Chapter 4: Snowbound, Sparring, and Secrets

Yang Xueyi’s composure almost shattered the moment she stepped into Ying Yun’s room.

They were both staying at the same resort, but Yang Xueyi and Ying Yun lived in completely different buildings.

Yang Xueyi’s room was small and affordable, while Ying Yun was staying in one of the resort’s famous luxury suites—five times the price, and at least five times the size.

The living room was enormous, and every window offered an endless view of snow.

A pricey Baida Feili was casually placed on the table.

Several suitcases were stacked in the corner—obviously the bedding Ying Yun, the pampered young master, had shipped over, since he refused to sleep on hotel sheets.

On another wall, a row of expensive snowboards were lined up, exuding luxury from every corner.

For an instant, Yang Xueyi had only one thought—she really wanted to go head-to-head with the rich.

She glanced at the wealthy Ying Yun, who was currently facing away from her, leisurely taking off his ski jacket.

Unlike the cold outdoors, the room was toasty warm, like stepping into spring in a second.

Yang Xueyi planned to leave right after applying her medicine.

She didn’t want to linger, but changing clothes was troublesome, so she decided to endure the heat for a little longer.

But just as Ying Yun went into another room to get the first aid kit, Yang Xueyi’s phone rang.

She looked down.

When she saw who was calling, her heart sank—it wasn’t Qiao Qianqian, but a video call from her mother, Yang Meiying.

Yang Xueyi intended to hang up, but her hands were still numb from the cold outside.

In her nervousness, she accidentally pressed “accept.”

Almost instantly, her mother’s piercing voice rang out loud and clear—

“Yang Xueyi, where have you gone? I called the landline in the staff dorm, and no one answered!”

Yang Meiying’s eyes widened as she took in the background behind Yang Xueyi.

Her tone shot up three octaves, “You’re in a hotel! Are you there with a man?!”

“There’s no man!”

Yang Xueyi didn’t want any extra trouble.

She swore without thinking, “Mom, I’m just on vacation. Of course I’m staying at a hotel. I came with Qianqian, there’s really no man in the room.”

But Ying Yun seemed determined to make trouble for her.

Before Yang Xueyi could finish, his irritating voice cut in at the perfect time, saying something that could easily be misunderstood—

“Yang Xueyi, why are you still dressed? Aren’t you hot?”

With the indoor heat, her thick ski clothes, and the tension of facing her mother, Yang Xueyi’s cheeks flushed and her nose beaded with sweat.

Ying Yun walked out, holding a bottle of Yunnan Baiyao, glanced at her as if he hadn’t noticed she was on a call—but Yang Xueyi suspected he did it on purpose.

Whether intentional or not, the listener definitely took it to heart.

On the other end, Mrs. Yang Meiying exploded—

“No man? Tell me the truth! Where are you right now? Who is this man?! He even told you to take off your clothes?! I never should’ve believed your story about those condoms I found in your room last time!”

Her mother’s agitation made her voice thunderously loud.

Ying Yun glanced at Yang Xueyi, clearly having heard everything.

His expression was cold, as if to draw a clear line, like she was some indiscreet woman.

Yang Xueyi had no patience to explain.

She pointed her camera right at Ying Yun, “Mom! See for yourself! It’s Ying Yun! There’s no man!”

But Mrs. Yang Meiying was too angry to calm down and look at the screen.

Ying Yun’s face was calm, his whole demeanor screaming “not my problem.”

He looked at Yang Xueyi once and said nothing.

That infuriating man had just played along, but now he was pretending to be mute!

Yang Xueyi was desperate.

Holding her phone, she could only kick Ying Yun in her panic, “Say something!”

Fortunately, just as she was about to shove her phone in his face, he finally seemed to grow a conscience.

He took her phone, stared at Mrs. Yang Meiying on the screen, and spoke—

“Auntie Yang, it’s me.”

His words seemed to have a magical effect.

As soon as Mrs. Yang Meiying saw Ying Yun’s face, her reason returned, and her tone softened by half, “Xiao Yun? You’re with Xiaoxue? Where exactly did she go?”

