As Shan Chong played with his phone, other ski instructors gradually entered the rest area to clock out for the day.
“Ah Chong.”
“Mm.”
“Brother Chong.”
“Huh?”
“Master Chong.”
“Mm…”
“Chong the God, you haven’t left yet? I heard you were teaching on the magic carpet area today?”
“Yes.”
“So it was you? That guy said he saw you there and thought his eyes were playing tricks on him… Teaching beginners, huh?”
“Yes.”
“Wow, talk about using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.”
…Mm.
Shan Chong thought about it seriously and nodded.
It was like slaughtering a pig. That clumsy student seemed to have a vendetta against the snowboard.
Every instructor who entered the break room came by Shan Chong as if he were the clock-out machine… When the room became thoroughly lively, he finally grew impatient with the small talk. He put away his phone, looked around, and his gaze settled on the snowboard leaning beside him.
The board was still covered in unmelted snow.
“…”
When class ended earlier, the girl’s jubilant mood of relief had left him a bit dazed. He had unconsciously followed behind her as she left, forgetting to clean his snowboard.
Standing up and grabbing his board, Shan Chong walked out – there were free air guns outside the equipment hall for cleaning snow off boards. That area was always particularly busy when the resort was about to close.
Shan Chong ran into Lao Yan there.
He was the other “duck” who had been pushed onto the stage with Shan Chong today.
Despite his name meaning “Lao Yanr”, Lao Yan was quite young, having just turned 20 this year. He was a proper junior at Beijing Sport University with 8-9 years of snowboarding experience. His beautiful freestyle techniques were somewhat famous in China’s snow circles…
He had an especially large female fan base.
Mainly because he was good-looking, with a standard height of 178cm, fair skin, and long phoenix eyes. His short hair was clean-cut, and he wore a black earring in his left ear that sparkled brilliantly in the sunset.
Turning his head and seeing Shan Chong approach, Lao Yan smiled – he had a natural smile with an adorable dimple.
He was undoubtedly the “little milk dog” that older sisters loved.
“Brother Chong!” The little milk dog’s voice was clear and bright. “Just finished class?”
“No, I came back earlier. Forgot to clean my board.” Shan Chong walked over and took the air gun from Lao Yan’s hand. Amid the harsh sound of the gun, he glanced at the person beside him. “Going to the park tomorrow? Want to come?”
Lao Yan was one of the top freestyle riders in China, and also a master at carving. His park skills were just a bit lacking.
He had come to Chongli this year not only to occasionally teach skiing to earn next year’s tuition but mainly to improve his park skills under Shan Chong’s guidance.
Hearing that Shan Chong was going to the park tomorrow, Lao Yan’s eyes lit up.
A few seconds later, he let out an “Ah!” and suddenly looked dejected. “I can’t! Tomorrow I… Why did you have to pick tomorrow of all days to go to the park?!”
Shan Chong raised an eyebrow. “What’s wrong? Do you need to consult an almanac before entering the park?”
“No,” Lao Yan’s ears were practically drooping. “I have to teach a lesson tomorrow…”
As he spoke, his voice trailed off regretfully.
Shan Chong rarely entered the park with others, preferring to ride alone. His invitation to go together implied not only companionship but also free guidance…
A master offering personal instruction!
It was lucky to catch him in such a generous mood once every ten days!
…He didn’t want to miss this opportunity.
But he had already promised that young lady.
“Ah, if only you’d said something earlier! I’ve already been sweet-talked into teaching a beginner tomorrow. Where were you yesterday, the day before, or even the day before that when I was free? You heartbreaker, wah—”
Lao Yan’s mind was filled with cooing pigeons as he agonized over the decision. He didn’t even notice that the person beside him had stopped the air gun and was now quietly watching him, one hand on his snowboard.
When he finally sensed the intense gaze, he immediately stopped rambling and looked at Shan Chong in confusion. “What’s wrong?”
“You’re teaching tomorrow?” Shan Chong suddenly asked.
“Huh? Yeah, what about it?”
“Who booked you? That female student from this afternoon?”
“Yeah, the one you introduced. Besides, I didn’t have any lessons this morning either…”
“How did she book you?”
“What do you mean how? Just like that. We added each other on WeChat at the end of the lesson—”
Shan Chong thought carefully about the students he had taught.
At the end of class, the girl had been so happy she was practically jumping for joy. She had waved goodbye to him with a grin, then turned and left decisively…
There was no way she would have asked for his WeChat.
If anything, she had looked like her backside was on fire and she couldn’t wait to put it out, running off at top speed.
Shan Chong: “…”
Shan Chong: “Are you addicted to teaching beginners or something?”
Lao Yan didn’t quite grasp the peculiar atmosphere at that moment.
The whole world might turn sour, but not Shan Chong. He was just an emotionless skiing machine.
