RAHHSFL - Chapter 71
Chapter 71
The first rays of dawn peeked through the gap in the curtains, casting a sliver of light onto the pristine white sheets. Qin Juran, her brow slightly furrowed in sleep, stirred and slowly opened her eyes. In her arms, the young woman slept soundly.
Ruan Nan was very peaceful.
Her eyelashes were long and curled, her nose high, her lips unconsciously pouting even in sleep.
Her warm, chestnut-brown curls spread across the pillow, accentuating her fair skin. Qin Juran smiled, her eyes still closed, and gently kissed Ruan Nan's lips before she woke up.
Her phone vibrated. Qin Juran opened WeChat. Wang Yuanyuan: [Juran, are you guys ready? Lin Wei said to meet in the hotel lobby at 9 sharp.]
Qin Juran glanced at the time: 8:40 a.m.
She replied: [You guys go ahead this morning. We'll be there around noon.]
Wang Yuanyuan: [What's wrong, Juran? Is something the matter?]
Qin Juran glanced at the person in her arms. [Nothing's wrong. Ah Ruan was very tired last night. Letting her sleep in.]
Wang Yuanyuan, perpetually single, immediately replied: [You can get tired from soaking in hot springs? Should I come over and check on her?]
...
Qin Juran: [Soaking in hot springs isn't tiring. What happens after soaking in hot springs is tiring.]
Wang Yuanyuan, driven by her innate curiosity, was about to ask more when she suddenly realized that they had all gone back to the hotel after the hot springs. So, if they were already back at the hotel, how could they be tired?
Oh. My. God.
Wang Yuanyuan immediately sent a blushing emoticon with a nosebleed, followed by: [Sorry to bother you! Sorry!]
Qin Juran chuckled, put her phone down, carefully slipped her arm out from under Ruan Nan, and went to take a shower. She had ordered room service. After her shower, she waited in the living room and opened the door as soon as she heard footsteps approaching.
A young woman with blond hair and blue eyes, dressed in a standard waitress uniform, carried a tray of food. She seemed surprised that Qin Juran had opened the door before she could knock.
Qin Juran gestured for silence, and the waitress nodded, carefully tiptoeing inside in her heels and placing the food on the table.
With the curtains drawn, the room was dimly lit. After the waitress left, Qin Juran followed her to the door and exchanged a few words in fluent English, handing her a tip.
The young woman tilted her head, smiling, and asked where they were from.
"China."
The young woman nodded, expressing with exaggerated gestures that China was a place she longed to visit and that she would definitely travel there when she saved enough money.
Qin Juran said she was very welcome. The young woman nodded again and asked Qin Juran, "Are all the girls in China as beautiful as you and your companion?”
Such innocent and sincere praise. Qin Juran smiled and said she would have to see for herself.
The young woman nodded. "Are you and your companion sisters?"
"Do we look alike?" Qin Juran replied in English.
"Your noses look similar~"
Qin Juran chuckled and shook her head. "No."
"We're a couple."
The young woman covered her mouth with her hand, trying to suppress a gasp. Her face was a mixture of surprise and admiration as she nodded and gave a thumbs-up.
After the brief chat, Qin Juran turned and went back inside. As she entered the bedroom, she saw Ruan Nan was awake, sitting on the bed in a loose nightgown, her hair tousled.
Qin Juran walked over and opened the curtains halfway, letting the sunlight stream in, illuminating the room and casting a warm glow on the snow-covered landscape outside. She sat on the edge of the bed. "Did I wake you?"
Ruan Nan blinked sleepily and shook her head. "I've slept enough."
Ruan Nan had low blood sugar and looked a little pale in the morning. Qin Juran leaned closer, pulling her into a hug, and whispered in her ear, "Still sore?"
Ruan Nan blushed, but not as shyly as before. She relaxed into Qin Juran’s embrace and closed her eyes again. "It... doesn’t hurt as much anymore."
Qin Juran gently squeezed her ear. "That's good."