It had to be admitted—Ying Yun looked the part of a gentleman.

Anyone who didn’t know him would think he was upright and refined.

Clearly, Yang Xueyi’s mother thought so too.

But Yang Xueyi knew better.

Sure enough, as soon as Ying Yun got hold of the conversation, he started causing trouble—

“I’m in Japan for my cousin’s wedding and just happened to run into Yang Xueyi,” he said, voice steady and trustworthy, as if it was nothing.

“She went night skiing with a few guys and accidentally got hurt. She’s in my room now, and I’m checking if her leg’s injured.”

This jerk!

How could he slander her so easily?

She’d only gone night skiing to look for Li Junxin, and hadn’t even found him—she hadn’t gone with any group of guys!

Ying Yun’s artful storytelling was as effective as a drop of water in a boiling oil pan.

With just a few words, Mrs. Yang Meiying exploded again, “Why was she out with a bunch of men at night? Who are these guys? Did she know them beforehand?!”

Ying Yun grabbed Yang Xueyi, who was trying to hit him, by the waist, fanning the flames, “Auntie Yang, don’t be angry. They’re all young people, and all from China. Yang Xueyi just chatted a bit and quickly made friends. It’s normal for them to hang out together.”

He looked like a diligent firefighter—except, instead of water, he was pouring oil on the flames.

Sure enough, Mrs. Yang Meiying fell for it, convinced Yang Xueyi was hanging out with questionable people, and asked Ying Yun to keep an eye on her.

Yang Xueyi, worried the two of them would only make things worse, quickly snatched her phone back, “Mom! I’m an adult! Stop asking Ying Yun! I can handle myself!”

“What do you mean, handle yourself?”

Mrs. Yang Meiying wasn’t buying it.

“If you knew what you were doing, why say there’s no man in the room? Isn’t Xiao Yun a man? And you didn’t even tell me about such a big trip abroad…”

Sure enough, out of the corner of her eye, Yang Xueyi saw that infuriating Ying Yun looking as if his work was done and he could finally relax—leaning back on the sofa, his face saying, “The world could end and it wouldn’t bother me.”

Just looking at him made Yang Xueyi angry.

If she couldn’t have peace, then neither could Ying Yun.

She declared loudly, “Ying Yun doesn’t count as a man! Mom, in my eyes, he’s as upright and boring as a mop standing in the room! Not a man at all!”

As expected, Ying Yun’s face darkened at that, and at that moment, his phone rang.

Yang Xueyi watched him rise from the sofa, throw her a glare, and head back to his room to take the call.

Finally, that infuriating man was gone.

With Ying Yun out of the room, Yang Xueyi went all out—

“Mom, who’s really your child? You want Ying Yun to keep an eye on me? You think he’s some great guy? He acts so proper and polite, but deep down he’s shameless! I’m only getting worse because I’m around him!”

All that politeness and gentleness he showed her mother was fake!

Deep down, Ying Yun was just an annoying, neurotic man!

Yang Xueyi had lived with him for ten years.

She’d tried to get along, but he’d never given her a kind face, targeting her for a whole decade!

She had no idea why her mom trusted him so much!

The more Yang Xueyi spoke, the angrier she got, “And Mom, you’re so double-standard! Every other man is a problem, but when it’s Ying Yun, there’s nothing wrong? He’s a man too, even if I think of him as a mop. Who knows what he’s thinking? Now that we’re alone in a room, aren’t you worried something might happen? Having him watch me—you’re not afraid of sending a sheep into a tiger’s den?!”

But Mrs. Yang Meiying was unmoved, “Look at his family’s status, then look at ours. Stop watching those dramas about rich young masters falling in love with the maid or the nanny’s daughter!”

Yang Xueyi was about to explode.

Even if Ying Yun threw himself at her, she wouldn’t want him!

She hung up, sat on the sofa, and tried to calm down—when the man she wouldn’t want even if he offered himself finished his call and came out of the room, holding Yunnan Baiyao.

