Chapter Seventy: Only I Can Choose
Zheng Qi was the one who first suggested going skiing.
Perhaps to make up for the physical and emotional trauma Chen Guang and Lin Yu suffered that night at the love hotel, he not only invited the two roommates to come along, but also generously covered all the expenses for the trip.
Everyone was in high spirits, and Lin Yu was also very happy, feeling that Zheng Qi still had some conscience and hadn't let her hard work that night go to waste.
Only Chen Guang gave him a lukewarm sarcastic remark, saying that he was being so slow in treating people to a meal, and that he should wait until the ski resort closed before coming.
To this end, they created a group chat, and after several rounds of communication, they chose a weekend morning when everyone was free. Chen Guang and Zheng Qi were responsible for driving the group to a newly opened ski resort in the suburbs.
The winter sun pierced through the thin clouds and shone on the open snowfield, the white snow reflecting a dazzling golden light.
After receiving their gear, Lin Yu and his roommates stood at the entrance, pulling their collars together and stamping their feet to keep warm. The white mist they exhaled condensed and dissipated in the snow-covered landscape.
Zhang Yimeng was bending down to help Qian Zan adjust the buckles on his skis. Yao Fangfang leaned against the railing, her fingers flying across her phone screen as she exchanged text messages with Zhang Yunzhou, who was away on a business trip.
Since Christmas Eve, Yao Fangfang's attitude towards him seems to have undergone a subtle change.
Lin Yu couldn't explain the specific reasons for this change. Perhaps even Yao Fangfang herself didn't realize that Zhang Yunzhou had unknowingly and thoroughly infiltrated her life.
Lin Yu's gaze swept past Yao Fangfang's shoulder and landed on Chen Guang not far away. He was wearing an orange and black ski suit, a loose-fitting style, but it looked extremely upright and stylish because of his broad frame.
Like a flame leaping brightly in the winter, paired with his sharp features, he appeared exceptionally radiant.
He was chatting and laughing with his roommate, arms around each other's shoulders, his face full of ease and comfort. He was completely unaware of Lin Yu, who was a little nervous and awkward about his first time skiing.
"What are you daydreaming about?" Zheng Qi's voice suddenly came from behind. She handed over two steaming hot chocolate milkshakes, one to Yao Fangfang and the other to Lin Yu.
"It's nothing, it's just a little cold." Lin Yu looked away and took the paper cup.
The warm sensation spread from her palm to her fingertips. She lowered her head and took a sip; the sweet taste melted on her tongue, temporarily dispelling the inexplicable tightness in her chest.
After collecting their equipment, everyone was free to explore. Zheng Qi watched Lin Yu clumsily fiddling with his skis in a corner and couldn't resist approaching him. "Chen Guang said this is your first time skiing? Want me to teach you?"
Having experienced the two unexpected incidents, Chen Guang naturally learned to deliberately avoid topics related to Lin Yu when facing his imagined love rival.
Just a few days ago, when Zheng Qi mentioned in the dormitory that he wanted to invite everyone to go skiing together, he subconsciously reminded Lin Yu that she couldn't ski, worried that she might fall and get injured on the slopes, or that something might happen that he wouldn't be able to stop in time.
Unexpectedly, Lin Yu was completely ungrateful and actively responded to Zheng Qi in the group, truly lacking the brain to recognize danger.
Upon hearing this, Lin Yu hesitated for a moment, then instinctively turned to look in Chen Guang's direction while still holding his snowboard. He saw Chen Guang surrounded by two strikingly beautiful girls, chatting and laughing, completely unaware of what was happening here.
The vague, suffocating feeling she had just felt seemed to solidify, like snow being trampled underfoot, causing her heart to sink. She could only look away, forcing a smile, and nodding at Zheng Qi.
"Fine!" Lin Yu thought defiantly. Anyway, the purpose of this trip was to learn how to ski, so it didn't matter who he learned from.