"Still going skiing today?"
Ruan Nan looked at her. "Why wouldn't we?"
Qin Juran chuckled. "Skiing uses a lot of thigh muscles."
"I don't want you to overexert yourself."
Ruan Nan blushed again, nuzzling against her, then asked playfully, "Are you really okay with coming all the way to the Swiss Alps and not skiing?"
Qin Juran shrugged, playfully booping Ruan Nan’s nose. "After last night, I could die happy."
After Ruan Nan showered and got dressed, Qin Juran had already warmed up the food from room service. They ate, and Qin Juran watched Ruan Nan walk around for a bit, making sure she was alright before agreeing to go skiing.
The atmosphere between them was comfortable and natural. There weren’t any dramatic declarations of love like in movies, just a subtle, unspoken connection.
It felt like everything had changed, and yet, everything was still the same.
They were simply more in love.
Ruan Nan asked shyly, "Aren't you tired? I... I feel like you're the one who's more tired..."
"Why?"
Ruan Nan paused, remembering Qin Juran's "gentle guidance" the night before, and bit her lip. "J-just because."
Qin Juran smiled. After breakfast, they called Lin Wei, who was probably already enjoying the slopes. He didn’t answer until half an hour later.
As soon as he picked up, he exclaimed, "Qin Juran, you're not even sparing Nan Jie on this trip?"
Ruan Nan blushed, snatching the phone. "Lin Wei, if you say another word, I'll make sure you never leave the country!”
"Okay, okay, I'll stop. Hurry up and get here, it's not too crowded today. I'll ask the guide to pick you up."
A while later, the guide arrived and drove them to the ski resort. Although Qin Juran knew Lin Wei had already tipped her, she politely offered another one.
At the ski resort, everyone was geared up. Qin Juran and Ruan Nan also picked out their equipment. When asked what kind of skis they wanted, Ruan Nan said, "This is your first time skiing, right?"
Qin Juran, having had her fill of kayaking, skiing, and even helicopter rides in her past life, was afraid of giving herself away, so she thought for a moment and shook her head. "I think I skied once up north when I was little."
A perfectly ambiguous answer.
Ruan Nan nodded. "Ski slopes in China are generally easier, especially if it’s been a while. The beginner slopes here are equivalent to intermediate slopes back home. So, today is basically your first time. You should stick to the beginner slopes."
Qin Juran nodded. "What about you?"
Ruan Nan raised an eyebrow. "I'll be with you, of course.”
The beginner slopes were practically a children's playground for their actual skill level, but there wasn’t much they could do about it. Qin Juran smiled and stroked Ruan Nan's hair. "It's nice having a wife.”
Qin Juran and Ruan Nan chose double skis. As they walked towards the common area, they saw five people in bright red ski suits showing off their skills on snowboards. Qin Juran immediately recognized Lin Wei and the others.
They swooped down the slope, somehow zeroing in on Qin Juran and Ruan Nan. Lin Wei took off his goggles. "How was that, Qin Juran? Wasn't Young Master Lin dashing just now?"
Qin Juran gave him a perfunctory nod, too lazy to respond.
"This is the advanced slope, too dangerous for you. Should we get you an instructor for the beginner slopes?"
"No need, I'll go with her," Ruan Nan said.
"Nan Jie, you’ve come all the way to Switzerland, aren't you going to try the advanced slopes? How about I take Qin Juran to the beginner slopes?" Zhou Ziqing asked.
Ruan Nan shook her head. "I feel better if I'm with her. We'll come find you guys if we finish early."
They had all-day passes. Skiers took a cable car up the mountain. The higher the slope, the longer the ride up, so each run took about half an hour.
Qin Juran and Ruan Nan queued for the beginner slope. Ruan Nan explained the basic postures and techniques, which Qin Juran picked up quickly, her form already quite good.
For beginners, mindset was more important than technique, especially on beginner slopes. As long as one wasn’t afraid and had someone to guide them, they could learn the basics in two runs.
