Chapter 36: Deeply in Love
He went down, she went up, very close. Lian Li saw Jin Shi Yue’s crow-feather-like eyelashes, surprisingly long.
His thin eyelids lifted, revealing a pair of beautiful phoenix eyes. The color of his pupils was an extreme black, like a vortex that could suck people in, exuding a sword-like sharpness.
The naturally upturned outer corners of his eyes were filled with indifference and arrogance. When they held a smile, they inexplicably added a touch of romantic charm.
He was someone with a lot of romantic luck.
Their eyes met, their breaths intertwined. Lian Li felt Jin Shi Yue’s body heat seem to spread through her clothes.
Her eyelashes trembled slightly as she denied, “I didn’t.”
The invisible thread of tension was cut by his words, and the strangeness in Lian Li’s heart vanished completely.
She wanted to get up, her hand unconsciously pressing against Jin Shi Yue’s chest. His gaze flickered to that spot, and he raised an eyebrow slightly.
“You’ve gotten addicted to touching me on purpose, haven’t you?”
Lian Li followed his gaze and felt as if her hand had been burned by lava, immediately pulling it away.
She scrambled up and sat on the snowfield for a moment. Jin Shi Yue was still lying there leisurely, showing no intention of getting up.
In the sub-zero temperature, the cold wind blew away all the heat rising on Lian Li’s cheeks.
Her expression was normal. She turned to look at him, “Aren’t you getting up?”
The sun hung high above Lian Li’s head. When Jin Shi Yue looked at her, he was facing the glaring light. He squinted slightly, “Whoever caused it, fix it. You pushed me down.”
This meant he wanted her to help him up.
Lian Li revealed the truth, “It was you, the coach, who didn’t control your strength properly and pulled me over, which is why I accidentally knocked you down.”
At its root, the party at fault for the accident was him, not her.
Jin Shi Yue’s lips curved into a lazy arc, and he squinted at her, “According to your words, it’s my fault for teaching you for free? In that case, pay up.”
“Ten million per hour. I taught you for at least three hours. Don’t say Brother doesn’t give you a discount. I’ll even waive the fractional part of the hour and just count it as three hours.”
He made an outrageous demand, “Thirty million, Junior Sister, how do you plan to pay?”
Lian Li froze for a second, “Thirty million?”
Are you a divine monkey tempered in the furnace of Taishang Laojun?
Jin Shi Yue’s gaze flickered into the distance, very magnanimously, “Someone almost crashed into you while skiing, and I pulled you away. You’re not grateful and are instead blaming me. I won’t even charge you for emotional distress.”
Lian Li looked in the direction he glanced and indeed saw a figure charging recklessly.
The person noticed her staring and scratched his head with a troubled look:
He was at least fifty meters away from Second Young Master Jin. The snow spray shouldn’t have reached him, right?
Lian Li thought she had wronged Jin Shi Yue and felt guilty, “I misunderstood you. I’m sorry.”
“Just one apology?”
“I don’t have thirty million.”
Jin Shi Yue’s lips curved slightly, and he looked at her with amusement, “What do you have?”
Lian Li’s clear apricot eyes stared at him, seemingly thinking very seriously about the question.
Jin Shi Yue propped up one long leg and nudged her back with his knee, “Help me up, and I won’t charge you.”
Lian Li: “Really?”
Jin Shi Yue’s tone was quite provocative, “Fake. You can cry.”
“…”
Who’s going to cry? She was just pondering which lawyer would have a higher chance of winning a lawsuit if she were extorted.
Lian Li shook off the messy thoughts in her head, clasped Jin Shi Yue’s arms with both hands, and helped him up from the ground.
The man was tall and handsome. As he stood up, his long shadow fell below her knees.
Jin Shi Yue lowered his eyes and quickly sized Lian Li up twice.
He was the one who was knocked down; how could she be injured?
At dusk, it began to snow. Snowflakes fell to the ground, rustling. The vast ski resort seemed to be shrouded in white mist, making it easy to lose one’s way.
Xue Shufan, Zhong Yang, and Pei Qingji returned to the club lobby after their competition.
Lian Li removed her safety gear and sat on the sofa, gazing at the vast expanse of snow.
Jin Shi Yue leaned against a single sofa with his eyes closed, his long legs propped on the coffee table, his reclining posture very lazy.
“Li Mei, how was your practice?” Zhong Yang entered, sat down boldly, and asked Lian Li while drinking tea.
Lian Li glanced at the man resting with his eyes closed, shifted her gaze, and said to Zhong Yang, “I can ski on the beginner slope now.”
“You can ski on the beginner slope by yourself after just one day of learning. If you learned for a few more days, who knows what you’d be capable of!” Zhong Yang exclaimed exaggeratedly, showering her with emotional value.
Lian Li’s bright pupils were tinged with a smile as she asked, “How was your competition?”
“Xue Shufan won.” Zhong Yang raised his hand and brushed his bangs, showing no sign of disappointment from losing the competition.
Xue Shufan returned from the restroom, and Pei Qingji looked up at her and Lian Li, “What are your plans afterward?”
Lian Li poured a cup of hot tea for her Senior Sister and replied, “We’re planning to go back.”
“It’s snowing harder and harder; it won’t be safe to go back,” Zhong Yang said. “Why don’t you come with us? We’re having a party tonight, and it’ll be lively with more people.”
Whether Lian Li went or not was secondary; the main thing was whether Xue Shufan was interested.
Since she had brought her Junior Sister out to play, she might as well let her have more fun. Xue Shufan agreed without thinking, “Sure.”
The villa was not far from the ski resort, about a fifteen-minute drive.
By the time they reached their destination, it was completely dark. A bright, slender moon hung in the pitch-black sky, like a pool of shimmering water.
Lights lit up one by one, and in an instant, the villa was brightly illuminated. The fire in the fireplace burned vigorously. As soon as they entered, it felt like stepping from winter into spring.
There were quite a few people at the party tonight, all of whom had come skiing today. Lian Li scanned the crowd and spotted Gu Sheng.
Gu Sheng was looking at her. When their eyes met, he smiled slightly at her.
Lian Li politely returned his smile.
Jin Shi Yue, having finished his shower and changed into casual clothes, descended the stairs with a casual and composed gait. A slight lift of his eyelids caught sight of them looking at each other from across the crowd.
Lian Li walked through the noisy crowd, preparing to go to the second floor, when she unexpectedly bumped into a pair of dark, deep eyes.
“Brother Shi Yue.” She greeted him and tried to walk past Jin Shi Yue.
However, he took a step with his long legs, easily blocking her path.
Jin Shi Yue leaned against the staircase railing, his dark shirt unbuttoned loosely, his handsome face exuding a lazy, roguish charm.
“You’re always giving me the cold shoulder. Did I offend you?”
He asked directly and casually.
Lian Li was bewildered, “When did I ever give you the cold shoulder?”
“Fine,” Jin Shi Yue was very agreeable. “You didn’t. You just have a golden mouth; every word you speak to me is like a piece of gold falling.”
Lian Li: “…”
He was still blocking her way.
After a moment of stalemate, Lian Li directly said, “When we were kids, you tricked me out of my New Year’s Money.”
Jin Shi Yue seemed to think for a while before remembering. The corners of his eyes lifted, and a smile spread across his lips, “You’ve held a grudge against me for this long over a hundred yuan?”
That wasn’t just a hundred yuan.
That was the treasure of a money-grubber’s heart.
Jin Shi Yue looked down at her and said drawlingly, “It seems you’re deeply in love with me.”
Lian Li: “???”
…Deeply in love.
In love with what? Hate?
