WHI – Chapter 27

Chapter 27

The next day, Lin Ting woke up precisely one hour later than his usual wake-up time, as he had planned.

He looked at the heap of people on the floor, resembling a scene from a biohazard movie, and shook his head.

By the time he had breakfast, soaked in the hot springs, and browsed the ski shop to pick out a board and some gear, returning to his room to drop them off, the others were gradually waking up.

“Are you here just to sleep?” Lin Ting leaned against the doorframe, the tour guide, her face etched with an unutterable expression, behind him.

“I’ll sleep a bit longer…” a plump boy mumbled, rolling over.

Wen Lan was mostly awake now. He stood up and kicked each person in turn, “Get up, go wash up.”

Wen Lan’s words were highly effective. The people sprawled on the floor began to rise – some were still without pants when they emerged from their bedding.

Lin Ting quickly closed the door, blocking the tour guide’s view.

By the time this group had eaten and arrived at the ski resort, it was already past 2:30 PM.

Lin Ting walked at the very end of the group, watching the guide ponder over the itinerary on her tablet.

“It’s okay, we’ll just play as much as we can,” Lin Ting said to the guide with a comforting smile.

The weather was good today. Even though it was afternoon, the sun was still high, its glare somewhat blinding reflected off the vast expanse of white snow on the mountaintop.

In the distance, the blue sky and white snow formed patches, stitched together by the ski lift cables. As Lin Ting looked up, the figures of people on the slopes looked like sesame seeds melting and dripping down from ice cream.

So high.

Lin Ting chose the easier-to-handle twin skis. For him, just being able to stand up would be an achievement. The others, however, all seemed to know how to ski, uniformly strapping on snowboards and boarding the lift.

He watched Wen Lan get on the beginner slope behind him.

“I’ll teach you,” Wen Lan said, gliding on his snowboard alongside.

“No need, I’ve watched tutorial videos,” Lin Ting placed the board he was holding on the ground, propped himself up with his ski poles, and stomped his foot.

The snow was slipperier than he expected. Lin Ting swayed slightly, and just as Wen Lan’s hand was about to reach out to steady him, Lin Ting immediately regained his balance and dodged it.

“It’s fine, go play with them.” It felt awkward for two grown men to be fussing over each other here. Lin Ting glanced around; there were only couples and parents with children.

Seeing that Wen Lan hadn’t moved, Lin Ting clicked his tongue, “Do you believe me, this top student, can crush you in just half a day using the theoretical knowledge and tutorial videos I’ve recently crammed?”

Wen Lan smiled and nodded, “I believe you.”

Lin Ting successfully pushed off a few times and stopped steadily.

“The top student is quite impressive,” Wen Lan applauded.

“I put all my ‘talent points’ into this,” Lin Ting said, holding his ski poles and pointing to his head, “We have different configurations.”

“Then I’ll wait here for the top student to crush me,” Wen Lan showed no intention of leaving, “I’ll wait for you to go up together.”

He then pointed to the tiny sesame seed figures on the mountaintop.

Although Lin Ting had said that, skiing was still more about practice than theory. Even though he had memorized the braking techniques in his mind, he couldn’t apply them at all in the face of increasing speed and panic.

Just as his speed was nearing uncontrollable, a child suddenly skidded sideways in front of him. Lin Ting’s heart leaped, and he quickly recited in his mind –

Lower your center of gravity! Bring the ski tips together! Push off with the ski tails!

Brake! Brake quickly! Lin Ting thought.

The more anxious he became, the faster the skis seemed to go. Lin Ting reviewed the theoretical knowledge in his mind again and again, but couldn’t figure out what had gone wrong.

The child in front looked back and saw the figure hurtling towards him, letting out a cry. The child, however, managed to brake smoothly.

No, hurry up and move away! Lin Ting panicked and intended to turn sideways to the left, to avoid and then go down – the advanced slope was just to the side, but it would only be a short detour. There were padded barriers ahead, and he would be safe if he could grab them.

“Lin Ting! Careful!” Wen Lan’s voice came from behind. Lin Ting didn’t have time to turn around when he suddenly felt a strong gust of wind from behind, mixed with a pleasant scent of sandalwood. Wen Lan grabbed his arm and pulled him to the right, avoiding a figure from the advanced slope who had just grazed past them. They then swerved around the child in front, and unable to control their drastic turns and evasions, they both crashed into the padded barrier.

By the time Lin Ting came to his senses, Wen Lan’s hand was still clasped around his wrist.

Lin Ting quickly pulled his hand away.

“Thanks.”

Wen Lan nudged his cheek, feeling a bit uneasy, “I know you’re good at theory, but with skiing… you still need someone to teach you.”

“No need.”

With that, Lin Ting propped himself up with his ski poles and went to practice on his own.

The beginner slope was a bit boring for Wen Lan. He had initially thought he could teach Lin Ting, but it seemed that every time he extended his hand an inch further, the other person would recoil like a frightened stray cat.

Did he take the wrong medicine?

Wen Lan couldn’t figure it out, but he was still worried about Lin Ting being alone. So he sat down at a small shop next to the beginner slope, squeezing in with the parents who had brought their children.

Lin Ting was indeed a top student. After just looking at the instructional material, he was able to get the hang of it quickly and ski well. Wen Lan watched him. At first, when braking, he would unconsciously turn his knees inward, but after a few tries, his movements were almost perfect.

Wen Lan hummed a cheerful tune and went to the small shop to buy two ice creams. He stepped on his board with one foot and the other in the snow, then skated over.