Zhang Yimeng is a skilled skier. Even before he could walk, his parents carried him on ski slopes all over the world. He and Chen Guang's roommates would get together and head straight for the advanced slopes as soon as the turnstile opened.
Yao Fangfang politely declined their invitation, gave Lin Yu a few instructions, then turned and pulled Qian Zan, who also had some basic skills, onto the cable car, preparing to test the waters on the beginner's course first.
Lin Yu then realized that she was the only one among everyone who had never touched a snowboard before and didn't even know the most basic standing posture, which made her feel a little embarrassed.
Fortunately, Zheng Qi was surprisingly patient with her, teaching her step by step from the basics.
The two of them first got used to the flat ground for a while, and only after she had barely found her balance did they pull her onto the conveyor belt and head towards the beginner ski slope.
Zheng Qi used his palm to support Lin Yu's forearm and slowly slid her down, controlling the speed while reminding her to pay attention to the key points he had just mentioned.
Lin Yu understood in her mind, but her hands and feet wouldn't obey her commands. She had only skied a couple of steps when she suddenly did a split and sat down on the snow. Zheng Qi smiled and squatted down in front of her, encouraging her, "It's okay, you just have to fall a few more times to learn."
But Lin Yu seemed unable to find her rhythm. After falling countless times, she got up in a disheveled state and helplessly patted the snow off her body. "Why don't you just leave me alone? I don't think I'll be able to learn this anytime soon."
Zheng Qi, however, didn't take it seriously and comforted her from the side: "Everyone's like this the first time. I fell much harder than you before. Have some confidence in me." After saying that, he pulled her aside and reviewed the mistake they had just made.
Chen Guang wanted to say a few words to his roommate before going to find Lin Yu, but before he could even take a step, he was stopped halfway by two girls who were asking for directions.
Even though the visitor center was nearby, no matter how he explained, the other person seemed completely oblivious.
He had no choice but to personally escort them to the door. Just as he was about to leave, they came back asking for his contact information. By the time he finally managed to get away, Lin Yu was nowhere to be seen.
He stood at the entrance, his gaze wandering aimlessly through the crowd. Then, in the distance, he saw her and Zheng Qi, hand in hand, sliding down the hillside.
The two chatted and laughed, and even from such a distance, Chen Guang could see the smile on her face.
He frowned, finding the phone increasingly irritating, so he closed his eyes, scratched his earlobe with his finger, and irritably put his phone back in his pocket.
How come he never noticed before that Lin Yu was so popular? Now, it seems like overnight, every boy in the world has become an obstacle to him. He's being forced to compete and fight for them, which isn't a pretty sight.
Seeing that Lin Yu had mastered some techniques, Zheng Qi let go of her hand and let her practice on her own.
Unexpectedly, halfway down the slope, she lost her balance again, stumbled, and leaned forward violently, about to fall into the snow. She instinctively closed her eyes, but instead of the expected plunge and pain, she was met with a thud.
A strong arm suddenly wrapped around her waist and pulled her back forcefully. She was startled, and when she opened her eyes, she was met with Chen Guang's smooth, cold jawline.
"Giving up so quickly! Don't you know she's a newbie?"
Chen Guang's arm muscles tensed, holding Lin Yu firmly in his arms. His voice rang close to Lin Yu's ear, sounding somewhat aggressive.
These words were clearly meant for Zheng Qi, but it all started because of Lin Yu, and she suddenly felt her ears burning.
But thinking about how he had just been flirting with two girls, Lin Yu felt that he had no right to interfere with her. She awkwardly pulled away from his embrace, only to meet his unfathomable gaze.
Chen Guang had never shown such a commanding gaze before; his dark pupils churned with emotions she couldn't decipher.
"Everyone falls while skiing," Zheng Qi was about to argue, but when she saw Chen Guang's obviously displeased expression, she unconsciously shut her mouth.
The cold wind made his nose red, and his face, without protective gear, was full of suppressed coldness. Lin Yu keenly sensed the awkward atmosphere and quickly tried to smooth things over.
