Chapter 29
Inside the villa, Xu Muze sat leisurely on the sofa playing on his phone, while Ye Shu couldn't stop, pacing back and forth in front of him.
"Are you sure we shouldn't worry about those two?"
Ye Shu asked again, still worried. Now it was Xu Muze's turn to roll his eyes. He casually liked a post on his WeChat Moments, then slowly replied, "They went up the mountain one after the other and haven't come back yet. The staff at the resort said there would be a surprise at the top. Did you see those huge fireworks? They must have set them off by Sang Nian and Wen Yan together. Maybe they've made up. Going up now would only bother them. I guarantee your Sang Nian wouldn't want you to show up." After saying that, he changed his posture, picked up a cushion from the side, put it under his chin, and started scrolling through his phone again.
“But the snow is so heavy now, and Sang Nian and Wen Yan were clearly acting strangely just now. You have no idea what they are like…”
“How could I not know? Wen Yan and I grew up together, I definitely know his feelings for Sang Nian better than you do.” Xu Muze refused to admit defeat, putting down his phone to argue, “If Wen Yan really didn’t want to see Sang Nian, he would have gone down the mountain long ago, why would he make us wait until now? Their misunderstanding needs to be resolved by the two of them alone, we outsiders can’t interfere. As for the heavy snow… don’t worry, Wen Yan isn’t stupid, he’ll naturally go down the mountain when he sees the snow getting heavier, and unlike Sang Nian who didn’t bring her phone, he’ll naturally call if anything happens.”
“Okay.” Xu Muze’s words weren’t without merit, and Ye Shu was convinced, so she sat down. She had just taken out her phone to check the time when Xu Muze’s phone rang. Thinking it was Wen Yan calling, she immediately leaned over to look, only to see “Tao Zeqian” on the screen. Xu Muze stood up and answered the phone, a slight smile playing on his lips; he was in a good mood.
Ye Shu cursed him inwardly as an "idiot" and then ignored him. After dealing with some work matters, she saw Xu Muze quickly run towards the door. Ye Shu turned her head, following Xu Muze's gaze, and only saw two people standing in front of him, a man and a woman, both carrying suitcases. Unable to make out their faces, Ye Shu pursed her lips and looked away. But at the moment she looked away, the man in front of Xu Muze suddenly turned to look at Ye Shu, a humble smile on his face, just like his name.
It was Tao Zeqian, and the woman next to him was his cousin, Tao Youmin.
This is bad. She knew Tao Zeqian would come, but she didn't expect him to come so quickly, and he even brought someone Sang Nian didn't like.
Ye Shu rubbed her throbbing temples, mentally cursing Xu Muze to the core. Meanwhile, the excited Xu Muze suddenly sneezed, then smiled and took Tao Zeqian's suitcase, leading the siblings to check in. As they passed Ye Shu, Tao Zeqian slowed his pace to greet her, to which Ye Shu returned a curt smile before continuing with her own tasks.
She and Tao Zeqian weren't very close; they were just nodding acquaintances.
There was a problem with the check-in process because the two of them were there on short notice and had not made a reservation. Moreover, it was during the Christmas and New Year holidays, and all the rooms at the resort had already been booked. Therefore, there were no rooms available for the Tao siblings.
Xu Muze even brought up his identity but still couldn't get a room.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Xu, we really don't have any rooms available tonight. As you know, there are a lot of people celebrating Christmas at the resort today. I've checked for you, and there will be two extra rooms available tomorrow..."
"You mean you want my friend to sleep in this cold lobby tonight?" Xu Muze was angry, his tone sharp. The manager, clearly not expecting the usually jovial person to be so serious, suddenly fell silent. Tao Zeqian, standing nearby, smiled apologetically at the manager, then said to Xu Muze, "It's alright, I came in a rush and didn't book in advance. Min-jie and I can share a room with others. Right, Min-jie?"
Tao Zeqian looked at Tao Youmin, and Tao Youmin nodded.
Sharing a room is indeed the only way to solve the current predicament. However, Xu Muze came to the hot spring resort mainly to help Wen Yan, who was engrossed in her work, relax, and also to enhance their friendship, so the two of them only booked one room. But... Xu Muze suddenly looked at Ye Shu; she and Sang Nian each had a room, which could be used.
He immediately rushed to Ye Shu's side. Ye Shu was startled by the suddenly enlarged face in front of her. After regaining her senses, she stretched out a finger and pushed Xu Muze's head away.
"Get to the point."
Xu Muze succinctly explained his purpose, then looked at Ye Shu somewhat nervously. Ye Shu snorted coldly, glanced at the Tao siblings standing not far behind him, and parted her bright red lips slightly, uttering two words.
"dream."
Upon hearing this, Xu Muze's face fell. He then reached out and pretended to massage Ye Shu's calves. "Sister, please, I really need your help. Tao Zeqian finally came to see me, I can't just let him go back like this. It's only for one night, please be generous and help me. I'll do anything you ask, I'll do anything for you."
Ye Shu really wanted to crack open Xu Muze's head to see what was inside. How could such a grown man have such a love-struck mind? She was speechless. Seeing that Xu Muze was about to kneel down in front of her, she stopped making things difficult for him and nodded in agreement.
“I can make do with Tao Youmin for one night.” As soon as she finished speaking, Xu Muze’s face immediately brightened. Xu Muze was about to tell the people behind him that the accommodation problem was solved, but Ye Shu suddenly said, “But don’t even think about Niannian’s room. He won’t agree. Even if he did agree, I wouldn’t agree.”
"Why?" Xu Muze was caught between joy and sorrow and didn't even have time to change his expression. His smile froze on his face.
