Li Yan couldn't just ignore their worries, so he agreed with their suggestion and continued to wait for a while. It was already very cold when they were discussing earlier, and every minute and second after that passed with difficulty, making time seem to crawl. The temperature kept dropping, and it was getting darker outside quickly; everyone was huddled together like penguins for warmth, with not much left to say.

After waiting a bit longer, it was estimated that it had been half an hour since they were trapped. In normal times, that would quickly pass, but now it felt like they had endured for more than half a day.

Li Yan, being a man and having undergone rigorous training, was physically and cold resistance-wise stronger than the two of them. Moreover, with him in the middle and the two of them on his sides, he was relatively warmer, making his hardship the least among the three.

During this time, they spoke as little as possible to conserve energy. But Li Yan's mind never stopped. He had analyzed the situation under various conditions in his head many times, searching for a relatively reliable escape route.

He keenly noticed an issue: both Yurong and Huanxuan seemed a bit uneasy, occasionally moving their legs. At first glance, it seemed due to the cold, wanting to move because of numbness. But based on his own situation, Li Yan guessed they were in urgent need of a restroom!

They had been skiing since finishing lunch. The ski resort, of course, had restrooms located near the shop, restaurant at the mountain top supply point, at the first ski lift point, and other more crowded places. But in relatively remote places, there were no restrooms. After leaving the beginner's trail, the three of them ventured further away, and the place they ended up playing had no restrooms.

If they were all men, it wouldn't matter. A simple matter of watering the plants, environmentally friendly and low carbon, and if not afraid of the cold, it's very convenient. But with Zhang Yurong and Qiao Huanxuan there, such a thing was out of the question. So, they held it in despite the urge, too shy to mention it.

They planned to visit the restroom on their way back. However, not keeping track of time, they found everyone had left when they heard the broadcast on their return. At that moment, worried about missing the gondola, they had no thoughts for the restroom. Originally no biggie, since the gondola ride wouldn't take long. A little longer to hold would have been fine. Who would've thought they'd be suspended in mid-air, making restroom needs a big issue.

With this problem, they were too embarrassed to speak out. Li Yan thought he couldn't wait any longer and had to break the awkwardness.

"Still no news. We can't wait anymore. Waiting longer will only make things worse. It's getting too dark to see. If I were to go down, figuring out how to get from here to the mountaintop below, and then down the not-so-short trail in darkness, would be dangerous. Besides, I'm in trouble myself... I really need to pee and can't hold it any longer!"

Hearing the first part of Li Yan's words, they both agreed it was reasonable—they couldn't wait any longer. The latter part, however, was somewhat embarrassing. They knew they were in the same predicament and guessed Li Yan might have said it deliberately to ease their embarrassment.

"Then how do we go down?" Yurong wasn't idly sitting by and was also contemplating a way down. "If we tie our clothes together... would it be enough to reach?"

Qiao Huanxuan, the same, didn't lose her composure completely in this harsh environment. At this moment, she displayed her architect's sensitivity to data: "Absolutely! Our ski jackets, with two sleeves spread out, are about 1.5 meters wide. But the waterproof fabric is very slippery; tying a secure knot to prevent it from coming undone may require using one sleeve, leaving about a meter per jacket. With three jackets, that's around three meters. With three ski pants, using the same tying method, we'd sacrifice one pant leg, leaving about a meter per pair; that adds up to three more meters. Altogether, we have about six meters!"

She pointed below: "Eyeballing the height from here to the ground isn't very accurate, but it's estimated to be the height of four or five stories. Don't forget, even if we're five stories up, the actual distance is like four stories, so it should be around thirteen to fourteen meters. We currently have about eight meters; we just need to figure out three more meters for safety."

Li Yan was surprised. He had considered tying clothes and dropping down but discarded the idea, thinking three people's clothes wouldn't be long enough. Unexpectedly, Qiao Huanxuan's careful calculation showed it wasn't a big issue. Even at the current estimated six meters height, it wasn't troublesome for him.

"Three meters?" Zhang Yurong, listening to her explanation, was a bit confused.

Qiao Huanxuan smiled: "Standing or sitting looking down, our eyes are a little over a meter off the ground; when we descend with ropes, reaching the end allows us to subtract a person's height. Li Yan must be around 1.8 meters, right? Grabbing clothes, minus 20 centimeters, gives at least 1.6 meters reduction. Combined ski jacket and pants should give about six meters, plus his height, meaning we already have around 7.6 meters. Another three meters brings it to 10.6 meters; we might remain three meters from the ground."

