Ju Nian remained silent.
tacit understanding? It used to be. But is it still the same now?
Wu Yu repeatedly questioned Ju Nian about his increasing silence.
"Ju Nian, did I do something to make you unhappy?"
If they really have a tacit understanding, how come they can't even see through this?
The tournament schedule was distributed to each participant a week before the official start of the competition. The first stage was a round-robin group stage, and the second stage was a knockout stage. Ju Nian took a look at the mixed doubles arrangement. She and Wu Yu were placed in Group B. There weren't many familiar names among their opponents, but Han Shu kept his word and signed up for mixed doubles. However, his partner turned out to be Chen Jiejie.
Han Shu and Chen Jiejie are in Group D, and they will not face each other until at least the end of the group stage.
Although Chen Jiejie signed up, she wasn't enthusiastic about the competition. She told Ju Nian that she wouldn't have participated if she hadn't hoped to use the competition as an opportunity to escape her family's tight supervision for a moment.
“It’s fine if you get eliminated early, then I can be your and Wu Yu’s audience,” Chen Jiejie said.
Ju Nian didn't think they would be eliminated early. Even if Chen Jiejie thought so, her partner might not have the same idea. She had rejected Han Shu's suggestion to sign up together, and she wondered if he would be secretly upset to see her listed among the contestants.
In front of others, Han Shu did not show any abnormality. When someone suggested that he could consider a more favorable partner, he smiled and said, "It's just a game, a way to adjust my mood. Winning or losing doesn't matter."
The day before the competition, before dinner, Ju Nian received a phone call at home.
Hello, who is this?
"I."
Upon hearing the sound, Ju Nian felt a chill run down her spine. Seeing that her father had gone out to buy cigarettes, her mother was cooking in the kitchen, and only she and Wang Nian, who was engrossed in watching cartoons, were in the living room, she steeled her resolve.
"Uh, you... hello, welcome to that, that voice information service, this number... um, it's for electronic voice service, please leave a message after hanging up... no, after the busy tone..."
After saying that short sentence, she was so anxious that she almost pulled out all her hair.
The other person was silent for a few seconds, then slammed the phone down. Ju Nian didn't know if he would actually leave a message.
After finishing dinner smoothly, washing the dishes was still her job. The tap was still running, but Wang Nian was full of energy and kept bothering her. One moment she would pretend to shoot with a virtual submachine gun, demanding that her sister be painfully shot and fall to the ground. The next moment she would tiptoe to play with the washed dishes. Ju Nian was exhausted from dealing with it.
Just then, her father called her from the living room, as if to say that she had a phone call.
Ju Nian tried her best to save her hair from Wang Nian's grasp, and replied from the kitchen, "Okay, coming right away."
Before she could even dry her hands, her mother came in and urged, "Take your time with everything you do. Everyone else is waiting."
Ju Nian didn't dare to talk back. She walked to the phone and overheard her father saying to her mother, "This child is just like his father. He is very polite, but sometimes he seems to be too polite."
Ju Nian's heart skipped a beat. That guy's persistent haunting was never going to stop.
Seeing his hesitation, his mother couldn't help but scold him: "Are you out of your mind? Dean Han's son called to ask about the badminton competition. You're the same age as other kids, how come you're so much worse than them?"
Ju Nian remained silent and picked up the receiver from the small coffee table.
The other party said, "Hello, this is a voice information service."
Ju Nian gave a vague reply.
Han Shu immediately began to rage.
"It's one thing to be stupid, but to think you represent the level of normal human intelligence is a bit much. Is there any other kind of information service like yours that you whine and whimper? I've never seen anyone like you before. What else can you do besides lie from beginning to end?"
Although her father was reading the newspaper and her mother was knitting with her head down, Ju Nian knew that they were both listening intently. Of course, she couldn't be impolite in front of a classmate who was polite to an excessive degree.
She said, "Oh, thank you."
“If you don’t want to partner with me, you can just say so. I was just asking casually. Why did you say you didn’t have time? What if you just told me you had an appointment with that vocational school?”
Ju Nian was worried that the microphone was leaking sound, so she quickly covered it with her hand.
"What do you think?"
"What did I say? I hate it when you lie to me! Do you think I'm an idiot or what? Have you ever told me a single truth from beginning to end?"
"......"
Ju Nian had no idea that things would escalate to this level.