"It's all my fault for being so stupid, but I feel like I'm about to have a breakthrough, maybe I'll be able to walk independently soon! Haha!"
Chen Guang ignored Lin Yu's joke, released her, and nimbly slid backward, stepping back a little distance in front of her. He then stood in a position symmetrical to Zheng Qi, with her as the center, and reached out his hand to her.
"You still want to learn from him?" His eyelashes were covered in tiny ice crystals, and his eyes held a stubbornness Lin Yu had never seen before. "Let me teach you instead."
Lin Yu silently looked at Chen Guang and then at Zheng Qi, feeling that the scene was really unnecessary and somewhat ridiculous, and hesitated for a long time before speaking.
The air between the two seemed to freeze, making the person sandwiched in the middle feel suffocated.
A gasp came from not far away, and the three of them looked in the direction of the sound. They saw Qian Zan fall hard onto the snow, and Yao Fangfang slid past her from behind, trying to help her up.
Zheng Qi felt as if he had been granted a pardon and immediately seized the opportunity to escape. "I'm going to check on them!" he said, turning around without looking back and sliding towards Qian Zan's direction.
Chen Guang scoffed as he watched Zheng Qi's departing figure. Lin Yu, not hearing him clearly, thought he was calling her and took a half-step forward. "What?"
"It's nothing." He opened his palm again, his breath blurring his expression.
"Now you can only choose me."
Lin Yu felt a little awkward and hesitated to respond to his outstretched hand. After a while, she asked in a low voice, "Where did you run off to just now?"
Chen Guang was taken aback by Lin Yu's question, recalling his earlier experience of being asked for his phone number. His immediate instinct was not to let her know the truth, fearing she might misunderstand him.
"I didn't go anywhere, I just went back to the visitor center for something. But you, you said you'd wait for me, and then you ran off with Zheng Qi in the blink of an eye."
He was clearly flirting with a beautiful woman, and when I asked him about it, he still denied it. It's obvious he's hiding something.
Lin Yu sneered and turned around gracefully. The image of himself leaving decisively, leaving Chen Guang standing there heartbroken, flashed through his mind. But after only two steps, he sat down on the ground with a thud.
That's why people say that only by making yourself strong can you truly take control of your own life.
Otherwise, they would end up like Lin Yu right now, who is furious but still clings to Chen Guang, or they would fight to the death on this not-so-steep snow slope until dark.
Chen Guang had no idea what Lin Yu was arguing with him about. He pulled her up and coaxed her in a low voice for a long time before she finally agreed to practice with him.
Lin Yu was naturally not satisfied with this, but she still understood the principle of being under someone else's roof.
Otherwise, if Chen Guang gets angry and really leaves her stranded halfway up the mountain, and she then shouts for outside help, that would be truly the most ridiculous thing ever.
For the next half hour, the two got along fairly well. Chen Guang stayed close to Lin Yu as they practiced on the ski slope. Whenever she swayed slightly, he would immediately reach out to support her waist.
But as Zheng Qi said, it's probably difficult to learn to ski quickly without falling dozens of times, let alone experience the thrill of skiing.
After skating for a while, Lin Yu felt his legs were sore and his buttocks were aching. His initial excitement had long been replaced by exhaustion.
"Let's go rest over there," she finally gave in after falling down again, making the helpless suggestion.
The two sat on a bench in the rest area, drinking hot beverages. Lin Yu looked out through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the visitor center toward the ski slope and saw Zheng Qi leading Qian Zan and Yao Fangfang in practicing turning techniques.
Under his guidance, the two made significant progress, their movements became increasingly fluid, and it looked like they would be able to challenge the intermediate slopes that afternoon.
"That's amazing!" she exclaimed sincerely, watching their smooth gliding movements.
Chen Guang followed her gaze and frowned. He wasn't sure if Lin Yu was praising Qian Zan or Zheng Qi. A strange anxiety welled up inside him, and he desperately wanted to draw her attention back to himself.
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