Chapter60

On this charity night, Meng Fanchuan spent 20 million yuan to buy a bracelet for Cen Zhen, saying it was her New Year gift. After returning home, Cen Zhen thought to herself that she couldn't always accept his kindness without giving something in return. She should also get a New Year gift for Meng Fanchuan.

But he lacked nothing, and for him, things that could be bought with money probably had little meaning. So Cen Zhen thought for a long time, and quietly came up with a plan.

A few days after the New Year, Cen Zhen took Meng Fanchuan from the northern city. His private plane had always been stored at the Northern City International Airport. Cen Zhen had made arrangements with Wen Hui in advance, so the pilot and the airline were already prepared. Meng Fanchuan boarded the plane unaware, initially thinking that Cen Zhen had suddenly decided to take a trip, but once they boarded, he found out—

Meng Songnian and Zhuang Jiayi were also on the plane.

When they were leaving, Cen Zhen had said she wanted to give Meng Fanchuan a surprise, and although Meng Fanchuan didn't say anything, he had been looking forward to it the whole way. But once he saw Meng Songnian, the excitement shattered.

"What's this, your surprise is to go to Hong Kong to see your grandfather together?" he asked.

Apart from visiting Zhuang Tai, Meng Fanchuan couldn't think of any other reason his parents would travel with them.

But Cen Zhen smiled and shook her head. "No."

Zhuang Jiayi smiled at her son, "This time, it was Cen Zhen who wanted to visit us, so we agreed to come along. Especially your father—he wouldn’t have agreed in the past."

—It seemed like something Meng Songnian didn’t like.

It satisfied what Meng Songnian disliked, and it was something Cen Zhen liked. That was what made it a surprise.

After mentally processing the situation, Meng Fanchuan suddenly smiled and pulled Cen Zhen into his arms. "Going to Mingzhou?"

Cen Zhen froze, surprised that her carefully planned surprise was so easily guessed by Meng Fanchuan. She immediately felt deflated and said, "Can’t you be a little less smart?"

Meng Fanchuan knew he shouldn’t spoil his wife’s fun, but since the words were already out, he leaned down and kissed her to comfort her, "If I knew a minute earlier, the surprise would have been a minute earlier, right?"

It made sense, and Cen Zhen instantly got over it. She bit her lip and asked, "So, are you surprised?"

"Of course." Meng Fanchuan quickly responded, lifting her onto his lap. "I was also planning to find some time to take you to Mingzhou to ski."

Suddenly, a loud cough came from across the aisle.

Cen Zhen immediately stood up, reflexively sitting back beside Meng Fanchuan.

Meng Fanchuan, speechless, shot a look at Meng Songnian.

Indeed, his father had boarded the plane, but with a reluctant expression, making it clear to Meng Fanchuan that he was probably forced by Zhuang Jiayi to come.

"Is your throat uncomfortable?" Meng Fanchuan asked calmly and politely.

Meng Songnian and Zhuang Jiayi were seated opposite each other. He didn’t want to look this way, but his son and daughter-in-law were being so openly affectionate, hugging and cuddling right in front of him. It was utterly inappropriate.

Meng Songnian looked stern. "Mind your own business!"

"..." Meng Fanchuan stayed silent for a moment and then directly pulled Cen Zhen to sit in the seats that faced away from them. "Why did you bring my parents along?"

"I wanted Uncle to get to know you better." Cen Zhen spoke softly, "You remember how he thought the racing was good last time? Let him come with us to ski—maybe he’ll like it, and then you two won’t have any more conflicts in the future."

Cen Zhen said this earnestly, though naively. Meng Songnian was the kind of person who had worn colored glasses for so many years. How could his views change so easily? The reason he accepted racing was only because he saw the profit in it.

But despite that, Meng Fanchuan was still touched by Cen Zhen’s kindness. He kissed her lips. "Thank you."

Cen Zhen quickly pulled away, lowering her voice. "…Your parents are here."

Her attempt to dodge only provoked Meng Fanchuan’s mischievous side. He cupped her face in his hand and kissed her deeply. Cen Zhen, caught off guard, couldn't escape. Although they were facing away from Meng Songnian and Zhuang Jiayi, and there was a seat between them, they were still in the same cabin. Cen Zhen opened her eyes wide, but the more she tried to push away, the tighter Meng Fanchuan held her. She eventually stopped moving, allowing him to kiss and tease her. After a long while, he let go.

