Qiao Yuchu returned to her room, and as soon as she finished showering and climbed into bed, the screen of her phone on the bedside table lit up.
She picked it up and saw that it was a message from Jin Shunqi.
"You're in Beijing again?"
She thought for a moment and then typed.
How did you know?
"I've been following your WeChat Moments (thankfully it wasn't deleted).
Qiao Yuchu couldn't help but slightly curve the corners of her lips as she looked at the words in parentheses. She remembered posting a photo three days ago when she had just arrived in Beijing, with the caption: "Revisiting an old haunt."
Just as she was about to type, Jin Shunqi sent her a voice message.
"How about it, would you like to see this old friend of mine one more time?"
***
At the dinner table.
The mutton soup pot was steaming, but Jian Changnian and Xie Shi'an both looked preoccupied and couldn't eat.
Halfway through the meal, Wan Jing called, saying she had something to discuss with him, and called Yan Xinyuan away, leaving only the two of them in the private room, making the atmosphere even more somber.
Jian Changnian picked up a piece of mutton and put it in her bowl, but it tasted like nothing at all.
"Is Yu Chu still angry with me because she refused to come to the gathering?"
Xie Shi'an also felt uncomfortable, and said in a lukewarm tone.
"Weren't you quite happy when you beat them 2-0?"
Jian Changnian put down her chopsticks.
"What do you mean? Are you saying I deliberately beat her 2-0?"
"You know exactly what you're thinking."
She was given two red cards by the referee for trying to get the ball, and almost got disqualified from the game. Thinking about this, Jian Changnian felt wronged and angry, and a nameless fire surged up in her heart.
"Xie Shi'an! Explain yourself! Did I want to draw her?! I'd rather fight you than be Yu Chu's opponent!"
"You don't want to? I just don't understand. Even if she just gave up a small round, she wouldn't be this upset!"
"It's like you're making it sound like I'm not upset. Does winning make me feel better?! Do you know what it feels like to eliminate your own teammate?! I treat her like my own sister!"
"If you treated her like an older sister, you wouldn't have gone all out and beaten her 2-0. Do you know how many people were waiting to see her fail if she lost? She still has an injury on her wrist. This is her first time reaching the World Championships qualifying final, even if she's just a substitute, do you know how important that is to her?!"
As soon as she said that, Jian Changnian's eyes reddened instantly, and she stood up abruptly. Because of the large movement, she knocked over the bowls and chopsticks, scattering broken porcelain all over the floor.
"So it doesn't matter to me?! This is my first time making it to the finals of the qualifying tournament! I've already received two red cards, what more do you want from me? Are you only happy when I'm disqualified?!"
The air seemed to freeze for a second or two.
Seeing tears welling up in her eyes, Xie Shi'an paused, lowered his gaze, and softened his tone.
“That’s not what I meant. You’re still young, but she…”
Before he could finish speaking, he was coldly interrupted.
"Enough, Xie Shi'an. We're all friends, so why not have a proper order of things? Ask yourself honestly, was there even a single word you said that expressed your happiness for me winning the game?"
"You don't! You only care about Yu Chu's feelings. I don't want to see you again!"
Jian Changnian sniffled, sobbing, grabbed her bag, turned and stormed out the door.
By the time Xie Shi'an came to his senses and chased after her, the corridor was already deserted.
Chapter 65 Special
While searching for the person, Xie Shi'an made a phone call to Yan Xinyuan.
"Hello, Coach Yan, are you at the training center?"
"Yes, what's up?"
"I just had a few words with Chang Nian, and she stormed out of the restaurant in a huff. She's in an unfamiliar place and doesn't have a cell phone, so I..."
Xie Shi'an's voice was filled with anxiety and self-reproach.
Yan Xinyuan immediately stood up and said.
"Okay, don't worry, I'll go to the apartment management office to see if they've returned yet."
Xie Shi'an nodded and hung up the phone.
"Okay, then I'll look around the neighborhood some more."
