Chapter 158: Nice

(1)

In the end, Pei Du still managed to add Shu Shu as a friend.

…

After breakfast.

The cabin owner brought a piece of bad news and a piece of good news.

The bad news is that last night's snow fell too heavily; for safety, a certain stretch of the downhill road that must be taken to leave was temporarily blocked, so we can't go home for now.

And the good news is, this doesn't affect skiing at the nearby ski resort.

Those who had planned to stay here for a few days, upon hearing this, gave face with an exaggerated: "Wow, that's really a terrible piece of bad news."

After saying that.

They went upstairs laughing and chatting to change clothes.

A package was handed to Shu Shu.

"Ding-dong, a new men's ski outfit plus equipment—"

Siwei smiled at Shu Shu and said: "Da Luo asked me to pass this to you, asking if the super handsome guy accompanying you could join us skiing; he said that at first glance the super handsome guy is a total newbie who can't ski, and he doesn't want to remain the only rookie on the team."

Da Luo.

That is, Siwei's Chinese teacher.

He was forcibly brought by Siwei this time; before departure he prepared two whole boxes of equipment, full of fighting spirit, but as soon as he arrived he fell from the start to the finish.

Shu Shu said: "I need to go ask him first if he's willing."

Pei Du seems not interested in outdoor activities.

"It seems unnecessary." Siwei directly placed the item in Shu Shu's hand, blinked, and said: "I believe that as long as dear Shu asks, the super handsome guy's answer will be yes, I, do~"

…

Two minutes later.

"I'm willing." Pei Du reached out his hand to Shu Shu: "Give it to me."

Shu Shu hesitated: "Are you sure? Your cold probably isn't fully better; maybe you should rest more."

Pei Du lifted his gaze and asked: "Yinyin, are you concerned about me?"

Shu Shu didn't think deeply about that sentence, casually replying: "Oh."

"I'm fine." The aloof-looking male lightly curled his lip, his voice low and faint: "Besides, how's my condition? Yinyin, didn't you just feel my forehead?"

Upon hearing that.

Shu Shu's gaze unconsciously fell on Pei Du's face; indeed, yesterday he was pitifully feverish, but today his complexion had improved greatly, even giving him an air of being bathed in spring breeze.

…

Thus, after everyone finished preparing, they all set off for the ski resort.

There's still some distance from the cabin to the ski resort; driving would be more convenient.

Pei Du took out the key, unlocked the car, and opened the passenger door.

Shu Shu stared at the black big G whose headlights flashed twice before her, stunned for a few seconds.

"... You came by car?"

She leaned close to Pei Du and whispered: "Um, is it legal for you to drive on the road?"

"Yinyin, are you treating me like a child?" The male pursed his good-looking lips, then seriously told Shu Shu: "I'm already an adult, I got my driver's license long ago."

"Is that so."

It's just a question, but the atmosphere suddenly turned solemn; to show she had taken in Pei Du's words and trusted him, Shu Shu hastily sat in the passenger seat, cooperatively clapped, and gave a dry compliment:

"Wow, Pei Du is amazing."

"..."

The next second.

A silhouette directly covered over, an arm extended horizontally across Shu Shu's waist; before she could react, the male's strikingly pale features loomed large before her eyes, then suddenly approached.

A faint, clear scent came over.

Only the sound of the seat belt clicking into place was heard.

Shu Shu's heartbeat also skipped a beat; she lifted her gaze and met the pair of deep, coldly carved pupils; their owner opened his lips, his tone especially solemn:

"Yinyin, don't treat me like a child to be coddled."

After saying that, he retracted his arm, the clear scent departed with it, Pei Du returned to his seat and closed the passenger door.

Through the windshield, Shu Shu saw his silhouette as he went around to the driver's seat and inexplicably felt he was puffed up with anger.

…

Arrived at the ski resort.

Siwei's Chinese teacher Da Luo seemed to have miscalculated; he watched helplessly as Pei Du finished putting on his skis, originally planning to pair the newbies together and go over to meet Pei Du.

Before he could move, he saw Pei Du with a calm expression, smoothly skating to Shu Shu's side.

Da Luo was dumbfounded: "What the heck?"

Seeing that, Siwei gloated beside him: "Dear Luo, it looks like you're still the only rookie in our team."

Shu Shu was also surprised and asked Pei Du: "Can you?"

It's not that Shu Shu looked down on Pei Du; she was just shocked—he actually can ski.

When did he learn?

"Not long ago." Seeing Shu Shu's doubt, Pei Du voluntarily said: "I only know a little."