Cen Zhen, breathing heavily, felt her face flush with embarrassment. Meanwhile, the person beside her remained calm, looking at her with a smile.

—

The plane landed at Mingzhou Airport at 11 a.m.

Mingzhou held beautiful memories for both Cen Zhen and Meng Fanchuan, especially for Cen Zhen. She would always remember how Meng Fanchuan, dressed in black skiing clothes, skied freely down the slopes. She remembered the blue hour sky that night when they arrived, and the moments when he accompanied her during practice later on.

Those were perhaps the moments Cen Zhen first felt a spark of attraction toward him.

So, after a simple lunch, the family headed straight to the ski resort where they had previously shot a promotional video.

It was ski season, and the resort was full of visitors. Meng Fanchuan, still with the aura of a big spender, immediately booked an entire slope for the family to enjoy.

Both Cen Zhen and Meng Fanchuan changed into their skiing outfits. Although Zhuang Jiayi had never skied before, she didn’t want to be a party pooper, so she changed into a ski suit as well and joined her son and daughter-in-law on the slopes.

Only Meng Songnian refused to change.

This was his first time at a ski resort, and Mr. Meng scanned the unfamiliar, lively scene with a neutral expression. His sharp eyes landed on the young people everywhere. The deep-colored wool coat he wore looked out of place, his strong presence making him resemble a leader inspecting work. Even the resort manager noticed him.

"Husband, aren’t you going to change?" Zhuang Jiayi, now in a ski suit similar to Cen Zhen's, asked. She wasn’t very skilled at skiing, but she was happy to be among the young crowd and even just observe the fun.

Meng Songnian maintained his serious image. "No, I’m not changing."Chapter 60 (continued)

Her tone softened, “You go ahead, I’ll watch you play.”

At this time, Zhuang Jiayi pointed to the ski slope above and asked, “Don’t you think our son looks handsome?”

Above the ski slope, a young couple had finished warming up and were already skiing down.

Cen Zhen hadn’t skied in a year, so her movements were a bit rusty. Meng Fanchuan held her hand, and the two of them slid down steadily. Occasionally, to cheer her up, Meng Fanchuan would suddenly show off some skills. Cen Zhen, genuinely enjoying it, would cheer loudly and watch him like a fangirl. Eventually, she stopped and focused entirely on watching him ski, her face filled with uncontained affection.

Meng Songnian squinted his eyes, watching his son above suddenly spin around or jump into the air, gracefully and nimbly performing various moves. His figure, effortlessly gliding in the snow, seemed to glow in the surroundings.

He remembered the video his son, Meng Fanchuan, had sent him when he was 18, skiing for the first time. At first, he hadn’t thought much of it, but at the end of the video, the recommended videos were about a snow avalanche in a certain snow mountain, where several skiers were buried.

Because he hadn’t raised his son before the age of seven, Meng Songnian always felt guilty toward him. As Meng Fanchuan grew older and his rebellious nature developed, this guilt had slowly turned into excessive worry and anxiety.

When he was 19, Meng Fanchuan no longer found ordinary ski resorts exciting and went to Canada to try out off-piste skiing. Meng Songnian frequently had nightmares of avalanches and his son being buried.

Shocked and frightened, Meng Songnian had since opposed Meng Fanchuan skiing.

First racing, then skiing—every time Meng Fanchuan took up something, Meng Songnian opposed it, and their father-son relationship grew more strained.

Over the years, although Meng Fanchuan seemed to have stopped doing things his father didn’t approve of, Meng Songnian could tell he genuinely enjoyed them.

For example, at this moment, it was the first time he saw his son’s sincere smile, and Cen Zhen’s gaze toward him was glowing.

She understood him.

They shared a deep spiritual resonance.

"Average," Meng Songnian answered Zhuang Jiayi after a long pause.

Zhuang Jiayi immediately saw through his insincerity, pursing her lips and poking at him. “What’s so average that you’re smiling about?”

Meng Songnian didn’t even know when he’d started smiling. He cleared his throat and said seriously, “I’m laughing because Cen Zhen fell.”

Zhuang Jiayi followed his gaze and saw that Cen Zhen had indeed fallen on the snow. But her usually distant son was already helping her up, checking her arms and legs, and then gently kissed her face, as if soothing her.

Zhuang Jiayi shook her head, smiling. "The snow at the resort is going to melt from all their sweetness."

