Chapter 30 Skiing

Chapter 30: Skiing

"Look... what?"

Chu Yan said, dead serious, "Look at this face of mine. I mean, I look at this face in the mirror every day, so my aesthetic standards are already set. No one below my level in terms of looks could ever attract me."

Chi Suiyong: "..."

"Are you serious?"

"Very serious."

Chi Suiyong suppressed his laughter for a moment, then couldn't help bursting out laughing, "I give up, Chu Yan, I really give up."

Chu Yan, seeing him laugh so freely, continued, "Yunshang and I have a contract. But since I've been supporting her all along, it's up to me to decide when this arrangement ends."

"And what about Yunshang?"

"Her? She's a typical career-driven woman. She probably won't think about relationships too soon. As for me..."

Chi Suiyong quietly waited for him to continue.

Chu Yan lowered his eyes, speaking as calmly as if about someone else, "I probably can't escape an arranged marriage."

Perhaps the relaxed atmosphere of the early morning had brought two people from different circles onto the same level. Chi Suiyong's guard slowly came back up. He looked at Chu Yan's calm face, bathed in sunlight, beautiful and ethereal.

A restless desire stirred inside him.

"By the way, Dr. Chi, the ski resort on Li Mountain has opened. Are you interested in coming with me?"

"I don't know how to ski."

"You just learn by falling over and over. Besides, there are instructors there. It's rare for snow to come this early in the year, Dr. Chi. Just think of it as a way to relax."

"When?"

"This weekend. I'm free too."

"Alright, contact me then."

Chu Yan smiled, satisfied, "How am I supposed to contact you, Dr. Chi? You wouldn't even give me your number before."

"Didn't you find a way to get it? Don't tell me that customer service rep just happened to know my number out of thin air. I'm not even a member of your Yitai."

Chu Yan leaned forward with a smile, "Still, gotta be above board, right?"

Chi Suiyong snapped his fingers, "Permission granted. You can contact me anytime."

Chu Yan felt that some things needed to be hashed out clearly, like now. "Actually, I have a pretty good idea why you've been so distant with me since I was discharged."

"If I remember correctly, the one who got distant first was the other person, wasn't it?"

"I was just saving face; I couldn't switch gears all at once. I didn't expect Dr. Chi to be the one who got angry first."

"I'm not angry."

"If it's not anger, then it must be another reason."

"Elaborate."

Chu Yan gave Chi Suiyong a pointed look, as if asking with his eyes—Do you really want me to say it?

Chi Suiyong was actually a little afraid Chu Yan might bring up something he didn't want to confront. "No need to elaborate. I admit I got angry afterward."

Chu Yan burst out laughing, "Dr. Chi, you're quite something."

They lingered over breakfast until almost nine. Before parting ways, Chu Yan called his driver to pick him up, while Chi Suiyong went to the nearby parking lot to get his car.

Soon, the weekend arrived.

Li Mountain was on the west side of the city, about a hundred kilometers from downtown. Chu Yan couldn't drive himself yet, so he arranged for Chi Suiyong to pick him up.

Chu Yan had booked lift tickets. They needed to arrive before Saturday afternoon, and they could stay one night at the ski-themed hotel on the mountainside. The hotel had natural hot springs in the suites, and the rooms had floor-to-ceiling glass windows. It had been snowing on Li Mountain for several days, making it a perfect time to enjoy the snow scenery.

After picking up Chu Yan, Chi Suiyong drove straight to the west side of the city.

Traffic jams were common during the holidays. During the wait, the driver's irritability grew. Chi Suiyong rolled down the window and took out a cigarette, hoping to pass the time this way.

"Dr. Chi, are you going to smoke?"

Chi Suiyong raised the unlit cigarette, "Do you mind?"

"Hang on." Chu Yan dug through his bag and pulled out an unopened box. "I said I'd give Dr. Chi a nice lighter the other day. Good thing I remembered to bring it today. See if you like the style."

Chu Yan opened the packaging, wrapping the chain around his fingers first, then pulled out the pendant at the end.

Through the rearview mirror, Chi Suiyong asked, "A necklace?"

"Yeah, a vintage Yitai model, the Saturn lighter. It's a limited edition. I thought, since Dr. Chi loves watching old movies so much, you might like it."

With that, Chu Yan leaned over from the gap between the two front seats, and before Chi Suiyong could dodge his proximity, he looped the necklace over Chi Suiyong's neck.

Then, using his index finger to hook the pendant, he slid the ball, sparking a flame.

Chi Suiyong, nearly burning his chin, hissed, "I'll do it myself."

Chu Yan pulled back a little, but still had his head in the driver's space, "What do you think, Dr. Chi?"

"Too flashy."

"So you don't like it. I'll find another one after we finish skiing."

Chi Suiyong removed the necklace and lit his cigarette with his own windproof lighter, "Chu Yan, you're too generous."

Chu Yan looked at him in confusion, "It didn't cost me anything, so where's the generosity in that? Besides, isn't it normal to give things to friends? What exactly are you worried about, Dr. Chi?"

Friends...

Chi Suiyong turned the word over in his mind, his expression growing inscrutable.

"Do you often give freebies to friends?"

"Aside from Dr. Chi, never."

Chi Suiyong: "..."

"Among the people my age that I know, most are spoiled rich kids. At parties and events, my secretary usually chooses the gifts for me. To be honest, they're all impersonal things. Besides, my uncle wouldn't really like me getting too close to these people."

