"Shi'an, Coach Xie, Instructor Xie, I don't care, anyway you said you were going to give me a gift, so I have to choose what I want myself."
"Okay, okay, put your hand down! Stay away from me, in case we get photographed again—"
"So what if they took the picture? At worst, we'll just say our mentor-student relationship is stronger than gold. Besides, I'm a Grand Slam athlete, what can they do to me?"
"you--"
Xie Shi'an stopped in his tracks, seemingly both amused and exasperated.
Jian Changnian thought she was angry, so she quickly took her hand off her shoulder and looked at her cautiously.
"What's the matter?"
Xie Shi'an's gaze, however, turned to the dark venue on the other side: "There's still something I haven't finished."
Jian Changnian paused for a moment before realizing what she was talking about.
Are you going to tell her?
“After all these years, I think she has the right to know the truth.”
Kim Nam-ji likes to stay alone in the venue for a while after the event ends; it's a habit she's had since her teenage years.
To be precise, it's Yin Jiayi's habit.
She only had this little bit of time to reminisce about her. In the eyes of others, she was a prodigy, a star athlete. Competitive sports don't believe in tears, and she couldn't show any cowardice; she had to be invincible.
When the footsteps came.
Kim Nam-ji quickly wiped away her tears and stood up.
"who?"
There was someone she didn't want to see standing in front of her.
Xie Shi'an handed her a tissue.
Kim Nam-ji curled her lips in a mocking smile.
"Are you here to laugh at me?"
Xie Shi'an simply said...
Do you still remember Violet?
Kim Nam-ji was taken aback, memories flooding back, and his expression instantly changed: "What do you mean?"
"Before every competition, someone would send you a bouquet of violets. Haven't you ever wondered who sent them?"
Kim Nam-ji seemed to realize something as well, his face filled with disbelief, his lips trembling, and his face deathly pale.
"No...it's impossible! We broke up a long time ago! I saw her with another man with my own eyes, her feelings for me...it was just...just..."
"I was just playing around with you. Now that I've had my fun, it's time to break up. We each got what we wanted, so don't take it too seriously."
"At my age, I should always return to my family. Here, take the ring back."
"My wedding is scheduled for the end of the year, you are welcome to come."
No matter how much she tried to forget, no matter how much time had passed, Yin Jiayi's words would still occasionally pop up and hurt her deeply while she was eating, sleeping, or playing ball. Over the years, they had become a knot in her heart and a nightmare.
On the surface, Kim Nam-ji appears invulnerable to bullets and poisons, but in reality, she suffers excruciating pain every day and night.
She also couldn't accept a new intimate relationship, fearing that after giving her heart, she would be discarded like trash.
"That's not true. She wasn't married. She had no choice but to leave you back then. If you don't believe me, you can ask your coach what exactly happened back then."
She had lived in a daze for so many years, and when the truth was suddenly revealed to her, Kim Nam-ji felt as if she had been struck by lightning. She swayed and had to hold onto a chair to steady herself.
"You...you mean...no! That's impossible! Why are you telling me all this?!"
Why did you keep it from her for so many years, only to suddenly tell her the truth now?
They stabbed her in her long-standing wound once more.
Xie Shi'an turned around and glanced at Jian Changnian, who was waiting at the door. Jin Nanzhi also saw her.
"I hope that each of us can be happy."
Jin Nanzhi's tears streamed down her face instantly. She stood there motionless for a long time. Xie Shi'an had said all he wanted to say, and what happened afterward was beyond her control.
As she was about to turn and leave, she heard Kim Nam-ji's voice behind her, a sob escaping her lips in the darkness.
Do you still have the cufflinks I gave you?
She turned around, a hint of a smile in her eyes.
"It's still there."
Upon receiving an affirmative answer, Kim Nam-ji suddenly smiled, her smile as bright as ever.
"Then I... believe you."
"Team Leader Yin will come to watch every one of your games. You should still be able to go find her now."
Before Xie Shi'an could finish speaking, a gust of wind swept in front of him, and Jin Nanzhi stumbled and ran out, disappearing from sight.
Only the sound remains in the wind.
"Thank you, I'll treat you to dinner another day!"
Kim Nam-ji ran along the dimly lit athletes' tunnel, racing against time with all her might. She had already lost one race today and couldn't afford to lose another.
