Chapter 398: Love in the Wind and Snow (14k words, please subscribe and vote)

That evening.

When the car drove back to the Apartment, the sky had already turned completely dark.

The streets on this snowy night were very quiet, with only the streetlamps along the roadside lit one by one.

The dim yellow light fell onto the ground, casting a soft glow over the thick snow piled up along the road.

Occasionally, a car's tires would roll over the snow, emitting a low friction sound, before silence returned once more.

The Mercedes-Benz Viano slowly pulled to a stop at the entrance of the Apartment.

The car door opened, and cold air immediately poured in.

Several people got out of the car in silence.

Having skied all day, plus the accident that followed, everyone was more or less exhausted, so their footsteps were much slower than when they had left in the morning.

The door closed, and the lights in the Living Room turned on.

The warm yellow light instantly filled the entire space, forming a sharp contrast with the cold snowy night outside.

The temperature inside the room also slowly warmed up, finally giving one the feeling of having returned to a safe place.

It was just that Lin Xiuyuan felt the atmosphere was a bit subtle.

He had just put the snowboard aside with Park Hyomin and sat down on the sofa, not yet having had a chance to catch his breath.

Suddenly, several figures appeared in front of him.

Lined up in a row.

Xian Enjing, Li Juli, Park Jiyeon, and also Li Shaoxi.

The four of them stood opposite the coffee table, as if they had discussed it beforehand, their gazes fixed squarely on the two people on the sofa.

Those expressions were very complex.

There was obvious concern, suppressed worry, and lingering fear after having just experienced a scare.

Of course, it was also mixed with a little bit of a desire to scold someone, yet an inability to truly bring themselves to do so.

Lin Xiuyuan was stunned by this formation; he instinctively leaned back against the sofa, looked at Park Hyomin beside him, and then looked at the four people opposite.

He couldn't help but laugh, "Is this a tribunal?"

"Be serious." Xian Enjing spoke, her tone much more earnest than usual.

Hearing this, Lin Xiuyuan immediately put away his smile and sat up a bit straighter, like a student being called upon by a teacher.

Looking at this man, Xian Enjing took a deep breath, seemingly organizing her emotions.

Only then did she speak slowly, her pace not fast, but every word spoken very clearly.

"Xiuyuan, I know you like to play, and I know people get quite excited when skiing."

Speaking to this point, she paused, letting her tone become even more serious, "But before playing, can you please pay attention to safety first? Before coming here, we had already said this many times."

"Safety first."

"Safety first."

Xian Enjing, who had repeated it over and over, stared straight at Lin Xiuyuan, "Can you listen carefully for once?"

On the sofa, Lin Xiuyuan looked into those eyes, which held very obvious worry.

It didn't look like anger; it looked more like they hadn't fully recovered from being frightened.

So he hurriedly nodded, his attitude becoming very honest, "I know, this time it really was my fault."

The moment his voice fell.

Park Jiyeon beside him immediately chimed in, her tone clearly a bit urgent, "Exactly, oppa, if something happened to you—"

","

The figure who had taken a step forward suddenly paused, as if quickly thinking of a very serious consequence in her mind.

Then she blurted out, "Unnie and I wouldn't even dare to return to Seoul; we might as well just go into global exile."

While saying this, Park Jiyeon's emotions were clearly a bit agitated, and her eyes were even slightly red.

However, Lin Xiuyuan was stunned for a moment.

Even Li Juli, who had been preparing to continue the lecture, was startled by this statement.

She turned her head to look at Park Jiyeon, unable to help but think in her mind: That's a bit much, isn't it? Skiing is indeed a bit dangerous. But even if something really happened, it wouldn't go as far as global exile, right? Isn't this logic a bit of a leap?

It wasn't just her; Park Hyomin and Li Shaoxi also revealed similar expressions, clearly all shaken by this "global exile."

After his moment of stunned silence, Lin Xiuyuan laughed out loud, "It's not that exaggerated, Jiyeon, you're taking this a bit too far."

Park Jiyeon immediately glared at him, her eyes full of resentment and grievance, "I'm trying to get you to be more careful! Or maybe, oppa, you should just stop skiing. We can just find a place here to soak in the Hot Spring and look at the snow scenery; your skiing is too dangerous."

Looking at the Little Dragon Cub's angry yet worried appearance, Lin Xiuyuan's heart couldn't help but soften, so he slowed his tone.

"Aiya, I know I was wrong. I promise, next time I absolutely won't run off alone, really."

After finishing, he added an explanation, "This time it was mainly because I got addicted to skiing and wanted to find some more comfortable powder snow to slide on. Who knew this kind of thing would happen?"

Speaking of this, he suddenly remembered something, "Luska once told me a saying; he said there's a famous quote in the ski circle: 'Where there is untouched powder, there is bound to be a demon.' I've seen it for myself this time, and I won't do this again next time."

As soon as his voice fell, Xian Enjing immediately frowned, staring at Lin Xiuyuan, her tone rising slightly.

"There's a next time?"

Lin Xiuyuan looked at her eyes, which were filled with seriousness, gave a sheepish laugh, then leaned back against the sofa, and decisively raised both hands in a standard gesture of surrender.

He promised very honestly, "There won't be a next time, there really won't be a next time."

While speaking, he deliberately put on an innocent expression, his eyebrows slightly raised, while his mouth carried a slightly ingratiating smile.

The expressions of the few, which had been tightly drawn, softened a bit at the sight of his shameless behavior.

Even the corners of Xian Enjing's stern face couldn't help but twitch.

Li Juli, meanwhile, kept looking at him with a half-smile.

The previously tense atmosphere seemed to have been gently pricked, slowly dissipating.

Then, everyone's gaze turned in unison toward Park Hyomin beside him.

Since just a moment ago, she had been sitting there the whole time, not saying a word.

Her whole person was slightly hunched over, long hair hanging down from her shoulders, covering half her face, making it impossible to see her expression clearly.