“You should know the relationship between the Tao family and the Sang family, and you also know everything Sang Nian suffered before. So what else do you want? Sang Nian can’t possibly live in the same room as Tao Zeqian.”
Xu Muze's brain went blank, and he immediately started brainstorming. Finally, he came up with a brilliant idea that made him clap his hands in approval.
Ye Shu watched his expressions change in a fascinating way, finally revealing a laugh that could only be described as "vulgar," which sent chills down her spine and even gave her goosebumps.
"I can share a room with Tao Zeqian, and let Sang Nian and Wen Yan share a room. What do you think?"
"You're a genius," Ye Shu praised, getting up and ignoring the good-for-nothing.
Are Sang Nian and Wen Yan sharing a room?
It's a good thing he could come up with that.
If Wen Yan agrees, she will perform swallowing a mobile phone on the spot.
What an idiot.
Xu Muze didn't notice the sarcasm in Ye Shu's tone and excitedly told the Tao siblings about his plan.
Tao Zeqian listened without offering any opinion, instead looking at Ye Shu, who was facing away from them and gazing out the door. Tao Youmin, however, frowned and asked, "Wen Yan can share a room with Sang Nian?" She didn't believe it.
Xu Muze nodded confidently, "Don't worry, leave it to me, I definitely won't let you down."
Tao Youmin glanced at Xu Muze, chuckled inwardly, a hint of disdain flashing in her eyes. Then, feigning nonchalance, she asked, "Is Wen Yan in his room?"
“Ah, he went hiking,” Xu Muze replied.
"Together with Sang Nian."
"I'm back!"
Suddenly, Ye Shu, who was standing in front of the door, shouted and then ran out. Xu Muze turned around and went out to greet her, while Tao Zeqian, whose eyes were fixed on Ye Shu, followed her out.
None of them saw the sinister glint in Tao Youmin's eyes when she heard Sang Nian's name.
The snow was falling heavily. After being helped up by Wen Yan, Sang Nian struggled to walk a short distance on his own before Wen Yan grabbed his hand and placed it on his shoulder.
"Get on, I'll carry you." Sang Nian was walking too slowly; at this rate, they would both get soaked.
Sang Nian gripped his shoulders, somewhat at a loss. Wen Yan half-squatted in front of him, and Sang Nian couldn't see his expression, only vaguely discerning a hint of impatience in his tone. He knew he was walking slowly, he knew Wen Yan hadn't abandoned him, and he knew even more that Wen Yan's offer to carry him wasn't because he was Sang Nian. In this situation, even a complete stranger would probably have done the same for Wen Yan.
He was no exception. His only exception was that he was Sang Nian. Wen Yan might be enthusiastic when facing a stranger, but when facing him, Wen Yan would only be impatient or even disgusted.
Not daring to dislike Wen Yan any longer, Sang Nian immediately stretched out his hands and hugged Wen Yan's neck tightly. Then he jumped onto Wen Yan's back. Wen Yan then supported his thighs with his hands, stood up, and continued to walk down the mountain step by step.
He walked very steadily, much more steadily than when Sang Nian walked alone. His palms were very warm, and Sang Nian even felt that her thighs were about to burn.
The snow fell on Wen Yan's hair, but instead of melting immediately, it clung to it. Sang Nian leaned closer and saw a hexagonal snowflake.
Just like the illustrations in the book.
He was somewhat excited, and with one hand free, he poked at the snowflake. Sang Nian's fingertips were icy cold, and he accidentally poked Wen Yan's ear through his hair. Wen Yan's ear twitched immediately, and Sang Nian held his breath, waiting for Wen Yan's scolding.
Wen Yan, however, did not say a word.
So Sang Nian boldly observed Wen Yan's ears.
You wouldn't believe it until you see it. Wen Yan had a row of black moles on his earlobes, some big, some small, all lined up neatly. Sang Nian counted them; there were six. When he was little, he'd heard a fortune teller say that people with moles on their ears were lucky, and the more moles they had, the luckier they were.
Wen Yan is a blessed person.
Sang Nian smiled and narrowed his eyes.
Because they were so close, Sang Nian's laughter reached Wen Yan's ears perfectly. The laughter was soft, like an unintentional sigh. For some reason, Wen Yan's lips also curled up. Then, suddenly realizing that he had laughed because of Sang Nian's laughter, he forcefully pressed his lips down.
Neither of them spoke the entire way until they reached the manor gate and saw Ye Shu running out. Sang Nian then raised his hand to greet Ye Shu, "Ye Shu!" His tone was excited, as if he had found a treasure. Xu Muze, following behind Ye Shu, saw Wen Yan carrying Sang Nian on his back, looking unwilling. He quickly walked to Ye Shu's side and whispered, "See, I told you so." Ye Shu gave him an elbow strike.
Tao Zeqian followed closely behind, and his eyes darkened when he saw the interaction between the two of them.
Last to emerge was Tao Youmin. Seeing Wen Yan carrying Sang Nian on his back, she unconsciously pinched her palm hard with her fingertips, then smiled and walked up to him. She passed Ye Shu and the others, reaching Wen Yan.
"Wen Yan, what... what happened? Is Nian Nian injured?"
Sang Nian tightened his grip on Wen Yan's neck, but before he could speak, he noticed Wen Yan slowly loosening his grip on his thigh. He lowered his eyes, ignoring Wen Yan's actions, and instead hugged Wen Yan even tighter. He then rested his head on Wen Yan's shoulder, frowned, and whispered, "I fell while setting off fireworks earlier, and Brother Wen Yan carried me down the mountain."
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