HPDBC Chapter 214 The Ambiguous Relationship at the Ski Resort
Chapter 214 The Ambiguous Relationship at the Ski Resort
Chapter 214 The Ambiguous Relationship at the Ski Resort
The suite was well-heated and dimly lit.
Matsu Takako curled up on another spare bed, listening to Kitahara Shin's steady breathing. She had only intended to rest for a while, but before she knew it, her eyelids grew heavier and heavier, and she was about to fall asleep.
"Thump, thump, thump."
Just then, a very soft, tentative knock came from outside the door.
Matsu Takako groggily opened her eyes and vaguely heard a woman speaking in a low voice outside the door. Thinking it was room service or some senior colleague in a hurry, she subconsciously threw back the covers, pulled on her slippers, walked to the entrance, and, rubbing her sleepy eyes, opened the door directly.
"Excuse me—is there anything I can help you with?" Matsu Takako's voice still carried a hint of sleepiness.
The moment the door opened, soft light from the corridor shone in.
Standing outside the door was none other than the ratings queen, Asano Yuko, who had struck up a conversation with her at the banquet that evening.
At this moment, Asano Yuko was clearly dressed up carefully. She had not only changed into a very figure-hugging silk robe, but also casually draped a cardigan over her shoulders, and exuded a faint yet alluring fragrance.
At the party earlier, Asano Yuko barely had a chance to speak to Kitahara Shin alone. As an absolute queen who had dominated Japanese drama ratings for several years, she was not only a great beauty but also a proud and intelligent woman. Having been politely declined by Kitahara Shin's invitation last time, and now having her limelight stolen tonight, she felt somewhat resentful.
Having been in this industry for a long time, she knew all too well how to take advantage of this perfect "slightly tipsy" atmosphere to have a "deep conversation" with this young tycoon who held international awards and had substantial capital.
However, the moment the door opened, the charming and perfectly timed smile on Asano Yuko's face froze instantly.
She never expected that the person who would open the door for her in the middle of the night would be Matsu Takako, a young girl who hadn't even grown up yet. Asano Yuko's eyes widened instantly, her gaze sweeping back and forth between the sleepy-eyed Matsu Takako in her casual clothes and the spacious suite behind her. Her throat felt like it was stuck, and she couldn't utter a word for a long time.
Matsu Takako was also taken aback. Because her mind was still in a semi-standby state, she was completely unaware of the strange atmosphere. She just asked blankly again, "Asano-senpai? Is there something you need from the president? He's already asleep."
Yuko Asano hesitated, as if she wanted to say something but then stopped.
She took a deep look at Matsu Takako's face, which was full of collagen and so young and delicate that it was flawless. Instantly, she imagined a thousand words about the unspoken rules between "a tycoon and an underage heiress".
Yuko Asano took a deep breath, her expression becoming extremely complicated. In the end, she could only shake her head awkwardly and chuckle dryly, "No—nothing, I just went to the wrong room. You can continue to rest. Sorry to bother you."
After saying that, she turned around and hurried away in her high heels.
"?" Matsu Takako stood there, scratching her head in confusion.
What does this person mean? Coming to knock on the door in the middle of the night just to say they've entered the wrong room?
Completely unaware that she had just inadvertently deflected a "nighttime scandal" in the entertainment industry, Matsu Takako closed the door and yawned. After all, she was still too young to understand the intricacies behind the knocking at the door in the middle of the night.
Back in her room, she glanced at Kitahara Shin, who was still fast asleep on his side, and without thinking much of it, she plopped back down onto her own bed, pulled the covers over herself, and drifted off to sleep peacefully.
the next morning.
Matsu Takako woke up to a strange sensation.
She felt something poking her cheek repeatedly. She groggily opened her eyes, her vision gradually focusing, and then she saw that Kitahara Shin had woken up sometime earlier and was now sitting by her bedside, extending a finger and poking her soft cheek without any politeness.
What's even more deadly is that Kitahara Shin has an extremely subtle smile on his lips—it's hard to tell whether it's doting or just a wicked sense of humor.
Matsu Takako felt a chill run down her spine from his smile, and she shrank further into the blankets, stammering as she asked—
He said, "Why did you poke my cheek?!"
'
"You're sleeping like a pig, haven't woken up yet." Kitahara Shin withdrew his hand and said matter-of-factly, "We're going to miss the best morning snow at the ski resort soon. Get up and wash up! Also, why did you sleep in my room last night?"
When asked this question, Matsu Takako rubbed her eyes, and her muddled brain finally started working again.
She sat up abruptly, looked around at her surroundings, then at Kitahara Shin in front of her. Suddenly remembering some common sense about precautions for a man and woman alone together in a room, she instinctively crossed her arms over her chest: "You—you didn't do anything to me last night—"
"Snapped!"
