Chapter 18

The resort was far from the city center, built around a vast stretch of beautiful natural scenery, and its grounds were absurdly large. It was said to have the largest ski runs around Jiayang, along with a golf course, luxury hotels, high-end hot springs, and even a number of distinctive restaurants and entertainment venues. It aimed to become a paradise cut off from the city, so even on weekdays and weekends, quite a few rich second-generation heirs and businesspeople came here to vacation and socialize.

The group had picked a bitterly cold day in December, and there still weren’t many people at the resort. Along the paths, only a few scattered pairs of young people could be seen; compared with them, their party looked rather large.

Chen Shuo had booked four suites. The manager handed the key cards to Chen Shuo, and the others all looked at one another without saying anything.

They probably hadn’t expected anyone else to come, so the rooms hadn’t been booked according to headcount. But the manager had said each suite had two bedrooms, which was enough for them.

Yu Nianyi glanced around, then at Luo Yiran; with herself included, she already understood what was going on.

“I’m rooming with Yiran,” Xi Yao said without hesitation, taking a key card from Chen Shuo’s hand. She gave Yu Nianyi a subtle wink, then headed straight for the elevator without looking back.

Yu Nianyi raised her brows slightly, her gaze drifting almost casually to Xi Yu.

Chen Shuo was a man, so of course he couldn’t squeeze in with the girls; he got a room to himself.

Chen Ming greeted Xi Yu and Yu Nianyi, then took her own key card and went upstairs by herself.

Yu Nianyi stared at the only key card left in her hand, her eyes practically shining.

Heaven was really helping her out; she’d gotten exactly what she wanted without lifting a finger.

Xi Yu looked at her. “I’ll book another suite.”

Yu Nianyi came back to herself at once and quickly stopped Xi Yu with a smile. “Don’t. If Sister Xi Yu books another room, I’ll feel even more embarrassed. The manager just said the rooms were enough, so Sister Xi Yu should stay with me.”

Meeting Xi Yu’s calm gaze, Yu Nianyi pretended to sigh, then tested the waters. “You wouldn’t mind me, would you?”

Xi Yu lowered her eyes slightly, looking at the hand that had tightly linked around her arm. Her gaze shifted, but she didn’t answer.

The two of them took the elevator one after the other. Their room was on the sixth floor; after walking a short distance, they swiped the card and went in.

The room was very bright, with excellent natural light flooding both the living room and the bedroom. Yu Nianyi changed her shoes and looked around at the furnishings. The living room had all the soft furnishings one could need; when she walked into one of the bedrooms, she saw an open, spacious layout. Aside from the basic design, there was also a separate bathroom. This bedroom had its own open-air balcony as well; when she pushed open the glass door, she could clearly see the distant mountains. The city’s high-rises had shrunk into tiny shapes, and one glance out was enough to reveal a striking view.

Yu Nianyi let out a slow breath and rested a hand on the railing as she looked into the distance.

“How’s this room?” Xi Yu came over and asked.

Yu Nianyi turned her head and happened to meet Xi Yu’s calm eyes.

Xi Yu had already taken off the thick down jacket she’d worn for warmth. The black shirt underneath was a little more casual; its sleeves hung loosely, and as her arms moved, the fabric fell naturally, losing some of the neat, buttoned-up feel she’d had in the car.

Yu Nianyi looked at her a little longer, then smiled. “Very nice. The view here is great.”

“Mm. You sleep here.”

“And Sister Xi Yu?”

“I’ll sleep in the other room.”

Yu Nianyi didn’t ask any further. It wasn’t until she walked past the other bedroom and glanced inside that she realized this room had no open-air balcony; it only had a separate bathroom.

She was a little surprised, though there was also a sense of inevitability in that surprise.

The longer she spent with Xi Yu, the more she found Xi Yu to be thoughtful, meticulous, considerate, and extremely steady. Yu Nianyi had always felt that when people first met, they all hid behind a slightly friendlier, more polite version of themselves; as time passed, their flaws would slowly come out.

