Chapter 99 Taking Zhaozhao Skiing

Genting Ski Resort is the largest ski resort newly built in Xingbei City in recent years. It has four beginner slopes and a ski park, making it suitable for family trips and beginners.

Lu Yuan also saw the scene on TV and nodded in agreement, "Okay, I'll make the arrangements."

"I want to call Brother Aji." This was Lu Yinzhao's only request.

“No problem, there’s a resort over there, we can stay a few more days before leaving.” Lu Yuan picked up his phone and started booking tickets online.

Lu Yinzhao rushed over happily and hugged Lu Yuan's leg, "Thank you, Third Brother."

Lu Cheng then leaned over and said, "Did you book my ticket? I want to go too!"

Lu Yuan pushed Lu Cheng's head away a little, "Get out of the way, don't get so close to me, or you'll get what's coming to you."

Ignoring Lu Yuan's disdain, Lu Cheng snatched Zhao Zhao away from Lu Yuan's leg.

"Never mind, let him spend money on us. Zhao Zhao, let's go play over there." Lu Cheng sat back down on the sofa with the baby in her arms.

"..."

"Speaking of which... Zhao Zhao, you've never been to a ski resort before, have you?"

Lu Yinzhao shook his head. He had never been there before, not even in his past life.

Lu Cheng perked up again, "It's okay, I'll teach you later."

This remark drew a suspicious look from Lu Yuan: "You haven't skated much yourself, have you? Don't mislead others..."

"I... used to ski when I was little! I still remember how to ski, and I learned to ski really fast," Lu Cheng said stubbornly.

Lu Yinzhao looked up at the two of them with her small face, "I don't have any skiing equipment."

"Don't worry, I'll buy it for you. Your fourth brother earned more this year than last year." Although Lu Cheng said that Lu Yuan would pay for everything, he was still very willing to buy things for Zhao Zhao.

In addition to the equipment available for rent at the ski resort, it's still necessary to prepare special children's gear for Zhao Zhao and some safety and emergency supplies.

The following day, Lu Yinzhao told Bian Ji about it when he went to Bian Ji's house to do his homework.

He saw Bian Nan busy at his laptop and felt it was necessary to politely ask her something.

"Brother Anan, would you like to go skiing with us?"

Yesterday, I was so focused on Bian Ji that I forgot about Bian Nan. Actually, he was about the same age as his brothers. Because he joined the company as president at a young age, Lu Yinzhao had the illusion that he was much older than his brothers.

When Bian Nan heard Zhao Zhao's question, he smiled and waved his hand, "You guys go have fun, I won't go."

Bian Huarong also needs to visit the company when he returns to China; he and his father have some domestic business matters to discuss.

"Alright then, Brother Anan, we'll bring you back souvenirs later."

"Thank you, Zhaozhao."

Lu Yinzhao suddenly felt a little sorry for this young man. Tsk, is this the mindset of a domineering CEO? He's got such a strong class vibe.

Lu Yinzhao felt he couldn't be a domineering CEO. He had a romantic streak and loved freedom. If possible, he hoped to have a deep connection with nature every year.

"Brother Ji, do you have ski equipment? We need to prepare that in advance," Lu Yinzhao turned to Bian Ji and reminded him.

Bian Ji nodded, "I used to ski abroad, around your age..."

Lu Yinzhao recalled that Bian Ji was already eight years old when he returned to China, which meant that Bian Ji had a fairly rich experience abroad when he was six years old.

I reckon Wen Su took him out to play. Judging from Bian Ji's personality, he probably doesn't remember this incident very well, since the big shot is only interested in music.

Then they are both beginners.

After finishing her assigned homework for the day, Lu Yinzhao left. Before leaving, she said to Bian Ji, "Brother, I'll be waiting for you at my door at ten o'clock tomorrow morning. Let's go together."

"Okay." Bian Ji waved his hand.

Lu Yuan's tickets have been booked, and we plan to go on a road trip tomorrow.

The next morning, Lu Yinzhao wore a bright yellow cotton-padded jacket and an orange knitted hat.

Her whole body looked like a peeled egg yolk, bright yellow and very eye-catching.

He also had a children's crossbody bag on his back, and excitedly jumped onto the back seat of the car.

Bian Ji followed him into the car, sat next to him, and carefully fastened his seatbelt.

Lu Cheng got on the bus from the other side, and the two of them, one on the left and one on the right, sandwiched Lu Yinzhao in the middle.

Lu Yuan was in charge of driving.

This setup... feels strangely familiar.

Lu Yinzhao still remembers that four years ago when they were recording a variety show, they went out to eat hot pot together. Now, sitting in the same seats, he felt a strange sense of nostalgia.

The electronic navigation on Lu Yuan's phone kept telling them that it would take them more than two hours to drive there.

As we drove from the city to the suburbs, the scenery changed constantly along the way.

