Landlord in the Arctic

The group glanced back and forth at one another.

Their eyes met, but no one could find the right topic to break the slightly awkward silence.

So they just sat there stiffly.

Finally, Xiaohua couldn’t hold it in any longer and let out a giggle.

Her crisp laughter was like a key, instantly breaking the tension in the air.

As her laughter rang out, Hu Zi and Black Hide cracked grins as well. It started as quiet chuckling, but their laughter soon grew louder, echoing through the living room.

Feng Mountain, with a look of resignation, snatched a throw pillow and hurled it at Black Hide, who was laughing the loudest.

THWACK!

He hadn’t held back. The force of the blow made Black Hide’s head snap back, and he saw stars.

"Brother Shan, speak up. What’s the plan? Hitting two birds with one stone... I never knew you had that in you."

Xiaohua curled up cozily on the sofa. The three of them were used to getting lectures from Brother Shan.

Now that they finally had some leverage over Brother Shan, there was no way they’d let it go easily. They had to seize the moral high ground and give him a taste of his own medicine.

She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively as she spoke, her eyes filled with playful mockery.

Seeing his chance, Hu Zi scrambled to suck up to his wife, deftly grabbing a blanket and gently draping it over her legs.

Then, glancing at Brother Shan’s troubled expression, he quickly jumped in to support his wife.

"Exactly, Brother Shan. This could be a big deal... or not. Hua’Er, I got a feeling just now... that girl Tammy wasn’t telling the whole truth. It wasn’t just two of them. She was definitely in on it, too."

"I heard it too," Black Hide, who had finally recovered, chimed in, rubbing his sore head. "Tammy only mentioned Erica and Jenny. When it came to her own role, she was really evasive. She almost let it slip a few times."

"Aha! So it was a three-for-one deal! Brother, you’ve really outdone yourself!" Xiaohua’s brow furrowed as she replayed the moment Tammy was speaking. Now that she thought about it, something really did seem different.

Her eyes widened in disbelief.

She looked at Feng Mountain, her expression screaming, ’You actually pulled that off?’

"Watch your mouth. What do you mean ’three-for-one deal’? I was drunk, I don’t know anything," Feng Mountain could only deny responsibility, insisting he was the victim.

Xiaohua shot up straight, her face etched with disbelief. "So when you woke up the next morning," she questioned, "you didn’t notice anything wrong?"

Feng Mountain nodded frantically, putting on his most pitiful expression. "I did notice! I felt... off all over from the moment I woke up. I’ve been stewing on it ever since, secretly trying to find the culprits. If they hadn’t all gotten drunk and let it slip today, I’d still be completely in the dark! I had no idea it was something the three of them cooked up."

Xiaohua, full of doubt, pressed him again. "So what are you going to do? Just be irresponsible and act like nothing happened? Those three women are actually all pretty great, you know."

As she said this, her eyes narrowed, and she shot Feng Mountain a piercing glare.

’She was a woman, after all, and her mind was more perceptive. The more Xiaohua mulled it over, the more she felt there was something fishy about this whole affair.’

’It started when they all entered the dining room for the meal.’

’I remember Erica was the first to suggest drinking. Su Ziweng went to get a case of red wine then, but this definitely had nothing to do with him; it was just a coincidence that he brought up alcohol.’

’Even if Su Ziweng hadn’t fetched the wine, knowing Erica’s personality, she probably would have brought out some she’d prepared in advance.’

’By that logic, Erica was the prime suspect.’

’The only question was whether Jenny, Demi, or Maria had been part of it.’

’But judging by their reactions while drinking, it seemed they didn’t know about this matter, otherwise they wouldn’t have been so defenseless and gotten drunk.’

’But Tammy definitely knew Erica planned to make the whole thing public.’

’Following that line of reasoning, things were gradually starting to make sense.’

’Erica wanted to tell everyone she’d slept with Brother Shan, but Jenny must have disagreed. So Erica decided to use this dinner party as an opportunity, pretending to get drunk so she could announce it.’

’She just hadn’t counted on the red wine having such a kick. She was passed out drunk before she could get to the important part.’

