Chapter 292 Stay
Xia Lili added solemnly, "More importantly, we're likely to encounter that bear."
Li Qihan responded, "Try to resolve this issue quickly and find out the truth before nightfall. Don't delay."
Then he softened his tone, "But don't worry. Detective Evans is a hunter himself, so he's very good at dealing with bears."
Xia Lili suddenly thought of a key issue: "But taking the cable car requires security checks..." She didn't finish her words, but her worry was evident.
Li Qihan immediately grasped the key point: "The cable car needs to go through security..."
He paused, his voice becoming serious. "This means the murderer may have hidden the weapon somewhere in the mountains long ago."
Xia Lili immediately understood: "So if we search Thorne now, we will probably find nothing."
"Don't worry," Li Qihan said decisively, "I'll contact the detectives and start the operation. Your task is to keep a close eye on Thorne and don't let him out of your sight."
After the phone call ended, Xia Lili breathed a sigh of relief.
Xia Lili stood up and moved from the observation deck beside the track to the rest area at the starting point of the track.
The starting point of the track was bustling with people and the atmosphere was very lively.
One after another, ski experts rushed down the steep slope, constantly challenging themselves with more and more difficult stunts, somersaults in the air, and spins on the boards, drawing gasps from the spectators. The excitement was dazzling.
Xia Lili stood aside and heard from several skiers who were taking a break that An Zhaoyan was seizing every minute to train for the upcoming amateur skiing competition.
This was her first official competition, and her results were directly related to whether she could be selected into the largest ski association in Los Angeles.
Xia Lili watched An Zhaoyan slide down from the highest point over and over again, repeatedly adjusting every detail, with no intention of ending early.
Her original plan to persuade An Zhaoyan to go down the mountain in advance was completely thwarted.
What's more troublesome is that even though she has been secretly keeping an eye on Thorne, he still behaves flawlessly and naturally.
Unable to find any evidence, and seeing the time passing by, her heart became heavier.
I'm afraid I really have to stay in the mountains tonight.
Seeing that Xia Lili was brought by An Zhaoyan, the other skiers were very friendly and enthusiastically handed her energy bars, chocolates, and drinks. "Don't be polite. We're all family. Refuel!"
Xia Lili did not refuse and took them one by one, but quietly put them all into her backpack without touching a single bite.
She looked at An Zhaoyan who was still training in the distance, glanced at the darkening sky, and said silently in her heart: By tonight, you will be grateful for the food I saved.
Xia Lili stood not far away, watching the interaction between Thorne and An Zhaoyan with keen eyes.
The two were obviously very familiar with each other. Thorne was carefully instructing An Zhaoyan on the key points of the movements, while An Zhaoyan listened attentively and did whatever he said without hesitation.
Under Thorne's guidance, An Zhaoyan attempted a difficult rotation move that she had failed repeatedly before.
This time, she slid smoothly, with clean and neat movements, and stopped steadily at the bottom of the slope.
The joy of success instantly lit up her face. She turned to Thorne excitedly, her voice filled with gratitude and joy: "Coach! Thank you so much! When we get down the mountain, I will definitely treat you to a big meal!"
Xia Lili's gaze immediately locked onto Thorne. She noticed that the moment he heard the words "go down the mountain" and "have a big meal," the smile on Thorne's face froze for a moment, almost imperceptibly, as if interrupted by some sudden thought.
However, the strange feeling was fleeting, and he quickly returned to his usual gentle and patient demeanor, smiling and responding, "Okay!"
But that momentary pause did not escape Xia Lili's eyes.
At 4:20 in the afternoon, the temperature on the top of the mountain dropped significantly. Xia Lili was frowning, wondering how to find a flaw in Thorne, when she suddenly felt warmth on her neck. A thick and soft wool scarf was gently wrapped around her and carefully tucked in.
She looked up in surprise and met a pair of familiar cold eyes.
Li Qihan had come to her side without her knowing when. He was wearing a neat black winter suit and his goggles were pushed up to his forehead, revealing his clear and handsome eyebrows.
He stood tall and straight in the snow, his whole body like a sculpture of cold jade, but with an air of being exhausted.
"Captain Li? You..." Xia Lili was speechless for a moment, "Aren't you supposed to stay in the hospital for observation? Why are you here?"
"It's okay." Li Qihan took his fingers off the scarf, "I don't feel the pain anymore."
As he spoke, he took out several heat pads from his backpack and stuffed them into her hands without saying anything. "Put them on. It's getting dark soon. Don't get cold."
Then his eyes fell on the scattered colored pencils and snack bags on the bench next to her. He leaned over naturally and sorted them out neatly.
"Don't leave things lying around, or you won't be able to find them when you need them later." He said helplessly in a low voice as he packed up.
Xia Lili replied perfunctorily, "I know," but her eyes didn't even look at the heat pack in her hand. Instead, she stared at Li Qihan who was helping her clean up with his head down.
He frowned slightly, his expression focused, and his slender fingers neatly arranged the colored pencils by color. He even smoothed the corners of the snack packaging and stuffed it neatly back into the side pocket.
She answered casually, but the corners of her mouth curled up secretly. Instead of helping, she deliberately pushed the pile of chocolate candies to his hands and whispered, "This is also a mess."
There was a hint of mischievous cunning in his voice.
Li Qihan paused and looked up at her. His eyes were unclear behind the goggles, but the corners of his mouth seemed to rise slightly.
He carefully packed the candy away, his tone still calm, yet somehow shrouded in a subtle indulgence: "Are you happy to have me at your disposal?"
When An Zhaoyan slid to the rest area to drink water, he happened to see a tall figure next to Xia Lili.
She approached curiously and asked puzzledly, "Xiao Xia, who is this...?"
Li Qihan calmly took over the conversation, his voice steady: "I'm her cousin. I happen to be working here, so I came to see her on my way."
An Zhaoyan nodded in understanding and politely invited, "I see! So you can ski too? Want to try?"
Li Qihan politely shook his head and refused: "No, today I'm mainly here to take care of this girl."
He pointed to a flat open space not far away and continued, "I'll take her there to practice some basic moves later. There's no slide over there, so it's perfect for teaching."
After saying that, he lightly supported Xia Lili's back and slid with her towards the empty snowfield.
The two of them stopped on a patch of snow where no one would disturb them.
Li Qihan stood behind Xia Lili, his arms around her side, helping her adjust the angle of her snowboard while taking advantage of the close distance to explain the situation in a low voice.
"Officers Evans and Modi have already come up the mountain from the hiking trail and will be ambushing near the path ahead of time."
"The weather is still good, the wind is not too strong, and the snow is not too deep, so they can come up smoothly."
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