Chapter 47

Chapter 47 Rose x Kiss

The two of them hugged tightly for a moment, feeling the continuous warmth radiating from Jiang Ji. Ji Mingzhu wrinkled her nose a little helplessly.

“How did you happen to come here?”

Her voice was broken by the wind, dissolving into the snow.

Jiang Ji didn’t respond to her question. He held her waist and said, “What about you? Did the car break down?”

Jiang Ji’s intention had always been to find her.

After wandering around here for a long time, he hadn’t seen Ji Mingzhu’s license plate.

When renting a car from the tourist center, they used transparent glass windows to display the rental information. The renter had to remove all posted information and return it along with the car keys to complete the transaction.

Jiang Ji had kept an eye out for her license plate.

Just a glance was enough for him to memorize it.

Knowing Ji Mingzhu would come here, he waited at the entrance.

But waves of tourists descended the mountain, and she didn’t appear.

Jiang Ji didn’t worry too much. Regardless of the closing time for the parking area, he ignored the staff’s instructions and insisted on coming in.

Fortunately, Jiang Ji didn’t spend too much time.

After circling around, he spotted an SUV on a relatively flat stretch of grassland.

But before he could approach and inspect it carefully,

Ji Mingzhu leapt straight toward him, diving into his arms as if diving into water.

In such a cold day, with snow swirling everywhere,

The chill bit her face, but it couldn’t dampen Jiang Ji’s good mood.

Ji Mingzhu nodded. “It’s out of fuel… I actually thought this car was no good earlier… When I get back, I’m definitely going to complain about this tourist center!”

Efficiency in Northern Europe wasn’t high. They probably hadn’t even checked how much fuel was left, letting the renters take their chances.

“If the car doesn’t work, we’ll call a tow truck, or just hand it back to the rental center,” Jiang Ji patted her shoulder. “Go get the things you left in the car.”

“.........Ah?”

“Your car still works?” Jiang Ji raised an eyebrow. “Come over here, get in my car.”

Ji Mingzhu thought that made sense. As she held his hand, it began to slip, but in that instant, Jiang Ji stopped her.

“Forget it,” he sighed softly. “No rush.”

Ji Mingzhu was confused: ?

“Let’s hug for a while first.”

“............”

In such cold weather, Jiang Ji’s desire was to just hug for a while!

Ji Mingzhu finally realized and quickly tried to let go of him.

But Jiang Ji easily looped his wrist around her and slightly blocked her, and she found herself back in his arms.

With the addition of the closeness, Ji Mingzhu’s cheeks turned pink.

It was unclear whether it was from embarrassment or the cold wind.

Eventually, she couldn’t follow his wishes. She freed herself and ran to her car.

Ji Mingzhu had gotten out in such a hurry that opening the car door conveniently allowed her to slip inside.

Jiang Ji followed a few steps behind, standing and watching.

After a moment, Ji Mingzhu quickly checked her equipment and important belongings. When she turned around, her cheek brushed against the collar of his coat.

Jiang Ji brushed her face, lowered his gaze to make sure she hadn’t been scratched, then reached out to help her, directly instructing, “Let me do it.”

……

Once everything was tidied up, Ji Mingzhu sat in the passenger seat, her gaze fixed on the car opposite.

Jiang Ji sat beside her, and the car cabin was quiet.

Outside, light snow continued to fall.

The distant scenery was barely visible, just a hazy blur.

As reality slowly sank in, Ji Mingzhu suddenly recalled the previous moment.

Her every movement played out in her mind like a movie on a large screen, in slow motion, frame by frame.

She couldn’t shake it off.

…Just now, she actually—

She had been so proactive!

Diving straight toward him!

It felt like a little lamb running and frolicking.

Ji Mingzhu glanced at him sideways, again, and again… sneakily stealing another glance.

By the fourth time, Jiang Ji directly turned his head and said, “Looks like we can’t leave today.”

“Your car’s out of fuel too?” Ji Mingzhu asked blankly.

