Jiang Fuyue turned her head and saw a tall man with a straight back. His sharply defined profile carried a hint of cold sternness, his entire being emanating the composed and unrestrained air of distant mountains.
At the same moment she looked at him, he turned to look at her.
Separated by a clear glass wall, their eyes met.
“Why is it you?” Jiang Fuyue raised an eyebrow, a flicker of surprise in her gaze.
Xie Dingyuan gave a calm nod. “What a coincidence.”
Just then, the sound of Zhong Ziang knocking on the door came through: “I’m done! Not even ten minutes—super fast, right?”
Jiang Fuyue greeted Xie Dingyuan as if nothing happened, then turned to go back inside and open the door for Zhong Ziang.
Standing on the balcony, Xie Dingyuan could still faintly hear their conversation—
Zhong Ziang asked, “All packed?”
Jiang Fuyue: “Mm.”
“Then let’s go… Wait, shouldn’t you put on another layer, or maybe a scarf? It’s really cold out.”
“A hat will do.”
“Alright, but if it gets too cold, just say something—I’ll give you mine.”
“Who wants yours? I’ve got my own. I’ll just come back for it.”
“Coming back is such a hassle. I want to give it to you, wear it or don’t, up to you…”
Their chatter faded gradually along with the sound of the door closing, until it disappeared completely.
Xie Dingyuan stood still, unmoving, until he saw the two of them walking side by side out of the building. Only then did he turn and head inside.
He changed his shoes and clothes, and went out.
Hmm. He was a little hungry too. Time to eat.
The restaurant was located in the southeast corner. Though it only had one floor, it covered a large area.
Its arched roof was made up of 1,882 panels of eco-friendly glass, stunning to the eye and equipped with solar panels that automatically heated the space to maintain a constant indoor temperature.
The dining was buffet-style—take whatever you want.
When Jiang Fuyue and Zhong Ziang arrived, Jiang Han, Ge Meng, and Liu Sisi were already eating.
“Over here, Sister Yue—” Jiang Han waved her chubby hand.
Zhong Ziang winced. Couldn’t they give him and Jiang Fuyue a moment of peace?!
Fireproof, theft-proof, and now third-wheel-proof. Too hard!
“Classmate Zhong, you don’t look well—did you not wear enough and catch a chill?”
“No, I’m fine…” D*mn this nosy third wheel!
“Sit here, Sister Yue,” Liu Sisi reacted the fastest, immediately scooting over to make space.
Zhong Ziang could only sit opposite. What kind of man squeezes in with the girls?
Now he was really cursing inside.
If he’d known, he wouldn’t have agreed to let Jiang Fuyue bring others. But if he hadn’t, she wouldn’t have come at all.
Just as he was sulking, a familiar figure caught his eye.
Zhong Ziang blinked once, twice—his face full of disbelief.
“Uncle?!” He walked over, stared a while to confirm, and finally accepted it. “Why are you here?”
Xie Dingyuan: “Vacation.”
“…You never mentioned it before.”
“Last-minute decision.”
“…Oh.”
Zhong Ziang’s little scheme completely deflated.
Not only were there so many blinding third wheels, now even his uncle was here. How was he supposed to make a move? So hard!
He thought things couldn’t get worse—until they did.
Ling Xuan and Yici suddenly appeared out of nowhere, holding trays, heading straight toward Jiang Fuyue and sitting opposite her.
Yici even snatched his original seat!
Zhong Ziang could take it no more. He strode over, full of righteous fury—
“Hey, there’s still a seat over there, isn’t there? What’s it matter where you sit?” Either way, it wasn’t next to Jiang Fuyue.
Zhong Ziang: “……” D*mn it!
After eating, the group went together to get their gear.
Jiang Fuyue asked for skis, set her poles aside, and began putting on boots.
There were professional coaches available for one-on-one lessons.
But Jiang Fuyue declined.
The coach immediately noticed her practiced movements and, after giving the standard safety briefing, wisely stepped away.
Soon, Zhong Ziang came over.
He’d already changed into his ski gear, goggles around his neck, looking pretty good.
“I’ll help you.”
Jiang Fuyue straightened and sat properly.
Only then did Zhong Ziang realize—not only had she finished putting on her boots, she’d already adjusted her bindings.
“Uh… you’re all done.” He scratched his nose awkwardly.
Then Ling Xuan and Yici arrived, also offering to help.
