The Cinnabar Mole of a Beijing Circle Tycoon

During her remaining days in Shanghai, Shen Qingyao spent her days watching dramas and sleeping in her hotel room, and she checked in at the same time again about "The Story of Minglan".

Meng Jiangyu would finish work before dinner and come back to have dinner with Shen Qingyao.

The two checked out several unique restaurants in Shanghai, including Taianmen, Obscura, and Linglong, and all of them were quite delicious.

After dinner, the two strolled hand in hand along the Bund, enjoying the gentle breeze from the river. They both loved this comfortable time.

Meng Jiangyu, Zhou Yanqiu, Lu Linchuan, and Xu Mingxuan spend half a month in Switzerland every year in mid-July, and this year is no exception.

This year, Shen Qingyao and Su Wan joined them, and the group went skiing in Zermatt.

The others departed from Beijing, while Shen Qingyao and Meng Jiangyu flew directly from Shanghai and were the first to arrive at their booked hotel.

In July, Zermatt is surrounded by the snow and ice of the Alps, with crisp snowflakes floating in the air, and the Matterhorn in the distance, topped with snow, glitters brightly in the sunlight.

After checking in, Shen Qingyao and Meng Jiangyu went to their room to rest.

The firewood in the fireplace crackled and popped, casting a warm, caramel-colored glow over the entire room.

Outside the window, snowflakes were falling heavily, like goose feathers, covering the distant mountains in a blanket of white.

Meng Jiangyu's chest pressed against her back, his warm body temperature seeping through the thin fabric, carrying his usual cool cedar scent.

His arms encircled her waist, the force just right, drawing her into his embrace.

His chin rested on the top of her head, his breath brushing against the whorl of her hair, causing a slight tickling sensation on her neck.

"Do you like it here?" he asked softly, his voice tinged with amusement and a slight upward inflection at the end.

Shen Qingyao nodded, her fingertips tracing the snowflakes falling outside the cold glass window: "I didn't expect to see snow this season, it's such a pleasant surprise."

Meng Jiangyu tightened his arms around her, pulling her closer, and gently rubbed her lower abdomen with his palm: "After the snow stops, I'll take you skiing."

His breath brushed against her ear, carrying a burning heat, and Shen Qingyao's ear tips instantly turned red. "Okay!"

The snow was still falling outside the window, and the firelight from the fireplace flickered, casting long, long shadows of the two people embracing on the wall.

The snowfall gradually subsided, and the fine snowflakes were swept up by the wind and landed on the balcony railing, accumulating into a thin layer of white.

"I want to go outside and see the snow!" Shen Qingyao looked outside.

Meng Jiangyu took a camel-colored cashmere coat and draped it over Shen Qingyao's shoulders, then reached out to tighten the collar for her. "Okay, I'll stay with you!"

"It's cold outside, don't stand there for too long." His voice was low and warm.

The two, dressed in thick clothes, stood side by side on the balcony.

Shen Qingyao looked up at him; his eyelashes were covered with snowflakes that shimmered in the twilight.

She tiptoed and reached out to brush his eyelashes away. The moment her fingertips touched his eyelashes, he closed his eyes slightly and his Adam's apple bobbed gently.

"Look over there," Shen Qingyao withdrew her hand and pointed to the distant mountains and forests, "The snow has wrapped the trees like jade corals, it's so beautiful."

Meng Jiangyu looked in the direction she pointed, his gaze quickly returning to her face, his eyes filled with tenderness: "It snows less in the South, so it must be quite unusual for you."

"From now on, you can see jade coral every winter in Beijing!" His voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached her ears.

Shen Qingyao's cheeks instantly flushed. She turned to look at Xue, her ear tips burning red. "Not necessarily."

Meng Jiangyu chuckled softly, gently embracing her from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder. "If nothing unexpected happens, we'll probably settle down in Beijing for the next few decades."

During this blues moment, the two watched the snow falling and listened to the occasional music coming from afar.

When he returned to the house, Meng Jiangyu closed the glass door of the balcony to keep out the cold air.

The firewood in the fireplace was burning brightly, and crackling sparks flew up, landing on the wrought iron railing before quickly going out.

He took two white porcelain mugs from the storage shelf, poured warm cocoa into them, and handed them to Shen Qingyao, instantly creating a warm sensation.

Shen Qingyao sat down on the wool rug in front of the fireplace, holding a cup. A soft cashmere blanket covered her knees, and the orange firelight reflected on her face, making the smile in her eyes warm and gentle.

Meng Jiangyu sat down next to her, their shoulders gently touching.