Pei Du wasn't being modest; he really only knows a little, which shows in being able to guarantee he won't fall on relatively flat ground.

But on the bumpy sections, he had to slow down.

Shu Shu had broken the record yesterday; she treated today's skiing as a friendly match, and having promised Dr. Laoya to let her win, she skied very laid-back.

At that time.

Everyone had already entered the forest; Shu Shu leisurely followed beside Pei Du, and without realizing it they fell to the back.

They passed a slightly steeper small slope.

Shu Shu slid down first, then smoothly turned around, teaching Pei Du how to adjust the snowboard's angle to slide down the slope.

"Bend your legs, lower your center of gravity."

"When you're about to hit a stone, slightly lift the front of your snowboard, and you can avoid it."

"……"

Pei Du did quite well relying on the theoretical knowledge Shu Shu gave him.

He followed step by step.

He was about to slide down smoothly.

"Exactly, you did great."

The girl's gentle, patient voice came muffled from behind her pink helmet.

Pei Du's breath hitched, he accidentally slipped sideways, his center of gravity vanished instantly, and he fell down the small slope.

Shu Shu was startled; instinctively she reached out to help Pei Du, but she didn't consider an adult man's weight—she grabbed him, and then he pulled her down as well.

The two fell straight onto the snow pile.

At the critical moment, Pei Du used leverage to adjust his position, and Shu Shu landed on top of him.

Actually the snow pile was thick enough that falling wouldn't hurt.

It would just be embarrassing.

Shu Shu didn't get up right away; she simply turned over, lying on her back beside Pei Du, the girl lifted her hand to lift her goggles, revealing half of a beautiful, fair face.

"Oh, actually, skiing doesn't always have to be about chasing speed."

"The scenery along the way is also nice."

After the snow, the world was silent, tranquil and peaceful; through the towering dead trees one could see a light-blue sky, the wind blowing the clouds apart to reveal warm sunlight.

"Pei Du, the sun has come out—look, it's beautiful."

Everything in the sky was reflected in Shu Shu's clear peach-blossom eyes; her gaze sparkled as she stared at the sky.

"Mm, it's nice."

Pei Du beside her didn't look at the sky; he turned to her and said.

…

When Siwei returned the same way to find the lagging Shu Shu and Pei Du, she saw the two lying side by side in the snow.

Although the scene was beautiful, —

The golden-haired, blue-eyed girl crossed her arms and shouted toward them: "I'm saying, you two over there, this isn't the time for a date."

"Hurry up and get up."

Shu Shu put her goggles back on, got up, and apologized to Siwei with a smiling voice; Pei Du bowed slightly, silently brushing off the snowflakes on Shu Shu's body.

This scene was fully captured in Siwei's eyes.

…

That evening.

Everyone gathered around the campfire again.

Taking advantage of the lively atmosphere and mixed noises, Siwei put her arms around Shu Shu's neck, leaned close to her ear, and in a tone that saw through everything whispered:

"Dear Shu, the super handsome guy is the one you mentioned before who's even more handsome than Bi Daluo, right?"

"Hmph, you're lying to me."

"You two aren't friends at all."

"At the very least, the super handsome guy definitely isn't, because the way he looks at you isn't—" She paused, thinking of a word: "His gaze toward you isn't pure at all."

(2)

After the heavy snow, the third day's route was reopened; everyone packed up early and left the service point.

Shu Shu and Siwei hurried to the next stop.

And Pei Du—

He had been out too long this time; Pei Qian's people kept urging him nonstop, and until the route reopened he hadn't replied to a single message, so now he had to return to Jing Shi.

The airport.

The two each boarded planes flying in different directions.

Shu Shu's flight departed first.

Before boarding.

Pei Du took out his phone, dialed Shu Shu's number, waited for her phone to ring three times, then silently hung up.

In Shu Shu's doubtful gaze, he asked softly: "If I have something later, will Yinyin answer my call?"

Shu Shu said: "Of course."

Pei Du asked again: "Even if there's nothing, will she still answer?"

Shu Shu hesitated, thought, and answered seriously: "If I see it, but sometimes I mute my phone while sleeping, so I wouldn't hear."

Pei Du then asked: "Will Yinyin reply to my messages?"

Shu Shu: "Mm."

Since I told him I'd answer his calls, naturally I'd reply to his messages too.

Pei Du then earnestly asked: "If I send a message just as Yinyin falls asleep, will she reply after she wakes up?"

Before Shu Shu could answer, Siwei not far away raised her hand and pointed at her own watch, reminding Shu Shu that it was about time.

