Chapter 40: Taking a Risk

Outside the glass window, thick snowflakes fell like goose feathers, painting the sky and earth in a pristine white.

The friends exclaimed in awe, pulling out their phones to take pictures. Chi Xiao gazed out the window, not entirely agreeing with Zhu Yida’s suggestion. “Ming Can probably doesn’t like drinking.”

Zhu Yida: “If she doesn’t like it, she doesn’t have to drink. We can drink.”

Chi Xiao glanced at him. “Aren’t you guys skiing tomorrow?”

Zhu Yida felt like Chi Xiao was completely missing the point. “Drinking isn’t just about drinking. Who said you have to get wasted? Even if you do get wasted, so what? You can just lie around all day tomorrow. The point is the atmosphere—light drinking, playing some drinking games, it’s a surefire way to bring people closer.”

“…” Chi Xiao was silent for a moment. “There’s a kid here.”

“By the time we start drinking, the kid will be asleep.”

Zhu Yida sighed, feeling like he couldn’t get through to him. “Are you here to chase her or to be a babysitter? Being so cautious, no wonder you haven’t succeeded. Forget it, I’ll go talk to Ming Can myself.”

Chi Xiao didn’t respond, watching as Zhu Yida walked away to find Ming Can in the dining room.

After just two or three minutes, Zhu Yida returned, looking triumphant. “She said it’s fine, as long as we’re careful about cleanliness. My god, what an easygoing girl. She’s so gentle and sweet. Why do you make her seem so unapproachable?”

Gentle and sweet…

Hmm.

That made sense.

Chi Xiao’s lips curved into a slight smile. The reflection in the floor-to-ceiling window showed the scene inside the room. He glanced toward the dining area, catching a glimpse of Ming Can as she checked the food he had ordered.

She seemed to be in a really good mood today.

Chi Xiao relaxed his shoulders, lazily saying, “It’s my fault.”

Zhu Yida: “Of course it’s your fault. You’re judging her with a petty mindset.”

Chi Xiao: “Yeah, I’m the petty one.”

Zhu Yida glanced at him, feeling that after just a few days apart, Chi Xiao’s demeanor here was vastly different from how he was at school. Was it because the heating here was too strong? The aloof, untouchable flower had been blown off its pedestal.

Every gesture and movement exuded a subtle, restrained charm.

Although Chi Xiao had ordered a lot of food, it was far from enough for seven people. Ming Can added over a dozen more dishes, which would take at least half an hour to arrive.

Miaomiao had already eaten a lot of sweet stuff and wasn’t hungry. He pressed himself against the floor-to-ceiling window, watching the snow fall with excitement.

The heavy snow fell like cotton, and before long, the yard outside the villa was covered in a thick, white blanket of snow.

Miaomiao wanted to go out and play in the snow, and everyone eagerly agreed, putting on their coats and heading out to the yard with him.

After a full day of skiing, Ming Can’s back and legs were sore, so she stayed inside, envying their seemingly endless energy.

“Senior Guan,” Ming Can called out to Guan Ling Si, who was about to head out. “Can you stay and chat with me for a bit?”

Guan Ling Si: “Sure.”

She thought Ming Can was just bored being alone in the house. Since they were the only two girls here, it made sense for her to stay and keep her company.

The guys all rushed out the door. Chi Xiao helped Miaomiao put on a thick knitted hat and layered a long down jacket over his short one, making him look like a little ball. When he walked, he waddled like a penguin.

The roommates cooed over how adorable Miaomiao was while teasing Chi Xiao for being the ultimate male babysitter. The group laughed and joked as they headed into the yard, closing the door behind them and shutting out the cold wind and noise.

Inside the warm, quiet room, Guan Ling Si studied the girl sitting on the single sofa. She was stunningly beautiful—even as a fellow woman, Guan Ling Si couldn’t help but feel her heart skip a beat. Ming Can’s soft almond-shaped eyes sparkled with warmth, giving off an initial impression of gentleness and approachability. But upon closer inspection, there was an undeniable, innate aura of authority in her gaze.

“Senior, I’ve actually heard about you before and looked into your research projects,” Ming Can said straightforwardly. “I’m quite interested in this field. If it’s okay, could I add you on WeChat? I might have some questions to ask you in the future.”

Guan Ling Si was surprised that Ming Can wanted to discuss academic matters. “I thought you were studying finance?”

Ming Can: “Yes. My family is involved in heavy industry.”

Guan Ling Si: “Can I ask which company your family owns?”

