Chapter 13

Xue Feifei eventually transferred out of Seventh High School. This outcome was expected. Xue Feifei held herself in high regard and cared greatly about her reputation. With this blemish on her record, she could no longer hold her head high at the school. Given her spoiled and prideful nature, there was no way she could endure a life of keeping a low profile.

This incident sparked some minor discussions within the school, but once she left, people quickly stopped talking about it. Ying Nian, one of the involved parties, had no interest in the matter. After hearing about it, she treated it like a passing breeze, letting it drift past her ears without a second thought.

The registration for the school’s speech competition officially began, but Ying Nian did not participate. As soon as the list of participants was posted, Guo Li came to find her.

“Why isn’t your name on the bulletin board?” Guo Li awkwardly stopped by Ying Nian’s desk, wanting to ask but feeling too embarrassed to talk to her. She tried hard to appear indifferent, as if she wasn’t asking out of concern, but as soon as she spoke, her true feelings were revealed. “Did you forget? Ahem… The last line of the notice says that if any students forgot to sign up, they can still submit their names by this evening.”

Ying Nian, who loved to tease others, wasn’t merciful at all. She smiled and exposed her intentions: “You came specifically to remind me, didn’t you?”

“No! No such thing! Who wants to remind you…”

“Oh, come on, it’s not something embarrassing. I didn’t sign up, you go ahead and participate. I’ll sit this one out.”

Guo Li asked, “Why aren’t you participating?”

“Actually, it didn’t really matter to me whether I participated or not. After all, I’ve been in it so many times; it’s only fair to give others a chance,” Ying Nian said. “If the teacher had started with that intention and explained it to me properly, I would have understood. But…” She shrugged, “Now that things have blown up like this, it’s better for me to keep a low profile.”

Guo Li looked disappointed, “You’re not going?”

Ying Nian gave her a sidelong glance, “What, you’re not secretly hoping I’ll go, are you? Don’t be silly. If I participate, the school’s representative spot would definitely be mine, and then if I compete again, I’ll just end up bringing home another national championship. How embarrassing would that be!”

“You—you thick-skinned!” Guo Li glared at her. “Who says you’ll definitely win!”

Ying Nian laughed cheerfully as she listened to Guo Li’s scolding. Guo Li couldn’t stand her carefree attitude and stormed off in a huff.

Just as she reached the classroom door, she suddenly turned back and strode quickly back to Ying Nian’s desk.

“What are you doing?” Ying Nian assumed a defensive posture. “Are you going to hit me?”

Guo Li became even more frustrated, but whether it was from anger or something else, a strange blush spread across her face. “Will you… will you come to the competition to watch?”

Ying Nian squinted at her and started to giggle. “Oh, do you want me to come watch?”

“I… I don’t want you to come watch!”

“So, you don’t want me to come, huh? Well, alright then. Since you don’t want me to cheer for you, I won’t go.” Ying Nian pretended to look down in “sadness.” “I’m so annoying, I might as well stay in the classroom and read…”

Guo Li already sensed that Ying Nian was teasing her, but since she was already at the edge of the pit, she had no choice but to jump in!

Her face flushed bright red as she forced out, “I didn’t say I didn’t want you to go!”

Ying Nian looked up and gave a brilliant smile. “So, you do want me to go, huh?”

“…”

Guo Li’s face turned even redder, and she was left speechless.

Ying Nian laughed heartily, deciding to stop while she was ahead. “Alright, alright, I’m just messing with you. I’ll go! But you better do well, don’t embarrass yourself!”

Guo Li let out a strong “hmph,” “I won’t embarrass myself!”

With that, she turned away and, this time, she really left.

…

Ying Nian promised Guo Li that she would go to watch her competition, and true to her word, that afternoon she arrived early and took her seat in the audience.

Guo Li might have a tough exterior, but she wasn’t a bad person at heart. Moreover, Ying Nian had always preferred interacting with girls, whether they were talented, exceptionally good-looking, or had a cute personality. As long as someone’s shining qualities outweighed their minor flaws, Ying Nian could get along with them just fine.

From the start, she didn’t dislike Guo Li. And now that she had discovered how interesting Guo Li could be, Ying Nian was more than willing to treat her kindly.

Guo Li, on the other hand, seemed to care quite a bit whether Ying Nian had shown up. Before sitting down, she scanned the entire room and, after spotting Ying Nian, pursed her lips and turned her head away before settling down in her seat.

