Chapter 6: Christmas
Shu Mingyang's face flushed bright red. After standing there stunned for two seconds, he abruptly stood up, hurried around her, and headed upstairs.
"I—I'm going to get you some clothes," he stammered.
Liang Xiaomiao stared at his retreating figure in disbelief and muttered under her breath, "Wow… he really is a virgin."
Shu Mingyang nearly tripped down the stairs at that comment. He turned back and said helplessly, "How many times are you going to bring that up? I—I'm just waiting to do that kind of thing with someone I truly like, okay!"
Xiaomiao whimpered like a mischievous kitten and leaned lazily against a decorative statue. "So pure, so obedient… I've decided. From now on, I'm calling you Shu Little Angel."
Shu Mingyang shook his head and went upstairs to fetch her some clothes. When he came back down, she was sprawled on the sofa, refusing to get dressed.
"I don't want to. My own clothes haven't been washed in ages. I want to wear yours," she pouted.
"You can't just… walk around like that, not wearing pants. Don't you think it's dangerous to dress like that in front of a man you've barely met a few times?"
"It's you who's in danger…" Xiaomiao replied with a teasing smile.
"What did you say?"
"Nothing. Okay, fine. I'll wear them. But can you lend me a pair of pants too? My skirt's really filthy. It's the holidays—how could you be so heartless and make your guest wear dirty clothes?" she pleaded, eyes wide with mock innocence.
He had no choice but to find her a pair of his new pants and toss her clothes into the washing machine. So Xiaomiao ended up lounging on the sofa in oversized men's clothing, watching TV while playing with the three dogs using dog treats.
Though she had only been there for less than two hours, the three dogs already treated her like their favorite human—circling her constantly and even fetching snacks from the kitchen to offer her.
Shu Mingyang almost spat blood in frustration. He rubbed the dogs' heads, exasperated, "I've raised you for years. Huh? When did you ever bring me snacks?"
The dogs pulled away with disdain and ran back to Xiaomiao, wagging their tails eagerly.
Defeated, Shu Mingyang said, "I'm going out for some air."
"Suit yourself." Xiaomiao waved without even turning around. "If I steal something while you're gone, that's on you."
He chuckled, shaking his head, and walked out the door.
Outside, the garden was blanketed in thick snow, like soft cotton spread across the earth. Shu Mingyang stood at the entrance, looking at the Christmas lights the housekeepers had strung up on the fences. A strange feeling washed over him.
He had just picked up a girl off the street… and ended up spending Christmas Eve with her. It all felt surreal, like a dream.
Maybe it was the magic of Christmas—anything could happen.
Suddenly, something occurred to him. He quickly walked back into the living room, glanced at the time on his phone, and called out, "It's not midnight yet—want to make a Christmas wish?"
"What's the point?" Xiaomiao scoffed. "You don't really believe some fat guy in a red suit is going to slide down the chimney and leave us gifts, do you?"
"That's just for kids," she added.
Shu Mingyang scratched his nose awkwardly. "Alright then… want to go outside and see the snow? It's really beautiful right now."
"What's so special about snow? Haven't you ever seen snow before? And you call yourself a rich kid?" she rolled her eyes dramatically.
He was speechless. Just before he stepped outside, she had been happily playing with the dogs. Why the sudden change in mood? That friend of his was right—women change their moods faster than a phone app gets updated.
He quietly sat down beside her and turned his attention to the TV.
But now that he had quieted down, Xiaomiao grew interested in him again. She rested her chin in her hands, staring at him with wide, unblinking eyes.
Feeling uncomfortable under her gaze, Shu Mingyang finally asked, "What are you looking at?"
"Just admiring a very delicious dish," she said, nibbling on her finger. "Trying to figure out how to savor every last bite without wasting a single morsel."
He forced a stern expression. "If you keep talking like that, I will ask you to leave."
She pouted. "Typical fake-prude virgin. And who was it just now staring at me for ten whole seconds without blinking?"
"You—!"
"Shhh, don't fight. Only a few seconds left 'til Christmas." She pointed at the countdown on the TV.
Changing the topic again! Shu Mingyang fell silent. Even though Xiaomiao had said she didn't believe in Santa Claus, he still noticed her silently closing her eyes when the clock struck midnight to make a wish.
"So sleepy…" she yawned. "Can I sleep on your couch?"
"There are guest rooms. You can choose whichever one you like," he offered.
"No need. This spot is perfect." She pulled the couch blanket over herself and waved. "Goodnight."
"Goodnight. If you need anything, just call me," he replied, turning off the TV and heading back to his room.
But when he entered the bathroom, he saw something that made his eye twitch—a sentence scrawled in fancy handwriting on the mirror, written with black lipstick:
"To meet you, Mr. Virgin."
Shu Mingyang chuckled in exasperation and reached for a tissue, only to realize that the lipstick was smearing and impossible to remove. He gave up, deciding to leave it for the housekeeper to clean later.
