Chapter 38: Finding Someone

At this moment, Ming Can was still lying on top of Chi Xiao, chest to chest. Through the thick layers of clothing, she could almost feel the firmness of his chest and the strong, rapid beating of his heart.

When he spoke, the vibrations from his chest transmitted through her body.

The way he called her “Miaomiao’s mom” left Ming Can stunned, her ears burning. Then, he “praised” her for being fierce, his tone laced with obvious teasing, which only added to her irritation.

Ming Can admitted that, as a beginner, she shouldn’t have skied so fast or jumped so high.

But, taking a step back, wasn’t Chi Xiao also at fault?

He could have let her fall on her own, but he chose to catch her. Yet, he couldn’t hold her, ended up as her cushion, and lost his balance in the process. In such an uncontrollable situation, the outcome was partly his own doing for overestimating his abilities.

Thinking this way, Ming Can felt a bit more at ease.

As her arms and legs gradually regained feeling, she pushed herself up from the ground, slowly lifting her body and separating from the man who lay motionless on the snow, his eyelids drooping as he watched her.

An arm slid down from behind her, and Ming Can realized that Chi Xiao had been holding her the entire time.

After all, he had saved her.

She wondered if he was hurt.

Ming Can was genuinely grateful. After struggling to her feet, she intended to help Chi Xiao up and check on him.

The golden sunset cast its slanting rays, illuminating a long, ambiguous smear of lipstick on Chi Xiao’s face with striking clarity.

Ming Can’s eyelids twitched violently. Hearing the hurried footsteps approaching from behind, she suddenly threw herself back onto Chi Xiao, cupping his face with both hands and vigorously rubbing the side of his cheek where her lipstick had smeared.

“You… take it easy…”

Chi Xiao winced at the roughness of her touch, raising a hand to grasp her wrist.

Ming Can, wearing gloves, felt that she wasn’t cleaning it well enough. She struggled free from Chi Xiao’s grip, frantically pulling off her gloves. Her cool, soft palms pressed directly against his face, rubbing with her palms and then the backs of her hands until the conspicuous red mark was finally gone.

Or rather.

She had rubbed half of Chi Xiao’s face until it turned a shade similar to the lipstick.

“Brother! Sister!” Miaomiao was the first to rush to their side, asking anxiously, “Are you guys okay?”

“I’m fine,” Ming Can said, sitting up and calmly putting her gloves back on. She turned to Chi Xiao and asked, “Ahem, how about you?”

Chi Xiao didn’t answer immediately. He slowly propped himself up, his face half-red and half-pale, looking as if he’d been roughed up, with a somewhat tragic air.

When he fell, his elbow had taken a hit, and it was still a bit numb. Other than that, he didn’t feel too bad.

After all, the moment he caught Ming Can, he had already absorbed a lot of the momentum. When she ended up knocking him over, it was more of a natural consequence, and the impact with the ground wasn’t too severe.

What he hadn’t expected was how terrified she was of falling. She had clung to him like he was a life raft, and when they hit the ground, their faces collided. Her mouth had first hit the corner of his lips, her soft lips pressing hard against half his face before finally stopping at his jawline. It felt like she had bitten him, and even now, his jawline still hurt a little.

This time.

He had been thoroughly taken advantage of by her.

The redness from being rubbed on Chi Xiao’s face faded quickly, revealing a faint tooth mark on his jawline.

Ming Can saw it too.

She pressed her lips together, her tongue instinctively brushing against her teeth, then guiltily averted her gaze, looking at Miaomiao beside her.

Miaomiao was holding a familiar black phone.

With the help of others, Ming Can slowly stood up and asked, “Whose phone is that?”

Miaomiao: “Brother’s.”

As Miaomiao spoke, he turned the phone around. Ming Can accidentally caught a glimpse of the screen—it was a video recording, and the recording was still ongoing.

Ming Can’s scalp tightened instantly. “What are you recording?”

Miaomiao: “…”

Was there even a need to ask? It was Mom’s first time attempting a ski jump, and as her good little boy, of course he had to capture this pivotal moment in her life!

