Alcohol numbed Su Ziceng’s nerves, making her reactions sluggish. By the time she came to her senses, she, along with her chair, had tumbled to the ground.
The suppressed laughter, tinged with malice, stunned Su Ziceng as she stared at Pello, still seated in his original spot, realizing she had been playfully tricked by him. This "Angel Teacher" praised by the Kelly Women’s College students had revealed his sinister side tonight.
"Enough of the jokes, Su," Pello reverted to his Teacher Pello persona: "I’m a stickler for fairness; I didn’t invite you over just to eat and drink for free. You need to help me tidy up the greenhouse."
The warmth from those few bottles of sake was still swirling in her belly when Su Ziceng sprang up, "You actually want me to do menial labor for you." Besides this greenhouse, all the other greenhouses were buried under thick snow. Su Ziceng’s heart was filled with silent grievances, thinking there really is no such thing as a free supper.
The sake feast had ended, but the grand snow shoveling task was just beginning. The snow accumulated about half a month ago, old snow hadn’t had the chance to melt before being covered by new snow. Once compressed, it turned hard as rock, no matter how Su Ziceng knocked and hammered, it remained compacted.
Under the bright street lights, snowflakes whirled about, constantly landing on the eyebrows and hair of the two people shoveling snow. After just half an hour, both Su Ziceng, previously steaming with alcohol warmth, and Pello had turned into "snowmen" with white eyebrows and hair.
"I can’t do it anymore," Su Ziceng, too exhausted to pick a spot, just sat down in the snow. When shoveling, she had put on a waterproof snowsuit at Pello’s request. In her past 35 years combined, she had never done this much physical work.
"I’ll assign you some easier tasks. Just scatter these snow-melting agents over there, and leave the rest to me," Pello rarely showed mercy. Breathing out in white puffs, Su Ziceng took the bag of melting agent, still muttering, "You could perhaps post a notice on the school bulletin board when the semester starts, guaranteeing a platoon of Kelly female students will volunteer tirelessly for you."
Su Ziceng had more than once heard the girls discussing Pello’s tastes during baking classes: things like love cakes, love cookies; definitely, they wouldn’t suggest being a one-time "love cleaner."
No response came from behind her, only a rustling sound. Turning her head, Su Ziceng saw that Pello wasn’t shoveling snow; instead, he was using the snow they had just shoveled to build a snowman.
That snowman, by the time Kelly Women’s College started its new term, was still standing there, including Wen Maixue, no one knew that the snowman was shaped by Su Ziceng’s shoveled snow and assembled by Pello.
That evening, while Su Ziceng and Pello suffered with frozen hands and feet, Shang Yin had a much more enjoyable time. He had hired several models tonight, specially inviting two "Golden Guests" for a sea outing.
The yacht had gone halfway when it encountered some drift ice and had to stop over the water surface, but this didn’t dampen the spirits of the guests onboard.
"I really must thank Brother Shang this time; the expensive drinks Su Qingzhang had bought, Brother Shang managed with just a word," Fei Qing, already somewhat intoxicated, had only the dancing women and Shang Yin’s dark shades flickering in his blurry vision.
Inside the yacht’s cabin, the clash of glasses, the provocative music, and the women’s screams teased every man’s nerves.
The loss at the Su Bi Auction had caused Mr. Fei to burst with rage, affecting Fei Qing’s New Year’s to be quite restrained. Unexpectedly, on the first day of the new year, Mr. Fei, in high spirits, invited Shang Yin to their home. Fei Qing had seen Shang Yin back at Shengshi Huasha before, thinking of him as a low-key, almost weird person. Yet that evening, Shang Yin was not only witty but also generously gifted the Fei Family with ten cases of Lafite. Before leaving, he had invited Fei Qing and his friends to join a yacht party two days later.
Fei Qing, believing himself adept at pleasures, only realized after boarding the yacht that compared to Shang Yin, his experiences were pitifully few. At Shang Yin’s party, he could catch the most beautiful women, drink fine wines, and even more so...
As the blue flame of the alcohol burner passed over the foil, Shang Yin inhaled the fine white powder, appearing invigorated afterward. He threw the "stuff" to Fei Qing and Hang Yishao who had come with him, hinting, "Great stuff, got it directly from the south, guaranteed to make you high."
Hang Yishao frowned, he had come to this party tonight swayed by Fei Qing’s persuasion, initially curious about the new experiences on the yacht, but after a few hours, his mind started to fog.
Seeing what had just happened, he felt uneasy. "Ah Qing, it’s past midnight, let’s go back," Hang Yishao knew well that curiosity should have its limits; getting too engulfed would be too much.
"Yishao, why are you becoming a killjoy too," under the influence of drinks, Fei Qing’s eyes stayed fixed on the dancing flames above the alcohol burner.
"Have a bit!" The women beside Fei Qing took the opportunity to coax him, his mouth growing dryer and his eyes wavering between the voluptuous female bodies and the white powder, then leaning steadily towards Shang Yin.
"Ah Qing," Hang Yishao pushed aside the women beside him, trying to pull Fei Qing back. Shang Yin stepped in front of him, and even with sunglasses between them, Hang Yishao could feel the imposing figure of the man, oppressive.
"Mr. Shang, please step aside," Hang Yishao didn’t immediately back away; rather, his tone also carried a hint of anger.
"Mr. Hang truly lives up to his reputation, full of youthful vigor," Shang Yin snorted. Behind him, Fei Qing had already emitted a sound of pleasure.
Hang Yishao, frustrated, used his shoulder to push forward, but Shang Yin’s stance didn’t shift at all, "Being loyal is good, but young people should be careful not to be too impulsive, to avoid offending someone carelessly."
The yacht still stood on the water surface, the floating ice around it had melted a bit, and the chunks of ice hitting the yacht’s body emitted a "thump thump" sound. (To be continued. If you work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to vote for a recommendation ticket or monthly ticket. Your support is my greatest motivation.)