Chapter 31 The ice rink in Montreal has come to an end...
The second leg of the World Cup concluded at the Montreal ice rink, and he left with his agent. They went to the vicinity of the hotel where the athletes were staying. He sent a message to Ren Xiyao. Night gradually enveloped the city. Montreal experienced its first snowfall of the year. In the distance, the team bus carrying the athletes slowly approached. Through the dappled light, he saw a girl in a white down jacket team uniform speaking to the team leader and greeting those around her before putting on her hat. She walked towards him, repeatedly turning back to confirm. Only when silence returned to the entrance did she approach the vehicle.
Kwon Ji-yong also got out of the car. They maintained a certain distance, their eyes meeting, yet neither of them moved closer. Instead, they slowly walked forward, keeping their distance, until there was hardly anyone around. Kwon Ji-yong looked around. Suddenly, he closed the distance, grabbed Ren Xiyao's hand, and pulled her into his arms. In the night, with fine snowflakes falling, on the deserted street, they could truly hear each other's heartbeats.
A hug after a month and a half. Only when they felt each other again could they understand how deep the longing had penetrated to their very bones. The two embraced quietly like this, not knowing how long it had been before slowly relaxing. Snowflakes landed on Ren Xiyao's eyelashes. Quan Zhilong reached out to brush them away, but stopped when he touched her cheek. Her skin was icy cold, and her breath brushed against his wrist.
Ren Xiyao looked up at the sky: "This is Montreal's first snow. We're pretty lucky."
Her eyelashes fluttered gently. Kwon Ji-yong wanted to say something, but she pressed her lips to his.
"Don't speak." Her fingers were icy cold. "It will ruin..."
It would ruin this stolen moment. She didn't finish her sentence, but Kwon Ji-yong understood. In the distance, the lights of the bus carrying the athletes were still on, and her coaches and teammates were waiting for her at the hotel; while eight thousand kilometers away in Seoul, the controversial documents about him must still be sitting in the company's conference room.
But now, in this unfamiliar square, they are just two ordinary people who fell in love in the first snow.
Ren Xiyao took Quan Zhilong's hand. Their fingers were both icy, but the place where they clasped gradually warmed. They walked aimlessly down the street. In this foreign land, a fleeting, utopian moment. Even the air seemed to whisper of long-lost tenderness, lingering for a long, long time until the atmosphere reached a certain point.
Kwon Ji-yong asked, "Will the next competition be in Shanghai?"
“Yes, that’s right.” Ren Xiyao squeezed his fingers: “Don’t come anymore. It’s the end of the year, and you have a lot of stages to perform on. It’s too much of a hassle. The fourth stop is in South Korea. We can go there when we have time.”
Kwon Ji-yong neither agreed nor refused, but simply smiled at her. The snow fell heavier and heavier, landing on their clasped hands, and neither of them let go.
“That Dutch athlete today,” he suddenly said, “when he was carried out on a stretcher, I…”
“It’s normal,” Ren Xiyao interrupted him. “When I was fourteen and had just switched sports, I broke my collarbone during a competition.” She kicked a snowdrift by the roadside. “If you’re scared, then don’t come to watch.”
Kwon Ji-yong stopped in his tracks: "I'm not scared, it's just..." He racked his brains for the right Chinese word: "heartache."
Ren Xiyao leaned closer to Kwon Ji-yong, looking intently into his eyes. After a long while, she smiled and said, "Actually, most injuries don't happen on the field. The probability of injuries occurring during training can reach over 60%, while the highest probability on the field is only around 30%. Things are much better now than before, and the rules are becoming more and more mature. There aren't as many of these situations as before."
Kwon Ji-yong looked at her stubbornly: "That's why I feel even more heartache!"
Ren Xiyao's ears turned red, but thankfully it wasn't noticeable in the darkness. She changed the subject: "Does your company know?"
"Yeah," Kwon Ji-yong smiled wryly, "Going back will just mean more endless arguments."
"Because I am Chinese?"
“Because you’re on the national team.” He squeezed her hand. “You’re too conspicuous.”
Ren Xiyao laughed teasingly, "Oh! Let me think, what did someone say on the Bund again? Idols have to report when they're dating, but Kwon Ji-yong doesn't have to. Sigh! He said it too early!"
Kwon Ji-yong was somewhat annoyed: "Hey!"
"Hahahaha!" Ren Xiyao couldn't help but laugh so hard she bent over. Quan Zhilong couldn't hide the tenderness in his eyes as he looked at her like this.
They walked to a small square where the fountain was frozen over and the area was deserted. The two of them sat down on a bench. It was still raining, the cool liquid on their faces.
“When I was little,” Ren Xiyao said, gazing at the sky, “I would secretly sit behind the ice rink or lie down in a snowdrift for a while whenever I didn’t do well in a competition.”
Quan Zhilong turned his head to look at her. A snowflake landed on the tip of her nose, quickly melting into a small water droplet. He suddenly propped himself up and gently kissed away the water droplet. Ren Xiyao held her breath, her eyes wide open.
“When the first snow falls,” his voice was a little hoarse, “you should make a wish like this.”
