Chapter 357: Skiing

Chapter 357 Skiing

The new ski resort was built at the foot of a snow-capped mountain in a frontier star system.

The aircraft landed at the hotel's reception center. Lu Liu and Qi Yi first returned to their room to drop off their luggage. Lu Liu clung to the railing, gazing excitedly at the vast expanse of snow outside and the endless winding ski trails, his cowlick bobbing excitedly. But before he could even step out, Qi Yi pulled him back and wrapped him up like a dumpling.

First came the sweater and long johns, then the down jacket, hat, and gloves, and finally a pair of ski goggles—almost every inch of him was wrapped up.

Lu Liu tugged at his hat unhappily. "Why? What's all this for?"

"It's cold outside," Qi Yi said, adjusting his hat and wrapping a scarf around him. "Don't want you getting sick."

Lu Liu: "Then why are you dressed so lightly?"

Qi Yi's outfit stayed the same year-round—always a tight tank top and a jacket. This time, just for the snow's sake, he reluctantly switched to a fleece-lined jacket.

Qi Yi raised an eyebrow. "How can you compare yourself to me?"

With the physical endurance of an SS-ranked Sentinel, Qi Yi could easily spend half a day in freezing temperatures even if he wore nothing at all.

And so, the still-dashing Sentinel led a penguin-like Guide out the door.

The penguin began snooping around the rental counter.

Qi Yi asked him, "Do you want a snowboard or skis? Skis are better for newbies."

Lu Liu dug in his heels, "Snowboard!"

He had seen Wen Xian snowboarding before. His host body was athletic, able to handle advanced slopes. While Jiang Zhiyi struggled on the beginner trails, Wen Xian would show off by dropping down from the advanced slopes, cutting clean 'S' curves through the snow and kicking up clouds of powder—all effortless swagger, leaving the young CEO in awe.

Lu Liu wanted to be that cool too!

Qi Yi warned, "Snowboarding is harder to balance on. You'll fall a lot."

Lu Liu still dug in his heels, "Snowboard!"

"..."

Qi Yi gave in.

With a sigh, he grabbed two boards and walked with the Guide to the starting point.

The Guide, bundled like a rice ball, could barely bend over, so Qi Yi had to crouch down to help him get the board strapped on.

"Alright," Qi Yi stood up. "Let me explain the basics first—"

Before he could finish, Lu Liu attempted to take a step forward and went down face-first—thud!—into the snow.

"Qi Yi! Qi Yi!" He waved his arms helplessly behind him. "Help! Help! I can't get up!"

Qi Yi: "."

The Dark Sentinel rubbed the bridge of his nose, quickly pulled out his communicator when the Guide wasn't looking, snuck a quick pic, and then obligingly hauled him up.

For the next half hour, Lu Liu kept eating snow and getting rescued by Qi Yi. Thankfully, his thick clothing kept him from getting hurt.

Lu Liu: "T_T"

This wasn't fun at all! It was nothing like how smooth and stylish Wen Xian made it look!

Qi Yi once again pulled the guide who had fallen clumsily like a penguin out of the snow and sighed helplessly, "How about we go get some milk tea and a small cake over there?"

The ski resort had everything; right next to it was a cozy wooden café. The place had an electronic fireplace in the center, warm heating, and fogged-up windows. The atmosphere was just right.

Lu Liu: "Yes."

He followed Qi Yi into the café, ordered milk tea and a small cake, then prodded the sentinel playfully. "You don’t have to sit with me. Go ski! I’ve never seen you ski before. I want to watch."

Guides were usually terrible at sports, but sentinels were generally skilled.

Lu Liu thought that even if he couldn’t ski well himself, Qi Yi must be even more impressive than Wen Xian on the slopes.

He really wanted to see it.

Qi Yi’s ears turned red, feeling like the café’s heating was turned up too high.

Carrying his snowboard, he headed out, choosing an advanced slope visible from the café. He took the lift to the top, then pushed off and sped down the slope.

