DASFAM_77

The good weather naturally brought more visitors to the ski resort.

The original host had never skied before, so Bai Xu did not have any ready-made ski equipment, and on top of that, Zhang Changxu had come in a hurry and hadn't brought any either. The two of them had no choice but to each pick out their own gear at the largest shopping complex at the foot of the ski slope.

By the time they came back out of the store, Bai Xu could see that Shang Yanxiao and Zhang Changning had already changed into the ski equipment they had brought with them.

Bai Xu caught a glimpse of the ski suit Shang Yanxiao was wearing, and raised his eyebrows in mild surprise.

The other was dressed in a ski suit with a predominantly black color scheme, with gold trim lining only the sides, waist, and shoulder lines, giving it a look that was simple yet not lacking in elegance.

Zhang Changning beside him seemed to spot something interesting, and quickly leaned in, "Bai Xu, the ski suit you just bought looks like a couples' set with Third Brother's!"

"This store must have at least hundreds if not thousands of styles, and you two still managed to pick nearly matching ones? What kind of connection is that."

Bai Xu's ski suit was likewise in a black-and-gold color scheme, with only slight differences in the pattern of the trim.

Shang Yanxiao's gaze lingered on Bai Xu's ski suit, and the corners of his lips seemed to carry the faintest hint of a smile.

"......"

Bai Xu met Shang Yanxiao's gaze, and his throat tightened for no apparent reason, "I, I heard this brand's ski suits were good, so I just picked one."

In the real world he also played sports, and had always bought all his athletic gear from this brand. As for the ski suit, of course he had picked it at first glance based on his own taste.

"It looks great," Shang Yanxiao stepped forward and reached out to straighten Bai Xu's collar, "Did you get everything you needed?"

"Mm."

Zhang Changning automatically tuned out this romantic scene and bounced on his heels out of boredom, "Why isn't my second brother out yet?"

"When I was just leaving, I saw Dr. Zhang had already picked out his things and gone in to change into his ski suit. He should be out soon."

Bai Xu offered a casual explanation, his gaze then easily drawn to Zhang Changning's outfit—

The other was wearing a particularly eye-catching pink-and-white ski suit, a bright color scheme that leaned more feminine, yet somehow fitted him with a surprisingly high degree of compatibility.

Zhang Changning's complexion was on the fair side, and the tip of his nose and his cheeks had been reddened by the cold, so with this outfit on, he looked all the more delicate and lovely.

Bai Xu couldn't help but smile, "Changning."

Zhang Changning turned his gaze over, "What?"

Bai Xu teased, "You look really pretty, like a little girl~"

"......"

Zhang Changning was so embarrassed he stomped his feet, "Third Brother, do something about him!"

Shang Yanxiao, holding a grudge, showed no mercy, "Have you forgotten what you said at the restaurant this morning? I'm not helping you."

"......"

Zhang Changning caught sight of Zhang Changxu walking out of the door and immediately shifted his target, "Brother, you're finally out. Bai Xu and Third Brother ganged up to make fun of me!"

Zhang Changxu reached over with one hand to adjust the windproof mask over his face, "Make fun of you how?"

Bai Xu stepped in to answer, "We complimented him on being as pretty as a little girl. How could he still be unhappy about that?"

Zhang Changning wrinkled his nose, "Hmph."

The cold look in Zhang Changxu's eyes softened, "Let's go. Which trail are we taking?"

Shang Yanxiao was well aware of the Chang brothers' skiing ability, so he had no choice but to turn his gaze toward Bai Xu, "You pick. Have you skied before?"

Bai Xu's skiing ability in his previous life had been quite solid, but the original owner had no experience in this area whatsoever.

To avoid another incident like the 'allergy' or 'seasickness' individual difference events from happening again, Bai Xu didn't dare jump straight into anything too demanding this time.

"How about I start on the beginner's trail to get a feel for it first, and then we move up to the intermediate trail later?"

Shang Yanxiao replied, "Sure."

Zhang Changning had no objections either, "Works for me! New equipment still needs some practice to get used to."