He reached into the fruit plate, picked up a strawberry, and held it to her lips. Shen Qingyao tilted her head slightly, took the plump red fruit into her mouth, and the sweet fragrance mixed with the milky aroma spread in her mouth.

Meng Jiangyu then slowly ate the rest.

The snow started falling again outside the window, and the soft sound of the falling snow mixed with the sound of the fireplace became the gentlest background noise in this little world.

The two didn't speak again, but just leaned against each other quietly, letting the warmth spread through their limbs and bones, and even the air was filled with a faint sweetness.

The fireplace flames were still flickering. Meng Jiangyu placed the sandalwood chessboard in the center of the carpet, the black and white chess pieces gleaming warmly in the light.

He picked up a white king with his long, slender fingers, and lightly tapped the center square of the chessboard with his fingertips.

In chess, the king is the most important piece.

His voice was deep and pleasant, with a hint of patience. He reached out and placed his hand on the back of her hand, leading her to pick up a white coin. "And the Queen is the most powerful. She can walk horizontally, vertically, and diagonally, with no limit to the number of steps she can take."

He held Shen Qingyao's fingertips, and the warm touch spread from the back of her hand to the bottom of her heart.

She couldn't help but turn her head to look at him, meeting his smiling eyes, and thought: How does he know so many things?

Meng Jiangyu pointed to the squares on the chessboard and continued to explain: "Like the knight, it can only move in an L-shape, similar to the horse in Chinese chess."

After the rules were explained, the two began their formal game.

At the start of the game, Meng Jiangyu deliberately let her win, and as he watched her white queen capture several of his pieces, the smile in his eyes grew wider and wider.

Just as Shen Qingyao was triumphantly about to checkmate him, he raised his hand and pressed down on her wrist, his fingertips gently caressing her palm: "Don't rush, I have a backup plan."

As he spoke, he moved a car in the corner and turned the tide in just a few steps.

Shen Qingyao glared at him angrily, but he chuckled and reached out to ruffle her hair: "The loser has to accept the punishment."

The snow was still falling outside the window, and the crackling of the fireplace was mixed with the laughter of the two of them, creating an atmosphere that was incredibly tender.

Shen Qingyao looked at the white queen who was checkmated on the chessboard, pouted angrily, and reached out to push Meng Jiangyu's arm: "You cheated! You were about to lose just now."

Meng Jiangyu took the opportunity to grasp her wrist, gently pulling her into his arms, and chuckled softly, resting his chin on the top of her head: "All's fair in war, and you have to accept the consequences of your bet."

His palm was warm, his calloused fingertips tracing the back of her hand, moving upwards to pinch her reddened earlobe: "Baby, are you trying to cheat?"

Shen Qingyao buried her face in his chest and shook her head, the scent of cedarwood from his shirt brushing against her nose. "No, what punishment do you want?"

Meng Jiangyu twirled a strand of her hair with his fingertip, his voice low and deep: "Play with me tonight before we go to sleep."

The firelight from the fireplace illuminated their intertwined figures, the snow outside the window fell even more silently, and even the air was filled with an ambiguous atmosphere.

Shen Qingyao blushed slightly, "No!"

"Baby, can't you accept defeat?" Meng Jiangyu used reverse psychology on Shen Qingyao.

"No way!" Shen Qingyao turned her head and said with a smile, "There are no props here! We can't play!"

"Don't worry about that, I'll have someone prepare it!"

"I was careless just now. I'm a newbie. Let's play one more round, best of three!"

"Okay!" Meng Jiangyu immediately agreed. "But, baby, if you lose the second round, you won't go back on your word, will you?"

"No, I have a strong sense of contractual responsibility!"

"Hmm... okay!"

Shen Qingyao stared at the white queen on the chessboard, who had nowhere to retreat. Frustrated, she put the chess piece in her hand on the board, her cheeks puffed out like an angry little squirrel.

"No, no, you took that step too fast just now, I didn't even have time to react!"

Meng Jiangyu chuckled as he picked up the chess piece she had knocked to the ground. His long, slender fingers gently stroked her cheek, his tone full of indulgence: "A bet's a bet. Trying to renege?"

He leaned closer to her, his warm breath brushing against her ear, his voice low and seductive: "Baby, don't you want to try?"

Shen Qingyao's heart raced as he stared at her. She hurriedly turned her face away to look at the firelight in the fireplace, but her ear tips were so red they looked like they were about to bleed.

Looking at her like this, Meng Jiangyu couldn't help but chuckle, reaching out to pull her into his arms, resting his chin on her shoulder.