Chapter 60
Yan Xi thought that Zhou Yanci was very similar to Zhou Qingyu.
When Zhou Qingyu said she wanted to hold a concert, a concert would be held that very night. When Zhou Yanci said he wanted to see snow, they would go to see snow right away.
However, Country H is in the Northern Hemisphere, and it was summer now. To see snow, they had to go to the Southern Hemisphere. Even if they took a private plane to the Southern Hemisphere, it would take more than ten hours. Yan Xi said, "No, the variety show isn't over yet. If I leave now, Qingyu will be angry."
Zhou Yanci raised his hand to check the time. "It's only five o'clock now. There's still time," he said as he looked at Yan Xi. "I'll send you back before today ends."
Two and a half hours later, Yan Xi and Zhou Yanci arrived at Yunbai Mountain. They first took a private plane and then transferred to a helicopter, which took them directly to the top of Tianchi Mountain J.
In the midsummer of July, there was still perpetual snow on the top of Yunbai Mountain. As night fell, the sky was as black as ink. The moonlight shone on the snow, giving off a glittering and translucent light, like countless diamonds twinkling.
Yan Xi put on a thick down jacket and stomped on the soft snow in her snow boots.
She still felt it was unreal.
Two and a half hours ago, she was still wearing a little spaghetti - strap dress and eating ice cream on the streets of Han City. In the blink of an eye, the world had turned into winter? Zhou Yanci was standing lazily beside her in a black leather jacket.
The bare branches of the birch trees nearby were covered with frost. When the wind blew, the frost rustled down, like winter snow.
"The altitude here is high, so the snow won't melt even in summer," Zhou Yanci said. "However, it's still a bit inferior to the winter snow." "It's very beautiful!"
Yan Xi never expected that she could see snow in summer. She always had an unreal feeling as if she had entered a fairy - tale world.
Assistant Sun walked in front of the two of them and waved to them. "Mr. Zhou, Yan Xi, there's a wishing tree up ahead. You can make a wish. Do you want to write a wish note?"
Yan Xi stretched out her hand. "Yes!"
Yan Xi was extremely enthusiastic about such activities. It wasn't that she believed in them very much, but when she was in the situation, choosing to believe would make her more involved.
It was like when entering a haunted house. Even though she knew that the ghosts in the haunted house were all played by real people, screaming with other players in that environment was very stress - relieving and fun.
The wishing tree was hung with red wish notes. The heavy snow had pressed down some of the branches, and Yan Xi could still see some of the wishes written by people -
"Get rich overnight!"
"Successfully get admitted to graduate school!"
"May my family be healthy, safe and happy."
"Mr. Zhou, will you write one?"
Yan Xi took two wish notes from Assistant Sun and casually gave one to Zhou Yanci.
Zhou Yanci took the wish note. He had no wishes. From childhood to adulthood, he would strive to get what he wanted. Material things were not scarce for him, and there was no difficulty for him in his studies and career. So in these twenty - odd years, his life had been as dull as still water.
Holding that wish note, Zhou Yanci hesitated to write for a long time and finally put the wish note in his pocket.
Yan Xi bit the end of her pen and leaned over to Assistant Sun. "Assistant Sun, what did you write?"
Assistant Sun unfolded his wish note, which read, "Get promoted! Get a raise!" "Hahaha!" Yan Xi laughed and whispered, "I think it would be more useful if you hung this wish note on Mr. Zhou!"
Assistant Sun whispered back, "Do you think I don't want to?"
Yan Xi asked Assistant Sun for another wish note. One was for Zhou Qingyu, and the other was for Zhou Yanci.
After that, she was going to hang the wish notes on the wishing tree.
Unfortunately, she wasn't tall enough and could only jump to reach the branches of the birch tree. Zhou Yanci stood behind Yan Xi, reached out his hand and easily caught the branch. He reached out his hand to Yan Xi. "Let me hang them."
"Okay!"
Yan Xi gave both wish notes to Zhou Yanci. Zhou Yanci didn't deliberately look, but his peripheral vision still caught a glimpse of the words on them.
