Chapter Eighty-Four: Azure Sky (Part One)

  Gu Huanli acknowledged that today's temperature is low, but the clear sky is indeed good weather that everyone has been looking forward to. The problem is, this isn't a matter of the weather at all. "Mai De, I didn't even know the activity content had changed."

  "I looked for you several times last night and this morning but couldn't find you. And as you know, everyone is not very interested in bowling. Anton suggested taking them hot air ballooning and they got their parents' consent, so that's how it was settled."

  "Glass." When Mei De saw that she didn't speak, he said softly again, "Anton's older sister started driving hot air balloons at the age of 16, received commercial training, and obtained a license from the 'Hot Air Balloon Licensing Committee'..."

  "I know," Gu Huanli said angrily, turning around and glaring at Cassidy, who had just signed the agreement. "Hot air balloon flights must be conducted very early in the morning because the airflow is most stable at that time. As the sun rises, the wind picks up, so we can only wait until late afternoon when the winds die down again to fly."

  "So, there's nothing to be afraid of. Just think of it as an adventure experience." Mike patted her shoulder and smiled gently, "Besides, as a good buddy, I'll be with you."

  What's up, bro?

  Thank you.

  Good brothers have acrophobia. The only thing people on the ground should be grateful for is that she didn't even have time to eat breakfast before being thrown into the car by Cassidy.

  "Maide, I think Anton is great, he's the leader we've been waiting for. At this rate, I'm guessing the autonomous body will probably recommend him as the president of the youth association." Lisha said on the side.

  Young people's association president?

  Even if Antonio became the President of the United States, she wouldn't get on that damn hot air balloon. Gu Huanli muttered to herself as Lisa pushed her towards the crowd. A boy who had already taken a ride on the hot air balloon was enthusiastically recounting how Antonio's cousin had let him operate it for a while during the flight.

  A group of children were anxiously waiting, Gu Huanli took the opportunity to count the number of people, she was thinking about how to avoid this adventure, the hot air balloon basket had landed and made three heart-pounding collisions before everything calmed down.

  Immediately following were the cheers of the children.

  Gus stared intently at Richie in the basket, his face pale and numb under the helmet. As for Katie, her hands and knees were covered with dust, but her face was flushed with excitement after the thrilling experience.

  And Antonio walked up to Richie, who was smiling, and patted him on the shoulder before pulling him out of the willow basket. Antonio wore a pair of sunglasses that covered most of his face, and if it weren't for his hair, Gu Huanlin would not have recognized him at all.

  Everyone was divided into groups according to their weight and then boarded the hot air balloon in order. When it was almost Gu Huanlin's turn, most people had already finished their flight experience. Gu Huanlin looked at Mai De and then at Antonio, and helplessly said to Antonio's cousin Vanessa, "Isn't it always two passengers at a time? Let them go first, I'll be last..."

  "You're too light." Vanessa smiled and patted her head, releasing all the kindness, "Like a feather, completely negligible."

  "Unnoticeable..." Gu Huan Lian muttered to herself, three black lines suddenly appearing on her forehead, while Mai De and Antonio burst into laughter on the side.

  She shouldn't have come to this stupid event, if she knew her weight would be ridiculed, she must have hung sandbags on her body, let those two bastards who are still laughing know that Gu Huanli is also very heavy.

  "Come on, Lian." Mai De was the first to climb into the willow basket, then stretched out his arms and smiled at Gu Huan Lian, "I and Antone will protect you, don't worry."

  Gu Huan's heart was racing faster, and the mix of excitement and fear made her stomach ache. "I don't want to go, I've never been on anything other than a plane."

  "Coward!" Everyone jeered.

  Pastor Ye winked at her, "Even an old man like me thinks it's a lot of fun. For a lively kid like you, it's definitely not to be missed. Go on, go on, I guarantee in the Lord's name that it will be an experience you'll never forget for the rest of your life."

  Gu Huanli's evasiveness only made everyone laugh even harder. This shrinking and hesitant attitude was not only due to her acrophobia, but also because of Antonio; after all, she didn't want this secret to be discovered by others.

  "Come on," said Mai De, "Everyone says it's a lot of fun."

  "Pray for me." Gu Huanli turned back to Cassidy and said, if she was going to fall off the hot air balloon to her death, hopefully this winged angel could still save her in time. Maybe she should ask Superman's phone number first.

  As she walked towards the hot air balloon, her mind was a complete blank and her stomach hurt to death. Although she wore thick boots, long pants, jacket, and even a hood, there wasn't a hint of excitement on Gu Huan's face.

  "What a beautiful morning for flying, perfect for your first flight." Antonio's cousin Vanessa said loudly.

  "I hope I won't end up as a pancake." Gu Huanli, with the help of Mai De, carefully climbed into the hanging basket. She let out a deep sigh and then laughed, apparently having accepted all this.

