Chapter 90: Qiqi, Are You Cold?
When they landed in Ha City, Chen Jiamu was still struck with awe. He was a Southerner through and through; he hadn’t seen snow many times.
Even Bei City didn’t get snow every year; the last time it had snowed there was three years ago.
“Wow, this snow scenery is so beautiful!”
Tying his down jacket tighter, Chen Jiamuās eyes were sparkling. He knew Ha City was cold, so he had prepared his clothes before getting on the plane.
Now, both of them were bundled up thickly, wearing extra-long down jackets, thick scarves, and fleece-lined gloves.
However, Chen Jiamu was even more sensitive to the cold; he had several heat packs stuck to his undershirt.
“Weāll go to the hotel first, then head out to see the night view later.”
It was currently early evening, and the sky was already pitch black. Streetlights were flickering on one after another. The orange-yellow lamps looked like high-hanging lanterns. Red Chinese knots hung from them, making everything look very festive at a glance.
“Okay.”
His exhaled breath turned into a white mist that sprayed against his mask. Chen Jiamu pulled the mask down with a look of pure disgust. As a result, he took a direct hit of freezing wind, making him cry out in shock: “My god, itās too cold!”
“Qiqi, are you cold?”
Hearing the nickname, Li Qiās eyes narrowed slightly. His brow furrowed as he turned to stare at him. “What did you just call me?”
“Qiqi!”
“I call you Li Qi and you don’t like it. If I call you Xiao Qi, that cat is already named Xiao Qi, so it feels weird.”
On the plane, Li Qi had strongly objected to Chen Jiamu calling him by his full name all the time. He wanted Chen Jiamu to switch to something more intimate and special.
Chen Jiamu had thought about it back and forth and finally decided on “Qiqi.” He had originally thought of calling him “Xi-xi,” but then he remembered that that name didn’t hold very good memories for Li Qi.
After Chen Jiamu finished his explanation, Li Qi sighed helplessly and lowered his head in resignation. “As long as you’re happy.”
Seeing him yield, Chen Jiamu was very smug. He purposely leaned in close and called him again: “Qiqi, hahahaha.”
Li Qi looked at him dotingly, saying nothing. They had to walk a bit to reach the taxi pickup point, so the two walked one after the other.
After getting into the car, Li Qi took out his phone and carefully reviewed the sightseeing arrangements. Once he confirmed them with Chen Jiamu, he put the phone away.
Chen Jiamu, meanwhile, was frantically replying to Chen Chengās messages. Having had his phone off for several hours on the plane, Chen Chengās messages had exploded.
[Mom came to the company looking for me. Can you help me lure her away?]
[Reply as soon as you see this!]
[Hello? Where are you?]
[My god, she even brought soup for me!]
[Where the hell are you? Have you vanished?!]
[Chen Jiamu! Iām giving you one hour to reply to me!]
[Or else you’re dead!]
Seeing this string of messages, Chen Jiamuās hands were shaking. Seeing his hands tremble, Li Qi reached out in confusion to take his hand and put it inside his own jacket to warm it.
Unexpectedly, Chen Jiamu pulled back immediately, typing with a shiver. Half of the shaking was from the cold, and the other half was from being scared.
“Iām fine. I need to reply to my sister first. Sheās about to blow up my DMs.”
“Whatās wrong?” Li Qi was puzzled, but Chen Jiamu was so focused on how to reply to Chen Cheng that he didn’t hear the question.
[Would you believe me if I said Iām not in Bei City anymore?]
Chen Jiamu bit his finger guiltily, waiting quietly for Chen Chengās reply.
[What, you ran off to another province again?!]
[If you dare desert your post, and I find out where you are, I will beat you within an inch of your life!]
Seeing her reply, Chen Jiamu nearly dropped his phone in fright. After steadying his nerves, he hurried to explain: [Iām not deserting my post. Iām in the North for two days with a friend.]
[Iāll be back the day after tomorrow in the morning. I won’t abandon you!]
[With who?]
Chen Chengās question made Chen Jiamu hesitate for a moment, but he eventually typed out Li Qiās name.
[With Li Qi. We both happened to be free, so we decided to come North to see the snow.]
[Li Qi? I thought he was developing his business in another province. How do you two have time to go play together?]
[Whatever. Since you’re already there, so be it. Iāll handle things at the company.]
Far away in Bei City, Chen Cheng could only sigh helplessly after reading the reply. This kid always acted on impulse. But they were young, so it was understandable.
Having received Chen Chengās approval, Chen Jiamu finally breathed a sigh of relief. He turned to Li Qi. “Itās fine now. Iāve made things clear with my sister.”
“Are you afraid of your sister?” Li Qi was a bit surprised. Chen Jiamu was usually fearless; he was actually afraid of Chen Cheng?
“Itās not exactly ‘fear.’ Itās just that she hits really hard. Iām afraid of being beaten by her.”
Well, Chen Jiamu had certainly mastered the art of nonsense. Li Qi chuckled, leaning his head against the car window as he watched him.
Suddenly, as if he had thought of something, his expression stiffened slightly, but it vanished in an instant.
“Whatās this? Are you two handsome guys running away from home? So afraid of your parents?”
The driver was a stout, honest-looking middle-aged man. Hearing their conversation, he expertly joined in.
The driver had a thick Northern accent, which gave his words a strangely comedic feel. Chen Jiamu stifled a laugh, clearing his throat to act calm. “Ahem, not really.”
“Just reporting in to the family. After all, itās my first time in the North.”
“First time? Well, you’re going to have a blast then.”
“Everything around here is a tourist spot. The ice sculptures, the amusement parks, the snow cottagesātheyāre all clustered together.”
The driver was exceptionally enthusiastic when introducing his hometownās attractions. In just a short distance, he and Chen Jiamu were chatting up a storm, covering everything from their respective hometowns to their jobs. The more they talked, the more excited they got. The driver even offered to introduce Chen Jiamu to some Northern girls.
Naturally, Chen Jiamu turned him down.
When they reached their destination and got out of the car, the driver enthusiastically asked Chen Jiamu to add him as a friend, saying he could contact him if he needed anything.
Chen Jiamu thought it made sense, so without much thought, he added him. He completely failed to notice Li Qiās face, which was growing increasingly displeased.
Translator’s Note: Hi everyone! Thanks for sticking with the story!Ā
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