Jin Shunqi's friend spoke eloquently and calmly, neither humble nor arrogant, immediately impressing them.
The opposing lawyer glanced at his client.
"Two and a half million, that's far too little..."
"That's a lot. Enough for your family of three to buy an apartment in the provincial capital."
Jin Shunqi's lawyer friend turned his gaze to the victim's family, a slightly triumphant smile playing on his lips.
“If you agree to this amount, Ms. Qiao’s father will also receive additional compensation. You don’t want to spend time and effort on a lawsuit only to end up with nothing, do you? The court’s compensation may not be more than this amount. You can ask my colleagues about this.”
Regarding the compensation, they had already consulted a lawyer and knew they wouldn't get that much; otherwise, they wouldn't have taken the risk of causing trouble.
The lawyer glanced at him, wanting to speak again.
Jin Shunqi's friend spoke first.
"Do I need to remind you that you have violated the law by encouraging your client to harass Ms. Qiao? I can not only sue you, but also file a complaint with the Bar Association. Let bygones be bygones. Even if it's 2.5 million, your commission will be enough for you to live on for half a year."
The lawyer sitting opposite them choked, and the couple exchanged a glance but said nothing more.
Qiao Yuchu stood up.
"That's settled then. Call me back when you've made up your minds."
As soon as they stepped out of the coffee shop, Qiao Yuchu's phone rang.
She answered, the man said.
"Give me the two and a half million as soon as possible."
Qiao Yuchu finally breathed a sigh of relief, the weight on her heart finally lifted. But when she thought about all the mess she had gone through, she felt she couldn't just hand over the money so readily.
"That won't do. Let's find a time to sign the letter of understanding first."
After saying that, he hung up the phone.
"Thanks for making this trip, let's have dinner together tonight to celebrate."
"I won't eat, I have to rush back to Beijing. I have a court hearing tomorrow morning. I'll send you the letter of understanding later, you can sign it. If you encounter any more difficulties, just call me."
As he spoke, my friend waved and hailed a taxi.
He had come all this way without even having a sip of water, and Qiao Yuchu couldn't help but feel a little guilty.
"Hey, it's fine if we don't go out to eat. I'll go home and cook some dishes for you. You can leave after dinner."
The man checked his watch and got into a taxi.
"Sister-in-law, I'm not eating anymore, or I'll miss my flight. You can invite me to your wedding next time."
He kept calling her "sister-in-law," and since it was a wedding banquet, it made her feel a little embarrassed.
"This...this is a different matter. In any case, they wouldn't have given in so quickly if it weren't for you."
Jin Shunqi came over, closed the car door for him, and also helped his girlfriend out of the predicament.
"Okay, you can't not come then. Have a safe trip."
Having resolved a major issue, Qiao Yuchu was visibly much more relaxed. She linked arms with him as they walked and talked.
"Jin, really, you've helped us so much, you should treat them to a meal before they leave."
Jin Shunqi smiled.
“He’s my best friend from college. Brothers don’t stand on ceremony like this. And as you heard, he’s really busy. I’ve already prepared a generous thank-you gift for him. I won’t let him come for nothing. Don’t worry.”
As the two were talking, Qiao Yuchu's phone rang again. She took it out and saw that it was a real estate agent. She hesitated for a moment before answering.
"Hello?"
"Ms. Qiao, we have found a suitable buyer for the house you entrusted us to sell. When would you be free to come and discuss it in person?"
Qiao Yuchu glanced at Jin Shunqi, and he nodded.
"Let's do it today. I'll go to your company in a bit."
"Okay, then we'll notify the buyer to come over as well."
***
Qiao Yuchu wasn't there, and neither was Xie Shian. Although the days went by and training continued as usual, Jian Changnian felt somewhat bored. Whenever she had free time, she would go to Xie Shian's house, but no one answered the door when she knocked. The lunchbox left at the door was also untouched.
She picked it up and smelled it; the food inside had gone bad. She immediately became anxious and banged on the door.
"Xie Shi'an! I know you're in there! Come out! People need to eat to survive, what kind of person would go on a hunger strike if they're in a bad mood!"
Xie Shi'an picked up his headphones again in the bedroom and put them on, immersing himself in the game. He pretended not to hear what he was hearing.
Jian Changnian knocked for a while, but couldn't get her to come out. Instead, he disturbed the downstairs neighbors and they came upstairs.
"Hey, little girl, stop knocking. Nobody's home. It's the middle of the day, can't a person take a nap?"
Jian Changnian then lowered her hand and apologized to the person.
"I'm sorry, but this household..."
"If there were anyone there, they would have come out long ago. You've been knocking for so long, even a deaf person would have heard you."
The neighbor snorted and went home without arguing with her.
Jian Changnian bit her lip, her eyes showing some hurt.
Xie Shi'an was clearly inside, and the knocking was so loud, there's no reason why the neighbors couldn't hear her; she just didn't want to talk to her.
