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Crossing the Line (1)
By the time the rest had come back to their senses, Xi Chengyun had picked Peng Wanli up by the back of his collar and punched him; once in the chin and another in the eyes. Peng Wanli fell straight to the ground.
“Xi-ge!” Bai Qi was the first to stand up and walk towards him.
President Peng jumped into action when he saw the situation. “Oh my, Xi-ge, don’t! You don’t have to do it yourself..”
He took two steps forward before he heard Bai Qi commenting, “Your hands are more precious than his entire being.”
President Pei was in shock. ‘Mamma Mia, you are quite something!’
Xi Chengyun unclenched his fist and looked exceptionally calm on the outside. He even replied, “Mn.”
Peng Wanli’s mind was buzzing. He couldn’t even find the strength to stand up.
He was at a loss for words and was in a daze.
Two of President Pei’s bodyguards soon ‘escorted’ him elsewhere, far away from them.
Xi Chengyun tidied his sleeve. He stood up straight, as if he hadn’t just punched someone in the face.
President Pei couldn’t help but ask, “Xi-ge, what else did you mention on the phone just now?”
“Nothing much.”
He looked at the other attendees who were as quiet as mice and tilted his chin towards them and said, “Please, enjoy yourselves.”
Then, he turned towards Bai Qi and said, “Shall we?”
“Mn,” Bai Qi replied.
Xi Chengyun reached for his hand.
Bai Qi unknowingly glanced at Xi Chengyun’s fingers. He saw faint blood stains on them and figured that it was Peng Wanli’s blood.
Bai Qi politely turned to President Pei and asked, “Can I have some tissues, please?”
“…Of course!” President Pei passed two pieces of tissues to Bai Qi.
Bai Qi took the tissues from him and was planning to hand them to Xi Chengyun.
But he felt like he should do more, since in the end, it was his fault that Xi Chengyun was dragged into this whole mess.
So, Bai Qi looked down and held Xi Chengyun’s hand. He carefully cleaned his hand, making sure that they were as good as new before tossing the tissues into the bin.
Bai Qi’s hands were icy. When he touched Xi Chengyun, Xi Chengyun felt as if there was something dancing on his skin. His heartbeat also became faster…
Xi Chengyun looked down and felt his throat tighten.
“All done,” Bai Qi said.
Bai Qi hesitated for a second before taking his hand in his and said, “Shall we?”
President Pei shook his head and exclaimed, “My my, this dinner was such a mess!” “I’ll treat you all again when we meet next time. Till then!”
Despite the whole mayhem, he was still in quite a happy mood because he managed to help Xi Chengyun in some way.
‘Xi-ge was angry back then when Bai Qi smiled at us when we first met… so I guess this settled it, right?’ President Pei let out a sigh of relief.
The two of them walked out from the garden and turned into the corridor at the corner. The attendant who was there immediately approached them and asked, “Greetings, is there anything I may help you all with?”
Xi Chengyun gently squeezed Bai Qi’s hand as a signal for him to stop walking. “Do you want to go horseback riding or do archery?”
“Huh?” “Aren’t we going home?”
“Didn’t I mention that the reason I’m here is to accompany you while you have some fun?”
‘Wasn’t that just an excuse?’
Bai Qi blinked, looking confused. He wasn’t as angry as before. ‘Does he think that I’m still angry? And that’s why he’s finding ways to cheer me up? Just like how he touched the back of my neck like a pet cat just now.’
Bai Qi smiled and said, “Let’s go skiing instead!”
Xi Chengyun nodded and turned his gaze towards the attendant.
“Please, come with me, we have an indoor ski slope just around the corner,” the attendant immediately replied.
Half an hour later, they emerged from the changing rooms dressed in a thick ski jacket.
Bai Qi balanced himself at the top of the steep slope. His ski pole hit the ground as he propelled himself forward.
Snow fluttered in every direction.
Even though he had his goggles on, he couldn’t help but squint.
He felt his heart fall and rise according to where he was on the slope. It was fun and de-stressing!
Bai Qi went up and down the slope five times.
During the sixth time, he ran right into Xi Chengyun, and the two of them rolled down the slope together.
Bai Qi laid flat on the ground, covered in melting ice.
There weren’t many people on the ski slope since it was New Year’s Day.
For a split second, he felt like he and Xi Chengyun were the only two people left on this earth.
‘Xi-ge…” Bai Qi called out; his voice was slightly muffled by the helmet he was wearing. “Thank you.”
He gave it his all and sat up.
His long, curly lashes fluttered behind the transparent goggles. His voice was a lot gentler, and no one knew if he was talking to Xi Chengyun or to himself.
“But… I think this is outside of our agreement…”
The boundary that they’d set when they signed the marriage agreement ceased to exist ever since he’d brought Xi Chengyun back home. Another incident was when he accidentally messed up with his sub-account…
And their relationship reached new heights today. It was sudden, but not unexpected.
Bai Qi looked up at the sky, and all he could see were the blinding lights hanging from the roof of the ski center.
He squinted and felt a little lost.
He no longer felt like a responsible business partner.
Xi Chengyun got up before him. He was tall, and he looked like a humongous tree which grew out of the ground. He took off his gloves and held Bai Qi by his waist. He picked him up from the ground and said, “You’re going to get a cold,” Xi Chengyun said as he wiped off the snow on Bai Qi’s back.
Bai Qi blushed. Perhaps it was because of his sweat that was trapped within his helmet.
Xi Chengyun’s expression also changed.
While he patted the snow off Bai Qi’s back, he touched his back, which was soft and a little squishy, like… his butt.
However, Bai Qi didn’t come around after that. He stood there in a daze and looked very much like a lost baby penguin.
“Bai Qi.”
“Mn?” Bai Qi suddenly turned around and answered, “Mn!” “Shall we go home now? I’m kinda tired too!”
Xi Chengyun agreed and the two leisurely walked towards the elevator and boarded it to the changing room.
Bai Qi changed into his casual attire very quickly.
His forehead was covered in sweat and his eyes were glistening. He was a little embarrassed as he looked at Xi Chengyun and said, “Our ski jackets are covered in my sweat, shall we buy these and bring them back home?” A beautiful faint blush could be seen on his face as he talked.
This was how Bai Qi was behind the cameras; he shined even brighter than any star in the sky.
Xi Chengyun Adam’s apple bobbed as he looked at Bai Qi. “Alright.”
In the end, they bought both the jackets with Bai Qi’s money, and Xi Chengyun, being understanding, didn’t insist on paying for Bai Qi either.