"Huh? You want to surpass me? You'll have to play for another two years."
...
Wan Jing watched their agile figures on the field, his eyes filled with both relief and worry.
If Xie Shi'an and Yin Jiayi can perform normally in this Olympics, they can at least take the top two spots in the singles. The premise is that God will not put Yin Jiayi and Kim Nam-ji in the same group again.
The training match ended in the evening, and the sky was ablaze with fiery red clouds.
Yin Jiayi returned to the rest area, opened a bottle of mineral water, and handed one to Xie Shi'an as well.
"Thanks."
Xie Shi'an took the drink and gulped down a few mouthfuls, then watched her pack her things.
"You're not going to call tonight?"
Yin Jiayi glanced in Wan Jing's direction and lowered her voice, saying, "I'm not fighting anymore. I have to go out. Could you... do me a favor?"
Xie Shi'an gave a thoughtful "Oh". The only person who could make their team leader, Yin, ask for a favor and drop everything to run out of training was that guy from the Korean team.
"You and Kim Nam-ji..."
When her lover was mentioned, Yin Jiayi couldn't suppress a smile, but her expression also held a hint of helplessness.
"We're together now, but for the time being, we can only meet secretly like this."
There was a hint of mockery in Xie Shi'an's eyes.
"Well done, Captain, you're making good progress."
"Shh—" Yin Jiayi, afraid of being overheard, quickly gestured for her to be quiet, and then poked her waist with a water bottle.
Are you going to help me or not?
"Help, help, just tell me, what do you want me to do?"
***
After class on Friday, Kim Nam-ji rushed back to her dorm to pack her things. She also put on a beautiful makeup, pursed her lips in satisfaction, looked at herself in the mirror, and then picked out an off-shoulder dress from her wardrobe to change into.
She was looking in the mirror when the phone rang unexpectedly. Without even looking at it, she answered it.
"Yin—"
"It's me, Uncle."
Kim Soon-sik's familiar voice came through, and Kim Nam-ji stopped talking, saying irritably.
"I know it's you, Uncle. What do you want?"
Kim Soon-ki was standing at the entrance of her school.
"I'm back in Beijing. Can't I come visit you if there's nothing else to do?"
"Yes, of course I can, but I have something to do today and can't have dinner with you."
Kim Nam-ji was very happy that he came to visit her.
She put her phone on the table and put it on speakerphone, then looked in the mirror and playfully picked out a bag for herself.
"What, going on a date?"
"Oh no! It's just a friend's birthday!"
Kim Nam-ji retorted loudly, perhaps unaware of how shy she was when she said those words.
Such a strong reaction confirmed Park Min-heon's words.
Jin Shunqi's smile vanished, and he said calmly.
"It's okay, let's go out for a drink. Once Yu Chu's visa comes through, we'll go to the US together. We probably won't be coming back after that."
***
"Teacher Wan, could we skip the training session tonight?"
Before Yin Jiayi could finish speaking, Wan Jing frowned and sternly refused.
"No, the Olympics are just around the corner, and you're still running around all the time. You need to settle down!"
Yin Jiayi was troubled.
"Teacher Wan, have you forgotten... that today is my birthday?"
Wan Jing was taken aback and then remembered the matter. He immediately felt a little embarrassed: "Oh, I've been so busy lately that I forgot about it. Well then, come to my dorm later and I'll make you a bowl of longevity noodles."
Yin Jiayi laughed.
"No need, no need. Shi'an and I will just go out for a simple meal. They've been in Beijing for a week and haven't had much rest. Their training has been quite tough lately."
In an effort to convince Wan Jing, Xie Shi'an also dragged the innocent bystander Jian Changnian over, making him stand there like a telephone pole.
Upon hearing about going out to eat, Jian Changnian's eyes immediately lit up.
"A meal?! Yay! Captain Yin, you're so generous!!"
"Okay, we can go out to eat, but there's only one condition: no drinking. Also, next time it's your birthday, remember to tell your boss in advance where to order a cake for you at this hour."
Wan Jing glanced at the two of them and finally nodded in agreement. Whether it was Xie Shi'an's imagination or not, Wan Jing was very lenient with them this time, basically granting their every request.
Watching the three of them walk away together, Wan Jing muttered to himself, "When did they become so close? Aren't they like mortal enemies on the field?"
