“Oh, the little hedgehog is actually quite obedient.”
Ni Zijing curled her lips into a smile and said, “Stand up and try it.”
Beginners who have just put on bulky ski boots usually need a period of time to adjust.
Qiao Qiao did as she was told and prepared to move her feet. She did not expect the boots to be so heavy, so she let out an “oops” suddenly.
As her small body tilted forward, Ni Zijing, who was standing right in front of her, steadied her firmly.
With this simple support, Ni Zijing could feel Qiao Qiao’s slender bones through her thick clothes, as if they might snap with just a little extra force.
No wonder she was able to wear two pairs of thick thermal pants; she was truly very thin.
Voices from outside drifted over, and Qiao Qiao panicked, reaching out for her sunglasses, but a helmet was already placed on her head.
Ni Zijing pulled down the goggles, covering Qiao Qiao’s small face completely.
“Did you hire a ski instructor?”
Qiao Qiao answered honestly, “No.”
Ni Zijing looked at her helplessly. She really was a newborn calf that did not fear the tiger; was she so confident in herself on her first time skiing? She would likely be falling from start to finish on the snow.
“Shall I take you?” Although it was a question, Ni Zijing reached out and easily picked up the skis and poles Qiao Qiao had left to the side. She gestured toward the outside and said in a calm voice, “It is easy for you to get into trouble alone. I will teach you some basics first.”
Qiao Qiao walked slowly in her heavy boots, swaying like a penguin. Ni Zijing was much more experienced, having to stop and wait every few steps.
When they got on the lift, Ni Zijing let Qiao Qiao stand in front of her. As soon as she looked up, she saw Qiao Qiao turn her head to unabashedly examine her.
“What are you looking at?”
“Sister Can Can.” Qiao Qiao wore a look of deep regret. “You are so young, why couldn’t you do something else instead of engaging in violence?”
Moreover, she seemed to be doing quite well for herself; she drove a sports car and other people called her “Boss.” She must have started living a life on the streets from a very young age.
Ni Zijing no longer knew how to stop the wild imagination of this little hedgehog.
Her own helpless expression was reflected on the mirrored goggles. Ni Zijing lowered her eyes, straightened Qiao Qiao’s body, and said, “Be careful, the lift is here.”
Qiao Qiao thought to herself that this person was quite kind and must be righteous in her circles, which explained why she was so successful.
Once inside the beginner area of the ski resort, everyone was covered up, and people kept flying past from the slope above. Ni Zijing brought Qiao Qiao to an open space, helped her strap on her skis, handed her the poles, and pointed toward the conveyor belt ahead. “This will take you to the top of the slope. You go wait for me there first, and I will go get my board.”
Qiao Qiao took them and thanked her, “Then I will trouble you.”
Ni Zijing watched her walk in a wobbly manner and warned her again, “Once you are up there, stay put on the side. Do not move around, do you hear me?”
Qiao Qiao nodded and stepped onto the conveyor belt. Ni Zijing watched Qiao Qiao’s back for a moment, feeling as though the snowy wind might blow this little hedgehog away.
The area was outdoors, and even with a face mask, the howling wind made her face ache slightly.
When Qiao Qiao reached the top, she realized that the beginner slope, which did not look steep from below, actually had quite an incline. She struggled off the conveyor belt and sat on the wooden bench at the very top to wait for a while. Her eyes kept glancing downward: Why hasn’t Sister Can Can come yet?
She held her ski pole and aimlessly scratched at the ground when a large group of people suddenly came off the conveyor belt. One of them happened to kick Qiao Qiao’s pole, causing it to slip out of her hand and slide forward.
“Oh, so sorry, so sorry!” The person immediately turned back to apologize, while their companions kept urging them on.
“Let us go, let us go, hurry up!”
“Slide quickly!”
Seeing it was not far, Qiao Qiao looked up and said calmly, “It is fine, I can pick it up myself.”
The group quickly rushed down. Qiao Qiao used her remaining pole to brace herself, stood up, and slowly moved a few steps over.
Good, she was about to reach it.
Just one last step.
At that moment, Qiao Qiao was already near the slope where one could slide down. She bent her waist to reach for the pole and quickly straightened up.
“I succeeded.”
Her voice trailed off. The moment she straightened up, her feet lost their balance, causing her to move forward two steps, and her body involuntarily leaned forward.
The biting wind brushed past her ears, and Qiao Qiao slid down uncontrollably.
At that moment, the only thought in Qiao Qiao’s mind was:
It is over.
Ni Zijing was on the conveyor belt with her snowboard when the corner of her eye caught a familiar figure whizzing past.
“Qiao Qiao!” Ni Zijing did not even realize she had shouted Qiao Qiao’s real name. She pushed past the people in front of her, leaped onto the snow, and strapped on her board in a few swift movements. She was faster than anyone else, charging straight toward Qiao Qiao’s direction.
She watched the frantic, out-of-control figure in front of her with tension. When she saw Qiao Qiao fall and tumble onto the snow with no one there to help her, she could no longer hold back and cursed, “Fuck.”
Qiao Qiao fell until she was dizzy, her mind blank before she hit the ground. She instinctively hugged her helmet and rolled a few times. Her feet felt as if they no longer belonged to her; she could feel neither pain nor cold.
Her goggles fell off to the side when she hit the ground. A moment later, Qiao Qiao realized she was surrounded by people.
“Call the rescue team! Someone fell here!”
“Hey, look, this person looks so familiar. She seems to be that…”
“It is that female celebrity, right? What is her name, Qiao something…”
“Hurry and take a picture! Post it on Moments quickly; it is not every day you see a star!”
Qiao Qiao moved her eyelids with great effort and felt someone holding a phone, taking photos.
It is really over now. Sister Zou is going to kill me.
