Chapter 46

With Huo Yan's careful guidance, Xu Yinyin quickly got the hang of it and began to try out the shortest slide.

[Ahhh, Umbro, this is so exciting. At this rate, can I still experience the long slide today?]

I only need to practice three more times before I can tackle the long slide.

Huo Yan followed closely beside her, guiding her while watching her, to prevent her from falling down due to excessive play. When he heard that she wanted to challenge the long slide, he immediately frowned in disapproval.

As soon as they reached the bottom of the short slide, he secretly hit her, "You're just getting started now. Don't rush into the long slide. Lay a solid foundation first."

"No, that won't work. We only have two days. It would be a waste to spend all of it on building the basics. I'll practice three more times. After that, I'll try the long slide, okay?"

Xu Yinyin held up three fingers and looked at him expectantly with bright eyes.

Because she was afraid of the cold, Xu Yinyin wore a white plush hat. Her little face was rosy after exercise, which made her look beautiful and cute. It was the first time that she spoke to him in a kind voice.

He simply couldn't bear to refuse.

Seeing that he remained silent, Xu Yinyin added, "Just once, just once, okay?"

This time, there was a hint of flattery in her bright eyes, and Huo Yan completely softened his heart.

He said with a serious face, "Just once."

"Yeah!" Xu Yinyin happily pulled his arm, "I knew you were the best. Thank you, Master."

Huo Yan's reality made her laugh. He was the best when she was happy, but when he was unhappy, he would scold her like a "Huo Gou" (a name often used in Chinese and often translated as "Huo Gou"). Tsk!

Huo Yan supervised Xu Yinyin to practice three times before taking her to the long slide on the cable car.

Xu Yinyin's excitement suddenly cooled down when she saw the long slide that stretched out endlessly.

[Ah, this—I thought the long slide was just a little longer than the one we just slid on, with more curves. Cliffs aren't all twists and turns and stretch as far as the eye can see!]

How about—let's go back? The system suggested cautiously.

"No, that's too embarrassing. Huo Gou might be waiting to see me make a fool of myself. I was wondering why he was so easy to talk to today, and sure enough!"

Huo Yan, who was caught in the crossfire, said: "..."

I'm just a scapegoat :)

Huo Yan, who was used to it, finally decided not to bother with her.

"I'll lead the way, you follow me, okay?" Huo Yan lowered his eyes and looked at her, asking in a gentle voice.

Xu Yinyin was puzzled: [Hey! Something's wrong with him today. He seems so considerate for no apparent reason. What's going on?]

"Baby, he's always been very good to you, you just haven't paid much attention." The system said firmly.

Is there?

Xu Yinyin raised her eyebrows slightly and looked at him. She decided not to talk about this troublesome topic and replied happily, "Sure."

Huo Yan began to remind her of safety precautions again and checked her equipment. After confirming it was safe, he said, "Remember, if you are not used to it or don't want to continue, stop immediately."

"Yeah." Xu Yinyin nodded obediently.

Seeing how well-behaved she was, Huo Yan raised his hand to help her straighten her hat, and took the opportunity to rub his head, "The hat is crooked."

"Thank you. Let's get started."

Huo Yan put on his goggles again and slid slowly, with Xu Yinyin following closely behind him.

At first, because the slope was not very steep, Xu Yinyin followed it effortlessly. Especially when she saw Huo Yan's agile and nimble back like a swimming snake, she felt envious and jealous, and thought that as long as she worked a little harder, she would be able to reach that height sooner or later.

As the slope became more and more winding and steep, the two of them moved faster and faster under the action of inertia, and gradually Xu Yinyin realized how hard she was trying.

If it weren't for Huo Yan's familiar movement, she would have almost deviated from the route several times because of the difficulty in distinguishing the direction. After narrowly avoiding a few drooping dead branches, Xu Yinyin gradually felt a little overwhelmed.

[Wow~ I regret it. I shouldn't have rushed in so recklessly. I'm running out of energy.]

[Baby, if it doesn't work, let's stop. Don't force it.]

【good. 】

Just as Xu Yinyin finished speaking, a small pile of snow suddenly fell in front of her. Because the speed was too fast, she couldn't see what it was. Xu Yinyin subconsciously dodged and was tripped by a protruding stone.

Before she could recover from the falling snow, she was suddenly tripped, her center of gravity was unstable, and she fell to one side, rolling along the slope.