One read, "May the young lady always be happy and carefree!"
Another note read, "I hope Mr. Zhou will live a long and healthy life!" The tiny wish note, like a rootless duckweed, hung on the branch and blended in with countless other notes. As the gentle breeze blew, all the wish notes on the tree swayed. Zhou Yanci looked up and saw the wish note Yan Xi had written for him, and smiled silently.
Assistant Sun didn't disturb the two of them. After completing his task, he quietly returned to the helicopter.
Yan Xi gradually came to her senses from the excitement, and her mind became clear. "By the way, Mr. Zhou, why did you suddenly come to Han City and then to Yunbai Mountain? Is it for work?"
Zhou Yanci looked at Yan Xi.
It had been three hours, and this girl just thought of this now. He didn't say a word, just quietly stared at Yan Xi.
Yan Xi felt a bit uncomfortable under Zhou Yanci's gaze. The man's eyes were no longer as calm as water as before, but full of aggressiveness, making her cheeks flush. Yan Xi touched her nose awkwardly and said, "You didn't come here just for me, did you?" Zhou Yanci replied, "Didn't you want to see the snow?"
"Me?" Yan Xi laughed. "I never..."
In a split - second, Yan Xi remembered the conversation with Cheng Xun this afternoon - "Do you want to see the snow?"
"Yes!"
"Well, you have to wait until winter. The snow in Han City is very beautiful in winter."
"Why isn't it winter now?"
Yan Xi's eyes slowly widened, and she even stammered, "So, you didn't come to Han City for work, nor to Yunbai Mountain for work... " The gentle breeze blew, and the snow on the branches fell on Yan Xi's shoulders. Zhou Yanci stepped closer to Yan Xi and gently brushed the snow off her body.
"Because of you."
These four simple words made Yan Xi's heart beat rapidly.
And Zhou Yanci was standing very close to her. When Yan Xi took a step back, there was only the cold tree trunk behind her, and the snow on the treetops rustled down. Zhou Yanci quickly reached out his hand to block most of the snow for Yan Xi. Yan Xi felt her heart beating even faster, and her fingers nervously clutched the tree trunk. Not only was he good - looking, but he was so close to her and suddenly so gentle. Zhou Yanci was really playing foul!
"System! Come out quickly!"
The system slowly popped up: [What's up?]
"Aren't you able to act as an MP3?"
[Sure I can. What song do you want me to play? "Ambiguity"? "Heartbeat"? Or "Little Love Song"?]
"Play the "Great Compassion Mantra"!"
[???]
"I suspect Zhou Yanci is trying to seduce me!"
The sound of the "Great Compassion Mantra" echoed in Yan Xi's mind, and the impact of Zhou Yanci's good looks was instantly reduced a lot.
Yan Xi let out a sigh of relief.
It was so scary. She almost fell for it.
Yan Xi looked at Zhou Yanci and said helplessly, "Mr. Zhou, with your good looks, don't say such ambiguous things. I'll get the wrong idea!" Zhou Yanci frowned and asked, "You don't like me?"
Yan Xi:!
"When did I ever like you?"
This unhesitating and even matter - of - fact tone completely stunned Zhou Yanci. He didn't know what to say.
Looking at Zhou Yanci's complicated expression, Yan Xi rolled her eyes. "Wait... System, did he misunderstand because of my previous concern for him?"
[What do you think?]
[You're a young girl. You send text messages to greet him every day, wait for him to come home at night, and even specially learn finger techniques to give him massages! Any man would misunderstand.]
[For someone of Zhou Yanci's status, on the bright side, you like him; on the dark side, you're just a gold - digger trying to seduce him and marry into a wealthy family!] Yan Xi:!!
"Goodness knows! I waited for him just to stop him from staying up late. And the massage... I used to massage Mrs. Lin and Zhou Qingyu too. Isn't it just for helping people sleep better?" The system teased, [But Zhou Yanci is a man.]