Before the rescue team arrived, no one dared to move Qiao Qiao. As the pain began to return, Qiao Qiao was forced to tears by the throbbing sensation in her feet.
“Move aside!” A cold voice rang clearly through the crowd. Qiao Qiao turned her eyes toward the source of the sound and saw Ni Zijing, dressed in all black, rushing toward her. She pushed through the crowd, her face looking exceptionally foul.
She had not even adjusted her goggles, mask, or gloves, showing how rushed she had been.
Ni Zijing took the phone from a girl who was taking pictures with the flash on and threw it aside, saying coldly, “Never seen a star before? Why are you taking pictures?”
The surrounding people were so frightened by Ni Zijing’s demeanor that they did not dare to use their phones for photos anymore.
Sister Can Can is so cool! As expected of someone from the streets; this presence is incredible.
Qiao Qiao’s nose was red, and she looked up with teary eyes. If it were not for her leg, she would have cheered for Ni Zijing.
Ni Zijing stood in front of Qiao Qiao, and seeing Qiao Qiao’s reddened eyes, her tone softened immediately. “Stop crying. I am taking you to the hospital now. It might hurt a little when I pick you up, so just bear with it.”
She looked down at the teary-eyed Qiao Qiao, who, framed by the snow, looked even more beautiful and moving, even in such a disheveled state.
“I can endure pain.” Qiao Qiao was not a delicate person, and now that Ni Zijing was here, she did not even make a sound of pain.
Ni Zijing looked up and reverted to her icy tone, scanning the crowd. “Do not you have eyes? Make way for me!”
The surrounding crowd scattered immediately.
Ni Zijing’s hands were red with pain, but she took out her phone and called Ji Qinglin.
The person on the other end had just woken up and sounded sleepy. “Hello?”
“Drive the car to the front of the lobby within ten minutes. We are going to the hospital.”
Ji Qinglin: “What is going on, boss? Hello? Hello?”
Qiao Qiao was probably cold, as she felt her feet were not hurting as intensely anymore. Ni Zijing yanked off her own helmet, letting her long black hair fall down. She did not bother with it, instead carefully removing Qiao Qiao’s skis, hooking one arm under her knees and supporting her back to lift her up steadily.
Ni Zijing tried her best to walk out as steadily and quickly as possible.
The air was filled with biting, icy wind. Qiao Qiao looked up and could see Ni Zijing’s tight jaw and stern expression.
Why does she look even more nervous than I am?
Along the way, there was still a lot of discussion. Now everyone knew that a female celebrity had injured her foot at the ski resort.
However, all those prying gazes were blocked by Ni Zijing.
“Sister Can Can?” Qiao Qiao gasped as she spoke, the pain truly sharp.
“If it hurts, do not talk.” Ni Zijing’s arms tightened.
Qiao Qiao obediently closed her mouth. She had actually wanted to tell Sister Can Can not to be so nervous, but it seemed she was even more nervous now.
When Ni Zijing carried Qiao Qiao to the entrance, Ji Qinglin, who had been lazily leaning against the car door, dropped her jaw in shock. She quickly opened the car door and did not stop talking, “Damn, boss, what happened? Hey, is not this the little girl from the car yesterday? Wait, no, she looks a bit like that celebrity Qiao…”
Ni Zijing cast her a cold glance. “Can you shut up now?”
Ji Qinglin sensibly went to the driver’s seat, while Ni Zijing accompanied Qiao Qiao in the back. Once the car door closed, the prying eyes from outside were finally blocked out. Qiao Qiao finally exhaled, her limbs trembling like a sieve.
“What is wrong? Did you bump your foot while getting in?” Ni Zijing asked immediately.
Qiao Qiao’s face was pale, and cold sweat beaded on her forehead. She smiled weakly, “It is nothing, it just hurts.”
She could not relax until now; she had been suppressing the pain. She had to maintain her reputation; she could not let others see her looking disheveled, and she certainly did not want unflattering photos to be published in entertainment magazines.
She was also quite stubborn.
Ji Qinglin looked in the rearview mirror and tentatively asked, “Are you that celebrity Qiao…”
“No,” Qiao Qiao smiled slightly, “I am Naonao. If you do not believe me, you can ask Sister Can Can, right?”
Qiao Qiao nudged the person beside her.
Ji Qinglin was choked by these words and could not recover for a while. Naonao and Can Can? What is going on between Ni Zijing and this celebrity who is denying her identity?
Ni Zijing did not say a word after hearing this. After a while, she said to Ji Qinglin, “Did you not eat today? Why are you driving so slow?”
Ji Qinglin gripped the steering wheel. “I have not eaten yet, boss.”
When Qiao Qiao heard this, she felt genuinely embarrassed. “Then I will treat you both to a meal after we go to the hospital. I really troubled you.”
Ji Qinglin chuckled, “No worries. It is my first time seeing her this nervous about someone. Hey, Naonao, my boss is quite worried about you.”
Qiao Qiao felt a slight shiver in her heart. What did this imply? Was she trying to tell her on the side that she was already a woman targeted by the underworld?
She shuddered instantly.
Ni Zijing finally lost her patience. “Ji Qinglin, shut up!”
Just then, Qiao Qiao’s phone rang. When she saw the caller ID, her head started to ache.
As soon as she answered, Sister Zou’s voice exploded on the other end: “Qiao Qiao, look at the trouble you have caused me!”
On the computer screen Sister Zou had opened, the headline was striking:
“Shocking! The lover of the allegedly single star finally appears, protects girlfriend by angrily smashing a passerby’s phone!”
The image: A tall woman with black hair and black clothes is bending down to hold Qiao Qiao. Her profile shows a high bridge of the nose, and her eyes are looking tenderly at Qiao Qiao, whose face is half-revealed.
Popularity: Exploding!