The towering buildings have been transformed into pine forests and wilderness, some of the trees along the roadside are just bare trunks, and the grass is withered and yellow—this is the desolation of winter.

At first, Lu Yinzhao was very excited talking to Bian Ji and the others in the car, pointing out the window and eating snacks. He was amused by Lu Cheng's jokes and laughed heartily.

I don't know how I ended up falling asleep.

When the car arrived at the resort hotel, Lu Yinzhao was gently woken up by Bian Ji.

"Lu Yinzhao, wake up, we've arrived."

"Hmm..."

Lu Yinzhao yawned, hummed softly, and slowly opened her eyes. There were some tears in the corners of her eyes, and she was still in a daze. "Have we arrived already? That was fast."

“You’ve been asleep for an hour and a half,” Bian Ji told him ruthlessly.

"..."

Huh? He slept for so long? When did he fall asleep?

Lu Cheng carried Lu Yinzhao directly out of the car, while Lu Yuan carried the luggage, and Bian Ji also helped out.

Lu Yuan booked a VIP suite, which was very spacious, with three bedrooms, a living room, and a bathroom.

"Zhaozhao, sleep with me tonight," Lu Cheng said with a smile.

Lu Yinzhao hesitated before refusing, her voice growing softer and softer, "I want to be with Brother Aji..."

Lu Cheng's smile vanished, and she glared at Bian Ji with annoyance.

He thought to himself, "What's so great about this kid that makes Zhao Zhao want to stick to him all the time?"

Seeing Lu Yinzhao's pitiful expression, Lu Cheng immediately softened. "Alright, alright, you two can share a room, and my third brother and I will each have a room."

Afterwards, Lu Yinzhao and Bian Ji unpacked all the things they needed from their suitcases and put them in the room they were going to stay in.

"Let's rest for a bit, have lunch, and then I'll take you to the ski resort at 2 PM."

Lu Yuan used the phone in his room to order lunch and had it delivered by the hotel staff. Then he checked today's travel itinerary on his phone.

Lu Yinzhao felt that his third brother was the best travel buddy. He paid for the trip and acted as the tour guide. As long as he went out with his third brother, he didn't need to worry about anything else.

“I have a friend who’s an instructor at this ski resort. I’ll have him take the three of you skiing this afternoon,” Lu Yuan said during lunch.

"How come you have friends everywhere?" Lu Cheng asked with a complicated expression. He wanted to be like that too. His current friends were limited to those in the esports team and at school. Apart from that, he didn't know anyone else.

“There are many things you don’t know. I also have friends at this resort hotel. This room was reserved for me by them.”

"..."

Lu Yuan spoke calmly and without any emotion, but Lu Yinzhao admired his third brother to death. His third brother was just so charismatic and had such a wide network of connections!

He wants to travel with his third brother once a year.

...

At 2 p.m., the group of four set off for the ski resort on time.

As soon as you enter the venue, a chill, carrying snowflakes and the crisp scent of pine, hits you in the face.

Looking out, the white snow track, like a smoothed silk, winds down from the mountainside, gilded with a layer of fine golden light by the sunlight.

The cable car moved slowly overhead, leaving two clear lines against the blue sky and white clouds.

Lu Cheng put his skis down on the ground and looked around the ski resort. "This place is much more exciting than it looks on TV!"

Lu Yinzhao's eyes were bright and sparkling, and the white breath he exhaled dispersed in the cold air.

Wow! It's huge!

Lu Yuan had already met with his coach friend, and he introduced them, saying, "These are my younger brothers. I'd like to trouble you to look after them today, as they don't have much skiing experience."

After speaking, Lu Yuan looked at the three of them and said, "This is Coach Shen. You will learn from him today."

Lu Cheng still felt that he was being looked down upon. How could he be assigned to the children's group?

"And what about you?" Lu Cheng asked Lu Yuan.

Lu Yuan gestured with his chin toward the advanced ski slope, "I'll go ski over there for a bit first, then I'll come find you guys."

Lu Cheng had skied before he was an adult, but perhaps too much time had passed... Seeing the almost vertical slope now, he felt a sense of horror.

He had never skied on an advanced slope before, so he didn't know it was... really that steep.

Lu Cheng instinctively exclaimed, "You...you be careful on your own, don't fall and die!"

Lu Yuan laughed in exasperation, unsure whether the boy was concerned or cursing him. Without saying anything more, he went upstairs alone.

Before long, Lu Yuan shocked his younger brothers with his strength.

They saw the young man leap down from the height, his red and white ski suit gleaming like a flaming arrow.

Lu Yuan glided smoothly in an S-shaped trajectory on the steep slope, his ski poles leaving two silver streaks in his wake.

Near the bottom of the slope, the skis swung sideways, kicking up a high plume of snow, and came to a steady stop in front of the crowd.

"Holy crap..." Lu Cheng was stunned, only able to utter the beautiful national essence.