She said this while walking toward her son and daughter-in-law. “I’m going to join them and play. You take care of yourself.”

Meng Songnian: "..."

A few minutes later, Mr. Meng saw the two young people happily playing with his wife on the ski slope.

Zhuang Jiayi didn’t know how to ski, so Cen Zhen and Meng Fanchuan guided her along the slope. Cen Zhen even strapped her own snow cushion to Zhuang Jiayi’s back.

—It was kind of cute, Meng Songnian thought to himself.

A slight pause—

Why did he have the urge to join them?

But Meng Songnian quickly dismissed this childish thought and continued to stand at the bottom of the slope, looking like an overseeing leader.

He held his ground for ten minutes, but when the three of them skied further away and became hard to see, Meng Songnian finally relented.

He decided to go find his wife, but someone who was used to authority didn’t immediately know how to take the ski lift. After looking around, he helplessly put his hands behind his back and began walking up step by step.

The ski slope Meng Fanchuan had reserved was about 800 meters long. As he walked, Meng Songnian cursed in his mind, thinking about how his 30,000 yuan shoes were getting buried in the snow.

It took him quite a while to get almost halfway up when Cen Zhen skied down alone. Seeing Meng Songnian stopped, she asked, "Uncle, what are you doing here?"

Meng Songnian paused for three seconds, then answered, "Just walking around."

Cen Zhen: "..." What a special hobby.

Since they had met, Cen Zhen took out her phone from her ski suit and opened a chat with Mo Xiang. After starting the video, she handed the phone to Meng Songnian. “Uncle, could you help me take a video? I need to send it to my agent.”

Earlier, while they were playing, Mo Xiang had called, reminding Cen Zhen that she hadn’t updated her Weibo for nearly half a month, and urging her to post something soon.

Cen Zhen had told Mo Xiang she was skiing in Mingzhou, and Mo Xiang suggested she post a picture or video from there. After all, sharing the promotional video’s filming location would show that Cen Zhen was sentimental, and it would give fans something to talk about.

It was the first time in her life, aside from Zhuang Jiayi, that someone had asked her to do something for them.

Meng Songnian stared heavily at his yet-to-be-daughter-in-law, thinking to himself that she was indeed like that brat—fearless and undaunted.

While thinking this, Meng Songnian still took the phone. “Press here, right?”

Cen Zhen nodded, fixed her hair, and stepped back two steps. When Meng Songnian gave her the "OK" sign, she immediately switched to her professional smile. "Hi, everyone, I’m Zhenzhen. It’s been a while since I’ve interacted with all of you. Guess where I am right now? Tell me in the comments, and the lucky one who guesses right—ah!—"

Before she could finish her sentence, a streak of black rushed past her side, and then—

With one hand, Meng Fanchuan suddenly scooped her up, and continued skiing away.

Meng Songnian, who had been focusing on filming his daughter-in-law’s business video: "?"Chapter 61 (continued)

What the heck just flew past?

Meng Songnian instinctively tracked the camera and soon realized—his rebellious son.

At this moment, his son was carrying his wife in a princess hold and skiing down.

Meng Songnian squinted as he watched, and after a while, the corners of his lips uncontrollably curved upward.

His methods were spot-on. Indeed, he knew how to make girls happy better than when he was younger.

Cen Zhen, who had been briefly startled for half a second, broke into a smile once she recognized it was Meng Fanchuan. Her sweet laughter echoed through the ski slope and was clearly recorded in the video.

Meng Songnian casually clicked to send the video to his daughter-in-law.

On the other side, Mo Xiang received the video and immediately sent a thumbs-up emoji: "Who wrote this script? It’s so natural!"

Mo Xiang logged into Cen Zhen's Weibo account and posted the video for her.

Fans quickly gathered:

“Wait? Wait? Wait??!!”

“Sister is in Mingzhou!! Ahhh, revisiting the place with her brother-in-law!”

“I knew brother-in-law could ski, but I didn’t expect him to ski so well.”

“Zhenzhen is smiling so happily, haha?!”

“Someone kill me, I want to cheer for the older brother and sister-in-law!!”

“Alright, alright, so this is how we’re playing it, huh! Woo woo woo, love watching, please take more videos!”

“Carrying his wife while skiing, brother-in-law is showing off so much boyfriend energy!”

“Second Master Meng, this arm strength, this balance, so impressive… I bet he carried her a lot tonight?”

