After a long while, the focus finally returned to the young man’s eyes. When he spoke, his voice was hoarse with sleep, slow.
“Is there no one outside anymore?” he asked. “It’s rare for someone to come find me here.”
“Nope, no one left! Everyone’s into snowboarding these days. We’re about to be out of a job!”
The ski instructor, hearing this question, glanced back at his idle colleagues in the break room. Suddenly, as if a floodgate had opened, he began to grumble, “Really now, haven’t they heard that saying? ‘In skiing, everyone eventually returns to two planks.’ Have you ever seen someone jump out of a helicopter on a snowboard? Ah, these young kids just don’t understand…”
Shan Chong listened to half of the rambling beside him, and once he confirmed it was just pointless complaining, he tuned it out.
He put on his jacket;
Slowly pulled up his face mask, covering most of his face except for a small section of his nose bridge and his eyes;
Got up, letting his legs dangle from the edge of the long bench;
When he stood, he placed a hand on his waist.
The person rambling beside him immediately stopped.
“What’s wrong?” The ski instructor anxiously stared at the hand on Shan Chong’s waist. “Back pain?”
Shan Chong followed his gaze, looked down, paused for a moment, then removed his hand from his waist. “The bench is too hard. Sleeping on it was tiring. Maybe we should get a cushion next time?”
“…” The ski instructor found this absurd. “Why don’t we ask management to put a bed in here for you?”
Shan Chong hesitated, both doubtful and tempted: “Is that possible? Wouldn’t that be too much?”
The ski instructor, wanting to curse, just said: “…”
At this point, Shan Chong bent down to put on his shoes. Once steady on his feet, he craned his neck to look past the storage boxes outside—
In the distance, he saw two young girls standing outside the instructors’ break room. At a glance, neither seemed very tall.
…That’s good.
Taller people have a higher center of gravity, making snowboarding more challenging. Even Shan Chong, at 178cm, had to work a bit harder than others.
“Two people,” Shan Chong said concisely, turning back to look at the older instructor who had called him. “Beginners? Both for me? Two-to-one?”
His eyes flashed with an accusatory light that seemed to say, “Are you trying to work me to death?”
Seeing this, the ski instructor immediately felt guilty. “Of course not! Isn’t Lao Yan also at our slope today? Why don’t you call him over?”
“What if he won’t come?”
“Is there anyone you can’t persuade? Doesn’t he still want to learn jumps?… Besides, it’s almost 2 PM. The snow outside is all slushy. What good could he do messing around on his own? Wouldn’t it be better to teach some beginners before heading home, earn some dinner money, and lift ticket cash?”
“You make a good point.”
“Right?”
“After this snow season, you could go sell insurance,” Shan Chong said, pulling out his phone from his pocket and looking for a contact without lifting his head. “You might become the top salesperson. Why be a ski instructor? It’s a waste of your talents.”
As he made the call, he glanced outside again at the two girls waiting—
This time, his look was more purposeful.
There were two people outside.
One was thinner and smaller, wearing a gray-white one-piece ski suit. She had short hair, giving her a neat appearance. Her mask was off, hanging in her hand, and she was quite pretty.
The other wore black bib-style ski pants paired with a light pink hoodie. She hugged a white down jacket in the crook of her arm. Her hair was tied in two small braids on either side of her head, with lots of loose strands giving her a fluffy, messy look…
When her companion said something, she giggled.
Her eyes nearly disappeared when she laughed.
Shan Chong didn’t hesitate much. After notifying Lao Yan to hurry down the mountain for the lesson and hanging up, he made his choice.
“I’ll take the one in the bib pants.”
“Alright,” the ski instructor casually glanced outside. “The one who giggles cutely, right?”
“No. The other one’s too skinny,” Shan Chong said. “More meat means a better personality and better at falling. I don’t like teaching fussy ones.”
“…”
…
If Wei Zhi knew why she had been chosen, her dignity would have made her immediately abandon the idea of skiing.
But she didn’t know.
So when the receptionist told her “Your instructor is here,” and she looked up to see the young man in a black ski suit with a black face mask, carrying a snowboard and walking towards her, she immediately cursed inwardly at how handsome he was.
This is where the advantage of skiing becomes apparent—
Everyone wears face masks.
Only the eyes are visible.
How ugly can a pair of eyes be?
So as long as someone has a tall, slender figure and dresses coolly, everyone looks like Takeshi Kaneshiro.
Some say that flirting at a ski resort is like opening a mystery box.
