The barbecue lasted late into the night. Feng Yueshan feasted on lamb and beef while savoring the online condemnation of Zheng Ge and Zhou Tangsi, stuffing whole skewers of giant prawns into his mouth.
At some point, Shen Lian fell asleep in his chair. Smokeless charcoal crackled beside him, and the cold wind couldn't reach this sheltered spot, only howling lazily around its edges. Comfortable, Shen Lian burrowed deeper into his blanket. He could still faintly hear Zhou Yuanlin drunkenly pleading, "Assistant Sun! Have mercy! Please let me off!"
"Oh, don't stop." Sun Binghe's voice was cool. "Keep drinking, Young Master Zhou."
Then his body lifted off the chair. Shen Lian didn't panic, instinctively nestling closer to the warmth.
Chu Yilan lowered his head to kiss his forehead, then carried him upstairs.
Snow continued falling through the latter half of the night. By dawn, everything outside was quiet again, the snow piled deeper.
Feng Yueshan had drunk plenty the night before, but when there was fun to be had, he could drag himself out of bed no matter how much effort it took.
Almost everyone in the group could ski. Since the resort hadn't opened to the public yet, they had a vast area to themselves.
Shen Lian was fully dressed, with every piece of protective gear in place. Before he could fasten his goggles, Feng Yueshan swept past him. "Shen Lian, watch my moves. If you like them, you can ask Yilan to teach you~~~"
Before he finished speaking, Shen Lian planted his poles in the snow and shot forward.
Feng Yueshan: "?"
Chu Yilan hadn't joined them. He was sitting in a chair with his legs crossed, discussing business with Xu Jingge over the phone.
Once business was settled, Xu Jingge became considerably more chatty. "Tsk, tsk, tsk.