Chapter 109

"Ah—" Fang Lian frantically shook her roommate’s waist, "I got it, I got it, I got it!"

Roommate: "Did you win the lottery?"

Fang Lian: "Hehe, I got selected for the VR draw!"

Roommate: "Ugh..."

She didn’t get it!

Darn it, why were the spots for the first day of the VR snowfield experience event decided by a lottery?

Both of them were tourists in Chewan City, and they had arrived before Chu Tingwu. They planned to stay until they had to return to school, and then they stumbled upon Chewan City’s new event.

Fang Lian had watched Chu Tingwu’s videos before and would click on them whenever they were updated. She was a casual fan, while her roommate preferred cat videos—if the cats weren’t the main focus, she’d skip them. To each their own.

But when it came to something new like VR live streaming, everyone wanted to give it a try.

Fang Lian showed her roommate the text message from the organizers:

"So there are two sessions, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. The morning is a 'recording,' and the afternoon is live streaming?"

After the event was announced, the number of applicants was so high that if they were to arrange it based on the order of registration, the machines and the people responsible for the live stream would have to work non-stop, with no end in sight.

So, only a hundred spots were available each day, with each spot allowing for a half-hour experience in both the morning and afternoon.

That might seem short, but for something like skiing, an hour is enough for beginners.

Fang Lian: "Hehe, I saw that the morning 'recording' includes Chu Tingwu’s nighttime snowboard descent!"

The "recording" was essentially a fixed VR live stream, as the name suggests. The experience was a set sequence, and Fang Lian guessed it was like watching a movie in a 4D theater, but with a higher level of realism.

The afternoon live stream, however, had a different flow. Different skiers would take turns, and it wasn’t always just one person—they’d switch around. So, while visitors were guaranteed a skiing experience while on the machine, they couldn’t be sure which skier they’d get.

The afternoon lineup included not only Louise but also Weng Ling, an Olympic freestyle skiing champion from Chewan City—she was originally supposed to return to her team two days ago but was specially invited by the local government to participate in the first day of the event.

Fang Lian heard that Chu Tingwu was originally supposed to participate too, but that part of the program was mysteriously canceled.

Could it be that some netizens thought Chu Tingwu wasn’t professional enough or lacked the necessary credentials, so she didn’t come?

Fang Lian was indignant: "They’re so petty! I hope Chu Tingwu didn’t see those comments… Honestly, if it weren’t for her, where would this VR live stream even be?"

The event wouldn’t have existed in the first place.

Even though her roommate didn’t get a spot, they both went to the event that day.

Her roommate pinched Fang Lian’s waist out of jealousy, making her laugh so hard she almost fell over before finally letting her go inside.

The VR experience pods were a gimmick, but they couldn’t rely on just ten pods to keep so many tourists entertained. The event itself couldn’t just be a dry experience for a small group while everyone else waited in line or watched.

Her roommate quickly discovered that there were also performances, a market, and free one-hour equipment rentals at the snowfield in the morning… It was clear that Chewan City was pulling out all the stops to keep tourists around.

Her roommate had an idea—

When she and Fang Lian first arrived, they had tried skiing, but they quickly gave up after falling too many times. They’d just been going out to find good food and take photos every day.

Since they had nothing better to do, why not… try again? And it was free for a limited time!

Half an hour later, her roommate lay in the snow, wondering: What exactly did I come here for today?

She looked up at the banner by the snowfield—

There was an artistic design that looked like a bird flying out of a flower basket, but upon closer inspection, the bird formed a "W," and the basket was a "U." It was the logo of the "WU" brand, which was sponsoring the event along with Chu Tingwu’s company.

Roommate: So it’s you who’s making me fall on my butt!

With a hint of resentment, she returned to the rest area and happened to run into Fang Lian, whose eyes were shining brightly!

Fang Lian had just climbed out of the machine, taking a few wobbly steps as if she might fall, but she grabbed her roommate’s hand and first let out a soundless "ah" before finally saying, "Holy cow—"Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Roommate: Hey.

Fang Lian: "Babe, let’s go skiing! I feel like I won’t fall so easily now! Oh my god, I’m so good, how did I even manage that move? And let me tell you, blah blah blah…"

Roommate: "-.-"

I think you’re dreaming.

Fang Lian confidently headed to the snowfield, but her roommate cautiously stepped back.

Sure enough, Fang Lian ended up falling in the same way.

Roommate: "Does it hurt?"

Fang Lian: "Yeah…"

Roommate: "Still want to keep going?"

Fang Lian: "It hurts… but not enough to stop me."

Roommate: "?"

She watched as her friend actually managed to last another half hour under the instructor’s guidance. As she watched, she felt a bit moved. If nothing unexpected happened, today’s experience would leave Fang Lian…

In even more pain that night.

Roommate: Am I going to have to carry her to the bathroom?

Though she was full of snarky thoughts, she couldn’t help but start to wonder… What was so magical about the VR experience? When would she get selected? A hundred spots a day was way too few!

-

A hundred spots a day is way too few! The original poster who had been looking to buy gear was on the verge of tears.

He still hadn’t managed to buy knee pads… and he hadn’t been selected for the first day’s lottery either.

Because he got selected for the second day.

Meanwhile, the guy in the wheelchair, Cheng Mi, got selected for the first day, and the original poster had learned his name during this time.

When Cheng Mi went to participate, the original poster naturally went along, thinking he could lend a hand since Cheng Mi had limited mobility. However, Chewan City seemed well-prepared. When they noticed Cheng Mi was in a wheelchair, they weren’t surprised and immediately sent staff to assist.

The original poster was left with nothing to do.