The beginner's ski trail wasn't particularly challenging and was generally meant for first-time skiers and parent-child activities. There were relatively more people on it, making it hard to get any real sense of thrill.

Bai Xu adapted after a short while and felt fine, so he immediately signaled Shang Yanxiao and the others to head over to the intermediate trail together.

The group went down and back up three times before finally taking a break again.

Shang Yanxiao noticed the light sweat on Bai Xu's forehead and handed him a disposable hot towel, "You skied well. When did you learn?"

"I tried it indoors a couple of times back in university."

Bai Xu came up with a decent excuse and smoothly shifted the topic, "But I still can't compare to the three of you."

"Just now, there was one stretch where I felt like Changning was practically flying right past me."

Zhang Changning, pleased at the compliment, raised his chin proudly, "Surprised? My skiing skills are pretty impressive, I'd say."

Zhang Changxu shook his head helplessly and handed him some water.

Shang Yanxiao offered an explanation, "Changxu and I have taken Quayan and Changning to quite a few ski resorts before. After going so many times, they all got pretty good at it."

"Yeah, we've been to so many ski resorts all over the world! But this one is still my favorite!"

Zhang Changning casually added, "Oh right, out of the four of us, the best skier is..."

The sentence had barely made it halfway before it suddenly came to a halt. The excitement in Zhang Changning's eyes dimmed.

He realized he had said something wrong and looked toward Shang Yanxiao with an expression caught between embarrassment and apology.

Among the four brothers, the one with the most natural athletic talent was, without a doubt, Shang Quayan, who was far away back in the capital. Not only was he exceptional at skiing and racing, he was also outstanding in other competitive sports.

That car accident had left Shang Quayan with permanent physical injuries, and wasn't that just as much a source of regret for everyone else present?

Bai Xu sensed the sudden heaviness in the atmosphere and stepped in to ease it, "It's Quayan, right? But he's pretty remarkable at handling the group's affairs now too. Otherwise, how could Third Young Master be here living it up like this?"

Shang Quayan had a resilient spirit and had long since picked himself back up from that ordeal. Even though he had been forced down a different path, he was still living brilliantly.

Shang Yanxiao felt a pang of heartache, but admired his younger brother's determination even more. He too spoke up to lighten the mood, "Let's make sure to buy him more things before we head back."

Zhang Changxu noticed the trace of guilt in his younger brother's expression and reached over to ruffle his hair, "I remember Quayan really likes that roast goose place at the foot of the mountain. We can vacuum-pack some to bring back before we return."

"Alright."

Since they were out to have fun, the priority was to enjoy themselves to the fullest.

Zhang Changxu glanced over at the advanced trail on the farthest slope and, in a rare move, took the initiative to suggest, "Want to try the advanced trail?"

The ski resort's advanced trail made direct use of the natural mountain terrain. You could only reach the highest point by cable car, then ski all the way down from high altitude. The greatest elevation drop along the terrain was equivalent to three or four stories.

On top of the thrill, it also carried a certain degree of danger.

That said, they were already regulars at this resort and had gone down this particular trail many times before, always making it to the finish without any trouble.

Shang Yanxiao had a deep-seated fondness for this more exhilarating trail as well. He gave a nod, "I'm in."

He turned to the person beside him, "A' Xu?"

Bai Xu met his questioning gaze and shook his head with a clear sense of self-awareness, "I'll sit this one out. I don't think I can handle it just yet. You all go ahead, I'll wait for you at the rest station."

Shang Yanxiao didn't push, "It's rare to see you admit defeat. In that case, I'll also..."

"Third Brother! You and Second Brother go enjoy yourselves!"

Zhang Changning cut Shang Yanxiao off and moved closer to hook his arm through Bai Xu's, "I'll stay behind and keep Bai Xu company while we wait. Besides, I already went down that trail the day before yesterday."

Bai Xu didn't want Shang Yanxiao to hold back on his account, "It's a rare trip out here. Go."

"Alright then."

Shang Yanxiao and Zhang Changxu exchanged a glance, "We'll do one run and come back down. You two rest up."