[You see him as a tool to gain luck points. But he sees you as a woman!] Yan Xi...
Yan Xi looked at Zhou Yanci again, and her scalp went numb.
She stammered, "I think... there might be some misunderstandings between us. You may not believe it, but the actual situation is that I'm a very kind - hearted person with an overflowing sense of compassion! I can't bear to see anyone ruining their own lives... I thought you were working too hard and sincerely hoped that you'd be healthy and live a long life. I really have no other intentions!"
Zhou Yanci's face darkened.
"Not the slightest other intention?"
"Of course not!" Yan Xi replied with great determination.
Previously, she had listened to Zhou Qingyu gossiping about a female celebrity who had drugged Zhou Yanci in order to marry into a wealthy family. Later, Zhou Yanci had sent her to Thailand to grow durians. She hadn't gathered enough luck points yet, and she definitely didn't want to go grow durians!
Zhou Yanci moved closer to Yan Xi, his voice tinged with a hint of eagerness.
"Not even a tiny bit?"
Yan Xi shook her head vigorously like a rattle - drum. "No, no! Absolutely not!"
Zhou Yanci's breathing grew heavier, and he clenched his fists.
Frightened, Yan Xi dared not say a word. Instinctively, she took two steps back, trying to keep away from Zhou Yanci. The snow on the ground had turned to ice. She slipped, lost her balance, and fell backward.
"Ah—"
Zhou Yanci immediately reached out to catch her, but before he could touch Yan Xi, the back of her head hit a tree trunk. There was a dull thud, and the remaining snow on the tree trunk could no longer hold on and all fell down.
Along with the beautiful wish - slips, they also landed on the ground.
Yan Xi grimaced in pain and rubbed the back of her head. When she opened her eyes and saw Zhou Yanci still in front of her with a rather unpleasant expression, she quickly straightened up.
Yan Xi wailed inwardly, "At least the sister who was sent to grow durians drugged him! I haven't swindled money or seduced anyone! Zhou Yanci... won't do anything to me, right?"
[But you did swindle!]
The system gloated. [The two - hundred - million - yuan investment in *Crazy*...] "That doesn't count!"
There was quite a commotion by the wishing tree. Assistant Sun, who was by the helicopter, heard the noise and rushed over immediately.
"Mr. Zhou, what happened?"
Yan Xi crouched down and scurried over to Assistant Sun's side.
"Um... It's getting late. Didn't you say we could go back to the villa tonight? How about we head back?"
Zhou Yanci didn't say a word, and Assistant Sun didn't dare to make a decision on his own.
Yan Xi's heart was in her throat. She was extremely afraid that Zhou Yanci would mistake her for a scheming woman trying to seduce him and leave her on Yunbai Mountain.
This was no better than growing durians!
Damn it! Why did she say she wanted to see the snow today!
Zhou Yanci was silent for a while and then said, "Send her back."
"Yes."
Yan Xi followed Assistant Sun away. Zhou Yanci didn't go with them and still stood under the wishing tree. Yan Xi saw that he seemed to have picked something up, but as the distance between them gradually increased, she couldn't see clearly.
After getting into the helicopter, Assistant Sun instructed the pilot to take Yan Xi down the mountain. As Zhou Yanci's assistant, since Zhou Yanci didn't leave, he wouldn't either.
Before departure, Assistant Sun comforted Yan Xi, "It's not far from here to Han City. We'll definitely get you back on time."
Yan Xi asked, "What about you guys?"
Assistant Sun scratched his head. He had no idea why Zhou Yanci was angry. "We'll just call another helicopter. Don't worry, we can get back." The helicopter roared and flew towards the foot of the mountain.
The cold wind was howling. Yan Xi could only see Zhou Yanci's black figure under the wishing tree, looking lonely and desolate, getting smaller and smaller.
After arranging for Yan Xi, Assistant Sun returned to Zhou Yanci's side.
