Landlord in the Arctic

Feng Mountain was lost in curiosity, his brow furrowed as he held up the bizarrely shaped piece of clothing.

One moment he was trying to wrap it around his waist, the next he was trying to pull it onto his leg.

He was muttering to himself, trying to figure out just how to wear the thing.

Just then, the bedroom door creaked open without any warning.

The sudden sound made Feng Mountain jump, and he instinctively looked up.

There, standing in the doorway, were Natasha and Xiaohua.

There was a reason for their sudden appearance.

After all the emergency tasks for the cold snap had been assigned at the tavern, the temperature outside had plummeted without warning, as if it had gone mad.

The bitter cold felt like countless ice knives drilling straight into one’s bones.

Even with the tavern’s fireplace blazing away, desperately pumping out heat, it was no match for the ferocious cold snap.

It simply couldn’t fend off the tidal wave of encroaching chill.

Natasha decided she couldn’t just keep freezing. While the others were busy with their assigned tallies, she decided to head back to the cabin to grab some warmer clothes.

And so, she and Xiaohua hurried back to the cabin.

They braved the wind and snow and finally made it back.

The moment they pushed open the door, they were struck dumb by the scene inside.

What greeted their eyes...

...was Feng Mountain, his face a picture of concentration, holding a G-string and sizing it up against his leg.

He looked as strange as strange could be, the very image of a pervert.

"Brother Shan, what are you doing? My eyes!!"

Xiaohua reacted as fast as a startled rabbit, her eyes nearly popping out of her head.

She let out an instinctive shriek and clapped her hands over her face like lightning.

But her hands didn’t seem to obey her;

her fingers were spread wide open, and she kept peeking at the scene through the gaps.

A blush spread across her face at the "horrifying" scene.

Natasha, on the other hand, was completely unruffled, her expression calm.

She just raised an eyebrow slightly and strode straight into the bedroom.

She reached Feng Mountain in a few steps and, without a word, snatched the G-string from his hands.

"I didn’t know you had this kind of fetish. Since you like it, you can have it. I have plenty more."

Natasha’s lips curved into a teasing, ambiguous smile.

Her tone was like she’d just made a groundbreaking discovery.

With that, ignoring Feng Mountain’s dumbfounded expression, she deftly stuffed the G-string into his pocket with a swift, clean motion.

"This..."

Feng Mountain instantly turned to stone, his mouth hanging wide open.

His mind went blank. He had no idea what was going on.

’Since when do I have some weird fetish?’

He subconsciously reached up to touch his pocket. His fingertips brushed against the soft, embarrassing fabric, and a sense of grievance welled up inside him.

"Brother Shan, you’ve gone bad." Xiaohua, a little disappointed at not seeing the chaotic, noisy scene she’d imagined, pouted and followed them into the bedroom.

She walked up to Feng Mountain, tilting her head with wide eyes.

A complex expression, like she wanted to laugh but didn’t dare, appeared on her face.

It was as if her image of Brother Shan had crumbled, yet there was also a hint of teasing in her voice as she spoke.

"Brother Shan, I never knew you liked to steal underwear."

What!

’Steal underwear.’

’What the hell are you talking about?’

Feng Mountain was completely stunned when he heard Xiaohua’s words.

His mind buzzed as if a swarm of bees were crashing around inside his head.

His face burned, flushing red then pale, so embarrassed he wished he could find a hole to crawl into.

He hastily fumbled in his pocket, pulled out the strip of fabric, and held it up to Xiaohua, stammering.

"Hua’er, this... is this underwear?"

"Yeah, Brother Shan. It’s a G-string. Look, it’s even studded with diamond chips!" Xiaohua said, bobbing her head like a chick pecking at grain, her eyes filled with envy.

She was thoroughly envious of Sister Natasha’s luxurious lifestyle.

’Look at this! Even her underwear has sparkly diamond chips. How much must that cost!’

’No wonder Sister Natasha gave away a custom gemstone necklace without even blinking.’

’That kind of extravagance is really on another level.’

Thinking of this, Xiaohua’s gaze toward Natasha held even more admiration.

