Landlord in the Arctic

PFFT!!

Feng Mountain couldn’t hold it in any longer. His laughter burst out like a collapsing dam.

He was laughing so hard he was doubled over, his body shaking uncontrollably, with tears welling up in his eyes.

’Is this the same Frank I know, the one who’s usually so sharp-tongued?’

However, the sudden burst of laughter unexpectedly broke the ice for Frank.

Frank, who had been so awkward he didn’t know what to do with his hands and feet, was jolted by the laughter and instantly regained some of his usual spirit.

Composing himself, he quickly strode forward, his face wreathed in smiles. He spread his arms wide, as if ready to embrace the whole world, and said excitedly,

"Natalia, you’re as beautiful as ever. Did God forget to take back your youth?"

"All these years, whenever I thought of you, the image that came to my mind was of you in your youth. I never imagined time would be so gentle with you. You’re truly favored by the years!"

Frank delivered these lines with such genuine emotion, his eyes sparkling with sincerity.

The woman, for her part, was still smiling warmly, her eyes full of a gentle fondness for past memories. She graciously accepted Frank’s hug and patted him lightly on the back, as natural and warm as old friends reuniting after many years.

Then, she tilted her head back slightly, the corners of her mouth lifting into a beautiful curve as she replied teasingly,

"It seems God also forgot to take away that honeyed tongue of yours. It’s been so many years, and you’re still just as good at charming people."

After they separated, the atmosphere seemed to grow much warmer.

Feng Mountain quickly snatched a chair from the next table.

Several crewmen at the neighboring table were in the middle of a lively conversation when they suddenly sensed movement beside them. Turning their heads, they saw someone stealing their chair. Their faces instantly darkened, and one of the hot-tempered crewmen opened his mouth to start cursing.

Just at that critical moment, a light swung over and fell on Feng Mountain’s face, illuminating his features clearly.

The crewmen took a closer look and—whoa, it was the boss!

The expressions on their faces did an instant one-eighty. A moment ago their eyes were wide with anger; now they were full of ingratiating smiles. They hurriedly bowed and scraped, their expressions changing faster than a Sichuan opera face-changer.

’You know what’s good for you!’

Feng Mountain gloated inwardly, the corners of his mouth turning up slightly, a hint of barely perceptible arrogance on his face.

’If you’d dared to curse at me, I’d have made you clean the toilets on the River Beach for a year.’

Then, like an eager waiter, he deftly placed the chair next to Frank and said fawningly to the middle-aged woman, "Auntie Natalia, please sit. Uncle Frank was just talking about you, and you can’t imagine how heartbroken he was."

"Thank you!"

The middle-aged woman gave a slight bow, her gentle gaze landing on Feng Mountain’s face. Her eyes lingered on him for a moment before returning to normal. The corners of her mouth lifted into a meaningful smile as she said softly, "You must be Feng Mountain. Mr. Feng’s grandson."

Her smile made Feng Mountain inexplicably flustered. He subconsciously avoided her gaze and started to get an uneasy feeling.

’That smile is so creepy.’

’She’s not here for me, is she?’

Despite this thought, Feng Mountain had to force himself to remain calm, squeezing out a smile in response.

But upon seeing Feng Mountain, Natalia’s thoughts drifted back to half an hour earlier.

Not long after Natasha returned to the cabin, Natalia landed on the airstrip by plane, bringing with her servants and a full load of daily necessities.

Inside the cabin, it was cozy and warm, with soft lighting.

Natalia immediately spotted Natasha lying uncomfortably on the sofa, seemingly in some kind of unspeakable pain.

Seeing this, Natalia quickly instructed the servants to go prepare the bedroom, then helped Natasha slowly into the bathroom.

In the bathroom, steam filled the air. The warm yellow light diffused through the hazy mist, creating a soft, cozy atmosphere.

With Natalia’s gentle and patient help, Natasha slowly removed her clothes. Her skin was revealed inch by inch, fair and delicate like a peeled spring bamboo shoot.

Just then, Natalia’s gaze inadvertently fell upon Natasha’s back, and at the sight, she couldn’t help but gasp.

There, she saw the clear outlines of three palm prints. The red, swollen marks were stark and jarring, like three shocking wounds suddenly appearing on a field of pure white snow, a sharp contrast to the fairness of the surrounding skin.

Those palm prints seemed to carry a scorching heat that burned Natalia’s heart.

The Queen of Cold Bay had actually been humiliated like this.

In an instant, it was as if a fuse to Natalia’s fury had been lit. She transformed from her usual gentle, tender self into a sharp-edged, menacing figure, like a mother beast about to go berserk. She stared intently at the blood-red palm prints, her eyes filled with both rage and heartache. Her tone was so cold it could freeze water as she spoke, enunciating each word.

"Kaja, who did this?"

Natasha turned her head and saw the shocking marks on her back in the mirror’s reflection. She couldn’t help but bite her lower lip, inwardly cursing Feng Mountain for not knowing how to be gentle with a woman. He had struck her so hard that the force of it still left a dull ache.

"Kaja!" In the throes of her rage, Natalia suddenly noticed with sharp perception that Natasha’s expression wasn’t as angry as one might expect. Instead, there was a subtle hint of a young woman’s shyness, and a faint blush was quietly creeping up her cheeks.

Natalia had never seen such an expression on Natasha’s face before. In her memory, Natasha had always been the cold, glamorous, and inviolable Queen of the Bering Sea.