"Mr. Zhou, Yan Xi has left and is expected to be back in Han City before twelve o'clock." He glanced at the ground. It was covered with snow and the fallen wish - slips. Due to years of exposure to the wind and sun, many of the inscriptions on the slips had withered. A gentle breeze could easily blow them to pieces.
Zhou Yanci was holding two wish - slips in his hand. These were the two that Yan Xi had written. "Mr. Zhou, do you want me to hang these two wish - slips back up?" Zhou Yanci, with a dark face, threw the wish - slips to Assistant Sun.
"Throw them away."
The helicopter that had taken them up the mountain had already taken Yan Xi away, but Assistant Sun booked another one.
Ten minutes later, a helicopter landed on the top of Yunbai Mountain. The propellers roared, and the snow on the surrounding ground flew in all directions, just like goose - feather snow in July. Zhou Yanci didn't hesitate and walked towards the helicopter.
But just as he stepped onto the plane, he paused. Seemingly struggling for two seconds, he finally made up his mind and looked back at Assistant Sun, who was running back happily from the trash can.
"Where are my signatures? Give them back to me."
Assistant Sun: ???
Boss! Could you have mentioned this two minutes earlier? I just threw them away! When Yan Xi returned to Han City, it was exactly twelve o'clock.
She received a WeChat message from Zhou Qingyu on the private plane, asking why she hadn't come back yet.
"Are you still with Cheng Xun? Dating until twelve o'clock. It seems you have a good impression of Cheng Xun!"
Yan Xi was both amused and annoyed. If it weren't for the bad relationship between Zhou Qingyu and Zhou Yanci, she would have said, "I'm not dating Cheng Xun. I'm dating your brother." Forget it. She had only cared about Zhou Yanci a few times, and he had already misunderstood her. If Zhou Qingyu knew, she might over - think it.
She couldn't tell Zhou Qingyu that she cared about Zhou Yanci to earn luck points for her!
When she got back to the villa, the live - broadcast had already ended. Zhou Qingyu looked at Yan Xi playfully and asked, "How do you feel about Cheng Xun? How far have you gone? Have you kissed? You came back so late. Didn't things progress further?"
Yan Xi stared at her with wide eyes. "What are you thinking about!"
Zhou Qingyu laughed. "Just being nosy. And it's not a big deal. Just ask him to wear a condom."
Then she changed the subject. "He did wear one, right? You're still young. It's okay to have some fun, but don't get pregnant!"
Yan Xi blushed. "No, there's nothing like that!"
"No?" Zhou Qingyu shook her head. "Then, have you kissed?"
Yan Xi: …… "No, either."
Zhou Qingyu: "Held hands?"
Yan Xi: …… "No, either."
Zhou Qingyu was stunned. "So you did nothing with Cheng Xun? You spent the whole day on a date just staring at each other? How boring!"
"Ah, this..."
Yan Xi opened her mouth, recalling today's itinerary. It was quite boring in the afternoon, but in the evening... "It wasn't that boring."
"So, is there any hope?" Zhou Qingyu leaned closer to Yan Xi.
Yan Xi quickly pleaded for mercy. "Spare me. I just want to work now!" Zhou Qingyu sighed. She was disappointed that Yan Xi's blind date had failed, but it didn't matter much. They were in H Country now, and there were few blind - date candidates. When they got back to Hai City, there would be plenty of men!
In a blink of an eye, it was the fourth day in Han City. Just like in Li City, there was no live - broadcast on the fourth day, and the promotional video had already been shot. So, it was a free - activity day. The guests could go wherever they wanted and buy souvenirs.
Yan Xi and Zhou Qingyu went out early in the morning.
They selected some famous Korean celadon, Taiji fans, and some other interesting little things. Zhou Qingyu also picked out a gift for Pei Yubai. Yan Xi didn't stop her. Anyway, the luck points had already reached 55.2. There would be another wave of luck points to earn when this leg of the variety show ended. It was getting closer for Zhou Qingyu to break free from the control of the plot. Now, she was crazy about Pei Yubai because of the plot filter. There was no need to spoil her fun over a small thing like buying a gift.