Feng Mountain looked at Xiaohua’s certain expression, then glanced down at the so-called G-string in his hand.

He was completely dumbfounded and, for a moment, at a loss for words.

A tide of embarrassment washed over him.

It made Feng Mountain feel uncomfortable all over.

Even his toes squirmed restlessly, a tingling, itching sensation shooting up his legs.

It felt as if countless ants were biting him.

His face flushed crimson. He shuffled his feet frantically and hurried over to Natasha.

His hands were cupped as if holding a bomb that could detonate at any moment.

He held out the G-string, an apology practically overflowing from his face.

He explained anxiously.

"Sorry, sorry! I didn’t know what this was. The camp’s signal is down, so my phone can’t connect to the outside world. I came looking for the satellite phone. The bedroom isn’t like it was before. It was an accident! I don’t have that kind of fetish."

Natasha slowly lifted her eyes.

Her gaze was like a wisp of smoke, barely grazing over the G-string.

Her expression was as calm and placid as a tranquil lake.

She lifted her chin slightly, her innate arrogance showing through in her nonchalant tone.

"It doesn’t matter. It’s yours now, anyway. You’ve already touched it. You don’t expect me to wear it, do you?"

"Erk!"

Hearing this, Feng Mountain felt as if an invisible hand were choking him, and a bellyful of grievance and speechlessness rose up in his throat.

’I just picked it up, I didn’t even break it.’

’How did I get into so much trouble for no reason?’

Now he was in a situation he couldn’t explain his way out of.

Feng Mountain’s mouth opened slightly, wanting to offer some defense.

But the words caught in his throat, and he could only stand there, frustrated.

His face flushed red and white, the picture of utter mortification.

"Consider it a return gift for the necklace you gave me," Natasha said, her ruby lips parting. Her tone was teasing yet nonchalant, as if this were just a trivial little incident.

With that, she swayed her hips and walked toward the wardrobe, her figure graceful and every movement elegant.

Just as her hand was about to pull open the wardrobe door, she suddenly paused, as if remembering something.

Then, Natasha turned gracefully to look at Feng Mountain, who was still frozen in place.

"Oh, right. Auntie Natalia organized all the things that used to be in your bedroom and put them in the first-floor storage room. The satellite phone you’re looking for is probably there too."

After speaking, Natasha saw that Feng Mountain was still standing there dumbly, motionless as a wooden post.

She raised a delicate eyebrow, the corners of her mouth lifting in a faint smile, and her voice held a hint of mockery.

"Are you planning on watching me change?"

"N-No!"

That sentence jolted Feng Mountain out of his daze.

He waved his hands frantically, turned on his heel, and bolted for the door.

And behind him,

Xiaohua was already bent over, roaring with laughter.

She clutched her stomach with one hand and wiped tears of laughter from the corner of her eye with the other.

Watching Brother Shan’s pathetic retreat, she found the scene utterly hilarious.

The sound of her clear, crisp laughter echoed through the room like silver bells.

After leaving the bedroom,

Feng Mountain felt he had been humiliated beyond belief, and his heart filled with regret.

He cursed himself relentlessly.

’How could I be so unlucky? Of all the things to pick up, it had to be her underwear.’

’And to top it off, I was caught red-handed.’

’If word of this gets out, how am I ever going to show my face in the camp again!’

Just thinking about it made Feng Mountain’s head ache.

He knew Xiaohua too well. That girl was a big mouth who couldn’t keep a secret.

’She’s probably already plotting to tell Hu Zi all about it.’

And Hu Zi was the type who couldn’t keep things to himself either.

The moment he found out, he would definitely run and tell Black Hide.

Those two together were the camp’s broadcast system.

With their speed and gossip-loving natures, once the news reached their ears,

it wouldn’t be long

before the entire camp would be buzzing with the story.

The more Feng Mountain thought about it, the more he panicked, his confidence draining away. Unconsciously, a layer of cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

He subconsciously raised his hand, intending to wipe the sweat away with whatever was in it and ease his embarrassment.

But just as his hand reached eye level...

...his movement froze mid-air, and his eyes went wide.

...