Chapter 264

Chapter 264: 257: Xie Shang is so touched (first update) Chapter 264: 257: Xie Shang is so touched (first update) Before his phone turned off, Xie Shang’s unfinished words were: “Just wait, you’ll see the stars.”

The ice flowers on her eyelashes blurred her vision, and Wen Changling could not see clearly into the distance, her voice trembling from the cold: “Stars.”

Is that you?

“It’s me.”

Xie Shang’s voice was firm and strong, cutting through the wind and snow as he walked up to her.

It wasn’t an illusion—her star had really come.

“Are you scared being alone?”

When asked if one is scared at such a time, it makes one vulnerable.

“Scared.”

Her eyes were very red.

Xie Shang wiped the ice and snow from her eyelashes: “Have you been crying?”

“No, it’s the wind.”

The path downhill now bore an additional set of footprints belonging to Xie Shang, right beside the ones left by Wen Changling that were now barely visible under the snow. Looking down revealed a very long, steep slope; the snow fell boldly, the wind seemed keen on sweeping away anyone present, and not even animals dared to venture out. Yet, she was no longer afraid.

“Weren’t you in the capital?”

“I couldn’t stop worrying about you. I booked a flight for this morning, but it was delayed due to the weather,” Xie Shang said as he took a waterproof down jacket and a pair of boots suitable for walking in the snow from his backpack. “Change into this coat first.”

Wen Changling’s coat wasn’t waterproof and had long been soaked by the snow, making it heavy on her. She tugged at the zipper two times, but her fingers had been frozen for too long to pull it down.

“My hands are stiff.”

Xie Shang took off his gloves and put them on Wen Changling. Though they didn’t fit well, he tightened the straps around the wrist and then helped her pull down the zipper and put on the dry coat.

“The road below the mountain has been closed; how did you get up here?” Wen Changling put the hood of the coat on.

“I walked up.” Xie Shang squatted down to help her change shoes. “When I arrived at the roadblock, I saw Dai Qiu and guessed that you might have been left behind.”

She wobbled as she lifted her foot, holding onto Xie Shang, with mud dots on the sleeve of her down jacket.

“Where did these clothes come from?”

“There were vehicles trapped on the collapsed road section; the rescue team came, and I borrowed the clothes from them.”

They were all men’s clothing. Though oversized for Wen Changling, they were suitable for such weather, covering her legs. Xie Shang folded her discarded clothes: “Is there anything in the pockets?”

“Nothing.”

Wen Changling had already taken out her cell phone.

“Wet clothes are too heavy; we can’t take them with us.” Xie Shang packed the clothes and shoes into his backpack and threw them into the trash can. He adjusted the Velcro beneath Wen Changling’s hat and, after ensuring everything was in place, asked her, “Can you still walk?”

She tried to move her foot, which was numb: “I can’t walk anymore.”

Xie Shang squatted down.

She leaned on his back, adjusted his coat’s hood, and wrapped her arms tightly.

“The snow is too deep; it will be very hard for you to carry me.”

“It’s not hard; you are very light.”

Xie Shang was very strong and did not struggle to carry Wen Changling along the snowy path.

She coughed a few times, quickly turning her head: “You’ve just recovered from a cold; I can’t pass it to you.”

“Let it pass; it doesn’t matter.”

There was still some distance to the mountain resort hotel. Concerned that Wen Changling might not withstand the cold for long, Xie Shang moved quickly. The snow-covered uphill road was slippery, so he carefully ensured each step was stable.

Wen Changling rested her head on Xie Shang’s shoulder, unconsciously leaning into him: “If you hadn’t come, I might have been in the news tomorrow.” Just a while ago, when she was too frozen to move, she had already thought of the headline: “The Huaqi Technology Officer froze to death in the snow for her beloved career.”

“Don’t talk nonsense.”

It wasn’t nonsense; Wen Changling was very clear-headed, just a bit drowsy: “Stars, you shouldn’t blame yourself anymore for my poor hearing.” Her hands tightly embraced Xie Shang, her face seeking warmth against his neck as her voice grew softer, whispering into his ear, “You’ve saved me, too; you came to rescue me.”

“Changling.”

“Hmm...”

Her energy was nearly depleted, tired and cold.

“Don’t sleep; you’ll just get colder.” Xie Shang gave her a piece of chocolate. The wind roared, but his voice was gentle, “Sing ‘Little Star’ for me.”

Wen Changling unwrapped the chocolate.

“Twinkle, twinkle, little star, how I wonder what you are...”

Under the streetlights, snowflakes spiraled down, the world draped in silvery white.

In the icy, snowy landscape, Wen Changling warmed herself by clinging to Xie Shang, speaking illogical nonsense and singing off-key, often mentioning the word “star.”

He was the source of all her sense of security.

*****

They walked for over half an hour. The weather was extremely cold, and the mountain resort hotel wasn’t doing that great in business, so the sort of situation where they’d be forced to share a room didn’t happen—there were plenty of empty rooms, including suites and standard rooms. Considering they weren’t in a romantic relationship, Xie Shang booked two rooms with adjacent numbers.

The rooms were on the seventh floor, and the elevator was empty.

“Are you still cold?”

Having eaten the chocolate, Wen Changling had somewhat recovered: “I’m not cold anymore.”

The hotel’s heating was turned up high, and even the hallway wasn’t cold.

Xie Shang used his room card to open the door, inserted the card, and the lights came on. He adjusted the air conditioning to a comfortable temperature. Wen Changling placed her turned-off phone on the cabinet by the entryway, her face appearing quite red.

Xie Shang touched her forehead: “You have a bit of a fever.”

Her sweater underneath was still damp.

Xie Shang went to the bathroom, fetched the slippers and bathrobe: “Take a shower first, I’ll go look for a pharmacy nearby.”

Wen Changling hummed in acknowledgment and began to unzip and remove her clothes.

Xie Shang left, closing the bathroom door behind him.

“Changling.”

He instructed from the outside: “I’ve taken the room card, don’t open the door for anyone.”

“Okay.”