Her hands were placed quietly on her knees, appearing exceptionally silent.

It was unclear whether she was zoning out or thinking about something.

Just as everyone was about to open their mouths to ask her, Lin Xiuyuan suddenly stepped in first, sitting up straight again, his tone becoming a bit more serious.

Looking at the few of them, he said, "Xiaomin only went off-track because she followed me. If you want to say something, trace the source and say it to me. She climbed the snow mountain for so long following me, so it can be considered a hardship."

Hearing this, the few people were all stunned for a moment.

Li Juli reacted first, gave a light laugh, rolled her eyes, and then raised her hand to rub her temple, "Who said we were going to scold her? We were just worried about her."

These words made Lin Xiuyuan shrug his shoulders, "Alright then, that was my overthinking."

Beside them.

Park Hyomin at this moment turned her head slightly and glanced at him.

Her gaze landed on his profile.

Watching the light fall from above, outlining his clear jawline.

That face, when quiet, was indeed very good-looking.

Very handsome.

And since some unknown time, it had started to make people feel a sense of security.

Park Hyomin's mind suddenly flashed with the scene from the afternoon.

As well as that sentence delivered with a hint of a smile, "I led you off-track, so I definitely have to take responsibility."

Thinking of this, Park Hyomin's gaze paused slightly for an instant, then she quickly withdrew her line of sight and lowered her head again, as if nothing had happened.

Only the corners of her mouth quietly curled up a tiny bit.

Very faint.

If you don't look closely, you can hardly tell.

Midnight.

The snow began to fall.

At first, it was just a few scattered flakes.

Small white dots, slowly drifting down from the night sky.

Then, more and more.

One flake, two flakes, countless flakes.

The snowflakes swirled and fluttered in the halo of the streetlights, like a group of small feathers lifted by the wind.

Slowly falling, landing on the ground already covered in snow, melting into that entire world of white.

The wind also began to gradually pick up, and the branches outside the window were blown to sway slightly.

The snow that had originally piled on the tips of the branches was shaken off by the wind, falling with a rustling sound.

Like scattering a handful of fine white powder.

——

By the next morning.

After waking up, Lin Xiuyuan walked out of the room, only to find everyone standing by the floor-to-ceiling window.

A row of people, none of them speaking, just quietly looking outside.

Lin Xiuyuan walked over and stood behind them, following their gazes to look out the window.

He saw the entire world draped in silver.

This phrase, he had only seen in books before.

But now, for the first time, he truly understood what these four characters meant.

The plants in the courtyard that had originally only been covered by a thin layer of snow were now all bent at the tips by the thick accumulation of snow.

Every branch was hung with heavy white, and the top of the wall was also piled with very thick snow.

Extending from one end to the other, like a white dragon lying quietly.

The distant rooftops, trees, and streets were all covered by white snow; the entire small town was as quiet as a winter painting that had just been unrolled.

"Wow————"

Park Jiyeon was the first to be unable to hold back, her whole person almost pressed against the glass, her eyes opened round.

"What was the situation last night? It snowed so heavily."

Li Shaoxi on the side also leaned closer to the glass, looked at the situation outside, and after observing carefully for a while, followed up by saying.

"It doesn't seem to be snowing that hard now; in any case, it's definitely much smaller than last night."

At this time, the snow outside the window was still drifting, only it had turned into fine, fragmented little snow, falling slowly.

Looking at the snowy scenery before him, the first thought that popped into Lin Xiuyuan's mind was only one————

That was the ski resort.

Thus, his eyes lit up, and he shouted loudly from behind, his tone becoming excited as well.

"Then don't just stay here, hurry, hurry! While we're up early, let's quickly have some Breakfast and go to The Gate of the ski resort. It snowed so heavily last night, the first run of powder snow will definitely be very comfortable, very comfortable."

When mentioning "powder snow," he even couldn't help but grin.

That appearance was just like a child who wakes up in the morning to find it has just snowed outside, wishing they could immediately rush out to have a snowball fight.

Just at this moment, Xian Enjing's voice rang out from behind, "Xiuyuan!!!"

The voice was not very loud, but it carried a very familiar warning tone.

This also made Lin Xiuyuan's movements suddenly stiffen, and as he slowly turned his head back, he happened to meet Xian Enjing's eyes, which were filled with obvious helplessness.

Looking at her, Lin Xiuyuan was stunned for only a second before he immediately reacted.

He raised his hands with great proficiency, his movements crisp and neat, and replied in an incomparably sincere tone, "I know, I know, I definitely won't ditch the group this time, I'll just follow the route and ski."

Xian Enjing did not speak immediately, just looking at him.

That expression and that gaze were clearly judging the credibility of this statement in earnest.

The air was quiet for two seconds.

Lin Xiuyuan stood there with a look of sincerity on his face.

He even nodded gently, as if to add some weight to his words.

Xian Enjing watched him for a while, and finally let out a soft breath from her nostrils.

"No, you have to follow me later."

Lin Xiuyuan tilted his head, "Huh?"

He didn't quite react, "Why isn't it you following me?"

"Because you ski too fast, and I can't keep up," Xian Enjing replied as if it were a matter of course.

So much so that when Lin Xiuyuan heard this, he was completely dumbfounded, clearly not expecting this to be the reason.

And Park Jiyeon, who was next to them, couldn't hold it in anymore; she let out a "pfft" of laughter, then hurriedly raised her hand to cover her mouth.

Li Juli, who was to the side, also couldn't help but curl the corners of her mouth.

As for Lin Xiuyuan, he opened his mouth, not knowing what else to say.

In the end, he had no choice but to turn and walk to the dining table, pick up a piece of bread, and take a bite.

Park Jiyeon, who had already returned from the floor-to-ceiling window to the dining table, found it so amusing that she handed over a glass of juice, "Oppa, drink this."

