The facts proved that some gaps simply couldn’t be bridged by temporary determination or expert guidance alone.
Tong Hua’s talent points in sports might have all been allocated to her Einstein-like brain. As for the skill tree of skiing, she had probably taken a wrong turn somewhere.
After countless failed attempts, the most awkward moment arrived—she mistimed her jump, lacked sufficient height, and ended up like a small cannonball with insufficient momentum, wobbling and veering straight toward He Sui, who was just about to demonstrate for her.
“Ouch!”
“Ugh!”
Two dull thuds.
Tong Hua crashed solidly into He Sui. The immense impact threw both of them off balance, sending them tumbling into a thick, untrampled pile of powder snow nearby, splashing up a huge wave of snowflakes.
Fortunately, Tong Hua was petite and light, and the snow was deep and soft. Aside from feeling a bit dazed, neither of them was hurt.
He Sui, buried in the snow, felt a soft, small thing with a faint scent of orange sunshine crash squarely into his chest. The sensation was fleeting, as the culprit was already scrambling to climb off him.
“I can’t do this anymore… If I keep falling like this, I’ll fall apart before I even learn…” Tong Hua struggled out of the snow pile, her face smudged and crumpled in defeat as she surrendered.
Today’s physical exertion had already surpassed her total activity over the past month.
And for He Sui, this was the second time today that this little thing had thrown herself into his arms.
The first time was a collision after a successful teaching moment; this time was an assault after a failure. Both were brief, yet somehow… they left a faint impression in his mind.
He sat up in the snow, brushed the snow off his head, and looked at the small figure that seemed drained of all energy. For once, he didn’t resort to his usual sarcastic tone.
“Alright, that’s enough for today,” he said flatly, his tone betraying no emotion. “These high-difficulty moves are just for fun anyway. No need to take them too seriously.”
Tong Hua hung her head low, her voice muffled and filled with genuine apology. “Oh… I’m sorry for wasting so much of your time.”
He Sui had already stood up. Hearing this, he glanced at her, tidying his ski suit as he spoke in a matter-of-fact tone. “My time is mine to decide. If I don’t think it’s wasted, why are you feeling guilty over nothing?”
He reached out a hand to her. “Don’t sit in the snow. If you catch a cold, don’t blame me.”
Tong Hua was easily pulled up with his help, but she stubbornly protested, “Hey… can’t I just wallow in my misery for a bit longer?” She was enveloped in a cloud of gloom, her back looking as if she hadn’t just failed to learn skiing but had single-handedly collapsed a trillion-dollar business empire, weighed down by immense heaviness.
He Sui found her exaggerated despondence somewhat amusing. He reached out, grabbed the back collar of her ski suit, and interrupted her heavy “business empire bankruptcy” fantasy as if lifting a kitten.
“Hey, hey, hey! What are you doing? I haven’t finished being miserable yet!” Tong Hua waved her arms in protest.
“If you keep moping like this, the sun will set. Are you planning to spend the night in the snow?” He Sui remained unmoved, pulling her along as he headed toward the hotel.
“He Sui! Let go of me! I can walk on my own!”
…
Not far away, Xiao Yu, who had witnessed the entire scene, watched as He Sui carried away the struggling little pink kitten, marveling, “Just like carrying a disobedient kitten—this scene is absolutely priceless.”
Nan Chao stroked his chin, his eyes deep and gossipy. “Why do I feel… our old He might be showing signs of being charmed by this little friend?”
Si Jin immediately nodded in agreement. “Yes, absolutely. This is way too abnormal.”
Reminded by this, Xiao Yu snapped out of his spectator mode, recalling the key issue. His face instantly fell, looking even more defeated than Tong Hua. “Right! He actually! He actually forgot about the humiliation of having his pants pulled down in public! And he could put aside past grievances to patiently teach her how to ski! He didn’t even get angry when she tackled him! But back when I gave him those limited-edition AJs, he wasn’t willing to teach me!!! He Sui, you dog! Double standards!”
“Ah, another heartbroken soul has been added to the world.” Nan Chao and Si Jin exchanged glances, struggling to hold back their laughter as they pretended to gaze at the distant scenery, their shoulders trembling uncontrollably.
