After running several laps, Xie Shi'an, with a towel around her neck, sat down to rest by the track. Qiao Yuchu came over and handed her a bottle of purified water.
"Chang Nian still didn't come to training today."
Xie Shi'an paused slightly as he raised his hand to drink water, his expression calm and composed, and said nothing.
Qiao Yuchu sat down next to her, also feeling somewhat troubled.
"I just passed by Coach Yan's office and heard them talking about the roster. With Chang Nian's abilities, he should have had no problem getting a starting spot, but now... sigh! The format has changed, and it's already difficult to get out of the group stage. This year's team competition is in jeopardy."
As soon as she finished speaking, Xie Shi'an got up and walked out of the playground.
"Where are you going?" Qiao Yuchu took two steps after him.
"I'm hungry, let's eat."
While she was eating in the cafeteria, Qiao Yuchu was still worried about Jian Changnian's situation. Her phone had been confiscated again, so she could only make a call from the public phone booth in the corridor.
Her first call was to the hospital.
The hospital said that Jian Changnian was not in the hospital at all; she disappeared in the latter half of last night.
Qiao Yuchu retorted, "Where could she, a minor, possibly go?"
"Then we don't know. We only see the patients, not their families," the nurse said, and then slammed the phone down.
Qiao Yuchu was still a little worried, so she made a second call to Zhou Mu.
Zhou Mu was on the bus back to school when he briefly told her about Jian Changnian going back to his hometown to borrow money yesterday.
"She sold everything she could in the house and borrowed from everyone she could, but she was still far from enough. My parents had a big fight about this, and I don't know how to help her anymore."
Zhou Mu's voice also sounded somewhat frustrated.
"Do you know where she is now?" Qiao Yuchu asked.
Zhou Mu shook his head: "She hasn't contacted me since she went back yesterday."
"If she contacts you again, ask her to call Coach Yan back. We are all very worried about her, and the national competition is about to start. She has come this far with great difficulty, so we need to confirm with her whether she will participate."
Zhou Mu nodded: "Okay, I understand."
If she's not at the hospital, she's probably out borrowing money. The problem is, she's already exhausted all the connections she can make. Who else can she turn to?
After thinking for a moment, she made a third call to Cheng Zhen.
Cheng Zhen was lying at home playing video games, holding his phone between his shoulder and head.
"No, why would she contact me?"
"That's true." Qiao Yuchu thought for a moment and prepared to hang up the phone.
Cheng Zhen sat up from the sofa: "Still haven't found them?"
"Yes, the national competition is just around the corner. If something happens at this crucial moment, I'm really worried that she might do something rash."
Cheng Zhen glanced at her father working in the study and lowered her voice, saying, "The key is 100,000, which is too much. My dad is very strict with me now. I'm either training or staying at home, and he hasn't given me any pocket money for a long time."
"You deserved it." Qiao Yuchu mocked him mercilessly.
"Alright, that's all for now, I'm hanging up."
After she hung up the phone, she started talking to herself again.
Where can people go?
As soon as he finished speaking, a hand reached over and picked up the phone again.
Xie Shi'an pressed a string of numbers, his face expressionless, but his tone was a little cold: "Hello, Cao Rui, it's me. Where is he?"
Cao Rui was in the middle of a business meeting when a phone call came in. He wanted to hang up, but the phone kept ringing, almost like a persistent, nagging call. He had no choice but to apologize and go outside to answer the call.
"Hey, I thought it was someone else? Why didn't you use your own phone to call?"
"Enough with the nonsense. I'm training. Where are you right now?"
Cao Rui glanced somewhat guiltily at Jian Changnian, who was playing ball with the big boss: "Why...why are you asking this?"
Is Jian Changnian with you?
"I..." Before Cao Rui could say anything, Xie Shi'an uttered two words decisively.
"address."
Having obtained the accurate address, Xie Shi'an turned and left.
Qiao Yuchu chased after her: "Hey, where are you going?"
Xie Shi'an stopped in his tracks and looked at her.
"Didn't you say you were going to confirm with someone?"
Qiao Yuchu's feet involuntarily followed her.
"But there's training this afternoon..."
Xie Shi'an bypassed the gatekeeper and walked to the other side of the secluded outer wall. It was low there, so she stood on two bricks and used her hands to push herself over.
"I think Coach Yan would be very happy if we brought him back."
Qiao Yuchu ran off with the others, her face expressionless.
"I hope so."
***
After the game ended, a young man in a suit pulled her into the stairwell and gave Jian Changnian some money.
"Here you go, you played well. Next game, lose a few more points, but try to lose in a way that the boss won't realize you're letting him win."
