◎Nanyan Addiction and Xu My Sole Intention.◎
Daily Life Arc
008
~~~
A Strange Gathering · Part Two
~~~
Xu Yan had booked rooms at Snow Mountain Garden. The place had a square layout with a rustic charm. Each room was its own standalone courtyard, complete with an outdoor hot spring pool fed by the naturally boiling waters from the mountain above.
Originally, Xu Yan’s plan had been for the whole group to finish dinner together and then take a short walk up the mountain outside the hotel to soak in the large communal hot spring.
But plans rarely survived contact with reality.
The moment Jiang Nanxi scooped Xia Zhiyan into her arms and carried her away, Xu Yan’s carefully laid arrangements were doomed to fall apart.
Chen Yi led the way back to their room, reminding Su Dai not to drink too much on her own.
Zhouyu chimed in, “Don’t worry, I’ve got her.”
Chen Yi shot Zhouyu a pointed stare, biting back the retort that Zhouyu’s presence actually made her more uneasy.
She glanced at Su Dai, who waved her off with a grin. “Go on, don’t babysit me.”
Su Dai had already ended the video call she’d been on earlier and was now focused on the freshly opened bottle of plum wine sitting on the table.
Zhouyu watched her for a moment, hesitating, before standing and shifting to the seat beside her.
Su Dai glanced up, raising the plum wine bottle toward Zhouyu with a playful smile. “What, Teacher Zhou? Care for a drink?”
Zhouyu didn’t reply right away. Instead, after studying Su Dai for a beat, she said softly, “Don’t drink too much.”
Su Dai’s expression faltered.
Truth be told, she and Zhouyu had gotten into a massive fight before this trip. It was exactly as she’d told Chen Yi—they’d been out eating when Su Dai got a call from her mother nagging her about marriage. Annoyed, Su Dai had snapped back at her.
She’d assumed that was the end of it, but Zhouyu had to bring it up out of nowhere. “Su Dai, seriously—have you ever even thought about getting married?”
Su Dai had shot back, “Zhouyu, what the hell are you getting at?”
Zhouyu replied, “I mean, don’t you want a real relationship? Always hanging around with me like this…”
Su Dai’s temper had ignited instantly.
“What? You offering to play matchmaker?”
Zhouyu pursed her lips. “I can’t help you there. I don’t know many guys.”
That single sentence was all it took for Su Dai to fantasize about upending the entire bottle of wine over Zhouyu’s head.
Did she even realize what she’d just said?
The argument escalated quickly. Su Dai had grabbed her bag and stormed out, making sure to pay the bill on her way.
A few days later, seeing Zhouyu again stirred up the same anger in Su Dai—but mostly an aching, indefinable sense of grievance.
It had all started with her drinking too much around Zhouyu.
And now, Zhouyu wouldn’t even share a drink with her anymore.
“What are you saying?” Su Dai asked quietly. “Want to call it quits?”
Zhouyu lowered her gaze. “We can’t keep this up forever, can we?”
Rage boiled up inside Su Dai. She desperately wanted to demand: Zhouyu, in all those nights of passion we’ve shared, were you ever sincere for even a second? They’d been at this for over a year now, and Zhouyu still thought she needed a boyfriend?
But Su Dai held the words back.
She was terrified that voicing them would mean defeat.
“Fine,” Su Dai said, her face cold. “Then we’re done.”
“You go ahead.” She glanced up at Zhouyu. “I’ll head back to my room later.”
Zhouyu shook her head. “I’ll stay with you.”
Su Dai slammed her wine glass down, shattering it.
“I said leave.”
If Zhouyu didn’t go, Su Dai was afraid she’d grab her by the collar and blurt out everything: Didn’t you say I was still straight? Why are you so good to a straight girl? Are you crazy? Do you get off on the drama?
As the two of them stared each other down, the atmospheres in the two occupied courtyards were worlds apart.
