Snowfield Star is not far from the Imperial Capital Star Circle. Many security stations are set up around it, ensuring safety while also adding to the fun. It is one of the tourist stars most favored by nobles. Therefore, even taking a slower means of transport like a travel spacecraft, it only took five hours to arrive.
As soon as she stepped off the spacecraft, Wang Luan felt a blast of cold air rush toward her, causing her body temperature to drop sharply.
Fortunately, the temperature regulator equipped before disembarking had already begun to take effect, forming a protective layer on the surface of her body that isolated the harm brought by the cold, keeping her body at a normal temperature.
One could imagine that without wearing this small temperature regulator, standing for three minutes in such icy, snow-covered weather would likely leave a person stiff and numb, and then quickly frozen to death.
Yet it was precisely this kind of extreme cold environment that created the rare beauty of Snowfield Star.
Looking out, there was a vast expanse of white stretching endlessly. Wang Luan, who had been confined on Imperial Capital Star for a long time, suddenly felt her chest open up, her whole spirit visibly lifting.
This was an exceedingly pure world. Wherever the eye fell, there was only the white of snow and the blue of the sky, clearly dividing heaven and earth into two distinct color blocks.
“The residence is ten li ahead. We’ll need to take a transport vehicle to get there. Which type of transport does Miss Luan prefer?” the personal steward responsible for arranging the trip came to ask.
Wang Luan chose an open-top small sightseeing hovercar, planning to enjoy the snowy scenery along the way.
A small hovercar could seat two people, naturally Wang Luan and Yan Qiongyu together.
The hovercar, with its round base, could be sat in or stood upon. Wang Luan stood by the railing as the hovercar moved steadily over the flat snowfield, hovering not high at all—only about thirty centimeters—almost skimming along the ground.
The oncoming wind, adjusted by the temperature regulator, became comfortable and pleasant. Wang Luan deliberately lowered the isolation level a bit, adjusting it to where she could feel some of the cold. The cold wind scraping across her face stung slightly; only then did it feel like the true experience of standing in icy, snow-covered land.
“So beautiful,” Wang Luan murmured softly.
As the hovercar convoy advanced, it stirred up the accumulated snow on the ground. White crystalline snow fragments flew up, and Wang Luan reached out to catch them, then suddenly flicked her hand back, scattering a full spray over Yan Qiongyu beside her.
Yan Qiongyu, who had been sitting properly at the side admiring the snow scenery, froze his smile, looking at the stewards, servants, and bodyguards around them, then at Wang Luan, who could not suppress her joy.
He lowered his head and gracefully brushed the snow crystals from his body, speaking gently to Wang Luan: “Since Miss Wang Luan is so happy, how about we go down later and play in the snow?”
Wang Luan immediately pressed down her smile and refused, “No.”
She was afraid this bad thing was trying to mess with her.
They soon arrived at the Wang family residence. These great noble families would set up an exclusive residence on any tourist star. Many of these places might not see someone stay even once a year, yet the maintenance costs were high beyond the imagination of ordinary people.
This area on Snowfield Star featured trendy mini resort cabins with an outwardly primitive style. Each cabin was not large in space, but they had a strong vacation atmosphere. Unlike the Wang family’s grand estate, they were not as luxurious, focusing more on comfort.
The staff permanently stationed here for maintenance had long received word that the family’s eldest young lady would be staying for two days, and had already cleaned the best cabin in preparation for their arrival.
It was still Wang Luan and Yan Qiongyu staying in the same cabin, with the others scattered among the surrounding cabins, able to monitor and protect them without hindering the engagement pair from cultivating their relationship.
Inside the cabin it was warm and cozy. Although the fireplace was virtual, it looked no different to the naked eye. Paired with soft rocking chairs, carpets, and padded beast pelts, it created an atmosphere that was especially relaxing.
Servants had already come earlier to prepare steaming hot food and drinks. The sweet fragrance of the drinks and the aroma of the food immediately drew people to the dining table.
“It’s about lunchtime. Let’s eat something first. Later, I’ll accompany Miss Wang Luan to go outside and play in the snow,” Yan Qiongyu sat down at the table and gave Wang Luan a fake smile.
Wang Luan consciously sat in a spot farther away from him, pretending she hadn’t heard anything.
With no one else around and no surveillance devices to be found, Yan Qiongyu no longer kept up that gentle smile and proposed again, “How about we go play in the nearby snow pine forest?”
“……”
“Or the great snowfield? The sapphire ice lake? Climb a snow peak?”