The cable car reached the summit. A safety officer with a small flag counted down, and Qin Juran and Ruan Nan smoothly jumped off, their skis gliding easily.
At the top of the slope, Ruan Nan seemed more nervous than Qin Juran. Bundled in their thick ski suits, they had to shout to be heard. Ruan Nan said something, and Qin Juran simply gave her an "OK" sign.
Ruan Nan turned around, and they braced themselves against each other with their skis. The biggest mistake in skiing was leaning back; this way, Qin Juran could keep her weight forward.
The next cable car arrived. Ruan Nan, wasting no more time, counted down, and they pushed off with their ski poles. They glided downwards, Ruan Nan at a more tiring angle. Qin Juran deliberately controlled her speed and direction, matching Ruan Nan's pace.
Ruan Nan was incredibly focused. Other skiers were either falling or screaming, but they were as calm and steady as a pair of decorative turtles.
And their ski suits were both green, to boot.
Qin Juran couldn’t help but laugh. When they safely reached the bottom, Ruan Nan asked what was so funny. Qin Juran shook her head. "How's my talent?"
Ruan Nan pouted. "You've obviously skied before.”
"No, Ah Ruan, I just have a natural talent for practical skills.”
On the second cable car ride up, Qin Juran whispered in Ruan Nan's ear, "So last night, that really was a first-timer's performance.”
They went down a few more times. By four in the afternoon, Qin Juran had gotten the hang of it. Although she couldn't do any fancy tricks, she could control her direction, slow down, and even come to a complete stop.
They planned to leave at five. Qin Juran checked the time. "Ah Ruan, want to try the intermediate slope?"
Ruan Nan shook her head. "The intermediate slope here is a big jump in difficulty. The dividing barriers are trees. If you lose control, it could be dangerous. It's too difficult for your first day."
Lin Wei and the others arrived just then. Lin Wei chimed in, "I just saw Qin Juran skiing, she's pretty good. And Nan Jie, you're there with her. Just try it! She hasn't even fallen once, has she? You can't learn to ski properly without falling a few times!"
Ruan Nan was still hesitant. Qin Juran asked, "How about I wait at the bottom, and you guys go to the advanced slope?”
Zhou Ziqing: "How about this, Nan Jie, you try the advanced slope once to get a feel for it, then come down and take Qin Juran on the intermediate slope? That should be fine, right?"
Everyone agreed this was a good idea. Qin Juran also consented, saying she would wait at the bottom. The advanced slope started at the very top of the mountain, winding down in several loops before reaching the bottom. Before Ruan Nan went up, Qin Juran asked again, "Are you sure you're okay?"
Ruan Nan nodded.
"I'll wait for you down there."
Ruan Nan joined Lin Wei and the others on the cable car. Qin Juran walked towards the common rest area. The weather was clear, the sky a brilliant sapphire blue, the snow-capped mountains stretching out before her, skiers from all over the world dotting the slopes in their colorful outfits - a harmonious blend of humans and nature.
Qin Juran waited at the bottom for almost forty minutes before she saw a group of colorful figures descending the slope. Lin Wei and the others were in red, while Ruan Nan, having changed her outfit for the afternoon session, was in green, making her easy to spot.
Ruan Nan, leaning forward as she skied, looked agile and graceful despite her thick ski suit. Her figure carved a smooth line down the slope, executing a beautiful turn.
Even without seeing her expression, Qin Juran knew that beneath the blue sky and against the backdrop of the snow-capped mountains, the girl waiting for her must be smiling brightly.
Ruan Nan skied to the designated area. Qin Juran waved, and Ruan Nan rushed into her arms. Like two penguins, they hugged awkwardly, their skis getting in the way. Ruan Nan took off her mask, her face beaming. "Ju Ju, you have to learn quickly! Next winter, we'll ski the advanced slopes together!"
"It's super, super fun!"
Seeing her so happy and childlike, Qin Juran smiled. "We still have time. Want another run?"