Once outside the training center, Xie Shi'an stopped in his tracks: "Let's stop here. Coach Wan shouldn't suspect anything now."
Yin Jiayi smiled sincerely with gratitude: "Thank you for your help this time. I'll treat you to a meal another day."
Xie Shi'an nodded slightly, then turned and left.
"Huh, what are you talking about? Aren't you going out to eat?"
Jian Changnian was completely confused and wanted to follow Yin Jiayi, but someone grabbed her neck from behind and pulled her back.
"This way, mind your own business. If you know too much, you'll be silenced."
"Cough cough cough! Xie Shi'an, let go of me!!!"
***
Jin Nanzhi sat in the car, took out his phone, and sent a message to Yin Jiayi: "My uncle came to visit me at school. I'll have a meal with him and then come to see you later."
Yin Jiayi replied quickly, accompanied by a picture of a supermarket shopping cart full of vegetables and fruits.
"Eat a little less, I'll cook you Chinese food tonight."
Kim Nam-ji smiled slightly.
"Okay, I got it."
Upon arriving at the restaurant, the waiter served steak, and Jin Shunqi poured her a glass of red wine. She looked at the scarlet liquid with some surprise.
"Uncle, didn't you forbid me from drinking alcohol?"
Kim Soon-ki raised his wine glass and gently clinked it against hers.
"Things are different now. You're an adult now, and I won't be able to be there to cheer you on during the Olympics, so this toast is a way of wishing you good luck in advance."
Kim Nam-ji got goosebumps all over, but since he had already said that, he still picked up his glass and took a sip.
"Uncle, I'm not used to you being so serious all of a sudden, but I'll accept this blessing!"
The two chatted as they ate, but Kim Nam-ji didn't touch his steak at all, only eating some vegetable salad.
"So, you're really dating Qiao Yuchu from the Binhai Provincial Team?"
Kim Soon-ki cut his steak with a smile on his face.
"Of course it's true. We've already met each other's parents, and we're getting married in America soon."
Kim Nam-ji rested his chin on his hand and pondered for a moment.
"Hmm... So am I related to Xie Shi'an? What should I call her? No, no, she should call me."
She was already planning in her heart that when they met again, she would definitely take advantage of this to tease Xie Shi'an. She dreamed of seeing Xie Shi'an's deadpan face turn into a colorful mess, and she would laugh out loud. Little did she know that when they met again, she and Xie Shi'an would have drifted apart and could no longer be considered friends.
When this matter was mentioned, Jin Shunqi's smile faded, and it was when she mentioned Xie Shi'an that he suddenly made up his mind.
"Nam Ji, your makeup looks smudged."
Kim Nam-ji held up his phone, looking at it from left to right, but the lighting in the Western restaurant was dim, so he couldn't tell what was wrong.
She got up, annoyed, because she still had to see Yin Jiayi later.
"Uncle, I'm going to the restroom to touch up my makeup."
"Okay, go ahead."
Jin Shunqi watched her disappear at the end of the corridor, then took out a PVC plastic bag from his suit pocket containing a white pill. He crushed it with two fingers and poured it into her wine glass.
Chapter 98 Breakup
As soon as Yin Jiayi got home, she put on an apron and busied herself washing vegetables and cooking. Before she knew it, night had fallen.
The dishes were almost ready. After washing her hands, she came out of the living room and glanced at the wall clock. It was already past nine o'clock.
Yin Jiayi thought for a moment. It was rare for her and her uncle to see each other, so she decided not to disturb them. She would wait a little longer and take advantage of the time before her uncle returned to tidy up the room.
She wanted to celebrate her birthday as a special anniversary for the two of them, so she bought Kim Nam-ji a lot of gifts, which piled up in the corner.
Yin Jiayi untied her apron and went to get busy.
She was cleaning the living room when the doorbell suddenly rang. Yin Jiayi smiled and ran to open the door.
"Really, didn't you bring your keys?"
Before he could finish speaking, he froze on the spot, a hint of disappointment on his face.
It turned out that the cake and flowers she ordered had arrived.
"Madam, please sign here."
"Thank you."
After signing her name, Yin Jiayi took the item from his hands and placed it on the table, glancing at the clock on the wall once more.