Just as dawn was breaking, a figure appeared at the doorway and stopped her.
"Nan Zhi, where are you going?!"
"I'm going to find her."
Kim Nam-ji stopped in his tracks.
Park Min-heon flew into a rage: "Are you crazy?! Xie Shi-an is a living example, isn't that enough?! If this is the case in China, do you know what the consequences will be if your father finds out in Korea?!"
"Whatever the consequences, I will bear them myself."
"Jin Nanzhi, you are my disciple, my only last student. I have poured half of my life's blood and sweat into you. I will not allow you to do something that will ruin your future!"
"So you can use me by any means necessary to force Yin Jiayi to retire and clear 'obstacles' for me?!"
"I don't need such a dirty medal!"
Kim Nam-ji didn't just treat him as a coach; he spent even more time with him than his father did, and his care and love were genuine.
Park Min-heon's eyes also reddened. He pointed at her and roared, "Do you know what you're saying?! If it weren't for me, you wouldn't even have won an Olympic gold medal. You're not just making history for this team, you're making history for this country!"
"Forget about gold medals, forget about history, I only want her!"
Kim Namji took off the medal and athlete's certificate hanging around her neck, and tossed them lightly to the ground in Park Min-heon's astonished gaze, before running past him.
When that gust of wind passed, Park Min-heon closed his eyes and slumped down, his hand that had tried to stop him.
***
When the show ended, she followed the crowd out. Yin Jiayi always did this: she came quietly and left quietly. It was enough for her to catch a glimpse of her from afar in the stands.
The people walking in front seemed to be South Korean spectators, and they were very dissatisfied with the result of the match, so they casually threw away their support items.
"What kind of game is this? A prodigy, my foot! I'll never waste my money watching her matches again."
Yin Jiayi stopped in her tracks, picked up the postcard that had fallen to the ground, and brushed off the dust. The girl had bright eyes and white teeth, and a radiant smile, just like she had back then.
What surprised her most was that the postcard even had Kim Nam-ji's autograph. The familiar handwriting brought tears to her eyes and a smile involuntarily crept onto her lips. Just as she was about to put it in her bag, she heard a voice behind her that she never dared to dream of.
"Yin Jiayi!"
Yin Jiayi froze on the spot, not even daring to turn around.
Kim Namji walked step by step to her side, opened his palm, and revealed the sparkling silver ring.
"You said back then that I could use this to exchange for a real diamond ring with you later, does that still stand?"
***
With the Olympics over, not only can Jian Changnian get a good rest for a while, but Xie Shian can also sleep until late morning.
As sunlight streamed through the gaps in the curtains and onto the floor, Xie Shi'an stretched and got up to wash.
She was brushing her teeth when her phone, which was on the counter, chimed. She tapped the screen with her wet fingers.
Bean sprouts: "Are you up yet?"
Before she could type a reply, the other party sent another message.
"Open the window and take a look."
Xie Shi'an finished the fight in a few quick moves, put the toothbrush away, walked over, pulled back the curtains, opened the window, and looked down.
Jian Changnian stood there holding a bunch of fresh white lisianthus flowers. When she saw her appear, she waved excitedly at her.
"Shi'an, shall we go see the fireworks festival together?"
A gentle breeze rustled the treetops, and blades of grass fluttered down.
The promise we made in Yokohama that year is still vivid in my mind.
Xie Shi'an smiled brightly and went back to her room to change her clothes: "Okay, wait for me."
When the national team departed from Tokyo to return home, two people were missing. The youngest member of the team looked around anxiously.
"Where are Coach Xie and Sister Chang Nian?"
Lu Xiaoting put her arm around her neck, deliberately putting on an act.
"Children shouldn't meddle in adults' affairs."
With boarding time fast approaching, Wan Jing frowned, wanting to say something, but eventually resigned himself to it.
"Let's go back to China first to celebrate your success."
Chapter 132 The Grand Finale (2)
Compared to the fireworks display I saw in Yokohama, the fireworks festival was much more novel and fun.
The streets were teeming with people, men and women in yukatas everywhere, their wooden clogs making a crisp, resonant clattering sound as they walked on the ground. Various snack stalls and specialty goods were also set up along the roadside.