Otherwise, why are your ears red?

I had a place in mind that I wanted to take Gu Wanlin, and I casually asked her and Sister Zhou in the group chat if it would be convenient for us to get up a little earlier tomorrow. Sister Zhou readily agreed to come over earlier, and Gu Wanlin replied that she had just done some light exercise, felt much more relaxed after taking a shower, and should be fine going out tomorrow.

I couldn't sit still at home at all, and started packing for tomorrow without stopping. Just in case the weather changed while I was out, I found my two sets of Arc'teryx ski suits, which are extremely waterproof and windproof, and two pairs of waterproof outdoor snow boots. I didn't care if my clothes got wet outside, my main concern was that Gu Wanlin wouldn't be able to withstand the cold.

Although I'm a bit taller than her, we're similar in build and shoe size, and we used to share our wardrobes. After we broke up, I even discovered that some of the cardigans and short-sleeved shirts in my wardrobe were hers, and a pair of canvas shoes in my shoe cabinet were also hers. I wore them and hadn't had a chance to return them to her.

After running around busily, we finally packed up a whole box.

The next day, when I entered Gu Wanlin's house, Sister Zhou had already dressed her and was finishing her final washing and grooming routine in the bedroom bathroom. I handed Sister Zhang the outdoor clothing I had brought, saying I could put this on over it later. Gu Wanlin looked at me in the mirror, raised her eyebrows, and said, "Wearing such high-end gear? Where are you taking me?"

I took her from Sister Zhou's arms. "Can you go somewhere a little further away?"

Gu Wanlin rubbed the sunscreen onto her face with the back of her hand while replying, "Of course you can."

She looked well, but her eyes showed signs of fatigue and faint dark circles. I couldn't help but ask her with concern, "Did you sleep well?"

She saw it herself, casually remarked that she slept alright, sighed, tilted her head back, and asked if I could help her cover up, explaining that her own fingers couldn't handle such delicate work. I was naturally more than happy to oblige. We used to do each other's makeup often, but back then it was just a romantic gesture; now she truly couldn't manage it.

I was afraid she would be upset, so I tried to cheer her up. Her skin is always smooth, clear, and without any blemishes or oiliness. I said, "Gu Wanlin, you're really good at preserving your youth. How come your skin looks like you're in your early twenties? You're in such a good state today, so you don't need to wear foundation. Just apply some brightening primer."

Gu Wanlin just smiled and looked at me in the mirror, saying, "Whatever, keep it simple."

I turned her around, half-squatted down, and covered up her dark circles. I decided to go all the way and apply some light everyday makeup for her.

I finished by blending the thin layer of lip gloss she had applied. It had been a long time since I had been this close to her face. The soft, sweet scent emanating from her, with a hint of mellow, woody warmth in the base notes, awakened my long-dormant olfactory memories. This was her usual winter perfume. My fingers gently touched her soft lips, and a thought struck me.

"Shen Qingyi. Why are you blushing?" She sat back down, looking at me with a faint smile. It had been a long time since I'd heard her call me by my full name like that when she wanted to tease me.

I took her hand and guided her to press the inside of her wrist, with its thinnest and most sensitive skin, against her earlobe. "Isn't it because the heating in your house is too hot? Gu Wanlin, otherwise why are your ears red?"

After saying that, I turned around and walked away nonchalantly, leaving her behind, gritting her teeth and pushing herself out.

Following my instructions, Sister Zhou helped her put on her outdoor clothes, and she sat comfortably by the door waiting for me to take her off. I said it was cold outside today, and it would be troublesome if the battery died, so how about using the manual wheelchair? She agreed, but then suddenly seemed to remember something and asked me, "Can your car drive on the snow?"

It suddenly dawned on me that I had taken the main municipal road this morning, where the snow had been salted and cleared overnight. My front-wheel-drive car might not be able to get me to the place I wanted to take her.

"Are you even reliable?" she scolded playfully. She hooked a car key on the low cabinet in the entryway with her finger. "Take mine. Mine is four-wheel drive, and it's been modified inside. If the journey is long, it might be inconvenient for me to ride in your car."

As I sat in her car, I looked around at the classic burgundy red and black leather interior, and stroked the car-shaped key. "Well done, Gu Wanlin, working overseas is doing quite well."

She didn't have time to speak, busy fastening her seatbelt in the passenger seat. That's when I realized what she meant by the modification. The passenger seat had added headrests on both sides to fit her body and prevent her from slipping to the sides. The seatbelts had also been changed to two, one fastened to her chest and the other to her hips. She was struggling to reach the buckle with her wrist.

I inwardly scolded myself for being so careless, not even considering that a long car ride wouldn't be easy for her now. I turned to her and helped her fasten her seatbelt. Only then did she have a chance to reply, "It's alright, what's the point if I don't get something in return? I've given up so much..."

She suddenly stopped talking and we both realized something, and we fell silent together for a short while.

