Chapter 33 Undressing

Chapter 33 Undressing

Before Chi Xiao could answer, many excuses flashed through Ming Can's mind. For example, they had met by chance at the ski resort and decided to play together; or that Chi Xiao was a coach she hired to teach her cousin how to ski; or that Chi Xiao was a relative, so they were out with the kids together... Some of these excuses seemed too far-fetched, while others would only work temporarily, leaving her unsure how to explain if they ran into each other again.

As for the excuse Chi Xiao suggested, it was quite effective. As long as he was willing to act, they could maintain this pretense indefinitely, allowing him to appear reasonably beside her and Miaomiao, solving everything once and for all.

The only contradiction was that Ming Can had never allowed any suitor to linger around her, constantly trying to make their presence felt.

This way, Chi Xiao would be an exception.

Ming Can pondered for a moment.

If someone like him, who is usually untouchable, is willing to pretend to be a suitor, what does she have to be picky about as the pursued?

Besides, he wasn't really pursuing her.

"Alright," Ming Can nodded slightly. "I think it's fine."

Her eyes fixed on the coffee table in front of her, not looking at Chi Xiao. Her ears still echoed his words from earlier— "I'm chasing you, wherever you go, I'll follow"—perhaps because his voice was so clear and melodious, or perhaps because he gazed at her with such clean and deep eyes. Ming Can knew he was lying, but a small patch of skin behind her ear still tingled with a faint warmth.

At the same time, another person was also savoring those words, delving deeper and directly reading Chi Xiao's true thoughts—

"This excuse will never be exposed because it's the truth. Besides, my roommate has already considered me your backup."

Backup?

Is it a spare tire?

Miaomiao cupped his face with both hands, his head swaying back and forth, utterly perplexed. Without thinking, he blurted out, "What's a backup?"

Ming Can: ?

Chi Xiao: ???

In the next instant, Miaomiao realized he had made a mistake and quickly covered his mouth. Uncle System had emphasized that superpowered individuals were very special and mysterious, and he must guard the secret of his powers carefully to avoid being caught and studied like a freak.

Chi Xiao asked him with a strange expression, "Where did you learn that word?"

"From the tablet, I saw it on the tablet!" Miaomiao tapped the electronic device on his knee, looking innocent.

Ming Can: "What kind of nonsense are you watching on the tablet?"

"Nope." Miaomiao said, "Is a backup something nonsensical?"

"A backup is a spare tire," Ming Can explained. "Online, it has some other negative connotations."

Miaomiao curiously asked, "What does it mean?"

Ming Can thought for a moment and decided it was okay to explain to the child: "While other tires are rolling, the backup can only lie in the trunk, waiting pitifully to be used. It's like a nobody, isn't it?"

A nobody...

Miaomiao glanced at his father sympathetically.

He looked calm, but Miaomiao knew that Dad was just good at pretending to be aloof. Who would want to be a nobody? Dad must be very sad inside!

Chi Xiao sat on the sofa, scrolling through his phone. The area near the university was quite desolate, with no upscale restaurants nearby. He had booked a meal at a distant Michelin-starred restaurant, which should be arriving soon.

"Dad," Miaomiao suddenly appeared beside him, holding a piece of chocolate, and handed it to him seriously. "I care about you."

Chi Xiao was taken aback, not understanding why Miaomiao suddenly said this, but he could feel the child's simple affection, which was unfamiliar yet warm to him.

Chi Xiao's brows involuntarily softened as he picked up Miaomiao and placed him on the sofa, taking the chocolate and biting into it, finding it overly sweet.

"Thank you. I'm very happy," Chi Xiao replied warmly.

-

The original plan for the skiing trip was two days and one night, with Miaomiao's lessons concentrated on the first day, from morning until afternoon. Ming Can later felt this was too rushed, and now that Chi Xiao was there, they wouldn't have trouble booking accommodations. So she changed the itinerary to two days and two nights, departing on the afternoon of the 27th and staying overnight to give Miaomiao more energy for his lessons the next day.

On the day they left for the ski resort, Chi Xiao picked up his new car, and its license plate was officially registered in the property management system of the neighborhood where Ming Can lived, so it would no longer be considered an outsider's vehicle.

Just after three in the afternoon, the car parked in the underground garage, and Chi Xiao went up and down the elevator carrying luggage.

For a two-day trip, Ming Can packed three large suitcases and a pile of snow gear that wouldn't fit in them.

When Chi Xiao made his second trip, she went down to check the trunk and found there was still space, prompting her to praise, "This car can really hold a lot. I'll bring some more things."

Chi Xiao followed her back upstairs.

He could carry the remaining items with one hand, so he waited in the foyer to see if Ming Can needed help with anything else.

A moment later, Ming Can emerged with her violin case on her back, carrying sheet music and a music stand.

Given the amount of stuff she was bringing, facing Chi Xiao, who was diligently acting as a porter, Ming Can showed a hint of flattery and explained apologetically, "The concert is coming up, and I need to practice at least an hour every day, or my skills will deteriorate."

Chi Xiao nodded without saying anything, walked over to her, and naturally took the violin case off her shoulder with his free hand, placing it on his own. Then he took the music stand as well.

Ming Can was left holding only a few thin sheets of music.

"Let's go."

"Okay," Ming Can turned and called out to the little figure sitting amidst toys, bidding them farewell, "Miaomiao, we're leaving."

Holding Miaomiao's hand, they left the house, closed the door, and Ming Can entered the elevator, seeing Chi Xiao standing by the elevator door. The elevator had arrived, and he held the door open with his elbow, gesturing for them to enter first.

