Eternal Replay: A Love Rekindled

Chapter Seven

Corey sat up in bed, switched on the bedside lamp, and then slowly got up and walked over to the mirror. He reached out and rubbed a spot on his neck. After just a few rubs, a dark mark hidden beneath was revealed.

So, last night wasn't just a dream after all.

He then checked the windows, the toilet, and the wardrobe. Finally, he locked the door before returning to bed and lying on his back, staring at the intricately patterned ceiling. He let out a long sigh.

Nicholas had become a person he was both unfamiliar with and a little afraid of.

Corey was angry and indignant about Nicholas's actions, but it was hard for him to truly hate him. However, it was also true that, based on the current situation, it was impossible for him to be with Nicholas.

He turned over and hugged the pillow. Thinking about the several nice partners he had met over the years and their final behaviors, he realized that Nicholas must have played tricks behind the scenes, making them act as if they had seen a ghost. Joyce was indeed the first person who had gotten to the point of almost dating him.

Now that he knew about Nicholas's madness, he couldn't harm Joyce. Corey was in extreme conflict and confusion, and he drifted in and out of thoughts until dawn. When he got up the next day, he looked haggard.

After washing up and tidying himself up a bit, he rarely put on foundation carefully to cover up his lackluster state. Fortunately, they were going skiing today, and with thick clothes on, he didn't have to try too hard to hide the hickeys on his neck. Corey simply put on a turtleneck to cover the marks.

Joyce had already been waiting for him in the restaurant for breakfast. When he saw Corey, who was meticulously dressed up, his eyes lit up, thinking that Corey had done it for him.

Strictly speaking, it was indeed for him, but the meaning behind it was quite different.

"Did you sleep well last night?" Joyce asked.

There was not a single Asian food item in the breakfast buffet area, which made Corey's appetite even worse. In response to Joyce's question, he could only lie, "Not bad. I'm just a bit unaccustomed to bed."

Joyce noticed that the food didn't appeal to Corey. "There's a Chinese restaurant nearby that serves lunch and dinner. I don't know if it's authentic. How about we give it a try at noon?"

"Okay," Corey nodded, his face looking glum. "I prefer having porridge and steamed buns in the morning. Bread and coffee are okay for afternoon tea."

"I remember when you ordered barbecue late at night on the set and made everyone else drool with envy," Joyce laughed. "You're the first actor I've ever seen who really dared to eat so much spicy and oily food in the middle of the night. To be honest, that's when I started paying attention to you."

"Am I amazing? I don't get pimples or gain weight, haha." The two chatted in a relaxed and easy - going manner, and for a moment, Corey completely forgot about Nicholas.

Until—

"Good morning!" At the sound, Joyce and Corey turned around together. Before the smiles on their faces could fade, they saw Nicholas standing behind them, also holding a plate.

Nicholas was charming and handsome, looking at them with a big smile, but his eyes were cold.

The smile on Joyce's face remained unchanged, while Corey's expression froze completely.

"Mr. Leon, what a coincidence," Joyce said. Although he was puzzled as to why Nicholas had suddenly come to greet him, since they knew each other, they had to keep courtesy. "Are you here on vacation too?"

"Yeah, it is quite a coincidence," Nicholas's eyes swept over Corey subtly. "Shall we sit together?"

Although Joyce was surprised by Nicholas's proposal, he couldn't object. In the end, the three of them sat down together.

Corey had no appetite to begin with, and now he had even less. He wished he could just leave this awkward situation immediately.

"I've watched many of Corey's works. I'm kind of his fan," Nicholas said with a smile, looking at Corey. "I never expected to meet him here. Are you two dating?"

Corey's heart was pounding. He had a feeling that if he said they were dating at this moment, Nicholas would turn into a different person right away.

Fortunately, Joyce deflected the question. "Strictly speaking, I'm pursuing Corey."

"Oh," Nicholas nodded in understanding.

Corey immediately remembered the murderous words Nicholas had said last night. His heart pounding wildly, he quickly changed the topic. "We're going skiing later. I'm not very good at it. I might be a bit clumsy."

"Don't worry. I can teach you. I'm quite good at skiing. I got there alone and was feeling a bit bored. Don't mind me tagging along," Nicholas touched Corey's foot under the table. Corey immediately shrank back, and he wished he could stab Nicholas with a fork on the table.

Nicholas's words and expressions seemed completely harmless. Even though Joyce felt something was off, he couldn't think of anything else.

"No need to trouble you. Joyce said he would teach me," Corey voted against it.

Nicholas persisted shamelessly, "Brother Corey, I won't take up too much of your time together. Just fulfill a little fan's wish. I'm leaving this afternoon."

Damn it! This psycho is a great actor. Why doesn't he go into the entertainment industry?

While acting all innocent, he was still rubbing his foot against Corey's under the table. Corey's foot was almost pushed into a corner. He had to be on guard against Nicholas's harassment while also making sure Joyce didn't notice.

"You're leaving this afternoon?" Corey asked in return.

"Yeah," Nicholas nodded.

Corey looked at Joyce. Joyce smiled and half - comforted him, "We can ski to our heart's content this afternoon."

After the three of them finished eating, they took a short rest, then changed into their gear and headed to the ski resort.

There weren't many people at the ski resort, and a few were already skiing here and there.

To Corey's surprise, when Nicholas said he would teach him skiing, he really just focused on teaching. His actions and words were completely appropriate, almost to the point where Corey let down his guard.

Corey was quite talented. Soon, he was skiing quite decently. Looking out, there were only a few scattered figures and the vast expanse of white snow.

Even though falling down and getting up again wasn't pleasant, the feeling of freedom and exhilaration every time he glided successfully through the snow was unprecedented for Corey.

The problems that had been bothering him, Nicholas, the past, the present, and the things he had to think about in the future, all seemed insignificant at that moment.

"Corey, slow down!" He heard Nicholas say.

Hearing this, he almost wanted to speed up immediately, but Corey valued his life very much, so he slowly reduced his speed. Nicholas quickly skied to his side. When Corey looked back, there was no one else around.

"You're skiing really well," Nicholas said with a smile. After stopping beside Corey, he pulled him over and kissed him without hesitation.

If one ignored the previous events, they would look like an ordinary young couple who had went skiing.

Corey felt a bit disappointed for some reason.

Actually, if Nicholas wasn't so crazy and took things slowly, he might have been able to accept him.

As soon as this thought popped up, Corey was shocked by himself. He pushed Nicholas away, a mix of anger towards Nicholas and himself. "Don't kiss randomly!"

Out of the corner of his eye, Corey could see Joyce coming from a distance. Just as he was about to speak, he saw that the snow on the high - ground seemed to move slightly.

The next second, a loud noise came. The overwhelming snow broke the illusion of peace and poured down without mercy, giving no one time to react. It swept away all signs of life in its path.

"Baby!"

The last thing Corey remembered was Nicholas's anxious voice and his embrace as he rushed towards him.

"Hey, young man, wake up. We're here," a deep and powerful voice sounded in Corey's ear. He woke up in a cold sweat and found himself sitting in the back seat of a taxi.

The radio host's voice was cheerful, "2010 is coming to an end in a blink of an eye..."

At the beginning of the winter vacation in 2010, Corey was 20 years old, and Nicholas was 17 years old. The two of them hadn't had an intimate relationship yet.