She stepped back and placed the snacks she had bought for her at the door.
“I know you don’t want to see anyone right now, but the Intercontinental Cup is about to start, and you don’t have much time to prepare. Come back soon, Coach Yan and I are waiting for you.”
Xie Shi'an paused for a moment as she typed on the keyboard, her eyes slightly red. The character she was controlling was dead, and the screen was black and white.
The boy picked up the beer beside him and took another gulp.
Jian Changnian ran out of the building and realized it was raining. Early summer in Jiangcheng was humid, hot and humid with lots of rain. She looked up at the sky and saw that it was covered with dark clouds. She didn't know when the rain would stop. It was sunny when she left and she didn't bring an umbrella.
She gritted her teeth, glanced back again, and still chose to plunge into the rain, braving the torrential downpour towards the bus stop.
***
Returning to the training base once again, Qiao Yuchu felt a sense of familiarity mixed with strangeness for some reason; the gatekeeper even recognized her.
Seeing that she had been standing there for a while, I quickly came out and opened the door for her.
"Yu Chu, you're finally back from your vacation! How's it going? Have you taken care of things at home?"
Qiao Yuchu could only smile.
"Okay, that's about it. I'll come back today and pack my things."
The gatekeeper was taken aback. She had already walked inside, with Jin Shunqi following beside her, holding an umbrella for her and curiously looking around.
"Is this where you used to live and train?"
Unlike other teams with star players, the Binhai Provincial Team had limited funding and couldn't attract any good sponsors. Their training base was dilapidated and hadn't been renovated in a long time.
When it rains, the cement road is covered with fallen leaves, the parallel bars in the activity area are rusty, the dormitory walls are covered with tender green ivy, and the buildings are still old red brick houses from the 1970s and 1980s.
Qiao Yuchu walked with her head down, a slight smile on her face.
"It's run-down and old, right? But I spent the best ten years of my life here."
As the two were talking, they arrived at the coach's office. She glanced through the glass window and saw that it was empty. Everyone should be training at this time.
She turned and led her people toward the training room.
"Let me take you to the stadium."
The only noteworthy building in the Binhai Provincial Badminton Training Base is this 4,000-square-meter badminton hall. Even before you get close, you can hear shouts coming from inside the hall.
"Faster, faster! Run and catch the ball! Beautiful!"
"Zhang Chun and Yang Li, what are you two doing?! Playing ball or practicing Tai Chi?! If you can't, go down and see how others play!"
Qiao Yuchu stood at the door, a smile playing on her lips, and turned her gaze toward Yan Xinyuan, who was standing in the middle of the room scolding someone.
“That’s our Coach Yan, you’ve met him before.”
"Yes, I've heard of him before. He's China's first World Championship men's singles champion. I thought he was very approachable when I was in Beijing, but I didn't expect him to be so tough when he's scolding people."
When he was mentioned, a hint of pride appeared on Qiao Yuchu's face.
"Of course, strict teachers produce outstanding students. It's because of his strictness that we were able to make it into the national competition, and that's why Shi'an was able to..."
Coach Liang was also leading the team in physical training on the field.
The sounds of hitting the ball, the screech of shoes on the floor, shouts, and whistles filled the air, creating a lively and bustling atmosphere.
Qiao Yuchu: "I was going to introduce our team members to you, but it seems there are some new faces that I don't recognize."
After instructing a set of movements, Yan Xinyuan felt extremely tired. He returned to the rest area, panting heavily, and plopped down in a chair.
"Old Liang, where's Chang Nian? Why isn't she here today?"
"Huh? You're asking me? Didn't Chang Nian say she asked you for leave because she was going out to buy something?"
Yan Xinyuan slapped his thigh, furious.
"When did she ask me for leave? She can't come to training, but she's a natural at lying. Of the two of them, only Yu Chu asked me for leave herself. One of them doesn't answer the phone and doesn't come back, and the other is always distracted and running around every few days! What kind of competition are they supposed to compete in? No way, I'm going to find them!"
As he stood up, he turned his head and saw Qiao Yuchu standing at the door. A look of surprise appeared in his eyes, but when he looked at Jin Shunqi, his smile faded.
"Coach Yan." Qiao Yuchu stepped forward to greet him.
Jin Shunqi also shook hands with him.
"Coach Yan, it's been a long time."
Yan Xinyuan looked at them, remaining expressionless.
"Yu Chu, you're back just in time. I also have something I want to talk to you about. Let's go to my office."
Upon arriving at the office door, Jin Shunqi wisely refrained from going in.
"You guys chat, I'll just wander around outside."
Yan Xinyuan led her to his office, poured her a glass of water, and didn't mention what had happened at her home. Instead, he flipped through the mountain of registration forms on his desk and said cheerfully.
"Please sit down first. You've come back just in time. There are still several continental cup competitions before the Olympics. I was thinking of having you, Shi'an, and Chang Nian go and practice to prepare for the Olympic qualifiers."