Chapter 110

At my most disheveled moment, I met up with my fans. To avoid showing my vulnerability, I chose to hide my figure and quietly leave... but this didn't seem to be Chu Tingwu's script.

Because the moment she saw her, the person who was grimacing in pain almost jumped up and said:

"Why do you only release a hundred knee pads for sale every day?"

Do you know how hard it is to get one?

Chu Tingwu: "=="

"Ah, Three Five Five!" Another person also perked up, completely forgetting the muscle soreness, "Master Chu, Happy New Year! Can I get Three Five Five's autograph?"

Chu Tingwu looked down at Three Five Five's paw, then looked up: Don't push your luck!

Looking at these four not-so-old but weak and sickly individuals, she figured they wouldn't be able to catch up even if she wanted to leave. Chu Tingwu pinched the tabby cat's paw pad and learned from their chattering that they had all come to Chewan City to experience VR live streaming.

It was the fan in the wheelchair who finally spoke up, expressing concern about her injury.

Her wrist was fine now... but perhaps because she was restricted from running around, she was as rare as a panda to those around her. So, even though everyone knew the injury didn't affect her anymore, they still liked to care for her as if she were a patient.

Chu Tingwu had been woken up by Aunt Mei early that morning, who fed her soup as if she wished Three Five Five could do it too... she couldn't help but remind her: "My feet seem fine?"

She could get up and eat.

Aunt Mei smiled: "Then have a few more bites, let Qiang Qiang take a photo."

Zhou Qiang, holding the camera behind her, gave a thumbs-up with a straight face.

Chu Tingwu: ==

This was clearly about wanting to see her being fed like a baby, and even capturing it on camera!

...And even the system was snapping away!

So that afternoon, Chu Tingwu used Three Five Five's paw pad and Ten Kuai's heart (without Ten Kuai's knowledge) to bribe Zhou Qiang, and the two sneaked off to Chewan City's largest indoor ski resort.

The indoor slope was full of kids, with only a few adults on the advanced slopes.

Chu Tingwu and Zhou Qiang, both minors, blended in perfectly among the elementary school kids, and she even ran into her little competitor from a previous match.

The kid was pretty skilled, so Chu Tingwu pawned Zhou Qiang off as a winter break homework writer and played with the little guy for half a day.

Zhou Qiang: "...?"

She sent Shao Lingwu a two-yuan red packet and outsourced the job.

Shao Lingwu didn't really want to stoop for two yuan, but Zhou Qiang said she'd tell him which day they were flying to Fallen Phoenix City—

Not wanting to be left out (as in the three of them taking the same flight back to camp without him), Shao Lingwu started doing the homework via video call.

Chu Tingwu, who had already skied three runs: "?"

She could hear everything clearly from the slopes.

Better to pull Zhou Qiang back into the fun, or else someone might end up losing their pants.

During the evening check-up, the doctor marveled at Chu Tingwu's physique: "You're healthier than I am."

No wrist sprain, no muscle strain, not even the usual post-exercise soreness... but since she was the boss, he checked a bit longer.

Then they bumped into the fan quartet.

Chu Tingwu offered Three Five Five's front paw to comfort the fans, hearing one of them murmur: "I've touched my idol..."

So in the "Chu and Three Five Five" fanbase, you're a Three Five Five solo stan.

They chatted for a bit, and as the night deepened, they decided to part ways. But as they reached the door, Chu Tingwu heard the fan in the wheelchair softly say:

"Thank you."

Huh?

The wind tried to sneak into her warm clothes as Chu Tingwu placed her hand on Three Five Five's head, feeling the warmth and softness of the fur.

Time to go back to sleep!

-

Chu Tingwu woke up at around three in the morning.

Zhou Qiang was still asleep, the room silent except for the soft breathing of everyone sleeping, with a few bird calls in the distance.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Chu Tingwu landed silently, the room was warm, and the floor wasn't cold. She poured herself a glass of water, then decided to press her ear against the wall—

Some faint sounds seemed to amplify, transmitted through the building.

In this quiet night, Chu Tingwu heard... something getting closer.

It was as if a piece of the sky had melted, collapsing onto the mountain peak, the slight tremor of the earth carrying the distant destruction closer to human habitation, but at this moment, Chu Tingwu couldn't describe this feeling. She just opened her eyes in this night and heard... the sound of nature, carrying the cold of wind and snow, cruel yet calm, even the noise was silent.

She took out her phone, the screen lit up, displaying:

"Kasha Mountain Southwest Peak... 3:44:23... avalanche occurred..."

The avalanche happened the moment Chu Tingwu woke up.

And what she "heard" was the aftermath.

Zhou Qiang: "What are you doing pressing against the wall in the middle of the night?"

...And the confusion of a friend waking up startled.

-

When they woke up in the morning, they found out the ski resort was temporarily closed. Fortunately, the night's avalanche didn't affect any tourists, and no one was trapped... only Aunt Mei, a bit shaken, tapped Chu Tingwu's shoulder, and Ten Kuai, mimicking her, also gave a paw tap.

Chu Tingwu grabbed his paw and shoved the kitten into Zhou Qiang's arms.

Aunt Mei: "Good thing you weren't doing night-time snowboard racing yesterday."

Otherwise, this avalanche wouldn't have been "no casualties."

But after saying it, she felt a bit melancholic—

Yesterday, nothing happened, but what about tomorrow? This child was like a bird... no, Aunt Mei glanced at the obediently eating crow beside her, this child was harder to catch than a bird. Maybe to them, an avalanche was a disaster.