Lin Xiuyuan took the glass, "Thanks."

At this moment, Li Shaoxi picked up another piece of bread from the side and handed it over, "Oppa, try this one, it has a filling inside, it's quite delicious."

Lin Xiuyuan, who never turned down an offer, took it and bit directly into it.

The sweetness was just right, not cloying.

After chewing twice, he gave a thumbs up, "Delicious."

His tone was quite sincere.

Seeing him wolfing it down, the few of them couldn't help but laugh.

Following the simple bread Breakfast,

everyone packed up their gear, put on their coats and ski suits, and headed straight out to the ski resort.

As the car slowly drove out of the small courtyard, the tires crushed the freshly cleared snow, making a slight rustling sound.

The streets on both sides were almost entirely white; the snow from last night had truly given the whole town a fresh coat.

The world outside the window was like a faint ink wash painting, with the distant snow-capped mountains tinged with a hint of pink in the morning light.

By the time they arrived at the ski resort, because it hadn't been open for long, there were far fewer people than there would be at noon or in the afternoon.

The time spent queuing for the cable car was also much shorter.

The first run.

Everyone didn't rush straight to the summit, but instead got off halfway up the mountain, preparing to warm up on this ski trail they were already familiar with.

The white ski trail extended slowly along the hillside, and the few of them skied down one after another.

The skis cut through the snow surface, making a "swish-swish" sound.

After one lap, everyone slowly found their rhythm again, and their bodies were fully warmed up.

Confirming there were no issues for the second run, everyone prepared to head to the summit to give it a try.

So, following the guide, they turned to another area of the ski resort, where the cable car was larger.

The cabin was wide and could accommodate more people.

And if they wanted to go to the summit, they needed to take this cable car up to the mid-mountain platform first, and then switch to a single-person chairlift.

Only by continuing upward from there could they truly reach the summit.

As the cable car slowly ascended, the ski trail beneath their feet became more and more distant, and the view became increasingly expansive.

The rolling mountain ridges in the distance were faintly visible in the mist, and the entire snowfield looked like a giant white carpet.

Lin Xiuyuan leaned against the wall of the cabin, looking at the scenery outside the window while lost in thought.

Suddenly, as if remembering something, he turned his head to look at Lusika beside him, "Lusika, is that back mountain that Juli mentioned yesterday even more fun?"

Upon hearing this, Lusika's first reaction wasn't to answer, but to subconsciously glance to the side.

His gaze landed on Xian Enjing, who was sitting next to Lin Xiuyuan.

She was looking out the window with a calm expression, seemingly unaware of their conversation.

Only then did Lusika breathe a sigh of relief, "How should I put it? Those who can challenge the summit are already very skilled skiers."

Using his hands to gesture, he continued, "And the back mountain is for the even more skilled ones; the environment is also a bit more hardcore."

As soon as Lin Xiuyuan heard the word "hardcore," his eyes lit up instantly.

He didn't know what switch had been flipped by his skiing experiences over the past two days, but he was truly hooked on this kind of adrenaline-pumping sport.

So he immediately pressed, "How hardcore are we talking?"

Seeing him like this, Lusika couldn't help but laugh, "Look, if you're just going to the summit, we only need to take the chairlift up and then ski straight down."

He said, pointing to the distant mountain ridge, "But if you want to go to the back mountain, after reaching the summit platform, you still have to hike a bit, and after climbing to the top, you ski toward the back mountain; the physical demands are quite high."

Lin Xiuyuan smiled, "That sounds even more enjoyable."

Lusika nodded immediately, "Of course, the back mountain is all powder snow, and it's the untouched kind."

However, the moment Lin Xiuyuan heard the words "untouched powder snow," the first thing that appeared in his mind was that snowfield from yesterday.

It was also traceless, a pity it couldn't slide.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but smile, "It won't cause any trouble, right?"

"It won't, don't worry."

Lin Xiuyuan nodded at this, then turned his head to look at Xian Enjing, "Enjing, then we—"

Xian Enjing, meeting his burning gaze, pondered for a second, seemingly having guessed he would say this, and finally sighed softly, "Let's go then."

Her tone carried a bit of helplessness, but more of indulgence, "You're already like this, and Juli unni likes it too, so let's just go."

After all, everyone was out to have fun; as long as Lin Xiuyuan didn't run around recklessly and there were a few ski guides watching one-on-one, she wouldn't actually go and spoil the mood.

At this moment.

Another ski guide nearby also spoke up, "Mm. But let's test the intensity at the summit first, see how everyone's condition is, and climb the back mountain on the next run."

Once this suggestion was made, everyone nodded.

Unanimously agreed.

After another while, the cable car slowly decelerated and finally stopped at the summit station.

The car door opened, and a gust of colder wind immediately poured in.

Lin Xiuyuan was the first to step out of the cabin, his feet landing on the thick snow, making a soft "crunch" sound.

The view at the summit was much more open than at the mountainside; the clouds hung very low, and the distant mountain ridges were faintly visible in the mist, like a painting not yet fully revealed.

Just as he stood steady, the door of the cabin next to him also opened.

Li Juli, Park Hyomin, and Park Jiyeon also walked out one after another.

The two groups naturally merged together.

Then Lin Xiuyuan briefly explained what they had discussed in the cable car; after listening, Li Juli also nodded slightly, pushing her goggles up a bit to reveal those calm eyes.

"I think that's fine."

Park Hyomin stood beside her and also nodded gently, "Mm, that's more stable."

And so the matter was quickly settled.

Everyone tidied up their equipment and walked toward the "monkey chair" lift that continued further up to the summit.

And this uphill lift, which everyone called the "monkey chair," actually looked quite primitive.

A thick steel cable extended from the summit, and every so often, a small single-person iron stool hung from it.

The structure of the iron stool was also very simple: a thin metal rod connected to the steel cable, with a small seat hanging below.

There was no protective railing.