Ruan Nan shook her head. "Later. Today, I want to be with you. It’s more fun with you~"
Such sweet words.
Ruan Nan pulled Qin Juran towards the cable car for the intermediate slope. Lin Wei, Zhou Ziqing, and the others, tired after a full day of skiing, said they would wait in the lobby.
A normal run on the intermediate slope took about twenty minutes at most. Lin Wei and the others waited for over half an hour, but Ruan Nan and Qin Juran still hadn’t returned. After another five or six minutes, Wang Yuanyuan, ever the observant one, started to worry. "Should we go check on them?"
Lin Wei checked his phone; no new messages.
As they hesitated, they heard the sirens of an ambulance approaching, its lights flashing as it drove up the mountain. Half of the ski resort's rescue team was rushing towards the intermediate slope.
Their faces paled, Lin Wei and the others took off their skis and ran towards the scene. A cordon had been set up around the outer perimeter of the intermediate slope. Evacuated skiers in their ski suits, some still wearing goggles and hats, milled about. Lin Wei felt a wave of dizziness wash over him. They split up, shouting Qin Juran and Ruan Nan's names, adding to the chaos.
The ambulance drove halfway up the slope, its stretcher at the ready. Staff and security personnel shouted instructions in English, evacuating people. Lin Wei and his friends, without their skis, were stopped at the cordon. They were sweating profusely in the freezing cold, arguing with the security guards in broken English.
"I find my fri..."
He grasped two key elements: the sound of the ambulance siren and the word "friend." The security guard frowned slightly, "The girls are your friends?"
Hearing "The girls," Wang Yuanyuan felt even dizzier. Just as she was about to ask more, Lin Wei's phone rang. They fumbled to answer it, "Hello, Nan Jie?"
It was Qin Juran.
"Lin Wei, where are you guys?"
"We heard there was an accident on the intermediate slope and were afraid it was you, so we came looking."
"Oh, it wasn't us. Are you guys okay?"
"That's good, that's good. You guys go change first, we'll meet you at the exit."
Zhou Ziqing and the others breathed a sigh of relief and headed towards the lobby. In the changing room, Ruan Nan sat on the sofa. Qin Juran hung up the phone, walked over, and silently pulled her into an embrace.
Just moments ago, Qin Juran and Ruan Nan had been skiing down the intermediate slope together. The intermediate slope didn't allow for the two-person-one-back-one-front method anymore. Even though Qin Juran had said many times that Ruan Nan could relax, Ruan Nan's heart was still pounding from the moment they started.
The two of them skied one after the other, Ruan Nan in front, Qin Juran maintaining a safe distance behind. The slope became steeper, their speed increasing. Despite being fully geared, they could feel the wind resistance. Even though the danger was ahead, Ruan Nan was more worried about the person behind her.
As they neared a connecting barrier, the foreign girl skiing in front of Ruan Nan suddenly veered further and further to the right. At first, Ruan Nan thought she was going for a jump. But then she realized something was wrong. The girl was going too fast, completely out of control. Ruan Nan shouted, but she couldn't catch up. The next moment, she watched helplessly as the girl crashed directly into the barrier.
With a loud bang, the girl was thrown into the air and then fell.
Ruan Nan was shaken by the scene, her body wobbling. She couldn't control her speed or direction and was about to crash into the side just like the other girl. As she tried her best to turn and tell Qin Juran to stop, a force suddenly came from behind. "Ah Ruan, grab me!" Qin Juran shouted.
Ruan Nan subconsciously reached out. Qin Juran extended a ski pole. At the very moment they were about to veer off, she controlled their direction. Qin Juran bent one knee, planting her other leg firmly on the ground, using an extreme method to slow down. She was also pulling Ruan Nan, doubling the difficulty. The people behind were still catching up. In that split second, Ruan Nan came to her senses, let go of Qin Juran, followed behind her, and used the same method to slow down.
By the time they had completely skied down from that section, the ski patrol rescue team was already rushing to the accident site.
