Chen Xin's face turned crimson. After standing frozen for two seconds, he abruptly got up, bypassed her, and walked upstairs. "I… uh, I'll go get your clothes."
Lin Xiaowan stared at his retreating figure in disbelief, muttering to herself, "He really is a virgin."
Chen Xin almost tripped and fell down the stairs at her words. Turning back, he said helplessly, "How many times are you going to bring this up? I… I've waited because I want to save that for someone I truly care about!"
Xiaowan, leaning lazily against an ornate European sculpture, meowed like a cat and said, "So pure, so innocent. I've decided to call you Little Innocent Chen from now on."
Unable to argue, Chen Xin retrieved her clothes, only for Xiaowan to sprawl on the couch, refusing to wear them. "I don't want to. My clothes haven't been washed in ages. I'll only wear yours."
"You can't just… go bare-legged. Don't you think it's dangerous to dress like this in front of a man you've barely met?"
"The one in danger is you," Xiaowan whispered mischievously.
"What did you say?"
"Nothing, nothing. Fine, I'll wear them. But can you lend me a pair of pants? My skirt hasn't been washed in forever. It's the holidays, and you can't let your guest wear dirty clothes, can you?" Xiaowan pleaded pitifully.
Chen Xin had no choice but to lend her a pair of new pants and put her clothes in the washer. Thus, Xiaowan ended up lounging on the couch in oversized men's clothing, watching TV while teasing his three dogs with treats.
In less than two hours, the dogs seemed to have adopted Xiaowan as their new master, circling her eagerly and even bringing her snacks from the kitchen.
Chen Xin, watching this unfold, felt utterly defeated. Ruffling the dogs' heads, he asked, "I've taken care of you for years. Why have you never brought me snacks?"
The dogs shook him off disdainfully and scurried back to Xiaowan, wagging their tails.
Frustrated, Chen Xin said, "I'm going outside to get some air."
"Suit yourself." Xiaowan waved him off without looking, adding playfully, "If I steal something while you're out, it's your own bad luck."
Outside, snow blanketed the villa garden like soft cotton. Chen Xin stood by the door, gazing at the Christmas lights strung along the fence. The surreal feeling washed over him—he had picked up a girl from the roadside and was now spending Christmas with her. It felt like a dream, almost unreal.
Perhaps it was the magic of Christmas—anything seemed possible.
Suddenly, he remembered something and quickly returned to the living room. Checking the time on his phone, he asked Xiaowan, "It's not midnight yet. Want to make a Christmas wish?"
"What's the point? Do you actually believe Santa will climb down the chimney to give us gifts?" Xiaowan teased. "That's a trick for kids. I don't buy it."
Chen Xin awkwardly scratched his nose. "Fine, then… do you want to go outside and see the snow? It's beautiful right now."
"What's so great about snow? You act like you've never seen it before. Aren't you supposed to be a rich kid?" Xiaowan rolled her eyes.
Chen Xin was left speechless. Why had her mood shifted so abruptly? Just moments ago, she'd been happily playing with the dogs. It seemed the saying was true—women's moods change faster than app updates.
Defeated, he sat beside her and watched TV in silence. But as he quieted down, Xiaowan became interested in him again. Propping her chin in her hand, she stared at him with wide eyes.
Feeling self-conscious, Chen Xin finally asked, "What are you looking at?"
"A very, very delicious dish," Xiaowan replied, biting her finger. "I'm wondering how I can savor it without wasting a single bite."
Chen Xin tried to appear stern. "If you keep talking like that, I'll have to ask you to leave!"
Xiaowan pouted. "Virgins are so uptight. Have you forgotten how you stared at me for a full ten seconds earlier without blinking?"
"You—"
"Shh, quiet! It's almost midnight." Xiaowan pointed to the clock on the TV.
Though she claimed not to believe in Santa, Chen Xin noticed her silently closing her eyes to make a wish as the final second struck.
Afterward, she yawned. "I'm so sleepy. Can I sleep on your couch?"
"There are guest rooms. You can pick any of them," Chen Xin offered.
"No need. The couch is fine." Xiaowan pulled a blanket over herself and waved him off. "Goodnight."
"Goodnight. Call me if you need anything." Chen Xin turned off the TV and went to his room. But when he entered the bathroom to brush his teeth, he saw a line of cursive writing scrawled on the mirror in black lipstick:
"To meet you, Mr. Virgin."
Chen Xin let out a bitter laugh and tried wiping it off, only to realize it smeared even worse. Giving up, he decided to wait until the maid came back to clean it properly.
Both of them, separated by a ceiling, drifted off into their own dreams. Outside, the heavy snow in the city gradually lessened, with fine snowflakes dancing in the cold wind.
In a different part of the city, a man with a cold and stern face was racing down a desolate road on his motorcycle. Snowflakes brushed against his helmet, unable to touch his icy face. He sped faster than the winter wind, arriving at the entrance of a tunnel—a secret hideout of his band.