"Your uncle?"

"Yes, my mother's ex-husband, which is my eldest brother's father."

Chi Suiyong's expression stiffened. "Then what about your father?"

"He's alive, but he's not good to me. He used to lock me in a cage and not give me food."

The cigarette held between his fingers burned down to the filter. "Does he still do that now?"

"Not now, that was all when I was a kid. If he still wanted to lock me up, he'd have to weld a bigger cage."

The cars behind honked a few times, then, getting no response, all joined in a chorus of honks. Chu Yan, jolted by the noise, snapped back to reality. He looked at Chi Suiyong's gentle eyes as if waking from a dream, his expression a bit dazed.

"Dr. Chi, what's wrong?"

Chi Suiyong couldn't immediately contain his overwhelming emotions, so he avoided Chu Yan's gaze and focused on driving. "I really like this lighter, but it's not easy to wear as a necklace. Thank you, Chu Yan."

Chu Yan smiled. "Looks like we're almost there. Dr. Chi, do you want to go to the hotel for the hot spring first, or go skiing?"

"After a hot spring, it's not ideal to go out in the cold wind, so let's ski first."

"Okay."

When the car reached the foot of the mountain, traces of snow were already visible. Most cars here didn't put on snow chains, so they had to park at the bottom and walk up to the midway point.

After parking, Chi Suiyong took a backpack from the trunk, and the two followed the signs up the mountain.

Most of the people here were young, full of energy. Chu Yan and Chi Suiyong walked side by side on the mountain path, drawing glances from passersby.

Chi Suiyong knew they were all looking at Chu Yan.

Being here as Chu Yan's 'friend', walking next to him felt like being with a treasure that had been openly claimed—it looked like it was his, but it wasn't really.

Someone came up to them, asking to join them for a while.

Chu Yan, who had been chatting with Chi Suiyong, suddenly darkened his expression. With a detachment and aloofness that kept others at bay, he said coolly, "Not convenient."

But once he dismissed the person and turned back to look at Chi Suiyong, his eyes were still clear, with a soft, moist submissiveness, as if nothing had just happened.

Chu Yan had never liked crowded places. If he could, he would prefer that every meeting with Dr. Chi happened in a closed-off space like a movie theater—dim, without light disturbing it, where Lovey could be most effective.

Since their last meeting, Chu Yan hadn't slept a full night in almost three days. Now, his mind was scattered and his concentration poor. He had assumed Dr. Chi, who said he couldn't ski, would rather go to the hotel first, soak in the hot spring, and then sleep. But since he was the one asking for a favor, he naturally had to follow Dr. Chi's lead.

It took over half an hour to walk to the ski field. They left their backpack at the luggage storage, picked up two sets of ski gear from the staff, and then Chu Yan led Dr. Chi onto the slopes.

Chi Suiyong watched the constant crashes on the ski slope with an inexplicable fear.

"Dr. Chi, let me help you put on the skis."

Chi Suiyong clicked his tongue in annoyance. "How about... you just play by yourself? I'll watch from here."

"Dr. Chi, are you scared?"

"Dr. Chi, I'm past the age where I can fall and just laugh it off."

Chu Yan laughed. "Dr. Chi, don't act old. I'll show you."

"How are you going to do that?"

Chu Yan looked around the ski field and pointed to a pair doing tandem skiing. "Like that. One person uses a snowboard, one does the riding, and the other just has to scream."

Chi Suiyong: "..."

"Forget it."

Dr. Chi had apparently given up entirely on going down the slope. He found a spot out of the way and hunkered down. Chu Yan said nothing, just gave him a smile, adjusted his snowboard bindings, tied up his long hair, put on his helmet, and only then walked over to Dr. Chi.

He crouched down and put the helmet that was by Dr. Chi's feet on his head; there was also a butt pad nearby, but Chu Yan figured it wasn't needed and didn't make Dr. Chi put it on.

Chi Suiyong was still resisting. "I said no. Later I'll just go to the kids' area and grab a sled to mess around on."

Chu Yan kept working while talking. "Dr. Chi, don't you trust me?" Then, his eyes full of crystal-clear sincerity, he looked at Chi Suiyong. "Don't worry, I won't let you fall."

Suddenly, Chu Yan's earlier throwaway remark in the car, which seemed to dismiss his own words, echoed in Chi Suiyong's ears again.

Chu Yan had mentioned it offhand, but it still caught Chi Suiyong's attention.

Maybe... Chu Yan just didn't want to ruin the mood, so he never let on how that remark affected him.

So that being the case, Chi Suiyong certainly didn't want to be a killjoy.

He let Chu Yan take charge. After he finished fastening the helmet buckle, Chu Yan pointed to the adjusted snowboard. "See, plenty of room here. As long as Dr. Chi doesn't fidget, you'll be fine."

With that, he grabbed Chi Suiyong's wrist and pulled him up.

Chu Yan stepped into the bindings first, then yanked Chi Suiyong onto the snowboard in one fluid motion.

At that moment, Chu Yan fully showed the confident charm of a sunny, energetic guy, but the care beneath that bossy exterior made it impossible for Chi Suiyong to refuse.

The slope was right there. If they fought too much, both would definitely go tumbling down.

"Dr. Chi, sit tight and hold on to my legs."

With his 6-foot frame wedged between Chu Yan's long legs, as the snowboard shot down the steep slope, Chi Suiyong closed his eyes and resigned himself to fate.

I'm dead...