"It's definitely not that place, it's not good."
"Oh dear, how would you know if you haven't even tried it?"
Xie Shi'an couldn't resist her, and was eventually pulled to the stall by a young man in his early twenties.
"Boss, two bowls of rice noodles to go, one extra spicy with extra cilantro, and one mildly spicy, plus two eggs."
"Okay, please wait a moment."
When the rice noodles were ready, Jian Changnian saw that there weren't many people at the stall, so she chatted with the owner casually.
"It's New Year's Eve today, aren't you taking a break?"
“Sigh, when my mom was alive, we could have a family reunion for the New Year. Now that she’s gone, there’s no point in celebrating New Year’s Eve. I might as well set up a stall and try to earn some extra money.”
Xie Shi'an was taken aback. Upon closer inspection, he noticed that Xie Shi'an's face and eyebrows resembled the auntie who had been setting up her stall earlier by about 70-80%.
"Did your mother used to have a stall here?"
The boss looked up, his eyes brimming with joy.
"Yes, you know her? She's been here for over twenty years."
"I grew up eating her family's rice noodles."
Upon hearing this, the boss insisted on not taking their money. In the end, Xie Shi'an said that if they didn't accept the money, she would never come again.
The boss then stopped and scooped two more braised eggs for them, putting them in a bag. When Xie Shi'an took the bag, she smiled and said something.
"Thank you, and Happy New Year!"
The boss was taken aback, and then revealed a simple and honest smile.
"Hey, Happy New Year."
Even though Jian Changnian was already exhausted from watching the Spring Festival Gala, she still insisted on staying up with her to welcome the New Year.
They justified it by saying, "Everyone is gone this year, which is already bad enough. We can't skip the New Year's Eve vigil too."
Xie Shi'an had no choice but to let her go. He wasn't sleepy anyway, so he drank some wine, ate some melon seeds and peanuts, and watched TV, which was a rare moment of leisure.
Near midnight.
Bang bang——
The entire city was engulfed in a sea of fireworks.
The continuous sound of firecrackers made Jian Changnian jump up from the sofa instantly, and she pulled Xie Shi'an up to the rooftop.
"Shi'an, Shi'an, let's go see the fireworks."
The two sat side by side on the rooftop next to the water tank, their hair billowing in the biting winter wind.
Jian Changnian looked up at the fireworks display in the city sky. The firelight illuminated her face, making even her pupils appear multicolored.
She held a can of beer in her hand, which she had begged Xie Shi'an for with great difficulty. She felt that on such a good holiday, how could she not have a drink?
"It looks really good, just as good as the one we put on last year."
Xie Shi'an picked up the can, took a sip, his eyes were indifferent, and it was unclear what he was thinking.
Jian Changnian turned her head to look at her.
When are you leaving?
"tomorrow."
"Isn't the New Year over yet?"
"No, the Uber Cup starts at the end of February, so I need to start preparing early."
“I still want to…” Jian Changnian lowered her eyelids.
Xie Shi'an looked over.
What are you thinking about?
Jian Changnian smiled.
"nothing."
Xie Shi'an turned his head back.
"When you go home, please take the gift I bought for my grandma back with you. Just leave it in my dorm and give her my regards."
Jian Changnian always had a smile on her lips.
Innocent, bright, pure, and passionate.
"Shi'an, will you come back to visit again?"
"meeting."
"Shi'an, do you miss Coach Yan?"
"I've always missed him."
"Shi'an, are there any other dogs on the national team? Have you forgotten about Wonfu?"
Xie Shi'an couldn't help but curl the corners of her lips. What kind of question was this? She turned her head away, and Jian Changnian's eyes gradually became hazy.
Sure enough, the man got drunk again.
She tried to take the can from her hand, but Jian Changnian leaned closer, hugged her arm, and shook it.
"Shi'an, answer me! Will you forget Wangfu?"
Xie Shi'an's clear pupils were filled with a smile, and there was an unconscious tenderness in his eyes as he looked at her.
"Won't."
"Then will you forget me?"
"No, not at all."
"Will we always be friends?"
"meeting."
Jian Changnian smiled contentedly, but couldn't help but push her luck a bit. Even though she was already so sleepy, she was still counting on her fingers.
"Shi'an, you wished Chun'er, Lili, Coach Liang, the security guard at the gate, and the guy selling things a Happy New Year today. What about mine? I want one too."
As she was talking, the can in her hand fell to the ground, and she fell headfirst into the air.
Xie Shi'an reacted quickly, placing his palm between her head and his shoulder to prevent her from feeling pain from the bone.
She looked at Jian Changnian's fluttering eyelashes, a barely perceptible smile appearing on her lips, a hint of reproach in her expression.
"Oh really, you made me carry you back again."
When Jian Changnian woke up the next morning, she was in Xie Shi'an's bed, and the light and pleasant scent of Xie Shi'an wafted from her pillow.
She instinctively rolled over, but missed her target.
“Shi An…”
Jian Changnian suddenly woke up and sat up.
The room was empty.
Xie Shi'an's suitcase, which he had placed in the corner, was also gone.
She left.
When this thought popped into Jian Changnian's mind, she felt as if a piece of her heart was empty, dull, sour, and bitter.
On the bedside table was the key to her house, and underneath it was a sticky note. She picked it up and saw that it was Xie Shi'an's handwriting.
"I'm leaving now. I hope you're happy every year."
Seeing the familiar handwriting, she finally smiled, but as she smiled, tears began to fall again.
***
In the year that followed, they truly lived up to Coach Liang's words:
When gathered, they are a blazing fire; when scattered, they are a sky full of stars.
They shine in their respective arenas.
When Xie Shi'an first joined the national team, he led the Chinese team to win the Uber Cup. In the finals, he defeated Kim Nam-ji 2-0, avenging his previous defeat.
After that, she won three titles in one year, sweeping major tournaments around the world, and her dominance in the badminton world was unshakeable.
Jian Changnian followed the path she had walked, from the National Competition to the Intercontinental Cup, from obscurity to Asian star, step by step, catching up with her.
Amidst his busy competition schedule, Xie Shi'an also studied for his academic subjects and passed Tsinghua University's special admissions exam with excellent results, receiving his admission letter on the day he arrived.
The first person who came to her mind to share her joy was Jian Changnian.
When the call was made, Jian Changnian was yelling in the training room: "Ahhhhh, Shi'an, you're amazing!!! Tsinghua! Tsinghua University! I never even dared to dream of that!"
Xie Shi'an silently moved his phone further away.
Jian Changnian laughed for a while, then said excitedly.
"Shi'an, I also have good news to tell you."
"What?"
"I've qualified for the World Junior Championships!"
The World Junior Championships, limited to athletes under the age of 19, is the highest-level badminton youth competition in the world, bar none. It can be said to gather the world's top young players, and those who will shake up the world badminton scene in the future are all here. Participating in the World Junior Championships is also her first step towards the world stage. [2]
Xie Shi'an sincerely said, "Congratulations."
Having not seen each other for a long time, Jian Changnian was still a little shy.
"Can you come watch my match?"
Xie Shi'an thought for a moment.
"I'm going to register at school in September."
Jian Changnian was somewhat disappointed, but she didn't notice it.
"It's okay, then... then after I finish playing, you'll probably be on holiday for National Day, then we can play together again."