Before she could finish speaking, Kitahara Shin had already given her a sharp flick on the forehead with remarkable precision.
"Ouch!" Matsu Takako covered her forehead, glaring at him with a wronged expression.
"Stop imagining things that are inappropriate for children." Kitahara Shin glanced down at her, mercilessly rebuking her, "I have absolutely no interest in underage girls. Alright, hurry up and go back to your room to wash up, brush your teeth, and change your clothes. We'll meet in the restaurant on the first floor in half an hour."
After saying that, Kitahara Shin put his hands in his pockets, turned around and strolled into the restroom.
Half an hour later, at the upscale buffet restaurant on the first floor of the resort.
Kitahara Shin, dressed in a light sweater, was picking out food with his plate when he looked up and ran into Asano Yuko, who was also having breakfast.
"Good morning, Asano-senpai," Kitahara Shin greeted politely.
However, Asano Yuko's gaze towards him was extremely subtle. Her eyes held three parts resentment, three parts apprehension, and a strange, knowing understanding that implied, "I know you're a pervert." She merely gave an extremely unnatural, forced laugh: "Kitahara-kun, good morning—take care of yourself."
After saying that, he picked up the plate and hurriedly sat down in the corner furthest away from him.
Kitahara Shin stood there, holding the plate, completely bewildered. He couldn't understand what was wrong with this woman so early in the morning, but he was too lazy to think about it. He simply assumed that these old-fashioned actresses were just being eccentric and shrugged, deciding it didn't matter.
He sat down by the window, took a sip of hot coffee, and looked at the snow scene outside, feeling great.
I have to say, last night was the most restful and comfortable sleep he had had in the past six months.
Only at this moment did he finally understand why, in his previous life when he was just an ordinary office worker, those middle-aged men always seemed so energetic and tireless when they were bragging at the dinner table.
He truly understood this time!
The feeling of completely fooling your industry leaders and seasoned veterans, even making them willingly line up to work for you—that intense sense of accomplishment and satisfaction is even more exhilarating than earning hundreds of millions, it's indescribable.
The joy of being a master con artist is indeed the ultimate romance for men.
Not long after, Matsu Takako, who had changed into a professional ski suit, ran into the restaurant, panting, and sat down opposite him.
"President, I'm all changed!" Matsu Takako said excitedly, munching on her toast and looking out the window. "When are we leaving?"
Kitahara Shin slowly swallowed the last bite of fried egg, wiped his mouth, and stood up.
"Let's go after we finish eating. Come on, let's follow the group to the ski resort and let me see how you, a young lady from a prestigious family, are going to teach me how to ski."
After a hearty breakfast, Kitahara Shin and Matsu Takako joined the group and arrived at the extremely spacious, high-quality ski resort behind the resort.
At the equipment rental counter, the two of them each selected suitable protective gear and skis.
As Kitahara Shin selected equipment, he habitually glanced around at his surroundings out of the corner of his eye. For the past six months, he had been busy filming, writing scripts, and making investments, his business empire expanding rapidly. Indeed, it had been a long time since he had "picked up" any useful system equipment in his daily life.
-
"When I get back to Tokyo this time, I'll have to find some time to get back to my old ways and travel around to buy some goods," Kitahara Shin thought to himself.
However, just as he had this thought, something incredibly magical happened.
Not far away, Matsu Takako had just taken a brand new pair of skis off the shelf, and the moment her hand gripped the edge of the skis, "whoosh!"
A faint white light, visible only to Kitahara Shin, suddenly flickered from the skis. Immediately afterward, a system notification appeared in his field of vision:
[Obtain white equipment: the skis that Matsu Takako touched]
Kitahara Shin gasped, falling into deep thought.
What's going on? Does this girl now have a built-in "enchantment" constitution? Anything she touches can instantly turn into system equipment?!
This was the first time he'd encountered such a bizarre way of getting equipment. Looking back, he'd received equipment from female celebrities he was close to before—like Akina Nakamori, Nanako Matsushima, and Rie Miyazawa—their equipment starting at an extremely rare purple quality. Only Izumi Sakai hadn't given him any equipment yet.
It was the first time I'd ever seen someone create a white-grade item just by touching it.
Kitahara Shin glanced at the attributes of the white equipment.
[Equipment Effect]: After wearing, it can rapidly improve the skiing skills of the user from "complete beginner" to "expert" in a short period of time.
"Skilled veteran" stage.
"I can only say that, as expected of the lowest-level white equipment, the effect is really plain and useless," Kitahara Shin silently complained to himself. But then he thought about it again, and for him right now, this thing could solve his immediate problem.
Thinking of this, Kitahara Shin walked directly to Matsu Takako with his skis, raised his chin, and said, "Takako, how about we swap skis?"
Matsu Takako, clutching her skis, blinked and looked at him warily: "What, President, are you even going to steal skis borrowed by your employees now?"