Okay, coming.

Shu Shu responded, then said to Pei Du: "Pei Du, I'm leaving now."

Pei Du nodded: "Safe travels."

Mm-hmm.

Shu Shu quickly walked toward Siwei's direction, hurriedly went a stretch, then suddenly stopped, turned back and said: "I'll get back to you."

…

Shu Shu and Siwei stood side by side on the escalator, and just as the escalator was about to reach the top, strangely, she turned around.

Pei Du was still standing where he was.

The temperature here is cold year-round; the day after Pei Du caught a cold, he didn't wear that thin coat he had arrived in, and the log cabin owner here had a large-sized long down jacket.

Already slender, wearing the down jacket didn't make him look bulky, and it made his three-dimensional face look even colder, whiter, and cleaner.

The young man's pupils were pitch-black, his calm gaze sweeping past the crowd to follow Shu Shu from afar, seeing her notice him.

Soon after, he lightly curled his lower lip.

"Eh, dear Shu, in your Chinese there's a word, what's it called... pitiful, right?" Siwei covered her mouth, teasing and chuckling: "So the super handsome guy is just pitiful."

"He looks like he really really wants to walk with you."

Even when saying goodbye, Pei Du kept asking Shu Shu whether she would answer his call, and whether she would reply to his message.

But in fact, over the next month, Pei Du never called Shu Shu even once, and his messages were restrained so as not to bother anyone.

He was quite boundary-conscious.

For example:

He would occasionally greet Shu Shu with good morning or good night.

He didn't pry into every little detail of what Shu Shu was doing, who she was with, or her private matters, but he would proactively tell Shu Shu what he had been up to lately.

He said he was studying at his family's company, recently following a certain manager to branch offices for inspections and meetings, and what he ate for lunch and dinner.

Also, he would send Shu Shu pictures of Da Fu.

He said Da Fu was gradually growing bigger, and its favorite game was still the stick‑throwing game they used to play together.

Pei Du said:

Da Fu loves to eat; when the feeder sounds at mealtime, it practically replaces him as its owner, but after finishing its meal, it will grin and wag its tail to recognize him again.

Da Fu is also mischievous, loving to roll in the mud after rain; after rolling, from afar the whole dog looks like a dirty mop.

Pei Du: "Yinyin, why not just change its name to Mop?"

…

"Dear Shu, what's so funny on your phone? You've been laughing while holding your phone for three whole minutes, and I've been talking to you but you haven't heard a word, humph!"

Shu Shu lifted her head and met Siwei's puffy little face.

"sorry."

"I'm looking at the dog."

Siwei curiously asked: "What dog?"

Shu Shu then showed Siwei the video of Da Fu rolling in the mud.

After watching, Siwei immediately furrowed her brows in doubt: "Although the dog is cute, I don't find it funny at all."

The blond‑blue‑eyed girl puzzled: "Shu, when did your sense of humor get so low?"

"Really?"

Shu Shu didn't think so.

She actually had a second video she hadn't shown Siwei.

The video content was still Da Fu.

It was after it finished rolling, tongue out, all dirty, excitedly running toward the camera.

The next second.

From off‑camera came a male voice issuing a cold command.

"Da Fu, sit."

Pei Du is a neat freak; he's afraid Da Fu will jump on him.

Even through the screen, Shu Shu could sense a hint of panic beneath his feigned cold tone.

Shu Shu unconsciously laughed while typing a reply to Pei Du: "I think we shouldn't; I doubt any dog would want to be called Mop."

After replying.

Shu Shu opened the camera, took a picture of the food on the table as a "return courtesy" to Pei Du's dinner photo, and sent it back in kind.

"Time to eat."

…

No one knows when it started.

Shu Shu also began sharing her daily life with Pei Du.

That day.

She eagerly ran alone to a certain city just to try one of the specialty dishes recommended by an internet celebrity.

After putting down her luggage and leaving the hotel, she went to the shop and found the taste was completely different from what the post said.

It was awful.

She ate it expressionlessly while complaining to Pei Du on her phone, saying she would never trust internet celebrities again.

Pei Du: "What dish?"

Shu Shu: "Spicy mouth-watering chicken."

Pei Du: "Is it not tasty? Which shop?"

Shu Shu thought Pei Du asking like that showed interest, so she sent the address of that shop over: "I've steered clear of it, don't come."

…

The next day at noon.

Shu Shu woke up and received Pei Du's message:

"Yinyin, I'm on a business trip to F City; that dish you made yesterday I happen to know how to make—let me try it?"