Chapter 39—Who is the Better Skier, Gu Beicheng or Myself?

"Shut up!" Qi Jun yanked Fu Jiaojiao aside, lowering his voice to warn her not to provoke Mu Ran any further.

"Hmph, why is it that all you men are so taken with Mu Ran?"

Mu Ran remained silent, glancing at the U-shaped halfpipe before her, then turning her gaze to Gu Beicheng. "I don't want to use ski poles."

Her calm words made everyone look at her in surprise. Was Mu Ran out of her mind?

Even highly skilled skiers rely on poles for balance and momentum—what was Mu Ran trying to prove here?

"Take them," Gu Beicheng's voice grew cold, his hawk-like eyes fixed on her face, displeased.

Mu Ran pushed aside the ski poles he handed her, shook her head, then bent her knees and shot down the slope at incredible speed.

"Mu Ran!"

Gu Beicheng's pupils contracted as he turned to watch her already gliding down the course.

"Wow! I love her! That move was incredible!" Qi Jun waved his arms, blood surging with excitement. The woman in the halfpipe was his cold and valiant Ran!

"Ran! I love you!" Qi Jun shouted, only to be met with an icy glare from Gu Beicheng.

"Is that really Mu Ran?"

"When did Mu Ran learn to ski?" Fu Jiaojiao couldn't believe her eyes, her mouth agape. She couldn't imagine that the graceful figure weaving up and down the halfpipe was actually Mu Ran. How many hidden talents did she have?

"Is that really Mu Ran? Her skiing is truly impressive," Gao Tiange, despite her jealousy and reluctance to admit it, had to concede that Mu Ran's technique was better than her own.

"Hmph, I can ski too! She’s just showing off—any real expert wouldn’t be impressed," Fu Jiaojiao said stubbornly, unable to stand the thought of Mu Ran outshining her.

Qi Jun rolled his eyes at her petty jealousy, then turned, beaming, "Mr. Cheng, what do you think of Ran's skills? You’re an expert."

Gu Beicheng didn’t respond, his gaze wholly focused on the woman in the halfpipe. After a moment, his cold voice rang out: "Left turn nine hundred, right turn nine hundred, board grab, switch seven twenty, left turn five forty—the execution is flawless."

There was admiration and affirmation in Gu Beicheng’s deep eyes, his tone proud: "She’s incredible. That’s national champion level."

"Ran is amazing! Hah, some people just complain because they can’t have what they want," Qi Jun shot a glance at Fu Jiaojiao, then cheered as Mu Ran brought her routine to a stop.

On the livestream:

"Is Mu Ran a real-life leading lady?"

"As a retired professional skier, I have to say, Mu Ran is awesome!"

"You people really know how to flatter, don’t you?"

"It’s just skiing—rich celebrities like Mu Ran can easily hire a coach!"

"I really don’t get these keyboard warriors. Are you a fan of Fu Jiaojiao? If you can’t do it yourself, don’t talk nonsense."

"Mu Ran’s moves may look simple, but very few pro skiers can string together a routine like that and land so smoothly!"

"Some of Mu Ran’s techniques remind me of the former world champion Mu Mu!"

Mu Ran took off her skis and walked over to the director’s team outside the slope. "Xiaoping, how was it?"

The production crew was bewildered—since when had Mu Ran and Shao Ping become so close?

Usually, Mu Ran barely spoke to anyone on set, her demeanor frosty and aloof.

But now, her cheeks flushed from the cold, she wore a gentle smile and even walked over to give Shao Ping a big, warm hug.