"What do you mean by 'stealing'? I just thought the color of this one you're holding looked nice to me," Kitahara Shin said without batting an eye. "Besides, people always say that the weight and feel of your equipment directly affect your skiing technique."
Matsu Takako rolled her eyes at him speechlessly: "President, that kind of mystical method only works on experienced skaters. A complete beginner like you, who's never skated before, can't even stand properly. Any plank of wood would be the same for you!"
Although her words were quite blunt, this well-mannered young lady ultimately handed her skis to Kitahara Shin with great generosity.
Taking the skis with the "white light enchantment," Kitahara Shin immediately muttered "equipment" in his mind. However, since standing on flat ground, he hadn't felt any special changes in his body. He estimated that the effects would only become apparent once he actually started skiing on the slopes.
After getting dressed, the two arrived at the beginner ski slope.
Matsu Takako immediately took on the role of "little teacher." On her skis, she demonstrated to Kitahara Shin with utmost seriousness, explaining everything from how to maintain balance and how to brake in an inward-pointing manner to how to protect one's wrists when falling. She rattled off a whole bunch of precautions, looking every bit like a strict teacher.
Kitahara Shin, who usually commands respect at the company and dominates others on set, was unusually cooperative this time. He listened quietly and attentively to Matsu Takako's explanation, even nodding in agreement.
Seeing her usually arrogant and cunning boss listening to her lecture like a well-behaved schoolchild, Matsu Takako felt a surge of indescribable "secret pleasure" deep inside.
During the filming of "Legal High," she was relentlessly criticized and berated by Kitahara Shin for her acting skills. Now, she's finally on her home turf and can finally get her revenge!
Moreover, Matsu Takako knew very well that skiing was an extremely demanding sport, requiring exceptional balance. She herself had spent a whole week falling and tumbling before she could barely master it. She was prepared to watch Kitahara Shin embarrass himself and fall all day, and then casually demonstrate a few impressive turns in front of him, showing off her skills to the fullest!
Thinking of this, Matsu Takako couldn't help but lower her head and secretly chuckle.
Kitahara Shin saw right through her little scheme but didn't expose her, willingly playing along with her "pretending to be weak while actually being strong" act.
With the help of the equipment, Kitahara Shin had already mastered the power generation technique within the first ten minutes of stepping onto the ski slope, and could have glided freely like a veteran. But he deliberately pretended to be stiff and unsteady, and practiced "clumsily" repeatedly for nearly half an hour under Matsu Takako's guidance.
Seeing that Kitahara Shin still couldn't "skate well," Matsu Takako finally got a little carried away.
With her hands on her hips and her delicate chin slightly raised, she pouted and said with a hint of arrogance, "Oh dear, President, I learned the basic moves in just ten minutes back then. Now it seems you really don't have any talent when it comes to sports."
Hearing her smug tone, as if she'd gotten the better deal but was still being smug, Kitahara Shin wasn't annoyed at all. Instead, he smiled indulgently: "Of course you can't compare. After all, you're the professional teacher, aren't you?"
The two of them spent some more time frolicking alone on the beginner slope. Kitahara Shin checked the time and said to Matsu Takako, "Alright, I've memorized the basics. Go ski on the intermediate slope for a while, I'll study and figure things out on my own here, and I'll also go say hello to Tsugawa-senpai and the others over there. I'll come find you later."
Matsu Takako was in the middle of skating when she heard him say that, so she nodded obediently: "Okay, then please be careful, President, and don't fall too badly."
After saying that, she picked up her ski poles and gracefully glided towards the steeper slope.
After leaving Kitahara Shin, Matsu Takako raced alone on the wide ski slopes, enjoying the whistling cold air.
With the wind and the return to my skiing rhythm, I felt extremely relaxed.
However, this tranquility did not last long.
As one of Japan's top resorts, today's skiers included veteran actors from the "Nikokai" group who had the entire resort booked out, as well as some of the resort's high-level VIP members.
Matsu Takako was already extremely beautiful, and her aloof and elegant demeanor, typical of a young lady from a prestigious family, made her even more eye-catching in the snow. Soon, she caught the eye of a young boy who was also skiing.
The boy was wearing an extremely expensive limited-edition ski suit, clearly the kind of rich kid who was either extremely wealthy or of noble birth. He performed a spectacular drift on his snowboard, stopping smoothly next to Matsu Takako. He took off his goggles, revealing a rather handsome but somewhat frivolous face.
"Hey beautiful, are you skiing here alone too?" the boy said casually.
Matsu Takako glanced at the boy's undisguised childishness and arrogance, and immediately lost all interest. She simply gave a polite but perfunctory "hmm" and prepared to walk around him and continue skating.
