"Didn't you say you didn't want to fight anymore?" Xie Shi'an pushed open the door and entered.
Yin Jiayi stopped what she was doing. The lights in the venue were off, but the moonlight from outside shone in through the window, shining on her like a spotlight.
Her silhouette was desolate and forlorn.
Yin Jiayi gave a wry smile.
“When I was a kid, I trained and suffered a lot. I fell down a lot. Every time I fell, I would tell the coach that I didn’t want to play anymore. That phrase had almost become my mantra. Over the years, I thought I had gotten used to it, but it turns out that it still hurts to say it out loud.”
Xie Shi'an picked up the badminton shuttlecock that had fallen to the ground and returned it to her.
Is it because of Kim Nam-ji?
Her silence was taken as consent.
"They threatened you with this?!"
As the boy's temper flared, he clenched his fists and was about to walk out when Yin Jiayi grabbed him.
"Don't go to her, this is... my own choice."
In such a large training base, with so many people coming and going from the national team, Yin Jiayi has very few close friends.
She smiled, her eyes red-rimmed.
"Have a couple of drinks with me."
Yin Jiayi took two cans of beer out of her bag, tossed one to her, and the two sat down in the stands.
The night was so quiet, the moonlight shone on the center of the stadium, and tiny silver dust particles floated in the air.
Xie Shi'an clutched the aluminum can.
"I do not understand."
Yin Jiayi picked up the can and took a sip.
"You'll understand when you love someone more than you love badminton."
Xie Shi'an disagreed and took a sip as well.
"The person I love most has left me."
"Also a girl?" Yin Jiayi tilted her head and glanced at her.
"Mmm." Xie Shi'an tilted his head back and took another swig.
Yin Jiayi reached out and gently touched the can with her.
"Cheers to us all being gay."
"cheers."
Perhaps because of the alcohol, Yin Jiayi started talking, smiling slightly as she told Xie Shi'an a lot about Jin Nanzhi.
"You know what? The first time I saw her, I thought she was so cute. Her small body seemed to contain a lot of energy."
"She's so reckless, she actually wants to fight me one-on-one."
"Her family is very rich, but she doesn't seem to care much. Instead, her teammates tease and coax her into treating them to meals and buying them gifts."
"I think she's a bit silly, but also very kind."
"When I learned that she had joined the Beijing team as a foreign player, I was actually very happy, but I was also a little scared."
“I’m afraid I’ll fall for her. Namji… is braver than me.”
"Captain Yin—" Xie Shi'an's eyes also reddened when she heard her say this.
Yin Jiayi continued talking to herself.
“In our relationship, Nan Zhi has always been more proactive than me. She has already taken ninety-nine steps of courage. Let me take this last step to protect her. I hope she will always be that passionate, simple and pure girl, and never be tainted by the evil of this world.”
Why did she start crying while listening to someone else's story? Xie Shi'an quickly wiped the corner of her eye with the back of her hand.
Yin Jiayi glanced at her and patted her shoulder.
"Fortunately, the national team has you now, so I can retire with peace of mind. Shi'an, you must persevere. What Jiang Yunli and I couldn't do, I'm entrusting to you."
Xie Shi'an gave her a gentle hug, their shoulders bumping, just like every time they celebrated a victory.
She said through gritted teeth.
"I will give it my all in tomorrow's warm-up match."
The drinks are finished, it's time to call it a night.
Yin Jiayi said, "You should go back first. I want to stay a little longer. After all, it will be difficult to come back later."
As Xie Shi'an got up to leave, he said one more thing.
"Are you really... not going to see her?"
***
Kim Nam-ji's phone had long since run out of battery, so he couldn't reach her. He was also afraid that rushing in would cause trouble for Yoon Jia-yi, so he could only sit foolishly by the flower bed at the entrance of the training center and wait for her all day.
Whenever someone came in or out, she would stand up to take a look, and when she found that it wasn't Yin Jiayi, she would sit down again with a disappointed look on her face.
The security guards chased her away several times, but she remained unmoved.
As night deepened, there were hardly any pedestrians on the road, only swarms of moths dancing around the streetlights.
Kim Nam-ji was exhausted, sleepy, and hungry. She sat on the edge of the flower bed, hugging her arms, feeling drowsy.
The footsteps stopped in front of her.
She looked up and was overjoyed. She stood up and rushed straight into her arms.
"Yin Jiayi, I knew you wouldn't be so heartless!"