The window in the elevator lobby was small, and sunlight streamed through, casting distinct patches of light.

Half of Chi Xiao's body stood in the golden light, tall and upright, carrying her cream-colored triangular violin case. The strap was a bit short for him, making the case snug against his coat, appearing delicate against his towering frame.

In that moment.

Ming Can suddenly had a sense of déjà vu.

She felt like she had seen this scene before—Chi Xiao carrying a light-colored guitar case and appearing in front of her.

Entering the elevator, Ming Can couldn't help but ask, "Have you studied any instruments before?"

Chi Xiao: "I learned piano."

"How about violin or similar?"

"No."

"Oh." Ming Can nodded.

Since he hadn't learned the violin, it was natural that he wouldn't carry a violin case. She must have remembered incorrectly.

Arriving at the garage, Chi Xiao neatly placed the items in the trunk, with Ming Can's guitar case on top of all the luggage, secured with sturdy straps to prevent it from sliding off.

Ming Can's guitar case was custom-made. At first glance, it appeared pure cream white, but up close, one could see the subtle glitter. On the side, near the middle, her English name—Seraphina Ming—was engraved. Every instrument and case of Ming Can bore such a mark, indicating ownership.

Chi Xiao's gaze swept over the faint English letters.

Long ago, he only remembered her as Seraphina. The teachers in the music room called her that, and she introduced herself by that name to him. After returning home, he looked it up and found out that this English name originated from Hebrew, representing a seraph angel in mythology, symbolizing light, fire, and burning.

The trunk closed automatically, and Chi Xiao moved to the driver's seat, setting the navigation. The map showed the route extending northward into the distant suburban mountains.

Ming Can glanced at his phone; the drive would take an hour and forty minutes.

"Thanks, Senior." Ming Can held a bottle of mineral water, intending to open it for Miaomiao, but paused and decided to offer it to Chi Xiao first, "Want some water?"

Chi Xiao took it: "Thank you, using the water I bought to treat me."

"..." Ming Can was speechless, "Keep it, I'll give Miaomiao another one."

The cap was already unscrewed when she handed it over. Chi Xiao drank half the bottle in one go, then screwed the cap back on and placed it in the armrest compartment.

Seeing Ming Can still staring at him, he raised an eyebrow, picked up the bottle from the compartment, and dangled it by its neck with his distinctively knuckled fingers, "I've already drunk from it, do you want it?"

"Just take it away," Ming Can said dismissively, "Drive now, or we'll arrive when it's dark."

Miaomiao translated their conversation with interest. Today, Dad was unusually straightforward, saying whatever he thought. Mom, on the other hand, kept cursing Dad under her breath, but then reminded herself that since he was driving today, she would let it slide.

The road was smooth, and Chi Xiao drove fast, arriving nearly twenty minutes earlier than expected at the resort beside the ski field.

When they got out of the car, dusk had not yet fallen, and the sun hung above the mountains, casting endless snow-covered scenery.

Their villa had a small courtyard in front. Normally, cars were supposed to park outside, but thanks to Chi Xiao's prior arrangements, the hotel staff knew it was the investor's car and let them drive right up to the villa entrance.

Chi Xiao politely declined the hotel manager's offer to help and carried all the luggage into the villa himself.

This was a brand new villa styled after the Alps, built with dark wooden pillars and a glass wall inside, providing excellent lighting. The ground floor had a yard, the second floor had a terrace, with snow-capped mountains on one side and pine forests on the other. The environment, location, and facilities were impeccable.

The house was already warm, making it feel like spring or summer. The living room on the ground floor had a tatami sofa where Miaomiao jumped and rolled around excitedly.

Ming Can walked around downstairs.

All the bedrooms were upstairs. Chi Xiao carried the luggage up several times, placing everything temporarily in the small living room upstairs, waiting for Ming Can's instructions.

"Mom, I, like, this, sofa!" Miaomiao jumped and said two words each time, behaving like a monkey just released from a mountain.

Ming Can: "Stay here and don't run around. I'll go check upstairs."

Miaomiao: "Sure thing."

The indoor heating was strong, and Ming Can, still wearing her down jacket, planned to take it off in the bedroom.

Walking up the stairs to the second floor, she saw a large glass window facing west. The sunset was just beginning, and golden light streamed in. Chi Xiao stood by the window, his shadow long, surrounded by neatly arranged luggage.

After a round of physical labor and the warmth indoors, he seemed to be sweating, wiping his forehead and then started taking off his clothes.

He removed his thick outer jacket and threw it on the sofa, turning to look at the distant sunset, bathed in the golden glow. He quickly looked away, lowered his head, and grabbed the hem of his hoodie, pulling it up.

Ming Can had just come up the stairs and intended to move forward but suddenly stopped.

Underneath his hoodie, he wore a white T-shirt, but due to friction, the hoodie lifted the T-shirt, exposing a narrow strip of his waist and well-defined muscles.

Ming Can froze in place, screaming inwardly that she hadn't seen anything.

Fortunately, the T-shirt soon fell back down, covering the distracting view.

Chi Xiao threw the hoodie on top of the jacket, wearing only the T-shirt, which was still too hot, causing sweat on his neck.

Downstairs, Miaomiao was jumping and shouting on the sofa, leading Chi Xiao to assume Ming Can was with him.

Chi Xiao turned around, holding the discarded clothes, planning to put them away. With one hand, he casually lifted the hem of his loose white T-shirt—something players often did—to wipe the sweat from his collarbone.

Upon raising his eyes, he saw Ming Can standing a few meters away, her almond-shaped eyes wide and her cheeks flushed gold by the sunset. His movements halted.