Chapter 19

After they arrived, the group quickly went into a low building.

It offered every kind of service for the vacationers here; all sorts of gear and matching equipment were available. It was impressively thorough.

They headed to the center of the lobby, where the manager led them to a rack hung with ski suits. A young couple was browsing there too.

“Lolo, let’s pick the blue one you like?” Xi Yao took a blue ski suit from the front and handed it to Luo Yiran without even asking, then told someone to fetch the same size.

The other four stood where they were, looking around.

“Baby, let’s wear matching couple outfits. This set is especially pretty, and it’s cool too.” Suddenly, the boy from the couple beside them spoke up. Yu Nianyi followed the sound and saw them comparing a black-and-white ski suit.

“This will definitely look good in photos. Is this a couples’ set…"

The girl chimed in. Her voice wasn’t especially loud, but the place wasn’t crowded and hardly anyone was talking, so their conversation reached everyone clearly.

Yu Nianyi exchanged a glance with Xi Yao and watched as Xi Yao and Luo Yiran went upstairs to the fitting room. Then she turned her gaze to the rows and rows of ski suits.

There were many styles: some were understated, in a single color, simple and casual. Others were more design-forward, with two or three colors woven together, their shapes and patterns geometric or irregular, so many that it was almost dizzying to look at them.

Yu Nianyi’s eyes kept landing on the black and gray ski suits at the very top.

With Xi Yu’s taste in clothes and the way she usually dressed, she would probably choose those styles too.

Beside her, Xi Yu raised a hand. The manager, who had been waiting for a long time, immediately hurried over and asked softly which one she liked.

“The third one on the second row. Please take it down for me, thank you.”

Yu Nianyi looked over instinctively. Among the many ski suits, one with black and purple accents hung neatly in the middle; its clean lines and angular patterns made it look effortlessly cool.

She raised her brows, a little surprised.

“Wait a moment. Please get me the same one too, thank you.” Yu Nianyi quickly stepped in front of Xi Yu and, just as the manager was about to leave, raised her voice.

The manager froze for a second, then smiled and nodded.

Sure enough, a gaze immediately landed on her from somewhere in the air. Yu Nianyi smiled and turned her head toward it, saying playfully, “I want to wear the same thing as Xi Yu-jie, so everyone will know we’re together.”

Xi Yu looked at her quietly for a long while, then said, “There won’t be many people on the beginner slope. Even if it isn’t the same, it won’t matter.”

Yu Nianyi pressed her lips together in a smile and rolled her eyes, then went on, “Did Xi Yu-jie hear what that man and woman just said?”

Xi Yu stood motionless, her eyes calm and still, as if waiting for Yu Nianyi to continue.

“My thoughts are the same as theirs.”

Yu Nianyi stared straight at Xi Yu’s face, watching for her reaction.

Xi Yu didn’t avoid her gaze at all; from beginning to end, she was completely composed. As if Yu Nianyi had just said what she’d eaten today, something simple and easy to understand, she only held the eye contact for a few seconds before lifting her eyelids and looking past Yu Nianyi toward the back.

Quick footsteps sounded behind her, and the manager’s voice came over.

“President Xi, these are the two sets of clothes you requested. The fitting rooms are on the third floor.”

Xi Yu nodded and gave the still-standing Yu Nianyi a light glance. “Let’s go.”

Yu Nianyi gave a small laugh, then followed behind Xi Yu while watching her back.

-

The changing area already had ski boots prepared, along with helmets, goggles, protective gear, and close-fitting items. Yu Nianyi quickly took off her coat and listened quietly to the movement in the room next door.

Xi Yu had gone up with her and entered the adjacent room, but the soundproofing was excellent and the room was quite spacious, with all the basic necessities inside. She couldn’t hear a thing.

Yu Nianyi took off her gear, pulled on the suit, and finally slipped into the specially prepared ski socks before putting her foot into the boot.

It had been a long time since she’d worn professional shoes like this, so it felt a little strange. The weight and restriction on her feet were impossible to ignore. Yu Nianyi looked down, checked her outfit, and then opened the door and stepped out.

The lock clicked shut automatically; their clothes could be safely left inside.

The moment she opened the door, Yu Nianyi saw Xi Yu waiting on the sofa not far away.

She paused, her steps subconsciously slowing as her eyes landed on Xi Yu’s face.

Xi Yu had her head slightly lowered; the glasses that should have been on the bridge of her nose were nowhere to be seen. At a glance, her nose looked elegant and refined, her narrow eyes were lowered, and her thin lips were pressed together. Her features were perfectly balanced, her bearing entirely natural.

It felt like a long-frozen, overcast day suddenly losing the screen that had blurred the view; the world became clearer, and the temperature seemed to rise little by little.

She seemed a little less untouchable.

Yu Nianyi silently marveled to herself. Looking at her closely now, Xi Yu was the perfect crush—at least inside the circle.

That “perfect crush” turned off her phone and lifted her eyelids to look over. “Ready?”

Yu Nianyi blinked, still not satisfied with looking at her. “Ready.”

The resort’s service was very attentive. Along the way, there were people helping carry their equipment. The indoor and outdoor areas weren’t far apart, but it still took a few minutes to walk. Aside from the ski boots that felt a little awkward on her legs, Yu Nianyi had an easy time of it.

