Jian Changnian's eyes lit up, and she readily agreed.
"Okay, Grandma will definitely like puppies too."
The two boarded the last bus back to the training base, sneaking along the way until they reached the wall.
Jian Changnian climbed up first and glanced down.
Nobody's here.
She waved to Xie Shi'an.
Xie Shi'an handed her the schoolbag, then took a few steps back, pushed off with his legs, and scrambled up the wall.
"I'll jump down first, then you can hand me the Wangfu."
Jian Changnian nodded, watched her land safely, and then gently put her schoolbag down as well.
Xie Shi'an held Wangfu in his arms and whispered.
"Come down quickly."
"good."
She clung to the top of the wall, about to jump.
A beam of flashlight light suddenly shone over.
Xie Shi'an shielded his eyes from the glaring light with his hand.
Yan Xinyuan said sternly.
"What are you doing in the middle of the night!"
"oops!"
Upon hearing that familiar voice, Jian Changnian felt a chill run down her spine, her grip loosened, and she tumbled and fell to the ground.
She stood up, grimacing, with grass roots still stuck in her hair.
"Coach Yan... Coach Yan..."
"I've been saying you guys have been so distracted during training lately. You think you can make it to the World Championships like this? Dream on! Hand over the stuff!"
“Coach Yan…” Xie Shi’an reluctantly took a step back, but his backpack was still snatched away by someone.
Wangfu let out a small sob inside.
"I'd like to see—" Yan Xinyuan zipped up his backpack, and the puppy poked its head out, pawing at his hand, sticking out its tongue, gently licking him, and wagging its tail excitedly.
Yan Xinyuan: "...?"
Seeing his unreadable expression, Jian Changnian whispered.
"Coach Yan, Coach Yan?"
Yan Xinyuan coughed lightly and zipped the zipper up again.
"Playing with toys will ruin your ambition!"
After saying that, he glared at them, picked up his schoolbag, and turned to leave.
The two exchanged a glance, both with a bad feeling, and chased after him.
"Coach Yan, Coach Yan, we know we were wrong. We shouldn't have skipped class and sneaked out. But, but the puppy is innocent! Please, don't throw it away! It's freezing cold here, it will freeze to death!"
Yan Xinyuan turned around and glanced at them, his brows furrowed in anger.
"Who said I was going to throw it away?! How can you train if this thing is kept in your dorm? Besides, the dorm is so cold, there's not even air conditioning. Put it in the office. Nobody is allowed to touch it until you achieve good training results!"
Jian Changnian was overjoyed and followed him around, flattering him.
"Oh, I knew it! Coach Yan is the best. He definitely wouldn't throw away Wangfu."
Yan Xinyuan frowned.
"Wangfu? It's called Wangfu? Who came up with that name? It's so corny."
Xie Shi'an turned his head away and burst out laughing.
Jian Changnian's head drooped down abruptly.
"Why are you even criticizing me, Coach Yan?"
"Alright, alright, stop joking. You two, climbing over the wall, skipping classes, and even bringing your pet back to the training base—I'm being lenient by not expelling you. Now go to the track and run five kilometers. You're not allowed to sleep until you finish!"
Jian Changnian screamed in agony as she looked up at the sky.
"Ah!!! Coach Yan, please reduce the distance by two kilometers! I can't take it anymore!!"
Xie Shi'an, with a blank expression, dragged the person away.
"Stop yelling, I have a feeling he'll add another two kilometers."
***
Yan Xinyuan returned to his office, found a cardboard box, put an old sofa cushion inside, then picked up Wangfu and gently placed him inside. He also poured some warm water from a thermos, took a bowl, and placed it beside him.
Wangfu sipped his drink happily from his bowl.
Coach Liang also glanced into the cardboard box.
"Wow, where did you get this from?"
Yan Xinyuan shook his head, pulled his coat tighter, returned to his desk, and sat down to organize the registration forms for the selection competition.
"It's all because of the trouble that Chang Nian and Shi An picked up. They're always giving me a hard time."
“I can see you like it quite a bit, you’re getting it a mat and water to drink. I think our shelter is missing a guard dog, keeping it would be good, it can guard the house when it grows up.”
As Coach Liang spoke, he reached out and patted Wangfu's head. The little guy raised his head, rubbed against the back of his hand, and wagged his tail happily.
"Wow, that's good, it's not shy around strangers."
As he spoke, Yan Xinyuan filled out forms and organized information while coughing incessantly.
Coach Liang looked up at him.
"Winter is almost over, and your pharyngitis is still not better. I've told you to smoke less."
Yan Xinyuan picked up his thermos to moisten his throat, and it took him a long time to suppress the itching in his throat.
"Hey, it's the same old problem. You know that, right? Let me tell you, you like this little thing, so you can look at it, but I don't care."
"I told you to go to the hospital to get checked out, but you didn't. This little problem will eventually turn into a big one."
"I don't have time for that. I have to play in the World Championships soon. Alright, it's getting late. You should go back and get some rest."
After seeing the person off, Yan Xinyuan returned to his desk and began working, coughing occasionally.
The office lights stayed on until late at night.
Chapter 64 Quotas
Days passed in training, and Wangfu stayed with the Binhai Provincial Team. By the time it was able to climb out of the cardboard box and run with its short legs behind Xie Shi'an, the selection competition had begun.
The entire Binhai provincial team signed up, but only Xie Shi'an was able to break through the ranks.
The young man defeated competitors from all over the country in an undefeated manner, winning this precious spot in the main competition.
The only remaining substitute spot will be decided in this afternoon's match.
The boy looked at the lottery results in his hand, his expression complicated.
Qiao Yuchu VS Jian Changnian.
It felt like we were back in last winter.
However, this time it was she who took the initiative to approach Qiao Yuchu before the competition.
“Sister Yu Chu…” she said, looking troubled.
"Should I go talk to the referee and ask for a redraw?"
Qiao Yuchu patted her head.
"Are you stupid? This is the national team, not a match played at our training base. The referee won't listen to you."
“But…” Jian Changnian bit her lip.
"I don't want a civil war."
Qiao Yuchu placed her hand on her shoulder, looked into her eyes, and said earnestly.
“The moment the whistle blows, I’m no longer your teammate. Play the same way you did during training camp. Don’t forget, you once told me that giving your all is the greatest respect you can show to your opponent.”
As soon as she finished speaking, the referee blew his whistle.
"Qiao Yuchu (No. 058) and Jian Changnian (No. 075), prepare!"
Xie Shi'an's competition has ended, and today is her rest day, but she still came to the competition venue.
The boy, dressed in loose sportswear and carrying a basketball bag, walked in and took a seat in the stands.
Someone was already sitting next to her.
Yin Jiayi was wearing a baseball cap.
"You're here to watch the game too?"
Xie Shi'an gave a faint "hmm".
Yin Jiayi, on the other hand, was in high spirits.
"It's an internal battle within your Binhai Provincial Team, why don't you guess who will win?"
Xie Shi'an remained silent, his gaze gradually deepening.
If time were still frozen in last winter, she would definitely say that Qiao Yu had won, but now...
The referee blows the whistle and raises his hand.
"In the first game, Jian Changnian (No. 075) won 17-21."
Jian Changnian won the first game, but she wasn't as happy as she had imagined. Instead, she sat back in the rest area and drank half a bottle of water in one go.