“……” Hearing him make suggestion after suggestion, Wang Luan’s expression turned strange. “Could it be that you really came here just to have fun?”
“Otherwise, if not to have fun, what would one come here for?” Yan Qiongyu asked in surprise.
“I don’t believe it,” Wang Luan asserted.
“Casually wronging others isn’t a good habit. Then tell me—what do you think I came here for?” Yan Qiongyu chimed in with a smiling remark in the midst of the meal.
Over the course of a meal, nothing could be pried out of Yan Qiongyu’s clam-shell-like mouth. In the afternoon, the two still went to the Sapphire Ice Lake to have some fun, with a slight detour to take a look around the Great Snowfield along the way.
The Great Snowfield was a vast, flat ice plain. Normally one would ride a hovercar there, but upon seeing the thick, pristine snow that no one had stepped on, Wang Luan asked to get down and walk herself.
The personal stewards did not interfere in such small matters of the main family, and Yan Qiongyu also had no particularly strong desire to restrain her, so the group prepared to walk a stretch on the ground.
Wang Luan walked at the very front, listening to the crunching sounds beneath her feet and feeling an unprecedented sense of joy. Much of the long-accumulated gloom in her heart was vented through this activity of trekking across the snowfield.
Suddenly passing over a patch where the snow layer was thinner, her footing slipped, and Wang Luan barely managed to steady herself.
After coming here, leaving everything else aside, this body’s physical condition was far better than before. Even if she was considered a useless Alpha in others’ eyes, she was still, after all, an Alpha.
Yan Qiongyu did not notice and slipped underfoot. Feeling something falling toward her, Wang Luan’s first reaction was to dodge. As a result, Yan Qiongyu went pa-ji face-first into the snow.
He also seemed caught off guard. After lifting his head and bracing himself on the snow, a moment of confusion flashed across his face.
“Pfft.” Wang Luan forcefully suppressed her laughter and solemnly warned him, “Be careful, it’s slippery.”
Yan Qiongyu gave her a deep look. “Then many thanks to Miss Wang Luan for her concern. Sss… my foot seems to hurt a bit.”
Seeing the look of pain on his face, Wang Luan took two steps closer and bent down to look. “Did you twist your ankle?”
In the blink of an eye, Yan Qiongyu grabbed her hand.
Wang Luan: “……!”
Wang Luan instinctively stood up and retreated. Yan Qiongyu, borrowing the momentum to stand up from the ground, released her hand along the way. “Thank you to Miss Wang Luan for helping me up.”
He knew that the happy Miss Wang Luan must now be covered in goosebumps, because he had just tightly clasped her hand, their fingers entwined together.
Wang Luan kept her distance from him with lingering fear. Turning her head, she saw him lift his foot and get onto the hovercar, catching up.
The bodyguards were scattered around, patrolling and keeping watch. Taking advantage of no one paying attention, Yan Qiongyu drove the hovercar up to Wang Luan’s side, scooped up a patch of swirling snow crystals, and dumped them all over Wang Luan’s head, even saying in a pretentious tone, “A piece of snow as a gift for Miss Wang Luan.”
Wang Luan cursed him out in her heart—this high schooler was truly petty, unwilling to suffer even the slightest loss.
After that, their interactions were fairly harmonious. Neither of them made any more small moves. Though they did not look intimate like lovers, the atmosphere was relaxed. As far as Wang Luan’s own feelings went, she was still very happy.
By the time evening came and they returned to the cabin, the two sat at the dining table eating grilled meat slices with fruit wine, listening to the crackling of firewood in the fireplace. Everything felt peaceful and serene, and Wang Luan could hardly believe that Yan Qiongyu really hadn’t pulled any tricks.
Could it be that he truly had come just to play?
When they were almost done eating, Yan Qiongyu swirled the crystal glass in his hand, glanced at the dimming sky outside, spotted a single shining point in the heavens, then turned back with a smile and asked Wang Luan, “Did you have fun today?”
For some reason, hearing those words made Wang Luan feel as though something in her mind was sounding a frantic alarm.
Her keen perception of Yan Qiongyu might stem from their three markings. Although there had been no physical contact, the pheromone fusion had been too good, still bringing a slight influence to both of them.
Wang Luan’s influence was that an extra “response signal tower” had appeared in her mind—once it caught any abnormality from Yan Qiongyu, it would fire off a signal of “this person is about to stir up trouble.”
After hesitating for a moment, Wang Luan nodded cautiously. “It was okay.”
“That’s good.” Yan Qiongyu’s expression was meaningful.