Ying Nian shook her head with a smile, gaining an even deeper understanding of Guo Li’s contradictory nature.

But there was no denying that Guo Li was indeed very talented. In the past, she had always been overshadowed by Ying Nian, but she was still quite exceptional. Now, with Ying Nian not participating, Guo Li had become the undisputed standout.

For several hours, Ying Nian listened attentively. As expected, Guo Li successfully made it to the finals.

Just one more round, and the final spot would be decided.

As soon as it ended, Ying Nian immediately approached Guo Li, and casually slinging an arm over her shoulder.

“Not bad at all.”

Guo Li felt a bit uncomfortable with how familiar Ying Nian was acting. “Don’t lean on my shoulder; you’re heavy…”

Ying Nian grinned and said, “I won’t come to the next round, so do your best.”

A hint of disappointment seemed to flash in Guo Li’s eyes, but she still stubbornly replied, “Come or don’t come, it’s up to you.”

Ying Nian shook her head and hooked her arm around Guo Li’s shoulder, guiding her toward the school gate. Guo Li was surprised, “Where are we going?!”

“Aren’t you hungry? We’re going to eat,” Ying Nian said, not giving her a chance to refuse. “Come on, I’ll treat you to something delicious!”

“Why are you so…”

“So what?”

“Ugh…”

Guo Li grumbled, but she didn’t actually pull away from Ying Nian.

Their voices gradually grew softer as the two, with arms around each other, slowly walked out of the school gate, chatting enthusiastically as they went. 

…

The final monthly exam ended, and summer vacation arrived.

The professional league’s summer regular season had already begun, with SF having three matches in the second week. Ying Nian finally managed to attend the third match.

It wasn’t much different from before—Ying Nian did her best, cheering for SF alongside the fans present. SF had already played two matches in the first week and three in the second, making this their fifth match of the summer regular season. SF continued their winning streak, securing their fifth victory.

The day after watching the match, Ying Nian returned home as usual. Just a few hours after she arrived, she received a call from Xiaoxiao that evening.

Xiaoxiao was extremely excited on the phone: “Ying Nian, Ying Nian, Ying Nian!!”

“What’s going on?” Ying Nian tilted her head, moving the receiver a bit farther away. “Calm down, don’t get so excited…”

“I can’t! I’m too excited to stay calm! Let me tell you, someone from SF’s staff sent a private message to our fan group’s Weibo account!”

Ying Nian’s heart skipped a beat. “What did they say?”

“You know how each team has its own online show, right? SF had one too, but it stopped for a long time due to personnel changes. Now they’re restarting it! So, they’re organizing a fan visit to their base! They’ve already started a lottery on Weibo!”

Ying Nian could feel her heart pounding. “And then?”

Xiaoxiao continued, “Then our group members voted to send the two of us!”

“Are you serious?!”

“Of course I’m serious! SF gave us two spots. The group members said that I’m always organizing things, responding to events, and attending every match in person, and you’ve been so dedicated to supporting the team, even spending your own money to make all those light boards. Since this visit is happening, they know how much you like Yu Linran, so they want to make your dream come true by letting you meet him up close… Anyway, they decided that the two of us should go!”

Ying Nian suddenly felt an overwhelming urge to cry. “Everyone is just too kind…!”

“Exactly,” Xiaoxiao immediately perked up. “Time is tight; it’s this Friday. Can you go? If you can, I’ll let the group admins know so they can confirm with the staff. You should also get ready and let your family know.”

Ying Nian answered immediately, “I can go!”

“Great!”

Xiaoxiao hung up, and Ying Nian was left feeling like she was in a dream.

Visiting SF’s training base meant she would get to see Yu Linran in person—although she had seen him many times before, it was always from a distance. The only time she had a close encounter, Yu Linran had handed her a bottle of water, but she had been so nervous that she completely froze, missing the chance to introduce herself.

If there are any fan perks this time, maybe she’ll even get to have a meal with him!

Ying Nian couldn’t contain her excitement, and bouncing around the living room with her phone in hand, unable to calm down.

About ten minutes later, Xiaoxiao called again to update her on the progress. “I’ve already communicated with SF’s staff. They’ll send over a form soon; we just need to fill in our personal information.” Xiaoxiao explained, “I told them that we could cover the airfare and accommodation ourselves, but the staff said it’s a rule that these expenses must be covered by the team, so we couldn’t refuse.”