As for what he used to record it—time was tight, and he didn’t have time to dig out the camera. So, he had to borrow Dad’s phone. When Dad heard he wanted to record Mom, he generously handed over his phone.

How could Ming Can not guess what Miaomiao had just recorded? Her barely calmed nerves were now frayed again. She was already mortified that so many people had witnessed what happened, and now her precious son had recorded the whole thing on video—and using Chi Xiao’s phone, no less?

“Miaomiao, be a good boy and give me the phone,” Ming Can said, reaching out to him.

Even without using his superpower, Miaomiao knew exactly what Ming Can was thinking. He quickly hid the phone behind his back. “No, I won’t give it to you. I worked hard to record this.”

Ming Can: “I just want to take a look.”

Ming Can’s inner thoughts: [And while I’m looking, I might accidentally hit the delete button.]

Mom was so sneaky!

By now, Chi Xiao had also stood up, brushing the snow off his ski suit. Miaomiao darted behind Chi Xiao, clutching the phone, while Ming Can stumbled after him, trying to catch him.

The two of them chased each other in circles, like the emperor circling a pillar. In the end, Ming Can, being taller and quicker, managed to grab the back of Miaomiao’s collar, pulling him back and snatching the phone.

The moment the phone left his hands, Miaomiao quickly pressed the screen to lock it. “I locked it! You can’t delete it!”

Ming Can smirked triumphantly. “It’s not like I don’t know the password. It’s just 818…”

That day at the basketball court at A University, Chi Xiao had casually mentioned his phone password when he lent his phone to Miaomiao.

After that, Ming Can had never thought about it again. But now, she effortlessly recalled that string of numbers.

Because 818 held a special meaning for her.

August 18th was her birthday.

Was Chi Xiao’s phone password her birthday? Or was it just a coincidence?

Ming Can’s words faltered, her voice seemingly carried away by the wind.

In that moment of distraction, Chi Xiao suddenly reached out and deftly plucked the phone from her hand, casually saying, “You’re an adult. Why are you fighting with a kid?”

Miaomiao chimed in, “Yeah, yeah.”

Chi Xiao handed the phone back to Miaomiao and glanced back at Ming Can. She stood frozen in place, her expression strange. Her dark eyes reflected the stunning sunset in the distance, her gaze lingering on his face for a bit too long, as if searching for something.

Chi Xiao: “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.”

Ming Can took a deep breath, seemingly suppressing some emotion in her heart.

The strange look on her face faded, replaced by her usual haughty demeanor as she retorted to Chi Xiao’s earlier remark, “What’s wrong with being an adult? Can’t I even watch my own video? I didn’t say I was going to delete it.”

Miaomiao: “You did!”

Ming Can: “When did I say that?”

Miaomiao: “…I heard it anyway.”

Ming Can: “Stinky Miaomiao, are you not listening to me?”

…

They argued all the way down the mountain without reaching a conclusion. In the end, the phone ended up back in Chi Xiao’s hands. He slipped it into his ski suit pocket with one hand, seemingly intent on keeping the video of Ming Can jumping the snow bump and knocking him over for himself.

“If you want to watch it,” Chi Xiao said casually, “I can send it to you.”

Ming Can leaned closer to him, speaking in a voice too low for Miaomiao to hear, “Just delete it secretly. Don’t let that kid find out.”

Chi Xiao: “Oh.”

Ming Can nodded, thinking he had agreed to delete it.

After all, the video captured a guy as tall as him—over six feet—being knocked over by a girl. Surely, that counted as a black mark on his record, right?

But then Chi Xiao tilted his head and said indifferently, “I don’t think it should be deleted.”

Ming Can stared at him in disbelief. “Why not?”

“It’s evidence,” Chi Xiao said, his eyelids half-lowered, his voice low. “It can’t be easily destroyed.”

He was turned slightly away from Ming Can, his jawline sharp. The bite mark at the angle of his jaw hadn’t completely faded, the faint red imprint lingering ambiguously on his pale, cool skin, as if reminding her of what she had done to him not long ago.

