On the second day of their departure to Xuancheng, An Ruo deliberately got up early to make breakfast, thinking that if Shen Xingrou came over, she probably wouldn't have time to eat either, so she prepared some for her as well.
An Che, excited about skiing, crawled out of bed early in the winter morning, quickly packed his luggage, and ran downstairs to report.
The man also got up very early. He first changed clothes and went to the study to hold a video conference, handling the more urgent work to ensure that the Shen Group wouldn't have any more troubles bothering him for the next week.
A car horn sounded in the courtyard. An Ruo instructed the servants to bring the heated milk to the table and saw two figures enter through the living room door.
Shen Xingrou, having to bow her head under someone else's roof, now obediently nodded at An Ruo, whom she used to ignore completely: "Sister-in-law."
An Ruo smiled and nodded, then her gaze fell on He Su, a man with a complicated persona.
Meeting her eyes, he smiled politely and appropriately: "Good morning, Madam Shen."
An Ruo kept her smile unchanged, but she wasn't as warm toward him as before. Ever since she saw him arm in arm with Shen Tingfeng, she lumped them together as birds of a feather and lost her good impression of him.
But he had extended a helping hand when she was most helpless, and An Ruo would never forget that. Out of gratitude, she didn't embarrass him in front of so many people.
She replied lightly, "Hello."
The man slid down the stair rail in his wheelchair. Seeing them all standing in the living room, and mindful of An Ruo's presence, he exchanged a glance with He Su and chuckled: "Doctor He, visiting so early—is there something you need?"
Shen Xingrou crossed her arms and said with displeasure: "He doesn't have anything important. It's just that he's thick-skinned. When he heard I was going skiing with you, he insisted on shamelessly tagging along."
"Watch your mouth," He Su shot her a cold glance, then switched to a friendly face when addressing the couple: "She's been freeloading at my place for so long, racking up a huge tab. If I don't keep an eye on her, what if she bolts without paying?"
"Ridiculous. Do I look like someone who dines and dashes?"
"You're not just dining and dashing—you're practically living and dashing!"
"You—"
"Enough." Shen Xiaoxing furrowed his thick brows, his head aching from the morning noise, his good mood nearly worn away by their bickering.
He Su was really something, picking a fight with a young girl at his age!
And honestly, was he really that worried about the money, afraid Shen Xingrou would skip town?
If he just said the word, not just the Shen family, but even he, the man she called brother, would pay double. It seemed more like He Su had other motives.
Shen Xiaoxing gave him a knowing look, his gaze flickering toward He Su, who seemed confused by the signal.
"Haven't you two had breakfast yet?" An Ruo interrupted their squabbling with a smile: "I had some prepared for you. Come eat quickly, or it'll get cold."
Having missed out on a hot breakfast with He Su, Shen Xingrou was the first to dash into the dining room upon hearing the servants had prepared a hearty meal.
"Wow! Sister-in-law, did you arrange all this?"
A servant couldn't help but explain: "The young mistress made all of this herself. She was already preparing it before we even got up."
Shen Xingrou was now thoroughly impressed with An Ruo. Feeling guilty about her past immaturity, she thought to herself that this woman had skills—it seemed her brother wouldn't suffer with her.
Pfft, pfft!
It should be that she was following her brother.
As soon as He Su sat down, Shen Xingrou sneered unpleasantly: "Doctor He, you sure make yourself at home. Who said you could sit? Don't you know any manners?"
This girl, emboldened by the presence of the Shen family, was baring her teeth at him. If he found a secluded spot, he'd bury her alive!
An Ruo, worried they'd start again, quickly played peacemaker with a light laugh: "It's fine. I made extra breakfast; it'd be a waste not to eat it."
"Look at her, then look at you. Did you cook it? Why are you butting in?"
"Who do you think you are, talking to me like that? You can curse me all you want at your place, but what makes you think you can do it here?"
The man coughed heavily, and the two, whose combined age barely reached three, finally turned to look at him.
"If you don't want to eat, leave the table." Shen Xiaoxing put on his authoritative family head face: "No talking during meals!"
Shen Xingrou snorted and stopped bickering, savoring the rare delicious breakfast.
...
Xuancheng, a city renowned as a tourist destination.
Their group took a helicopter to the resort hotel that Han Chong had booked in advance.
Xuancheng was colder than Shencheng. Though Shencheng sometimes saw snow below freezing, here the highest winter temperature was only minus two degrees...
Stepping off the plane, even mentally prepared, An Ruo shivered from the cold air, her hands trembling slightly in her pockets.
The man signaled Han Chong, who brought out an oversized down jacket and respectfully handed it over: "Madam, put this on to warm up."
An Ruo didn't take it immediately but glanced at the man and asked softly, "Are you cold?"
"I'm not cold. Put it on quickly." The man took the jacket to drape over her. Since he was in a wheelchair, it was inconvenient, so the girl understood and bent down to let him cover her.
Shen Xingrou, behind them, was bundled up in a bear hat, her scarf hanging down so she could tuck her hands inside.
She stared blankly at the affectionate couple, having never seen her brother so gentle.
Even when he saved her as a child, he comforted her with a cold face. Now, the way he looked at An Ruo was so tender it could melt.
"Are we going or standing here like door gods?" He Su said impatiently, watching her stare at them flaunting their love.
This warm moment shattered by his interruption, Shen Xingrou snapped: "With such a wide road, why do you have to walk right by me?"
Their fussing ruined the perfect romantic atmosphere. The man shot them a dark glare.
He shouldn't have brought these two along!
The resort hotel was right next to the ski resort. They arrived around noon, planning to eat and warm up before heading to the slopes.
At one in the afternoon, many people at the ski resort were wearing protective gear and swooping down each slope—thrilling and cool.
An Ruo suddenly thought she should have invited Zhou Mingyue. She had been pestering Gu Chao about skiing for so long. With his and Song Weiwei's scandals all over the media lately, she wondered how Zhou Mingyue was doing.
"What are you thinking about?" The man held her gloved hand.
An Ruo shook her head with a smile: "I was thinking, with so many people here, would I be laughed at if I fall?"
"I can't teach you myself." The man sighed softly, regret in his voice: "I'll find a professional coach for you later."
"Okay..."
"Why hire a coach? If you're worried, Brother, let me teach Sister-in-law. I've got years of skiing experience—I can definitely handle it. Plus, it'll save you some money."
Shen Xiaoxing glanced at her: "Since when did you become so frugal?"
"..." Shen Xingrou forced a laugh: "I just think those coaches are all men, rough and clumsy. They might scare Sister-in-law. I'm family, so she won't feel as pressured."