"ah--"

After a short scream, there was the dull sound of the snow crunching under the pressure of the body.

Just five meters away, a piece of wood had fallen off the wooden fence beside the slide.

The wire that was originally used to fix the wooden board had lost its binding target, so it stood there in a haphazard manner, like a monster's claws, quietly waiting for Xu Yinyin to roll in front of it and pierce her flesh.

The system was the first to sense the danger and shouted, "Oh no! There are a lot of wires ahead. Honey, try to lean to the right to avoid them!"

Under the dual forces of huge inertia and high-speed movement, the body had long been out of control. Even if Xu Yinyin knew there was danger, she really couldn't escape it.

In a hurry, she could only curl up as much as possible to protect important parts such as her head and neck. Even if she was destined to be injured, she could avoid the vital parts and save her life.

Just as her body was about to rush straight towards the claw-like barbed wire, Huo Yan arrived in time, held her in his arms, and rolled sideways away from the barbed wire.

There happened to be a flat open space there, which also served as a self-rescue slide for dealing with such emergencies.

After more than ten seconds, the two finally stopped. Huo Yan lay flat on the ground with his arms around Xu Yinyin, who curled up in his arms, her body trembling.

[Woo woo woo, we're saved, long live the overbearing president!] The system cheered in shock.

If it really hits it, the host's life will be in danger and it will be extremely anxious.

Xu Yinyin thought she was dead, but Huo Yan arrived in time and saved her.

Worried and guilty, she stood up from his arms and said apologetically, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have been so reckless."

Huo Yan lowered his eyes and looked at the self-blaming and anxious little person in his arms, and asked in a gentle voice, "Are you hurt anywhere?"

Xu Yinyin shook her head, "No, I'm fine, I was just scared."

Huo Yan chuckled helplessly, "I'm glad you're okay. It's my fault for not controlling my speed well. Sorry."

"It's not your fault. I shouldn't have acted so arrogantly. I'm sorry."

Huo Yan struggled to raise his hand and touch her head, "Challenging yourself doesn't count as showing off."

Xu Yinyin supported herself on his waist and stood up, but heard Huo Yan hiss. She was about to ask when she felt her fingers were sticky. She lowered her eyes and saw blood.

She looked anxiously at his side, where a dead branch as thick as a thumb was stuck, and a small area of ​​his black ski suit was wet.

"You're hurt!" Tears welled up in Xu Yinyin's eyes as she frantically took out her phone. "I, I'll call the emergency number."

Xu Yinyin took off her gloves and touched the phone in her pocket, her whole body shaking violently.

If Huo Yan really got hurt because of saving her, she would feel guilty for the rest of her life.

[Oh, it's all my fault. I was the one who got him hurt.]

Xu Yinyin's tears fell anxiously, and soon her eyes were blurred by the tears.

Huo Yan held her trembling hand and said with a soothing smile, "Don't be afraid, there's no serious injury. The ski resort has a professional medical team, and each set of equipment has a location. They will be here soon, don't worry."

Xu Yinyin was unwilling to believe it. Huo Yan's face turned much paler than before, and even his lips had lost their color.

She tried hard to suppress the panic in her heart, dialed the emergency number that she knew by heart under his supervision, told him about Huo Yan's situation, and performed simple hemostasis under his guidance before hanging up.

"Huo Yan, please don't die. If anything happens to you, I will never be at peace for the rest of my life."

Xu Yinyin's tone was tearful, and her eyes kept moving back and forth between his face and the wound, her face full of self-blame.

"I was skiing before and got stuck in a crevice. It took 48 hours for me to be rescued, but I'm fine. This little injury is nothing. Don't think too much about it." Huo Yan raised his hand and touched the top of her head, his eyes gentle.

It was a rare occasion when she was so well behaved, so he had to act listless even if he had to pretend.

"Then don't play dangerous sports anymore. What if there's no hope? You have so much money, it would be unfair if you died. Living a good life is more important than anything else, understand?"

Huo Yan smiled and nodded: "Okay, I'll listen to you."

Xu Yinyin was slightly stunned. "I, I'm just reminding you kindly. I don't mean anything else. Please don't misunderstand me."

"Yeah, okay." Huo Yan still responded in a gentle voice.

