"N-no..."
"Then why didn't she come back for the New Year? And you look like this, people who don't know you would think you've broken up with your boyfriend."
This sentence made Jian Changnian pause for a moment.
"Mumu, tell me, what does it mean to like someone?"
Zhou Mu was also gazing at the moon.
"Who you're thinking about right now is who you like."
Jian Changnian gave a wry smile, poured himself another glass of wine, tilted his head back and drank it all in one gulp, trying to forget the image of Xie Shi'an that filled his mind.
Zhou Mu looked at her and suddenly realized what she meant.
"Wait a minute, you don't mean you like—"
Jian Changnian quickly covered her mouth.
"Keep your voice down, Grandma's asleep!"
Zhou Mu nodded repeatedly, then released the person, slumped back down, and poured herself a full glass of wine.
"It's pretty unbelievable, isn't it? Even I... By the time I realized it, it was too late. I don't know when I fell in love with her. Maybe it was the first time we met, when we played ball together, or maybe it was when I went to her house to sleep, when I jumped into the pond to save her, or when we stood on the podium together. There are so many, so many..."
"You just said that whoever you're thinking about right now is whoever you like, but I can think of every single moment when I like someone."
"It's all her fault."
As Jian Changnian spoke, her eyes grew redder and redder, and tears streamed down her face.
Seeing her like this, Zhou Mu felt a pang of sadness in his heart.
"What about Shi'an? Does she know?"
The fact that Xie Shi'an didn't come back with her this year is enough to explain the situation; she is such a smart and rational person.
"She...she must have sensed something, otherwise she wouldn't have distanced herself from me."
Seeing her drink one glass after another, trying to drown her sorrows, Zhou Mu couldn't stand it anymore and simply snatched the glass away.
"So you're just going to keep suffering like this?! It's been so many years, you should at least let her know! Whether she likes you or not is her business!"
Jian Changnian recalled her silence when she mentioned Qiao Yuchu when she went home for the Spring Festival last year.
After all these years, if she had truly forgotten him long ago, she wouldn't have remained single for so long.
After all, as a mutual friend, she had witnessed firsthand how tragically Xie Shi'an loved.
"If I don't say anything, she's already quietly distancing herself from me. If I do say something, we might not even be able to be friends anymore."
"Always remember..."
Zhou Mu sighed. In all these years, apart from the time her grandmother had a car accident, this was only the second time she had seen Jian Changnian cry like this, with her eyes also red.
"You...you promise me you won't tell her about this."
Even though Jian Changnian was so drunk, with tears in her eyes, he still raised his glass and forced her to drink it. Only after she agreed did he smile and give up.
Zhou Mu helped the person up.
"Alright, alright, stop drinking and go back to sleep. I know you're upset, but don't show it in front of your grandma, or she'll be even more upset."
Jian Changnian nodded, as if drawing strength from her, and hugged her.
Zhou Mu also sighed, hugged her back, patted her back, and comforted her.
"Be strong. The person I like is still in jail. At least you can still see each other. Don't do anything rash. If you're unhappy about anything, just tell me."
Jian Changnian then smiled slightly, tears streaming down her face, and released her.
"Well, it's getting late, you should go back and get some rest too."
Good night, oh, and by the way, Happy New Year.
"Happy New Year."
That night, after pouring out all her worries, Jian Changnian finally got a good night's sleep.
Xie Shi'an spent the Spring Festival alone at the training base. The TV was on in the room, showing the Spring Festival Gala. Outside the window, thousands of lights were shining, but only her lonely figure was reflected in the glass.
Xie Shi'an sat on the sofa with his knees drawn up, waiting until dawn, but he still didn't receive a "Happy New Year" from her.
On New Year's Eve that year, the world champion, who was usually taciturn and whose Weibo posts were mostly reposts by brands, made a rare post.
It consists of only four simple words.
Happy New Year.
After the New Year, Xie Shi'an moved out without saying goodbye to Jian Changnian. When she returned, the dormitory was empty. She was inevitably sad and upset for a few days after finding out.
But life goes on, especially with less than six months until the start of the Olympics. Due to consecutive defeats in the World Championships and the Thomas & Uber Cup, the South Korean team has brought up Park Min-heon as head coach again, hoping to win a medal at the Rio Olympics.
Choi Hye-hee's suspension period has also expired. Although she can no longer get a formal spot in the competition, she has been added to the roster as a substitute.
The entire national team was on high alert.
