Chapter 318 - 251: "Don’t Like" or "Like

Chapter 318: Chapter 251: "Don’t Like" or "Like

...

At the Park Hyatt Hotel, by the window of the Chinese restaurant.

Feng Yao looked listless and seemed a little distracted.

The girl sitting beside her was her best friend, Cai Wen. Cai Wen attended university in Yanjing and also loved to ski. The two of them had planned over a month ago to come ski at Changbai Mountain and then return to Jiangsu and Zhejiang together for the New Year.

The two young men sitting across from them were Feng Yao’s boyfriend, Gao Junlin, and his college roommate, Li Hanwen.

"Yaoyao, why aren’t you eating?"

Seeing that Feng Yao was distracted, Gao Junlin asked with concern, "Is the food not to your liking? Or are you not feeling well?"

"No."

"I’m just a little tired."

Feng Yao looked at Gao Junlin, a flicker of impatience in the depths of her eyes.

This trip to Changbai Mountain was originally supposed to be a girls’ trip with her best friend, Cai Wen. She never expected Gao Junlin to tag along unannounced, claiming he wanted to give her a surprise.

A surprise?

’Some surprise!’

’He’s obviously just trying to use this chance to sleep with me!’

Ever since that night at Roar Hall, after witnessing Gu Heng’s charisma and power, she found Gao Junlin lacking in every possible way.

They were both eighteen, but when she recalled Gao Junlin’s behavior at Roar Hall that night, he seemed like a circus monkey compared to Gu Heng. Even now, Feng Yao felt an inexplicable sense of secondhand embarrassment just thinking about it.

She had been full of anticipation for this ski trip to Changbai Mountain, but Gao Junlin’s unannounced arrival had ruined most of her good mood.

"How about we go to the hot springs later?"

"We can relax tonight and go skiing again tomorrow."

Gao Junlin tentatively suggested. He gazed at Feng Yao’s face, which resembled a young, K-drama-esque Seo Joo Hyun from South Korea. The fire in his heart was about to burn away the last of his reason.

They had been dating for almost two months, but forget sleeping together—he hadn’t even kissed Feng Yao’s lips. The most they ever did was hold hands or share a hug.

Gao Junlin’s previously undefeated track record had always made him feel like a master of romance, someone who could win over any girl with ease and then walk away smoothly.

But then he met Feng Yao. At first, things seemed to be progressing smoothly, but after that night, he started to feel that something was off.

Gao Junlin didn’t know if it was just his imagination, but he always felt that Feng Yao was growing distant, her attitude toward him becoming somewhat cold.

But the more she acted this way, the more obsessed he became.

Thinking of the sunk cost he’d invested in Feng Yao without so much as a kiss, his heart felt like it was being scratched by a cat.

"I don’t like hot springs."

"After dinner, I want to go back to my room and rest."

Feng Yao shook her head. Her mind was completely filled with thoughts of Gu Heng; she couldn’t be bothered with anything else.

Just two hours ago, when she saw on her Moments that Gu Heng had also come to the Changbai Mountain International Resort, the feeling of surprise was even more intense than pulling a super rare item from a blind box on the first try.

’It must be a special kind of fate that brought us here to meet!’

That was the thought that had filled Feng Yao’s mind at the time.

But unexpectedly, after she’d messaged Gu Heng, full of joy, her message had vanished like a stone tossed into the sea. More than two hours passed without a single reply.

’Does he think I’m too frivolous?’

’Does he think I’m promiscuous and don’t respect myself?’

Feng Yao’s thoughts were a mess, so much so that she had no appetite at all. If her friend Cai Wen hadn’t said she was hungry, she probably would have gone straight back to her room to rest after leaving the ski slopes.

However, just as Feng Yao’s mind was in turmoil, her phone suddenly vibrated.

Feng Yao subconsciously picked up her phone to check it. When she saw Gu Heng’s reply, her heart was instantly filled with boundless joy, and her delight was written all over her face.

The listless, distracted, and dejected state she had been in vanished in an instant.

Gu Heng: Where are you staying?

Feng Yao: I’m at the Park Hyatt Hotel. You?

Gu Heng: I’m at the Park Hyatt Hotel, too.

Feng Yao: What a coincidence! Are you here to ski? Or for work?

Gu Heng: To discuss an investment, and do some skiing on the side.

Feng Yao: That’s amazing! So what are your plans after your business engagement?

