For some reason, Jian Changnian blushed hastily and hurriedly broke free from her.
"Why set off fireworks when it's not a holiday?"
Xie Shi'an walked to the shore, leaned on the railing, and looked out into the distance, the night breeze ruffling her soft hair.
"June 2nd is the anniversary of the opening of Yokohama Port, and there is a fireworks display in the evening."
Jian Changnian walked up to her and couldn't help but exclaim in amazement.
"This is even more beautiful than the fireworks we set off during Chinese New Year."
A smile appeared on Xie Shi'an's lips.
"In the summer, Japan also has summer festivals and fireworks displays, which I heard are even more beautiful and lively than this."
"When? Can we come and see?"
"Not this year. I'll probably be playing in the Olympics during the fireworks festival."
Jian Changnian was not discouraged, but looked at her with anticipation.
"Then let's come to see the fireworks festival together next summer."
Xie Shi'an glanced at her, a smile playing on his lips, and said slowly and solemnly.
"Okay, next year...we'll come again next year."
The child was overjoyed to have gotten a promise from her for the first time. As if remembering something, Jian Changnian excitedly took out the drink she had just bought from the plastic bag and handed her one.
"Let's take this opportunity, on this port opening anniversary fireworks, to congratulate you on breaking into the world's top ten. I also hope you can perform even better at the Olympics, win the gold medal, and aim for a Grand Slam!!!"
Seeing her so enthusiastic expression, Xie Shi'an felt a little helpless, but still picked up the glass bottle and clinked it against hers.
"Alright, alright, I'll reluctantly accept it then. I also wish you good luck in winning a medal at the next world championship."
After she finished speaking, she picked up the drink and took a sip. She immediately felt a bit dumbfounded. This was clearly alcohol, not a beverage.
As expected, Jian Changnian only took one bite before tears welled up in her eyes from the spiciness. She kept sticking out her tongue, and her entire face turned bright red like a tomato. She stared in disbelief at the glass bottle with Japanese packaging in her hand.
"Cough cough cough... Why... is it alcohol?"
Hahahahahahahahahahaha!
Xie Shi'an finally couldn't help but burst out laughing, overjoyed, his eyes even narrowing into crescent moons.
Jian Changnian lunged at her and punched her.
"Well, you know I took the wrong one and didn't even tell me!"
"Hey, hey, hey, it's not my fault, I don't know Japanese."
Xie Shi'an dodged her attacks, and the two of them got into a scuffle.
In the end, Jian Changnian drank half of the bottle of wine, choking and coughing repeatedly. Xie Shi'an made a move to take it from him, but Jian Changnian dodged.
"Hey, if you can't drink, then don't drink."
Jian Changnian looked at her with a smile, his eyes still glistening with tears from being choked, the boy's pupils clear and bright.
"No, I want to drink it. This is... a celebration drink for Shi'an... Today... I'm so happy..."
As she said this, her voice lowered again.
"Furthermore, I also want to know what alcohol tastes like, and what you were thinking about during the days you locked yourself in your house."
Xie Shi'an lowered his eyes when this matter was mentioned.
"I……"
Jian Changnian laughed again, raised the wine bottle in his hand, and stumbled to clink it against the wine bottle in her hand, making a crisp sound.
"But! Whatever you're thinking, that's all in the past. Our Shi'an will definitely be the most, most, most amazing athlete in the future, and maybe we can even surpass Jiang Yunli to become the world's number one!"
"And also, you'll definitely meet someone really, really, really good in the future. You'll like her, and she'll like you too! You'll be in love with each other, just like the prince and princess in a fairy tale... no, the princess and the princess, and live happily ever after!"
Xie Shi'an finally smiled, but her eyes glistened with tears. She didn't have many friends, but those who knew all her secrets didn't look at her with any prejudice and even sincerely wished her well.
Only Jian Changnian reads one.
"Then I'll take your good wishes..."
Before she could finish speaking, Xie Shi'an saw Jian Changnian fall towards her with her eyes closed. She quickly caught her and shook her shoulder. The girl was already completely drunk.
She sighed, but resigned herself to her fate and carried the person on her back.
"What a nuisance. What kind of alcohol tolerance does he have? He gets this drunk even with sake."
The two walked along the street by the sea.
The last tram of the night clanged past them.
Jian Changnian seemed to sense something and moved slightly.
"The fireworks...are over?"
"Okay, we're going back."
Xie Shi'an carried her up the steps.
Jian Changnian lay on her back, sighing unconsciously.
“Shi’an…”
"Hmm?" Xie Shi'an didn't stop walking.
