Volume 1, Chapter 54: Falling into His Arms Once Again

Qin Weizhou wore a white windbreaker, his tall and straight figure exuding an inherent aura of oppressive authority.

Recalling how she had slipped into his pond earlier and been embraced by him because of a cramp in her calf, Jiang Shuwei’s pretty face flushed a rosy red.

Yet she knew very well that the distance between her and Qin Weizhou spanned galaxies; even harboring secret fantasies was a sin.

"President Qin, Young Master Zhou, Young Master Yan," Jiang Shuwei greeted them politely.

He Tingting, however, looked at Qin Weizhou with a beaming smile, "Isn't this that handsome uncle?"

These words made Jiang Shuwei shudder all over. Instantly realizing the implication, she quickly scooped He Tingting up into her arms. "I'm sorry, we'll be taking our leave."

With that, Jiang Shuwei broke into a hundred-meter dash.

He Tingting’s little face bobbed up and down with every hurried stride, and she asked with utter bewilderment, "Auntie, why are we running? Did you owe them money?"

The three men not far away wore expressions of sheer astonishment.

Zhou Zirui shrugged his shoulders. "What is Miss Jiang running from?"

Yan Feiye also looked baffled. "I have no idea."

Qin Weizhou’s thin lips curved slightly. Only he knew why Jiang Shuwei was running.

Jiang Shuwei brought He Tingting back to their room. Both of them were exhausted and prepared to turn in for the night.

Early the next morning!

After a night of heavy snow, the weather cleared up, offering a rare hint of brightness.

Staff members delivered skiing equipment right to their spot. Jiang Shuwei crouched down to put ski goggles on He Tingting and checked her knee pads. The little one was already eager to get started.

He Jingcheng was also geared up. He told He Tingting to start skiing first while he followed closely behind.

He Tingting’s tiny figure glided quite smoothly, but He Jingcheng remained intensely nervous the entire time.

Not far away, Su Mian and her entourage were also ready to head down the slope. After putting on her goggles, Su Mian cast a glance at Jiang Shuwei.

Jiang Shuwei was not skiing; she sat on a bench and watched.

He Tingting skied all the way to the bottom, and He Jingcheng carried her back on his back while a staff member helped transport their gear back up.

He Tingting was utterly delighted and immediately urged Jiang Shuwei, "Auntie, you should ski too, stop just sitting there."

"I'm not very good at it." Jiang Shuwei lacked the years of practice that this group possessed; she had only been skiing a few times with her mother-in-law, Huang Yujie, and she was far from smooth on the slopes.

"If you're not good at it, practice more," He Jingcheng said indifferently.

Feeling that he made a fair point, Jiang Shuwei deliberately waited until Su Mian’s group had moved far away before preparing to slide down.

Watching her tremble and shuffle forward step by step, He Jingcheng could hardly conceal his disdain.

Taking a deep breath, Jiang Shuwei embarked on her skiing journey.

Although not many people had come today, Jiang Shuwei was still filled with trepidation. Seeing a man parked not far ahead, her eyes widened in alarm.

"Excuse me, please move... I don't know how to turn!" Jiang Shuwei shouted at the top of her lungs.

The man seemed to hear her. Just as he turned around, he felt a red figure hurtle toward him.

"Young Master Qin... watch out!" Zhou Zirui yelled from the side.

But it was too late. Qin Weizhou’s tall frame was directly knocked over by Jiang Shuwei.

Seeing the woman falling backward, Qin Weizhou pulled her down with him, taking the brunt of the impact as he shielded her.

Acting almost on instinct, he reached out, using his thick gloves to protect her head as they tumbled to the ground together in a heap.

Jiang Shuwei felt dizzy and disoriented, her mind struggling to clear.

Beside her ear came the man’s slightly breathless voice, "Miss Jiang, did your feet slip again?"

Hearing this voice made Jiang Shuwei shiver all over, feeling utterly mortified.

"President Qin, I'm so sorry, are you hurt?" Jiang Shuwei was filled with remorse. Why did she always make such a fool of herself in front of Qin Weizhou?

"I'm fine, get up," Qin Weizhou said in a detached tone. The next second, he pushed himself up and reached out to haul Jiang Shuwei to her feet as well.

Walking up the slope nearby, Su Mian was the first to spot the fallen Jiang Shuwei, and she was just about to mutter that she deserved it.

Then she saw that tall figure.

"Jiang Shuwei went straight down under Qin Weizhou. How amusing," Xia承泽 (Xia Chengze) mocked from the side.

"Truly shameless," Su Mian cursed outright.

At that moment, He Tingting and He Jingcheng also skied down. He Jingcheng saw Jiang Shuwei standing beside a tall man, their hands still clasped together.

His gaze fixed on their intertwined fingers, his cold eyes darkening.

