AMTBYIGA Chapter 71
by VolareChapter 71 Skiing
As the car headed towards Changbai Mountain, the warmth of the heater made Lin Sui belatedly realize how cold he was. It felt like the cold wind had seeped into his bones, and he huddled in his seat, breathing out small puffs of air.
Gu Nian took one of Lin Sui’s hands and tucked it into his own chest to warm it. Lin Sui blinked, then suddenly stuffed his other hand into Gu Nian’s collar.
“Hiss,” Gu Nian gasped from the cold. Lin Sui couldn’t help but snicker, his lips twitching as he tried to suppress his laughter.
Helpless, Gu Nian pulled the other hand into his chest as well, holding them both firmly in place. “Be good. You’ll warm up soon.”
Lin Sui grinned and leaned closer, practically throwing himself into Gu Nian’s arms, resting his head against his collarbone like a spoiled child. “Gu Nian, it’s so warm in your arms,” he said, then lifted his head and nuzzled him like an affectionate cat.
Gu Nian felt ticklish from the soft hair, and the person in his arms was still shifting around restlessly, making his dark eyes even deeper.
“Be good,” Gu Nian gently pinched the back of Lin Sui’s neck, struggling to resist the urge to kiss him thoroughly right then and there.
Lin Sui hummed, finally settling down, obediently playing the role of a doll being held.
Gu Nian had naturally booked the best room, facing Changbai Mountain. Opening the window revealed the peaks covered in thick snow, and with a gentle sniff, one could even smell the unique scent of winter in the north.
As soon as they entered the room, Lin Sui made a beeline for the floor-to-ceiling window that almost took up an entire wall, but he was only a few steps away when Gu Nian grabbed him. After a dizzying spin, he found himself sitting on Gu Nian’s lap, a possessive hand on the back of his neck, pressing him down for a lingering kiss.
The quiet room filled with the suggestive sounds of their kiss, masked by the howling wind outside.
Lin Sui was so dazed by the kiss that he didn’t even know when they stopped, leaning against Gu Nian, slightly lost in thought.
Gu Nian squinted contentedly, carefully wiping the moisture from Lin Sui’s lips with a tissue. His already rosy lips instantly became even more vibrant, almost tempting him to go for another round.
Lin Sui had just regained some strength when he immediately whined to get down, but Gu Nian held him down, asking in a low voice, “Uncomfortable?”
Lin Sui thought for a moment, then replied honestly, “It was quite comfortable.”
Before Gu Nian could curl his lips into a smile, Lin Sui pouted and muttered, “But Gu Nian, you took so long, it hurt me. I didn’t even have time to look at the snow properly.”
With that, Lin Sui looked longingly out the window. If his gaze could materialize, a little bird would be flapping its wings straight for the window.
Gu Nian was silent for a moment. He actually understood what Lin Sui meant, but without the subject, it sounded very…
Ahem.
Gu Nian casually skipped over the topic, changing the subject. “You can ski later. I’ve booked a professional ski instructor. Do you want to go?”
Lin Sui’s eyes lit up, instantly forgetting Gu Nian’s earlier awkwardness, and he nodded vigorously.
Gu Nian breathed a sigh of relief and quickly called to arrange the skiing.
While waiting, Gu Nian also received a call from Zhou Shan. This guy had disappeared as soon as he got off the plane, but at least he was an adult and knew how to find a place to stay, so Gu Nian wasn’t too worried.
However, the voice on the other end of the phone surprised Gu Nian.
“Zhou Shan has checked into the hotel. I’m just letting you know he’s safe,” said an unfamiliar male voice, with a gentle tone. Just from the sound of it, he seemed like a very kind person.
Lin Sui, however, was slightly stunned, finding the voice a bit familiar.
Gu Nian frowned, his voice turning cold. “Who are you?”
“Don’t be nervous. I’m Zhou Shan’s… friend.” The male voice seemed to hesitate for a long time before finally saying the word “friend.” “I think you’ve probably heard of me.”
Gu Nian narrowed his eyes and quickly guessed the person’s identity. The coldness on his face faded slightly. “Put Zhou Shan on the phone.”
The man on the other end seemed to sigh, but he didn’t insist. There was a faint sound of conversation on the phone, and then, before long, Zhou Shan was on the line.
“Nian-ge.” His voice was already tearful.
Gu Nian’s eyebrows furrowed together. “I’ll arrange for someone to pick you up.”
“No, no need.”
Unexpectedly, Zhou Shan refused.
“Well, it’s just that, as soon as I got off the plane, I ran into that person. There was a bit of a problem, so I might have to stay with him for a while.” Zhou Shan explained vaguely, emphasizing, “But I’m okay here for now, so don’t worry.”
Gu Nian pondered for a moment, then didn’t press the issue. “Call me if you can’t handle it.”
“Alright, Nian-ge, don’t worry,” Zhou Shan said before hanging up the phone.
Almost as soon as the call ended, Lin Sui suddenly slapped his thigh in realization. “I finally remember who that voice belongs to!”
Gu Nian was taken aback and asked in surprise, “Have you met him?”
Lin Sui shook his head, explaining, “It’s not that I’ve met him, it’s that I’ve heard him. It’s the same voice as the person who kept bidding against Gu Zhong at the auction last time!”