There was no safety belt.

There wasn't even a footrest.

The only thing one could hold onto was that iron rod connecting to the steel cable.

Looking from afar, it was like a row of small iron chairs suspended in the air, climbing toward the summit bit by bit.

It looked very dangerous, and in reality, it wasn't very safe either.

As the "clang-clang" sound rang out, when it was Lin Xiuyuan's turn, he sat back accordingly.

With a "thud."

His whole body landed steadily on that iron stool, yet the lift didn't pause, directly carrying him forward as it slid.

It startled him into subconsciously grabbing the iron rod next to him.

The next second, his whole body was already suspended in mid-air.

Beneath his feet was a deep snowy valley.

The white mountain slope extended downward like a giant snow blanket spread toward the distance.

In the distance were continuous snow-capped mountains.

The cold wind blew from all directions, causing his ski suit to rustle loudly.

Lin Xiuyuan looked down once; the super large drop beneath his feet instinctively made one feel a bit uneasy.

"Tsk, this thing is too hardcore."

Behind him.

Park Hyomin, Xian Enjing, and Li Juli also sat on the monkey chairs one after another.

At the beginning, they were clearly a bit nervous, their fingers tightly gripping the iron rod, their bodies slightly tense.

Especially Park Jiyeon, who let out a small exclamation when she was first hoisted up.

"Ah~ so high!"

The sound of the wind whistled past her ears.

The few of them just hung in mid-air like that, row by row, slowly moving toward the summit.

Although the process of going up the mountain was a bit torturous, the moment one truly slid down from the summit, it felt like everything was worth it.

There were almost no ski tracks on the slope yet.

The heavy snow from last night had left a thick layer of powder snow.

So as soon as Lin Xiuyuan rushed down, his snowboard cut directly into the soft snow layer.

"Swish~"

A fine mist of snow was kicked up.

When the powder snow was broken by the snowboard, that resistance and softness existed simultaneously; it felt like sliding through clouds, or surfing on ocean waves.

Light.

Free.

Yet the speed was startlingly real.

That kind of thrilling pleasure rushed up instantly, making the blood in Lin Xiuyuan's entire body accelerate, and it also made him unable to help but shout out loud.

"Ahhhhhh————"

The sound rolled down along the mountainside, echoing in the valley.

Behind.

Xian Enjing, who was trying hard to keep up with him, also had a very serious look in her eyes; while accelerating, she watched the figure speeding ahead, and the corners of her mouth lifted unconsciously.

She suddenly remembered a passage she had said while chatting with Park Jiyeon last night.

"It seems that only after these two days can one truly see that Lin Xiuyuan is a young man in his early twenties. When he was in Seoul before, he always seemed too tense. Sometimes he acted very mature, even a bit unlike his peers."

"But in these snow-covered mountains, the drive and that sense of youthfulness in him have all come out."

"Clean, bright."

"Just like the winter sunshine."

Thinking of this, when she looked up again, she discovered that Lin Xiuyuan's figure was still accelerating.

So she hurriedly shouted, "Xiuyuan, wait for me!"

After saying that, she leaned her body slightly forward and also accelerated to chase after him.

Lin Xiuyuan, who was sliding down in front, did not continue to accelerate crazily after hearing the shout by his ear.

He just maintained a comfortable speed, waiting for Xian Enjing to slide to his side, and then side by side with her, slowly and leisurely slid down the snow trail toward the bottom of the mountain.

After two complete runs, everyone's state had clearly improved, and their bodies had fully adapted.

So for the third run, everyone decided to head straight for the back mountain.

After taking the chairlift to a certain spot on the mountain top again, Ruska, who was walking in the lead, suddenly stopped, turned around, and pointed to the side ahead.

"Right here, climb up from here."

Hearing the voice, Lin Xiuyuan looked up from behind.

That was not a normal path; before his eyes was only a slope, with no steps and no ropes.

There were only scattered pits stepped out by people that could barely serve as footholds, and the slope was covered in thick snow, a vast expanse of white.

Looking further up, the line of sight could not see the end at all; it was all the white of wind and snow.

After taking a look, Lin Xiuyuan did not say anything.

He just took a deep breath, stepped in the footprints of the person in front, and followed behind Li Juli and Park Hyomin to bring up the rear.

Climbing up step by step.

Oh, right.

Because they heard from some ski guides that the intensity of the back mountain was relatively high, Xian Enjing and Park Jiyeon, these two not-very-proficient veterans, both very obediently chose not to follow.

But they also repeatedly told Lin Xiuyuan to be careful, and had Li Juli and Park Hyomin keep a close eye on Lin Xiuyuan.

The process of climbing the slope was much more difficult than imagined.

Because there was almost no real path on this section of the mountain top, thick snow was piled on the slope surface; stepping down once, the entire leg would almost sink to the calf.

Every step required first pulling the foot out of the snow, then stepping out a new foothold upward.

——

The gradient was also steeper than it looked from afar; the body had to lean slightly forward to maintain balance, otherwise, it was easy to slide backward.

Added to that, the air at the mountain top was already thin, and every inhalation while climbing continuously carried a distinct coldness, like a mouthful of cold air pouring directly into the chest cavity.

"Hoo————"

Lin Xiuyuan, who had stopped for a moment, exhaled a puff of white air.

He looked back, and the people behind were about the same.

Although Li Juli did not speak, her movements had clearly slowed down; she rested one hand on her knee to pause slightly before continuing to step upward.

Park Hyomin was even more cautious, confirming whether the snow under her feet was stable with every step.

The wind scraped down from the mountain ridge, carrying fine snow particles that slapped against their goggles.

But none of the few people retreated.

They just gritted their teeth and climbed up step by step.

However, just as they were finally approaching the peak and preparing to cross over to the back mountain——————

The weather suddenly began to deteriorate.

The snowflakes that were just drifting down sporadically a moment ago suddenly became dense.

