Yan Xinyuan couldn't help but chuckle. He took a bottle of beverage from the cabinet for them and a bottle of liquor and three plastic cups for himself.
"Here, eat if you're hungry."
Jian Changnian cheered and poured them drinks.
Xie Shi'an looked at her and gestured for Jian Changnian to pour less wine for the people.
"Didn't Coach Liang tell you not to drink alcohol?"
Yan Xinyuan smiled.
"Fill it up, fill it up, it's fine, I'm happy today!"
Jian Changnian winked and mouthed at her from across the room.
"You drink it yourself, but you won't let others drink it."
Xie Shi'an retaliated by kicking her under the table.
"If you dare to tell Coach Yan that I drank alcohol, you're dead."
Jian Changnian stuck out her tongue and made a face at her.
"slightly."
The three of them ate and chatted, seemingly having endless topics to discuss, and before they knew it, it was already late at night.
When asked why he chose to leave the national team to work for the Binhai provincial team, Yan Xinyuan paused for a moment, downed his drink in one gulp, put down the glass, and slowly replied.
"Because my wife... that is, your teacher's wife... is from Jiangcheng City, and I... want to visit her hometown."
Before Xie Shi'an could stop her, Jian Changnian spoke frankly.
"Where is your teacher's wife now?"
Yan Xinyuan smiled, his eyes filled with nostalgia.
"She's gone. She left early, and now hardly anyone remembers her."
Xie Shi'an hesitated for a moment, but still spoke.
"The teacher's wife is..."
When talking about the past, especially about his lover, Yan Xinyuan's eyes always shine, no matter how many years have passed.
"She was my junior teammate. We trained together from the moment we joined the national team, and we even won the silver medal together in the World Championships mixed doubles. But not long after we got married, she... died in a car accident, leaving me and my daughter, who was less than a year old, to depend on each other. And then..."
Perhaps he was drunk, because no matter what they asked, Yan Xinyuan spilled everything out like beans from a bamboo tube. He rarely talked about his past with them.
As Yan Xinyuan finished speaking, he pinched his eye, overcome with sadness.
The two women looked at each other, both regretting bringing up the topic. Jian Changnian couldn't bear to hear it either, and her eyes reddened.
"Coach Yan, you..."
She couldn't bring herself to say the words "please accept my condolences." If everyone understood how to accept condolences, how many stories of unwavering devotion would be lost in the world?
Xie Shi'an silently handed him a tissue.
Yan Xinyuan waved his hand and covered his eyes to indicate that he was fine.
"I just... I just have a bit of a regret... Your teacher's wife was aiming to become the first female badminton player in China to achieve a Grand Slam, but who knew that later..."
"I've fought my whole life, but I couldn't win a Grand Slam for her. I'm getting old, so I had to retire. I wanted to raise my daughter well and carry on her mother's wishes, but who knew..."
He couldn't continue speaking after that point. Overwhelmed with grief, his shoulders trembled and tears streamed down his face.
Although he hadn't finished speaking, Jian Changnian understood everything just by looking at the photo of his family of three that he had pasted on the wall.
Misfortune never comes singly; the rope always breaks at its weakest point. Fate has never been kind to a man as unfortunate as him.
Xie Shi'an's eyes also reddened. He filled Xie's glass with wine, poured half a glass for himself, gently touched the plastic glass Xie had placed on the table with his, raised it, and drank it all in one gulp.
"Coach Yan, don't worry, I will definitely fulfill your and your wife's wishes."
Young and chivalrous, they stood and talked, sharing life and death, their promises worth a thousand pieces of gold. [1]
Later, Xie Shi'an swept major competitions around the world, and even once gave Kim Nam-ji, who was at the height of his popularity, the nickname "cashier".
Whenever the media curiously interviews her and asks who her teacher is, Xie Shi'an always calmly takes the microphone and confidently answers.
"My teacher is Yan Xinyuan, the former head coach of the Binhai Provincial Team. He is not only my teacher, but also my family."
Chapter 97 Birthday
The training match ended after 9 p.m. Yin Jiayi returned to the locker room, hurriedly packed her things, grabbed her bag, and ran out.
Wan Jing called the person to a stop.
"Where are you going in such a hurry?"
Yin Jiayi stopped in her tracks and slowly turned around to look at him.
"Oh, I have a physical therapy appointment. They'll be closed if I'm any later."
Wan Jing frowned.
"I've noticed you've been going out a lot lately. Can't you get physical therapy done at our training center?"
