***
When Jian Changnian got home, the first thing she did after putting down her bag was to go find Zhou Mu to play. She hadn't seen her for a while, but her grandmother stopped her, her expression hesitant.
She turned around and finally realized something was wrong.
"Grandma, what happened to Zhou Mu?"
Grandma sighed, walked unsteadily into the inner room, and took out the things Zhou Mu had asked her to pass on.
"Mumu moved. Before she left, she asked me to give these to you."
Jian Changnian took the bag in disbelief, lay down on the bed, and saw that inside were two brand-new rackets, a tube of shuttlecocks, several rolls of grip tape, and several medals they had won together when playing badminton.
She shook it again, and a pale green letter fell out. She picked it up and looked at it, and her eyes instantly welled up with tears.
"Chang Nian, I've transferred to a school in the next city. I wanted to call you to say goodbye in person, but then I thought about how you're playing in a competition and Shi An is in the hospital, so I decided not to bother you. I probably won't have the chance to play badminton again. My mom told me to burn all those things, but I couldn't bear to, so I'll leave them all to you."
"You must work hard and make our dream come true."
Her words still echoed in her ears. When she hesitated about joining the training team, it was Zhou Mu who was always there to encourage her.
She was her first friend and fan.
The girl posted her wish sticky notes on the wall and made a sincere wish.
"I hope Chang Nian can successfully complete the training camp."
"Don't try to jinx me. When have your wishes ever come true?"
"Chang Nian, who knows, you might really become a badminton superstar someday. You'll have to invite me to watch your matches then."
"No problem! I'll not only invite you to watch my match, but I'll also reserve a front-row seat for you so you can see every single hair on my head."
...
Tears blurred the ink, making the paper wrinkled and crumpled.
Jian Changnian touched it with her fingers and could almost see her sitting under the lamp, sniffling as she wrote this letter to her.
"However, I don't regret rushing in. Cheng Zhen isn't a murderer; he was forced into it."
"Now that things have come to this, there's one last thing I want to ask you, because you're my best friend."
"Chang Nian, could you please visit Cheng Zhen for me when you have some free time? I'm worried that he's not eating or sleeping well in the detention center, and I'm afraid he might do something rash. Having a friend to talk to occasionally might help him feel better."
Jian Changnian cursed her in her heart for being stupid, that she actually liked Cheng Zhen to this extent, but tears welled up uncontrollably again.
Seeing her like this, her grandmother gently put her arm around her shoulder.
Jian Changnian nestled in her grandmother's arms and let out her first sob in days.
***
Yin Jiayi and Jin Nanzhi drove to Hangzhou, enjoying the scenery along the way. When they passed through Xitang Ancient Town, Jin Nanzhi liked the antique architecture and beautiful scenery, so they stayed in the scenic area for two days.
Over the next two days, the two of them let go of all their burdens and happily traveled together, boating on the lake, enjoying tea and listening to the rain, taking intimate photos, having a candlelight dinner, and going to Wushan together, doing everything that couples do romantically.
Kim Nam-ji held her hand as they walked along the cobblestone path. They spotted a sugar figurine stall and excitedly ran over.
"Boss, can you sculpt a realistic figure?"
"Sure, what kind of design do you want?"
Kim Nam-ji thought for a moment.
"Well, let's do it this way."
The boss responded and got to work.
"Alright, please wait a moment. If you ask me, you guys are really good-looking. The ones I sculpted aren't even half as pretty as girls."
Kim Nam-ji couldn't stop smiling.
"Sir, you really know how to talk."
Yin Jiayi laughed, handed over the money, giving an extra hundred, and then took the finished sugar figurine and led her away by the hand.
There were flower girls selling flowers on the covered bridge. Yin Jiayi saw them and her eyes lit up. She bought a bunch of fresh lilies and then saw a wreath made of vines and willow leaves. She took one and put it on Jin Nanzhi's head.
The girl shyly tugged at her clothes, her eyes sparkling.
"Is it pretty, Yin Jiayi?"
Yin Jiayi couldn't help but lower her head and kiss her.
"It's beautiful."
Kim Nam-ji ran away with a flushed face.
"Well... there's a handmade goods shop over there, let's go check it out!"
Yin Jiayi pulled her into the store, and the shop owner immediately came up to give a warm introduction.