Heavy snow fell once again.

But this time, it was no longer that kind of quiet, soft falling.

The gale wind swirled the snowflakes, sweeping fiercely from the side.

Those snow particles, carried by the wind, hit their ski suits and goggles like fine ice sand.

The sound of the wind whistled at the mountain top, visibility dropped rapidly, and soon things a thousand meters away had become blurred.

A little further, and only a gray-white expanse remained.

If it weren't for Ruska and the other few ski guides constantly turning back to signal the direction in front, Park Hyomin and Li Juli might not have even been able to distinguish the route.

This kind of weather could already be considered quite severe at the mountain top.

They climbed forward arduously for another stretch.

Lin Xiuyuan, Li Juli, and Park Hyomin, together with the four ski guides, finally crossed the last section of the slope.

The mountain peak appeared before their eyes.

Although the wind was still very strong, there was one more thing in their line of sight.

That was a refuge hut built on the mountain top, specifically prepared for skiers who encountered extreme weather.

The hut was not large, and the roof was already piled high with snow.

A thick layer of snow hung down along the eaves, looking as if the house were wearing a white hat.

The entrance was piled high with snow blown in by the wind, and snowboards were propped up one by one at the door; clearly, quite a few people were already resting inside.

Seeing this, the few people here walked over quickly, stepping through the snow with almost no hesitation.

After entering, the room was significantly warmer than it was outside.

A dozen or so people were crowded inside, clearly all skiers like them who intended to descend from the back mountain.

Moreover, most were of European or American appearance, with blonde hair, eyes of different colors, and brightly colored ski suits.

Some were sitting against the wall, some were organizing their gear, and others were chatting while drinking hot water.

The room was filled with a mix of English, French, German, and other languages.

In the corner, there were also a few East Asian faces, all sitting quietly and resting on their own.

At this moment, Lin Xiuyuan took off his snow goggles, exhaled a puff of white mist, and flexed his fingers, which had grown a bit stiff from the cold.

Then he turned his head to look at Li Juli beside him; she was also taking off her snow goggles, then used her hand to casually tidy her hair, which had been blown into a mess.

Although her cheeks were slightly flushed from the cold wind, her overall state seemed quite good.

Lin Xiuyuan, having glanced at her, was also very curious about one thing: "Juli, how many years have you been skiing?"

Li Juli looked up at him, the corners of her mouth curving up slightly, "Call me Noona."

Her tone was a bit serious, but the amusement in her eyes could not be hidden at all, "I really don't know how Enjing and the others put up with your personality."

So much so that after hearing this, Lin Xiuyuan was not flustered at all, and he applied the emotional intelligence he had honed over 25 years here, "That won't do; calling you Noona makes you sound old. You're clearly so young, right? I can't just call you that."

Li Juli looked at him, and the next second, she burst out laughing.

She laughed very brightly, and there were even fine lines at the corners of her eyes from the laughter, "Now I know why they can put up with you; you really know how to say nice things."

Nearby.

Park Hyomin, who was brushing the snow off her ski suit, paused her movements slightly.

She glanced sideways at Lin Xiuyuan, then looked at Li Juli.

The two of them were chatting very naturally, as if they had known each other for a long time.

A flash of complex emotion crossed her eyes, but she quickly suppressed it, did not interject, and continued to lower her head to clear the snow from her suit.

She occasionally looked up in that direction, but quickly withdrew her gaze.

Time passed slowly, and a few minutes later, everyone's breathing gradually steadied, and their stamina had recovered somewhat.

Ruska at the door looked outside; the wind and snow were still very heavy, but it was still within the normal range.

So he turned back and shouted, "It's about time, let's go."

Everyone looked at each other, and no one objected. They stood up one after another and put their snow goggles and gloves back on.

They followed Ruska out of the shelter cabin and retrieved their respective snowboards.

But as soon as they stepped out, the blizzard immediately rushed in.

The icy wind hit their faces directly; the feeling was like someone splashing a basin of ice water in their faces, almost instantly freezing them awake.

Ruska walked at the very front, another ski guide followed beside him, and they waved to Lin Xiuyuan and the other two, then led Li Juli and Park Hyomin away without hesitation, plunging headlong into the blizzard with extremely low visibility.

Lin Xiuyuan took a deep breath, pressed his snow goggles back on tight, and followed.

The remaining two ski guides brought up the rear to ensure no one got lost.

As a result, they hadn't skied very far before Lin Xiuyuan immediately felt something was wrong.

Because the wind was too strong—not ordinary mountain wind, but the kind of gale that could almost blow a person over.

The blizzard scraped against them like blades, making their ski suits rustle, and a layer of fine frost quickly formed on the snow goggles, making their vision even more blurred.

Just at this moment, there was a sudden "thud" in front, and Li Juli lost her footing.

She sat directly down in the snow, in a position just ahead of Lin Xiuyuan.

Lin Xiuyuan immediately slowed down, skied to her side, and reached out to pull her up.

He raised his voice and shouted, "Are you okay?"

After all, in this kind of wind, if you didn't shout, it was almost impossible to hear.

"I'm fine!" Li Juli shook her head, also shouting loudly.

"The wind is too strong!"

When the two of them spoke, besides each other's voices, there was nothing left but the howling of the blizzard.

The sound was like a wild beast roaring, and also like something crying in the distance.

But in the current situation, there was no other choice but to continue skiing down.

So everyone gathered together again, confirmed each other's positions, and then tried to ski forward again.

As a result, they hadn't skied more than a few meters when the gale pressed against them again, and everyone was almost forcibly "pinned" in place.

Some stood, while others simply sat in the snow, waiting against the wind.

The blizzard rushing toward them was like an invisible wall, trapping everyone directly.

This experience could not be called unprecedented.

But being surrounded by a blizzard like this at the peak of a snow mountain was indeed a first for Lin Xiuyuan.

They stood like this for a while.

