Chapter 018　 She had already grown accustomed to it.

  *

  Su Xian was enjoying her meal and, although she hadn't drunk any alcohol, felt slightly tipsy. The suggestion was excellent, but he wasn't a host! Su Xian restrained herself and said, "Maybe not."

  Li Chengshi was slightly embarrassed. "Oh, you don't like that 'sultry' type. If there were a pull-up bar here, I'd do pull-ups for you."

  "Can you pull yourself up now?"

  "Mmm!" He nodded emphatically. "I practice every day at the company. Every time I practice, Engineer Zhang says I'm missing you. Uh..."

  He suddenly clamped up, but Su Xian had already understood—Lao Zhang had a point. She smiled down, then looked up and said, "I'll drive you home later. There's a small park near your place with a pull-up bar. You can practice for me then. Now, dance. Who said I don't like 'sultry' type?"

  He only knew that one dance, but he certainly performed much better than last time. His movements were more precise, more forceful, and the rhythm was spot-on. Despite wearing the very innocent, patterned wool sweater, Su Xian actually felt a hint of seduction. She couldn't help but raise her glass, though it contained barley tea.

  The waiter knocked and entered to deliver their dessert. Seeing the situation between the two, the waiter lowered their head, stifled a laugh, and exited the room.

  *

  Li Chengshi was a little embarrassed, and his movements faltered for a moment, but he danced completely through to the end. He returned to the table, took a sip of his drink, and said gloomily, "That person definitely thought I was a host you ordered."

  "Then I'll go explain it to her." Su Xian immediately stood up.

  Li Chengshi quickly pulled her back, saying anxiously, "How can you be so socially outgoing?"

  "I need to protect your reputation."

  "No need. You, you, you can order me."

  Su Xian chuckled and asked him his hourly rate.

  "10 yuan an hour."

  "Wouldn't you just get poorer and poorer doing that?"

  "I'm willing to."

  Su Xian knew that continuing the conversation would again cross the line, but luckily, after multiple rounds of interaction, Li Chengshi also knew when to stop. The two smoothly shifted the topic and finished their meal in a light and pleasant atmosphere.

  *

  It started snowing lightly outside.

  The decorative lights hung by the city before New Year's Day had not yet been removed, illuminating the street trees with a sparkling, romantic glow all along the road. In the small park near Li Chengshi's home, he successfully completed three pull-ups. Just as he was about to jump down, Su Xian supported his waist from behind, helped him complete ten, and then slowly lowered him.

  Li Chengshi turned around, his face flushed, but fortunately, the streetlights weren't too bright.

  "Li Chengshi, you were great. Keep practicing." Su Xian gave him a thumb-up. "I have one more thing to ask of you."

  "Tell me, Team Leader."

  "You must pass the Japanese N1 exam in July, because I want you to go to Japan with me."

  Li Chengshi's heart surged instantly. "I swear on my sexual orientation, if I don't pass, I'll only like men from now on!"

  Su Xian nearly collapsed in laughter, thinking: The generation gap is the most insurmountable gulf in this world.

  *

  She no longer had to transfer him 10 yuan every day, but he still found excuses, or none at all, to say a word or two to her before bed, and he continued to send photos of his breakfast in the morning as usual.

  One day, it snowed beautifully. They both coincidentally took photos of the snowy scene and exchanged them that night.

  Su Xian knew she was a little conflicted, yet she had already grown accustomed to it.

  **

  The period after the Lunar New Year is the coldest time of the year. This temperature is unsuitable for construction, so the site remained closed after the holiday. Liang Wenya therefore scheduled their Hokkaido trip for these few days. The hotel was neither the expensive one nor the one Su Xian suggested—that one couldn't be booked. They ultimately chose a themed inn recommended by Zhao Nanfeng, converted from an abandoned small village.

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  The hotel shuttle bus took them from Sapporo Station to the comprehensive service center at the village entrance.

  The hotel's location was somewhat remote, nestled at the foot of low, rolling mountains, with gentle snowy slopes and sparse birch forests behind. In the horizontal light of the setting sun, they could even see white cranes dancing on the snow in the distance.

  Zhao Nanfeng and his wife, Ono Maturi, were waiting for them outside the service center.

  "How is it? My choice isn't bad, is it?"

  "The scenery is absolutely gorgeous!" Liang Wenya exclaimed, expressing her heartfelt thanks.

  Each person received a map of the village and a key, then dragged their luggage to their accommodation.

  *

  Su Xian, Liang Wenya, and Wang Jing stayed in the best-equipped inn. It featured a two-story, open-plan living room and a full wall of floor-to-ceiling windows facing the snowy slope and woods behind.

  How is this any different from that 10,000+ yuan-a-night hotel!

  The three were incredibly excited. Before they even finished unpacking, they pushed open the door and ran up the snowy slope to frolic. The beauty of Hokkaido is that there is snow everywhere, yet the temperature is only around minus one or two degrees Celsius, making it hard to suppress the urge to play in the snow, even for people in their thirties and forties.

  However, night soon fell. Covered in powder snow, they patted each other off and walked back. The scattered small houses nestled among the foothills were all lit up with warm lights, like a fairy tale world.

  Li Chengshi stood in front of their house, waving. "Dinner's ready soon. Engineer Zhang sent me to call you."

  *

  The dining hall was located in the comprehensive service center. The entire building had been converted from the original village office and had a distinct Showa-era style. Besides Anliang's group tour, there were a few Japanese family tourists. Everyone was friendly, and the atmosphere was very cheerful.

  Zhao Nanfeng formally introduced Su Xian and Li Chengshi to his wife, Ono. Ono responded with a long, smiling Japanese phrase. He only translated one sentence: "She thanks you for being willing to assist me with my work."

  Su Xian politely responded while wondering: Did he translate that correctly?

  Li Chengshi seemed to read her mind and whispered, "Although I don't understand everything either, that's roughly the meaning. Japanese honorific expressions are generally long sentences with short meanings."

  Su Xian nodded.

  In any case, the wife was informed, which was excellent.

  *

  The service center also had a shop. Everyone bought a few daily necessities and then went to look at the fresh food section. Since it was an inn, they could buy various ingredients here to cook for themselves.

  "That Splendid Alfonsino (Kinmedai) is so fresh!" Su Xian was glued to the spot, but since they were scheduled to go shopping in Sapporo tomorrow, she reluctantly gave up the idea for now.

  Wang Jing went to Lao Zhang's accommodation to play cards with colleagues. Li Chengshi said nothing and simply followed Su Xian back to her house.

  *

  Liang Wenya rented an old movie DVD at the service center, prepared snacks and drinks, and settled onto the large sofa, ready for a quiet time. Seeing the two enter, she frowned and said, "Why don't you two go out on a date?"

  Su Xian scraped the snow off the soles of her shoes on the doormat, took off her coat, and sat down beside her.

  "We walked around the village just now and found an old-fashioned bar and a pachinko parlor, but we can go another day. Today, I just want to quietly keep you company, General Manager Liang, because you are the best boss in the world. I love you." She turned and gave Liang Wenya a big hug.

  *