Chapter Fifty-Four: The Beauty in the Snow

Although four years had passed, my agility remained just as sharp as ever!

I leapt onto a small tree, using its rebound to vault onto the top of the wall. My beige casual pants were immediately covered in snow from the wall. Glancing into the campus, I saw not a soul inside—students and teachers were likely still dreaming sweetly in their beds. Only I, the poor laborer, had been roused by the ever-restless Murong Shanshan.

The phone rang. Murong Shanshan’s voice was lively with excitement: “Are you inside yet? Find the Girls’ Dormitory Three—it's at the far west end of the dormitory building—call me when you’re there!”

After hanging up, I set out to find the girls’ dormitory inside the school. The dormitory area wasn’t far from the gymnasium; a row of green trees separated the boys’ and girls’ dorms. The campus paths were already buried in snow, which at least saved me the trouble of looking for the road. I simply trudged across the snowy grass.

Girls’ Dormitory Three was unique—the exterior walls were decorated with a faint pink, which, though a bit eccentric, suited girls perfectly, especially one as fresh and refined as Murong Shanshan.

“Hey, Shanshan, I’m on the steps at the west end of the dorm—where are you?”

“I’m right here~” The window of the second-floor balcony above my head swung open. Murong Shanshan smiled sweetly down at me, then whispered, “Is the dorm supervisor’s light on?”

I looked over and replied, “No, it’s off. How are you coming down?”

“Wait a moment…”

She disappeared inside, and soon a thick blue cloth strip was lowered from above, swaying as it dangled right in front of me.

What on earth was this—was she about to perform some sort of “flying fairy from the heavens”? I had to admit, my admiration for Murong Shanshan only grew.

Sure enough, after a few minutes, Murong Shanshan seemed to have secured the other end of the cloth. She clapped her hands, satisfied, and announced, “All set! I’m coming down!”

I tugged at the strip, a little worried. “Are you sure this will hold? What is it tied to? Will it support your weight?”

“That’s my bedsheet—I spent an hour modifying it. Enough with the nonsense, I’m coming down right now!”

I glanced again at the battered cloth—an hour just to make this? She really was “handy”…

Murong Shanshan edged down carefully, gripping the strip and sliding slowly…

Suddenly, with a sharp snap, the makeshift “rope” broke, and Murong Shanshan plummeted from midair. Below her was unforgiving concrete!

By sheer luck, I managed to catch her, though her weight dragged me down and I ended up sprawled on the icy ground, Murong Shanshan half-lying in my arms, her lovely face tinged with a rosy blush.

“Are you alright?” I quickly helped her up and, after making sure she was unharmed, scolded her, “That was way too dangerous. You’re not a kid anymore.”

“But wasn’t it thrilling?” Murong Shanshan grinned, her radiant smile so warm and refreshing that any anger I felt evaporated.

“Lin Fan, do you know why I called you out this early?”

She brushed the dust from her clothes. Today, her outfit was particularly striking: a white sweater with a white woolen coat, and even white cotton boots—only her pants were a deep blue. She looked soft and elegant, a real picture of grace.

Too bad she wasn’t much of a lady herself—she even suggested we scale the wall together…

Standing beneath the not-so-low wall, Murong Shanshan’s eyes glinted mischievously, making me nervous. “You’re not serious, are you? You want to step on my shoulders to get over?”

She pursed her lips in a charming smile. “There’s no other way. I don’t really want to, either~”

“Oh, cut it out!” I muttered, and without warning, bent down, scooped her up, and lifted her straight onto the wall.

A fresh, delicate scent drifted over—it was the same fragrance as Liu Xuehan’s, the kind I liked best.

I vaulted up beside her, stretched out my hand with a grin and said, “Come on, get down. If someone sees a beauty sitting on the wall, they’ll think you’re sneaking out.”

Murong Shanshan blushed, grasped my hand, and nimbly hopped down. She was in good shape—most girls would be panting by now, but she was only slightly flushed, as enticing as a ripe apple, making one want to take a bite.

Of course, I wouldn’t dare to actually hug or bite her. Even after she’d landed, my heart was still pounding—the feel of holding Murong Shanshan just now was incredible. Even through her thick coat, I could sense the surprising softness and elasticity. Her figure was somewhere between Liu Xuehan and Xinyu—a bit smaller than Xinyu, a touch fuller than Liu Xuehan—just right!

“Lin Fan, do you know why I called you out so early?”

Walking side by side down the snow-covered path, Murong Shanshan gazed blissfully at the falling snowflakes. A few settled on her long lashes; she blinked quickly to shake them off, then beamed at me. “It hasn’t snowed in Suzhou for two years, and it’s rare to get such a heavy snowfall this early. Plus, today’s Christmas Eve—how could we miss it? Let’s play all day! I hear the snow will last until tomorrow. I’ll cover all expenses—what do you think?”

I hesitated. Free food, drinks, and a beautiful companion were tempting, but losing a whole day of leveling up was a steep price. In “Moonlight Eternal,” every second counts. Even a day offline could make my world ranking tumble—right now I was still in the top ten, but by tomorrow, I’d likely be out of the top hundred.

I cleared my throat. “No way. You’ve got an exam today, and I need to catch up on sleep. Look at me—my eyes are almost panda-like.”

Murong Shanshan shot me a sidelong glance, the corners of her lips curling into a smile. “I’m already prepared to retake that political science exam. Besides, even if I let you go back, I don’t believe you’d actually sleep…”

We both knew she was right—of course I’d be gaming. I didn’t bother to argue and put on a serious face. “Either way, you still need to take that exam today. It’s 4:30 now, and by seven you’ll have to go back. That’s settled. Breakfast is on me!”

Murong Shanshan relaxed. “So, where to now? I want to buy the latest music player. Let’s head to Shilu, shall we?”

I nodded. I’d heard there was a promotion at Five-Star Appliances on Shilu today—it wouldn’t hurt to buy something. Shilu wasn’t far, otherwise it’d be a pain. Right now, there were no buses or taxis in sight.