Chapter 21

Chapter 21

*

When they landed in Xinjiang, the weather was unbelievably beautiful—not a cloud in the sky, and even the wind felt crisp and clean.

After they collected their luggage, Shen Yi's suitcase happened to come off the carousel at the same time.

So they walked through customs together. Shen Yi pushed up his glasses and looked at Jin Mo: "What hotel are you and your boyfriend staying at?"

"Conrad." Jin Mo said casually, "Brother Yuanshan isn't my boyfriend."

"Oh, I'm staying there too." Shen Yi paused, then asked politely, "Need a ride?"

Jin Mo could tell he wasn't the overly friendly type—this was just him being polite since they were headed the same way.

"Thanks, but we're good." This time, Chen Yuanshan—who'd been quiet the whole time—spoke up calmly. "We already have a car."

Shen Yi didn't push it. He gave them a small nod and headed out of the airport first.

Yin Jihong had this whole Xinjiang trip planned down to the last detail. A private driver greeted them and helped them into a luxury car, and they drove to the hotel.

Jin Mo leaned against the car window, watching the open, bright scenery pass by. The gloom from being cooped up at home slowly faded with the breeze.

She thought for a second, then turned to ask Chen Yuanshan: "Brother Yuanshan, do you wanna rest a bit when we get to the hotel?"

Chen Yuanshan looked up from his laptop screen, his tone gentle: "If you wanna head straight to the slopes, I'll come with you."

"Then I wanna go straight to the slopes." Jin Mo's eyes curved into a smile. "There's a lounge at the resort—you can just wait for me there."

Chen Yuanshan smiled. "Don't you want me to take some videos and photos for you?"

Jin Mo pulled out her action camera from her bag and laughed. "I'll manage on my own."

"Alright. If you need anything, just holler." Chen Yuanshan said. "My job this time is to be your bodyguard. If I mess up even a little, my ruthless boss probably won't pay me a single cent."

Jin Mo laughed at that.

She looked down and opened her chat with "Baby": "We're already on our way to the hotel. We're heading straight to the slopes after."

Yin Jihong texted back instantly.

Baby: "Good. Stay safe, and don't let Shanmei just sit around."

"Oh, hey, Momo." Chen Yuanshan suddenly spoke up, like something had just occurred to him, trying to sound casual. "That guy who was on the same flight as us—what was his name?"

"He said his name was Shen Yi."

Chen Yuanshan didn't ask anything else. He quickly typed out the name and sent it to Ke Qingteng.

It was already the middle of the night in New York, but apparently Ke Qingteng was still up for some reason, because he replied within a minute—with just two words.

Ke: "Shentu."

Just as he thought.

Chen Yuanshan had a great memory. Not long ago, he and Yin Jihong had talked about the Shentu Group, which had been giving Yin Jihong a real headache, and Ke Qingteng had also given him the rundown on them.

Yin Jihong had said the son of Shentu Group's boss, Shen Gang, was named Shen Yuan. But Chen Yuanshan distinctly remembered Ke Qingteng mentioning a different name back then. Now, putting two and two together, it all added up.

This young guy who'd crossed paths with Jin Mo due to some unexpected incident—just by his looks and demeanor alone, it was clear he wasn't your average person. Chen Yuanshan had a hunch he might be one of those rich kids from the Beijing circle. His instincts were right—the guy was actually the second young master of the Shentu Group.

Before coming back to China, he'd been based in North America, which was why he kept butting heads with Ke Qingteng in business.

Chen Yuanshan asked again: "What's he like?"

Ke: "A tough cookie."

Chen Yuanshan left Ke Qingteng's chat and messaged Yin Jihong instead.

Shan: "Ooh-hoo."

Yin Jihong didn't reply for half an hour.

Ji: "...If you send me another one of those dumb texts, I'm blocking you."

-

The limited-edition ski suit Yin Jihong had gone out of his way to "snag"—the same one Queen Ailing wore—fit Jin Mo like it was made for her. She always felt that he must have privately asked the brand to adjust the original design to her measurements, which was why it fit so perfectly.

Jin Mo changed into her ski suit in her hotel room, did a little spin in front of the full-length mirror, and a smile unconsciously spread across her face—sweet, soft, and radiant.

She thought for a moment, took a photo of herself in the mirror with her phone, and sent it to Yin Jihong.

At that moment, in the top-floor conference room of the Yin Group, Yin Jihong had been locked in a grueling morning of back-and-forth with the A+ team and had finally called a break.

The group of foreigners and Yin's executives scattered like they'd been pardoned, scrambling for the exit so frantically they nearly caused a stampede.

The finance director had just stepped out when he suddenly remembered something important and turned back: "President Yin, I've finished reviewing A+'s latest financial forecast report. I've flagged a few key points and sent them to your email."

"Yeah." Yin Jihong's gaze was glued to his phone screen, his fingers repeatedly zooming in and out, responding absentmindedly.

Seeing how focused he was, the finance director assumed he was carefully reviewing the report. Afraid he might have questions, he didn't dare leave, so he stood respectfully by the long conference table, waiting.