Hearing this, Gu Nian thought back carefully, and it really did sound similar!
This explained some of the questions. The other party had helped them drive up the price at the auction, probably to please Zhou Shan.
After all, it wasn’t a secret that Gu Nian and Zhou Shan had a good relationship.
Thinking about it this way, Gu Nian felt a little complicated. In a way, he had caused Zhou Shan to owe that person a favor for no reason.
But this also reassured him somewhat. Zhou Shan wasn’t the kind of person who would be forced to repay a debt and not resist. If the other party tried to use this to make Zhou Shan compromise, Zhou Shan would probably have already confronted him directly. He wouldn’t still be living with him like this.
Just like Lin Sui said, if Zhou Shan really didn’t have any feelings for the other person, he wouldn’t be avoiding the issue like this. He would have already made things clear.
Gu Nian wasn’t interested in meddling in his brother’s love life. After confirming that there was no danger, he threw the matter to the back of his mind and dragged Lin Sui to change into their ski gear.
The ski suits were very thick and bulky. After Lin Sui put it on, he looked like a snow dumpling, waddling as he walked, like a little penguin that had snuck out from somewhere, flapping his flippers as he ran back to Gu Nian, his eyes shining brightly as he waited for praise.
“Good-looking,” Gu Nian said, being very supportive.
Lin Sui was satisfied and carried his snowboard to find the instructor.
When it came to learning new things, Lin Sui always put in 120% of his focus. He nodded earnestly at everything the instructor said, making the instructor couldn’t help but become kind and gentle. Even when Lin Sui made several mistakes, he patiently guided him on the key points.
Gu Nian sat on the high platform, watching from afar with a smile on his lips, but occasionally a hint of loneliness would flash across his face, only to be quickly blown away by the cold wind.
Lin Sui learned for an hour, and Gu Nian sat and watched for an hour. In Changbai Mountain, the thick cotton clothes couldn’t block the invasion of the cold wind. It didn’t take long to freeze a person from the inside out, but Gu Nian didn’t seem to feel it, letting the snowflakes cover his shoulders.
In the long wait, time seemed to lose its meaning.
So much so that when Lin Sui’s voice appeared in his ear, Gu Nian was stunned for a long time.
It was a bit far from the ski area, so it was impossible to hear voices.
Could it be that he missed Lin Sui so much that he was hallucinating?
Gu Nian subconsciously looked towards where Lin Sui should be learning, and was shocked to find that there was no one there. The next second, he felt warm breath and Lin Sui’s voice in his ear.
“Gu Nian, Gu Nian! What are you looking at?” Lin Sui was still round and fluffy, curiously looking in the same direction as Gu Nian.
The snow scene was indeed very beautiful, but it wasn’t enough to be so engrossed in it, right?
Lin Sui thought for a moment and said, “Why don’t we watch it for a little longer?”
Gu Nian shook his head, asking softly, “Why did you come back? Isn’t it fun?”
“It’s not that. The teacher is teaching me very interesting things,” Lin Sui said, taking off his gloves and wiggling his fingers. He said with a smile, “And the instructor said I have a lot of talent and can try skiing on the beginner’s course.”
“Then why did you come over?”
“Because I wanted to remind you to watch me ski.” Lin Sui said as a matter of course, “This is my first time skiing, you definitely have to see it, otherwise it would be a pity.”
With that, Lin Sui stuffed his phone into Gu Nian’s pocket, got up, and instructed, “Be sure to record it, and remember to include yourself in the shot!”
Before Gu Nian could say anything, he ran off in a puff of smoke.
Gu Nian stared at the phone for a while, then looked up. Sure enough, Lin Sui appeared on the beginner’s course before long, waving his arms at him.
Lin Sui made sure several times that Gu Nian was watching him before focusing on the course in front of him.
The slope of the beginner’s course was very gentle, mostly filled with beginners or children playing for the first time. This made Lin Sui, who was putting on a very serious posture, seem unique, attracting a lot of attention.
They thought they had encountered a big shot who came to the beginner’s course to show off his skills.
Lin Sui was unaware of all this. He slowly exhaled a breath of hot air, and a white mist appeared in front of him. The next second, his entire body shifted downwards, and he slid down like an arrow!
The instructor hadn’t been deliberately flattering him. Lin Sui’s sense of balance and body control were indeed much higher than that of ordinary people. Even though it was his first time skiing, he was very steady, not falling down every few meters like other people – but that was it.
Not bad, but not cool at all.
The curious onlookers lost interest and moved their eyes away. Only Gu Nian, sitting on the high platform, kept his eyes fixed on the young man speeding down the snowy mountain, his gaze and the camera firmly locked on him.
Lin Sui estimated the time, and felt it was about right. He suddenly squatted down slightly, shifting his center of gravity to one side, tilting his body to forty-five degrees, while touching the snow surface with one hand.
The snowboard was lifted up halfway, drawing a line on the snow, while the snow near the snowboard was stirred up, creating a cool feeling.
Lin Sui breathed heavily, the sunlight reflected by the snow illuminated his curved eyes, and his amber pupils glowed with starlight.
The snowboard stopped, and Lin Sui immediately looked at Gu Nian on the high platform, raising his arms above his head to make a heart shape.
Gu Nian stared unblinkingly, his heart pounding.