"That's fine too. It's your freedom to partner with whomever you want. If you lose, if you humiliate yourself, there's nothing we can do..."
"Oh, then I won't keep you any longer, thank you!"
"What did you say... You dare hang up on me!"
Ju Nian said softly, "It's okay, you go ahead with your work, goodbye."
When the phone returned to its place, Ju Nian was a little worried that he would call again.
"Are you in the same class as Han Shu?" Dad asked, looking up from the evening paper.
"Uh, the class next door."
"I thought you two didn't know each other very well anymore."
Ju Nian didn't know if her father's gaze carried a scrutinizing meaning. Her parents were especially cautious and conservative when it came to matters of the sexes. If she wasn't careful, she was afraid she would be scolded for being "unreliable." Therefore, Ju Nian was particularly careful when mentioning the opposite sex in front of them, for fear of saying the wrong thing.
"We know each other, but we're not close. We don't usually talk. It just so happens that he signed up for a badminton competition, and the PE teacher at school who was in charge of this asked him to tell me some things that weren't written in the competition schedule," Ju Nian said without batting an eye. Han Shu wasn't wrong about her; she was a liar.
Her father glanced at her again before burying himself in his newspaper. "Han Shu is one thing, but stay away from other shady boys."
Ju Nian nodded obediently. It was an indisputable fact that his father had always had a very good influence on Dean Han's family.
Fortunately, the phone didn't ring again that night.
To avoid interfering with their studies, the badminton tournament shortened its duration as much as possible. Every afternoon at 3 p.m., participating students, organized by their respective schools, headed to the designated competition venue. Although the schedule was tight, the energetic young people, who didn't have to attend classes, felt a sense of boundless freedom, so not many of them felt tired.
In the mixed doubles group stage, Wu Yu and Ju Nian performed quite well. Compared to many pairs of men and women who were temporarily paired up, they had been practicing together since the first day they held rackets, and their tacit understanding over the years was a natural advantage. After easily advancing to the finals, they continued to advance to the round of 16 with a record of 6 wins and 1 loss.
Ju Nian didn't have high expectations for this competition; she was already quite satisfied with the result. However, Wu Yu said that if they really made it into the top three, it might give Ju Nian an advantage in her college entrance examination, given that it was a large-scale city-level competition.
His physique is naturally special, and it's not usually noticeable, but with such a tight schedule of competitions, he inevitably feels stressed.
During the round of 16 to 8 elimination matches, Ju Nian noticed that Wu Yu was not in good form; his face turned pale after running too intensely. During the break, Ju Nian repeatedly told him that winning or losing really wasn't important, and he didn't need to push himself so hard. He said that even if he lost soon after making it to the elimination rounds, there was nothing to regret. Wu Yu nodded as he listened, but he still put in all his effort when he returned to the field.
The players who made it into the top 16 were already quite strong, and Ju Nian and her companion qualified as the second-place finishers in Group B, only to face the first-place finisher from Group A. Those two senior high school students from No. 6 Middle School were physically strong and had a height advantage, making the match extremely difficult. In the third set, they narrowly won by a very small margin thanks to a mistake by their opponents.
On the day they made it into the top 8, Ju Nian made up an excuse to celebrate properly with Wu Yu. Their victory was hard-fought, especially for Wu Yu; she was almost worried his body wouldn't be able to handle it. Fortunately, they won, and Ju Nian became the second mixed doubles pair from No. 7 Middle School to reach the top 8.
The day of the quarterfinals was a special one, because their opponents were Han Shu and Chen Jiejie.
Besides mixed doubles, Han Shu also participated in the men's singles, where he finished third. While I don't know his true skill level firsthand, men's singles is consistently the most competitive event with the most participants. Considering his demanding nature, his achievement suggests he has considerable ability. Although his choice of Chen Jiejie as his partner was somewhat surprising, even if Chen Jiejie's skills are slightly weaker, she shouldn't be underestimated.
The match was scheduled to take place at the G University Badminton Hall. The referee had already announced over the loudspeaker that Lindsay's players needed to sign in. Ju Nian signed her name after Han Shu. She glanced at the stands and was surprised to find that Dean Han and his wife were also there to watch their son's match. They were sitting in the first row. Han Shu was warming up near their court, and Han's mother was tenderly wiping the sweat from her beloved son's brow. Dean Han, as always, was speaking earnestly, seemingly giving some instructions.