Ming Can: “Ming Machinery, Ming Heavy Industries, Ming Metallurgy… quite a few.”

Guan Ling Si was stunned. The Ming family kept a low profile in society, so ordinary people might not have heard of them. But Guan Ling Si, who specialized in industrial energy, knew that Ming Group was the largest heavy industrial enterprise in Beicheng. Just last year, she had visited one of their factories as part of a research team.

So, the “Ming” in Ming Can’s name carried such weight.

Guan Ling Si immediately pulled out her phone and added Ming Can on WeChat.

The two of them chatted about topics like new energy and the transformation of traditional energy enterprises, finding more and more common ground as they talked.

After a while, Guan Ling Si’s phone buzzed. Sheng Nan Zhou had built a small snowman in the yard, taken a photo, and sent it to her, asking her to come out and see it.

Ming Can didn’t want to keep her too long. “Let’s talk more another time. Go out and have fun, Senior!”

Guan Ling Si now saw Ming Can as a major industry figure. “Sure, I’ll send you the introduction to that research project you’re interested in later.”

As she spoke, she zipped up her coat and shook out a white scarf, wrapping it around her neck.

Ming Can’s gaze fell on the scarf, and she hesitated before speaking.

Guan Ling Si smiled. “It’s ugly, right?”

“A little,” Ming Can said tactfully. “Hand-knitted?”

The scarf had no pattern, not even a simple one. It was purely unattractive, with uneven stitches—some tight, some loose. The only redeeming quality was that the yarn seemed to be of good quality. Wrapped around a few times, it would at least keep her warm.

“Yeah,” Guan Ling Si said. “Sheng Nan Zhou knitted it himself.”

Ming Can stared at the scarf in disbelief.

From their brief interaction today, her impression of Sheng Nan Zhou hadn’t been great. He was the most talkative in the dorm, prone to swearing, and always joking around without a care. Aside from being good-looking, Ming Can couldn’t see what made him worthy of Guan Ling Si.

She never expected that he could knit a scarf.

Ming Can had a soft spot for guys who were good at domestic tasks. Although Sheng Nan Zhou wasn’t particularly skilled or meticulous, the fact that he had persevered to knit such a long scarf showed his gentleness and determination.

Ming Can couldn’t help but recall an old memory: “Back in high school, I also received a hand-knitted scarf. That one was really beautiful. I have so many scarves I can’t even count them all. I originally planned to wear it just once, but that day, I ended up doing really well on an exam while wearing it. So, I wore it often that whole winter, haha.”

Guan Ling Si: “Was it from a guy who liked you?”

“No,” Ming Can said. “I got it from a lucky draw at a school event. It was probably knitted by someone from the handicrafts club.”

Guan Ling Si: “No wonder it was so well-made. Sheng Nan Zhou’s skills are terrible, and he still forces me to wear it at least once a week.”

Ming Can: “Isn’t that asking too much? Just ignore him.”

Guan Ling Si: “I can’t ignore him. I still crave his cooking. If I don’t wear it, he won’t cook for me.”

“He can cook too?” Ming Can’s impression of Sheng Nan Zhou completely changed. “Don’t tell me it’s actually really good?”

Guan Ling Si: “Well, I really like it, haha.”

The laughter of a girl in love inevitably carried a hint of sweet boasting.

Ming Can instinctively thought of Miaomiao’s dad. Before, she had thought Chi Xiao was already quite capable—a must-have for home and travel. But now, compared to Sheng Nan Zhou, he seemed completely overshadowed, nothing special at all.

Guan Ling Si tightened her scarf and opened the door to step into the yard.

Sheng Nan Zhou was waiting for her. Seeing her approach with a warm smile, he couldn’t help but pull her into his arms and kiss her forehead.

The snowball Miaomiao was holding suddenly fell to the ground.

Chi Xiao picked up the snowball and glanced at what Miaomiao had been looking at. He sighed and covered the boy’s eyes. “Kids shouldn’t see things like this.”

Miaomiao grabbed his dad’s hand and looked up. “Is Auntie Sisi Uncle Sheng’s girlfriend?”

He called them Auntie and Uncle, which meant that in the future, he knew these two people and was used to addressing them that way.

“Mm,” Chi Xiao nodded, sharply picking up on the implied information in Miaomiao’s words. “In your memory, Auntie Sisi and Uncle Sheng weren’t together?”

