The Alpine wind swept through the coniferous forest tips, stirring up tiny diamond-shaped snow dust that swirled beneath the azure sky. The ski lift ascended smoothly, leaving behind Mu Xinrong's exclamation and Chao Youye's low chuckle in the cold air.
Under my feet, the endless snow-covered path looked like white silk split by a god with a giant axe, gleaming with dazzling silver light under the winter sun.
Further away, dark green coniferous forests, crowned with thick snow, surround iron-gray rugged ridges, extending all the way to where the sight ends and meets the blue sky.
Mu Xinrong was almost pressed against the cable car glass, with the tip of his nose pressed flat, and the hot air he exhaled formed a small white mist on the cold glass.
He was wearing a brand new bright orange ski suit, which made his little face look even whiter. At this moment, his clear eyes were wide open, filled with pure wonder for this kingdom of ice and snow and a hint of imperceptible uneasiness.
"Youye! Look over there! Doesn't it look like a chocolate cake with frosting?"
He excitedly pointed to a round hill covered with thick snow in the distance, turned around to look at the people around him, with tiny lights dancing in his eyes.
Chao Youye was sitting next to him, her tall and straight body perfectly wrapped in a pure black top-grade ski suit. There were no extra patterns or logos, only a dark silver brand logo on the cuffs that emitted a low-key cold light.
He tilted his head slightly, his eyes not following the direction of Mu Xinrong's finger, but instead remained calmly on Mu Xinrong's face which was filled with joy.
The sunlight filtered through the gaps in the cable car's ceiling, casting a small fan-shaped shadow under his thick eyelashes, but it couldn't hide the gentle warmth that flowed in the depths of his purple eyes, almost drowning him.
"Yeah." He responded softly, his voice filtered by the windproof scarf, seeming a little vague, but with an unmistakable indulgence.
He reached out his hand through his thick gloves and very naturally and comfortingly squeezed Mu Xinrong's wrist, which was trembling slightly with excitement. "Follow me closely later."
"I got it!" Mu Xinrong nodded vigorously and patted the brand new hip protector hanging on his chest with confidence.
"Fully equipped! No need to worry about falling!"
The hip pad was bright yellow with some silly cartoon ducklings printed on it. It looked particularly childish and cute next to Chao Youye, who was wearing professional equipment.
After getting off the cable car and standing at the top of the snow slope, Mu Xinrong's ambition and passion that had just accumulated on the cable car was instantly frozen by the steep slope in front of him, the whistling wind and the uncontrolled sliding feeling of the snowboard under his feet.
He subconsciously grabbed Chao Youye's arm as if he was holding on to the only piece of driftwood.
"Don't be afraid." Chao Youye's voice was steady and powerful, piercing through the wind. "Look ahead, lower your center of gravity, and bend your knees slightly, like this."
He let go of Mu Xinrong's hand, leaned forward slightly, and stood firmly on the snow slope with his skis in an inward-facing position, like a cedar rooted in the ice field, solemn, stable, and with a sense of power to control everything.
Even such a simple preparatory posture, when performed by him, is full of flowing grace and power.
Mu Xinrong tried hard to imitate the movements, but his body was as stiff as a newly assembled robot.
The skis under my feet seemed to have a will of their own. They refused to obey my commands and kept trying to slide in different directions.
He nervously adjusted his center of gravity and frantically waved his ski poles to maintain his balance. He looked so clumsy, just like a little penguin stepping onto the ice for the first time.
"Relax." Chao Youye slid to his side, her voice was very soft, but it reached his ears clearly, "I'll take you for a slide, let you feel it."
He stretched out his ski pole and motioned Mu Xinrong to grab the lower end of the handle.
Mu Xinrong clutched at it like a lifeline. Chao Youye began to ski slowly and controlled his speed. Mu Xinrong was pulled forward by him, her body moving forward involuntarily, and the skis under her feet finally stopped twisting.
The wind blew across my cheeks, bringing the coolness of ice and snow, and the vision became wider during the smooth sliding.
His tense nerves relaxed a little, and he even had the illusion that "skiing is not that difficult", and a curious smile appeared on his face again.
However, this fragile balance lasted less than ten seconds.
In order to avoid a gentle bend ahead, Chao Youye gently pushed Mu Xinrong's center of gravity with her ski pole, and immediately collapsed like a building block tower with its foundation pulled out.
"Ah!" A short exclamation.
Mu Xinrong felt his feet slip and the world was spinning! Without any warning, he fell straight back! His butt hit the soft new snow pile on the side of the road, splashing a huge wave of snow.
The skis were cross-legged in the air in a funny way, and the two ski poles flew out of his hands and stuck in the snow not far away, like two lonely flagpoles.
The world was quiet for a second.
Mu Xinrong sat in the snow pit in a daze, his orange ski suit covered with snow foam, his goggles hanging crookedly on his forehead, revealing his big eyes filled with confusion and disbelief.
A few snowflakes landed on his slightly open lips, bringing a hint of coolness. He blinked, seemingly still not realizing what had happened.
Chao Youye had already come to a steady stop and turned to look at him. A flash of clear worry flashed across her deep purple eyes, then was immediately covered by a thin, suppressed smile.
He pursed his lips, his jawline tense, as if he was enduring something.
“Puff…”
A clear child's voice broke the silence.
On a gentle practice track nearby, a little girl, about six or seven years old, wearing a pink ski suit, was being led by her coach as she skied.
She witnessed the whole process of Mu Xinrong falling, and was now trying hard to cover her mouth with her small hands wearing thick gloves, but her crescent-shaped eyes and suppressed laughter had already revealed her thoughts.
My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!
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