A small candy

Chapter 40 What Reward Do You Want?

The moment the message was sent, Jian Ling regretted it and hastily withdrew it. She covered her phone with her hands as if she was guilty and waited for a while, but there was no movement from the phone.

Didn't Cheng Zhixu see it? Impossible. They were chatting, and he was staring at the phone screen the whole time. He should have seen it the first time.

As her thoughts raced, Jian Ling heard a knock on the door, followed by a man's clear voice that sounded like snow and wind: "Open the door."

Help! Cheng Zhixu actually came straight over here!
The knocks on the door seemed to strike at Jian Ling's heart. She swallowed hard, trying to calm down. However, the moment she opened her mouth, her nervousness was exposed: "I... I fell asleep."

The person outside the door seemed to chuckle, the sound was so low that it was blown away by the wind: "You are asleep, and the one talking to me is a ghost. Open the door, warmth is coming."

Jian Ling burst out laughing, wrapped in the quilt, and shouted towards the door: "I'm really lying in bed. It's too cold to get up, so I won't open the door for you. Go back to sleep."

"Jian Ling." Cheng Zhixu called her full name word by word, one hand resting on the door, head lowered and chuckled, "Didn't you ask me to warm the bed?"

Jian Ling regretted her decision and emphasized again: "I was just joking, don't take it seriously, I'm going to sleep."

Cheng Zhixu pressed his palm against the door, straightened up, shoved his hands into his trouser pockets, and fixed his gaze on the closed door. He had the nerve to flirt but not the courage to take responsibility. It seemed he hadn't scared her that Christmas Eve.

"Okay, go to bed early." Cheng Zhixu was sure that she would not open the door to let him in. After standing there for a while, he collected his thoughts and went back to his room next door.

Jian Ling pricked up her ears and listened quietly for a while. The footsteps outside the door gradually faded away, and the sound of a door closing could be faintly heard. It was Cheng Zhixu returning to his room.

The alarm was lifted, and she slapped her head, feeling annoyed at how she never learned her lesson and always spoke without thinking. Fortunately, Cheng Zhixu was a gentleman, otherwise he would have dragged her out and given her a good beating.

Jian Ling stretched out her legs and stared at the pumpkin lantern above her head in a daze. As she stared, double images appeared before her eyes. With a trace of regret, she fell into a deep sleep.

When Jian Ling woke up again, she was interrupted by a knock on the door. She was dazed and thought she had only slept for a short time. Her memory was still stuck on last night - she had provoked Cheng Zhixu, and he came to knock on her door to punish her.

Thinking of this, she sat up with a start, picked up her phone and saw that eight hours had passed.

"Jian Ling? Are you still not awake?" It was Cheng Zhixu's voice outside the door.

Jian Ling rolled out of bed, slipped on her slippers and went to open the door to let him in. She scratched her hair embarrassedly and said, "I just woke up. You may have to wait a while."

"It's okay, take your time to clean up." Cheng Zhixu closed the door to prevent the cold air from outside from coming in.

Jian Ling glanced at him sleepily, turned around and ran to the bathroom to wash up. About ten minutes later, she came out, the sleepiness disappeared from her face, and she squatted beside the suitcase to look for clothes.

Cheng Zhixu reminded him, "Wear something warmer. There's no shelter around the ski resort, and it's very windy."

Jian Ling skipped the fashion choices and took out the thickest equipment. She wore a black turtleneck sweater over a fleecy thermal coat, and then a mid-length cold-proof down jacket on top. She also put on warm pants and cotton boots.

Cheng Zhixu saw her fixing her hair in front of the mirror, so he stood up and walked over, standing behind her, taking a scarf from the hanger and wrapping it around her neck.

Jian Ling turned around to face him, stood on tiptoe, and looked up at him like a big stupid bear: "I'm wearing a turtleneck, so I don't need to wear a scarf."

"The wind will blow in through the collar." Cheng Zhixu tied a knot on the scarf, covering half of her face, revealing only a pair of smart and watery eyes.