Xu Yinyin glanced at him quietly, and suddenly became panicked when she saw his smiling eyes.

She quickly shifted her gaze to the sky and muttered, "Why haven't the medical staff arrived yet? I'm going to complain about their inefficiency when I get back."

Just as he finished speaking, the roar of an airplane propeller was heard overhead.

Xu Yinyin's expression froze, and her ears turned red at Huo Yan's weak chuckle.

A red helicopter hovered in the sky. After confirming the target location, the plane quickly landed. Medical staff carried a stretcher to Huo Yan's side and quickly brought him onto the plane.

Xu Yinyin then boarded the plane and flew straight to a hospital in the city.

As soon as Huo Yan entered the operating room, the other three people also rushed over.

They tacitly agreed not to ask about Xu Yinyin, but went directly to ask the medical staff. After learning that there was nothing serious, they found Xu Yinyin and comforted her one by one.

"Don't worry, sister-in-law. Brother Yan is thick-skinned and tough. You can't hurt him."

"Yes, yes, yes. Brother Yan is a long-time extreme sports enthusiast. This injury is really nothing."

"The doctor said there were no serious injuries and that I'd be able to move around freely after the surgery in three days at most."

"Oh." Xu Yinyin replied sullenly.

She now felt both guilty and self-blaming, and always felt that Huo Yan was very different today.

She was not an idiot. She knew why Huo Yan did this, why he looked at her with such tenderness, and what this reckless devotion meant.

But why does Huo Yan like her? She is useless!

"That--" Xu Yinyin looked at the three people hesitantly.

"Just say it, sister-in-law." He Yang quickly replied.

"Can you please not tell Ayan's family about this for now? Let's go back after he recovers from his injury."

"Of course we can't tell them that. Let's just tell everyone that we're going to play for another week. We're fine anyway, and Brother Yan is back home for vacation anyway, so he's even finer."

"Thank you very much." Xu Yinyin expressed her gratitude sincerely.

"Sister-in-law, you are too serious."

Ji Kai suggested: "Why don't you go back first? Brother Yan will be fine with us."

Xu Yinyin shook her head. "It doesn't matter. I want to wait for him to come out. I won't feel at ease if I go back."

"Okay, let's wait together."

The three of them sat on the bench nearby and took out their phones to chat in a group.

[Looking at my sister-in-law blaming herself, I think Brother Yan must have been injured because of her, right?]

[Isn't this obvious?]

[No, considering Brother Yan's ugly capitalist face, couldn't this be a self-inflicted torture?]

[Hey, this one might be bigger!]

[I think it's just a self-torture tactic. Look how upset my sister-in-law is. Regardless of whether she feels guilty or something else, she's worried because she cares, right?]

[Right, right, right. So, Xiao Xunxun shouldn’t have told my sister-in-law to go back. If Brother Yan knew you ruined his plans, you’d be dead!]

[I'm being superficial. An old fox like Brother Yan never does anything without reward. He saved people, and he got hurt, too. As for his intentions, we don't know.]

[Who cares? It's a matter of two minds. Brother Yan is really taking this seriously this time, racking his brains!]

[Tsk tsk tsk, I never thought we'd see a monk tempted by worldly desires one day. Amazing!]

[I will definitely stay until the end and witness with my own eyes the humble buds of the iron tree blooming.]

[My heart races when I think about Brother Yan trying to be pitiful and ask for love from his sister-in-law. How refreshing.]

[It would be best if we could record his ugly face while courting, and use it as a black history to blackmail him, so we can also feel proud for once.]

Half an hour later, Huo Yan came out of the operating room.

The doctor explained some precautions and left, and the group returned to the ward with him.

Xu Yinyin stood beside the bed with her back to Huo Yan and said, "Since Ah Yan is not in danger, I'll just stay here today. You can come back tomorrow."

He Yang was about to take over the task when he saw someone on the hospital bed who had woken up at some point and was glaring at him with a pair of dangerous eyes.

He quickly responded, "Thank you for your help, sister-in-law. We'll be leaving first."

Seeing this, the other two people subconsciously glanced at the bed, immediately got it, and left quickly. To hell with the video and personal testimony!

After seeing the three people off, Xu Yinyin returned to the ward, sat down on the accompanying chair, and looked at the person who was sleeping on the bed with a worried look on her face.

His complexion had returned to normal and his lips had regained color, but he still looked a little haggard.