She had thought Xi Yu would be the same. Yet the longer they spent together, the more real Xi Yu seemed; the more clearly Yu Nianyi could feel Xi Yu’s warmth.

It was as if Xi Yu was always taking care of people.

To be blunt, Yu Nianyi very much liked that kind of care. Xi Yu had originally seemed like a dull, cold person, but with just a little consideration, she made people feel unexpectedly cherished. Xi Yu was the same.

At noon, Xi Yu ordered lunch to be sent up to the room.

Xi Yao supposedly wanted to make up for lost sleep, and of course Luo Yiran wouldn’t come down to eat with them. As for Chen Ming, the moment she got back to her room she took a shower and couldn’t be bothered to come down again for lunch.

Chen Shuo called to invite Xi Yu to a private two-person lunch, but Xi Yu turned him down flat.

The hotel lunch was much better than Yu Nianyi had expected; it was more lavish than an ordinary hotel meal, with a balanced mix of meat and vegetables, plus warming soups and porridge.

The two of them sat at the long dining table in the restaurant area and ate facing one another.

The way Xi Yu ate matched Yu Nianyi’s impression of her; her pace was neither too fast nor too slow, and her hair was neatly combed back with not a strand out of place.

What surprised Yu Nianyi, though, was that Xi Yu didn’t have the habit of looking at her phone while eating. Yu Nianyi had assumed she’d see the image of someone working and eating at the same time, but reality was different.

So Yu Nianyi simply set her phone face down and watched Xi Yu while she ate.

Xi Yu sensed her gaze. Her eating paused for a few seconds, then resumed at the same unhurried pace, as if Yu Nianyi weren’t there at all.

“Sister Xi Yu, what’s our schedule this afternoon?” Yu Nianyi asked, narrowing her eyes with a sly smile.

Xi Yu set her chopsticks on the plate, picked up a tissue, and wiped her lips before speaking. “After a short rest, a shuttle will come at three to take us to the designated changing area outside the ski field.”

Yu Nianyi propped her chin on her hand and looked at Xi Yu’s composed face. “I see. Then I’d better build up my stamina. I haven’t skied in a long time, so my skills are probably rusty.”

Xi Yu said, “Don’t worry.”

Yu Nianyi drew out an “oh” and, with a renewed urge to tease her, tilted her head and smiled with her lips pressed together. “So Coach Xi is already prepared to teach me?”

Xi Yu pressed her lips together and looked straight into the slightly mischievous smile in Yu Nianyi’s eyes.

A short burst of ringing suddenly broke the strange silence in the dining area. Xi Yu stood up, took her phone, and walked into the living room, leaving only one sentence behind.

“Rest well.”

Yu Nianyi curved her lips in a smile and sat at the table for a long while before finally heading back to the bedroom to rest.

-

She rarely got such a good nap at noon. Maybe because the resort was at a relatively high altitude; after eating, sleepiness hit Yu Nianyi hard, and she slept especially soundly all afternoon.

When the alarm rang, Yu Nianyi got up.

As soon as she opened the bedroom door, she saw Xi Yu sitting upright on the sofa. Xi Yu was putting her laptop into the reinforced computer bag she always carried. Seeing Yu Nianyi come out, she only gave a slight nod.

“Sister Xi Yu, you didn’t rest at noon?” Yu Nianyi asked.

“Mm. There were some things that needed to be checked in time.”

“Get ready. The car will be here in thirty minutes.”

Yu Nianyi agreed and turned to wash up in the bathroom.

She couldn’t really ask about Xi Yu’s work. Part of it was that she didn’t understand those professional terms; another part was that her relationship with Xi Yu wasn’t yet at the stage where they should be discussing such things.

It was said that Xiaolan Group was built from the ground up by Xi Yu and Xi Yao’s parents, Xi Huanian and Zhao Xiaolan, who made their fortune in machinery manufacturing. The company now held a pivotal position in the industry, covering most of the domestic market and even reaching overseas; its business spread across the globe, mainly concentrated in countries like Germany and South Korea.