"Okay." Jian Ling raised her hand to pull her hair out of her scarf and put on a woolen hat. Suddenly, she discovered a new world and pointed at Cheng Zhixu's chest, "Boss Cheng, we are wearing matching outfits!"

Both of them wore black turtleneck sweaters and white down jackets, and they looked very good together.

In comparison, Cheng Zhixu's outfit was much lighter. The zipper of his down jacket was unzipped, leaving his chest open. The sweater inside was not very thick, and it was woven with a cable-knit pattern. Paired with crisp black trousers, he looked exceptionally handsome and imposing.

The first time Jian Ling saw him wearing a white down jacket, he looked handsome and elegant, standing tall like a pine tree, like a little idol in a talent show. She had to control herself hard not to show a crazy expression.

Cheng Zhixu had already noticed it, but when she pointed it out to him, he just raised his eyebrows slightly and said playfully, "Aren't you trying to imitate me on purpose? I put it on first."

"Don't be so self-indulgent." Jian Ling rushed over and punched him, then grabbed the collar of his down jacket. "You were right to put it on first, but you were the one who packed my suitcase. Who knows if you have any ulterior motives?"

The night before departure, Jian Ling returned to her apartment to pack her luggage, and Cheng Zhixu followed her, saying he was worried. She packed her underwear, makeup, and skincare products herself, but since she wasn't familiar with the Swiss weather, she left the packing of her clothes to him.

"You really don't admit defeat at all."

Cheng Zhixu couldn't do anything with her. He grabbed her hand, pulled her over and kissed her before he was satisfied. Then he took her out of the room.

The two of them had a simple Western breakfast and were taken to the ski resort by the B&B's car. Jian Ling leaned against the car window all the way to admire the snowy scenery along the way, taking in all the scenery that she hadn't been able to see since getting off the plane yesterday.

When we got there, it was just as Cheng Zhixu had said. There was no shelter at all at the ski resort, only a few high steep slopes. Wind wrapped in ice and snow rushed in from all directions, penetrating the gaps in our clothes. We were so cold that our teeth were chattering when we tried to speak.

Despite this, there is still a constant stream of people coming to ski, from children as young as five or six years old to middle-aged and elderly people in their fifties and sixties, all of whom are enjoying the gift of nature.

Everyone was playing in their own areas, not disturbing each other. For an inexperienced skier like Jian Ling, she could only play in the novice area. She could only watch in the expert areas.

Jian Ling witnessed a frail man in the expert area snowboarding down a high slope at breakneck speed, leaping into the air, traversing a multi-meter obstacle, landing perfectly, and gliding for a while. She was so astonished that her breath caught in her throat. "That's incredible!" Jian Ling praised him heartily.

"Don't look." Cheng Zhixu straightened her head and made her look at the snow under her feet. "You can only play here. Don't think about other places for now."

With his help, Jian Ling put on her protective gear: a helmet, wrist guards, knee pads, and a hip guard that looked like a giant turtle doll. She didn't want to stain her down jacket, so she bought the ski club's jacket, a jacket designed to protect her from the elements. Hers was red, Cheng Zhixu's was blue. Cheng Zhixu didn't let her snowboard; he gave her skis and two poles.

The ski resort is surrounded by a lush forest. It is winter now, and under the foggy sky, there is not a trace of green. From a distance, it looks pitch black. Snow hangs on the branches, and falls down when the wind blows.

Cheng Zhixu coughed lightly, pulling her back to her thoughts. He put on a stern face and pretended to be a serious ski instructor. He demonstrated and explained the key points of skiing to her: "First, you have to learn to adjust the direction on the spot while stepping on the skis. To do this, you need to use the ski poles in your hand. Hold the handlebars straight with one hand and support the other end on the ground..."

Just as Jian Ling was about to follow the drill, the skis beneath her feet gave way and slid forward, frightening her and causing her to scream. Cheng Zhixu grabbed her by the back of the collar in time and pulled her back.

"Why does it seem so easy for others to ski, but it's so hard for me?" Jian Ling looked dejected and sat down on the ground to prevent herself from sliding away if she moved her skis.