But after waiting for a long while with no reaction from him, the finance director finally couldn't contain his curiosity. He tiptoed and sneakily peeked at Yin Jihong's phone screen.

What he saw wasn't a dense spreadsheet of data—just a figure in a charming shade of pink, so bright it was almost dazzling.

Anyone could tell that their decisive, ruthless President Yin wasn't looking at a report at all—he was looking at a beautiful woman.

As if he had eyes in the back of his head, Yin Jihong flipped his phone face-down on the table and glanced sideways, his gaze icy: "You have something?"

The finance director's heart clenched. He quickly stepped back half a step: "...Uh, President Yin, I thought you were looking at the report. I figured if you had questions, I could answer them on the spot."

"I don't need to look right now." Yin Jihong waved him off impatiently, signaling for him to get out. "Once you've picked your brain back up out of your lunch bowl, I'll take a look then."

Finance director: "..."

After sending that photo, Jin Mo hadn't expected him to reply instantly.

It was lunchtime now—she had even specifically reminded Cheng Shu to make sure Yin Jihong ate properly, thinking he would at least listen.

But unexpectedly, his reply still popped up instantly.

Baby: "Whose snow elf secretly descended to the mortal world?"

Her heart felt wrapped in honey. He had her beaming from ear to ear. She grabbed her snowboard and walked out of her room, heading to the hotel lobby to meet Chen Yuanshan.

As the elevator doors slid open, a clear, gentle voice came first: "Jin Mo."

Jin Mo looked up and froze slightly.

It was Shen Yi again.

He was dressed in the same sky-blue ski suit as her, snowboard in hand. To make things easier on the slopes, he'd swapped his glasses for contacts.

With his glasses on, his vibe was sharp and cold, but without the frames, he looked softer and more refined.

Sure, their paths had crossed a lot, but bumping into each other this many times in a row was just ridiculous. Jin Mo couldn't help but laugh, nodding at him as she got on the elevator.

Shen Yi looked at her and said warmly, "I really need to figure out how to explain to your brother that I'm not some stalker who's been tailing you."

Jin Mo, relaxing a bit now, teased back, "Yeah, you should. Better yet, start by convincing me."

She was still half-focused on Yin Jihong's messages, so she looked back down at her phone as she talked.

Shen Yi's gaze drifted over her smiling profile. "That guy at the KTV earlier—was he your boyfriend?"

Jin Mo's fingers froze mid-text, caught off guard for a second before she looked up. "...No."

Shen Yi: "Your brother, then?"

The way he said "then" was loaded, and Jin Mo couldn't be bothered to explain the whole thing to an outsider, so she just said, "I do have a lot of brothers."

The second the words left her mouth, she knew Shen Yi would get the wrong idea. Sure enough, his gaze turned a little more knowing.

Rather than admit she'd never had a boyfriend, playing up the whole "player with brothers everywhere" thing was way more fun.

If he wanted to think she had a whole roster of guys, fine—let him.

That rebellious streak hiding under her good-girl image came out when no one who knew her was around, and she met his gaze without flinching.

When they got to the lobby, Chen Yuanshan was already there, along with Wang Xu, the private coach Yin Jihong had set up for her.

Wang Xu was a retired national team athlete—a big deal that Yin Jihong had called in favors to get. Every time they'd skied at other resorts in Xinjiang, Wang Xu had been her full-time guide. Jin Mo's skiing had gotten better and better—thanks to Yin Jihong's company, sure, but Wang Xu's coaching was just as important.

Wang Xu had sun-darkened skin and a warm, outgoing personality. The second he spotted her, he waved excitedly. "Xiao Jin! Happy New Year!"

"Xu-ge." Jin Mo smiled back. "Happy New Year to you too."

Wang Xu returned the greeting, then looked past her and spotted Shen Yi. His face lit up, and he rushed over to clap Shen Yi on the shoulder. "Shen Yi! What are you doing here? You're always so busy! Why didn't you tell me you were coming?"

"I just freed up a few days," Shen Yi said. "Decided last minute to hit the backcountry park."

Jin Mo hadn't expected Shen Yi and Wang Xu to know each other. They chatted for a bit, and Wang Xu, noticing Jin Mo's confused look, explained casually, "Shen Yi and I go way back as ski buddies—met a few years back in Jilin. We used to ski together all the time."

The fact that Wang Xu said they "skied together" instead of "I coached him" said a lot about Shen Yi's skill.

Sure enough, Wang Xu volunteered without being asked: "Shen Yi's the best non-professional skier I know. Top tier."

Shen Yi shook his head with a faint smile. "You're exaggerating."

Wang Xu, noticing they'd come out of the elevator together, asked offhandedly, "You two came together? How do you two know each other?"

Before Jin Mo could answer, Shen Yi said, "Coincidence. Just ran into each other."

"Now that's a real coincidence." Wang Xu grinned. "Alright, let's all go together—we'll make a team."