After staying there for a while, Jian Changnian finally understood what was going on. The pot-bellied middle-aged man she was playing ball with was the so-called big boss they were talking about. As for the other two, Cao Rui was the one who acted as a go-between. The boss of the young man who gave him money wanted the big boss to invest in his company, so he tried every means to please him. As for what benefits Cao Rui gained from all of this, that was anyone's guess.
Jian Changnian smiled bitterly to herself, but still accepted the money. She remembered what the receptionist had told her not to look sad, so she smiled at the person and tried her best to look well-behaved and cute.
"Okay, thank you, boss, I understand."
No sooner had he finished speaking than a sound came from upstairs.
"Xiao Chen, has Xiao Jian come back from the restroom yet? Boss Qian wants to play another game."
The young man, called "Xiao Chen," shoved the person.
"Go ahead and do your best."
Lifeng Building is located in the most luxurious business district of Jiangcheng City. The rooftop area is also very spacious, with a swimming pool and a lawn. At the other end of the lawn is a badminton court, with tables, chairs and parasols placed around the court.
Although the big boss is also a badminton enthusiast, he is getting old and his stamina is not as good as that of young people. He has to stop and rest after playing a couple of rounds, and ask his beautiful secretary next to him to massage his shoulders and cut him some fruit.
"Not bad, Xiao Jian. You're beautiful and play ball well. You should be a professional player. You're a promising young talent!"
Several people complimented him and smiled.
"I think Mr. Qian is still as sharp as ever. His smash was dazzling. Even a world champion could hold his own against him!"
Mr. Qian burst into laughter: "Look at Xiao Wu's mouth, he's already sucking up to me."
"How can this be considered flattery? If it weren't for Mr. Qian's busy schedule, he would probably be a professional player by now!"
Mr. Qian, flattered by the praise, began to boast about the awards he had won in amateur tournaments by having his opponents manipulate the game in the same way.
"Back in the day, I was like that too..."
Seeing that the tea was almost ready, Cao Rui poured the tea for the person.
"Xiao Jian is also one of our club's sparring partners. If you like, you can have her play with you more often in the future."
"Okay, okay, I'm in the mood today. Come on, let's team up for doubles and play another game."
Chapter 32 Dispute
Xie Shi'an thought that Cao Rui had called people over to play ball with clients, but he didn't expect this kind of game, where they would pay to let the ball go.
The fat, middle-aged man opposite him, however, was completely oblivious, his face gleaming with oil as he smiled, his vanity greatly inflated.
"Professional players are just like that."
Jian Changnian didn't say anything, but raised her hand and gave another one to someone.
The guy was so badly skilled that she could crush him with a single finger. Xie Shi'an simply couldn't stand it anymore. Her youthful instincts kicked in, and she felt that her professional beliefs had been greatly insulted. She raised her foot to rush over.
Cao Rui grabbed the man and pleaded, "My ancestor! I'm begging you! We've been negotiating this deal for so long and haven't been able to close it!"
"Is this how you help?" Xie Shi'an's eyes were extremely cold.
"To put it nicely, it's called playing ball; to put it bluntly, what's the difference between this and being a hostess?!"
The rooftop wasn't large, and the wind faintly carried her words into my ears.
Jian Changnian froze, a hint of sadness in her expression, and stopped in her tracks as she was about to serve.
Mr. Qian, who was on the other side, also noticed the commotion. He straightened up and looked at them, calling out, "Xiao Cao, what's going on?"
Cao Rui turned around and said, "It's alright, Mr. Qian. It's just a friend. Please continue playing."
After saying that, he lowered his voice again, speaking quickly and urgently.
"Doesn't Xiao Jian need money too? Think about it for her!"
Xie Shi'an glanced at Jian Changnian. That guy didn't dare to turn around and look at her at all. Then she looked at what he was wearing. Wasn't he cold in a short-sleeved shirt and skirt in the middle of winter? And he was still playing ball with a few greasy old men. If she stayed here for another second, she felt like she would get a sty.
Xie Shi'an pursed his lips, brushed his hand away without a word, turned around and left, slamming the rooftop door open and smashing it against the wall with a loud bang.
As she left, Jian Changnian's heart clenched. After hesitating for a long time, she bit her lip, put down her racket, and hurriedly said, "President Qian, excuse me for a moment," before chasing after her.
"Hey—" Cao Rui tried to stop him, but failed.
"Shi'an! Thank you Shi'an!" Jian Changnian chased after him and finally managed to stop him in the stairwell.
Xie Shi'an's hand hovered over the elevator button, but he hesitated to press it.
Jian Changnian supported herself on her knees, panting heavily.
Why are you here?
"I..." Even though she had climbed over the wall to escape on her own, the words that came out of her mouth were...