Did the Tsundere Miss Get Slapped in the Face Again Today? - Chapter 52

Chapter 52: “Love.”

 

Lin Anran was happily playing with the end of the scarf, grinning foolishly.

 

Jiang Zhi smiled and took her hand again. The street market wasn’t far, so they walked instead of taking a car.

 

The cold winter wind occasionally brushed Jiang Zhi’s face, making her shrink her neck, while Lin Anran was warm and cozy with half her face buried in the scarf.

 

Having received the warm scarf, Lin Anran, without saying thank you, still didn’t forget to curse a bit:

 

“Look at this ugly scarf of yours, it’s gray and tacky. Someone who didn’t know would think you wrapped a rag around your neck. It doesn’t match my outfit at all, it’s so provincial. I’m going to throw it away when we get back and buy you a new one…”

 

Blah blah blah. Lin Anran’s mouth didn’t stop for the entire ten-minute walk to the street market.

 

And, of course, when they reached the market, Lin Anran’s talking didn’t stop either.

 

“This pink bear is passable, buy it to keep the other bear company,” Lin Anran pointed at a pink bear on a stall: “Jiang Yi, I want this one, buy it for me.”

 

Jiang Zhi nodded, turning to ask the vendor: “How much is this bear?”

 

Vendor: “300 kuai.”

 

Jiang Zhi haggled, eventually cutting the price by nearly half, getting it for 188.

 

After paying, she handed the bear to Lin Anran.

 

Lin Anran held the bear, but instead of looking happy about the bear, she looked at Jiang Zhi suspiciously.

 

Jiang Zhi: “What is it? What’s with that expression? Don’t you like the bear anymore?”

 

Lin Anran narrowed her eyes: “How come you bought it for me so readily? You stingy person, you usually look pained buying anything over a hundred kuai, a pauper who refuses to fork out money. Why are you so generous today? It’s unsettling.”

 

Jiang Zhi choked, only managing to say after a moment: “Before, we were friends. Now, we’re girlfriends. The relationship is different, so the level of generosity is certainly different.”

 

“Is that so? I don’t believe it,” Lin Anran’s eyes darted around, and she pointed casually: “That too, buy it for me. Pay up.”

 

Jiang Zhi looked at her helplessly and bought it for her.

 

After repeating this two or three times, Lin Anran was satisfied.

 

“It seems being a girlfriend does make a difference. Even you, this tight-fisted pauper, are willing to pay. I’ve lived long enough to see everything.”

 

Jiang Zhi’s hands were full of the newly purchased items. At this point, Lin Anran pointed to another item and demanded to buy it.

 

“I can’t buy it,” Jiang Zhi refused, mainly because she couldn’t carry any more.

 

“Why can’t you buy it? Didn’t you just say that since I’m your girlfriend, you would buy things!”

 

“I can’t carry any more, and you won’t help carry anything. Also, do you want to see how much that item you just pointed to costs? Are you trying to make me bankrupt?”

 

Lin Anran cursed: “Pauper! I thought being a girlfriend was such a big deal, but you still can’t bear to buy things for me. You love money the most, not your girlfriend.”

 

Jiang Zhi didn’t know whether to laugh or cry: “I think you’re deliberately giving me a hard time. If you cause any more trouble, believe it or not, I’ll return everything you just bought.”

 

“What!” Lin Anran, who had previously refused to carry anything, quickly snatched all the items and held them tight:

 

“You gave these to me! This pauper was generous for once, and now you’re thinking about returning things! No! They’re all mine now. It’s wrong to take back a gift.”

 

Lin Anran didn’t carry the pile of items for long, as the bodyguard quickly took over and carried them.

 

Lin Anran didn’t forget to warn the bodyguard defensively: “Put them in the car quickly, so this pauper doesn’t get greedy looking at them and keep trying to return them. It wasn’t even that much money. Stop looking so stingy, pained, and pathetic. I don’t like it.”

 

Jiang Zhi: “…”

 

Lin Anran happily held Jiang Zhi’s arm: “Stingy-pants, this place is boring now. Let’s go somewhere else.”

 

Jiang Zhi: “Aren’t we going home yet?”

 

“Why are you always thinking about going home?”

 

“Alright, alright, I’ll keep hanging out with you.”

 

Staying out late at night instead of sleeping, enduring the cold wind to wander around—Jiang Zhi didn’t understand, but she stayed with her anyway.

 

“Chinese New Year is coming soon. Do you think it will snow before the new year?” Jiang Zhi looked up at the night sky and asked casually.

 

“Do you like snow?” Lin Anran asked.

 

Jiang Zhi brought her gaze back from the night sky and nodded: “I quite like snow. Do you?”

 

Lin Anran answered vaguely: “Got it.”

 

Jiang Zhi didn’t initially understand the meaning of those two words.

 

It wasn’t until the next morning, when Lin Anran shook her awake and shoved the booked flight information in front of her, that she realized the hidden meaning.

 

“Snow City! I checked the weather forecast. They have heavy snow today. It’s a flight this morning. Let’s go, let’s go! Hurry up and get ready, or we’ll miss it.”

 

Lin Anran excitedly pulled her up, and then excitedly picked out and matched clothes for Jiang Zhi.

 

Five hours later, they got off the plane and arrived at Snow City.

 

Snow fluttered everywhere, painting a silver world. The whole scene was a stunning white landscape.

 

Jiang Zhi looked at the beautiful scenery before her, her mind fuzzy.

 

How did they suddenly cross half the map to reach Snow City, a place she had only seen on a map, a city she had never visited or even imagined visiting?

 

“Isn’t it beautiful?” Lin Anran cupped a handful of snow and presented it to Jiang Zhi: “The snow you like.”

 

Jiang Zhi stared at the handful of snow, silent for a long time.