Xia Zhiyan was already draped all over Jiang Nanxi. A little drunk, she was even more clingy than usual.
In the room across from them, warm yellow lights flickered on. The curtains at the window were drawn, letting only the faintest glow seep through.
Xu Yan flopped straight onto the bed the moment they returned to their room. Chen Yi assumed she was exhausted and started unpacking the suitcase for fresh clothes and toiletries. But Xu Yan rolled onto her side, propping herself up to gaze at Chen Yi, her eyes soft and brimming with tenderness.
“Little Yi,” she murmured.
Chen Yi was too busy rummaging to look up. “Yeah, wife? What’s up?”
“Grab my swimsuit for me.” Xu Yan pointed. “Side pocket in the suitcase, black pouch.”
“Huh?” Chen Yi turned. “You wanna hit the hot spring right now?”
“Why not?”
“You’ve been drinking—”
“I’m not drunk!”
Chen Yi couldn’t help laughing at the petulant tone.
That sure didn’t sound like someone stone-cold sober.
She approached the bed and squatted down, cradling Xu Yan’s face in her hands. “No hot springs after drinking, okay?”
“But I want to,” Xu Yan whined, pouting. She reached out and tugged Chen Yi’s collar. “I wanna soak with you.”
Chen Yi sighed helplessly and pulled out her phone to check. The articles said it was fine after a two-hour wait post-drinks.
“Okay, let’s kill some time first.” She planted a kiss on the tip of Xu Yan’s nose. “I’ve got my handheld console, some board games, and then…”
Xu Yan cut her off with a kiss, silencing everything else.
“I don’t want those.” Her fingers deftly undid the tiny buttons on Chen Yi’s wool vest. “I wanna play this.”
Her palm slid over to tease at the sensitive spot beside the fastenings.
Chen Yi let out a muffled groan and flipped the script, taking control.
By the time they made it from the bed to the hot spring, nearly two hours had passed.
Xu Yan had changed into a sleek black bikini. She’d packed one for Chen Yi too, but Chen Yi felt too self-conscious to wear it alone and threw a loose short-sleeved shirt over top.
They sank into the steaming water, their bare skin pressed flush together. They held each other close, basking in the quiet intimacy for a long stretch.
Then, without warning, snow began to drift down from the sky.
Flakes landed in the hot spring and melted away on contact.
Chen Yi spotted one settling on Xu Yan’s hair and brushed it away with gentle fingers. But no matter how quickly she moved, more kept coming. Xu Yan dissolved into laughter at the sight of her earnest, clumsy efforts and leaned back into Chen Yi’s embrace.
The hot spring enveloped them in warmth, steam curling upward. The snow was icy and light, falling in gentle sheets. It was nighttime, yet the red wooden carved lanterns overhead bathed their little world in a glow, making the snowflakes sparkle amid the drifting white mist that softened everything into a dreamlike haze.
In the swirling snow, Xu Yan blinked.
Tiny flakes clung to her long lashes.
“Chen Yi,” she said suddenly, “I wish you were a snowflake.”
“Why?” Chen Yi tilted her head down at the woman nestled against her.
Xu Yan lifted a hand to catch one. The moment it touched her skin, it vanished.
She imagined that if Chen Yi were a snowflake, she could hold her completely, for a whole lifetime.
But a second later, Xu Yan shook her head with a soft smile.
“Forget it—snowflakes aren’t right.” She tipped her face up, eyes shimmering with deep, unspoken love. “Chen Yi, next life, let’s be flowers. Or trees. Planted right here in these mountains.”
Nowhere else—just together.
Chen Yi thought the idea sounded risky—who knew when some fool might come along with a chainsaw? But she wouldn’t ruin the moment. “Okay,” she murmured, leaning down to kiss Xu Yan’s lips.
She understood exactly what Xu Yan meant.
Next life or not, she wanted to spend every single day of this one with her.
