61 60. One Round

Wobbling into the ice field, Li Minghao immediately started to regret his decision. In fact, he was already taking his hand back and making his way out of the ice skating rink. The entrance has just one step away so it would be easy to leave.

Well, it should have been.

Since Chen Jingyun already saw the opportunity, she wasn't going to let it slip away. After she learned the dark lord didn't know how to skate, she was excited to show him the way. Not because she was better and wanted to show off, but because she genuinely wished for the dark lord, and anyone she considered a friend, to learn something as fun and liberating as ice skating.

Grabbing the dark lord's gloved hands, Chen Jingyun pulled him away from the entrance. She was a bit rusty herself, but it was enough to skate herself a giant a few meters away.

"You little- What do you think you are doing?" Li Minghao's voice was cold, but hints of annoyance came through. He sounded like when he heard Luo Shao say something outrageous.

"Just trust me. Skating is not that difficult. I will teach you." Chen Jingyun still smiled as she looked up to see the dark lord's face.

Was that the dark lord pouting at the floor? Does he think I will let him fall?

Chen Jingyun had to hold back her laugh, she wouldn't want to further the dark lord's dismay.

But she had to admit he looked quite cute.

A different sight from his usual calm and collected self.

"See? we're back to safety." She said as she moved his hand into the iron railing.

"We're fifteen meters away from the entrance." Li Minghao was quite exasperated as he grabbed for dear life onto the railing. "This is not safety. THAT is." He pointed at the world outside the ring.

Chen Jingyun just kept laughing.

"How about this? Just go one round around the ring and you get to pop off. We already got to this point so why not?"

Li Minghao sent Chen Jingyun a glare, to which she responded with a guilty smile.

"You got me to this point. I was already going back."

"Oh, come on! It will be fast. It is only one round. I promise." She reassured him and held her pinky out.

A pinky finger Li Minghao didn't look at with much faith.

In the end, Li Minghao gave out a sigh and accepted.

"Fine. One round and I'm out." He grunted.

As she said, it was only one round, so it had to be pretty quick. Right?

No.

He was already ten minutes into it and his future wasn't looking quite bright. He could only advance by grabbing the railings and pulling his body with them. Because if he let go of the railing and tried to walk on his own, he would either stay stagnant or somehow skate backward. He was making a spectacle of himself.

He could already see himself never setting a foot inside an ice skating ring again.

From time to time, Chen Jingyun would drop by and ask him if he needed help or company. She would also give him tips and the basics of skating. Nonetheless, he would send her away and tell her to not mind him. He would get this done, get the hell out and never come back.

That's what he said, but he couldn't help but look in amazement at how easy skating came to Chen Jingyun.

At first, Chen Jingyun seemed to hold back and skate peacefully around the ring, but soon enough she was flying across the field and showing off different techniques. She was like magic on the field. It was hard not to see how much she was enjoying herself.

To him, it seemed like a crime to tell her to stop for a moment and watch over a newbie like him. She was happy out on the field and he didn't want to be the one to hold her back. Watching someone do something they loved was always a nice sight.

It was also another reason as to why he was taking so much time to finish one damned round around the ring.

Eventually, on Li Minghao's journey to safedom, what Li Minghao feared the most finally happened. A kid, a beginner, just like him, had joined the field and was also holding onto the railings, using them for support. That kid was also coming right up, hot on his tails.

Li Minghao could not possibly have the kid go around him while he, the older one, hogged the railing, right? It didn't seem like the right thing in his book.

So, he quickly gathered his courage and prepared himself to let go of the railing.

It was just going to be a few seconds anyway...

Giving out an awkward smile at the mom accompanying the kid, Li Minghao carefully let go of the railing and tried his best to give some space for the two of them.

His arms were long so he could throw himself at the railing later on.

But then, the mother did what a mother does.

"Look at this big brother, he is also learning how to skate and he let go of the railing! Why don't you also try it?"

The kid stopped and shook his head.

"I don't want to fall!"

"Falling is a natural part of learning how to skate through~"

"But I..."

Li Minghao's smile froze as he watched the two interact.

Why...

Just why... are you stopping right here?

Please carry on and let me go back to the railing...