, turned to Meng Yanchen, her eyes sparkling,
"What are you talking about? You look so happy."
Meng Yanchen wrapped her scarf lovingly.
"I'll take you to see the sunrise tomorrow morning."
"real?"
"Um,"
Meng Yanchen smiled and said, "Go to bed early tonight. I'll take you to the top of the mountain to watch the sunrise tomorrow morning. I heard that the morning light after the snow is the best for making a wish."
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