’But why was Erica so insistent on telling everyone?’

’Brother Shan is the man here. He’s both a victim and, to some extent, a beneficiary. Even if the story got out, no one would say much to him. On the contrary, it would reflect badly on Jenny and the other women.’

’So what was her reason, really?’

’It didn’t seem likely that she wanted to ruin Brother Shan’s reputation.’

’After all, Brother Shan had rescued them from their darkest hour. He’d always provided for them, making sure they had good food and drink, never discriminating against them, and treating them like his own family.’

The more Xiaohua thought, the more confused she became. The questions in her mind were a tangled knot that she couldn’t seem to unravel.

It had already happened, and worse, a drunk Tammy had let it slip. They had to figure out a solution. If word got out, there would inevitably be some negative consequences.

’Wait a minute... ’word got out’...’

At this thought, Xiaohua shot upright as if zapped by an electric current.

The sudden movement startled Hu Zi, who was zoning out beside her, causing him to jump.

"Brother Shan," Xiaohua asked anxiously, "are Eldest Young Master Xu and Su Ziweng good at keeping secrets?"

’Those two!’

An image of those two good-for-nothing young masters flashed through Feng Mountain’s mind, and he couldn’t help but shake his head.

’Those two have mouths like sieves, riddled with holes.’

’To put it nicely, they’re just carefree and can’t keep a secret. To put it bluntly, they’re natural-born gossips. The second they hear something, they want the whole world to know.’

"Then it’s over. The story’s definitely out," Xiaohua said, her face a picture of resignation. She slumped back into the sofa like a deflated ball.

"So what if it spreads? It’s not a big deal."

Feng Mountain put on an air of indifference. Seeing Xiaohua’s worried and fearful expression, he truly didn’t understand what she was so afraid of.

’Things are more open-minded in other countries, anyway. It was just a one-night stand. People here are used to that sort of thing.’

’Even if the story gets out, the worst that can happen is that he’ll be the butt of a few jokes for a while. It’s nothing serious.’

’It seemed Xiaohua’s mindset was still stuck back in China; she hadn’t quite adapted to the way of life here.’

’Truth be told, I’d already guessed what happened that night. I was sure Erica and Jenny had a hand in it, ever since the fishing competition the next day.’

’You could tell something from the way their eyes were glistening and their faces were all rosy and glowing.’

’I just never expected that the third person in this ’group crime’ wasn’t Demi or Maria, but Tammy—the last person I would have suspected.’

’Now that was a surprise.’

With that thought, Feng Mountain couldn’t help but yawn. He looked at Xiaohua and the other two, who looked like they were sitting on pins and needles, and asked, "You guys tired?"

The three of them frantically shook their heads.

"If you’re not tired, go to the bar. All the other night owls are over there. I’m going to sleep!"

With that, Feng Mountain stood up, ambled over to the first-floor guest room, and shut the door with a SLAM, leaving the three of them in the living room, staring at one another in stunned silence.

Staring at the closed door, Xiaohua, Hu Zi, and Black Hide were at a loss for words.

’Brother Shan really had some nerve. How could he possibly sleep after all this?’

After a moment of silence, Xiaohua threw off the blanket, grabbed her coat from the side, put it on, and headed straight for the cabin door.

"Hua’Er, where are you going so late?" Hu Zi asked, grabbing his own coat and hurrying after her.

Xiaohua stopped and slowly turned around. Her gaze swept over the two men before she spoke, her expression serious.

"I’m going to the bar. I’m going to find Eldest Young Master Xu and Su Ziweng and get a clear answer on what Erica’s game is. I can’t sleep until I understand this. Are you two coming or not?"

When a woman poses a question that sounds like a choice but is actually an ultimatum, it means she’s made up her mind.

It was a so-called choice that required no real answer.

Hu Zi, of course, chose to follow his wife without a moment’s hesitation.

Black Hide, however, really wanted to go to sleep. But then he met Xiaohua’s gaze, which clearly said refusal was not an option.

Resigned, he could only grab his coat with a sullen expression and trail after the other two.

The trio left the cabin, heading straight for the tavern without a moment’s delay.

...