The others were already waiting at the entrance. When they saw the two of them come down, they all looked over in tacit understanding.

“This ski suit looks really good; it shows a side of you that’s different from work. It’s my honor to see it.” Chen Shuo was the first to walk up to Xi Yu and say familiar words.

Yu Nianyi, hearing that from behind, curled her lip in disgust and quickened her pace to stand on Xi Yu’s other side.

“Then how about you and my sister stay on the beginner slope? The four of us can go play somewhere else.” Xi Yao came over with Luo Yiran in her arms and leaned in as she asked.

Yu Nianyi smiled warmly. “Sure.”

Xi Yu said to Xi Yao, “Be careful.”

Xi Yao sighed and didn’t look at Xi Yu again, only leaving her with a back view. “Got it.”

Chen Shuo looked left and right, then finally shot Xi Yu a hurried glance before being dragged away by Xi Yao without any room to refuse.

Chen Ming saw her brother run off, said hello to Xi Yu and Yu Nianyi, and followed after him too.

Yu Nianyi picked up all her gear and looked around.

The beginner slope was even larger than she’d expected. There were only seven or eight people scattered about, each taking up a small stretch of space, as if no matter how bad their skills were, they still wouldn’t be hurt by someone else’s mistake.

“Are you getting used to it?” Xi Yu stood beside her, her gaze falling on Yu Nianyi’s board.

Yu Nianyi lifted her legs and mimed walking in place. “Not bad. Basic walking and going up the gentle slope are fine; I’ve already found the feeling again.”

Xi Yu nodded. “Then practice on the gentle slope first. Once you start sliding, bring the front ends of the skis together and open the back ends; follow along and practice.”

“After you’ve practiced enough, try going up the slope.”

Yu Nianyi nodded and smiled at Xi Yu. “Okay, Xi Yu-jie, you go ahead and take care of your things. I’ll practice on my own first; if I really can’t do it, I’ll come find you.”

With that, she went off to a corner by herself and repeated the movements over and over.

When she looked up again, Xi Yu had gone back to where they’d just come from. She took out her phone and seemed to be on a call. Every few seconds, she also glanced toward Yu Nianyi.

Earlier, at the sofa, Yu Nianyi had accidentally caught a glimpse of Xi Yu’s phone screen; the chat window was still open, with messages going back and forth. She probably had work to handle.

Yu Nianyi looked around, then toward the distant slope. Three or five little figures had gathered there, pausing for several minutes. Only when they heard the instructor call out did they lean forward and charge down with heroic determination.

The little figures grew larger and larger until they rushed to the bottom of the slope like flying arrows. In the end, they wobbled to a stop; some even buried their faces straight into the thick snow. A crisp thud sounded, the person cried out, and after a few seconds slowly stood up.

Suddenly, Yu Nianyi had an idea. She looked back at Xi Yu and saw her leaning against the floor-to-ceiling window, her eyes fixed on this side, as if she had never looked away.

She waved at Xi Yu with exaggerated enthusiasm. Xi Yu’s gaze paused, and she watched Yu Nianyi make her way toward the slope.

Yu Nianyi walked for half a minute and saw that there was a conveyor belt on the far side made especially for beginners; it could carry people straight to the top.

She watched for a moment, then decisively turned around and headed that way.

Since she was going to put on a show, she might as well do it properly.

She followed the queue onto the conveyor belt and, a few minutes later, came up with the crowd.

The view from the top was beautiful. Heaven and earth merged into stretches of bright white, with figures of different sizes scattered across it and splashes of vivid color that looked especially striking.

A figure faintly tinged with purple light walked over slowly and stood at the bottom of the slope, facing Yu Nianyi’s direction.

Yu Nianyi stood still and smiled at the sight.

From such a distance, she couldn’t even see Xi Yu’s face clearly; still, she could vividly imagine what expression Xi Yu was wearing right now.

She narrowed her eyes slightly and murmured under her breath, “Xi Yu, catch me properly…”

Yu Nianyi relaxed her body and bent forward slightly. The skis beneath her feet began to slide downward little by little; the harsh, clear scraping sound mixed with the whistling cold wind in the air. The crowd was swallowed up behind her, and the wind grew louder and louder as Xi Yu’s figure became clearer and clearer.

When she reached the bottom of the slope, Yu Nianyi adjusted the angle of the two skis a little. Her whole body swayed unsteadily for a few seconds; when she finally felt herself losing her balance, she gently toppled in Xi Yu’s direction.

Crash.

Yu Nianyi fell onto Xi Yu, her face brushing the side of Xi Yu’s neck as if by accident, over and over again. A cool, clean scent rushed into her nose; Xi Yu’s hair had fallen to one side, swaying gracefully against the bright white around them and drawing the eye.

Glances kept drifting over from the surroundings. After watching the two of them collide for a long while, people couldn’t help meeting the gaze of the woman pinned beneath her, then quickly looked away again.

Yu Nianyi lay on Xi Yu for quite a while before slowly sitting up.

“I’m really sorry, Xi Yu-jie. I couldn’t control myself coming down; I just couldn’t stop. I wanted to avoid you, but I still ended up crashing into you.”

“Are you okay? Does anything hurt?”