Showbiz Scandal: The Official Announcement of My Ex and Myself-Chapter 431: Icebreaking Festival

Time is like sand slipping through fingers, and like a breeze through a hall, slipping away through the cracks of strict defenses.

The Ice-breaking Festival has arrived.

Xie Qingci’s hometown is not in Hai City; it’s an ancient town with beautiful mountains and rivers, rich in cultural heritage.

Surrounding the city are undulating mountains, though not very steep. When the mountain soil thaws and flowers and grass start sensing spring, many people drive over to hike, camp, and pick some fresh wild vegetables to take back home. It’s said to be their custom’s complete process.

Yu Xia found it quite interesting, and went over with Xie Qingci two days in advance.

But "two days in advance" already hinted at the complexity of the matter.

Xie Qingci was just too cunning.

These past two days, she hadn’t been able to leave the house, trapped at his place like calling out to heaven and earth with no response, let alone getting an early glimpse of his hometown’s mountain scenery and cultural landmarks.

The purple suspender dress was not suitable for the season, so he set the air conditioning to heat mode at home, forcing her to wear it for half a day.

When she wore the fluffy bunny winter outfit, he adjusted the air conditioning to around ten degrees, just enough to prevent her thighs under the rabbit-tail skirt from freezing.

She wore one outfit for nearly half a day; over two days, he truly indulged in the wardrobe games, enthused, even letting her try on his clothes.

They say a girlfriend wearing her boyfriend’s clothes gives men a different experience, and Yu Xia now truly believes in this wisdom passed down by countless predecessors.

Xie Qingci was on the verge of tearing down the house in madness.

In short, these two days were exhausting for both people and the air conditioner.

On the day of the Ice-breaking Festival, she was dozing in the passenger seat, and when she felt Xie Qingci lean over, she instinctively shrank back.

Driving, Xie Qingci pulled her back, smoothing her hair down the back of her head, and asked, "What are you avoiding?"

Yu Xia slapped his hand away: "You still have the nerve to ask."

He looked like a young master living comfortably without worries about food and clothing, lazily saying, "It’s not that excessive, is it? I behaved well this morning."

"Should I praise you for that?" Her gaze was chilly, "Even the busiest workers get a few hours of rest; you’d be the most heartless if you became a boss."

He didn’t argue, rubbed his nose, and continued driving.

Many people came for the Ice-breaking Festival; many cars were parked in the open space at the foot of the mountain, with families in tow, shouting at kids running around everywhere to behave.

Xie Qingci parked the car on the side, and Yu Xia slowly got out.

She wore a super thick long coat, the down puffed out, with a hat and scarf on, hiding half her head. Only when she pulled down her scarf could a white chin be seen.

Xie Qingci seemed to like her look, and while taking things from the trunk, he would come over to pull her scarf down, lifting her chin like peeling an egg, to steal a kiss.

Yu Xia decided to stay away from him.

In such a public place with so many people, she wasn’t used to intimacy in public, always feeling like all eyes were on them, and some paparazzo might be writing an exposé right now, like #YuXiaXieQingciKissingInPublic# or #YuXiaWithTricks,WaitingForTheYoungerBrother’sKiss# or something.

Watching the surrounding scenery, she tucked her hands in her pockets, waiting for Xie Qingci to finish unloading.

A luxury tent certainly took up space, along with food and drinks, filling a large backpack—a military one borrowed from the "Infinite Escape" crew, super big.

He closed the trunk and handed her a backpack he used to carry.

"Want to carry it?"

Yu Xia took it, struggling to put it on, the straps a bit tight, binding her and the thick jacket together.

Xie Qingci stood behind her, smoothing her clothes, and inexplicably burst into laughter.

Yu Xia: "What are you laughing at?"

Xie Qingci poked the backpack: "Looks like a turtle whose body has grown but the shell hasn’t."

"..." Yu Xia pushed him away, giving a low warning, "Xie Qingci, you’re doomed."

He held back his laughter, clasped her hand, fingers interlocked, swaying them, and whispered, "Once we set up the tent on the mountain, you can punish me however you like."

After finishing, he winked at her, a playful expression as if saying, "The officer can disgrace me at will, I will not resist."

... She meant it in a serious manner! A concubine is just a concubine, never dignified and graceful, always thinking of seducing the bald old master, lacking any ambition.

A gentle breeze blew, while the sun wasn’t too strong; they chose a dream-like hill to climb along with the mountaineering crowd.

The air was fresh here; Yu Xia had to stop now and then to pull down her scarf, breathe deeply, feel the early spring breeze, and listen to the rustling sound of flowers, grass, and trees swayed by the wind.

Compared to the constant urban noise of traffic and struggling to sleep under neon lights, deep breathing in such nature, where the breeze is gentle and the sun is clear, felt like a mental cleanse, clearing both mind and hearing.

Xie Qingci followed her rhythm, occasionally steadying her waist while going uphill.

Fortunately, the mountain wasn’t high, the path gently sloping except for a few steep muddy stair slopes; the rest of the way was easy to walk.

No need to climb to the peak; at a gentle spot near the top, overlooking the plains and hillocks below, with distant rolling mountains.

It did have a bit of a "climbing the ultimate height" vibe.

Xie Qingci decided to camp here, pulling out a folding stool for her to sit on while he set up the tent alone.

This wasn’t like sunbathing on a crowded lawn; everyone tacitly agreed on not pitching tents too close. The nearest tent was seven or eight meters away.

Nobody recognized them so far; Yu Xia kept her hat and scarf on, sitting on the small stool with her chin in hand, watching Xie Qingci busily moving around.

He seemed to have ample experience in tent pitching, finishing quickly and squatting in front of her, asking for water.

Though his water bottle was right next to him, he intentionally sought her out, resting his hands on her knees, lazily requesting, "Thirsty, can you feed me some water?"

Yu Xia felt like she’d turn into a grouchy landlord any second, shoving the cup to his mouth.

"Drink up, the brown sugar ginger tea to warm you to death."

Xie Qingci winced from the taste, turning his head away, refusing to drink.

Yu Xia burst into laughter, not yet finished before Xie Qingci suddenly blocked her mouth with his.

The brown sugar ginger tea had a bit of a kick indeed.

At that moment, two people walked out from behind a nearby tent, and one exclaimed, "Wow."

"They’re kissing on the small stool, huh."

"If I knew, we would’ve brought a small stool too."

"Is that guy kneeling on the ground?"

"Gosh, it’s more thrilling than me kissing someone."

Yu Xia understood most of it and tried to push Xie Qingci away, but he was like someone who couldn’t do without a pacifying kiss, chasing after for another half a minute.

There were even cheers and whistles from that side.

When he finally stopped, Yu Xia immediately pulled up her scarf to cover her lips, giving him an eerie glare.

"Might as well give you a teething toy to bite on."