Chapter Nineteen: Pure as Snow

My Fiery Girlfriend
Chapter 19: Ice-Clear as Snow

Su Xuefei and I stood in the swirling snow for at least five minutes before we managed to hail a taxi. I muttered under my breath about the bizarre weather in Yichun—one moment sunny, the next a flurry of snow—while Su Xuefei simply smiled at me, opened the car door, and gestured for me to get in first.

Sitting in the taxi, which was not particularly warm, I stole glances at her flawless, pristine profile. I couldn't help but sigh; a woman of such natural brilliance could never be ordinary in any era. In a society that places such high value on beauty, she would surely have been thriving in her career long ago.

Sensing my gaze, Su Xuefei turned her head slightly to glance at me. I immediately looked out the window, my heart racing with the guilty panic of someone caught in the act.

As the car pulled away, Su Xuefei told the driver, "Rainbow Hotel."

Hearing the destination, my suspicions were confirmed. The Rainbow Hotel was a high-end business establishment where a standard room cost nearly two thousand yuan a night—a level of expenditure far beyond the means of my working-class station. If one were forced to stay, anyone could afford a single night, but while some would merely smile, others would feel their hearts bleeding. That was the gap.

The driver seemed surprised by Su Xuefei’s beauty. He cast a quick, fleeting glance at me before returning his focus to the road.

I watched his reaction in silence, having read the unspoken words in his eyes: "Another beautiful flower wasted on a pig..."

"How long do you plan on staying in Yichun?" My throat felt itchy—a sign of a cold—so I covered my mouth and coughed softly.

"Hmm..." Su Xuefei seemed caught off guard by the question. She looked at me, pondered for a moment, and replied, "Perhaps I'll leave in a few days, or perhaps I'll stay for a long time."

I didn't understand what she meant, and I didn't press her further.

Before long, we reached our destination. After getting out, Su Xuefei paid the fare naturally. I didn't say much; I couldn't be bothered to fight over a dozen yuan in cab fare. Anyone could afford it, and there was no need for me to make a show of being a gentleman.

Pushing the door open to the lavishly decorated lobby, I instinctively started to follow behind her, but she insisted I walk beside her to the front desk to swipe the room card.

We went up to the third floor. At her door, I scratched my head and said, "You might not be familiar with the area yet. When you have time, let Qin Xiaomo take you out to look around and try some local snacks."

Su Xuefei looked at me, smiled, swiped the card, and stepped lightly into the room.

Looking at the neat, complete amenities inside, I marveled at the high-end quality. I wondered if it was truly worth the price.

"I saw a restaurant downstairs earlier. You should grab something to eat and get some rest. You’ve been through a lot today," I said, remaining in the doorway, intending to leave.

"Yang Chen, I feel like you don't really like being with me." Su Xuefei took off her pure white down jacket and hung it on the rack, revealing the simple black short-sleeved top underneath, which instantly showcased her perfect proportions.

"How could that be?" I swallowed hard and waved my hands to deny it. To be honest, being with Su Xuefei always made me feel oppressed. In my memories, she had always been a noble, cold, and aloof girl—a "crushing beauty" was no exaggeration. In front of her, I felt subconsciously inferior, as if I were desecrating an elegant antique painting just by standing there.

"Is that so?" Su Xuefei walked over to me, looking at my awkward demeanor with a cool tone. "You won't even come into the room."

I had no choice but to step inside. I stood there, taking in the orderly arrangement of the hotel room, before finally finding the sofa and sitting down.

"Where is your luggage?" I asked, looking around to confirm.

"I didn't bring any," Su Xuefei replied, tidying the bed slightly before sitting down across from me. "I didn't have anything to bring."

I nodded, then fell silent. Facing the goddess of my youth, I found myself with nothing to say.

"Why don't... why don't we go for a walk?" Su Xuefei stood up and grabbed her coat, seemingly intent on heading back out.

"Aren't you cold?" I asked, confused. We had just returned, and now she wanted to go back out into the freezing air.

"I'm more afraid of the silence." Su Xuefei sighed softly, put on her white jacket, and beckoned me over.

Outside the hotel, looking at the snow that had already buried the soles of my shoes and feeling the biting cold wind, I couldn't help but shiver. It was damn cold.

"Let's go back inside; you'll catch a cold..." Su Xuefei said, unable to bear seeing me suffer.