Was he saying he wanted to keep evidence of her taking advantage of him?

What for? Blackmail? Or to make her take responsibility for him?

For a moment, Ming Can almost blurted out: So what if I knocked you over? So what if I kissed and bit you?

The words were so shameless that even thinking them made Ming Can feel like a hooligan.

She bit the soft flesh inside her cheek and didn’t respond for a long time.

It was as if she had silently accepted Chi Xiao’s actions.

As dusk approached, the three of them split up. Ming Can took Miaomiao back to the villa to rest, while Chi Xiao went to a restaurant to order dinner and then stopped by a bakery to pick up some of Miaomiao’s favorite pastries.

Normally, Ming Can limited Miaomiao’s intake of sweets—only two or three pieces of candy or chocolate a day. But today, considering how much energy he had burned skiing all day, she made an exception and let him eat whatever he wanted. Miaomiao was overjoyed and rattled off a long list of desserts to Chi Xiao.

About forty minutes later, Chi Xiao returned home carrying two bags of sweets.

The three pairs of skis were leaning against the wall in the entryway, the mud on them washed away, looking freshly cleaned.

Miaomiao ran out to greet him, his eyes gleaming with desire as they landed on the elegant paper bags in Chi Xiao’s hands.

Chi Xiao pulled out a small box of egg tarts from one of the bags and handed it to Miaomiao, then carried the rest to the dining room. As he walked, he asked, “Where’s your mom?”

“What’s up?” Ming Can’s voice came from the living room as she leaned out from the couch.

Chi Xiao paused when he saw her. She had taken off her ski suit and sweater, leaving only a thin, light purple V-neck top. The fitted knit fabric hugged her curves, the neckline not too low but certainly not high either, revealing a patch of smooth, fair skin and her delicate, slender collarbones.

From last November until now, from late autumn to the depths of winter, every time they had met, she had been bundled up in thick clothing, her body completely covered. Even last night when she was practicing the violin, she had been wearing a high-neck wool sweater, covered from neck to toe.

Seeing her dressed so lightly now, her lovely figure on full display, Chi Xiao was suddenly reminded of how she had crashed into his arms on the slopes earlier that day. The undeniable softness pressed against his chest had made his spine stiffen, stirring up thoughts he couldn’t control.

Ming Can was utterly exhausted today and had been sweating a lot. As soon as she got home, she had stripped off all her heavy clothing, leaving only this thin top.

She turned toward Chi Xiao, her long, graceful swan-like neck curving elegantly. Her upper body leaned against the arm of the sofa, her shoulders slightly raised, exuding a lazy, carefree charm that was infinitely alluring.

Chi Xiao looked down at her, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he said calmly, “Nothing much. I just ran into my roommate on the way back from buying the pastries.”

“Huh?” Ming Can immediately sat up straight. “And then?”

Chi Xiao: “I handled it. It should be fine.”

Ming Can: “That’s good.”

Her back, which had just straightened, slumped lazily again. After just one day of living together with Chi Xiao, the restraint she had felt yesterday had mostly disappeared. She lounged half-lying on the sofa, her stomach empty and her energy drained, too tired to even shower. She played with her phone for a while, then called out lazily without looking up:

“Senior, when’s dinner getting here?”

After a long pause, there was no response from him. Instead, a little figure came running over in slippers, munching on an egg tart as he told her, “Dad went upstairs to shower.”

“Oh,” Ming Can nodded.

For no reason, she recalled how he had been lying on his back in the snow earlier, his entire body covered in snowflakes, his once-clean face smeared by her messy hands…

Hmm.

The feel of it had been quite nice.

–

Just beyond the door, in the front yard of the villa.

“Is this the place?” Sheng Nan Zhou asked.

“Yes,” Zhu Yida pointed to the path beside the villa. “That’s where Kuan Zai and I ran into him earlier. It gave us quite a shock. He said he wasn’t here to have fun, just to inspect the development work of the resort and then leave. He seemed really busy, so we didn’t want to hold him up.”