Ying Nian understood and hung up the phone. She immediately opened the fan support group chat and sent two red envelopes of 500 yuan each, excitedly expressing her gratitude:

[Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you to all my big brothers and sisters! Thank you for thinking of me when something so amazing came up—I’m crying!!!]

[Next time we meet at a match, dinner is on me!!!]

Everyone rushed to grab the red envelopes, and a few of the older “brothers” in the group teased her:

[Make sure you keep your composure; don’t scare Yu Linran.]

[Yeah, no jumping into his arms! Otherwise, if SF bans you, only us guys will get to enjoy such perks in the future.]

[Go and come back in one piece!]

Ying Nian: […]

She was at a loss, torn between laughing and crying.

…

Including Ying Nian and Xiaoxiao, a total of ten fans were selected to visit the SF training base. The other eight were chosen through the Weibo lottery. Everyone arrived a day early in Shanghai, where the SF base is located. The group consisted of six female fans and four male fans, making an even number. The rooms were allocated with two people per room.

Ying Nian and Xiaoxiao shared a room. The hotel they stayed in was not far from the SF base.

On Friday morning at 10 AM, the staff arrived at the hotel right on time to pick everyone up. The bus they rode was usually reserved for the SF team members and was specifically used for their transportation to and from matches in Shanghai.

From the moment they boarded, the ten fans could barely contain their excitement, but as they got closer to the base, everyone fell silent, and the bus grew quieter and quieter.

“I’m so nervous,” Xiaoxiao took a deep breath. “Niannian…” She turned to see Ying Nian staring blankly ahead, looking almost like a statue. Xiaoxiao was startled and waved her hand in front of Ying Nian’s face. “Are you okay?”

Ying Nian snapped out of it and quickly shook her head. “I’m fine…!”

Xiaoxiao: “…” How could she describe Ying Nian’s frantic head-shaking that made her look like she was trembling, almost as if she were about to shake apart?

Amidst the nervousness and anticipation, the bus arrived at the SF training base.

Ying Nian and the group were led inside, with the first stop being the dormitory to meet the team members.

For this fan event, the five SF members had woken up early to prepare. Dressed in their team uniforms, they each tidied themselves up and had been waiting in anticipation.

Ying Nian tried to appear calm, but the tips of her ears hidden beneath her hair had already turned bright red. During the handshake session, her heart pounded as if it was about to burst out of her chest.

“Here, this way…”

The staff guided everyone to shake hands in an orderly manner.

Ying Nian dared to glance at Yu Linran only once before quickly looking away. She didn’t know why, but she always felt that his gaze was too piercing, as if staring into his eyes for too long would lay bare all of her thoughts and feelings. This was in stark contrast to what others thought, as they found his gaze and smile to be the most gentle and warm.

The moment Ying Nian shook Yu Linran’s hand, she had to muster all her strength to keep herself from holding on and not letting go.

His skin, the lines of his palm, and the warmth of his hand—everything about him was so real.

Ying Nian felt there was an unusually captivating scent on him, almost causing her to swoon and fall right into his arms.

After letting go of his hand, Ying Nian was consumed by endless regret. Why was she so timid? Just one look from Yu Linran, and she got so nervous that she lowered her head, showing him the back of her head instead! And her hand was so warm—did he notice the slight sweat in her palm?

Ying Nian was completely lost in her thoughts, and her mind overwhelmed with chaotic emotions.

“Ying Nian…”

“Ying Nian?”

“Ying Nian?!”

“Ah?” Ying Nian snapped back to reality, and when she looked up, she realized that everyone in the room, including the SF team members, was staring at her. The sudden attention made her feel like her scalp was tingling, and she instinctively straightened her back.

“The coach is asking you,” Xiaoxiao tugged at her sleeve. “Do you want to go up and give it a try?”

Ying Nian followed Xiaoxiao’s gaze and saw a computer already set up, waiting for her response. She wasn’t sure whose seat it was, but everyone seemed to be waiting for her answer.

Xiaoxiao nudged her with her elbow and whispered, “Give it a try? You can choose one of the players and have a one-on-one solo match. This is a once-in-a-lifetime chance!”

Before she could respond, the coach, smiling warmly, called out, “Why don’t you give it a go? Come on, don’t be shy, young lady!”

Ying Nian was stunned.

They wanted her, a total novice, to play a game in front of five professional players…?

—This was going to be the most embarrassing moment ever, especially in front of Yu Linran!