"My dear goddess, let's not push it. My old bones can't take this," I said, pleading for mercy.

Su Xuefei flushed slightly at my words and whispered, "I'm a year younger than you. Why do you keep calling me 'sister'?"

"Alright then, Goddess Little Sister." I felt a bit playful and joked around.

"I'm not a goddess. Just call me Xuefei or Feifei," she said, pointing to the sidewalk to indicate we should start walking.

"Feifei."

"Yes?"

"No, 'Feifei' is too intimate; people will misunderstand... I'll just call you Xuefei." I hesitated. While calling her "Feifei" gave my ego a massive boost, doing so in front of others would lead to awkward rumors and only leave me feeling ashamed and her embarrassed.

"Xuefei doesn't sound as nice. Let's stick with Feifei," she said with a smile, walking down the sidewalk and raising her hands to catch the falling snowflakes.

We chatted aimlessly for a long time. Suddenly, Su Xuefei stopped in front of a small pharmacy.

"What's wrong?" I asked, confused by the sudden halt.

Su Xuefei turned and walked into the pharmacy, leaving me standing foolishly in the snow.

Was she sick? She seemed perfectly fine. Why enter a pharmacy? A shameless thought crossed my mind... she wouldn't be buying...

I almost slapped myself. What kind of garbage was my mind filled with?

I entered the shop and saw Su Xuefei with her hair cascading to her waist, scanning the shelves for something.

"What medicine can I help you with, miss?" The clerk was a cute girl in her twenties with a soft, doll-like voice.

Su Xuefei didn't answer; she continued to search the shelves.

When the clerk saw me standing next to Su Xuefei, she seemed to realize something. She quickly bent down, pointed to the bottom row of the glass cabinet, and said, "Is this what you’re looking for?" She even pulled out a box and set it before us.

Su Xuefei looked at the clerk, confused, and instinctively asked, "What is this?"

"It's a new product, very high quality," the girl explained.

"A new product?" Su Xuefei fiddled with the rectangular box, asking, "Is it effective?"

"Of course! We are a national chain; we don't sell fakes. The condoms in here are top-tier. Even if your boyfriend uses all his strength, it’s one hundred percent effective against pregnancy," the clerk said with a knowing smile at me.

I hadn't seen this brand before, but the packaging made it obvious what it was. I had stayed quiet, hoping she wouldn't ask, but things had spiraled. It was beyond awkward; I wanted to crawl into a hole.

"Pregnancy?" Su Xuefei repeated instinctively. Her face turned bright red, and she dropped the box in a panic, hiding to the side. She whispered something to me that I couldn't quite catch.

"What's wrong?" the clerk asked, failing to understand the reaction.

"We don't want that... he has a cold, I want to buy some good cold medicine..." Su Xuefei said, her face completely flushed.

"Oh... you should have said so! My apologies, I misunderstood," the clerk said with a giggle, placing several items on the counter.

After grabbing the medicine, Su Xuefei fled the pharmacy, and I followed quickly, just as embarrassed. A girl might be shy, but even a grown man like me felt his face burning.

Back on the sidewalk, we walked in silence for a while.

"That... Yang Chen..." Su Xuefei said, hands behind her back, pretending not to look at me. "Have you taken that medicine?"

"Medicine?" I asked, confused. I hadn't taken any of the cold medicine, so I shook my head.

"That's good. It might be bad for the body," Su Xuefei said, looking at me with total sincerity. "It might affect future babies."

"Affect the baby?" I asked, surprised. "It's just cold medicine. It won't affect the health of future children. I haven't read many books, but don't try to trick me..."

"Not the cold medicine!" Su Xuefei’s face, which had just returned to its normal color, flushed red again. "I meant... that stuff the girl put on the glass counter..."

I looked at Su Xuefei, who was as pure and beautiful as an angel, and was rendered speechless. She actually thought that was something you ate...

I coughed lightly and said with grave seriousness, "Feifei... first of all, that box did not contain medicine."

Su Xuefei looked at me in shock. "Not medicine?"

I nodded and said solemnly, "And the stuff inside... isn't for eating."

Su Xuefei stopped in her tracks, leaned in close to me, and whispered, "Then what is it for?"

Looking at her, I hesitated for a moment, sighed, and decided to reveal the truth: "It's for wearing..."