Chapter 77: Never Too Many

“That’s amazing. She’s way too cool!” A colleague standing near Zhou Jianghao watched in a daze. “Now I actually believe she’s a real ski instructor.”

Watching Tan Qingya like this made Zhou Jianghao’s heart pound.

Tan Qingya soon came to a stop not far away, only to be immediately surrounded by a swarm of admirers. Squeezed in tight, she put on a cold expression. “Excuse me, make way.”

When Tan Qingya went cold like that, her aura intensified. Even with her goggles on, everyone could feel the pressure she exuded, and the crowd instinctively parted.

“Miss, can we add you on WeChat?” One bolder admirer, clearly smitten by Tan Qingya’s display, mustered the courage to keep chatting her up.

Tan Qingya yanked off her glove, exposing the ring on her finger. “Sorry,” she replied bluntly. “I’m married.”

With that, she darted through the gap in the crowd and sped straight toward Zhou Jianghao.

She wedged herself right between Zhou Jianghao and Liu Zhiyi, a smile on her face. “How was that run?”

“You were great,” Zhou Jianghao said without holding back on the praise. Her eyes sparkled beneath her goggles, and no one else was in her sight. “Better than anyone else here.”

There was an uncharacteristic joy in her tone, making it clear the girl was genuinely impressed.

Tan Qingya fought to keep her curving lips in check. If they weren’t out in public, she would have kissed her right then. In the end, she couldn’t quite suppress it, and the corners of her mouth twitched upward anyway.

Remembering this was Zhou Jianghao’s department team-building event, she touched her nose. “I’ll head to the other side, then.”

With that, she quickly skied away.

She had arrived fast and left just as fast, but no matter where she went, Tan Qingya seemed to be the center of attention for the entire slope.

Zhou Jianghao struggled to tear her gaze away.

The slope was huge, and skiing down it was far more thrilling. In that shaky moment of descent, the cold wind whipping across her face felt refreshing and exhilarating—like flying.

Of course, danger was part of it too.

A cry of alarm rang out nearby. Someone had fallen from higher up, tumbling uncontrollably downward, knocking over several people and still picking up speed as they barreled toward the bottom.

Zhou Jianghao’s eyelid twitched. She started to shift to the side when a gust of wind hit. Before she could fully register that it was Tan Qingya, the woman had grabbed her hands and pulled her into a steady glide off to the side.

“Silly girl, were you just standing there waiting to get hit?” Tan Qingya was equal parts exasperated and helpless. Once they were in a safe spot, she couldn’t hold back. She yanked off her glove and pinched Zhou Jianghao’s cheek hard.

She had told Zhou Jianghao so many safety tips, but the girl seemed not to have taken any of them to heart.

Somewhat angrily, she demanded, “Did you just let everything I said go in one ear and out the other?”

“I was about to move,” Zhou Jianghao protested, sensing Tan Qingya’s irritation.

She glanced back at the spot where she had been standing. By sheer coincidence, the fallen skier had come to a stop right there, curled up on the ground and not moving for a long moment.

Remembering what Tan Qingya had told her, Zhou Jianghao said earnestly, “You also said that if you feel like you’re about to fall, you should fall sideways and then quickly move to a safe area away from the slope.”

Then she froze. “That person doesn’t seem to know about moving to a safe area.”

The skier had sat up by now, but showed no sign of leaving the zone.

Tan Qingya fell silent.

Even a total beginner should at least read the guides before hitting the slopes, right? If she remembered correctly, the ski resort had posted plenty of signs warning skiers to quickly clear the path after a fall.

Lying right where you fell was dangerous for everyone—yourself included.

After a moment of quiet, she patted Zhou Jianghao’s head. “Don’t wander off. Stay right here like a good girl.”

Zhou Jianghao watched in shock as Tan Qingya grabbed the person by the collar of their jacket and dragged them over. She was stunned that Tan Qingya would bother helping a stranger at all, and even more stunned by how rough she was about it.

This was far rougher than when she had held both of Zhou Jianghao’s hands earlier.

Surprisingly, the person being dragged along had a good temper about it. They didn’t make a peep the whole way.

Zhou Jianghao frowned as she studied the lower half of the person’s face. Something about them seemed familiar.

Tan Qingya finally dropped the person unceremoniously onto the snow. The rough handling drew a startled yelp from them, their mouth flying open.

At the unexpected sight of their full set of teeth, Zhou Jianghao suddenly placed them. “Miss Pei.”

It was Pei Shulan—the same Pei Shulan who had once come to her for a tooth extraction and even posted a photo of Tan Qingya on WeChat Moments. Tan Qingya’s sworn rival.

With that realization, Zhou Jianghao instinctively edged closer to Tan Qingya.

Pei Shulan, who had been planning to play stranger, froze for a second. Then she tsked. Blame her natural beauty—even with half her face covered, these two had still recognized her.

Sitting on the ground like that was hardly ladylike. If they hadn’t known it was her, she could have shamelessly acted like some image-free nobody. But now that they had, she had to mind her manners.

Propping herself up, she struggled for ages to stand. She churned up a pit in the snow beneath her backside but still couldn’t get up.

“…”

All under the watchful eyes of this couple.

She gave up, staying seated on the ground and forcing herself to look casual despite the embarrassment. “Doctor Zhou. Fancy meeting you here.”

Zhou Jianghao averted her gaze and turned to Tan Qingya. “Let’s go.”

Tan Qingya, naturally putting her wife first, nodded. “Sure.”