Sheng Nan Zhou: “Then how do you know he’s staying in this building?”

Zhu Yida: “Kuan Zai saw it. After we split up, he went back to talk to Old Chi about something, and then he saw him enter this villa. Is this the resort’s office or something?”

Sheng Nan Zhou looked at the elegant little building in front of him. “It doesn’t look like it.”

Zhu Yida: “Are you sure you saw Old Chi skiing on the beginner’s slope today?”

“Yeah, the guy looked just like him… wearing a gray-blue ski suit, right?”

Zhu Yida nodded vigorously. “Exactly!”

Sheng Nan Zhou: “Then it’s definitely him. My wife (girlfriend) saw him too.”

Standing to his right was a tall, graceful woman. She gently tugged on Sheng Nan Zhou’s sleeve and said, “Are you really going to go find him? Isn’t that a bit rude?”

Sheng Nan Zhou: “My relationship with Brother Xiao is solid. I’m not worried. Besides, aren’t you curious? He’s clearly here skiing, following some kid around and recording him, but then he tells Old Zhu he’s just here to inspect the resort. There’s definitely something fishy going on.”

With that, the three men and one woman stopped hesitating and walked up to the front door of the villa, pressing the doorbell.

A moment later.

The heavy wooden door opened from the inside, warm air rushing out, and the bright indoor light spilled out eagerly.

Under the curious gazes of the four visitors, a young girl with long, flowing hair and a slim, graceful figure stepped out from behind the door, wearing a light purple knit top.

The girl was stunningly beautiful—almond-shaped eyes, peach-blossom cheeks, a delicate nose, and bright red lips. Her radiant beauty was enough to take one’s breath away at first glance.

Her noble aura was unmistakable. Her dark, luminous eyes swept over the four people outside, and she asked in a puzzled tone, “You… aren’t here to deliver food, are you?”

The four visitors stood frozen in the cold wind, their jaws dropping one after another.

Who was this super beauty?

And why was she in Chi Xiao’s house?!

“Uh…” Sheng Nan Zhou swallowed, his voice dry. “Is Chi Xiao here? We’re his roommates.”

Zhu Yida stared at Ming Can, his eyes wide, stammering, “I know… she, she looks like… the one we saw in that video with Brother Xiao…”

Sheng Nan Zhou elbowed him, and Zhu Yida quickly shut his mouth.

Ming Can stood in front of the three of them, outwardly calm but completely petrified inside.

Chi Xiao had ordered food earlier, and it was about time for it to arrive.

The resort had tight security, and it wasn’t completely dark yet. In broad daylight, Ming Can hadn’t thought twice before opening the door.

Was it too late to close the door now?

Before she could recover from her shock, one of Chi Xiao’s roommates actually recognized her.

“Are you from B University?” The speaker was Chen Kuan, an internet-savvy guy who frequented forums for both A and B universities. “The ‘Goddess Can’ from B University’s finance department?”

There was no hiding it now.

Ming Can took a deep breath. “Yeah…”

The three guys outside looked like they had stumbled upon the biggest gossip of the century, trembling with excitement. Fortunately, they had enough manners to stay polite. Sheng Nan Zhou, the leader, cautiously said to Ming Can, “Sorry to bother you. We’re students from A University’s computer science department. I’m Sheng Nan Zhou, this is Zhu Yida, and this is Chen Kuan. This is Guan Ling Si, my girlfriend, from A University’s energy department. Chi Xiao is our roommate. We came to ask if Chi Xiao is staying here.”

Before Ming Can could answer, the sound of wooden clattering came from behind her. Miaomiao came bouncing over on a rocking horse from the living room.

“Mom… uh, Sister,” Miaomiao asked curiously, “who are they?”

Ming Can’s head was pounding. “They’re here to see Chi Xiao.”

“Oh.” Miaomiao steered his rocking horse to the front of the entryway and politely replied, “Chi Xiao is upstairs taking a shower. What do you need him for?”