Jiang Shuwei continued down the slope, though she no longer dared to push her luck. With her back aching from the earlier fall, she gave up skiing altogether and sat on a bench to wait.

He Jingcheng accompanied He Tingting as she skied for a long time, until the little one was completely exhausted and slumped against Jiang Shuwei’s side, "Auntie, I'm so tired, and my little tummy is hungry."

Jiang Shuwei smiled softly. "Let's go, time for lunch."

He Jingcheng took off his gloves and goggles, casting a cold glance at Jiang Shuwei. "Did you really come here to ski?"

Jiang Shuwei’s eyes flickered. He Jingcheng must have seen her knock Qin Weizhou over earlier.

"I told you I don't know how to ski. You're the one who said I should practice more," Jiang Shuwei countered, throwing his own words back at him.

"I told you to practice, yes, but I didn't mean for you to practice underneath someone else." He Jingcheng took strong exception to the incident.

"I don't know how to turn, and I didn't want to make a fool of myself either," Jiang Shuwei explained.

Noticing they were about to argue again, He Tingting chimed in immediately, "Uncle, don't be so mean to Auntie."

For He Tingting's sake, He Jingcheng said no more, though his expression remained sour.

Jiang Shuwei quickly took He Tingting's hand and walked away.

For lunch, Jiang Shuwei dined with He Tingting in their hotel room and did not go back out.

After lunch, He Tingting wanted to go down and play for a while. Remembering that she had seen a children's play area when they went to the hot springs the night before, she wanted to go build a snowman.

Jiang Shuwei agreed. After dressing the little one warmly, she prepared to head downstairs to buy snowman-building tools.

"Tingting, wait a moment, I'll buy a carrot for the snowman's nose..." Jiang Shuwei said with a smile. Turning her head, she suddenly discovered that He Tingting was gone.

Her mind went blank. Jiang Shuwei frantically searched everywhere. The child had clearly been walking just three steps behind her—how could she have vanished so suddenly?

Paralyzed by fear and feeling as though her heart was about to leap out of her chest, Jiang Shuwei clutched a bag of tools, stumbling through the crowd as she screamed He Tingting’s name.

"Tingting... where are you?" Jiang Shuwei’s ears buzzed, and she felt faint.

"Tingting..." Jiang Shuwei grabbed the nearest person and frantically asked, "Have you seen a little girl wearing a pink down jacket?"

The person looked at her strangely and shook their head. "No. Did you lose your child?"

Terrified out of her wits, Jiang Shuwei bolted forward again.

"Auntie..." He Tingting suddenly emerged from behind a stack of toys, holding a small stuffed rabbit doll. "Auntie, where are you going? Wait for me..."

He Tingting immediately broke into a run toward Jiang Shuwei.

Amidst the crowd, He Tingting accidentally bumped into someone and took a tumble, landing so hard she felt like her bottom would split open.

The person was just about to bend down to help her up when Su Mian’s voice rang out, "Tingting, why are you all alone here?"

He Tingting turned her head to look at Su Mian. "I was looking for my Auntie."

Su Mian immediately bent down and scooped her up into her arms with a look of distress. "Where did your Auntie go? How could she leave you behind like this?"

He Tingting’s little face was a picture of bewilderment. "Auntie didn't leave me behind, she just couldn't find me."

"Tingting, shall I take you to find her then?" Su Mian asked gently.

Perhaps because of Su Mian's seemingly sincere expression, and because He Tingting genuinely needed help, the little girl nodded. "Okay."

The only reason Su Mian happened to be here was that while sipping coffee on the ground floor of the hotel earlier, she had chanced to see Jiang Shuwei leading He Tingting out.

Su Mian had long been looking for an opportunity to cause trouble, preferably one that would result in He Tingting getting hurt so that Jiang Shuwei would surely face He Jingcheng's wrath.

She never expected such a golden opportunity to fall right into her lap.

While He Tingting had ducked behind a pile of toys and Jiang Shuwei was panicking as she searched everywhere, Su Mian had deliberately carried He Tingting away down another street. "Tingting, would you like some cotton candy? Look, it's rainbow-colored."

He Tingting, a notorious little foodie with a sweet tooth, caught sight of the colorful cotton candy and asked, "Can I eat cotton candy while we look for Auntie?"

"Of course, and you can buy one for your Auntie too," Su Mian said with a gentle smile.

"Okay." He Tingting waited aside while Su Mian ordered two cotton candies, intentionally keeping the little girl positioned in front of her to block her from the view of passersby.

Jiang Shuwei retraced her steps along the street twice, nearly fainting from sheer panic, and hurriedly called He Jingcheng to explain the situation.

At that exact moment, the shop owner came running up to her in a huff and said, "Miss, where did you run off to just now? Your kid took my toy and hasn't paid for it yet."