Lu Yinzhao was thrilled. Watching his third brother take off his goggles and wave in their direction, he suddenly raised his voice.

"Third brother! You're so handsome!"

Coach Shen shook his head with a smile. Lu Yuan was deliberately showing off in front of his younger brother, wasn't he?

"Alright, let's go to the beginner slope. I'll teach you the simplest one first."

Lu Cheng said, "Let's learn quickly, Coach Shen. I want to train like him too."

I have to say, I was really impressed by how cool Lu Yuan looked skiing.

Sigh, how come he got to show off first!

Lu Cheng also wants to practice until he masters the skill and then bring his friends over to play, so that it will be his turn to give a cool performance.

"It's impossible to become like your brother today, but you can contact me anytime you want to come. With more practice, you can definitely reach that level too."

"Okay, Coach Shen!"

For the next hour, Coach Shen led his three younger brothers in continuous practice, starting from the beginner slope.

Lu Cheng already had some basic skiing skills, and after the second lesson, he was able to ski down the slope on his own.

Bian Ji and Lu Yinzhao also learned very quickly.

Because the child is small and has a low center of gravity, Lu Yinzhao carefully maintained her balance after grasping the coach's tips and hardly ever fell.

"Yes, very good, just like that, little brother, you're skating very well! Keep it up!" Coach Shen encouraged from the side.

Lu Yinzhao became increasingly confident.

At first, I went very slowly, like a cautious little penguin, occasionally tapping the snow with my ski poles to help me adjust my direction.

As you get more skilled, your movements become smoother and smoother.

Lu Yinzhao relaxed, her small body swaying gently with the rhythm of gliding, like a snowflake being pushed forward by the wind.

When I braked at the bottom of the slope, I stumbled slightly twice, but still managed to stand firmly.

He turned to look at Bian Ji and Lu Cheng, who had also slid down, his little chest puffed out, looking like he wanted praise.

Lu Cheng, of course, wouldn't spoil the fun, and immediately praised, "Zhao Zhao, you're amazing! You were so steady on your first time skiing!"

"Fourth brother, you're very steady too, and so is Brother Aji. Let's skate together again." Lu Yinzhao was so engrossed in the game that he wanted to experience it again and again.

Bian Ji kept a close eye on Lu Yinzhao's surroundings as he slid.

Accidents can happen on ski slopes, and some beginners may not be able to stop in time and could easily crash into others.

Zhao Zhao is still too young; it would be terrible if she were accidentally bumped into.

Bian Ji's gaze never left the little guy.

The consequence of his focus on Lu Yinzhao was that he was distracted when he braked, lost his balance, and fell headfirst into the snow.

"Brother Aji! Are you alright?" Lu Yinzhao's heart skipped a beat, and she quickly swiped over to check on him.

But when they got closer, they saw that Bian Ji had covered his face in snow, and there was a small clump of snow in his mouth that he had spat out. They couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"Ha ha ha ha!"

"..."

This was the first time Lu Yinzhao had seen the big boss looking so disheveled. Bian Ji's face looked like the coconut glutinous rice ball he had eaten just yesterday, with the tip of his nose still red, like a small cherry embedded on it.

Lu Cheng helped Bian Ji up and comforted him, "My brother is just being silly, don't mind him. It's okay if he doesn't skate well, he can learn slowly, safety first."

"..."

Bian Ji was speechless as he looked at Lu Cheng's forced smile.

If you said this in a more serious tone, it would have some credibility.

Bian Ji didn't care about making a fool of himself; who hasn't fallen while learning to ski?

Sure enough, the two men who had just mocked him fell flat on their faces one after the other.

Bian Ji wanted to laugh, but couldn't bring herself to.

He brushed the snow off Lu Yinzhao and asked with concern, "Did you hurt yourself?"

Lu Yinzhao shook his head.

It didn't hurt, he was wearing a lot of clothes and protective gear, but he was a little dazed from the fall.

After skating for a while, Lu Yuan came over.

Pointing to a small wooden house not far away, he said to them, "You can rest for a bit. I bought you some hot drinks over there. Later, you can go to another area to play some entertainment activities."

After saying that, he turned to Coach Shen and said, "Thank you for your hard work today. I'll treat you to dinner another day."

Coach Shen punched Lu Yuan on the shoulder. "Why are you being so polite with me? But I'll remember this meal! You and your little brother have a good time."

"Okay, see you later."

Ten minutes later.

The four sat in the cabin, drinking the hot cocoa they held, a warm feeling spreading through their bodies.

"Did Zhao Zhao have fun skating today?" Lu Yuan asked.

"I'm so happy! I've learned the most basic skiing techniques."

Lu Yuan gave a thumbs up.

"Third brother, let's come every year from now on. I want to skate as well as you."

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Author's Note: Zhao Zhao: Please, superiors!