She searched the area around the restaurant and ran through several streets, amidst the bustling crowds and endless traffic, but there was no sign of that person.
Xie Shi'an stopped, panting heavily, and turned around in place, searching his surroundings with his eyes. A bus slowly glided by in the distance, with the terminal station marked: Houhai.
For some reason, the boy had a sudden thought, ran over, squeezed into the crowd, and put in his coin to board the bus.
Yan Xinyuan jogged all the way to the athletes' apartment, asked the administrator about the entry and exit records, and the administrator checked them on the computer.
"Jian Changnian hasn't come back. There's no record of him swiping his card."
There is a turnstile at the entrance of the apartment building; one person, one card, and only those with valid credentials are allowed to enter.
Yan Xinyuan thought to himself:
"Oh no, they must be arguing about Yu Chu. Neither of these kids is easy to deal with."
He said this as he ran outside.
"Okay, thank you. If the person comes back, please give me a call."
***
Houhai Park.
The last time I came here it was winter, but in the blink of an eye, the ice on the lake has melted, and it's already February with lush grass and flying birds.
Today is a weekday, and there are not many people in the park. It is evening, and there are not many customers in the bars. Only a few shops along the street are open, playing soft music.
Jian Changnian walked aimlessly along the road until someone gently tugged at the corner of her clothes.
She looked down and saw a little girl blinking her big, watery eyes, speaking in a childish voice.
"Sister, could you help us get our kite down? It's stuck in the tree and we can't reach it."
Where?
The little girl pointed to the side.
The tree wasn't very tall; it was outside the railing, very close to the riverbank.
She carefully climbed over the railing and walked step by step to the kite. Looking up, she saw it hanging on the treetop right in front of her.
The mist blowing from the lake moistened her face.
Looking at the shimmering lake, Jian Changnian unconsciously took a step back and swallowed hard.
The little girl's friends were all standing outside the railing watching her.
"Go, sister! You can do it!"
Jian Changnian snapped out of her daze, nodded, and forced herself to look away from the water.
She looked up at the kite, figuring she could probably reach it if she jumped.
The girl gritted her teeth, took a few steps back to run up, and jumped off the ground. However, she overlooked a fatal factor: the grass was slippery and not a training ground, so it could not provide her with good grip.
The moment Jian Changnian's fingers touched the kite, her eyes lit up with joy, and she was about to speak: "I—"
Before she could finish speaking, she slipped on the slope, lost her balance, and was about to fall.
Below is the lush green lake.
Jian Changnian closed her eyes in despair.
However, after waiting for a long time, the feeling of weightlessness did not come.
Someone grabbed her by the back of her collar tightly.
She turned around and saw Xie Shi'an with a cold face.
"It was just a few words, is it really necessary to come all the way here acting like you're going to die?"
One sentence made Jian Changnian want to jump even if she didn't want to.
"Who?! Who's making a scene?! I was just trying to help someone retrieve their kite!"
Xie Shi'an looked up, then glanced at the children standing beside them, watching them hesitantly. She coughed lightly to cover her embarrassment.
When she rushed over, she only noticed that she was standing by the water and didn't pay much attention to the people next to her.
Xie Shi'an grabbed her arm and pulled her back to his side, onto a slightly flatter patch of ground.
"Get out of the way."
The boy tiptoed, reached out, and easily took the kite from the tree, handing it to the children.
The little girl clapped her hands.
Wow!! That sister is so cool!!!
Xie Shi'an rarely touched someone's head, and said softly.
"Go home, it's getting dark. Don't play near the water, it's dangerous."
The little girl nodded obediently and ran away.
Jian Changnian stepped over the guardrail, turned around and left.
"He just loves to show off."
Xie Shi'an followed closely behind, his hands in his pockets.
"Can you please stop following me? I told you I don't want to see you anymore!" Jian Changnian was so annoyed by this doorman who followed her everywhere that she turned around and roared.
“If you come back with me, I won’t follow you.”