SA | Chapter 15

On the Brink of Hypothermia

Setting out again, the snow got heavier, and visibility decreased. The vapor from Gu Deng’s breath froze on his mask. Even though they had just rested not long ago, his muscles were already aching. Gu Deng was exhausted, pushing himself forward with sheer willpower.

Before long, Zhang Li suggested setting up camp due to the heavy snow. At this point, Gu Deng’s gloves and face were covered in a layer of ice. He stood there blankly for a while before finally agreeing to the suggestion.

They set up camp in a nearby dense forest. Zhang Li placed four skis on the windward side and reinforced the tent anchors with an ice axe. Gu Deng wanted to help, but when he reached out, his arm trembled uncontrollably. He was too tired; days of continuous hiking had far exceeded his physical limits.

The wind howled against the tent fabric, and heavy snow pelted down on them, but at least they were inside the tent, finally able to catch their breath.

Zhang Li hung a survival blanket outside the inner tent for insulation and started a fire near the entrance. Gu Deng had already taken off his coat and crawled into his sleeping bag. He was so sleepy that he could fall asleep as soon as he closed his eyes.

“Wake up.” Someone patted his arm.

Gu Deng mumbled a response through his nose but didn’t move.

“Gu Deng, wake up.” Zhang Li started patting his cheek.

Gu Deng finally opened his eyes, mumbling, “What is it? I’m so tired.”

“Don’t sleep,” Zhang Li said. “If you fall asleep, you might get hypothermia. Sit up and move your stiff body.”

“Oh.” Gu Deng responded, but he stayed curled up in his sleeping bag.

“Gu Deng.” Zhang Li spoke again, his tone becoming serious.

“Okay, okay.” Gu Deng finally crawled out of his sleeping bag, a bit dejectedly scratching his head.

Zhang Li handed him a cup of water. Gu Deng thanked him and lowered his head to let the steam warm his face. The heat dissipated quickly, and he almost buried his face in the cup to finally feel the faint warmth.

The hot water quickly cooled down. Gu Deng took a sip and looked up to see Zhang Li’s stunned expression.

Gu Deng was puzzled, “What’s wrong?”

Zhang Li pointed at his face.

“What’s wrong with my face?” Gu Deng touched it, not feeling anything wrong. He opened his phone’s front camera, was momentarily stunned, and then burst out laughing.

“What the heck!” His entire face was white, covered in frost formed by the steam.

Gu Deng had never experienced something so peculiar in his life. He took a photo with his phone as a keepsake and then looked at Zhang Li beside him, “Come on, let’s take a selfie together.”

Zhang Li agreed, and Gu Deng leaned over to take a selfie with him. Unfortunately, there was no internet to post it on social media, so Gu Deng couldn’t share his current predicament with anyone.

They had dinner in the tent, boiled water to fill two thermos cups, and then quickly extinguished the fire to conserve fuel.

The snow continued to fall, weighing heavily on the tent. After eating, Gu Deng’s body finally warmed up a bit, but his feet remained cold, numb to the point of losing feeling.

Gu Deng sat cross-legged, pressing his feet under his butt, and used his hands to warm the other foot. But his feet didn’t get warm, and his hands grew cold. Gu Deng rubbed his cold hands against his cold feet, starting to question why he joined this self-torturous journey in the first place.

Why are human bodies so fragile? If only he were a reindeer. Gu Deng closed his eyes and began to imagine reindeer crossing through blizzards.

They don’t need luggage, food, or even warm clothing. Just with their bodies, they can traverse hundreds of kilometers to reach the polar regions.

Gu Deng thought of his three-story villa back home, with a swimming pool, garden, gym, recording studio, walk-in closet, and various artworks and luxury items. He owned far more than most people, but did he really need all those things?

He also thought about his past works, every song and album released, and his performances on stage. But could these so-called creations truly represent him?

If he let go of work and wealth, disregarding appearance, interests, and tastes, who was he then?

Could he, like the bar-headed goose, fly over Mount Everest, like reindeer, cross the polar regions, or like the female bar-tailed godwit named “E7,” fly non-stop over ten thousand kilometers across the Pacific from Alaska to New Zealand?

Probably not. He was exhausted after just two days of hiking, on the brink of hypothermia.

“Gu Deng—Gu Deng—”

“Huh?” Gu Deng looked up, a bit confused.

“Wake up,” Zhang Li said. “You’ve been asleep for fifteen minutes. Take it slow before sleeping again.”

“Was I asleep? No way?” Gu Deng opened his eyes wide, speaking loudly, “I’m wide awake. I just closed my eyes to think.”

“Thinking about what?” Zhang Li chatted casually, but his hands were busy, taking out a mercury thermometer to check Gu Deng’s temperature.

Gu Deng said, “I just think reindeer are amazing. They can cross blizzards with nothing, while we humans need all sorts of gear and can only cover a little distance each day.”

Zhang Li replied, “But actually, one-third of North American reindeer die during migration. Reindeer calves must learn to run as soon as they’re born, or they’ll be killed by bears and wolves.”

Gu Deng was stunned.

Zhang Li took out the thermometer, glanced at the numbers, and said, “Give me your feet.”

Before Gu Deng could react, Zhang Li had already wrapped his feet in his arms.

Gu Deng’s face turned red with shock. He instinctively tried to pull his feet back, but Zhang Li held them firmly, not letting go.

The warmth from Zhang Li’s body seeped through the wool socks to his feet, making Gu Deng’s face flush with embarrassment. He whispered, “Don’t, you don’t have to do this. I’m not that cold.”

And besides, feet are so dirty…

Even he had a bit of a mental block touching them, let alone having someone else hold them in their arms.

“Don’t like being touched by me?” Zhang Li asked.

“…”

“No,” Gu Deng turned his face to the side, avoiding Zhang Li’s eyes, “it just feels a bit strange.”

“Bear with it a little longer,” Zhang Li said, holding Gu Deng’s feet, “you’re a bit hypothermic.”

Gu Deng knew how dangerous hypothermia could be, especially in such harsh weather. He couldn’t refuse just because it felt strange. But it was still a bit embarrassing, so he simply closed his eyes, trying not to dwell on those odd feelings.

The temperature kept dropping, and the outer layer of clothing had little warmth left. The wool socks were losing their efficiency in conducting heat. Zhang Li simply pulled off Gu Deng’s socks, letting his feet touch his abs directly.

Gu Deng was dumbfounded when Zhang Li took off his socks, and even more so when Zhang Li lifted his shirt. He didn’t know what expression to make. Embarrassed, he curled his toes, inadvertently stepping on Zhang Li’s abs.

The firm, warm sensation made him pause, and his face, which had finally cooled down, heated up again.