Xu Yinyin looked at his handsome face so close to her, and once again asked in confusion: "Xiao Qi, what is it about me that he loves so much that he would risk his life to save me?"

Huo Yan was delighted. That’s right, he finally saw his true feelings. The injury was worth it.

There is no reason to like someone. Maybe he likes you because you are lazy, greedy, useless and useless. What you have is exactly what he lacks.

Xu Yinyin's mouth twitched: [There's no need to be so blunt! ]

Hehe, actually, you're quite talented, you just don't realize it. If you were given a comfortable environment with plenty of food and clothing, you'd be content. You have no ambitions, and certainly no desire to compare yourself to others. You usually just enjoy watching TV dramas and hanging out with the rich ladies just to experience how the rich live. But if you were forced to live a life of luxury every day, you'd find it boring. In short, you're easy to support.

Before becoming a rich lady, I too was poor. When the good things of life first arrive, we tend to indulge in them relentlessly. But once we've experienced them all, we must return to the ordinary, where we have enough food and clothing, no worries about making a living, the ability to travel at a moment's notice, and the mindset of taking things as they come. Life is short, so we should live it casually. Of course, it would be great if my partner were a successful careerist too. He'd be responsible for earning the money, and I'd be responsible for looking beautiful. How wonderful it would be to be a salt-and-pepper person.

"Then you already have this wish. The one in bed is the one. Your families arranged it for you two, so marriage is a natural progression. The most important thing is, he really likes you. You should have changed your mind about him, right?"

When this was brought up, Xu Yinyin began to evade the issue again: "How could he possibly like me? It must be because of Grandma Yan's relationship with Grandpa. He was afraid that I would be in danger at his hands and it would be difficult to explain to his superiors, so he risked his life to save me. It would be the same for anyone else. You're overthinking it."

The system sighs helplessly, you are just deceiving yourself!

The sky that had just cleared up for Huo Yan suddenly turned gloomy. It seemed that he had to take some drastic measures. If he kept wasting time, the little fox would only become more and more active in hiding.

Xu Yinyin didn't want to talk to the system anymore, so she pretended to be sleepy and leaned on the edge of the bed and closed her eyes.

Feeling the furry touch on the back of his hand, Huo Yan tentatively opened his eyes a little, and seeing her taking a nap on the edge of the bed, he boldly opened his eyes and looked at this heartless little girl without blinking.

When she is sleeping quietly, she is more annoying than when she is talkative. It's a pity that her mouth is harder than his.

Judging from her self-blaming and worried look at the ski resort, she was not as heartless as she said. He didn't believe that she didn't have him in her heart at all.

Xu Yinyin was really tired. After having fun at the ski resort for several hours, and with the double shock of the accident and Huo Yan's injury, she was already exhausted.

After she completely relaxed, sleepiness quickly came over her, and within a few minutes, her breathing became heavy.

Huo Yan listened to her rhythmic and steady breathing, and when he was sure that she was asleep, he raised his hand and gently placed it on the top of her head, running his hand along the soft hair. When his eyes moved to her face, his big palm also moved to the side of her face, and brushed the hair scattered on her cheek behind her ear.

Perhaps she felt itchy in her sleep, she frowned and hummed twice, like a spoiled child.

Huo Yan froze with fear, then seeing that she showed no signs of waking up, he tentatively touched her with the back of his finger. Seeing that she was indifferent, he bravely pinched her lightly, muttering to himself: You heartless little thing, why are you so annoying, huh?

Huo Yan smiled helplessly, took back his hand and put it behind his head, and gradually fell asleep. However, in his dream, his hand couldn't help but hold Xu Yinyin's.

The two of them held hands and slept until the lights came on.

Xu Yinyin woke up hungry. When she opened her eyes, she realized that she seemed to be taking care of a patient. She stood up suddenly and looked at Huo Yan on the hospital bed.

"Awake?" Huo Yan was working on his computer. Seeing her suddenly sit up straight, he couldn't help but laugh. "Why are you waking up so quickly? Did you have a nightmare?"

Xu Yinyin was still a little dazed. With sleepy eyes, she said truthfully, "I'm hungry."

Huo Yan was stunned for a moment, then smiled and gestured to the dining cart next to him, "The food is over there, it should still be hot."