Lin Xiuyuan soon discovered that the situation seemed even worse than before.

The wind and snow that had been howling past not only did not weaken, but instead, as if pushed by some force, blew harder and harder.

The sound of the wind drew out a sharp, long note in his ears, ruthlessly slicing through the air.

While he could vaguely see figures a thousand meters away just a moment ago, now his vision was completely obscured by layers of snow curtains sweeping horizontally across.

Beyond five or six meters, the outline of a person had already become blurred and indistinct.

Under these circumstances, Ruska and the few ski guides discussed in low voices for a few moments.

Moreover, because the wind was too strong, they had to bring their heads very close together, almost pressing against each other's masks when speaking.

Soon, they reached a consensus.

Standing still in place was definitely not a solution; no one knew how much longer this storm would last.

If they kept staying here, their body temperature and physical strength would only drain away bit by bit; once their bodies started to get cold and their hands and feet went numb, it would truly be too late to try to move.

Rather than being trapped here, it was better to retreat down the mountain as soon as possible while everyone still had the strength.

This was the only reasonable choice.

The group exchanged glances briefly and nodded.

Afterward, they followed Luska's figure again, carefully sliding forward.

But after sliding forward for another distance, Lin Xiuyuan suddenly felt something was wrong.

Because the powder snow under his feet seemed to be starting to collapse.

At first, he thought it was just the soft sinking caused by his own weight, but he soon discovered it was not.

It was sinking downward in whole, large sections.

The snow layer seemed to have suddenly lost its support, collapsing downward in sheets, pressing against his feet and skis.

This feeling made one's spine chill instantly, so Lin Xiuyuan's heart tightened abruptly, and he immediately shouted, "Luska, something's wrong! The snow here seems to be collapsing!"

The voice was half-swept away by the gale the moment it was shouted out.

At the same time, Lin Xiuyuan hurriedly stopped in place, not daring to slide forward anymore; he knew all too well what this situation meant.

If it were a loose snowpack layer, combined with such a slope, once a fracture in the snow layer was triggered, it could very likely be a small avalanche.

He certainly did not want to bury himself in the snow with his own hands.

However, Luska's voice soon came from ahead, but it was blown intermittently by the wind.

"Don't worry about that, hurry over here—"

"Just slide past that section—"

The voice drifted in the wind and snow, not heard clearly.

But Lin Xiuyuan still heard it clearly, so he looked back at Park Hyomin behind him; both of their goggles were already covered in fine snow.

Yet he could still see a trace of nervousness in her eyes, so he took a deep breath, "Go!"

Park Hyomin nodded.

The two exerted force almost simultaneously and chased toward Luska's direction.

The wind and snow at the mountain peak grew increasingly wild.

After sliding out a distance, both Lin Xiuyuan and Park Hyomin were completely unable to move, because they had slid into a wind gap.

This place was like a passage formed between the mountain bodies; all the gale was compressed, gathered, and then rushed head-on toward them.

It caused Lin Xiuyuan, who had just tried to slide one step forward, to have his body almost lose balance.

Helpless, he could only bend his waist, lower his body, and face the wind with his helmet.

He let the storm make "thud-thud" muffled sounds against his helmet.

Park Hyomin behind him was still struggling to pull her skis out of the deep snow, her movements starting to become somewhat sluggish.

It was mainly because in this extreme environment, the human body's instincts would automatically enter a protective state.

Although her brain wanted her to continue sliding forward, her hands and feet were becoming less and less obedient.

Having barely managed to stand up and slide two steps, her body uncontrollably sat back into the snow again.

The wind grew more urgent.

Snow particles were swept up like sand, constantly hitting their clothes and goggles.

Lin Xiuyuan in front could no longer stand, so he simply lay down directly.

He prostrated his whole body on the snow surface, using his body to reduce the wind-facing area, making himself slightly more relaxed.

Park Hyomin behind him could no longer hold on either; her knees went soft, and she knelt directly into the snow.

The two people were like being pressed in place by the storm.

Unable to move an inch.

But these were not the most fatal things; what truly made one's heart turn cold was that there was no one left around them.

Not a single person.

Luska was gone, and the other guide was also gone.

Even those few European and American skiers who had slid down together had all disappeared into the wind and snow.

On the peak of the vast snowy mountain, only the two of them remained.

And this also meant they had once again become separated from the team.

Soon, Park Hyomin, who could not see anyone within the range of her snow goggles, realized this point, and immediately reached out to pat Lin Xiuyuan's butt.

Lin Xiuyuan turned his head to see her eyes, which were clearly filled with anxiety, so he used his hands to support himself on the snow and laboriously moved over.

He leaned to her ear, "What's wrong?"

Afterward, Park Hyomin almost hugged him, her mouth pressed against his ear, and shouted loudly, "Xiuyuan, we've lost Luska and the others!"

Hearing this, Lin Xiuyuan immediately raised his head and quickly looked around.

However, what came into view, besides the blindingly white snow slope, was only the sky full of snowflakes swept up by the storm.

There was no human figure in his field of vision; he couldn't even see a single black dot.

This made his heart sink abruptly.

But it was only for an instant.

Soon, he forced himself to calm down.

And knowing that continuing to lie here was meaningless, he hurriedly supported his body to stand up, then immediately took his phone out from the inside of his snow suit, preparing to open the map to confirm their location.

Just at this moment, Park Hyomin did not know what had come over her; perhaps it was instinct driving her, or perhaps it was the desperate desire to leave this place as soon as possible.

She suddenly stood up and began to slide forward slowly, as if intending to scout the path ahead herself.

But after she had slid only a few meters, Lin Xiuyuan noticed her situation.

His heart skipped a beat, and he immediately gave chase.

"Xiaomin!"

Then, just as Park Hyomin was tripped by several rocks buried in the snow and her body suddenly lost its balance, he grabbed her arm in time.