I actually started this up because I wanted to ask her something else, so I changed the subject and asked, "What about your work over there?"

She smiled nonchalantly, leaning her head back. "Work is temporarily suspended, but I'm still here. The company wouldn't dare fire me for this; they'd love for me to come back and be a living advertisement for DEI hiring. I had long-term disability insurance for the past two years, and the company knows my situation is quite serious. They came to me a while ago and said that if I need more time, I can take unpaid leave again, and after that, I can either go back to my old job or go to the satellite office here. I don't know, I haven't thought about it yet, and I don't want to think about it."

She didn't want to say more, so I stopped asking.

With Gu Wanlin sitting beside me, I drove with even greater caution. The car was on the highway leading out of the city; the sun had just risen, casting its light on the snow-capped peaks of the distant mountain ranges—a truly breathtaking scene. I patted her, "Gu Wanlin, look ahead."

"Yes, I'm looking at it. It's been a long time since I've seen such beautiful scenery."

I glanced to the side and saw sunlight streaming in through the car window, gently illuminating Gu Wanlin's face and casting a soft golden halo over the delicate, flowing lines from her brow bone to her jawline.

We chatted idly, but I noticed her voice growing increasingly tired. Glancing over, I saw her eyes were half-closed. Remembering the signs of fatigue she'd shown that morning, I said, "If you're sleepy, just sleep a little longer. We'll be there in an hour or two."

"Don't you feel lonely driving with no one to talk to?"

I freed my right hand to pat her head. "You don't need to worry about that. I'll just shake you when I'm lonely."

She responded with an "okay" and gradually fell asleep. I had already lowered the chair, and she lay beside me, her breathing soft and even.

After parking the car on the side of the road, Gu Wanlin was still asleep. This was the middle section of the road leading into the mountains to the ski resort. There was a small viewpoint extending out from the roadside, and down the roadside was a small open flat area along the riverbank, with a few sparse small trees growing here and there. In winter, the river was dry but not completely frozen, and the babbling brook flowed under the ice and snow on both sides of the river, making a tinkling sound.

The wind and snow raged all night, and the soft, fresh snow on the ground accumulated deeper and deeper as it approached the riverbank, reaching up to my calves. Since the wheelchair was probably too heavy to move, I quietly opened the trunk, took out a snow shovel, and cleared a makeshift path a few meters long. I then set up two simple camping chairs by the river before waking Gu Wanlin.

We had let her sit for too long. As soon as we raised the seat to help her adjust her position, her whole body started shaking violently. Her left knee was pulled and straightened, kicking against the inside of the car with a dull thud. Only the base of her right leg was shaking silently.

There was nothing I could do but try my best to massage her stiff back and neck and shoulders.

Gu Wanlin kept her eyes closed until this moment passed before opening them. I unscrewed the thermos and handed it to her, saying, "Drink some hot water and I'll carry you up again."

She looked around, her eyes filled with surprise and a hint of astonishment. "How did we find this place?"

I helped her straighten her clothes, which were a bit disheveled from the spasms, and tightened her shoelaces. "I saw it on the way when I went skiing with friends in the winter. I also came here to camp in the spring and autumn."

“I’ve never even seen you ski…” There was a hint of disappointment in her voice.

My love for outdoor activities is a new hobby that I developed after Gu Wanlin and I broke up. When I feel suffocated in the stifling and oppressive city, the outdoors is a paradise to escape reality. The time we've been apart is not short for our ages, and Gu Wanlin and I have both undergone many changes and growth that neither of us can know anymore.

I'll let her know slowly.

"If you want, there will be plenty of opportunities to see it in the future."

She didn't say anything.

I asked her, "The wheelchair can't get through there. Can I carry you across?"

She glanced ahead with some concern, "Can you carry me? Don't hurt yourself."

I had her wrap her arms tightly around my neck for leverage, then put my left arm around her back and my right arm under her knees. I adopted a squatting stance, pushed off the ground with the back chain, and slowly lifted her up in my arms. Her face paled, and she closed her eyes tightly to adjust to the change in height.

This was the first time I had ever lifted her up completely on her side. She was so light that it startled me. "Gu Wanlin, how can you be so light? How much do you weigh?"

She still had her eyes closed. "How much was it during the last checkup? Almost seventy, I think."

I was shocked. "?! Who is a woman who is 1.66 meters tall and weighs less than 70 pounds?"

She opened her eyes and looked at me. In that instant, as I touched the hard, metallic texture of her right knee, I knew I had misspoke, and I wanted to slap myself mentally. She rested her head on my shoulder. "You probably saw it yesterday. My right leg... is positioned very high, and my weight is different from the average person's. You can't compare us like that..."

My heart ached terribly, and I could only murmur apologies over and over again, "I'm sorry..."

She nuzzled her head against my shoulder. "Why are you apologizing? This is how my body is right now, what's there to blame you for..."

I bit my lower lip tightly, and could only hold her slender body tighter and tighter in my arms.