"Summer will end, and the fireworks will fade away..."
"I...will not leave you."
Jian Changnian hugged her neck tightly, speaking in his sleep with great conviction.
Xie Shi'an paused, looked back at her sleeping face resting on his shoulder, and said softly with a smile.
"You're drunk."
***
On Monday, as usual, Yin Jiayi first took her back to school, and then returned to the training center for training. As soon as Jin Nanzhi got out of the car, she saw her head coach standing at the school gate. She excitedly ran over and took his arm.
"Coach Park, when did you come to China?!"
Park Min-heon glared at her, annoyed.
"I just finished leading the team in the Asian Cup and landed in Beijing from Yokohama last night. Since I had to transfer flights anyway, I thought I'd come see you first, but you didn't answer my calls!"
Kim Nam-ji stuck out her tongue sheepishly, thinking to herself:
Last night? Last night I was too busy being all lovey-dovey with Yin Jiayi.
"Sorry, sorry, I wasn't looking at my phone. How about this, I'll treat you to dinner to make up for it, is that alright?"
Park Min-heon glanced at her from head to toe, then looked in the direction behind her. In the distance, the car drove away, and the license plate was not visible.
"That's not right. You're coming back so early in the morning, instead of going to school. Who brought you here?"
Park Min-heon was not only the head coach of the South Korean team, but also her mentor and her father's close friend for many years. He had watched her grow up. Kim Nam-ji knew that he cared about her, but she couldn't explain it to him. So she stood a little to the right, guiltily blocking his view, afraid that someone would see Yoon Ga-yi's car.
"Just one friend! You know my personality, studying is so boring, I don't want to stay at school on weekends!"
"Boyfriend or girlfriend?" Park Min-heon asked rhetorically.
“Female friends!” Kim Nam-ji said firmly.
"You're not dating, are you?" Park Min-heon still had a hint of doubt.
Kim Nam-ji shook his head vigorously.
"How could that be?! I'm not the type to just fall for anyone and start dating anyone casually!"
Park Min-heon's expression softened slightly. He knew his apprentice well. Kim Nam-ji looked arrogant, domineering, and easily swayed, but in reality, she was haughty and probably only cared about badminton and her rival whom she always wanted to surpass.
“It’s not that I don’t want you to go out and have fun, it’s that I’m afraid you’ll hang out with some shady people and cause scandals, which will ruin your career. You know that you’re in the prime of your career, and the Korean public is very sensitive to these kinds of things.”
"Oh, I know, I know, I'm tired of hearing it. Since you're here, why don't you have breakfast with me?" Kim Nam-ji said, then took his arm and pulled him away.
Park Min-heon couldn't argue with her, so he smiled helplessly.
"Aren't you going to class?"
"The first class is at 10:30, there's still plenty of time. We can have lunch together before class, hurry up, I'm starving!"
The two found a dim sum restaurant near the school and sat down.
Park Min-heon pushed the steamed pork ribs she loved to her side.
When do you plan to return to the national team?
Kim Nam-ji drank his porridge without paying any attention.
"I'll go back after the exam."
"Once you finish your exams, there will be less than a month left until the opening of the Olympics. You still need to prepare. I don't need to remind you again, right? Xie Shi'an won the Asian Cup and her world ranking has risen to seventh. She will definitely go to London to participate in the Olympics. And Yin Jiayi—"
When she heard the name, she paused with her chopsticks. Park Min-heon noticed this subtly but continued speaking without showing any emotion.
"In the latest BWF official website rankings, Jiang Yunli's ranking points have been removed. She is now the undisputed world number one, and the hope for China to win gold this time is very likely to rest on the two of them."
"You should come back to training as soon as possible. You've worked so hard for so many years. It doesn't matter if you don't participate in competitions like the Asian Cup. The Olympics is your ultimate goal."
Hearing him say these things, Kim Nam-ji's expression also turned serious, and he nodded solemnly.
"I understand, Coach Park. I'll go back to training as soon as the exam is over."
The two chatted and laughed as they finished breakfast. It was getting late, and Kim Nam-ji had to go to class. Watching her leave the restaurant with her bag, Park Min-heon sat down and made a phone call.
"Follow her and see where she went this week, who she met, and what she did. Remember to take pictures and send them to me."
Chapter 96 The Expedition
While the teacher was lecturing on stage, Kim Nam-ji propped up his textbook and secretly sent a message to Yoon Ga-yi from behind it.
"Coach Park has come to Beijing."
Yin Jiayi replied quickly: "?"