A three-meter jump certainly posed a risk for Li Yan, possibly resulting in a tumble or injury. But don't worry, Yurong. The ground has a layer of snow that can cushion the fall, and it's unlikely to cause severe injury."

Zhang Yurong knew well that Qiao Huanxuan cared for Li Yan, just as she did, and wouldn't let him get hurt. After hearing her calculations, she genuinely praised: "Huanxuan, your calculations are so precise! Let's start taking our clothes off!"

In front of Li Yan, Zhang Yurong enthusiastically invited Qiao Huanxuan to undress together. If it were in another setting, this would be quite a charming matter. But now, Li Yan had to stop her immediately!

"Wait a minute!" Li Yan grabbed Yurong's hand as she was about to undress. "The ski suit might withstand a person's weight, but it's hard to say for the clothes underneath. Besides, it's already very cold now, and you're both barely coping. If you undress and tie the clothes together, by the time you're done, you might be frozen stiff. Even if I go down and you pull the clothes back up to cover yourselves, it will be difficult to regain warmth."

Qiao Huanxuan and Zhang Yurong both frowned slightly; they too could foresee such problems. But Li Yan was willing to risk going down alone for help, and they couldn't just stand by and do nothing.

"This is just the best scenario! When I go down, even if I tie the clothes here, I have to open the door to go down, which will make it even colder. If the clothes can't endure the weight and tear, I wouldn't mind a heavy fall. You won't be able to wear them again after pulling them up. Don't forget, just because I'm down below doesn't mean I'm safe yet; I have to get down the mountain and find someone to start the cable car. Only when you're down safety will be assured! Even if I descend smoothly, it might take half an hour, don't you think?" Li Yan said seriously.

Zhang Yurong sighed, "Li Yan, I know you have your plan, just tell us."

She was very clear and believed that even in the most dangerous times, Li Yan would not abandon her and would save her. Just like when the hotel was locked down due to the anthrax virus; just like when the auction was invaded by terrorists, in such a situation now, he would definitely continue to be her support! But since he hasn't said it first, it must not be a simple method.

Qiao Huanxuan also looked at him, filled with concern. Earlier, she too calculated that using clothes to make a rope was the best method, a way everyone could share the burden a bit. "Actually... even if it's cold, Yurong and I can cuddle for warmth, it might not necessarily be bad..."

Li Yan embraced the two of them, looking left and right, then said, "I know you don't want me to take risks alone, but I don't want to see you hurt. As long as your harm is minimized, I'm willing to choose the harder way! As for me, I can face any danger!"

He pointed up, "I'll climb up there and crawl forward holding onto the cable!"

"That's too dangerous!" Zhang Yurong's face slightly changed. "The cable's steel wire will shred your hands!"

"You're thinking of crawling to a place closer to the ground? It's too risky! Even if the place is nearer to the ground, the height might be ten meters, you'll definitely get hurt falling!" Qiao Huanxuan also didn't want him to use this method.

Li Yan shook his head, "Not a cable car near the ground, I'm going to the nearest post. There are posts on both top and bottom. Each post has a fixed ladder for maintenance workers to climb up and down, even without a ladder, I can slide down the post. That way, I can safely reach the ground."

Zhang Yurong smiled bitterly, "But how far is it to the post from here? If not a hundred, then it's at least dozens of meters, right? You're going to climb dozens of meters up there? You might collapse before you reach it!"

Li Yan smiled a bit and pulled her over for a kiss, "Trust me!"

Upon hearing him say this, Zhang Yurong's overwhelming concern suddenly calmed. Yes, though he seemed lazy, whenever he got serious, he indeed didn't disappoint! At this moment, she didn't know why exactly; she just instinctively trusted him.

Then, Li Yan didn't hesitate, kissing Qiao Huanxuan on the other side, "You too, trust me."

Then he stood up and tightened his gloves. "Close the door tight, cuddle for warmth, I won't give up on you all!"

With a final word, Li Yan pulled open the small door of the cable car, holding onto the door, leaning his body outside. Zhang Yurong and Qiao Huanxuan hurriedly went to grab his feet to prevent him from falling.

"Don't worry, I won't be in trouble, you coming over will cause imbalance!" Li Yan had already reached up, then used his foot to push off the door, one hand grabbing the cable overhead!

(Thanks for yesterday's rewards: Yagami Light II, Aj Xuan Yan, Cp Pampas, Top Friend, Support You with Heart, dongmin8061) (To be continued, to know how the story unfolds, please log in to www.qidian.com, more chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!)