Jian Changnian: "..."
As expected of you.
***
locker room.
"Nan Zhi, are you ready? Shall we go now?"
Kim Nam-ji was still changing clothes when she opened the closet door.
"Not yet, you guys go ahead and save me a seat in the cafeteria."
As the group walked out of the locker room, Yin Jiayi, whose competition had ended late, was about to enter when she met Yin Jiayi's eyes, who was changing clothes.
Yin Jiayi looked away and just moved her feet slightly.
Kim Nam-ji raised an eyebrow at her.
"Aren't you going to close the door yet? How much longer do you want me to be stared at by people outside?"
"I'm sorry," Yin Jiayi said again as she came to her senses and was about to close the door behind her.
"Where else do you want to go besides this one women's changing room?"
Yin Jiayi pursed her lips, braced herself, and walked in. With a click, the door locked.
Her gaze remained fixed on the floor.
Kim Nam-ji found it somewhat amusing.
"Hey, stop pretending to be so reserved. It's not like you haven't seen it before—"
Yin Jiayi walked to the other side, opened the cabinet door with a normal expression, and put things inside.
“Now you represent the South Korean team, and I am the captain of the Chinese team. This is not Beijing, so it is impossible for us to live in the same dormitory and sleep in the same bed again.”
Her words implied that it was impossible to go back to the past, but Kim Nam-ji wasn't angry.
"Okay, okay, I got it. Could you please help me get dressed, Captain Yin? My right hand is injured."
“You—” Yin Jiayi took a deep breath.
Kim Nam-ji blinked her innocent eyes, anticipating her prediction.
"You're all alone here. I can't possibly go out and ask for help looking all disheveled, can I?"
Yin Jiayi pursed her lips tightly, her pretty face looking as if someone owed her a fortune, and she sneered terribly.
She always appears gentle, humble, and polite in public, but she'll show her temper and get angry only when she's with someone.
She had no choice but to help herself.
As her cool, slightly sweaty fingers gently fastened her bra clasp, Kim Nam-ji let out a soft breath.
That feels good.
Yin Jiayi was a head taller than her, standing behind her. She didn't dare to look around randomly, so she focused her gaze on her arm. Her voice was a little lower and hoarse than usual.
Why is your elbow so swollen?
"I fell while trying to save the ball."
"Did you break any bones?"
"The team doctor checked, and there's nothing there."
"It's a good thing you're left-handed. Remember to ice it when you get back."
"good."
Yin Jiayi picked up her coat from the chair and gently put it on her. Just as she was about to leave, Jin Nanzhi stopped her from going.
"you--"
Before she could finish speaking, she was suddenly pulled forward, and Kim Nam-ji grabbed her hand as if she were being hugged, and the two of them were pressed together.
Yin Jiayi's nose was always surrounded by the fresh scent of peaches, perhaps from her perfume or the smell of her shower gel.
In short, it's a sweet temptation.
Kim Namji pulled her hand and tightened his grip around her waist little by little.
Why are you avoiding me?
Yin Jiayi's breathing became unsteady. She gasped for breath, wanting to struggle, but afraid of touching the wound on her arm.
"I...I didn't...I've been...training all the time."
"Didn't you say you had something to tell me when we last talked on the phone? Now that I'm here, why aren't you saying anything?"
Kim Nam-ji's tone was soft and drawn out, as if she were being coquettish, or perhaps complaining and blaming her.
She gently raised her eyes, looking up at her. Her narrow eyes perfectly captured both innocence and allure.
Yin Jiayi swallowed unconsciously. As if he had discovered her weakness, Jin Nanzhi slowly turned around, released her fingers, and slowly climbed up from the hem of her clothes until he reached her slender neck, watching as she swallowed more and more frequently.
“Say something, Captain Yin.”
She spoke softly, her fingernails lightly tracing the delicate blue veins on her neck, watching as pink gradually crept up to her ears.