Ju Nian came directly from school. She had arranged to meet Wu Yu at the competition venue half an hour early, but the announcement for participants to sign in had already been made twice, and he was still nowhere to be seen. Wu Yu wasn't usually unpunctual, but what made Ju Nian even more uneasy was that Chen Jiejie hadn't shown up either.
As usual, if a participant has not signed in by the third time the announcement is made, they are considered to have automatically forfeited. With less than ten minutes left before the match officially started, Ju Nian proactively asked the referees to go and check if the missing person had been delayed on the way. Given that it is very rare for one person to be absent from each side in mixed doubles, the referees made an exception and granted an extra ten minutes. If the person still hadn't arrived by then, the match was canceled.
Ju Nian had never been inside the G University campus before. Such a large university was indeed too easy for a high school student to get lost in. She convinced the referee, but she didn't actually know how to find Wu Yu.
However, her search didn't take much effort. Leaving the badminton hall, to the left was a small garden belonging to a certain department, lush with vegetation and filled with the melodious chirping of birds. In the center of the garden stood a tall, human-shaped statue. Ju Nian walked closer and saw the words "Mr. Mao Yisheng" inscribed on the base of the statue. Behind the statue, a familiar figure flashed by.
Ju Nian was puzzled. She walked around a row of stone benches and, from that direction, could see the two people behind the statue in the distance. Each of them carried a tennis racket. The boy in white had a slender back and short hair that looked like it had just grown in. The girl's black hair reflected a soft sheen in the sunlight, and her hands, tightly embracing the boy, had nails as red as blood. They embraced quietly for a while, and then the boy slowly raised his hand, which had been hanging by his side, and stroked the girl's hair.
In this garden, there is a strange little yellow flower on a large tree. It blooms profusely, but has no fragrance at all. Ju Nian stood under the flower, and the wind blew down the tiny petals. She felt as if she were attached to those yellow specks, silently rising and falling, getting closer and farther away, completely out of her control, and she wanted to cry but couldn't.
She seemed to suddenly realize something, and that made her incredibly sad.
Was the little monk's desperate effort to reach the finals truly to prove their "tacit" friendship, or for the academic advantage that Ju Nian didn't care about? Perhaps all his hardships were simply for this day, to see the girl he loved. Chen Jiejie's family was incredibly strict, and they knew that their partnership was impossible. But once they reached the finals, who could stop them from gazing into each other's eyes?
"Oh, so you're busy here. Looks like it's the Valentine's Ball Singles Finals!" Han Shu's sarcastic voice came from behind Ju Nian.
Startled, the two embracing each other, Wu Yu turned around.
"The Year of the Orange?"
Chen Jiejie, however, appeared more composed. "The competition is about to start, I'm so sorry, I didn't notice."
Han Shu scoffed, "What's the rush? Your two are having a great time." He then turned to the silent Ju Nian, "See that? See that? Is that your partner? Why don't you go claim him? Are you afraid someone will use you as a decoy? Look how skilled they are, I can't even tell who's who. You're so stupid, what are you looking for? They're doing just fine here..."
"Why bring this up?" Ju Nian said in a low voice.
Wu Yu had already walked towards them.
"Ju Nian, you came to see me? Let's go, I'll talk to you later. Let's go to the competition venue first."
He gently pulled Ju Nian along.
Han Shu, however, used his racket to push Wu Yu back against her chest. "What's the point of the match? You can tease her all you want, but don't even think about playing with me. I've disliked you for a long time; you have no principles, you deceive women..."
"Stop talking." Ju Nian grabbed Han Shu's racket and pulled him back.
Han Shu's expression grew increasingly disdainful. "Feeling sorry for them? Who gave you the right to feel sorry for them?"
"Our business is none of your concern." Wu Yu pushed away the racket pressed against him with a light touch. Faced with Han Shu's provocation, his reaction was indifferent and cold, showing that anger was not the only thing that could intimidate him.
"Us?" Han Shu seemed amused. "Who are you referring to as 'us'? Your partner, or Chen Jiejie?"
"Han Shu!"
Ju Nian, who had always been good-tempered, finally lost her temper. "Enough! Is there anyone here to compete like me? If so, let me remind you, there are only three minutes left before the competition starts." She reminded the remaining people in the most blunt tone, and before receiving any response, she was the first to leave.