Perhaps the number of situations she’d faced from before until now had left her with a rare, innocent silliness.

Jiang Ji stared at the little patch of snow on the tip of her nose that hadn’t melted yet and smiled softly.

“You said you finally weren’t stupid, but now it seems you still are,” Jiang Ji said, withdrawing his gaze. He took out his phone and swiped rapidly with his fingers. “The area over there is already closed, we can’t drive down the mountain, and in this weather, we can’t walk back either.”

“So…?”

“We’ll have to spend the night in the car.”

Jiang Ji put the receiver to his ear. “I’ll call the landlady so she won’t worry about us.”

A few seconds after the call went through, someone on the other end answered. Jiang Ji explained the whole situation in detail.

“Yes, you don’t need to wait for us anymore. It’s flat here, very safe.”

After saying this, Jiang Ji looked at Ji Mingzhu deeply. “Yes, I know. She’s right here with me now.”

“If we haven’t returned by noon tomorrow, just in case, you can send someone up to help.”

“Alright, goodbye.”

After hanging up, he was about to ask if Ji Mingzhu was hungry when he saw her hunched over, searching for something.

Jiang Ji patiently waited as Ji Mingzhu pulled out a thin, pink, square sticker-like item.

Seeing him stare silently, Ji Mingzhu thought he didn’t recognize it. “You probably don’t know this. You haven’t used it before. It’s a hand warmer.”

Jiang Ji paused. If he said he knew it, he actually knew it quite well.

“Weren’t you cold outside just now? Here, take it,” Ji Mingzhu said, shoving it into his hand.

Jiang Ji took it from her palm and then went straight to the point. “Going out in snowy weather is dangerous. You even drove up the mountain? What would you have done if I hadn’t been here today?”

On one hand, Jiang Ji wanted to find her and didn’t want to spend the extra half-day alone. On the other, seeing the snowy roads outside today, he couldn’t help but feel endless worry.

These factors combined, successfully driving him to chase after her.

“Got it. Just use the hand warmer.”

This time, Ji Mingzhu listened to Jiang Ji and, unusually, didn’t argue back.

Because……

Even though Jiang Ji knew how dangerous this was, he still followed without hesitation, just to find her, wasn’t that so?

Ji Mingzhu’s heart surged, waves of emotion crashing, leaving her momentarily at a loss for words.

She softly called his name, “Jiang Ji.”

“Hm?”

“Thank you for today.”

……

The situation had arisen suddenly; neither of them was prepared.

But now that they really had to spend the night in the car, many tricky problems emerged.

The car’s heater wasn’t sufficient—after all, it depended on fuel. If it ran all night in gear, Jiang Ji’s car might stall by tomorrow morning.

“Let’s go to the back seat,” Jiang Ji suggested after thinking for a moment.

Seeing Ji Mingzhu’s confusion, he slowly explained, “More space there, easier to move around.”

But when Ji Mingzhu actually moved to the back seat, she really felt she had been tricked by Jiang Ji!

The back seat had no barriers between seats, and his long legs would occasionally stretch close, brushing against her subtly.

She didn’t mind at all.

“Why do I feel like I’ve been trapped…”

“Who’s trapping whom?” Jiang Ji pointed outside, where the world was already darkened, nightfall approaching.

“…You’re trapping me!” Ji Mingzhu replied quickly, though her guilty tone betrayed her.

Jiang Ji didn’t argue, letting it slide.

He noticed Ji Mingzhu sneaking a little closer to him. “Afraid now?”

If Jiang Ji weren’t here tonight…

She definitely would have been—afraid, confused, terrified of the dark.

After all, she was alone in the wilderness.

Now, no matter how she looked at Jiang Ji, he seemed perfect to her.

And just now, his embrace…

It was so warm, warm enough that she wanted to bury herself in it even longer.

“How long are you going to keep inching closer?”

Jiang Ji’s voice came unexpectedly in the cabin.