Xu Yinyin looked at the time. It was almost eight o'clock. She had only slept for four hours.

[You're amazing, Xu Yinyin! You're here to take care of the patient, not take a vacation!]

Huo Yan suppressed his laughter and stole a glance at her, but saw that she looked annoyed and embarrassed. At this moment, Huo Yan's stomach began to growl.

Huo Yan VS Xu Yinyin: "..."

[This is even more embarrassing, tsk!]

"I'm sorry, I overslept." Xu Yinyin said as she stood up and walked towards the dining car.

After confirming that the dishes were still hot, he turned back to the bed and pointed at the computer on the small table and asked, "How about finishing your meal first and then working?"

"Okay." Huo Yan replied as he cleaned up, then stopped Xu Yinyin and said, "You're the patient, I'll take care of these."

She quickly cleared the table, put the hot food on the table, took a small plate and chopsticks, and pretended to feed Huo Yan.

"No, my hand is fine and I can move it." Huo Yan felt a little uncomfortable.

Xu Yinyin said without hesitation: "If you don't feed me, you are blaming me. Open your mouth."

Seeing this, Huo Yan couldn't refuse anymore. He lowered his eyes and looked at the boiled vegetables that were fed to his mouth. He suggested, "Then can I not eat the vegetables? They taste weird."

"No, you need to recover. If you want to eat something delicious, I will make it for you after you recover."

Huo Yan raised his eyebrows slightly, a look of surprise on his face, "Really?"

"Just consider it as a thank you for saving my life."

"Okay then."

Huo Yan ate the whole vegetable without hesitation and suddenly felt that it tasted good.

Looking at his obedient appearance, Xu Yinyin also thought that he was quite nice when he was not so picky.

The system watched the two people interacting with an aunt smiling throughout the whole process. They bumped into each other, fed each other, so how far is a kiss from them?

Awoo~~~

After finishing his meal, Huo Yan said to Xu Yinyin, "I want to be discharged from the hospital tomorrow."

"No, I've already agreed with He Yang and the others that we'll return home after you're fully recovered. How can you take a plane in this state? Are you trying to save your life?"

Xu Yinyin believed that Huo Yan was in a hurry to go back because of her, and she felt even more guilty.

"It's nothing serious, I used to--"

"I don't care what you did before, but this time you were injured because of me. I have an obligation to take care of you until you recover."

"Is it just out of obligation?" Huo Yan tempted greedily.

Xu Yinyin was slightly startled, frowning and looking at him, "What else do you want?"

A trace of loneliness flashed in Huo Yan's eyes. He shook his head and said nothing more.

Xu Yinyin bit her lip in annoyance, then said coldly, "You take a rest. I'll go out for some fresh air."

After watching her leave, Huo Yan leaned back on the pillow in frustration, a look of distress on his face.

What should I do to impress her? Just getting hurt doesn't seem to be enough.

Xu Yinyin fled to the back garden of the hospital. She leaned back in her chair, staring at the dark blue night sky in a daze, her mind filled with Huo Yan's lonely expression.

It was both incongruous and inexplicably sad to see such a setback happen to him.

[Tsk, why does he like me? He has no shortage of women.]

[Baby, what are you struggling with? You clearly have feelings for him, so why is it so hard for you to accept his feelings?]

The system asked the doubts in my heart.

Because I think it's unrealistic. He's so outstanding, and there's a world of difference between him and me. This disparity in status and ability is doomed to keep us from going far. Rather than ending up as strangers, it's better to keep our distance from each other from the start.

But have you ever felt that it's precisely this asymmetry that sparks curiosity and a desire to explore? Humans always like to pursue what they don't have, whether it's wealth, character, or even ideas. If everyone insisted on equality, it would be boring. Being with the same people wouldn't spark any sparks.

Xu Yinyin was speechless. The love she longed for was one of equality. They would work together and lie down together. They would not argue over who worked and who was idle, nor would they quarrel over who was ambitious and who was indifferent. They would share happiness and hardships, support each other, and spend the rest of their lives in consultation.

But Huo Yan's personality was obviously contrary to hers. She didn't want him to become a waste because of her, nor did she want to work hard to catch up with him.

When two people are passionately in love, the amount of effort they put in can be completely ignored. But as time goes by and the love fades, all that is left is endless arguments and rehashing of past grievances, which is unbearable and tiring. Why bother?