“Ju Nian…” Wu Yu lowered her head, as if sighing, and chased after him.
"Ju Nian, wait." He reached out from behind and pulled on the strap of Ju Nian's hoodie. Ju Nian shrugged and silently shook off.
The four returned to the field, took their positions, and the match began with the sound of a whistle. Except for Han Shu, who knew little about Wu Yu, the others had quite a history with her, and each of them felt a unique sense of unease during the game.
Wu Yu's style is characterized by its light and agile playing style and unpredictable angles, while Ju Nian's style is simple and straightforward, lacking fancy moves but with extremely accurate placement and decisive, powerful smashes in crucial moments. Han Shu is the most agile and fastest, with active movement, flexible footwork, and well-rounded technique, making his serve a significant advantage. Chen Jiejie has the shortest playing time among them; she is intelligent and skillful in using technique to compensate for her lack of power. In a real match, the two should be evenly matched for at least two rounds.
In the past, Ju Nian liked to mentally refer to her and Wu Yu's ball-playing as "Chongling Swordplay." Although it was just a child's game, and there were countless martial arts more powerful than it in the vast world, no one could surpass their unparalleled spiritual connection. She could know all of Wu Yu's intentions with a single gesture, and Wu Yu could always provide timely support where she needed him. However, didn't Linghu Chong and Yue Lingshan, childhood sweethearts, also grow up to be different? One fell in love with the melancholy Lin Zi, and even in death, he murmured an unforgettable Hokkien tune, while the eldest brother, years later, held the hand of another beautiful woman, playing the zither and flute in harmony, and lived out his days in the mountains.
The verdant Huashan Cliff of Contemplation is like the martyrs' cemetery in Ju Nian's heart, a sea of pines and cypresses. A first encounter on the lost path, a chance meeting beneath the flowers, the welcoming pines, the plums like beans... every move now carries the pain of memories. In the most crucial moment of the first game, Ju Nian and Wu Yu simultaneously tried to save the ball, but their rackets collided, the impact numbing both their hands, while the ball fell silently to the ground.
Is this what they call "tacit understanding"? Across the net, Han Shu laughed mockingly on the other end; he had won this round.
Ju Nian took a sip of water, and the two sides switched places. During this process, she knew that Wu Yu seemed to have something to say, but she seemed to be focused only on the game and ignored everything else.
Perhaps driven by a desire to win, Wu Yu's hitting and running became noticeably more intense in the second half, and Ju Nian also tried her best to remain focused, allowing them to briefly take the lead over Han Shu and Chen Jiejie. After 11 minutes, the two sides took a one-minute break. This time, Wu Yu appeared very quiet. Ju Nian tried to ignore him, but in the end, she couldn't help but steal a glance. He leaned to one side, his lips seemingly unpainted, and the most striking feature of his thin face was his delicate, distant eyes and brows.
This was usually a sign that he was feeling unwell. Ju Nian felt a pang of anxiety. The whistle to resume the game had already sounded, and the four of them returned to the field.
Han Shu was an extremely competitive boy. He never wanted to be second to anyone, especially since his opponents today were Wu Yu and Ju Nian. Besides, Dean Han was always busy with official duties, yet he had taken time out of his busy schedule to watch his son's match. Han Shu, who had always wanted to prove himself to his father, was even more determined to prove himself. Seeing that he was behind, he mustered all his energy and fought back fiercely, unleashing powerful and relentless attacks.
Ju Nian was indeed struggling to cope. Although she tried her best to focus, Wu Yu's increasingly heavy breathing seemed to be right next to her ear. If she was distracted even for a moment, she could even see the sweat dripping from his forehead onto the field. Her heartbeat involuntarily followed the frequency of Wu Yu's breathing, becoming faster and faster.
After Han Shu scored with a serve, Ju Nian signaled to the referee to request a timeout. Wu Yu needed to catch her breath; she couldn't keep pushing herself.
The referee came over to inquire about the situation, and Han Shu, in a low but loud voice that everyone around could hear, said with a smile, "How many seconds did you just rest? With this kind of stamina, why force yourself to participate in the competition?"
He seemed to see Ju Nian, who was supporting Wu Yu with one hand, give him a cold glance, and his resentment grew even stronger. "Why don't you recover before you fight? I don't want to be accused of an unfair victory."