“What kind of lewd comments are those upstairs?”

“Hahahahahahahaha, your little face is turning yellow.”

...

Cen Zhen had no idea that the video of her being carried while skiing had already been posted on Weibo. Being held in someone’s arms while skiing for the first time, Cen Zhen was so excited that she clung tightly to Meng Fanchuan’s shoulder, laughing and shouting into the wind, “Slow down, slow down, ahhh haha.”

The two completely ignored Meng Songnian standing in the middle of the slope. The old father was unsure whether to go up or down. After a brief pause, he decided to head back the way he came. After handing the phone back to Cen Zhen, he asked Meng Fanchuan, “Where’s your mother?”

“She’s resting upstairs. I’ll take her down now,” Meng Fanchuan said, giving Meng Songnian a side glance. “Do you want to come?”

Meng Songnian was cold. “No.”

Meng Fanchuan didn’t bother trying to persuade him and took the cable car up to the top alone. Zhuang Jiayi was a complete beginner and needed careful attention, so Meng Fanchuan helped his mother move slowly down the mountain. The first few hundred meters went smoothly, but that smoothness probably gave Zhuang Jiayi a false sense of security. When they reached the last hundred meters, she slightly loosened her grip on her son’s hand and said, “I’ll try on my own.”

A beginner, who hadn’t received any basic training, would obviously lose balance once they let go of support. Zhuang Jiayi, after skiing a few meters alone, began to lose control, and her path started veering off. Meng Fanchuan immediately rushed to her side and stopped her from falling, using his body as a cushion.

But he ended up crashing into the guardrail.

Zhuang Jiayi was unharmed, and immediately looked at her son apologetically, “Are you okay?”

Not far away, Cen Zhen and Meng Songnian rushed over, almost in unison asking Meng Fanchuan: “Did you get hurt anywhere?”

Meng Fanchuan was momentarily stunned and looked at Meng Songnian with some confusion.

Meng Songnian, embarrassed by his unsolicited concern, was silent for a few seconds. Seeing that Meng Fanchuan seemed fine, he stiffened his face and said, “I told you skiing is dangerous, but you wouldn’t listen.”

“I think it’s fun,” Zhuang Jiayi said, brushing the snow off Meng Fanchuan’s body. After experiencing it herself, she understood her son’s love for it. She turned to Meng Songnian and said, “Tomorrow, I’ll find a coach. Every winter, I’ll come here with the two of them to play.”

After saying that, she looked at Meng Songnian. “What about you?”

The three of them looked at Meng Songnian together.

Meng Songnian: “…”

After a long pause, he reluctantly squeezed out, “Why look for a coach? Since he’s so good, let him teach us.”

—“Us.”

Cen Zhen couldn’t hold back her laughter. Before Meng Fanchuan could speak, she took his hand and intertwined it with Meng Songnian’s, saying with a meaningful smile, “No problem, he’ll definitely teach Uncle and Aunt well.”

It was another one of those sunset moments on the snow-covered mountain. The entire sky was a cool, deep blue, and everything was silent. The father and son, whose relationship had been distant for years, seemed to slowly close the gap, gradually mending their bond in that moment.

It turned out that during the Blue Hour, romance and emotions could truly unfold.

After dinner, back at the hotel, Meng Fanchuan had just finished his shower and walked out of the bathroom when Cen Zhen pulled him to the sofa.

“Let me see if there’s a bruise,” she said as she reached for the tie of his bathrobe.

Meng Fanchuan was caught off guard and immediately grabbed her hand. “It’s fine.”

“Don’t lie to me, I saw you hit the metal bar on the railing.” Cen Zhen was worried. During dinner, she went to the ski resort to find the doctor who had checked her leg before, got some ointment, and planned to apply it for Meng Fanchuan.

She insisted on checking, and Meng Fanchuan had no choice. He let go, leaning back on the sofa to let her do it.

Cen Zhen untied his bathrobe and immediately spotted a bruise on his waist near his lower abdomen.

“Didn’t you say it was fine?” Her heart ached instantly as she squeezed out the ointment. “Good thing I got this from the doctor.”

But for a man like Meng Fanchuan, this was hardly an injury.

He didn’t speak, his gaze lowered, watching Cen Zhen in front of him.

Cen Zhen had showered earlier, and now, kneeling before him, her sweet scent wafted over, soothing his entire body.