Seeing that they were really about to leave, Pei Shulan grew anxious. “Hey! Help me up first!”

Tan Qingya glanced back coolly. “Miss, do we know you? If you’ve got time to flirt, you should deal with those innocent skiers you bowled over first.”

Not far off, the people Pei Shulan had knocked flying were already heading their way, supported by their friends. They clearly looked ready for a confrontation.

Pei Shulan trailed off.

As the two walked over side by side, their colleagues—who had gathered together—asked with concern, “You two okay?”

“We’re fine,” Zhou Jianghao said, shaking her head.

Tan Qingya suddenly spoke up. “It’s getting late. Does anyone have plans for lunch?”

The colleagues exchanged glances; clearly, no one did. Finally, the eldest among them, Doctor Lan, replied, “We’re thinking of checking out spots nearby and picking whatever looks good.”

“I know a nice restaurant close by. The owner is a friend of mine, so we could get a group discount if we go together.” Tan Qingya asked politely, “Want to join?”

The offer was too tempting to pass up.

They all knew it wasn’t great to keep imposing on a stranger, but the thrill of the discounted gear rentals earlier had them hooked. Now, just the word “discount” had them eager.

“Wouldn’t that be imposing?”

“Come on, the more the merrier.”

Tan Qingya settled it, and after some half-hearted protests, the others removed their gear and followed her to what she called her friend’s restaurant.

Zhou Jianghao, with her arm looped through Tan Qingya’s, asked curiously, “Is it Yan Weining’s place?”

“No.” Tan Qingya didn’t hide it from Zhou Jianghao. “It’s a Pei Family business.”

“The Pei Family?” Zhou Jianghao nearly choked on her own saliva. “Didn’t you say you two are archrivals?”

“Of course we are,” Tan Qingya affirmed confidently. “I just saved their family heir’s life back there. A discount is the least they can do, right?”

Amusement danced in her eyes. “If word got out that the Pei heir’s life isn’t worth a meal discount, Pei Shulan would never live it down.”

Zhou Jianghao gave Tan Qingya a thoughtful look.

Even with a discount, wouldn’t Pei Shulan still get laughed at? The Pei heir’s life worth just a meal discount?

Thanks to that, though, for the team-building’s first meal, she ended up sitting right next to Tan Qingya.

It felt strangely novel.

During the toasts, watching Tan Qingya extend her glass alongside her—now fully part of the oral surgery department’s big group—Zhou Jianghao felt a moment of daze.

“Where does Little Zhou find wives like this?” After a couple of drinks, everyone loosened up and spoke freely. “She’s gorgeous and has a great personality. So enviable!”

The topic circling back to her made Zhou Jianghao uncomfortable.

“We’ve known each other since we were kids,” Tan Qingya cut in, noticing Zhou Jianghao’s reaction. She glanced meaningfully at Liu Zhiyi. “Your department has plenty of pretty doctors too.”

Everyone quickly followed her lead, turning to jokes and matchmaking among the department’s young staff.

Most of the colleagues got teased, but Zhou Jianghao escaped unscathed—married, after all, with her wife right there holding court.

They skipped skiing that afternoon, instead playing plenty of team-building games on the snow. Tan Qingya didn’t join in, only reappearing at the end when everyone was getting ready to head home.

“Was it fun?” Tan Qingya asked from the driver’s seat.

Zhou Jianghao nodded. “It was okay. Everyone seemed to have a good time.”

“And you?” Tan Qingya tapped the steering wheel. She didn’t care how the others fared; she only wanted to know about her wife.

“It was decent,” Zhou Jianghao said, unsure how else to put it. “A bit unfamiliar, but not as scary as I imagined.”

It was probably because Tan Qingya had stuck by her side for most of the day, plus the gratitude over the discounts. Even the teasing felt softer, with Tan Qingya’s presence smoothing things over.

Zhou Jianghao suddenly remembered the photos she’d looked at several times. Her eyes lit up. “A colleague took some pictures of us. I think they’re great—want me to send them?”

“Of course.”

With her wife, she could never have too many.

Zhou Jianghao, fresh from team-building with her colleagues, was clearly a little excited. On the way back, she was unusually chatty. When Tan Qingya took the initiative to ask, she chattered on like a little bird, sharing plenty of funny stories from the day’s games.

She brimmed with newfound vitality.

The amusement in Tan Qingya’s eyes deepened.

She loved seeing Zhou Jianghao like this. A Zhou Jianghao who wasn’t shut away in her own world shone far brighter than usual. Her expressions were lively, her eyes no longer a stagnant pool but clear and bright, full of life.

That evening, Tan Qingya examined Zhou Jianghao’s injuries.

Though she had dressed warmly and worn protective gear, games and skiing inevitably brought bumps and bruises. Word was, they had even held a long-jump contest that afternoon. The girl had leaped far, but she hadn’t kept her balance and had gone down hard on her knees, bruising them black and blue.

Of course, beyond the scrapes, the real killer was the muscle soreness everywhere.

So Tan Qingya turned into a personal masseuse, ready to knead the spots for Zhou Jianghao, who had obediently submitted to the checkup.

“I feel like I won’t be able to get out of bed tomorrow,” Zhou Jianghao sighed wistfully, every inch of her body aching.

No sooner had the words left her mouth than Tan Qingya’s hand pressed down.

Caught off guard, she let out a soft whimper. In the quiet room, the sound felt abrupt—and all the more intimate.

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