…
Back at the manor hotel, Tong Hua washed away the exhaustion and snow stains, changed into comfortable fluffy pajamas, and was dragged by Jiang Mo and the others to the restaurant for dinner.
After all the exercise, she was starving, her stomach practically touching her back, and she buried herself in the food on her plate.
“How did it go learning from He Sui today, little genius?” Jiang Mo asked with a smile.
Tong Hua’s cheeks were stuffed full as she mumbled a complaint, “Don’t even mention it… I fell so many times. I feel like every bone in my body is protesting.”
Su Qingyu elegantly cut her steak and raised an eyebrow. “But then again, it’s really surprising that He Sui was willing to spend an entire afternoon teaching you. He’s not exactly the type to patiently coach beginners.”
Jiang Mo leaned closer to Su Qingyu, lowering her voice with a teasing smile. “Maybe… it’s because our Hua Hua is especially cute?”
“Oh~” Su Qingyu chuckled too, glancing at Tong Hua, who was intently focused on a piece of roast chicken. “Young Master He doesn’t seem like the type to be swayed by something adorable~”
“Maybe he just has a soft spot for that~” Jiang Mo winked, and the two shared a knowing giggle.
“What are you two laughing about?” Tong Hua finally looked up, her cheeks puffed up like a little hamster storing food, her expression full of confusion and bewilderment. Her big eyes held nothing but pure innocence.
Seeing her earnest, clueless expression, Su Qingyu and Jiang Mo felt as if their hearts had been gently struck by something soft. They exchanged a glance and sighed in unison, “Ah, who could resist that…?”
“?”
Tong Hua grew even more puzzled. She turned to Xia Lingxi, who was quietly eating beside her, and gave her a questioning look: Did those two lose their minds while skiing?
Xia Lingxi simply smiled gently and shrugged, indicating she had no idea either.
…
Meanwhile, in the hotel’s recreation area, inside the billiards room.
“He Sui, you dog! Confess honestly! Are you deliberately trying to corrupt the budding flower of our department?!” Xiao Yu struck a shot, the ball sinking into the pocket with a satisfying clack, but his tone was filled with indignation.
He Sui was leaning over to aim when he heard this, not even lifting his eyelids as he lazily retorted, “With me, can it be called corrupting? I’m passing on knowledge, igniting the spark of wisdom. With you, that’s the real corruption, likely to cause both physical and psychological trauma.”
“Damn it! You hypocritical dog!” Xiao Yu planted his cue on the ground. “Back then, I was so sincere in wanting to learn from you, almost kowtowing three times and bowing nine times, and you ignored me! Tong Hua just looked at you with those big eyes, and you eagerly taught her all afternoon! Why!”
He Sui steadily sank the final black eight into the corner pocket, straightened up, picked up the chalk to wipe the tip of his cue, his tone carrying its usual mockery: “She’s smarter than you, that’s an objective fact. I taught her how to brake, and she got it with just one hint. And you? You went straight for the ‘toilet buffet,’ admit it or not? I told you long ago to get a new brain and start over, but you wouldn’t listen. I don’t teach stupid students~”
“Damn it! He Sui! I’m gonna fight you!” Xiao Yu was so angry he lunged forward again.
Nan Chao quickly stopped him with a laugh, mischievously offering Xiao Yu a terrible idea: “Alright, alright, Xiao Zi, just accept your fate! Or… maybe you should really consider cosplaying as a cute girl? Maybe Old He is into that! Honestly, I’d like it too~” His expression was exaggerated, almost as if he had the words “Bro, you smell so good~” written all over his face.
“Get lost! You damn pervert! Stay away from me!” Xiao Yu pushed him away with a look of disgust.
He Sui put down his pool cue, too lazy to get involved in this pointless squabble.
He walked over to the side and picked up his water bottle, but his mind couldn’t help but recall the image of that highly flammable, easily irritable little kitten from the afternoon—how she had frowned in frustration, her eyes reddening but stubbornly refusing to give up when she couldn’t master the move.
A kitten or a husky? How to choose?
The answer seemed self-evident.
He tilted his head back and took a sip of water, the corner of his mouth curling into a faint, almost imperceptible smile he himself hadn’t even noticed.