He pulled her back with a jerk.

This pull.

It almost dragged Park Hyomin back entirely from where she had been.

Afterward, both of them lowered their heads simultaneously to look at their feet.

And not far in front of their snowboards, several huge, sharp rocks were exposed above the accumulated snow.

The black stone surfaces appeared exceptionally abrupt amidst the white snow.

In such a blizzard environment, where even the snow surface was hard to see, to actually be able to see exposed rocks.

What did this mean????

Both of them realized it almost at the same time.

Aside from the edge of a cliff, they could not think of a second possibility.

And this thought terrified Park Hyomin so much that she immediately grabbed Lin Xiuyuan's arm.

Her fingers tightened almost instinctively; even through her thick snow suit, he could feel that force, her fingertips sinking deep into the glove, clutching this last straw of life tightly through the fabric.

Lin Xiuyuan, having steadied his body, planted his feet firmly against the rock and pulled upward.

He used the strength of a two-star human to drag Park Hyomin back.

Then, he and she tumbled together onto a higher ledge of rock, with the wind-swept, whitened hillside behind them and the dangerous edge they had just nearly slid off beneath their feet.

Then, the two looked at each other simultaneously.

Behind their goggles, those two pairs of eyes locked onto each other amidst the gale and snow mist.

The world seemed to be left with only each other.

The two gazes that merged in the air, even while situated in such a frigid blizzard, still appeared exceptionally scorching.

Lin Xiuyuan, having glanced at Park Hyomin and discovered she was fine, did not say anything more.

Because time here was more precious than anything else.

So, with one hand gripping Park Hyomin's wrist to prevent her from sliding, he took his phone out from the inside of his snow suit with the other, quickly opened the map, and simultaneously swayed the phone left and right to confirm his location and direction.

The wind was strong, and the compass on the screen wavered slightly.

Lin Xiuyuan squinted at the screen, judged the direction they were currently facing, and quickly found the orientation of the ski resort.

Then, he pulled Park Hyomin back into his arms, leaned close to her ear, and shouted loudly, "Xiaomin, take off your snowboards and climb up!"

His voice sounded exceptionally firm in the wind, leaving almost no room for hesitation.

"You must be careful, climb up slowly!"

"I am behind you, watching you."

"You will be fine, do you hear me!"

Upon hearing Lin Xiuyuan's decision to bring up the rear for her, Park Hyomin did not answer immediately, but just looked quietly at the man before her.

Under her goggles, those eyes seemed to be trying hard to memorize his appearance.

A moment later, she nodded heavily, "Okay."

Lin Xiuyuan also nodded, "Let's go."

Immediately, the two quickly took off their snowboards.

Now, the area where they were located was surrounded by rocks and cliff edges; the terrain was broken, and it was impossible to slide down.

The only way was to climb up one level first and circle around to the back mountain ski trail.

In the wind and snow, the two began to climb upward.

They used their snowboards as makeshift ice axes, thrusting one end into the snow to gain leverage to move up.

The accumulated snow was very deep; every step they took, their legs would sink in more than halfway.

When they pulled their feet back out, they had to use almost all their strength.

The slope was also very steep; if they missed their footing even slightly, they could slide all the way back down.

Park Hyomin walked in the lead, planting every step firmly, her footprints pressing clear indentations into the snow, paving the way for the man behind her.

Lin Xiuyuan, following closely behind, watched her every move without error.

Ten minutes later, the two finally climbed to the upper layer of the snow-covered slope.

The snow surface here was relatively flat, and the wind and snow had also lessened a bit, so they put their snowboards back on.

This time, Lin Xiuyuan took the lead to scout the path, and they began to slide carefully toward the side of the mountain slope.

Park Hyomin followed closely behind, moving entirely along the tracks he left behind.

At first, everything went quite smoothly.

Lin Xiuyuan cleared the path in front, the two tracks pressed by the snowboards were very clear in the white snow, and Park Hyomin was almost sliding by stepping in his tracks.

However, the wind and snow remained a great obstacle, with their vision constantly blocked by drifting snowflakes.

Just in the blink of an eye, Park Hyomin did not see the track ahead clearly, and her snowboard veered slightly to the side.

Just that little bit.

But in an environment like this, a slight deviation was enough to be fatal.

So, when Park Hyomin continued to slide forward for about ten meters, the snow layer beneath her feet suddenly collapsed—the kind without any warning—as if the entire snow surface had been hollowed out.

Sensing something was wrong, Park Hyomin didn't even have time to think; she could only react instinctively.

She quickly made a small turn, using the edge of her snowboard to propel herself away.

The next second, she sprawled onto the snow, lying spread-eagled on the edge of a massive snow hole that had just collapsed.

And her body was still slowly sinking.

Sensing something was wrong, Park Hyomin lay in this spot, not daring to move at all.

She froze in place, her chest heaving violently, taking in breath after breath of cold, lung-piercing air.

At the same time, her mind was a complete blank.

Just a moment ago, she really thought she was going to die here.

But now, it seemed like she was just dying a little more slowly.

Just as feelings of despair were slowly creeping up her neural pathways, a hand suddenly grabbed her from behind.

Immediately after, a voice rang out in the wind.

"Damn it! Park Hyomin! Can't you use your eyes better than that!"

"Follow my tracks!"

This was Lin Xiuyuan, in his desperation, cursing directly in Chinese.

So Park Hyomin didn't understand a single word.

She lifted her head and looked at the man lying on the edge of the snow hole, desperately reaching out to pull her.

At that moment, tears gushed out instantly.

She shouted back loudly, "Xiuyuan, don't pull me, don't get yourself stuck in too! The snow seems to be collapsing, you go first, call for rescue on your phone."

Hearing this, Lin Xiuyuan was so angry he let out a laugh, "What the hell are you shouting for? By the time rescue comes, you'll be gone!"