And just like Zhong Ziang, they ended up standing around awkwardly.
Jiang Fuyue stood up, glanced at the three of them. “Take care of yourselves first.”
She pointed at Ling Xuan’s cracked goggles.
His ears flushed red from embarrassment.
He’d rushed over to see her and didn’t check his gear carefully…
“What are you two doing here? Following me like shadows.” Zhong Ziang grumbled, even though he’d already guessed they might show up.
Yici and Ling Xuan exchanged a look. Normally they didn’t get along, but in this moment, they shared a strange sense of solidarity—enemy of my enemy and all that.
Ling Xuan: “You’re not the only one who got invited.”
Yici: “If you can come, why can’t we?”
Though… this sly b*stard actually invited Jiang Fuyue. Neither of them had dared to.
“Tsk. You’re just jealous. If you’ve got the guts, ask her out yourselves. See if she says yes!”
Ling Xuan ground his teeth.
Yici clenched his fists.
That kind of talk—infuriating!
Two-on-one? Zhong Ziang wasn’t stupid—he backed up half a step. “You wouldn’t dare cause a scene in public, right?”
Yici stepped up, placed a hand on the wall behind Zhong Ziang’s shoulder with a dramatic thud. “With me here, forget about making a move on Jiang Fuyue.”
“Hey, where do you think you’re putting your hand? Move it!” Zhong Ziang shouted. What the h*ll was with this drama?
Ling Xuan mimicked the move and nodded at Yici. “Looks kinda cool.”
Zhong Ziang: “!”
While the three clowns bickered and postured, the “elder” made his move first—and gained the upper hand.
Jiang Fuyue and Xie Dingyuan stopped at the mountaintop, eyes fixed ahead.
“Want to race?”
The man’s lips curved into a faint smile. “Sure.”
Three, two, one…
They pushed off together, wind howling past their ears, dazzling white snow unfurling in front of them.
The slope was long and steep, stretching far into the distance. From the top, the end was nowhere in sight.
Jiang Fuyue’s competitive streak flared—she kept accelerating, overtaking Xie Dingyuan.
He, too, was roused, pushing forward to catch up.
Most of the time, they skied neck and neck.
Occasionally Jiang Fuyue pulled ahead, but Xie Dingyuan would soon catch up.
It was a battle of equals—neither willing to concede.
By the time they stopped, they couldn’t tell where they were.
Jiang Fuyue looked around. The surroundings were dead silent, blanketed in white. Not a soul—or even a bird—in sight.
She finally realized: “Did we… get lost?”
Xie Dingyuan checked the watch on his wrist. It had a compass. “Not exactly. At least we can still tell direction.”
After all the exertion, Jiang Fuyue was sweating. Her face was damp, and she reached up to take off her goggles.
But Xie Dingyuan stopped her.
His palm was broad and warm. Where they touched, a searing heat surged up.
Jiang Fuyue froze.
Xie Dingyuan: “Don’t take them off. Watch out for snow blindness.”
“It’s just for a little while…”
“This snowfield is too open, with no obstacles. Better safe than sorry.”
“But I’m sweating—it’s uncomfortable with the goggles on…”
“I’ll wipe it for you.”
Before Jiang Fuyue could respond, he had already removed his gloves, fished a cloth from his ski suit, pushed aside her damp bangs, and carefully began wiping her sweat.
Jiang Fuyue instinctively leaned back.
But he caught her arm. “Don’t move. It’s clean.”
“I didn’t mean…” Your cloth is going to get dirty.
“I know,” he interrupted softly. “…There. Feel better now?”
“Mm. Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.” He folded the cloth and tucked it back into his pocket.
Jiang Fuyue took out her phone to call Zhong Ziang.
But when she looked down—no signal.
“Yours?”
“…None either.”
Xie Dingyuan scanned the area, voice lowering. “We might have entered an undeveloped zone.”
Jiang Fuyue frowned. “Normally, there would be warning signs for that. But we didn’t see any.”
Xie Dingyuan’s gaze fixed on something. He stepped out of his skis, walked ten meters ahead through the snow, and dug up a buried warning sign: bright yellow with red letters—
UNDEVELOPED AREA – NO ENTRY FOR TOURISTS
Jiang Fuyue: “……”
They stared at each other through their goggles.
Jiang Fuyue: “Now what?”
Xie Dingyuan: “Wait half an hour. See if someone comes looking.”
“What if no one does?”