They kissed for a while until Xu Yan’s breaths came uneven.
When they parted, she grinned. “This angle’s hell on my neck.”
“Switch it up.”
Water sloshed as Xu Yan shifted, straddling Chen Yi’s lap. Satisfied, she leaned in close. “Baby, wanna try it right here?”
Chen Yi often marveled at how Xu Yan seemed so cool and distant to the outside world, yet harbored these roaring inner flames.
Flames that only she could see.
~~~
The next day, Xu Yan was thoroughly pleased with how the birthday gathering had gone.
Zhouyu and Su Dai rose early, chatting and laughing as if nothing had happened. No one knew about their fight—or what the future held for them.
Xia Zhiyan suggested they all go hiking. Word was there was an old temple at the summit that was famously efficacious for prayers and offerings.
Xu Yan agreed.
On the trail, Su Dai sidled up to Chen Yi and called out to Jiang Nanxi, who was walking ahead. “Hey, Nan Nan! Thanks for introducing me to Shen Dai. I swear, it’s like she’s another version of me. Oh, by the way—you know you and the Summer Film Queen have a ship name?”
“I do,” Jiang Nanxi replied. “Nanyan Addiction?”
“Wow!” Su Dai gasped, genuinely shocked.
Even the main pair knew about it.
She turned to Chen Yi. “And you know you and Sister Xu have one too?”
Chen Yi blinked in genuine confusion and shook her head. “Huh? What’s that?”
“Xu My Sole Intention.”
The name had cropped up after Chen Yi had gone public with her real identity during her pivot to esports that year.
“Ever notice anything off about it?” Su Dai wore her classic scheming grin.
Chen Yi frowned. “Like what? Sounds pretty sweet to me.”
“Think about Nan Nan’s ship name.”
“What’s wrong with hers?”
Su Dai stared at her in exasperation. “How are you this dense?! Nan Nan’s name comes first. Yours? Chen Yi, you need to reflect on this. We’re all tops here—why’s yours stuck at the end?”
Jiang Nanxi, overhearing, couldn’t stifle a laugh.
Su Dai wasn’t done. “Auntie Yun gave you that super dominant name for nothing.”
Chen Yi—Chen One—and she wasn’t living up to it one bit.
“Sigh!” Chen Yi said generously. “It’s just a name, no big deal.”
Once everyone had climbed the mountain and scattered to explore the old temple, she trailed behind Xu Yan. Chen Yi’s head hung slightly low, her expression tinged with dejection.
“What’s wrong?” Xu Yan asked.
“Wifey,” Chen Yi said pitifully, “Su Dai says I’m not top enough.”
Chen Yi was even wondering if she should pull Jiang Nanxi aside for some private advice—interview her on the path to becoming a fierce top.
Xu Yan burst out laughing. “Why would you listen to them?”
“As long as you’re happy with me, what does it matter?” Xu Yan’s fingertip lightly traced over Chen Yi’s palm, tickling and igniting little sparks of affection. “Come on, let’s go make a wish.” She lifted her gaze to the statue inside the temple. “Xia Zhiyan said this place is super spiritual.”
“Aren’t you going to make one?”
Xu Yan shook her head.
She watched Chen Yi step forward and kowtow devoutly on the threadbare grass prayer mat.
She thought to herself that she had already received the greatest gift the world—or the gods—could offer.
Meanwhile, kneeling before the Buddha, Chen Yi rattled off wish after wish.
From world peace on down to the health and happiness of everyone close to her.
At long last, she added:
“Bodhisattva, I’ll bring all the happiness Xu Yan could ever need, so don’t you worry. But just in case there’s ever a day when I’m not around, please watch over her and keep her happy.”
Chen Yi bowed her head low.
Before the statue, a stick of long-burnt-out incense suddenly bent in the breeze.
The Bodhisattva’s stone eyes gazed out silently, as if to say: Gotcha, message received.