"We can make pottery, wood carving, clay sculpture, and silver necklaces, earrings, and bracelets. These were made by previous customers and we haven't had time to pick them up yet."
Yin Jiayi glanced at the display shelf, where there were some ceramic bowls, wooden carvings, and silver rings and earrings.
A slight thought crossed her mind.
"Can couple rings be made?"
The boss readily agreed and led the person to the workroom.
"Yes, this way please."
It was already dusk when Kim Nam-ji came out of the handmade shop, fiddling with two small rings in her palm.
"Ugh... I'm finally done. My legs are numb from sitting."
Yin Jiayi stopped and looked at her with a smile in her eyes.
"Give it to me, I'll put it on you."
The two rings, though simple in design, were both hand-carved and cut by the couple. They even engraved each other's initials on the rings, making them very meaningful keepsakes.
Kim Nam-ji watched as she took her hand and gently slipped the ring onto her ring finger. Her face was full of sweet smiles, but also a little shy. She looked away shyly and muttered to herself.
"A world champion gives me this? And doesn't proposing require kneeling on one knee...?"
Yin Jiayi flicked her forehead, her eyes full of doting affection and helplessness.
"What are you thinking? You're not old enough to get married yet."
"Ugh—" Kim Nam-ji rubbed his head, dragging out his words to express his dissatisfaction, but he didn't expect that Yoon Jia-yi would actually kneel down.
Seeing that she was actually kneeling, Kim Nam-ji felt a little reluctant.
"Hey, no, I... I was just kidding."
Yin Jiayi remained motionless, slipped the ring onto her ring finger, looked up at her, and smiled warmly.
"Then it's settled. I'll give you this first, and you can use it to exchange for a real diamond ring with me later."
***
"This is today's medicine. Take it three times a day, as directed."
Okay, thank you.
Qiao Yuchu picked up her medicine from the pharmacy, then suddenly remembered that she hadn't paid her medical bills for a few days. She paused, then turned and headed towards the payment counter.
"Orthopedics, bed 1203, payment due."
The staff member glanced at her.
"I've already paid, and I even prepaid for a month."
"When did this happen?" Qiao Yu was touched, thinking that Jin Shunqi had come to deliver it.
"Just a couple of days ago, a tall and thin girl came to pay."
Qiao Yuchu was startled, remembering the unfinished sentence Xie Shi'an had said. Her heart tightened, and she pushed open the hospital door and ran out.
"Have they caused you any more trouble? Oh, and I've already paid the money..."
She ran to the nearest bank, inserted her salary card into the ATM, and after entering her PIN, the machine showed a balance of over five million yuan, leaving her somewhat at a loss.
She bit her lip, then ran back to the counter and asked the staff for the transaction details. Only then did she realize that the transfer time was the morning after she had spoken to Xie Shi'an on the phone while drunk.
Although the other party was an unfamiliar account, she was certain that she had transferred the money. The question was, where did she get so much money?
She's been living in a daze lately, ignoring all the phone notifications on her phone, and using a different card to pay for her mother's medical bills, which caused her to miss the bank's text messages.
There's no such thing as a windfall in this world. If you suddenly have five million overnight, Xie Shi'an must have paid some kind of price to get it. In any case, she genuinely wanted to help her, but she treated her with harsh words.
Qiao Yu was in a state of utter confusion.
The staff at the counter noticed her expression.
"Ma'am, are you still withdrawing this money?"
Qiao Yuchu took the card back.
"No, I won't take it, thank you."
She returned to her ward and told Kim Soon-sik about it.
The two people were sitting on a bench in the hospital corridor.
Kim Soon-sik's expression was also somewhat shocked.
"Are the prize money for the World Championships really that high?"
Qiao Yuchu supported her forehead with her hand.
"Definitely not, I don't know how she got it."
Jin Shunqi was shocked and also found it strange that someone would transfer five million so easily. Even the best of friends would find it hard to do that.
He hesitated for a moment before speaking.
"When I was in Beijing, I felt like she was interested in you..."
Qiao Yuchu gave a wry smile.
"Your intuition is right, she confessed her feelings to me."
No wonder her expression was a little off when she came back that night. The next day, after learning that Xie Shi'an was also being treated at this hospital, she didn't go to visit him in person, but instead asked someone to bring her some nutritional supplements.