Gu Heng: The hotel arranged a private hot spring bath for me. I plan to take a dip when I get back. Do you like hot springs? Want to join?

Feng Yao: Can I? I love hot springs!

Gu Heng: I’ll send you the location in a bit.

...

Sitting directly across from Feng Yao, Gao Junlin watched as her expression completely changed the moment she picked up her phone. Her fingers seemed glued to the screen, and he couldn’t help but frown.

"Yaoyao, who are you talking to?"

Gao Junlin’s tone held a hint of jealousy.

"A friend."

Feng Yao replied without looking up.

"What friend are you so happy to be talking to?"

Gao Junlin pressed, "A guy or a girl?"

Perhaps it was because of his jealousy, or perhaps it was because Feng Yao had been so cold to him lately, but Gao Junlin’s tone was inexplicably aggressive.

Feng Yao paused. She looked up at Gao Junlin, said nothing, and then lowered her head to continue messaging.

In an instant, the atmosphere at the table became awkward.

"A girl, of course."

"Yaoyao’s talking to Jiang Mengxue."

"Jiang Mengxue was our classmate in high school. We’re all best friends."

Cai Wen was sitting right next to Feng Yao, so from her angle, she could naturally see who Feng Yao was chatting with. Although she didn’t know who Gu Heng was, she could tell from the name that it was a guy.

But knowing was one thing; she certainly couldn’t say the truth. She could only smile and step in to smooth things over, helping Feng Yao cover it up.

Feng Yao didn’t say anything, which was a tacit agreement with Cai Wen’s explanation.

"Really?"

Gao Junlin was still suspicious.

"Believe it or not."

Feng Yao suddenly stood up from her chair. "Gao Junlin, I just told you I’m very tired, yet you keep nagging me."

"First of all, I never invited you to come skiing with me at Changbai Mountain. You followed me here on your own like a pesky shadow."

"Second, you’re really annoying sometimes, and you’re very childish and immature."

"Finally, I’m exhausted today and I want to rest. I hope you won’t bother me again for the rest of the night, okay?"

After saying her piece to Gao Junlin with a cold expression, Feng Yao pulled Cai Wen to her feet and left without giving him a chance to respond.

"What the...?"

"Is she crazy?"

"I came all this way to surprise her, and now suddenly I’m the one in the wrong?"

Gao Junlin was completely bewildered. "Besides, as her boyfriend, all I did was ask who she was talking to, whether it was a guy or a girl. What’s wrong with that?"

"Don’t be mad."

"Maybe she’s just in a bad mood."

Li Hanwen offered a few words of comfort, then lowered his voice. "Since she told you not to bother her tonight, why don’t we check out that bar nearby? I saw online that during ski season, it’s packed with hot girls and opportunities for a hookup~"

"Let’s go!"

"I’ve been holding it in for days!"

"I have to have some real fun tonight!"

Upon hearing this, Gao Junlin was immediately tempted.

...

「Meanwhile.」

One second before Feng Yao walked out of the Chinese restaurant with Cai Wen, she looked as cold as ice. The very next second, her expression had turned to one of pure excitement.

"Babe, sorry!"

Feng Yao said to Cai Wen as they walked toward their room, "You might have to be on your own tonight. I have to go out for something later!"

"Wait, what?"

"What’s going on?"

Cai Wen was completely baffled by Feng Yao’s behavior.

"My dream guy is here at Changbai Mountain, and I’m going to see him later."

Feng Yao answered concisely.

"Your dream guy?"

"You have a dream guy?"

Cai Wen was stunned. "So you said all that to Gao Junlin just so you wouldn’t be disturbed when you go see your dream guy tonight?"

"Yep~"

Feng Yao nodded with complete nonchalance.

"Wait, what?"

"Yaoyao, are you crazy?"

"You have a boyfriend. This isn’t right."

Cai Wen looked conflicted and said in a low voice, "Just how amazing is this guy to have you this smitten?"

"Ah..."

"Wenwen, I’ll tell you all about it when I get back."

"Time is tight. I still need to shower and do my makeup."

Feng Yao’s heart had already flown away, and she was in no mood to explain everything to Cai Wen. After they got back to their room, she tossed out those two sentences and dove straight into the bathroom.

"Gu Heng?"

"Her dream guy?"

Seeing this, Cai Wen couldn’t help but fall into deep thought...