“No,” Miaomiao said. “Auntie Sisi is Mom’s friend, and Uncle Sheng is Dad’s friend. They weren’t together.”

“Auntie Sisi is your mom’s friend?” Chi Xiao was surprised. It seemed that in the other timeline, Ming Can likely didn’t meet Guan Ling Si through him or Sheng Nan Zhou.

“Did they work together?” Chi Xiao asked further.

Miaomiao thought for a moment. “Auntie Sisi often came to Mom’s house for dinner, and then they would go to the study to talk about things.”

Chi Xiao naturally thought of someone else Miaomiao had mentioned before—someone who also came to Ming Can’s house for meals. “When Chen Yixiao came over for dinner, did he also talk about things with your mom?”

Miaomiao: “Yeah.”

“Did he come alone?”

“Hmm… I don’t think so. When he came, Auntie Sisi was usually there too.”

Suddenly, Chi Xiao felt a wave of relief. The reason he had been so bothered before was that he thought Chen Yixiao had been going to Ming Can’s house alone, having meals with her and the child. Even if he trusted Ming Can’s character, such an act felt overly intimate and hard not to overthink.

But if there were others present during those meals, the meaning was entirely different.

While Chi Xiao was lost in his thoughts, Miaomiao stared wide-eyed at the couple in front of him and muttered, “Dad, I remember one time when Auntie Sisi came to Mom’s house for dinner, she brought another uncle.”

Chi Xiao: “What?”

Miaomiao: “I’ve seen that uncle… and he kissed Auntie Sisi like Uncle Sheng just did.”

…

Chi Xiao was stunned, his gaze drifting toward Sheng Nan Zhou and Guan Ling Si.

As roommates, he knew exactly how much Sheng Nan Zhou adored Guan Ling Si.

Guan Ling Si was three years older than them. When they started university, she was already in her fourth year. Sheng Nan Zhou had fallen for her at first sight and spent over a year pursuing her relentlessly. It wasn’t until Guan Ling Si started her Ph.D. that he finally won her over. Since then, he had been unwavering in his efforts—cooking for her every day, walking her to and from class, saving her seats in the library… Even now, after being together for a while, Sheng Nan Zhou’s passion hadn’t waned; if anything, it had grown stronger. Everyone in the dorm thought they were destined to be together forever.

Yet, according to Miaomiao’s description, not only did they break up in the future, but Guan Ling Si’s side was also taken by another man.

“What are you two spacing out for?” Zhu Yida’s voice pulled Chi Xiao back to reality.

He rolled a snowball and gently tossed it at Miaomiao’s knitted hat. “Kid, let me talk to you about something.”

Miaomiao’s attention was quickly drawn by Zhu Yida, and he asked with interest, “What is it?”

“How about I build you a big snowman?”

“Yes, yes!”

“If you want a big snowman, you’ll have to help me first.” Zhu Yida tugged at Chi Xiao beside him. “What do you think of this big brother?”

Miaomiao blinked in confusion, not understanding what he meant.

The others also gathered around, chattering to Miaomiao: “Look at this big brother. He’s tall, handsome, and rich. Do you think he’s a good match for your big sister?”

Miaomiao nodded vigorously. “Yes! They’re a perfect match!”

Of course, his mom and dad were the most perfect pair in the world!

“Then would you be willing to put in a good word for him in front of your sister?”

“Yes!”

“Great!” Zhu Yida bent down, pinching Miaomiao’s round cheek, and said with a smile, “Then call him brother-in-law right now to make him happy.”

Miaomiao: ?

He suddenly froze, as if he couldn’t understand what the big brothers were saying.

Chi Xiao’s face darkened, and he pushed them away. “Stop messing around.”

“How is this messing around? Aren’t we helping you?” Sheng Nan Zhou also squeezed in, bending down to speak to Miaomiao. “Kid, why are you still hesitating? Don’t you want this handsome big brother to be your brother-in-law?”

I don’t want that!

Miaomiao’s lips twitched, his face full of resistance. His little heart was overwhelmed with disbelief.

What was this brother-in-law nonsense? This was his real dad!

Sheng Nan Zhou tried every trick in the book to get Miaomiao to call Chi Xiao brother-in-law, but the boy wouldn’t budge.

Finally, Sheng Nan Zhou straightened up and sighed at Chi Xiao, his sympathy obvious as he delivered a sorrowful conclusion: “Sigh, this kid seems so well-behaved, but deep down, he clearly doesn’t think much of you.”

Chi Xiao was speechless, not knowing what to say.

…