Seeing that no one around was paying attention, Lao Yan wiggled a bit, winked at his Brother Chong, and said in a coquettish voice: “It’s not that. The little lady just said I teach well, that I’m patient and gentle. She said it made her much more interested in skiing, and she insisted I continue teaching her tomorrow—”
Shan Chong: “…”
Shan Chong: “Using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.”
Lao Yan paused: “Huh?”
Shan Chong: “I look down on you.”
Lao Yan: “…”
As Lao Yan stood there dumbfounded, the air gun was forcefully shoved back into his hand. Before he could react, the master had already picked up his snowboard and walked away without looking back.
Lao Yan: “?”
What just happened?
What was that all about?
What did I just say? Why did he suddenly get emotional?
Huh?
My brother?
Where are you going in such a hurry?
…
The next day.
Shan Chong woke up early and arrived at the ski resort half an hour after it opened.
Upon arrival, he didn’t go to the instructor’s break room.
Shan Chong wasn’t a formal full-time resort instructor, just a contracted collaborator… Usually, when he was free and in a good mood, he’d take on some private lessons, charging 6,000 yuan for two hours. Even at this exorbitant price, people were still fighting for slots—
It made sense.
After all, it was Shan Chong.
Currently, there were one or two of his disciples in every professional team at various levels.
Yesterday he had been lounging in the instructors’ room to nap in the warmth when he was roped into being a “living Bodhisattva”, earning 400 yuan to accompany a beginner for half a day…
And the student wasn’t even grateful. By the end of the lesson, she was looking at him like she’d seen a ghost—
…
Hmm.
He couldn’t think about it.
Just the thought of it made his blood boil.
Shan Chong went to the outdoor lockers to change his gear.
After putting on his snow boots, he checked his phone. It was just after 9 AM, but the “Dog-loving Disciples” group chat was already bustling with activity. Several people had posted videos of them ruining today’s corduroy snow (*Corduroy snow: Every day before the resort opens, snow groomers smooth out the slopes. The groomed snow surface has fine, evenly spaced ridges that resemble corduroy fabric, hence the name. Usually, only the first people to hit the slopes in the morning get to enjoy the pristine corduroy).
[CK, Chong: Everyone’s arrived?]
[CK, Chong: Crowded today?]
Seeing Shan Chong speak up, the group responded enthusiastically. Everyone indicated that today’s park was even busier than the equipment hall, with lines forming just to hit a rail.
What was everyone here for?
Actually, as soon as Shan Chong said he was planning to go to the park, others wanted to come too – not necessarily for his guidance, but because when one big shot shows up, another follows, and soon a whole group of experts gathers…
With many experts present, the atmosphere becomes electric.
Word spread quickly, and even people from neighboring resorts had come over to join the fun today.
[CK, Backstab: I’m here too :)]
This “Backstab” was a current professional halfpipe rider from a provincial team, one of Shan Chong’s disciples, and a fellow member of the CK Snowboarding Club.
[CK, Chong: What are you here for?]
[CK, Backstab: To be your hype man, photographer, errand boy, teaching assistant, bootlicker…]
[CK, Chong: …Get lost.]
[CK, Backstab: Yes sir!]
Shan Chong looked at the park video Backstab had filmed. The small area was indeed packed with people today, everyone either hitting jumps or sliding rails…
They were all having fun, the atmosphere was great, and it was very lively.
There were indeed people in this world with normal aesthetic tastes who knew how to appreciate his excellence and were motivated to improve their snowboarding skills.
It was somewhat comforting.
He stood up after putting on his snow boots and picked up his board, ready to head out to the chairlift.
Passing by the instructors’ break room, the entrance was crowded with new skiers waiting to find instructors. He was originally going to walk by with his head held high, not looking sideways.
Amidst the noisy chatter, he suddenly heard a familiar voice behind him—
“Sis, can you help me ask if my instructor from yesterday is here?”
The girl’s voice was soft and sweet.
With unnecessary emphatic particles.
A strange way of enunciating that tried too hard to sound cute… He had heard it enough yesterday to make his ears callous.
“What does he look like? I don’t know, he was wearing a face mask! He’s quite tall, at least 175cm. Yesterday he was wearing all black, not an instructor uniform… He looked handsome with the face mask on, but he has a mean mouth.”
…
“He has a bit of a temper. Can you ask if there’s an instructor here with a bad temper— What? Do your instructors all have good tempers after training? Then he must have skipped the training day. He does seem like the type to skip classes.”
…
“I don’t know his name. What? Name tag? He wasn’t wearing one. He didn’t even put on the instructor’s armband until later.”
…
“I think there was a ‘chong’ in his name. I heard someone call him that, but I don’t know which character it is.”
Shan Chong turned around.