The subsidiary Xi Yu managed, Xiaolan Technology, focused on exploring innovative fields, adapting to the needs of the times and the development of the industry, and striving to develop smarter, greener products.

From the looks of it, Xi Yu was apparently being groomed entirely as the group’s heir. As for Xi Yao, she was determined to pursue what she liked and chose art, something her parents considered rather unpromising.

Fortunately, Xi Yao had endless patience for painting, and she had also met plenty of friends in the same circle who shared her interests.

Yu Nianyi didn’t think further. After quickly finishing up, she put on her coat and went downstairs with Xi Yu.

Chen Shuo and Chen Ming had already been waiting downstairs. When they saw the two of them come down, they greeted them warmly.

Xi Yao and Luo Yiran arrived a little later. Xi Yao looked a bit better than she had in the morning. All the way over, she wore a smile and occasionally traded a few sharp words with Chen Shuo.

She knew perfectly well why she’d been called over. Although her family and Xi Yu didn’t get along all that well, that didn’t stop her from helping her sister out.

“Brother Chen Shuo, I heard you’re really good at skiing. How about we have a competition later?” Xi Yao hooked one arm around Luo Yiran’s and tilted her head at Chen Shuo with a malicious smile.

Chen Shuo gave a deliberate cough. Seeing that Xi Yu didn’t speak, he could only say, “Sure. Mingming can play with you. Don’t let her young age fool you; her skills aren’t any worse than mine.”

Chen Ming grinned and said without the least politeness, “Don’t underestimate me. You can all come at once.”

Then her gaze swept toward Yu Nianyi. “Of course, Sister Nianyi has to come too.”

Yu Nianyi curved her eyes in a smile and shrugged helplessly. “I’ll pass. I should be the worst one here.”

Chen Ming froze and blurted, “It’s fine; there’ll be a coach there to teach you. It’s really easy.”

Yu Nianyi narrowed her eyes and deliberately looked at Xi Yu, who was sitting to the side without speaking. “No need. Sister Xi Yu said she’d teach me.”

Everyone followed her gaze, and sure enough, Xi Yu was sitting straight beside Yu Nianyi, giving a small, light nod.

Chen Shuo frowned slightly. “This is a little…”

Yu Nianyi pretended to sigh regretfully. Only after she noticed Chen Shuo’s attention turning toward her did she speak at just the right moment. “To be honest, I’m a little embarrassed about it too. I get nervous when strangers teach me, and the more nervous I am, the worse I do. To avoid ruining everyone’s trip here, I can only trouble Sister Xi Yu.”

“Luckily, Sister Xi Yu is beautiful and kind-hearted, so she agreed to help me. Otherwise, I’d be too embarrassed to even come…”

Xi Yu beside her didn’t speak. Her left arm rested on the car window ledge; with the tip of her slender finger lightly pressed against her lips, she completely concealed the corner of her mouth.

Yu Nianyi looked over steadily. She didn’t know if it was just her imagination, but it seemed like she caught the faintest upward curve of those thin lips.

Her heart tingled with a strange, numb feeling.

Xi Yao burst out laughing, resting her head on Luo Yiran’s shoulder as she laughed uncontrollably. She also played along perfectly, saying, “Don’t be so polite with us! You’re my friend, Xi Yao’s friend; there’s nothing to feel embarrassed about. Even if you can’t do anything, it doesn’t matter. Everyone starts from zero and gets familiar slowly. Besides, you’ve got my sister teaching you. For these next two days, just leave yourself in my sister’s hands!”

Yu Nianyi took a deep breath and looked around at everyone, then said with feigned emotion, “You’re all so good.”

Luo Yiran blinked and, while supporting Xi Yao’s laughing head as it tilted back and forth, looked at Xi Yu, who had remained silent from beginning to end; then her gaze settled on Yu Nianyi’s heartfelt expression.

Seeing how Xi Yao and Yu Nianyi were clearly in cahoots, she immediately understood.

Chen Ming glanced at Chen Shuo and seemed about to say something else, but Chen Shuo stopped her with a look.