Ren Xiyao blinked, then suddenly reached out and grabbed his collar, pulling him down. As their lips met, Quan Zhilong heard the distant sound of church bells. This kiss was more intense than the first one, carrying a longing and a deep reluctance that almost felt tangible.
When they parted, both were slightly out of breath. Kwon Ji-yong's ears were bright red, while Ren Xiyao buried her face in her scarf. In this quiet atmosphere, they slowly chatted about their work, training, and life over the past month, and how much they missed each other. All the love they didn't know how to express became clearer and stronger in their caring words after they met.
Then Kwon Ji-yong's phone rang again. They both knew it was almost time. "Let's go back," Ren Xiyao said sullenly, "Don't you have to catch your flight?"
On the way back to the hotel, Quan Zhilong stubbornly held her hand and wouldn't let go. As they passed a streetlamp, Ren Xiyao suddenly asked, "What did you wish for?"
"I hope you never fall," he said with a smile, then quickly added as Ren Xiyao rolled her eyes, "Just kidding. I hope you're happy and never get hurt."
Ren Xiyao stopped and looked at him earnestly: "I'm happy right now. As for the injuries, it's more important to reconcile with them than to worry about them."
The snow fell heavier and heavier, quickly covering their footprints. Kwon Ji-yong knew that returning to the company would mean facing a mountain of troubles and a hectic schedule, and Ren Xiyao understood that back home would mean another period of grueling competitions and training. But at this moment, they only wanted to remember this moment of snow and each other's warmth for as long as possible.
Finally, they stopped at the intersection where they had met. They didn't go any further. Ren Xiyao took off her scarf and put it around Quan Zhilong's neck. Quan Zhilong took her hand and kissed it: "Safe landing." Ren Xiyao smiled and nodded. Without lingering, she turned and ran into the hotel. Quan Zhilong stood by the car, watching her back until she disappeared completely. Inside the car, his manager kept anxiously checking the time. Quan Zhilong got into the car and quickly started the engine: "Darling, you're finally here! Otherwise, we would have missed our flight!"
Kwon Ji-yong ignored his nagging. His thoughts were still lingering on what had just happened. He felt this night was like a dream, unreal. Or rather, ever since he met Ren Xiyao, he felt like he was living in a dream. Having been in a high position for so long, he realized that heaven and hell were separated by a single thought. In the industry, short-term relationships were the norm; attraction was like a surge of hormones, a mutual exchange and exploitation of resources, genuine feelings mixed with self-interest, and self-interest mixed with genuine feelings. The cheers had elevated him to a pedestal, but behind the scenes, he lived a fractured life. He had once thought he was losing the ability to love, but then he met her. In that moment of embracing and kissing, he felt a long-lost flutter of emotion, not the flirtatious teasing and playful banter, not the excitement of hormones, but the genuine flutter of first love, the first time he liked someone—a genuine desire to offer his whole heart.
Ren Xiyao returned to the hotel. When she swiped her room key, Lin Shan was already standing at the door with his arms crossed, waiting for her.
Startled, Ren Xiyao quickly turned around and closed the door. "What are you doing standing here? You scared me!"
"Heh," Lin Shan sneered, "If you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to fear. I've discovered you have the potential to be a spy. You're quite good at hiding things, so tell me the truth. What's going on?"
"Don't just stand there, come inside," Ren Xiyao said as she passed Lin Shan. She went into the hotel and sat on the bed. Lin Shan followed closely behind. She sat down next to Ren Xiyao and said, "So, you're together now." This sentence immediately silenced Lin Shan. The atmosphere was a little awkward. After a long while, Lin Shan finally spoke, but even then, she was speechless: "Wow...you...you're really brave!"
After a long pause, Lin Shan sighed and continued, "You know, there are quite a few people in our team who like him and his group, right? Didn't you know?" Lin Shan looked at Ren Xiyao's bewildered expression and said, "There are quite a few among the younger members. Didn't he have a scandal last week? With which female celebrity? I didn't look closely. But when I scrolled through my WeChat Moments, it was all about criticizing him, criticizing that girl."
Ren Xiyao opened her mouth for a long time before finally saying, "That's fake."
Lin Shan raised an eyebrow: "It's not important. The fans don't care. Or rather, the company doesn't care."
Seeing the silent Ren Xiyao, Lin Shan stood up and handed her a bottle of water. "I won't say anything, just keep it hidden. I can help you if you need it." Then she sighed deeply. "Sigh... the path you choose is always difficult. Since that's the case, then those who can do it should do it."
Ren Xiyao lay on the bed, listening to the church bells ringing in the distance. She turned her head to look at Lin Shan: "But what can we do? When we're together, it feels like a beautiful dream."
Lin Shan looked at her, her eyes filled with both heartache and helplessness. In the end, she could only sincerely wish her well, saying, "As long as you're happy." Ren Xiyao took Lin Shan's hand, "Thank you!" Lin Shan patted Ren Xiyao and said nothing more.
That's just how people are. They always hope to get infinitely closer to beauty. So even if the road is difficult, they don't want to turn back easily unless they hit a wall. And at least when they can be together, they are incredibly happy, and they are always looking forward to the next embrace.
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