Chapter 82: You Can't Visit Switzerland and Not Ski
Back in the kitchen, William checked his watch. An hour had passed, and the beef was nearly tender. He chopped some onions and carrots, added them to the pot with seasonings, and poured in a splash of red wine. The beef stew was ready.
He'd wanted to make rice, but unfortunately, he couldn't find any. Instead, he took out the electric griddle and made three flatbreads. Finally, he washed some green peppers for a simple and fragrant stir-fried beef tenderloin. He realized he hadn't eaten Chinese food in days, and the mere thought made his mouth water.
As William was stir-frying the beef, he felt Alexander approach quietly from behind. She leaned gently against his shoulder and kissed him. "Darling, I didn't know you could cook," she said. "You're amazing. You deserve a reward." With that, she kissed his cheek again.
William turned and said gently, "Alright, mind the cooking fumes. Could you take this pot of beef stew and the flatbreads to the dining room? I'll finish up this green pepper beef and steam some broccoli. You can set the table."
"No problem," Alexander replied with a smile.
After William finished with the broccoli, he brought the two dishes to the table, where Alexander had already set out the plates and cutlery. Seeing him approach with the food, Alexander happily stood up to give him another kiss.
After pouring red wine for them both, they clinked glasses. Alexander used a spoon to serve William a bowl of the beef stew before serving herself. She took a taste, her eyes widening in delight. "It's delicious! Thank you, my dear. This is the first time anyone other than my parents has ever cooked especially for me. I love you so much."
*This little imp can be so adorable when she's being playful,* he thought. "As long as you like it," he said. "I used to eat at Chinese restaurants a lot and loved the food, so I asked some chefs for advice. This is my first time actually cooking Chinese dishes, though."
William tasted it himself. It was decent, but the broth lacked a bit of depth. Since it wasn't made with a beef bone stock, the flavor was a little weak.
He served Alexander some of the green pepper beef, and she kept repeating how delicious it was. She didn't eat much, however, soon setting down her cutlery to sip her red wine and watch William eat, occasionally placing more food on his plate.
After a wonderful Chinese meal, Alexander insisted on washing the dishes. Laughing and playing around, the two of them cleaned up the kitchen together.
As dusk settled, Alexander excitedly pulled William onto the balcony to look at Mount Titlis. Their villa was one of only three in the area, all belonging to his family, making for a quiet and comfortable setting.
Alexander happily hugged William's arm, resting her head on his shoulder. They sat on the balcony, drinking red wine and whispering to each other. When Alexander started to feel cold, they reluctantly went back inside. The two curled up on the sofa in front of the fireplace, facing each other, hugging and talking about everything and nothing until they fell asleep under a blanket sometime after midnight.
The next morning at nine o'clock, Alexander, well-rested, awoke to find William no longer beside her. She put on her pajamas and searched the villa, eventually spotting him outside on a lower terrace.
After watching for a moment, Alexander was surprised to see William and Brian Mills sparring in the snow. She knew how skilled Brian was and was impressed that William was training with him.
Although Brian Mills was highly experienced and skilled, he was getting older. After more than ten minutes, his pace slowed significantly. A few minutes later, the two men stopped, shared a brief hug, and began talking and laughing.
William found Brian's close-quarters combat style to be very practical—simple, direct, and aimed at the body's joints and throat. It shared similarities with many of the combat techniques he had seen in the system.
Beyond sport, the purpose of such bare-handed combat is to neutralize an enemy with a single, efficient blow. William benefited greatly from his first real sparring session with another person.
As the two practiced, Sam and the others watched William in amazement. They knew how formidable Brian Mills was; in a fight, the four of them together couldn't beat him.
But Brian Mills, the most capable fighter on their team, was clearly no match for William in the final few minutes. They were all experienced enough to see that William was holding back; otherwise, Brian would have been defeated long ago.
Sam said to the others in disbelief, "Is this the gap between aristocrats with centuries of lineage and ordinary people like us? How old is the boss? How was he even trained? Towards the end, Brian couldn't keep up with him at all. And where did the boss learn those fighting skills? I recognized a lot of techniques designed specifically for killing."
Bernie, who had studied various fighting styles, added, "They are techniques designed specifically for killing, more lethal than the standard combat skills taught in the military today. Did you notice? His skill with a dagger must be incredible. In many of those moves, he used his palm edge as if it were a blade. That's an assassin's technique."
"And the boss is also fluent in the fighting styles of various special forces, using them at will. God, how many secrets do these families with centuries of history have that we common people don't know about? It's discouraging just thinking about it. University of London, self-made billionaire, inventor, master archer, and now he's this skilled in combat. Is there anything the boss can't do? If my kid were half as capable as him, I wouldn't have to work so hard at my age."
"So when the boss said on TV that he was a skilled marksman, was that true?" Clarence asked.
"It must be," Bernie said. "Shooting and archery have a lot in common. If he can master archery to that level, guns would be even easier. Besides, the boss is rich enough to practice with any firearm he wants."
"I still find it hard to believe. How can one person have enough energy to learn everything so well?" Casey said, shaking his head.
"Why don't you go ask the boss for a demonstration? Then you'll know," said Clarence.
"You go if you want to. I'm not looking for trouble. What if the boss gets annoyed and docks my pay?" Casey replied, shaking his head again.
William saw Alexander standing on the balcony and, after a final word with Brian and the others, walked back toward the villa. After having breakfast with Alexander, William took everyone to the ski resort in two MPVs provided by the hotel.
After they changed into their ski clothes and gear, William took Alexander on the cable car up to the beginner's area.
Alexander, being a Brazilian model, had never skied before. William, who had grown up in Xinjiang, China in his past life, had never been skiing either. They hired an instructor and took lessons all morning. By noon, William was already able to ski down the slope on his own.
Amazed that William could ski so well after only a few hours, Alexander insisted that he teach her, not wanting to be left behind while he had all the fun. When William playfully refused, Alexander resorted to hugging him and acting cute. She then deliberately pushed him over into the snow, threw herself on top of him, and refused to get up, laughing at her own antics.
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