Kim Nam-ji gently placed one hand on her shoulder, tiptoed, and breathed softly into her ear.
"Captain Yin, are you hot? You're sweating a lot."
No sooner had he finished speaking than shouts came from outside the door.
"Captain, Jiayi, are you ready? Everyone's waiting for you to go out for dinner together."
It felt like a bucket of cold water had been poured over my head.
Yin Jiayi shoved her away. Caught off guard, Jin Nanzhi stumbled back a few steps and crashed into the cabinet with a thud. Her elbow throbbed with pain, and she slid to the ground, hissing softly. She pouted, tears welling in her eyes.
"Yin Jiayi!"
"I'm sorry! I... I didn't mean to."
The usually dignified and composed captain dared not look at her again, as if she were some kind of monstrous beast, and fled in panic with his golf bag.
She swept past her teammates like a gust of wind, and the door closed behind her, blocking all curious glances.
"Alright, let's go."
She was breathing heavily as she spoke, and her forehead was covered in cold sweat, making her look somewhat disheveled.
"Captain, are you alright? And what was that sound coming from inside just now..."
Yin Jiayi calmed her breathing, smiled, and led the way.
"It's nothing, I just slipped and fell."
"Oh, we have a match tomorrow. Are you alright? Please be careful."
"It's alright, it's alright, let's hurry up and go, don't keep Coach Wan waiting."
As the footsteps faded into the distance, Jin Nanzhi, clutching his arm, struggled to his feet and cursed viciously in the direction she had gone: "Yin Jiayi, you fucking bastard!!!"
Chapter 74 Steadfast
As the two walked out of the gymnasium, they immediately saw Yan Xinyuan and Coach Liang waiting by the roadside.
Jian Changnian lunged forward and hugged him.
"Coach Yan, I've missed you so much!"
Due to inertia, Yan Xinyuan took a few steps back. Coach Liang, fearing that he would fall and touch the incision left by the puncture, quickly pulled him away.
"Pah, pah, pah! This child, if you're going to think about it, just think about it! What's with all this talk about dying!"
Xie Shi'an also came up, a smile in his eyes.
"Coach Yan."
Yan Xinyuan patted them both on the shoulder.
"You played well today. Let's go, I'll treat you to dinner."
"How can we eat without me!" As she was speaking, Cheng Zhen and Zhou Mu ran over.
Jian Changnian and Zhou Mu hadn't seen each other for a long time. As soon as they met, they excitedly hugged each other, shouting and jumping.
"Ahhhh, Mumu, what are you doing here?!"
"You forgot?! Today is Saturday. I took a hard-seat train all night after school to get here!"
"You came all this way by yourself, does Aunt Zhou know?!"
Zhou Mu knew she was worried about him, so he patted his chest and assured her.
"Of course I know! This holiday was earned with two perfect scores on my test papers, and she even saw me off at the train station!"
"That's amazing!" Jian Changnian praised her sincerely.
The two walked hand in hand, and Zhou Mu reached out and patted her head, comparing it to his own.
"Chang Nian, why do I feel like you've grown taller again?"
"Really? I didn't notice."
Behind them, Xie Shi'an and Cheng Zhen were also chatting casually.
"Weren't you competing in Beijing? Why did you come all the way here?"
Cheng Zhen clutched her chest, clearly heartbroken.
"Ah! I remember the time of every single one of your matches perfectly, but you completely ignored me. You didn't even know that my preliminary rounds were over. I came all the way from Beijing this morning to see you, but it was all for nothing..."
Yan Xinyuan heard them talking and turned around.
"I saw the news. Cheng Zhen performed very well in the preliminaries. I think she even broke the national record. If nothing unexpected happens, she will definitely win a medal in the finals."
Cheng Zhen scratched his head and smiled somewhat embarrassedly.
"My coach told me to try for the gold medal. If I can win it, I can be selected for the national team's training camp roster for the second half of the year, and I can represent the country starting next year."