-

A group of three was the safest setup for skiing—they could watch out for each other without getting in each other's way.

Yin Jihong couldn't make it this time, and Wang Xu had originally planned to ask Jin Mo if she wanted to find a partner at the resort. Now with Shen Yi here, who happened to know Jin Mo as well, it was perfect.

Yin Jihong had already booked a car, so Wang Xu drove, Shen Yi rode shotgun, and Chen Yuanshan and Jin Mo sat in the back.

With someone like Wang Xu around, the mood was noticeably livelier. He could come up with ten topics on his own and keep the conversation going whether anyone joined in or not.

Most of the talk was about skiing, which Jin Mo found interesting, so she talked more than usual.

They covered everything from the backcountry park's terrain to ski gear, then moved on to recent competitions. As they chatted, Jin Mo realized Shen Yi knew a ton—he could even explain obscure technical details about skiing that most people had never heard of.

Chen Yuanshan sat quietly the whole time, not saying a word, not bothering to join in. He stared out the window at the snow rushing past, then pulled out his phone and texted Yin Jihong.

Shan: "Fever gone yet?"

Yin Jihong's reply came noticeably slower this time, taking a while: "Just checked. 38 degrees. So concerned about me? Worried I'll die and you'll inherit the Yin Group?"

Shan: "No, just think your fever's considerate—knows how to make sacrifices for others."

A Ji: "?"

A Ji: "What the hell are you talking about? I'm actually going to block you."

Chen Yuanshan glanced at Jin Mo, who was chatting with Shen Yi, a faint smirk curling at his lips as he put his phone away.

When the car arrived at the backcountry park, Jin Mo bent down to grab the backcountry ski backpack Yin Jihong had specially prepared for her from the trunk.

Wang Xu caught sight of the prominent logo out of the corner of his eye, his eyes lighting up. "Whoa, Black Diamond? Damn, that's the top-tier model!"

Jin Mo: "Yeah."

Wang Xu, quick on the uptake: "Yin always set that up?"

At the mention of that name, Shen Yi, who was prepping his gear nearby, glanced over at Jin Mo.

Jin Mo had just nodded when Wang Xu leaned in with a teasing grin. "I knew it—who else but Yin always would drop that kind of money! Oh, and Xiao Jin, that ski suit you're wearing—isn't that the global limited edition from Ai Ling's collection? And those boards you've got—Yin always must've sourced those too, right? These are rare treasures in the ski world! Man, Yin always really spoils you rotten!"

Before Jin Mo, whose ears were starting to burn, could say anything, Chen Yuanshan spoke up with a smile: "Coach Wang has a sharp eye."

Though Chen Yuanshan appeared gentle and refined, always wearing a faint smile, Wang Xu had felt an inexplicable wariness toward him from their very first meeting.

That fear came from instinct—a clear recognition of overwhelming power.

Yin Jihong, the Young Master of the Beijing circle, wouldn't have a close confidant who wasn't a heavyweight in his own right.

Not someone to mess with. Not at all.

None of the three people here were people he could afford to cross.

Wang Xu silently repeated that to himself, reined in his joking tone, and stepped back, calling out to Jin Mo, "Xiao Jin, let's get ready—time to hit the slopes!"

Before they set off, Wang Xu remembered something and added, "Oh, and you don't need to carry that backcountry backpack, right? This resort is relatively safe—not many unexpected situations. Shen Yi and I are both here, so we just need the backcountry essentials."

Jin Mo thought that made sense—the first day was just warm-up training, and it wasn't likely they'd run into an avalanche. She turned to hand the backpack to Chen Yuanshan.

But to her surprise, Chen Yuanshan didn't take it.

"Mo Mo, carry it," he said, his tone slow and deliberate, each word clear. His voice was soft, but it carried an unspoken weight, as if the words were meant for someone else. "If you don't have his label on you, he probably won't be able to rest in peace."

---

Author's Note:

Red packets continue to drop randomly! Keep collecting, commenting, and throwing your nutrient solutions at me—I love you all! Also, don't forget to collect my author page! And feel free to check out my next new story, *The Crane*, in my collection—a Beijing circle story (might switch to a Beijing circle ensemble piece instead), full of mature, compelling dynamics either way, haha.

I swear, I nearly laughed myself into a coma writing these chapters! Shanmei! Yin Jihong, giving you five points is already too few!! You're the one on the front lines fighting tooth and nail to protect his love life and his woman!!! Outsmarting the second male lead at every turn!!! He really should just hand over his Yin Corporation to you!!!! Never in my life have I seen the male lead sick in bed while the third male lead (on his behalf) goes head-to-head with the second male lead—this Sang Jie's thought process is truly out there.

Yin Puppy, you can lick Momo's pretty photos on your phone all you want, but it's useless!!! If you've got the guts, go lick her in person! Look at your fighting ability! How are you gonna make twins!? (?)

Puppy: (all excited) Lick where?

Quick side note: Who else is dying to see Ke Qingteng?

The skiing arc is super intense! It's a major plot point! Can't wait for everyone's passionate comments!