"Next, I'll teach you how to stop." Cheng Zhixu laughed. "When you just skied out, all you have to do is bring your knees together, straighten the two skis, and bring the tops together to form an acute angle. Then it will stop naturally. Don't always think about sitting down on the ground."

Jian Ling seemed to understand, but not quite. She leaned back with her hands on the snow, staring at him intently.

Cheng Zhixu patiently taught her the techniques of gliding and turning, explaining each detail in such detail that even someone with no experience could understand. The children nearby didn't understand Chinese, but they understood just by watching him demonstrate.

Cheng Zhixu finished his teaching and pointed at the dazed woman: "Do you understand?"

"I understand." Jian Ling saw that the skis under his feet seemed to understand what he was saying and went wherever he wanted. This invisibly increased her confidence. She stood up from the ground, patted the snow on her gloves, and gripped the ski poles. "Let me try it myself, but you have to follow me. I'm afraid I can't control it."

Just like when she was learning to ride a bicycle as a child, with someone following behind her, she could move forward with peace of mind because she knew there would be someone to protect her if she fell.

"Okay, I'll follow you." Cheng Zhixu said, "Let me see how my first student is doing."

Jian Ling took a deep breath, mustered up her courage, and followed his instructions. She stretched out her arms to support her ski poles and slowly turned to face forward.

As soon as her poles left the ground, the skis under her feet naturally slid down the slope. She remembered to lean forward, and with a slight adjustment, she could feel the speed of the slide increasing, and the whistling wind passed by her ears.

This feeling is so exciting that the blood in my body is boiling.

"Ah ...

Cheng Zhixu followed closely behind her, his voice carried by the wind into her ears as he calmly and coolly instructed her, "Keep your knees together and stand your skis upright, forming an angle."

Jian Ling wanted to do as she was told, but found that her legs were weak and she couldn't control the skis at all. She screamed all the way and crashed into the sponge barrier at the end. With a clang, the force rebounded and her body fell backwards.

Cheng Zhixu didn't have time to catch her, so he had to use her as a human cushion when she fell. Her helmet hit his chest with a bang, and his eyebrows twitched and he groaned.

"Are you okay?" The pain Jian Ling expected didn't come. She then realized she was lying in Cheng Zhixu's arms, her head buzzing. "Did I hurt you?"

Cheng Zhixu helped her sit up and took off the helmet. Her long black hair fell in a messy mess, and her cheeks were flushed and slightly sweaty. She was not wearing any makeup today. Her plain face was beautiful and lovely, and her eyes were filled with worry.

"I should be the one asking you this. Are you okay?" Cheng Zhixu took off the skis from her feet. "Move your ankle and see if you've sprained it."

Jian Ling twisted her ankle obediently and shook her head, "No."

Cheng Zhixu pulled her aside so she wouldn't block other people's way, and then sat down with her on the snow without any image, panting, "Do you want to play more?"

"Let's play! If we can't learn how to ski, then it would be a waste of time!" Jian Ling leaned in his arms, her breathing becoming irregular. "But I need to rest for a while, and then we can fight again after I'm well rested."

Cheng Zhixu took off his gloves and helped her tidy up her long hair that was messed up by the wind. A hint of pride appeared between his brows and he praised her generously, "Brave girl."

Jian Ling tilted her head back with a bright smile: "Is there a reward for being so brave?"

Cheng Zhixu was dazzled by the smile on her lips, and he smiled too, tilting his head and pretending to think: "Tell me first, what reward do you want? I need to consider whether I can do it."

"Needless to say."

"Ok?"

As soon as Cheng Zhixu showed a puzzled expression, Jian Ling suddenly rushed over, cupped his face with her gloved hands, and leaned over to kiss him.

The view around was wide, and people coming and going were all strangers. Jian Ling threw aside her shyness and kissed him boldly and passionately.

At this moment, even the wind stopped, and what lingered around the two of them was no longer ice and snow, but the gentle spring sunshine.

　So sweet~
　　Oh, I forgot to mention here that this article will be published the day after tomorrow, but there is not much content left, so let’s look forward to it together!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)