Lu Liu: "Wow—"

Sentinels weren’t bothered by the cold, so Qi Yi wore no hat or scarf. Leaning forward with his hands behind his back, the wind whipped through his hair and clothes, making him look like a swift mountain eagle. Despite the small snowboard beneath his feet, he carved through the snow, cutting through it effortlessly, with the posture of riding the wind and waves.

Lu Liu couldn’t resist lifting his communicator and snapping a couple of photos.

He sent Qi Yi’s pictures into the group chat, tagging Wen Xian: "Wen Xian, look!"

Wen Xian: "?"

"Who’s that?"

Lu Liu: "My assignment partner! Isn’t he the coolest?"

He’d worked with several impressive guys before—Wen Xian, Xie Yu, and the like—but Qi Yi topped them all!

Wen Xian: "."

"Wait, what?" He was baffled. "Your mission target? More like your crush, not your mission, don’t you think?"

Lu Liu didn’t immediately grasp his meaning, but Qi Yi had already returned with his snowboard, so he closed the communicator.

The sentinel stood beside the guide, trying to act modest, and remarked, "That advanced slope wasn’t that hard. The gradient wasn’t very steep."

Lu Liu didn’t care about the difficulty: "That was amazing!"

Just being able to ski like that was amazing!

Then, he took a nervous sip of milk tea and asked cautiously, "By the way… can I make a request?"

The milk tea cup was huge, nearly hiding most of his face as he peeked up at the sentinel with hopeful eyes.

Qi Yi coughed and looked away. "What is it?"

Lu Liu: "Can you ski one more time… with it?"

He cupped his hands, revealing a round, fluffy guinea pig gazing expectantly at the sentinel.

The guinea pig chirped: "Vie~"

(Hello there.)

Qi Yi: "..."

Lu Liu scratched his head. The vacation vibe was so chill and relaxing that, out of nowhere, the guinea pig popped out. Its tiny black beady eyes stared at the ski resort, its tiny paws pointing at Qi Yi skiing, refusing to go back, period.

Lu Liu: "You want to ski with Qi Yi?"

The guinea pig nodded: "Vie~" (an excited squeak).

Yes.

"Well, I’m out of options. It won't return to the Spirit Sea." The guide pressed his palms together, looking at Qi Yi expectantly. "Can you take it for a ski run?"

Man and rodent wore the same pleading look.

Like Qi Yi could say no?

He checked his gear, then flipped his jacket inside out, letting the hood hang in front of his chest. Gently, he took the guinea pig from the guide's hands, wrapped it in the guide's unused scarf, and placed it inside the hood.

The guinea pig struggled to poke its tiny paws out of the scarf: "Vie!"

Go time!

Qi Yi straightened up and walked off with his skis.

Before he made it out the door, he felt a tug on his pants. Looking down, he saw Caesar staring up at him, eyes pleading.

The cheetah pawed at its owner's pant leg, scratching insistently, then pointed at the hood: "Mrowr! Mrowr!"

*"Give it here! I can ski with it too! I have four legs—I’ll ski faster than you!"*

Qi Yi looked down coldly: "Tch."

With a scoff, he shook off the paw and walked away without a backward glance.

Caesar: "..."

The big cat whipped around, fuming, whining as it nuzzled its head against the guide's knee. Lu Liu had no choice but to crouch halfway down, hugging the big cat's head to comfort it. "Easy, big guy."

He picked up a piece of cake with a fork: "Want some?"

Caesar ate the cake, then stubbornly pressed its big head against the guide's knee, refusing to budge.

Meanwhile, Qi Yi carved and soared down the black diamonds with the guinea pig, who chirped nonstop the whole way down—prompting the sentinel to ski even more spectacularly.

As an SS-rank, his physical prowess and balance were unmatched. He made the slopes his own personal showcase, drawing the attention of many on the beginner and intermediate slopes.

Only once the guinea pig was satisfied did Qi Yi return to the café.

He carefully took the guinea pig out of his hood, unwrapping the scarf. The little creature bumped its head against the sentinel's finger, showing its affection.

Caesar glared, green with envy.

When Qi Yi handed the guinea pig back to Lu Liu, the guide didn’t take it back. Instead, he placed it atop the big cat's head and patted Caesar: "Go play."

There was a special snow playground nearby for Spirits.