He overheard some locals nearby discussing—

"Why is that guy in a wheelchair here?"

"Probably broke his leg skiing. What’s the big deal?"

Original poster: Hey!

…Is skiing here really that dangerous? He was starting to have doubts.

He kept watching and noticed that most people who came out of the experience pods looked happy, excited, and even inspired to rent equipment and try skiing themselves.

He really wanted to try it too—Cheng Mi had even lent him his knee pads, but since Chu Tingwu hadn’t been streaming lately, the VR live stream knee pads were just ordinary ones.

As for the recording feature, the app hadn’t rolled it out yet, so it was only available in Chewan City.

The original poster was curious when Cheng Mi came out… Watching others ski made time fly, and Cheng Mi also looked excited, but his excitement was different. He suppressed his emotions as he greeted the original poster, then seemed to guess what he was thinking.

Cheng Mi smiled: "Don’t worry about me. Go ahead and ski."

It was precisely because he couldn’t ski that his companion was concerned about how he’d feel.

Cheng Mi wasn’t bothered at all. In fact, he was still immersed in and savoring the experience he’d just had—

Unlike the VR live stream knee pads, in the experience pod, he truly felt like he was "standing up" again!

He was able to fully immerse himself in the sensation of having a strong, healthy body. He even got to try extreme sports that he’d never been able to attempt when he could walk. If anything, he was even more thrilled that he got to experience extreme sports.

What would it be like if others were live streaming? Maybe just ordinary daily life, but Cheng Mi thought that even if there were VR live streams like that, he probably wouldn’t watch them—he’d feel too restless.

"Because health is a luxury for me, I can't stand those who have healthy bodies but fail to fully utilize them."

To exercise, to challenge, to do things he couldn't even do if he were healthy—that's how he feels... happiness!

That's why he loves this kind of VR livestream. There's no sense of weakness or sluggishness, just leaving speed behind and choosing to soar.

He sits in his wheelchair, watching people ski on the snowy field outside. The indoor screen also shows a live feed of the skiing scene, captured by a drone. Some are panicked beginners, while others move with agile expertise... As he watches, he hears someone nearby say:

"Mom, why is that uncle sitting there? Isn't he going to play?"

The mother quickly covers the child's mouth, but Cheng Mi just smiles and turns his head, glancing at the child's ski board, and says, "He’s playing by not playing."

The child: "?"

Cheng Mi: "Hahahaha."

Although his legs have nothing to do with skiing, it’s clear that the person who just came down from the slope looks utterly numb.

For beginners, skiing is inseparable from the word "fall." Whether it's a snowboard or skis, falling is inevitable, and the ways you can fall on skis are even more varied.

Perhaps most people couldn’t resist trying skiing in the morning, so by the afternoon, many were grimacing in pain. Even if they needed support from friends or had to lean against walls to walk, no one gave up the opportunity.

Some even cast envious glances at Cheng Mi, who was leisurely sitting in his electric wheelchair—

They might be thinking of buying an electric wheelchair for themselves.

The person who posted this was caught in the middle of this crowd, feeling rather helpless, but his attention quickly shifted to the live broadcast screen—this time, it showed professional skiers in action. But a twinge of jealousy crept into his heart because they could only watch, while those inside could experience it firsthand, as if they were the skiers themselves, having no idea how much fun they were having!

The poster: "Why hasn’t Chu Tingwu come?"

Roommate: "Why isn’t Chu Tingwu participating?"

Both were stunned, looking at the stranger who spoke at the same time, and then they realized: "You watch Chu Tingwu’s livestreams too?"

Since we both follow the same content creator, we’re practically siblings from different parents!

The siblings, despite their aches and pains... couldn’t resist and went back to the ski field together.

It felt like a waste of resources to come all this way and not ski.

...So it was only natural that they ended up seeing a doctor together that evening.

The four of them gathered, but the only one without any soreness was Cheng Mi in his wheelchair. He was speechless, even feeling like he should "stand up" and lend his wheelchair to the others.

The doctor they saw was also at the ski resort. Chewan City is home to a nationally renowned orthopedic hospital, and this time, a sponsor provided free medical services... It was said to be Chu Tingwu’s private medical team, bringing staff from Guman City Orthopedic Hospital.

Coincidentally, Chewan had underestimated the number of tourists, and this was just what they needed.

Along the way, everyone was still discussing their disappointment at not seeing Chu Tingwu in the afternoon. After all, the afternoon livestream was the most likely time to catch a glimpse of the content creator, and with some luck, you might even get to experience skiing through the VR pod.

This experience was directly comparable to when You Zhenzhen first tried the VR pod.

So where exactly was the content creator—

"The hand is almost healed," the doctor said.

"I told you it was almost healed," Chu Tingwu said.

Zhou Qiang reached out, her hand probing Chu Tingwu’s chest. Three-Five-Five, who had been nestled inside the down jacket with only its head poking out, squeezed out a paw and patted Zhou Qiang’s palm.

Zhou Qiang: "Three-Five-Five says no."

Three-Five-Five: "Meow~"

Chu Tingwu: "=="

Chu Tingwu looked at the doctor, who looked away.

Theoretically... theoretically, she should side with her boss, but even the boss has to listen to her mom.

Can’t help you there.

She looked at the people in line behind them:

"Do you have activity tickets? Scan them, please? You’re here for sprains and strains, right? No, huh?"

She noticed Cheng Mi in the wheelchair:

...Did you break your leg skiing?

Cheng Mi: "I’m fine, just here for them."

...Not only did he break his leg, but he’s also so determined despite his disability.

Cheng Mi: ==