With that level of impact, a few broken ribs would be a minor issue.
Those few short minutes felt incredibly long to Ruan Nan. The image of the girl flying in front of her was still vivid in her mind. Ruan Nan didn't dare to think what would have happened if Qin Juran hadn't caught up from behind to slow them down.
If Qin Juran had been injured, what would she have done? How would she explain it to Qin Haotian and Zuo Yanzhen?
"Ah Ruan, don't think about it. In that situation, we couldn't have helped that girl."
Qin Juran thought Ruan Nan was blaming herself for not being able to help the person who had the accident.
Warmth gradually returned to Ruan Nan's hands. "No, it's not that."
"You were afraid... that it was us who had the accident?"
Ruan Nan nodded.
Qin Juran knelt down. "It's okay, Ah Ruan, we didn't have an accident. Accidents are normal in sports like this. We've learned so many coping skills precisely for moments like these."
"It's all over now."
They hugged again for a while. Ruan Nan looked up, "When that girl had the accident, did you see it?"
Qin Juran gave a wry smile. "I saw it."
"What were you thinking at that moment?"
Qin Juran reached out to tuck a strand of hair behind Ruan Nan's ear. "After she fell, you started to veer off too. At that moment, all I could think about was grabbing you."
Ruan Nan nodded again.
"Let's go change first. Lin Wei and the others are still waiting for us."
Qin Juran and Ruan Nan changed their clothes and went to the lobby. As soon as Wang Yuanyuan saw them, she rushed over and hugged them, complaining, "Juran, Nan Jie, you two scared us to death!"
Qin Juran apologized for making everyone worry and asked how the injured person was. Lin Wei said he didn't quite understand either, but basically, the person couldn't move and was taken to the hospital by ambulance.
Zhou Ziqing, seeing Ruan Nan looked pale, told him to say less and suggested they go back to the hotel for dinner.
Everyone agreed. The bus was parked at the entrance. Ruan Nan and Qin Juran sat in the last row. The curtains blocked the outside light. It was some distance to the hotel. After a day of skiing and the scare, they soon fell asleep on the bus.
Ruan Nan also closed her eyes. Qin Juran let her sleep for a while. When even breaths were heard throughout the bus, Qin Juran turned her head and found Ruan Nan was still awake.
"Ah Ruan."
"Hmm?"
"When you suddenly veered off today, apart from being scared by that girl, was it also because you were worried about me?"
Ruan Nan lowered her eyes. Knowing she couldn't hide it from Qin Juran, she murmured a soft "yes."
Qin Juran's hand, resting by her side, clenched imperceptibly. After a long moment, she suddenly said, "I'm sorry, Ah Ruan."
"Why are you apologizing? You were clearly the one who saved me."
Qin Juran pressed her lips together, finding it hard to explain.
She had seen it clearly at the time. Even when Ruan Nan was already veering off, she was still trying her best to turn and protect her. And if Ruan Nan hadn't been worried about her, perhaps she wouldn't have made a mistake in the first place.
Should she tell Ruan Nan that she actually knew how to ski, and had even obtained an advanced certificate in her past life?
Qin Juran leaned back in her seat, reached out to hold Ruan Nan's hand tightly, and let out a long breath. "Ah Ruan, we will always be by each other's side."
The bus arrived at the hotel entrance. Lin Wei and the others were sleeping soundly. Qin Juran helped Ruan Nan put on her scarf. Everyone planned to go back to their rooms to freshen up before dinner.
Qin Juran and Ruan Nan made a quick stop at a nearby convenience store to buy a few things before returning to the hotel. In the lobby, a few men in suits with Chinese faces seemed to be sitting there. Neither Qin Juran nor Ruan Nan paid them any mind. As they were about to reach the elevators near the corridor, a voice suddenly called her name from behind.
"Qin Juran."
Qin Juran and Ruan Nan turned around together.
Behind them stood a man in a black three-piece business suit. His gold-rimmed glasses glinted in the light.
It was Qin Yuan.
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