Three minutes later, a sudden clamor arose outside. A personal steward hurried over to report that two uninvited guests had arrived.
The Alpha young master of the great noble Hei family, Hei Yan, came over with his Omega fiancée. Without any explanation, he insisted on seeing her.
The other party looked as though he had come to pick a fight, but given his noble status, the bodyguards could not easily resort to force. Seeing that they were about to be unable to stop him, they could only ask the other party to wait a moment while the personal steward came over to invite Wang Luan to go out.
Hearing this, Wang Luan did not immediately look outside, but instead looked at Yan Qiongyu. Seeing his surprised expression, she spat inwardly.
Still pretending—he definitely had guessed it. Maybe this was exactly the thing he was going to stir up. A whole day of calm and peace, only to be waiting for her here.
“Let’s go take a look,” Wang Luan sighed. At least they had waited until after she had eaten and drunk her fill to come.
She and Yan Qiongyu walked behind, and she asked him in a low voice, “What is that Hei family young master here for?”
Yan Qiongyu looked surprised. “How would I know?”
Wang Luan stared at him without letting up. In the snowy night, Yan Qiongyu blinked quickly once, then said as if suddenly enlightened, “Ah, maybe it’s for the Sky Garden. I heard that when the Sky Garden wasn’t even finished yet and only pre-sale information had been released, this one had already declared he was going to reserve it.”
Wang Luan was puzzled. “He’s also a great noble, not lacking this money. Why didn’t he buy it before? Why wait until after I bought it to come cause trouble?”
Yan Qiongyu let out a light laugh and said casually, “Who knows.”
And so Wang Luan knew—this matter was definitely also related to him.
The two of them saw that Hei family’s Hei Yan at the entrance of the cabin used for receiving guests. He stood at the doorway with one hand shoved into his pocket, slouching casually. His thick brows were tightly furrowed, clearly furious. The vintage cigarette held in his mouth drifted with dense smoke, looking as though it was about to be ignited by his anger.
“What do you want?” Wang Luan met Hei Yan’s gaze and had just spoken one sentence when she sensed someone tug at the back of her clothes. Her scalp instantly went numb, and she shut her mouth.
Yan Qiongyu received him amiably. “Young Master Hei Yan, if there’s something you need, why don’t we go inside and discuss it?”
Before Hei Yan could speak, a soft voice sounded from behind him: “Hei Yan likes staying at the doorway—what business is it of yours? Why are you butting in? A commoner Omega who luckily married into the noble circle should just follow obediently behind your Alpha!”
Hei Yan’s Omega, Hua Xinran, was also a noble young lady. Although her family could not compare to great nobles like the Wang or Hei families, it was still decent. Moreover, she and Hei Yan were childhood sweethearts with a deep relationship, and her temper was much fiercer than that of ordinary Omegas.
As soon as she appeared, she clung tightly to Hei Yan’s arm, her eyes fixed viciously on Yan Qiongyu.
Seeing the way rivals in love met with blazing hostility, Wang Luan asked in a muddled low voice, “Is he also?”
This Black young master was also her “love rival”?
Yan Qiongyu understood and smiled faintly. “Of course not. Miss Hua Xinran has always been very nervous about her fiancé.”
Hua Xinran also studied at the Omega Academy. It was just that the high-status noble Omegas in the Rose Division had few restraints, unlike the commoner Omegas of the Iris Academy.
This Miss Hua Xinran followed Hei Yan around all day long, cutting classes to go play everywhere with him. She guarded fiercely against any Omega who approached, and even regarded the outstanding Omegas at the academy as potential enemies.
Because of her own excellent conditions, even though Yan Qiongyu and Hei Yan had no opportunity to meet at all, during their school days Yan Qiongyu had still been targeted and provoked by Hua Xinran more than a few times. Of course, among that there was a small misunderstanding, deliberately caused by Yan Qiongyu.
What Yan Qiongyu admired most about Miss Hua Xinran was that she never bothered with reason—she was bad openly and aboveboard. Unlike him, who still had to be restrained when doing bad things.
Hei Yan had not said a single word yet, but after being interrupted by the three of them in turn, his eyes were almost rolling up into the sky.
He impatiently tugged at the arm Hua Xinran was holding. Not only did he fail to pull it free, he even earned himself a glare. With no other choice, he gave up, pinched out the cigarette in his mouth with one hand, and said matter-of-factly to Wang Luan, “The Sky Garden is something I had my eye on. I was out having fun before and delayed things, didn’t get around to it. I heard you bought it. Name a price now and transfer it to me.”