 

She liked snow, but now she was too overwhelmed to appreciate it. Who brings someone to a snowy city across half a continent just because they casually mentioned liking snow?

 

“You brought me here to see snow just because I said I liked it?” Jiang Zhi’s voice was a little hoarse.

 

“What? What’s with that expression? This isn’t a big deal. Why are you getting emotional? Stop being so dramatic,” Lin Anran looked disgusted.

 

Jiang Zhi’s heart felt warm. She hugged her: “I am being dramatic.”

 

Lin Anran: “Don’t be dramatic. I don’t like it.”

 

Jiang Zhi rested her chin on Lin Anran’s fuzzy hat, rubbing affectionately. Her heart felt tight with emotion.

 

This feeling was familiar. Lin Anran had done things like this many times.

 

When Jiang Zhi had a fever, Lin Anran stayed by her side constantly. When her wristband fell into the lake, Lin Anran disregarded the cold and the mud to search through the sludge…

 

And now, because of a casual comment, they traveled five hours across half the map, just to see snow.

 

How was she, poor and ordinary, worthy of meeting a person like this?

 

Lin Anran: “Are you going to keep hugging me and not look at the snow?”

 

Jiang Zhi: “Of course I have to look. This is the snow you prepared for me.”

 

Hand in hand, wearing matching thick down jackets, identical pink fuzzy hats, and gloves, they strolled through the heavy snow.

 

Each step sank their entire foot into the snow, making a “crunch-crunch” sound.

 

Walking in deep snow was difficult, but also wondrous. As someone born in the south, Jiang Zhi had seen snow, but never this much or this deep, and had never experienced the feeling of stepping into thick snow.

 

It was like walking on fine, soft sand—a novel sensation.

 

Jiang Zhi smiled with pleasure. Seeing the person walking beside her, her smile deepened, gradually widening across her face.

 

Snow City was freezing, but her heart was warmer than ever before.

 

The temperature was too low for people to stay outside for long, so before coming, Lin Anran had specially booked a hotel that offered views of the snow.

 

Large floor-to-ceiling windows, a high floor, and an unobstructed view of Snow City—the scenery was stunning.

 

Jiang Zhi had seen this hotel online. The price for one night was incredibly expensive, too expensive for Jiang Zhi to ever afford.

 

Lin Anran introduced her to many things, many experiences she could never access, like this expensive hotel.

 

Yet, she felt she had nothing to repay Lin Anran with.

 

Jiang Zhi shook her head. She couldn’t continue down that train of thought; she was afraid she’d start feeling excessively inferior—over-the-top inferiority was damaging to a relationship.

 

“What are you thinking about?” Lin Anran asked, seeing her dazed.

 

“I’m thinking about how much it costs to stay here for one night,” Jiang Zhi answered candidly.

 

“Money, money, money. Your mind is always on money. Are you sick? Are you afraid I’ll ask you to split the bill? Please, I’m not as stingy as you.”

 

“Why are you getting angry? I was just trying to be honest with you. Can’t I, a pauper, have a little moment of self-doubt?”

 

“Self-doubt? Aren’t you supposed to be thick-skinned? How can you feel self-doubt? Jiang Yi, are you trying to act deep? Stop pretending, it’s so affected.”

 

Jiang Zhi was so annoyed by her that she almost couldn’t catch her breath. What kind of image did she have in Lin Anran’s eyes?

 

As she spoke, Lin Anran played with her hair, the topic suddenly shifting: “Did you notice anything different about me today?”

 

Jiang Zhi looked her up and down. Long wavy hair, delicate makeup, pretty and charming—not much different from usual.

 

Lin Anran waited for a long time without a reply, then impatiently held out her hand.

 

Jiang Zhi’s gaze fell on her hand. The previous frostbite had healed, and her hand was back to being slender and fair.

 

Wait a minute…

 

The person who always wore bright, fancy nail art had clean, bare nails today, trimmed neatly and rounded, without any excess length.

 

“Why did you take off your nail art?” Jiang Zhi asked, confused.

 

Lin Anran didn’t speak.

 

Jiang Zhi was perplexed. Could Lin Anran want to get new nail art, be struggling to decide which one, and expect to discuss it with her, hoping for constructive advice?

 

That would be a bit challenging, as Jiang Zhi knew nothing about nail art and wouldn’t be able to offer much.

 

“Nail art… that thing… the one you had before was really pretty. You could get a similar style…” Jiang Zhi stammered, trying to continue the conversation on the topic.

 

But clearly, she failed, because Lin Anran looked at her, displeased.

 

Jiang Zhi rubbed her nose: “Well, what do you want me to say? I don’t know anything about nail art. If you think I’m provincial and clueless, I’ll go learn about it later.”

 

Lin Anran remained silent, closing in on her, her presence inexplicably forceful.

 

Jiang Zhi instinctively backed away, retreating until she had nowhere left to go, as her back hit the bed.

 

Without warning, Lin Anran suddenly reached out, pushed her, and tumbled her onto the bed.

 

In a flash, Lin Anran pressed down on her, sitting half on Jiang Zhi’s body.

 

“I think the atmosphere today is excellent. It’s suitable for coercive love,” Lin Anran looked down at the person pinned beneath her.

 

Jiang Zhi stared at the person sitting on top of her, in profound silence.

 

Jiang Zhi: “Did I ever tell you to delete that relationship expert and stop learning from her?”

 

Lin Anran: “Shut up!”

 

“You still won’t listen…”

 

Before she could finish, Lin Anran leaned down and kissed her, sealing her lips, forcing her to shut up this way.

 

As the kiss deepened, Jiang Zhi’s breathing grew heavy. With an easy roll, their positions flipped.

 

Jiang Zhi pinned Lin Anran’s hands above her head, her eyes dark.