But the rich young master clearly had no intention of giving up so easily. He immediately skated up and caught up, saying boastfully, "I skate here all the time. I could go down this slope with my eyes closed. You seem to be skating rather conservatively. How about I teach you? I'm very skilled."
Takako Matsu is already immune to this kind of pointless adolescent fashion.
Back in junior high, she frequently encountered similar situations due to her outstanding looks and family background. Later, in high school, because she was busy acting and lived in a different circle, the boys her age gradually realized that they were not from the same world as her, and they gave up.
Matsu Takako's inherent upbringing prevented her from verbally abusing or shouting at people. Faced with such persistent pests, she had only one way to deal with them—complete ignoring them.
She ignored the boy and increased her gliding speed on her own.
However, the boy found this "ice queen" very challenging and followed her closely like a piece of chewing gum, chattering incessantly.
"Hey, what's your name? Can you tell me your name?"
"Don't be so cold! Look around this ski resort, besides the elderly, the only young people are the two of us. Let's make friends!"
Hearing this extremely idiotic way of trying to get close to her, Matsu Takako curled her lips in disdain beneath her mask, remaining silent.
Seeing that she wouldn't budge no matter what he said, the boy rolled his eyes and suddenly said provocatively, "How about this, you have a match with me!"
Let's slide down to the bottom and see who can slide the fastest. If you win, I'll never bother you again, okay?
Upon hearing this suggestion, Matsu Takako finally stopped and gave him a cold look.
She couldn't help but think to herself: What good is this boring competition to me?
However, she was indeed getting fed up with this fly. Since it insisted on provoking her, she might as well take this opportunity to get rid of it completely.
"Alright," Matsu Takako said calmly. "Let's have a competition then."
The two arrived at the cable car station high up and stood side by side on the edge of the steep ski slope.
The boy grinned, his face radiating unwavering confidence, and shouted, "Three, two, one! Go!"
As soon as they finished speaking, the two of them simultaneously pushed off with their ski poles and sped down the long ski slope.
In an attempt to impress the beautiful woman with his speed and superior technique, the rich young master adopted an exaggerated posture from the very beginning, lowering his center of gravity and accelerating wildly. Matsu Takako, however, remained completely unmoved. She didn't care who was faster or slower; she only cared about maintaining her balance and whether she would get hurt.
as predicted.
Just as he was gliding through a relatively steep bend, the rich young master, in his relentless pursuit of speed, lost control of his center of gravity the instant he turned.
"ah--!"
With a scream, the boy tumbled through the snow, rolling several meters like a snowball, his skis flying off in a pathetic fashion.
When Matsu Takako, who was gliding smoothly, saw his comical and disheveled appearance, she couldn't help but pause for a moment and almost burst out laughing.
But it was precisely this brief lapse in concentration that caused her to overlook the terrain in front of her as she descended at high speed. When she regained her senses, she suddenly realized that she was going too fast, and that a thick isolation wall was right in front of her!
Matsu Takako panicked and instinctively tried to brake by turning her toes inward, but at that speed, she couldn't stop at all.
It looked like it was about to crash into them hard!
Just at this critical moment, a tall, slender figure in a black ski suit rushed towards her from the side and behind like an arrow.
With extremely skillful and domineering technique, the man slid horizontally in front of her, stretched out his strong arm, grabbed her waist, and pressed her firmly into his embrace.
The immense inertia carried the two of them down into a deep snowdrift, where they rolled twice in the soft snow before coming to a stop.
Matsu Takako lay in the snowdrift, still shaken, panting heavily.
She looked up, her terrified gaze meeting a pair of extremely deep eyes that held a hint of a smile.
Kitahara Shin propped himself up with one hand near her ear, letting the fine snowflakes fall onto his hair. He looked at the girl beneath him, who was trembling like a startled rabbit, a slightly roguish smile playing on his lips, and whispered, "Why did you run so fast? Just to hide from that brat?"
Hearing this question, which was both teasing and concerned, and feeling the strong heartbeat coming from the man's chest, Matsu Takako's originally pale cheeks instantly flushed with a suspicious blush.
She didn't push Kitahara Shin away, but silently pressed her slightly flushed cheeks back against his broad, warm chest, muttering in a voice barely above a whisper, "—It's nothing."
After that, the rich young master, who was completely humiliated after the fall, disappeared in disgrace.
Meanwhile, Matsu Takako and Kitahara Shin skied for a long time at the ski resort. In the following time, Matsu Takako was extremely surprised to find that Kitahara Shin's skiing skills had improved by leaps and bounds, and before long he was able to keep up with her on the advanced slopes.
Although she didn't know how the man had done it, as his "nominal" coach, Matsu Takako felt an indescribable sense of accomplishment.
On this sunny and snowy winter afternoon, the ski trip in Karuizawa finally came to a perfect end in a subtle and beautiful atmosphere.
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