“Here.” Wen Lan extended his hand.

Lin Ting looked up, his gaze shifting between the ice cream and Wen Lan’s face, lingering for half a second before taking it.

“Thanks.”

Wen Lan took a deep breath, his gaze fiercely raking over Lin Ting’s face before looking away.

“How many times have you said thanks today? Is there no end to it?”

“I’m just studious and polite, you scumbag, learn from me,” Lin Ting let out a scoff.

Seeing that he had returned to his usual self, Wen Lan felt much better, “That’s more like it.”

“Are you a masochist?”

…

By the time Wen Lan had finished his third grilled sausage, someone tapped on the table in front of him.

“Go?” Lin Ting asked, tilting his head.

“Go!” Wen Lan threw the bamboo skewer into the trash can and stood up with one foot on his board.

Lin Ting didn’t look back, propping himself up with his ski poles and heading towards the ski lift boarding area.

“Tsk.” Wen Lan said loudly.

The person in front didn’t react.

“Tsk! Tsk! Tsk!” Wen Lan continued.

The person in front still didn’t turn around.

“I said! Can you wait for me, this snowboarder!”

Only then did Lin Ting turn his head, “I wondered why there was a mouse squeaking behind me.”

The two glared at each other, and the next moment, they burst into laughter.

…

The ‘Ice Cream Summit’ looked intimidating, and in reality, it was also intimidating.

Lin Ting hadn’t recovered from the swaying scenery from the high-altitude cable car when he suddenly stood on the mountaintop. He even felt a sense of oxygen deprivation.

He wasn’t sure if it was due to nervousness.

Wen Lan probably sensed his tension, “It’s okay if you don’t ski. There are stairs over there. You can take off your board and then…”

“Who do you think I am?” Lin Ting narrowed his eyes and glared, then started to ski down.

“Slow down!” Wen Lan’s voice was left far behind.

Wen Lan was on a snowboard and still had to strap on his other foot. Lin Ting wasn’t unwilling to wait for him, but…

He wanted to calm down alone.

The hardest part is always the first step. When he stood at the highest point, straightened his board, and his body was uncontrollably pulled down by gravity, everything became clear.

Those who skied fast zipped past him like gusts of cold wind, performing various flips and jumps using the small ramps on the sides of the slope.

Lin Ting focused solely on the movements of his feet, relaxing his body as much as possible, stretching, and then enjoying it.

During moments of adrenaline rush, it was easy to forget things that lingered in one’s mind.

Like the gentle bite Wen Lan had given his palm last night. Thinking of this, Lin Ting unconsciously tightened his grip on his ski poles.

Like Wen Lan’s words of ‘keeping it a secret’ last night.

He didn’t want to delve into what those two words meant. Even if there was a one-in-ten-thousand chance that two young, naive people had ignited a spark, what then?

One was the sole heir of the wealthy Wen family.

The other was an unwanted stray dog.

After the college entrance exams in a few months, everyone would go their separate ways. Everything would be as it was when they first arrived; everyone would have their own path.

He hoped that if they met again in the future, they could still smile at each other and tease each other.

Instead of becoming a rotten, foul stain in someone else’s brilliant life.

Moreover…

Wen Lan’s speed was very fast, and he soon caught up. They arrived almost at the same time, and the others were already waiting below.

Lin Ting stood at the back, watching Wen Lan high-five everyone, then turn and extend his palm towards him.

He moved his ski poles to his other hand, freeing one to high-five Wen Lan.

– He was just a fraction of it.

…

These people had woken up too late at noon and hadn’t eaten much, so they were hungry soon after.

The guide consulted her tablet, “The bonfire party is scheduled for 7:30 PM. We can go early. You guys go change first, and I’ll contact the driver to pick us up.”

When Lin Ting came out of the locker room, carrying his board back to the hotel room, he bumped into Wen Lan, who was hurriedly taking something out of his bag and stuffing it into his pocket.

“Stealing something?” Lin Ting put his board down, sat on the low cabinet by the door, supported himself with his hands behind him, and looked at him with his chin raised.

Wen Lan, who had been in a half-crouching position, turned to sit cross-legged upon seeing Lin Ting and gestured to the soda next to Lin Ting, “I’m thirsty.”

Lin Ting lowered his eyes, picked up a bottle, and tossed it over, “Catch.”

He watched Wen Lan tilt his head back and drink more than half the bottle, his Adam’s apple clearly visible as he swallowed.

“Ahem.” Lin Ting stood up and turned his head, “Let’s go.”

The bonfire party venue was on the mountainside. By the time they changed and took the bus there, it was already dark.

The valley was sunken, with a flat area in the center covered in layers of fine sand, surrounded by low mountain ridges. At the edge of the high vantage point, a vast expanse of deep blue, dotted with countless stars, was visible beyond the mountain ridges.

String lights were hung on the mountain walls. Even before the bonfire was lit, the atmosphere was palpable. Several people cheered and ran around on the sand.

“There will be two roasted whole lambs later, and hot mulled wine. Oh, right, can you guys drink?” The guide suddenly remembered that they were all students.

Lin Ting thought of the group’s state last night, “Guess why they couldn’t get up this morning.”

“Okay, I’ll head over first.” The guide covered her mouth and smiled, pointed towards the kitchen area, and jogged away.

Only the two of them remained.

Lin Ting paused, then took a step towards the crowd.

After only two steps, his sleeve was suddenly pulled.

“Wait.”

Lin Ting turned his head, meeting Wen Lan’s eyes.