Ying Yun shot Yang Xueyi a warning look.

“Roll up your pant leg. Let me see.”

Apparently dissatisfied with her slow movements, Ying Yun pursed his lips, squatted in front of her, rolled up her pant leg, and took off her left ski sock.

Before Yang Xueyi could react, his hand was already on her ankle.

His fingers were cold.

When he touched her sprain, Yang Xueyi yelped instinctively in pain.

Before she could say anything, Ying Yun straightened up and tossed the Yunnan Baiyao into her arms.

“Just a regular sprain. Spray it yourself.”

“My bone’s really not broken?”

“You’re fine. If it were broken, would you have been able to kick me so accurately just now?”

Ying Yun sneered.

“You used your left foot, too. Strong as ever. If anything’s broken, it’s probably me.”

Yang Xueyi sprayed the Yunnan Baiyao and decided to ignore his sarcasm.

“Thank you, Ying Yun.”

“But, you don’t need to worry about me. There’s just some misunderstanding between me and my mom. The condoms she found were only because I went to get a flu shot, and the community clinic gave them out for free—it had nothing to do with me…”

Once calm, Yang Xueyi figured it was better to ease things with Ying Yun than keep fighting.

But before she could finish, Ying Yun doused her with a bucket of cold water—

“I’m an orthopedic doctor, not a gynecologist. Or a family planning doctor.”

“I don’t care where your condoms came from, or what you do with them.”

“Yang Xueyi, I just hope you don’t cause me any trouble while we’re in Japan.”

Ying Yun stared at her, his voice icy.

“Stay away from Li Junxin.”

Before Yang Xueyi could say anything, Ying Yun made his decision like a judge’s final verdict, “You’re not from the same world. Don’t think you can get close to him. You’re not capable of joining the Li family.”

Yang Xueyi was stunned for a moment before realizing what Ying Yun was warning her about.

She’d always known Ying Yun looked down on her.

That’s why he never even bothered to be polite, never gave her a kind word even when she tried to be friendly.

But she hadn’t expected him to say it so bluntly.

Not from the same world.

She was just an ordinary nobody, while Ying Yun and his cousin were born to privilege.

So Yang Xueyi should know her place, never overstep her boundaries?

Otherwise, she’d be accused of being a gold-digger, of breaking the rules?

Yang Xueyi had wanted to explain, but Ying Yun’s words completely triggered her rebellious streak.

She cut him off, raising her eyebrows, “If you’re so sure I can’t get into the Li family, why bother stopping me? Afraid I’ll become your cousin-in-law and you’ll have to see me at every family gathering? I’ve never failed to get a meal from anyone in my life—people are usually the ones lining up to invite me!”

Ying Yun’s face was openly mocking.

“Then you’d better make good use of those condoms you’re so prepared with. Li Junxin’s already made five ex-girlfriends get abortions, and none of them became the next lady of the house.”

He was still handsome, but as Yang Xueyi stared at that hateful face, she wished she could record this scene and show her mom!

Her mom still expected Ying Yun to have her back while they were abroad?

He’d be more likely to trip her up!

Of course, it was naive to think any explanation would work with Ying Yun.

Even if he knew the truth, he’d never abandon his cousin Li Junxin to take her side.

If he knew her true intentions, he’d probably try even harder to stop her.

But Yang Xueyi always paid people back in kind.

If Ying Yun made things hard for her, she wouldn’t let him off easy either.

“Ying Yun, you listen to my mom so much, and love meddling in my business—could it be you have some secret feelings for me?”

Yang Xueyi was best at turning the tables.

“You’re always making trouble, always worried about which men I see, whether I can marry into a rich family… The only reason I can think of is that you’re jealous.”

Sure enough, Ying Yun’s expression turned to one of utter disbelief, as if she was insane.

He reacted sharply, “Yang Xueyi, I could never like someone like you.”

As if she’d just accused him of something unspeakable, Ying Yun’s face hardened.

“You’ve got your Yunnan Baiyao(medicine). You don’t need to stay in my room. Leave, now.”