119, That’s Taking the Joke Too Far – Part One

Seeing that I was a bit flustered, Sister Li laughed, "Look at you, getting so worked up! Don't be nervous, I was just teasing you."

With that, she turned on the air conditioner and headed downstairs to keep her foster mother company. Watching her beautiful back as she left, I felt a strange sense of loss.

Making the excuse that I was tired, I hid in bed to sleep. This is a common tactic for avoiding social obligations during the Lunar New Year, especially for a young man visiting his girlfriend’s home for the first time; fearing a slip of the tongue or an awkward gesture, one often retreats this way.

I had been somewhat anxious since learning yesterday that I was to pose as Sister Li's boyfriend, so I hadn't slept well, and then I had driven for so many hours this morning. Truly exhausted now, I crawled under the covers.

The quilt had a delicate, clean scent that felt quite comforting. Perhaps because of the alcohol I’d had earlier, I drifted off quickly and soon found myself in a beautiful dream.

In the dream, I wandered aimlessly to a snow-capped mountain peak, where I saw a beautiful girl sitting in the snow, playing an unknown melody on a jade flute. She was dressed in white as pure as the snow, looking like a celestial being. The music she played was enchanting; I wanted to approach her but feared offending her, so I could only hide in the distance and watch.

Suddenly, three men wielding strange weapons appeared in the sky. They were sturdy and fierce, and it was clear they bore a deep grudge against the girl in white, for they began attacking without a word. Snow swirled as they clashed; trees were snapped and rocks shattered as they fought a chaotic battle. I huddled in the snow, trembling.

Finally, the fierce battle ended. The three men lay defeated in the snow, their fates uncertain, while the girl in white was also severely wounded. She staggered, trying to leave, but after only a few steps, she collapsed. That was when I saw her back stained red with blood.

Was this my chance to be the hero who saves the beauty? I crept over cautiously, seeing that the girl had already fallen unconscious. I had just managed to lift her up when she suddenly opened her eyes and struck me with a palm, sending me flying. I felt my body soar before plummeting off a cliff, and I woke up with a jolt.

At that moment, the notification sound of a WeChat message rang out. I opened my phone and saw a message from Ling Xue: "Where are you? I went to the hospital to see you the other day and found out you had already been discharged."

I thought to myself: *Sigh! Just when I’d made up my mind to forget her, she comes back to stir up hope. What should I choose? If I were wise, I would ignore her, but unfortunately, I can’t.*

I replied, "I'm sleeping." Ling Xue sounded slightly annoyed, "Are you a pig? Sleeping in the middle of the day? Look at the snow falling outside—have you forgotten what I told you?"

I was too lazy to answer, but I couldn't help but ask, "What did you tell me? I’ve long since forgotten."

Ling Xue sent an angry emoji: "Did you really forget?" I replied, "Was it the part about 'Waiting until the snow falls for you to come and marry me'?"

Ling Xue retorted angrily, "Since you know, why haven't you come to propose?"

I sent a sweating emoji: "My dear rich girl, I don't even know where you live, so how can I come to propose?"

Ling Xue said, "How can you be so silly? Can't you just ask me?"

I replied, "I have nothing right now. There's no point in asking; I couldn't even get past the gates of your villa, let alone propose."

Ling Xue said, "Once you arrive, you can call me, and I'll come open the gate for you! Look at the snow falling from the sky—how romantic it would be for you to propose to me now."

I thought to myself that she hadn't even told me where she lived, yet she wanted me to brave the snow to propose—this was clearly just a way to toy with me for her own amusement. She was a wealthy heiress I couldn't afford to offend, and as the saying goes, if you can't afford to provoke them, you can only choose to stay away.

I decided not to respond. To my surprise, she continued, "What’s wrong? Did you see my message?"

I kept ignoring her, so Ling Xue sent another message: "If you reply to me, I’ll show you a photo of myself—one that no one has ever seen before."

I couldn't help but ask, "What photo?" Ling Xue said, "You really are a little rascal; you get all excited the moment you hear about a photo."

I said, "My lady, that was your idea, not something I asked for."

Ling Xue said, "How about we have a video chat? That way you can see something even more spectacular." She then sent a video call invitation.

Driven by curiosity, I accepted. The screen showed a magnificent, opulent room. It looked like a bedroom, but it was enormous—larger than the living room of an average home. Outside the massive floor-to-ceiling windows, snow was drifting down, and a beautiful girl sat before a grand piano. Ling Xue’s jade-like fingers danced, and a beautiful melody began to play.

I watched, mesmerized, as her fingers moved, thinking that as she played for the falling snow, her noble and graceful temperament made her look like a fairy from heaven. I was unworthy of her in this lifetime.

As the song ended, Ling Xue turned back and smiled at me, "Little fool, how was my playing?"

I said, "Although I don't know the name of the piece, it was truly beautiful."

Ling Xue smiled sweetly, "If you like it, I'll play for the cow every day from now on... hehe."

I said, "Ling Xue, stop teasing me. I’m simply not a match for you."

Ling Xue tapped the screen with her finger and laughed, "You have no confidence. Look at me—am I beautiful?"

I said foolishly, "Very beautiful, beautiful like a fairy from heaven." Ling Xue replied shyly, "Then do you want to kiss me?"

I blurted out, "Of course I want to kiss you, but I can't reach you." Ling Xue smirked, "If you bring your lips closer, won't you be able to reach?"

I paused, and Ling Xue laughed, "Let me see you try to kiss me, okay?"

As she spoke, she leaned her delicate face toward the camera. Looking at that alluring face on the screen, I couldn't help but lean my lips toward it.

Suddenly, the door was pushed open, and Sister Li said in astonishment, "Brother, what are you doing!"

My face flushed, and I quickly closed the video, saying, "Sister, it's nothing. I saw that the screen was dirty and wanted to blow on it to wipe it off."

Sister Li sat on the edge of my bed and said, "Brother, I want to tell you something." Seeing her awkward expression, I asked curiously, "Sister, what is it? Why so mysterious?"

Sister Li said, "I'm pregnant." I was startled, "Sister, is this true?"

Sister Li blushed, "Of course it's fake!" I said, "Then what do you mean by saying that?"

Sister Li said, "I lied to Mom and told her I was pregnant, and I said the baby was..."