He saw the girl with two braids wearing a bib-style snowsuit, leaning on the counter of the instructors’ break room in a very familiar pose. Her chin rested on her hands as she stared with round eyes. From the side, her long curled eyelashes looked like little fans, fluttering away.
She was pestering the receptionist to find her an “instructor with a mean mouth and bad temper”.
She didn’t know the instructor’s name.
She didn’t know the instructor’s surname either.
She still didn’t know what the instructor looked like.
She knew nothing.
Just from the description, it sounded like she was looking for an ill-tempered black marmot.
But she still gestured animatedly, earnestly searching for a needle in a haystack…
She didn’t seem very bright.
Shan Chong stopped in his tracks.
His eyes moved slightly, and from the corner of his vision, he happened to see yesterday’s bear-like alpine ski instructor poking his head out from under the service counter… The bear instructor was free again today. Seeing the girl standing outside the counter, he immediately recognized her and heard that she was looking for someone. He chuckled, “Little miss, it’s you! So early today? What, are you looking for the instructor who taught you yesterday? Ah, you shouldn’t bother looking for him. That big shot isn’t one of our full-time instructors. He was just filling in out of kindness yesterday… He’s probably already up on the mountain by now. You have no idea how many people are waiting for him up there today—”
Shan Chong didn’t hear what was said after that. It was too noisy around, and the instructor’s voice blended perfectly into the background noise.
Shan Chong expressionlessly took two steps back.
He retreated to the entrance of the instructors’ break room.
…
Amidst the coming and going of people.
Wei Zhi’s raised heels dropped back to the ground. She blinked, facing the kind-hearted bear-like alpine ski instructor with a bit of disappointment but still politely said, “Is that so? He’s not here? Well, thank you. Sorry to trouble you. Just find me any—”
“Looking for me?”
A deep and calm voice sounded behind her head.
Wei Zhi’s voice cut off abruptly.
She turned around and met a pair of emotionless black eyes. The young man wearing a face mask and dressed all in black stood just an arm’s length behind her—
A high, straight nose, somewhat cold black eyes, single eyelids so sharp they looked cruel, an intimidating presence that commanded respect without even trying, with a ten-meter-wide aura…
Eek.
It was the person she was looking for.
Wei Zhi’s eyes slowly widened.
“Cat got your tongue?” Shan Chong asked again, “Were you looking for me?”
Wei Zhi nodded.
“What for?”
“…For… for a lesson.”
Her tongue felt a bit tied—
She had spent all night mentally preparing herself, and finally decided to continue with this harsh instructor today, after all, even though he had a sharp tongue, he did teach quite seriously…
She didn’t expect that seeing him in person would still make her nervous.
When he spoke, she felt like standing at attention and saluting.
Wei Zhi stared at the person in front of her. Seeing that he hadn’t answered for a long time and didn’t say whether it was okay or not, she immediately became more nervous and quickly waved her hands: “But the guy inside said you’re busy today. If you’re busy then never mind, it’s my fault for getting up late—”
“…”
Behind the face mask that the little girl couldn’t see, the corners of the young man’s lips curled up silently.
Then quickly flattened again.
“I’m free.”
His voice still sounded devoid of much emotion.
“I have time.” As everyone fell silent in surprise, Shan Chong lifted his eyelids slightly and repeated to confirm once more, glancing at the bear-like alpine ski instructor in the break room, “Register it. I’m taking her.”
The bear-like alpine ski instructor who hadn’t yet reacted: “Huh?”
The man withdrew his gaze and lowered his eyes to sweep over Wei Zhi, his gaze landing on her hairtips: “Got your ski pass?”
Wei Zhi: “Y-yes, I did.”
He made an “oh” sound and casually tilted his head towards the equipment rental area: “Go rent a board.”
The bear-like alpine ski instructor who still hadn’t reacted: “Huh huh?”
Shan Chong walked away.
Behind him followed a bouncing little tail.
When they had both walked far away, the little tail suddenly seemed to remember something. She turned back and gratefully waved to the bear-like alpine ski instructor, indicating: Thank you, bye-bye.
The slowly reacting bear-like alpine ski instructor: “?”
The slowly reacting bear-like alpine ski instructor stretched his neck out like a turtle, leaning out from the service counter and shouting after them with all his might: “Wait! God Chong, what about all those people waiting for you in the park? Are you abandoning them? Have a heart! If they come looking for you later and make trouble, where am I supposed to find someone to replace you? Won’t they tear down our instructors’ break room?”
The person holding the snowboard simply waved a hand at the voice without even turning around. His voice remained calm: “They won’t cause any trouble.”
The burly ski instructor retorted, “That’s nonsense!”
Shan Chong replied, “I’ve got a backup plan.”
The burly ski instructor was left speechless.
Well then.
He had already found a replacement.
Impressive.