But look at her expression, though she didn't show much, her eyes were so bright, maybe racing an avalanche would excite her.

Chu Tingwu sipped her porridge, comforting: "Don't worry."

"I'll be one step ahead of the disaster."

Zhou Qiang: "That somehow sounds punchable."

Chu Tingwu pondered: "...Then, 'I won't let disaster befall me.'"

Zhou Qiang: "How about 'I'll stay safe and unharmed'?"

Not quite.

Chu Tingwu looked away, pretending to whistle.

Zhou Qiang: At least make a sound.

This person couldn't even fake it properly.

...Perhaps it was because she didn't want to deceive those close to her with promises she couldn't keep, but it did come off as quite annoying.

So, the phrase "I'll be one step ahead of the disaster" seemed genuine.

Zhou Qiang thought: Can anyone really do that?

But coming from Chu Tingwu, it somehow felt trustworthy.

The WU-Flying series knee pads were still slowly rolling out, the first few batches were essentially beta testers, their knee pads were guaranteed, but the real test was societal acceptance... and as Chu Tingwu boarded the plane, she learned that the company had already been approached by the government, though it would take time to reach an agreement.

The experience pods were hard to mass-produce, but the simplified VR knee and elbow pads, along with the VR glasses they were designing, seemed ready to officially enter the VR live streaming arena.

Due to the avalanche, the ski competitions for the next few days were temporarily canceled, and Chu Tingwu, unable to wait for the finals, had to return to Fallen Phoenix City as planned.

She also gained a mutual follow from the speed descent master Louise, who said she had watched Chu Tingwu's night-time descent video and found it interesting, hoping to invite her to join a speed descent video project she was planning with some friends.

When Chu Tingwu received the message, it felt oddly familiar. It wasn’t until she was on the plane that she remembered—the first person to invite her had been Arthur, the American freerunning athlete.

He had invited her a few more times after that, but Chu Tingwu was always busy. Once, it was right after the wild wolf observation project ended, and her summer vacation had just concluded. What a shame.

The plane carrying Chu Tingwu and her companions landed in Fallen Phoenix City. The newly renovated airport was located in the suburbs, and while still in the air, Chu Tingwu received a message from Chu Xiao—

Probably concerned that she might feel uneasy about finding new relatives, the Chu family still had Chu Xiao handle communication with her.

This time, over thirty members of the Chu family had come.

Aside from the eldest ancestor, some of them were aunts and uncles, while others were older cousins. Only Chu Xiao was present from the younger generation… after all, this wasn’t a full family gathering. The younger kids could be brought over later when the two families interacted more, or Chu Tingwu could visit them instead.

Thoughtful of the children’s school schedules, the Chu family had arrived a day early and had already settled into their hotel. Taking the initiative, one of Chu Tingwu’s cousins drove over with Chu Xiao to pick them up.

The car was parked outside, but while Teacher Zhang and the others, along with their cats, had already boarded, Chu Tingwu and Zhou Qiang had to wait a bit longer. In half an hour, Shao Lingwu’s plane would also land.

Though it might seem a little odd for Shao Lingwu, who had no family ties, to join their group, the car her cousin brought was spacious enough to accommodate one more person.

Shao Lingwu was excited when he landed, but Zhou Qiang was wary:

“You didn’t bring 819 with you, did you?”

Shao Lingwu: “Where would an electric tricycle even sit on a plane…”

He was carefree, not stupid!

Chu Tingwu, standing nearby, suddenly spoke up: “What if you could buy a seat for the tricycle?”

Shao Lingwu: “Uh…”

Zhou Qiang: “…”

Never mind, it wasn’t important. Shao Lingwu grabbed his suitcase and happily joined his friends. He noticed Chu Tingwu and Zhou Qiang had been waiting near the door, but then Chu Tingwu suddenly walked over.

Shao Lingwu: “No need to help me carry it, I can drag it—”

Chu Tingwu walked past him.

Shao Lingwu: “?”

Chu Tingwu kicked the back of a passerby’s knee, causing them to yelp. The nearby airport police were momentarily stunned but quickly rushed over. Then, they saw a pile of items fall from the passerby’s person—jewelry, cash, and a phone.

Shao Lingwu patted his pocket. Wait, his phone?

Her cousin would have to wait a little longer, as Chu Tingwu and the others had to assist the police. Fortunately, it didn’t take too long… because Chu Tingwu had an idea: “Can I show you my video account?”

The police officer paused, glanced at her account, looked at her face, and then noticed the “Police Assistant” gold badge on her profile. Trying not to laugh, he said, “Alright, you can go. We’ll contact you if needed.”

Shao Lingwu, holding his phone, sighed in relief: “Who would’ve thought there’d still be pickpockets these days…”

Zhou Qiang: “It’s even rarer for someone to actually have their phone stolen these days, right?”

Most people never let their phones out of their hands.

Shao Lingwu casually pointed: “I was wearing too many layers, so I didn’t feel it. And some people don’t always carry their phones, like that foreign guy over there—I can’t even tell where he’s keeping his phone.”

The foreigner, Arthur: “My phone!”

Chu Tingwu: “…”

Arthur, who had mysteriously appeared there, spotted Chu Tingwu and looked as if he’d been saved. He called out the name he often used during competitions: “WU—”

Chu Tingwu took a step back.

Half an hour later, another airport police officer escorted the group, along with the foreign friend and the apprehended pickpocket, to the terminal.

The original police officer: “?”

We know you’re a police assistant, but you really didn’t need to catch another one just to prove it.