"I'm on vacation and have gone home."
Jian Changnian's mind raced, and she mustered her courage to speak.
"Then...can I sleep with you?"
The girl's pronunciation was light and quick, with a slight upward inflection at the end, as if she were being coquettish.
She stood there, her eyes moist like a fawn's, her face slightly flushed, shy and timid.
Xie Shi'an's heart softened a little.
Never mind, it's been so long since we last met.
"You need to dry your hair first."
The two lay side by side on the cramped little bed. Jian Changnian snuggled closer to her and hugged her arm.
Xie Shi'an felt something soft pressing against his arm, and it took him a while to realize what it was.
It's definitely different from before. The old Jian Changnian was dry and lifeless, like a malnourished, skinny little monkey.
She is now a beautiful young woman with a great figure.
Xie Shi'an awkwardly tried to pull his hand away.
Jian Changnian wouldn't let go, and looked up at her with a hurt look in her eyes.
"Shi'an, can't we be like we used to be? Why do you always try to avoid me?"
Xie Shi'an was both amused and exasperated.
Why do you say that?
"I've never seen you smile since I joined the national team, and you didn't hold back when we played against each other."
"After I finished fighting, I wanted to go find you, but you had already left."
"They won't let me in at night."
Jian Changnian rattled off a long list, almost counting on her fingers. In their friendship, she was always the more honest one.
Xie Shi'an also curved his lips into a smile.
"Who told you to be so polite from the start?"
They were polite to the point of being somewhat distant.
And it's so popular.
Jian Changnian choked for a moment and muttered under her breath.
"Well, who told you to promise to celebrate my birthday with me, and then not to come back?"
After that World Championships, it was only a week before Jian Changnian's birthday. Xie Shi'an had promised her that he would fly back to Jiangcheng to celebrate her coming-of-age ceremony with her. However, the All England Open was moved up, and she had to fly to London in advance to prepare for the competition, so she missed Jian Changnian's birthday. Xie Shi'an had called to apologize, but she didn't expect that although Jian Changnian said she didn't care, she was still holding a grudge.
She rarely threw a tantrum, but Xie Shi'an didn't get angry. Instead, he turned over and groped for something on the bedside table.
What are you looking for?
Xie Shi'an turned back.
Give me your hand.
Jian Changnian blankly extended her right hand.
In the darkness, Xie Shi'an curved the corners of his lips into a slight smile.
"Left hand."
"oh."
She obeyed without question, and then she felt a chill on her wrist as someone held her with a thin red string.
Jian Changnian brought her hand close to her eyes to take a look.
"So cute."
She was born in the Year of the Rat, so Xie Shi'an bought her a gold-colored, round-headed rat zodiac bracelet.
Is it pure gold?
Xie Shi'an remained silent.
"Why don't you try biting it with your teeth?"
Jian Changnian's eyes were so wide from laughing that they were almost invisible.
"No need, I'll like whatever Shi'an gives me."
Seeing that she liked it, Xie Shi'an felt relieved.
"I was planning to give it to you next time I went back to Jiangcheng, but who knew you would join the national team so soon. Well, that's good."
"Happy belated birthday."
Jian Changnian hugged her generously and smiled as he looked up.
"It's not too late. I received a lot of gifts this year, but I like this one from you the most."
"If you like it, then go to sleep."
"Good night."
"Good night."
Before the college entrance examination, Zhou Mu took some time to return to Jiangcheng City. In addition to dealing with his student status, he also visited Cheng Zhen in prison.
Since his accident, Zhou Mu was sent away by her parents, and the two haven't seen each other for a long time. They look at each other through the iron bars, speechless, and somewhat like strangers.
Zhou Mu looked at him with his very short buzz cut, wearing an orange prison uniform, and with handcuffs and shackles on, and couldn't help but tear up again.
"you……"
"you……"
The two spoke at the same time.
Cheng Zhen smiled.
"You go first."
"Are you alright?" Zhou Mu held back her tears and smiled.
"I'm fine. How about you?"
"I'm doing alright too."
Cheng Zhen looked down and picked at the hangnails between her fingers, feeling somewhat ashamed of herself, realizing that she had become more mature and beautiful in the two years since they last met.
She sends letters almost every week without fail. It's not that he doesn't understand her feelings, it's just that he simply can't respond to her now, nor does he deserve to.
Zhou Mu has excellent grades and is about to take the college entrance exam. He will have a bright future ahead of him. There is no need to get entangled with someone with a criminal record.
Cheng Zhen remained silent for a while before speaking with difficulty.
"Thanks for sending letters from time to time, but from now on... I think... it's not necessary anymore, you..."
He was interrupted before he could finish speaking.
Zhou Mu: "Cheng Zhen, I...I want to apply to the law department at H University."
Cheng Zhen suddenly raised her head and said somewhat anxiously.
"Why did you suddenly want to study law? Didn't you always love painting and photography? I always thought you would become a painter or a photographer."
Zhou Mu gave a wry smile.
"It wasn't exactly sudden, ever since you... I've had this idea."
After Cheng Zhen's incident, although the loan shark gang that drove his father to his death had been brought to justice, he was still sentenced to seven years in prison for manslaughter. He appealed several times, but the court upheld the original verdict, and he eventually became disheartened.
When everyone else had given up, it turned out that Zhou Mu was the one who felt sorry for him.
The once cheerful young man slowly teared up again.
"No, you've already given up a lot, my friend, your beloved badminton. I don't want you to give up your hobbies for me and do something you don't like at all."
"Cheng Zhen...but I..."
He went from being a swimming champion to a prisoner, but he could have stood on the highest podium like Xie Shi'an and Jian Changnian.
Hearing him say that, Zhou Mu's tears fell down in a steady stream. He really couldn't remain unmoved by his current state.
When the boy saw her crying, he raised his hand to touch her face, but unexpectedly touched the cold iron window.
He slumped his shoulders in dejection.
"Go away, I'm begging you, don't change your college application, unless you want me to be a sinner for the rest of my life."
Chapter 108 Chinese Valentine's Day
Chien Chang-nian stayed with the national team, continuing her training and joking around with Xie Shi-an as usual. Her life was no different from before, except for the fact that she had to partner with Xie Shi-an in women's doubles.
Playing ball is not like daily life. Even the best of friends need to get used to each other on the court, let alone the fact that they haven't seen each other for a while.
Wan Jing frowned as he watched them fight two matches.
"Stop! Are you guys used to playing women's singles? Especially Shi An, who always tries to control the whole court. It's fine if you let Chang Nian receive two points; she can handle them. Don't you trust her at all?"
Xie Shi'an moved his lips, just about to explain.
Jian Changnian spoke first.
"Coach Wan, it's my fault. I didn't keep up with her pace."
Wan Jing's brows furrowed even deeper.
"Alright, you don't need to explain for her anymore. You have a lot of problems too. When you were changing positions at halftime, you only had the ball in your eyes. You almost swung your racket at the back of someone's head."
The two exchanged a glance, both looking somewhat helpless.
Wan Jing also knew that this was not something that could be resolved in a short time.
"Alright, that's enough for today. I feel like you two haven't played together in a long time, and you've grown a bit estranged. When you play together, you're still two separate people; your teamwork isn't smooth enough, and you haven't reached the point where you can understand each other with just a glance."