After speaking, he quickly turned his head, decisively unstrapped the snowboard from his feet, and then extended the board toward Park Hyomin with one hand.

"Grab the board, quick, hold onto the bindings tight, I'll pull you out!"

This time, Park Hyomin didn't dare say anything more.

She knew very well that every second was precious now, so she immediately reached out and grabbed the snowboard's bindings tightly.

Lin Xiuyuan, who had been lying on the edge of the snow hole, also began to inch backward, leaving the collapsed area.

Then he gripped the snowboard tightly with both hands and took a deep breath.

The next second, he exerted force suddenly!

Park Hyomin, at the edge of the snow hole, was dragged out by force, like a deeply buried radish pulled from the ground, and was hauled back onto the safe snow surface.

Once Park Hyomin was completely pulled back onto the safe ski trail, Lin Xiuyuan finally let go of the snowboard in his hands.

His body, which had been tense for so long, suddenly lost its strength.

He fell backward and lay directly on the thick snow.

This wasn't because he lacked stamina.

It was because that burst of effort just now had been too intense, causing blood to rush to his head, leaving him slightly oxygen-deprived, and even his hands and feet felt numb and weak.

His chest heaved violently, and the white mist from his breath drifted in front of his goggles in waves.

Eventually, he simply closed his eyes, letting the cold snow support his body while he rested for a moment.

However, the next second, a figure lunged into his arms.

"Lin Xiuyuan!"

Park Hyomin's voice carried a distinct sobbing tone.

She was practically pressing her whole body against him, her hands gripping his ski suit tightly, as if afraid he would disappear if she let go.

"I thought I was going to die!"

"Woooo—I really thought I was going to die!"

"I was so scared—I was really so scared just now!"

Her voice was intermittent, becoming more chaotic as she spoke, crying like a child who had been severely frightened.

Lin Xiuyuan lay on the snow and laughed softly, reaching out to pull her into his arms and patting her back, one stroke after another.

His movements were slow and steady.

"Alright, alright, it's okay, it's really okay."

After sobbing for a while, Park Hyomin slowly lifted her head.

The eyes beneath her goggles were red from crying, and a few unmelted water droplets still hung on her eyelashes.

Staring at Lin Xiuyuan, her voice carried a hint of grievance and lingering fear.

"Aren't you afraid of dying?"

"Coming to save me in a situation like this."

"You idiot!"

Lin Xiuyuan couldn't help but laugh when he heard this, "Don't curse randomly, what, you wanted me to watch you fall in?"

Park Hyomin sniffled, and tears fell again.

"Jerk!"

"Bastard!"

"I really thought I was going to die just now!"

"Are we going to die here—"

By the end, Park Hyomin's voice began to tremble again.

After all, the fear from just a moment ago wouldn't dissipate all at once.

Listening to her near-breakdown sobbing, Lin Xiuyuan held her and slowly sat up, patting her shoulder.

"Be quiet, follow my deep breathing, and calm down first."

Feeling the warmth transmitted by Lin Xiuyuan, Park Hyomin subconsciously followed his rhythm and took a breath.

And Lin Xiuyuan looked at her, "Rest for a minute, then we continue moving."

He said it very simply, just as if he were talking about the most ordinary matter.

But that composure inexplicably made Park Hyomin feel very at ease.

Finally, Lin Xiuyuan gently tapped his snow goggles against Park Hyomin's snow goggles, and their gazes met through the two lenses.

"Follow me closely this time, don't veer off the route again."

A man's most attractive charm has never been his appearance.

It is his ability to solve problems.

Whether a man is mature does not lie in his age, but in when things happen—

Whether he can stand up, and whether he can resolve the matter.

Right now, Lin Xiuyuan hit both points perfectly, and the problem was also solved very perfectly.

Therefore, when Park Hyomin looked with teary eyes at the man who had stood back up and fastened his snowboard again—

She suddenly felt the world go quiet.

The wind that was whistling in her ears just a moment ago, the blinding blizzard before her eyes, and the unknown dangers beneath her feet.

Seemed to have all moved far away at once.

In her entire field of vision, only one person remained.

Watching him carve the first track in front, then turn his head to look at her.

"Keep up."

Park Hyomin nodded, then stepped into his tracks and slowly slid down the mountain.

She did not know how much time had passed, but the wind and snow gradually lessened, and the snow particles in the air were not as dense as before.

Visibility began to recover bit by bit, and the outlines of the surrounding mountains reappeared.

Unknowingly, the two seemed to have escaped the extreme storm zone from before and returned to the mountainside, and the ridgeline had also become clear.

At that moment, the whole world seemed to have regained its color.

At the same time, Park Hyomin suddenly heard several excited shouts coming from afar.

The voices echoed across the vast, empty snow slope.

"Found them, over here!"

"This way, Xiuyuan!"

"Xiaomin, over here!"

Hearing the voices, Park Hyomin came to a sudden stop, lifted her head, and looked in the direction the sounds came from.

On the distant snow slope, several figures were rapidly sliding toward them.

Getting closer and closer, becoming clearer and clearer.

It was exactly Luska and Li Juli, along with those few ski guides.

The group waved their hands as they slid, all filled with the wild joy of finding what was lost.

Park Hyomin looked at those figures drawing nearer and suddenly smiled as well.

As she laughed, tears flowed down again.

But this time, the tears were tears of surviving a disaster.

Then she looked back at Lin Xiuyuan, who had also stopped in front, and the tenderness beneath those eyes could no longer be held back!!!

After meeting up, the group did not linger on the mountain for long; Luska had learned his lesson this time and directly used himself and the few ski guides to form a pocket formation, surrounding the three of them, Lin Xiuyuan included, and slowly slid down the mountain.

As for whether anything happened while Lin Xiuyuan and the other were missing just now, those questions could be asked slowly after getting down the mountain.

The most important thing now was to get down the mountain first.

Once safely down the mountain, everything else would be easy to talk about.

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