“That’s different. The therapists in the team just keep massaging and pressing, it’s not as good as stretching myself. The therapist I found is someone who studied in Germany and is very hard to book. If you miss it, you won’t be able to get an appointment for at least ten days to two weeks.”
Wan Jing muttered to himself.
"Is it really that amazing? I'll have to try it out sometime."
"Alright, then I'll be going now, Teacher Wan."
"Okay, be careful on the road and come back soon."
Yin Jiayi turned around, secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and ran towards the parking lot, making a phone call while driving and wearing a Bluetooth headset.
Kim Nam-ji left her phone charging in the bedroom, while she busied herself in the kitchen wearing an apron. She didn't know how to cook any Chinese food, so she hummed a song as she simply pan-fried a steak and cooked some pasta.
While waiting for the water to boil, I took out some vegetables from the refrigerator, intending to make another vegetable salad.
The phone rang several times, but no one answered.
Yin Jiayi was a little anxious. She took off her headphones and threw them aside. Oh no, this little guy is probably angry.
She stepped on the gas and sped up a bit more.
Kim Nam-ji placed the pan-fried steak on the table, carefully arranged it on a plate, lit candles, poured red wine, and took a picture with his phone. Just then, a soft sound came from the doorway.
She turned around and saw Yin Jiayi just as she pushed the door open and entered. She was overjoyed and excitedly ran over and jumped into her arms.
"Yin Jiayi, I miss you!"
Yin Jiayi put down the keys, picked up the person and spun her around. When she landed, she magically produced a bouquet of flowers from behind and handed it to her.
"I'm sorry, Namji. The training match ended late today. On my way here, I saw someone selling flowers and thought they were beautiful, so I'm giving them to you."
The vast expanse of blooming violets, vibrant and passionate, represents the sentiment she couldn't express before, and symbolizes eternal love and beauty.
Kim Nam-ji covered her lips in surprise. In life, Yoon Ga-yi was always a gentle and romantic person with a strong sense of ritual. Every week when they met, she would bring her some small gifts, sometimes dumplings made by hand in the cafeteria, and sometimes hair clips she made herself.
It may not be expensive, but it's thoughtful enough. Kim Nam-ji thought that no matter when, he would still be touched by such details.
In response to her expression, Kim Nam-ji, who has never been stingy with his affection, once again tiptoed and kissed her lips.
"I love so much."
When her lover took the initiative, Yin Jiayi was more than happy to oblige, and deepened the kiss.
Kim Namji led her step by step to the sofa. Tonight, she was unusually enthusiastic. She grabbed her collar, pressed her down on the sofa, and then sat on her lap.
Yin Jiayi ran her hand up the smooth back of the woman in her sundress, only to find nothing there. She was instantly thrown off balance.
“Nam Ji, this is…”
Kim Nam-ji lowered her head, deliberately putting on a pitiful expression as she looked at her: "Sister, don't you like it?"
Kim Nam-ji is usually quite informal, always calling her by her full name. Occasionally, when she's being affectionate, she'll deliberately draw out her name as Captain Yoon. This is the first time someone has called her "older sister" in this situation.
Yin Jiayi's face turned red rapidly under the dim light, even the corners of her eyes were red.
She could no longer restrain herself, and kisses rained down on her like a storm, while simultaneously lifting her skirt.
Kim Nam-ji's very soul trembled.
"Yin...Yin Jiayi...let's eat first...okay?"
"Call me 'sister'."
"Sister... Sister... I... I'm hungry..."
Where are you hungry?
Yin Jiayi persisted.
Kim Nam-ji was almost in tears.
"Yin Jiayi, you...you bastard...stop it..."
Not having completely exhausted her sense of shame, Yin Jiayi left a few more hickeys on her neck before stopping.
"I'll let you off the hook for now, since you've cooked so many dishes."
She'd put so much thought into it, Nan Zhi would be upset if she didn't finish the meal. Besides, she'd have plenty of time to mess with her afterward, and she even had some new dishes she wanted to try.
The little guy is right next to her now, so he won't run away.
During the candlelight dinner, the aromatherapy lamp in the living room was working, and Yin Jiayi played some soft music, creating a wonderful atmosphere. The two looked at each other and raised their glasses to drink, their affection for each other was palpable, and even their eyes were locked in a tender moment.
After a meal, who has time to clean up the mess?
Kim Namji smiled boldly and gave a half-flirtatious wink: "I'm going to take a shower."
Yin Jiayi got up and followed her.
"Let's go together, I'll go too."
She was on the verge of collapse when she came out of the bathroom, but Yin Jiayi still hadn't let her go and carried her to the sofa.
"Yin Jiayi, can't we go back to the bedroom?"