Xie Shi'an came to train with her every day and played with her on the court as usual. The two of them relied on their excellent skills and previous tacit understanding to perform well in training matches, and for the time being, nothing seemed amiss. However, once off the court, they were no longer as close as before.
Jian Changnian cried several times in secret, and her eyes were swollen like walnuts every morning when she woke up. She persevered until the most important competition before the Olympics - the Sudirman Cup team competition.
This is not only a test of their training results over this period of time, but also a major training exercise before the Olympic Games. Wan Jing attaches great importance to it and brought the team to Shanghai a week in advance to adapt to the venue.
Now things have changed from seeing each other on the training field to spending every day together.
Every day, Jian Changnian had to play ball with Xie Shi'an, force a smile, and suppress her inner turmoil and sadness. The pressure was so great that she suffered from insomnia night after night.
Zhou Mu happened to be studying in Shanghai, and after learning about this, he gave her an idea.
"How can you compete like this? Perfect timing, a senior of mine gave me two concert tickets. Come with me this Friday and have some fun to relax."
Jian Changnian was about to speak when Zhou Mu added, "It's my birthday, you can't refuse."
"Alright, then I'll reluctantly keep the birthday person company for a bit."
Zhou Mu laughed and scolded, "What do you mean 'accompany me'? I'm the one accompanying you, okay?"
Finally, the call ended. She looked at another person's name in her contacts, bit her lip, and dialed the number anyway.
"I don't care, it's my birthday on Friday, you absolutely have to come, otherwise I'll be spending it alone."
Xie Shi'an remained silent for a while.
Why don't you go find Chang Nian?
“I did ask her, but she said she wouldn’t go. I thought you like Jay Chou and you’re one of my only two friends, so I came to find you.”
When Xie Shi'an heard her say that Jian Changnian couldn't go, she didn't know whether to feel sad or relieved.
"Okay, see you on Friday then."
"I'll send you the tickets tomorrow. Make sure you receive them. See you at the venue on Friday."
Zhou Mu's voice immediately brightened, and Xie Shi'an responded before hanging up the phone.
The next day, as expected, I received the tickets she sent via Flash Delivery.
On Friday night, as soon as Xie Shi'an finished training, he went back, took a shower, changed his clothes, and seeing that it was getting late, he took a taxi straight to the venue.
She got out of the car, looked at the long queue at the entrance, and made a phone call to Zhou Mu.
"Hey, have you arrived yet?"
"I have to wait a while. The crew isn't finished with their work yet. I'll go over as soon as I'm done."
Zhou Mu started gaining filming experience by working as a production assistant on set during his sophomore year of college; he was quite a busy person.
Xie Shi'an hung up the phone.
"Okay, I'll go in first."
The theater was dimly lit, and although the concert hadn't officially started yet, it was already warming up with deafening music.
Xie Shi'an had no choice but to turn on his phone and, by the faint glow of the screen, weave through the crowd to find his seat.
She held the ticket and looked at each row. There were two empty seats left in the middle of the third row. Xie Shi'an breathed a sigh of relief and walked over quickly. Before she could sit down, she heard a familiar voice.
"Hello, is this A319?"
Xie Shi'an looked up, and in the darkness, their eyes met. Both of them looked surprised and shocked.
It took Xie Shi'an a long time to find his voice.
"You...A319?"
Yes, and you?
Xie Shi'an looked down and checked the ticket in his hand.
"A320".
"..."
The two fell silent, and the air seemed to freeze.
Jian Changnian gritted her teeth inwardly.
Zhou Mu, didn't we agree to go to the concert together? How did it turn into Xie Shi'an? And what kind of seats did you arrange?!
When the person behind Xie Shi'an saw that she was not moving, they pushed her hard.
"No, what are you doing? Get out of the way, the concert is about to start."
Xie Shi'an lost her balance and fell forward in her haste. Jian Changnian quickly grabbed her shoulder and pulled her into his arms.
"Why are you yelling at me? Why did you have to hit me instead of talking to me properly?!"
The boy wanted to say something, but seeing that she was tall and spoke with a strong voice, he touched his nose and slunk away from them.
"Shi'an, are you alright?"
"fine."
Xie Shi'an broke free from her embrace. The concert had already begun. She bit her lip, looking somewhat troubled.
Jian Changnian glanced at her and sat down.
"Since we're here, we might as well make the best of it. It would be a shame to miss a concert I like."