As long as the face mask stays on, there’s hope for a hidden gem inside.
“Hello, I’m your instructor.”
His voice was husky as if he had just woken up.
The masked Takeshi Kaneshiro stopped in front of her, slightly bowing his head. He said politely but somewhat distantly, “Your friend’s instructor is on the way. You come with me first to get your snowboard and boots…”
As soon as he finished speaking, he turned and walked away.
Wei Zhi only managed an “Ah” before hurriedly turning back to glance at Jiang Nanfeng. The latter, staring at the masked Takeshi Kaneshiro’s retreating figure, said, “Your instructor looks extraordinary.”
Wei Zhi retorted, “How can you tell anything with that mask on?”
Jiang Nanfeng insisted, “The outline, the outline! Can’t you see how high his nose bridge is?”
Wei Zhi, feigning indifference while secretly agreeing, scoffed, “Tch.”
Jiang Nanfeng, not indulging her act, narrowed her eyes, “Playing hard to get, are we? Turning up your nose? Well then, we—”
Wei Zhi: “No switching. Goodbye.”
With that, the young girl, like a little chick, fluttered her wings and hopped after the masked Takeshi Kaneshiro… looking back at Jiang Nanfeng would mean admitting defeat.
Wei Zhi took two quick steps to catch up with her freshly minted instructor, asking as she walked, “Big brother, what should I call you?”
At first, there was no response.
Wei Zhi was puzzled. After a while, just as she was about to ask again, she heard an awkward reply from behind the face mask: “…Instructor?”
Wei Zhi: “Huh?”
This time, the voice was firm and decisive: “Just call me ‘Instructor’.”
Wei Zhi: “…”
…
Skiing requires specific equipment: helmet, gloves, goggles, as well as snowboard and boots. All of these are essential and professionally designed. Some ski resorts even rent out ski suits for tourists who just want to experience skiing.
Wei Zhi was guided to use her phone’s QR code to get her lift ticket and ski card, then they headed to rent equipment.
By this time in the afternoon, there weren’t many people at the equipment rental counter, so there was no need to queue.
Wei Zhi looked back at “Instructor” brother.
“Instructor” brother was on point: “First, get the snowboard and boots… helmet, goggles, and gloves are at another window.”
After a quick “Oh,” Wei Zhi turned her head back and fiddled with the ski card in her hand. The card would contain information about the rented items, and deposit, and was also needed to access the ski lifts.
She was seriously examining the ski card in her hand.
“How tall?”
Wei Zhi heard the slow, muffled voice coming from behind her head, slightly muted by the face mask.
She blinked, turned around to meet the eyes of the person behind her, and blinked again.
“162 cm… I think.”
“The length of the board varies based on height and weight, usually about 15 to 20 cm less than your height,” the person behind her stepped forward, subtly taking her place at the rental counter. “When you’re at the hospital, don’t lie to the doctor.”
It was a light, offhand comment.
Shan Chong leaned one hand on the counter, his whole body angled against it, staring at a stain on the wall, not looking at Wei Zhi’s current expression.
The equipment rental staff arrived, first glancing at Wei Zhi, the obvious newbie clutching her ski card, about to ask “Renting a snowboard or skis?”… At that moment, a hand reached out from beside her, took the ski card from the newbie’s grasp, and handed it to the staff.
“143 cm board.”
The staff member seemed to only then notice the person beside her, attention shifting, confused as they looked up and down at the well-covered young man in front of them—
Burton AK457 ski suit, Burton Custom X snowboard, Deeluxe boots, Avi x The North Face collaboration goggles…
This outfit, while not the absolute top-tier professional gear, would still cost twenty to thirty thousand yuan.
Fully equipped, yet not wearing the ski resort’s official instructor jacket.
The resort prohibits anyone other than their own instructors and special partners from giving private lessons.
This person is so well-covered, even if he’s some bigshot with full partnership rights, how the hell are we supposed to recognize him?
…………And he’s not even wearing the teaching identity armband!
Just as a million questions were running through their mind, the person leaning on the counter spoke again: “Get a 143 cm board… What size shoe do you wear?”
He turned to ask Wei Zhi.
“36.5 or 37.”
He turned back.
“Get size 36 boots.”
This back-and-forth voice sounded familiar. The staff member paused, then leaned forward, carefully examining the person in front of them—after a few seconds of eye contact, they exclaimed with an “Oh!” and slapped the counter: “Brother Chong, I was wondering who it was! It’s you! What gale blew you down from the mountain today?”