While Zhou Qingyu was choosing a gift for Pei Yubai, Yan Xi also looked at those gifts.
— Before coming to H Country, besides saying that she would bring a gift for Father Zhou, she also said that she would bring one for Zhou Yanci.
But she felt that the relationship between them was a bit awkward now, and she wasn't sure if it was still appropriate. After thinking for a long time, Yan Xi picked out a cufflink for Zhou Yanci.
One should still keep one's word! Moreover, she had bought gifts for Father Zhou and Butler Yu. It would be so pitiful if Zhou Yanci didn't receive a gift. After paying the bill, Yan Xi realized that Zhou Qingyu wasn't in the small shop. She walked out and saw Zhou Qingyu standing under the awning of the gift shop.
Ye Luoyi was standing in front of her, looking haggard.
Last time, Pei Yubai's apology on the plane had hit Ye Luoyi hard. She originally planned to use Lu Beiyu to gain the upper hand. However, Lu Beiyu became popular because of his dog. Later, he had a conflict with Su Lingling, which made her exhausted both physically and mentally throughout the journey. At this moment, looking at Zhou Qingyu, she didn't even look in good spirits.
She looked at the gift Zhou Qingyu had chosen for Pei Yubai with a complicated expression. "Are you still together with Young Master Pei?"
Zhou Qingyu disdainfully glanced at Ye Luoyi. "Don't you talk nonsense? Moreover, what's going on between me and Brother Yubai has nothing to do with you!" Ye Luoyi gritted her back teeth, and her nails dug into her flesh.
There were still text messages from Pei Yubai on her phone. Since leaving Hai City, Pei Yubai had sent her text messages every day, begging for her forgiveness and saying that his apology had been forced by his family, and the engagement was also forced. He said that he had nothing to do with Zhou Qingyu anymore.
If they had nothing to do with each other, why did Zhou Qingyu still buy him a gift?
They clearly hadn't broken up. Then what was she doing, being so involved with Pei Yubai? Was she the other woman?
The more Ye Luoyi thought about it, the more aggrieved she felt. She didn't listen to Zhou Qingyu's scolding anymore and turned around to leave. Zhou Qingyu looked at her back. "Suddenly showing up, saying half of what she wants to say and then suddenly running away. How strange!"
In the afternoon, the guests gathered together again.
Director Yu always liked to create a sense of ceremony. On the last day of the second - leg trip, Director Yu held a barbecue party for everyone to have a get - together.
This wasn't a live broadcast and wasn't that formal. The staff would also participate. When Zhou Qingyu and Yan Xi returned to the villa, a barbecue stand had already been set up on the lawn. Lu Beiyu took the initiative to take on the barbecue work and was skewering the meat skewers in an orderly manner.
"Don't look at me being young. I used to work in a barbecue restaurant during the summer vacation! The customers all said that the sauce I made was especially delicious!"
It was not known whether Lu Beiyu's barbecue was delicious or not, as it hadn't been cooked yet. But Yaozu's eyes were fixed on it. Sitting in front of Lu Beiyu, he wagged his tail frantically, which was very appreciative. Ten minutes later, the mutton skewers were cooked. Lu Beiyu distributed one skewer to everyone around him.
Zhou Qingyu ate the roasted skewers and also thought the taste was good. She praised Lu Beiyu a few times.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Ye Luoyi beside her. Ye Luoyi didn't even take a roasted skewer. She was sitting there dejectedly, holding a glass of water, and there was no smile on her face.
Zhou Qingyu had disliked Ye Luoyi for many years. While others would feel pity for Ye Luoyi in this state, she wouldn't. Instead, she would kick someone when they were down. Zhou Qingyu looked at Lu Beiyu. "Isn't Ye Luoyi your sister? Why don't you roast some for her? Otherwise, if she has nothing and is photographed by paparazzi, they'll say I'm bullying her with other guests!"
Ye Luoyi looked at Zhou Qingyu uneasily. "No need. I have no appetite."