Her soft hands moved gently on his lower abdomen, carefully applying the ointment.

Meng Fanchuan just watched her, his Adam’s apple bobbing unconsciously.

The hotel at the ski resort was too quiet at night, so silent it seemed he could hear Cen Zhen’s breathing.

She was almost pressed against his abdomen, her warm breath brushing his skin, triggering a cascade of reactions.

“Does it hurt?” Cen Zhen, oblivious to the man’s changes, finished applying the ointment and even leaned down to blow gently on the bruise, slowly and softly along the mark, until her hand unknowingly brushed the edge of his underwear.

They were too close.

Cen Zhen had been focused on the bruise, completely unaware of the reaction stirring in front of her.

She froze for a moment, her hand pausing at the waistband of his black underwear, her face slightly flushed.

Only then did she realize—her current position was far too suggestive, too easy to misinterpret.

Cen Zhen swallowed, wanting to explain she hadn’t meant to tease, but when she looked up and met Meng Fanchuan’s gaze—

His eyes were dark, the bathrobe undone by her, familiar emotions roiling wordlessly within.

Outside, some bird flew by, leaving a trail of chirps.

Their eyes locked. Though Meng Fanchuan said nothing, the air in the room suddenly thickened.

Cen Zhen awkwardly lowered her gaze, unable to ignore the spot in her peripheral vision. She coughed, tucking her loose hair behind her ear. “Does it still hurt?”

After a moment, Meng Fanchuan’s voice came from above.

His tone was low, slightly hoarse. “Would it?”

His words were vague, but Cen Zhen understood. Her face burned uncontrollably, and after a pause, she gently shook her head.

“Then get up.” Meng Fanchuan reached to pull her up, but Cen Zhen didn’t move.

Her hand, paused at the edge of his pants, hesitated, then suddenly tugged them down.

Meng Fanchuan: “…”

“Let me try.” Cen Zhen didn’t know what possessed her. Perhaps because it was always Meng Fanchuan finding ways to please her, and now, sensing his need, she looked up, her eyes glistening as she asked, “Is that okay?”

Meng Fanchuan’s gaze darkened, her words nearly unraveling his control.

…

It was Cen Zhen’s first time seeing so closely. She licked her slightly dry lips, nervous and a little scared because it was beyond her imagination.

A few seconds later, in the quiet room, Meng Fanchuan’s body visibly tensed.

He quickly turned his head away, avoiding looking.

Afraid he couldn’t handle it, afraid he’d lose control and end up hurting her.

But even without looking, his body’s reactions told him what Cen Zhen was doing.

He let out a strained breath, his throat swallowing instinctively, his entire body taut with the overwhelming sensation.

She was inexperienced, her clumsy attempts driving Meng Fanchuan to the edge.

“I don’t think I can do it.” A few minutes later, Cen Zhen looked up with difficulty, even coughing twice, her voice barely a whisper. “Yours is too…”

Meng Fanchuan looked at her flushed, glossy lips. His hand slowly slid to her face, touching her soft skin, tightening slightly, and suddenly pulled her into his arms to sit.

He pressed her back, kissing her deeply, entwining their tongues, his hand sliding down as if to meld her into him.

The sticky sounds filled her ears, and Cen Zhen’s body softened under the kiss. The heat of his body against hers was scorching. Suddenly, he lifted her by the waist and set her on the entryway table. She heard him tear something open before she could react—

The intensity made Cen Zhen gasp, trembling as she reached for something to hold onto, causing a white porcelain vase to topple in the rush.

“What kind of ointment did you apply?” He nibbled her earlobe, his voice low and teasing. “You’ve melted it all.”

“…”

Cen Zhen felt the cool wall against her back with each movement, baffled at how applying ointment had led to this.

But it didn’t seem like his fault.

“Then… I’ll reapply it later.” Exposed under the entryway’s overhead light, her body flushed a damp pink. Her hands rested on Meng Fanchuan’s shoulders as she shyly whispered, “Can we go to the bed?”

Meng Fanchuan paused, obediently lifting her. Cen Zhen, suddenly airborne, instinctively wrapped her legs around his waist.

But Meng Fanchuan didn’t head to the bed.

“Your fans say I must do a lot of carrying at night.”

“…”

“I haven’t, actually.” Holding her steadily, he lowered her slowly, saying deliberately, “Let’s try it tonight.”