“Mm, it’s been busy these past few days. They were short-staffed inside, so I got roped in,” Shan Chong glanced at the clock on the wall behind them, then tapped the counter with his finger. “143 cm board.”
The staff member responded with a “Right away,” and was about to turn to get it when they glanced at today’s lucky winner and saw her standing stiffly like a primary school student being punished. They chuckled, “This girl doesn’t look that tall, wouldn’t a 141 cm board be enough?”
Wei Zhi: “…”
Do you even know how to talk?!
Shan Chong glanced at her again, very firmly: “Get the 143 cm, it’s suitable.”
Wei Zhi: “That’s right, I’m 162 cm tall!”
Shan Chong: “It’s not related to that.”
Wei Zhi: “?”
Shan Chong gave her a long, meaningful look.
Wei Zhi: “?”
[The length of the board varies based on height and weight…]
Height.
And weight (emphasis).
Wei Zhi: “…”
She felt quite offended.
When Wei Zhi turned to look at her instructor with resentment, he completely ignored her emotional gaze. He nonchalantly bent down to pull a crumpled instructor armband from his pocket, shook it out, fiddled with it for a while, and then just casually slipped it onto his arm, all wrinkled.
Wei Zhi watched for a moment, then suddenly asked, “Are you an instructor?”
The person who was lowering his head, trying to smooth out the instructor’s armband a bit, heard this and lifted his eyelids to glance at her.
Wei Zhi: “Why are you dressed differently from the other instructors? They all have uniform jackets, but you don’t.”
As soon as the words left her mouth, she felt the air around them go quiet for a few seconds.
Under Shan Chong’s calm gaze, Wei Zhi began to worry anxiously if she had asked something she shouldn’t have. Maybe this guy was a temp who hadn’t been made permanent yet? Yeah, how else could it be that all the other instructors were out giving lessons while he was left behind? Oh no, she’d already asked, would he hold a grudge and make things difficult for her later?…
Just then, he shifted his gaze.
A light scoff came from behind the face mask.
“Because I’m skilled,” he said.
…
As the “Instructor” brother carried two boards toward the lockers, Wei Zhi followed behind him, holding her ski boots, head down, walking with her toes pointed inward.
“Instructor” brother wasn’t wearing the ski resort’s instructor uniform, and his ski suit didn’t have a name tag like the other instructors. But wherever they passed, it seemed everyone knew him and wanted to greet him—
Some called him “Ah Chong,” others “Brother Chong,” and the more outrageous ones even called him “Grandpa Chong.”
The scene…
Have you seen Scar, the villain in “The Lion King,” standing on a high platform, chin raised, watching the hyenas and wild dogs bow down to him?
It was that kind of vibe.
Wow.
Wei Zhi, feeling a bit intimidated, took out her phone, like a small boat seeking shelter from a storm that had capsized it, and set it adrift, searching for her friend.
[Girl Chirp: My instructor is Scar!!! The one from “The Lion King”!]
But her safe harbor didn’t respond.
[Girl Chirp: …]
[Girl Chirp: Where are you????]
It wasn’t until the “Instructor” brother put down the boards, pointed at a chair, and simply commanded “Sit down and put on your boots” that Wei Zhi, looking bewildered, plopped down on the chair as instructed.
Finally, her safe harbor responded.
[Ginger Jiang: Oh, my instructor arrived.]
[Girl Chirp: And then?]
[Ginger Jiang: Do you know Mitsui Hisashi?]
[Girl Chirp: ??????]
[Ginger Jiang: So from now until the ski resort closes in two and a half hours, do not disturb.]
[Ginger Jiang: Meet outside the gate when it’s over.]
[Girl Chirp: ??????]
[Girl Chirp: How did it suddenly become “do not disturb”?]
[Girl Chirp: No! Wait!]
[Girl Chirp: Isn’t Mitsui Hisashi a basketball player???]
[Girl Chirp: He’s crossed borders to ski in China now? Ask him to show you his health code.]
[Ginger Jiang: Are you saying he can’t be multi-talented? Good at both skiing and basketball?]
[Girl Chirp: …]
[Ginger Jiang: “Coach, I want to practice skiing.”]
[Ginger Jiang: It’s quite nice.]
[Ginger Jiang: Do not disturb.]
[Ginger Jiang: See you later.]
“Put down your phone, stop playing,” a calm voice drifted down from above. “I told you to put on your boots.”
Immersed in the same warm atmosphere of being controlled by a homeroom teacher in middle school, Wei Zhi immediately stuffed her phone back into her pocket.