Lu Beiyu was caught in the middle of the two, feeling very helpless.
He distributed the newly roasted skewers to everyone. "Miss, stop talking about Sister Luoyi. She's been very unhappy recently."
Zhou Qingyu sneered. "Then go and comfort her!"
Lu Beiyu quickly shook his head. "No! Adults' affairs are too complicated!" From the perspective of Ye Luoyi's younger brother, he definitely advised Ye Luoyi to give up Pei Yubai as soon as possible, but he thought Ye Luoyi might not listen.
It was useless to persuade, so Lu Beiyu preferred to focus on roasting the skewers.
He gave the roasted beef tendon to Yan Xi. "Sister Yan Xi, eat more!" Su Lingling looked at her own plate and then at Yan Xi's. "Lu Beiyu, you're going too far! We've known each other earlier, but why did you give one more skewer to Yan Xi?"
Lu Beiyu's eyes wandered. "No, I didn't."
Su Lingling: "Yes, you did! You just gave me four skewers, but you gave Yan Xi five. It's unfair!"
Zhou Qingyu subconsciously looked at her own plate.
Oh, interesting. She also had four skewers.
Lu Beiyu scratched the back of his head guiltily. "What if I just like Sister Yan Xi more..."
Zhou Qingyu's CP radar immediately went off.
Although Lu Beiyu was only 17 years old, Yan Xi was just 20. As the saying goes, "A wife three years older brings prosperity like gold bricks." The young master of the Lu family, an e - sports professional champion, was quite a catch! Yan Xi could tell what Zhou Qingyu was thinking from her excited eyes and quickly refused, "Absolutely not! I don't want to be in a relationship recently! Really!" Had she been possessed by a love - lucky spirit? Why was she attracting so many suitors? Lu Beiyu was stunned for a couple of seconds and then smiled, "Sister Yan Xi, you've got the wrong idea. Besides my eldest sister, I also have a second sister, but she got lost. If she were still around, she'd be 20 too, the same age as you. When I saw you, I thought of her." Lu Beiyu told the truth. He really did feel a sense of familiarity when facing Yan Xi. This was not only because Yan Xi was the same age as his lost second sister, but also because Yan Xi's eyebrows and eyes resembled Lu Wanning's.
Hearing this, Zhou Qingyu and Yan Xi were both taken aback and fell silent, but their expressions changed.
Su Lingling didn't notice their strange reactions. She was still complaining about losing a skewer of tendon. After Lu Beiyu gave her another skewer of meat, she finally felt it was a bit fairer.
Half an hour later, a food delivery truck stopped outside the villa.
Zhou Qingyu greeted everyone, "How can we have barbecue without milk tea! I'm treating. Everyone can have one. Choose whatever you like!"
The staff of the program group were very happy. The young lady was so generous. Last time when they were filming a variety show, the team following her got to enjoy good food and drinks. Now the others could also have such a treat.
Zhou Qingyu picked up two cups of milk tea, one for Yan Xi and one for herself. After taking a couple of sips, she immediately felt something was wrong and quickly stopped Yan Xi, "Don't drink it."
Yan Xi asked, "What's the matter?"
Zhou Qingyu replied, "It has mango in it. Aren't you allergic to mangoes? Have the strawberry - flavored one instead."
"Okay."
Yan Xi was allergic to mangoes, but it wasn't serious. She'd just get a few red rashes after drinking it. Since it wasn't serious, she didn't really care. She could just endure it or take a couple of pills.
Anyway, it was all milk tea, and changing the flavor was fine.
Yan Xi casually took the milk tea of another flavor handed over by the staff without thinking much.
Beside her, Lu Beiyu stood still, looking at Yan Xi with a complicated look in his eyes. Su Lingling was choosing her favorite milk - tea flavor and still managed to look up and ask Lu Beiyu, "Lu Beiyu, what flavor do you want? How about mango?" Lu Beiyu's heart was in turmoil, and he swallowed hard.
"Strawberry - flavored," he said. "I'm also allergic to mangoes."
What do you think?
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