Ji Mingzhu instinctively let out a small “Eh,” and the next moment felt the world spin.

Jiang Ji turned sideways, reaching his hands around, looping under her knees, and with just a bit of force, lifted Ji Mingzhu onto his lap.

She was forced to hook her arms around his neck, her legs pressed together, sitting on his thighs.

They had been in this position before.

But this close contact, fully awake, breathing intertwined…

Ji Mingzhu exhaled softly, “What are you doing…”

Jiang Ji’s tone was serious, “It’ll be very cold tonight. This way we can keep each other warm.”

Looking at his handsome face so close, Ji Mingzhu felt her heartbeat nearly leap out of her chest.

Thump. Thump.

Loud and clear, sharp and unmistakable.

“Aren’t you afraid your legs will go numb?”

Jiang Ji shook his head.

But after being in this position, Ji Mingzhu didn’t dare shift at all, afraid of touching the wrong spot, so she stayed completely still.

Seeing her uncomfortable, Jiang Ji’s long hand slid up her delicate leg, inch by inch.

His fingertips seemed to carry a fiery warmth that blurred the world before Ji Mingzhu’s eyes.

Her knees softened, but she still tried to stop his hand.

Yet Jiang Ji didn’t listen—he used his hand to gently part her legs, guiding her to sit straddled on his thighs.

Ji Mingzhu’s hands looped around his neck, almost choking him in the process.

After a silent exchange, a subtle struggle of give and take…

Both sides finally yielded.

Ji Mingzhu tilted her head, resting it on Jiang Ji’s shoulder, listening carefully, still a little breathless.

“I really underestimated you before…”

This man was not only strong, but in silence, he was the most mischievous!

Jiang Ji noticed her thin clothes under the coat, lightly furrowing his brows.

Even in his embrace, Ji Mingzhu still looked a little cold.

He lowered his gaze, didn’t think twice, and took off his coat.

The coat was large enough to drape around Ji Mingzhu’s back, wrapping them both in warmth.

Close, dark, exclusive.

A world just for the two of them.

“Still cold?”

“…Not really.”

Jiang Ji leaned back against the seat, his arms tightening around Ji Mingzhu. As expected, her soft body pressed uncontrollably against him.

Outside, the snowy world lay pristine.

Inside, he held the one he cherished, entwined like mandarin ducks.

“At that time, you thought it was me… Did you cry when you went back?” Jiang Ji said slowly.

He was referring to that mistaken night.

Just thinking about it, he could almost feel her pain.

His heart tightened sharply, a raw, stripped sensation—he had felt the same then.

Jiang Ji spoke in a statement, not a question.

He truly understood her.

After that night, Ji Mingzhu hadn’t returned home before she cried.

That evening, Ji Shaoyan was at a loss, not knowing what had happened to her.

The next day, she applied to go abroad.

Returning to the present—

Ji Mingzhu didn’t answer directly, instead asking, “And you? When you thought it was someone else, did you cry sadly too?!”

“Not to the point of crying.”

But the heartbreak was real.

They didn’t speak again, sharing the rare, quiet peace in mutual silence.

The whole world seemed to quiet down, all the noise dissipating.

Amidst the vast, bustling splendor, it felt as if only this one car remained.

“…Jiang Ji… you just made a call.”

“Mm.”

“You said if we can’t return by tomorrow noon, someone will come to rescue us.” Ji Mingzhu looked up at him; under the coat, in the dim, shadowy world, his eyes were dark and bright.

Ji Mingzhu hummed, leaning forward to nibble lightly on his jaw. “Do you think… we’ll die here?”

Jiang Ji lowered his head, pressing a kiss on her lips, slowly caressing. “No.”

Instantly, Ji Mingzhu froze.

Perhaps it was because they had been under the coat for so long.

Like a barren field set ablaze, her world ignited into fireworks with Jiang Ji’s assertive kiss.

Then, without waiting for Ji Mingzhu to react, he leaned in fully, resting his forehead against hers. “I’m here with you.”