Every time she hugged her before, Yin Jiayi would immediately pick her up and spin her around. But this time, she stood still, her eyes looking at her so unfamiliar and cold.
"Go back, your presence here is not a good influence."
"What are you talking about?" Kim Nam-ji looked at her with a forced smile, a hint of disbelief in his eyes.
"I know I was wrong for not showing up last night, but let me explain, I was drunk, I simply..."
Yin Jiayi interrupted her.
"I don't want to hear it. You've disappointed me."
Kim Nam-ji's tears fell uncontrollably again.
"I'm sorry, I know I was wrong, I won't... I won't do it again... I really like you... Let's... let's not break up... okay?"
Yin Jiayi pried open the hand that was clutching her clothes one by one, and remained unmoved as she watched the girl panic and cry even harder.
"You don't need to tell me these things. I was just playing around with you, and now that I've had my fun, it's time to break up."
"Yin, Yin Jiayi...you're lying to me, right...you're just saying that out of anger, aren't you?"
Kim Nam-ji's eyes were filled with disbelief. She took another step forward, wanting to hold her hand again.
"I really know I was wrong, please don't do this... I feel so bad right now... Yin Jiayi... please... please hug me."
Yin Jiayi shook off her hand, a hint of impatience in her eyes.
"Back when we were training in Korea, you were always this persistent and clingy. Don't you think that's annoying?"
"You were the one who came to seduce me, so it's just a fling, don't take it seriously."
"Yin Jiayi!" Jin Nanzhi's face flushed red, feeling both wronged and angry, his eyes glistening with tears. He raised his hand and slapped her across the face decisively.
"What do you take our relationship for?!"
As she said this, her whole body was trembling slightly. Yin Jiayi felt extremely sorry for her, but she could no longer hug her like before.
While she was screaming "I'm sorry, I still love you" in her heart, she was saying the harshest things to provoke her.
Torn between emotion and reason, she was on the verge of collapse. She had to thank Kim Nam-ji for the slap; the fingernail scratching her eye gave her the perfect excuse for her momentary redness.
Yin Jiayi slowly removed the handmade ring from her ring finger, unfolded it in her palm, and handed it to her.
"Actually, there's something I've been keeping from you: I have a fiancé who's not in the entertainment industry. We've been engaged for over two years. I'm seven years older than you. When you reach my age, you might understand. It's impossible for things to stay like this forever; eventually, you'll have to settle down and focus on your family."
Kim Nam-ji looked at her, then at the ring lying in her palm, and curled his lips in a mocking smile. Unbeknownst to him, tears were already streaming down his face.
"So, you've gotten tired of playing around and want to go back and get married, is that what you mean?"
Yin Jiayi nodded and handed the ring to her again.
"Yes, for adults, a dull and monotonous life can be quite stressful, so having an outlet is nice when you feel overwhelmed. I've been quite happy these past few months. Here, take the ring back."
She waited here all day, apologizing incessantly, and what did she get in return? Deception and humiliation.
Kim Nam-ji had never suffered such injustice in her life. Every word she said was like a knife stabbing into her heart.
Every cut drew blood, skin torn and flesh ripped open.
Even though she was heartbroken, she still held onto a last glimmer of hope.
"Yin Jiayi, tell me, you're lying to me, right? You're just... just too angry..."
"My wedding is scheduled for the end of the year, you are welcome to come."
She interrupted her again.
Kim Nam-ji closed her eyes briefly, tears streaming down her cheeks. Seeing her sobbing uncontrollably, Yoon Jia-yi felt her heart breaking as well.
She could no longer restrain herself from taking a step forward to wipe away her tears, but Kim Nam-ji suddenly shook off her hand, and the ring in Yoon Jia-yi's hand flew into the green belt next to her.
She curled her lips into a mocking smile.
"Then I wish you a happy marriage in advance."
The moment the ring flew out of her hand, she finally realized that she had completely lost her.
Yin Jiayi's eyes also welled up with tears, which were well concealed by the darkness. She tried her best to make her voice sound less sad.
“Nan Zhi, you…you must be more discerning when you date in the future, find someone who is devoted to you and treats you well, don’t…don’t end up like me…I’m so…I’m so sorry…”
"Enough, Yin Jiayi!"
"No matter who I love, I will never... love you again."
Kim Namji gave her a deep look, and as she turned to leave, tears streamed down her face. She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, and as she walked, she started running, sprinting all the way until she was out of sight.