  As Antonio made the last dunk, Vanessa untied the rope, ignited the burner and a blast of flame shot into the nylon sphere.

  Gu Huanli really wanted to laugh, or show an excited look, but no matter how hard she tried, the result was still her upper and lower teeth engaging in a crazy boxing match.

  The willow basket began to sway, then slowly rose up, lightly floating like a cloud. Gu Huan's fingers turned white as she tightly grasped the rope on top of her head, her eyes wide open as if she couldn't breathe.

  "Ling, don't worry, we're fine." Made comforted her in a low voice by her ear.

  They soared far above the ground, soon floating at a slower pace. A vast expanse of white snow-covered land unfolded below, with the scenery constantly changing and unfolding. On the ground, Cassidy was driving on the highway, following the balloon's trail from afar.

  They soon flew over the snowy open space, and the Berkshire village was in sight. Antonio noticed that Gu Huan's eyes didn't dare to look down, so he took out a matchbox from his pocket and handed it to her, "Come on, light a match."

  Gu Huanli followed the instructions without understanding why, but the result was completely beyond her expectations. The ignited flame burned steadily and didn't even flicker, "I simply can't believe my eyes." She stared at the flame until it almost reached her fingertips, and couldn't help but sigh, "Why do I feel like a little match girl?"

  "Don't you feel more like a little bird flying freely?" Antonio asked with a smile.

  "Kite? No, no, no, I'd rather go hang gliding then." Gu Huanli hastily shook her head, joking that hang gliding was a hundred times more dangerous than hot air ballooning. She wasn't Lupin III, after all, and while she enjoyed playing around, she didn't want to play with her life.

  "What a pity you're too small." Antonio shook his head regretfully, "If you were a bit bigger, I could take you to fly the hang glider..."

  "Never mind, after all, I'm not interested in breaking my neck at all."

  Gu Huanli's rejection was too quick, Antonio smiled wryly and scratched his nose, but it was Vanessa behind him who burst out laughing, "An Dong, I didn't know you also had times when your charm didn't work!"

  "That's because she's still young and doesn't understand what charm is." Antonio explained, then felt that his words were unnecessary, so he ignored the behavior of his cousin laughing loudly with her hands on her belly.

  "The sky at sunrise feels really magnificent, doesn't it?" Made said, looking at the rose-red and golden light in front of him.

  "Let's go take a look at the river, anyway you're the last group." Vanessa manipulated the rope that released hot air and they slowly descended. She picked up the intercom, "Mr. Cassidy, we'll be staying on the river surface for a while."

  "Alright, have fun then, Billy and I will keep an eye on things from over here."

  The small river's water was turbulent, striking the stones on the riverbed, and the splashing water droplets shone with golden light under the sun's rays. Vanessa carefully guided the suspension basket to glide over the water surface, while the towering trees on both banks stood like steep cliffs in a gorge. In front of them, a fish leaped out of the water, leaving a flash of light in mid-air for an instant.

  At such a height, Gu Huanli finally stopped being afraid. She held onto the edge of the basket and looked down carefully. Antonio heard her rapid breathing and felt that she had the same excitement as him, and couldn't help but feel great joy. All along, he had thought that this girl called "Li" from the East was pure like a unicorn in the forest, only too shy by nature.

  As they reached a bend in the river, Vanessa raised the balloon again. Continuing to rise and crossing over a hill to another valley. The scenery here is as beautiful as Berkshire. When Gu Huanli's gaze inadvertently glanced at Antonio, she found that his eyes were staring at her through the lens of his sunglasses. A smile lingered on his lips, and she suddenly felt dizzy. Gu Huanli quickly turned away, how could she be so careless and forget that this young man was standing beside her?

  It just so happened that there was a farm ahead, and Cassady and Billy had already arranged with the farmer to let them land.

  "How was it?" Cassidy asked loudly as the balloon was about to land, Gu Huanli grabbed Maide's hem with some trepidation. Gu Huanli thought for a moment, raised her thumb and smiled brightly, Antonio behind her had an even more brilliant smile.

  The farmer and his family watched from the side, excited about what was happening on their land. And Billy even took out a bottle of champagne to toast the kind-hearted farmer, as well as the brave passengers, and hardworking Vanessa and Cassidy.

  At half past eleven, Gu Huanli sat on the sofa in the living room, sipping the hot red tea that Cassidy had just brewed. She was very tired. Acrophobia and Antonio both made her stomach ache. After the hot air balloon trip, she asked Cassidy to take her and Mai De back home immediately, until she lay down on the bed, Gu Huanli finally felt completely at ease.

  However, her mood was extremely disturbed. She couldn't erase Antonio's image, nor could she shake off the feeling of his fingers gripping her wrist when the balloon stopped and swayed slightly.

  There are still many days for us to spend together in the future...

  Thank God, at this moment, she is still a little girl.