So Caesar strutted off, guinea pig in tow.

As it passed Qi Yi, it let out a loud, disdainful snort.

Qi Yi paid him no mind, dragging a chair over and sitting down beside Lu Liu.

He ordered a cup of hot coffee.

The slopes had just opened, so there weren’t many people around. The café had only a handful of guests, leaving only Lu Liu and Qi Yi in their corner. Qi Yi gazed out the window—beyond stretched the vast sky and endless snow-capped mountains, while closer by, the ski resort bustled with people laughing and playing.

The temperature had dropped to minus twenty degrees Celsius today. Outdoors, every word hung in the air as puffs of white breath. But inside the warm wooden cabin, a fireplace crackled with realistic electronic flames behind him, steam rising from the coffee in front of him, and a soft-haired guide by his side.

Lu Liu’s hair shone like the snow-capped peaks.

Qi Yi relaxed.

There was no alcohol in the coffee, yet Qi Yi felt oddly lightheaded.

Lu Liu had already finished his small cake and was propping his chin in his hand, looking out the window. In the freezing cold, he craved the warmth radiating from the sentinel beside him, so he stayed pressed close, unwilling to move.

In this almost too peaceful atmosphere, Qi Yi dug his hand into his jacket pocket, fingering the small box inside. Just thinking about his plan made him nervous—his heartbeat quickened slightly, and it took a few deep breaths to calm down.

Lu Liu was still looking out the window, looking perfectly content.

Qi Yi reached into his pocket, pulled out the box, nervously ruffled his hair three times, and then quietly pushed it forward. "For you."

"Huh? For me?" Lu Liu looked up in confusion. The dark-skinned, cool guy was staring intently at the ski slopes, his ears flaming red.

Lu Liu dragged the box toward him. "What is this?"

Qi Yi kept his eyes on the slopes. "You’ll know when you see it."

It was a gift box about the size of his two hands together, just right for holding. Lu Liu untied the ribbon and found a box of chocolates inside.

Each chocolate was round, carefully wrapped in foil, formed into a perfect heart.

Lu Liu tilted his head slightly.

He knew what this meant—in the human world, it always carried special meaning.

Lu Liu examined the chocolates. They didn’t look like store-bought ones, lacking any brand markings. After a brief pause, he asked curiously, "Qi Yi, did you make these?"

Judging by the way the chocolate had set, it didn’t look store-bought but rather handcrafted.

Qi Yi still didn’t dare to look at him. "Yeah."

The tough guy kept his cool, but his thoughts were racing. He kept thinking, *Is this appropriate? Am I moving too fast? How will the guide react?*

While he was lost in his internal struggle, Lu Liu had already cheerfully peeled open a piece and eaten it.

"!"

The chocolate was rich and silky, with a hint of creaminess. The high-speed mixing had whipped it full of air, giving it an ice cream-like texture.

His verdict: "Super delicious!"

The sentinel was good at making cakes, good at cooking, and even good at making chocolates!

Qi Yi let out a quiet sigh of relief, only to see the guide set the box down and ask suspiciously, "Is today some special occasion? Why give me chocolates?"

Isn’t this the kind of thing you only give on Valentine’s?

Qi Yi: "I—!"

He hesitated for a long moment before resignedly rubbing his forehead, his gaze wandering until it finally landed on Caesar rolling around in the snow.

Qi Yi forced out the words: "...Caesar really likes guinea pigs. Caesar really likes you too."

In the first half of Qi Yi's life, whether in the orphanage or his adoptive parents' home, he had probably never had the chance to say words like "like" or "love." He was ashamed to speak them, afraid of the response, hiding behind a cold mask down to his teeth. Using Caesar as an excuse had already pushed him to his limits.

So, after mentioning Caesar, he looked away, flustered, pressing his lips together and falling silent.

The other two lines—he had no idea how to get them out.

"The guinea pig really likes Caesar too. The guinea pig really likes you too."

But Lu Liu didn’t care about any of that. If he liked something, he would say it.

And so, under the sentinel’s bright-eyed stare, the guide naturally finished the remaining two sentences for him.

He said, "I *love* Caesar—and I *love* you too!"