Parking his bike, he rushed inside without even removing his helmet. But the figure he had expected to find curled up inside was gone.
The man, whose stage name was Lengqing (Cold Emotion), yanked off his helmet in panic and shouted toward the depths of the tunnel, "Xiaowan! Lin Xiaowan!"
His voice echoed back, but there was no response.
His expression shifted from panic to regret and guilt. Gripping his hair tightly, he seemed desperate for clarity. After a long moment, he snapped back to reality and frantically dialed Xiaowan's phone number.
The call was immediately rejected. A text followed:
"Go to hell."
Lengqing exhaled in relief, but his brows quickly furrowed again—not in guilt this time, but in irritation. He kicked the tunnel wall a few times in frustration, then turned and left.
…
Chen Xin, on the other hand, slept soundly through the night. The morning sunlight poured through the windows, gently waking him. Slowly opening his eyes, he was startled to find Lin Xiaowan's face inches away from him.
He gasped and jolted upright. "Why are you here?"
Xiaowan, who had been crouching beside his bed, smiled mischievously. "Just wanted to see if you're as handsome asleep as you are awake."
Rubbing his temples, Chen Xin realized he had forgotten to lock his door. "Please leave. I need to freshen up."
Xiaowan stood up with a cheeky grin. "The sun's out, the snow is melting. I'm leaving. Just came to say goodbye."
Chen Xin froze. "You're leaving already? At least stay for breakfast."
She looked at him slyly. "What, can't bear to see me go?"
"No, it's just—"
"Don't worry about it. I've already troubled you enough." Turning toward the door, she added with a smile, "Next time you pass by the tunnel, I'll sing a few songs for you as rent for last night, okay?"
Chen Xin smiled faintly. "Okay."
"Oh, by the way," Xiaowan leaned against the doorframe, smirking. "While you were asleep, I touched you from head to toe." She gave him a sly wink. "You've got abs—and a V-line, too. Impressive!"
"You—"
Before he could respond, Xiaowan darted out of the room, laughing.
Chen Xin flushed as he threw off his blanket and hastily checked his clothes. His sleepwear seemed untouched. She must have been joking, right?
Then he blushed even harder. He was a grown man—why was he getting so worked up over this? How could he possibly lose out in a situation like this?
Still sighing, he went to the bathroom to brush his teeth. That's when he noticed the mirror again. Xiaowan had added a new line below her previous message:
"By the way, you have a great a**."
Eyes widening, Chen Xin immediately checked the back of his pajamas in the mirror. Sure enough, there was a little black heart drawn with her lipstick.
"…Damn it!"
…
That afternoon, after wandering aimlessly through the city streets, Lin Xiaowan returned to her usual haunt. Both Pine (Pai'en) and Lengqing were already there.
Without acknowledging Lengqing, Xiaowan turned to Pine and asked, "Where's Maqi? Still not back?"
Pine shook his head. "Nope. She's probably having a great time with her family. Maybe she'll be back in a few days?"
But Xiaowan wasn't as optimistic. She tried calling Maqi, but no one answered. Sighing, she finally said, "Forget it. I need to tell you something—I'm leaving the band for a while. Pine, looks like you're the lead singer again."
Pine smirked knowingly. "Found a new guy, huh? Is it that Koenigsegg owner from last time?"
Xiaowan giggled. "Smart boy."
Pine gave her a thumbs-up. "Go for it."
She began packing her belongings into a bag. As she was about to leave, Lengqing, who had been silent all this time, grabbed her wrist.
"What are you doing?" Xiaowan asked innocently.
His voice low and strained, Lengqing murmured, "I'm sorry."
"No need to apologize. You didn't do anything wrong." She smiled lightly. "I'm leaving now. Don't miss me, okay?"
Before she could take another step, Lengqing pulled her into a tight embrace from behind. His warm breath brushed against her neck as he pleaded, "I'm sorry for yesterday. I didn't mean to argue or leave you alone. Please don't be mad at me."
"I'm not mad," Xiaowan replied calmly, turning to face him. "Don't you remember what I said? You're just a… fling. Who gets mad at a fling?"
The cruel words paired with her sweet, innocent expression hurt him more than any fight. But what terrified Lengqing most was the thought that she might not even say such things to him anymore. Desperately, he begged, "Don't go to that man. Let me take care of you instead."
Xiaowan softened for a moment, seeing the exhaustion in his dark-circled eyes. Sighing, she touched his cheek. "Lengqing, 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! If only you'd let me—"
"I won't." Xiaowan smiled bitterly. "You're a good man. I'm not. I don't want you wasting your life on me. Go back to school when you have time. Don't skip class like me."
With that, she picked up her bag and walked out the door.
Lengqing called after her, "I'll wait for you. You'll dump him and come back soon anyway."
Xiaowan paused, tilting her head thoughtfully. She turned back to flash him a radiant smile. "This one's different. I might stick around a while longer."