Zhang Changxu gave a nod and reminded Zhang Changning repeatedly, "Don't wander off. Wait for me to come back."

Zhang Changning answered obediently, "I know, I won't wander off."

...

Bai Xu and Zhang Changning made their way to the rest station and, out of habit, found a spot tucked in a corner. Each of them ordered a hot drink.

Zhang Changning took a small sip of his chocolate milk, only to wince as the heat stung his lips, "Hiss."

Bai Xu only then noticed the small wound on his lip, "What happened to your lower lip?"

Zhang Changning touched it absently and answered without much concern, "It was already like this when I woke up this morning. Probably got dry from the cold last night, not enough water."

He glanced around, making sure there was no one he knew nearby, "Bai Xu, there's something I want to ask you."

Bai Xu already had a sense of what it was, "Is it about Dr. Zhang?"

"......"

Zhang Changning gave a small nod, "I blacked out completely last night, I can't remember a thing. When did my second brother get here?"

Bai Xu answered honestly, "Around ten, I think. I ran into him checking in at the hotel lobby when I came downstairs, so I just handed you over to him."

Zhang Changning asked with careful hesitation, "I, I didn't say anything I shouldn't have, did I?"

Bai Xu only shared what he was certain of, "When I handed you over to Doctor Zhang, you were pretty far gone and all you wanted to do was sleep. You didn't say a word."

Zhang Changning let out a breath of relief, "That's good then! Whenever I get drunk and just want to sleep, I'm pretty well-behaved."

Bai Xu let out a quiet laugh and took a sip of his own hot drink.

"But Bai Xu, can you promise me one thing?"

Zhang Changning recalled the things he had confessed the night before under the push of alcohol, and the tips of his ears turned faintly red, "You have to keep it a secret for me, alright?"

Bai Xu knew what Zhang Changning was afraid of, "Alright, I promise."

Zhang Changning steadied himself and picked up his chocolate milk, "Let's clink cups on it!"

Bai Xu played along, "Cheers."

The two of them sat drinking their hot beverages.

Zhang Changning casually brought up a topic, "You know, sometimes I'm actually kind of envious of you and Third Brother."

Bai Xu was surprised, "Envious of us?"

Zhang Changning nodded, "Yeah. I've always felt like you and Third Brother are evenly matched in presence, compatible in ability, and most importantly..."

Bai Xu said helplessly, "Why are you keeping me in suspense?"

Zhang Changning smiled and said it plainly, "Most importantly, you have eyes only for each other!"

"Every time you two look at each other while talking, the fondness in your eyes is practically overflowing."

"......"

Was, was that so?

A trace of inexplicable shyness crept over Bai Xu's heart. He kept up a pretense of calm and sipped his drink, "You're exaggerating."

Zhang Changning stood firm in what he had witnessed with his own eyes, "How is that an exaggeration? The way Third Brother looks at you, for as long as I can remember, I've seen it directed at one person and one person only, and that's you. And it's the same with you too."

"......"

"That can't just be simple liking between you two anymore, right?" Zhang Changning paused to think, then declared with conviction, "It's! Love!"

"—Cough!"

Bai Xu choked hard on his drink and couldn't recover for a good while, his entire face burning for reasons he couldn't quite name.

Zhang Changning quickly moved to sit beside him and patted his back to help him catch his breath, "Bai Xu, are you alright?"

"I'm, cough, I'm fine."

Bai Xu waved it off and barely managed to get his breath back.

He looked at Zhang Changning, turning over what the other had just said with a thoughtful expression. They say those on the inside are blind while those on the outside can see clearly, just as he himself had been able to see through the unusual undercurrent between Zhang Changning and Zhang Changxu—

Could it really be that, in the eyes of Zhang Changning and the others looking in from outside, his feelings with Shang Yanxiao had truly reached that point?

Before Bai Xu could make any sense of it, a wave of overlapping panicked cries broke out from beyond the rest station.

"Oh my God!"

"Help! Was that an avalanche up on the mountain?"

–

TL: Muji

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