The two of them, separated by just a ceiling, slowly drifted off to sleep. Outside, the heavy snow over the city began to lighten.
Tiny snowflakes danced through the air, but a helmet blocked them from touching An Yi's face.
He was speeding down the empty roads on his motorcycle, slicing through the cold wind like a blade. Eventually, he reached the entrance of a tunnel—their old band hideout.
He parked his bike and, without even removing his helmet, rushed inside.
But the person who was usually curled up there… was gone.
An Yi yanked off his helmet, panic creeping onto his face. He shouted into the tunnel,
"Xiaomiao! Liang Xiaomiao!"
Only his echo answered.
His panic slowly turned to guilt and regret. He clutched his hair, as if the pain could help him think. After half a minute, he finally came to and pulled out his phone to call her.
The call was instantly rejected.
Then a text arrived: "Screw off."
An Yi let out a sigh of relief—but quickly frowned again, this time not with guilt, but irritation.
He kicked the tunnel wall in frustration and left.
The next morning, Shu Mingyang slept well. Sunlight streamed through the windows, warming his face and gently waking him.
And then… he saw Liang Xiaomiao's face right next to his bed.
Startled, he jumped up. "What are you doing here?!"
She was kneeling by the bed with a mischievous smile. "Wanted to see if you're just as handsome when you sleep."
He rubbed his temples. He usually didn't lock his door. Clearly, he had let a kitten into the house…
"Please leave. I need to wash up."
"I just came to say goodbye. The sun's out, the snow's melting—I'm heading out," she said.
"You're leaving already? At least stay for breakfast?"
"Aww… can't bear to see me go?" she teased.
"N-no! I just thought…"
"Relax, you've done more than enough," Xiaomiao waved him off. "Next time you pass that tunnel, I'll sing you a few songs for free—call it rent for last night."
Shu Mingyang smiled, "Alright."
"Oh, and by the way—while you were sleeping, I totally felt you up from head to toe," she grinned from the doorway. "You've got great abs."
"You—!"
Before he could blow up, she ran off laughing.
Shu Mingyang blushed as he flung off his covers, checking his pajamas. Nothing looked disturbed… maybe she was just teasing?
Still, why was he, a grown man, getting flustered over this? It's not like he was the one being taken advantage of! Why did he always get so shy around her? The confidence he had in business was nowhere to be found.
He sighed in defeat and walked into the bathroom—only to find a new addition under last night's lipstick message:
"By the way, you have a t."
Shu Mingyang's eyes widened. He pulled down his pajama pants and looked in the mirror. Sure enough, there was a little black lipstick heart drawn on his butt.
"…Damn it!"
That afternoon, Liang Xiaomiao wandered around town before returning to the tunnel hideout. She found Pine and An Yi already there.
Ignoring An Yi, she turned to Pine. "Has Maggie come back yet?"
Pine shook his head. "Nope. Guess she's enjoying family time. Maybe she'll come back in a few days?"
But Xiaomiao had a bad feeling. She tried calling Maggie, but no one picked up. She sighed and said, "Anyway, just letting you guys know—I'm taking a break from the band. Pine, you're lead singer again."
Pine gave her a knowing look. "Found a new guy, huh? Is it that dude with the Koenigsegg?"
Xiaomiao grinned, "Smart boy."
Pine gave her a thumbs-up. "Go get him."
She gathered her things and slung her bag over her shoulder, ready to leave. But then An Yi grabbed her wrist.
"What do you want?" she asked sweetly.
His head hung low as he muttered, "I'm sorry."
"No need. You didn't do anything wrong," she replied casually. "I'm off now. Might be a few months before I'm back. Don't miss me too much."
But just as she turned around, An Yi hugged her from behind, tightly. His breath was warm on her neck.
"I'm sorry I fought with you yesterday. I didn't mean to leave you alone. Please don't be mad…"
"I'm not mad," she said, turning to face him. "Did you forget what I told you? You're just a hook-up. Who gets mad at a hook-up?"
That fake, cheerful look on her face while saying such cruel words always cut him deep. But what scared him more was the idea that one day, she might not say anything to him at all.
"I can take care of you," he said softly. "Please don't go to that guy."
She had planned to tease him more, but the dark circles under his eyes made her pause. Her heart softened.
"An Yi, you know you can't take care of me. No one can. I don't want to… drag you down."
"You're not a burden! I just want—"
"I don't want it," she interrupted. She gently touched his face. "You're a good guy. I'm a mess. I don't want to waste your life. Try going to class sometimes, alright? Don't follow my bad example."
With that, she turned and walked away.
But An Yi wouldn't give up. "I'll wait for you," he called out. "You'll dump that guy eventually and come back to me."
Xiaomiao paused for a second, tilted her head, then smiled brightly, "This one's different. I think I'll be with him a bit longer this time."
Author's Note:
A lot of you guessed the wrong cup size yesterday