Chapter 24

In the blink of an eye, the ninth week of the summer regular season arrived.

Sometimes, while watching the big screen at the venue, Ying Nian would see Yu Linran’s face and occasionally feel a sense of unreality. This person was decisive and vigorous on the field, yet through the internet, he would patiently converse with her. Even though he always left her utterly defenseless in the game, he was still willing to spend time teaching her how to play.

It felt like a dream.

As she interacted with Yu Linran more frequently, Ying Nian gradually became bolder and no longer constantly worried that he might delete her on a whim if he got upset. When he had some free time, she could even chat with him about trivial, meaningless things.

Yu Linran’s temper wasn’t particularly bad; he was just more aloof than others, showing little interest in most things, which made him appear cold and difficult to approach.

Having slightly figured him out, Ying Nian started daring to haggle with him.

In the ninth week of SF’s match, Ying Nian attended as usual. It was already mid-August, and soon the summer vacation would be over. Once the new semester started, it wouldn’t be as easy for her to go out, and she wouldn’t be able to come and go as she pleased.

She especially cherished these last days of summer vacation. Before going to the venue this time, she contacted Yu Linran on WeChat in advance to discuss.

[Captain, can I take up a bit of your time?[

He replied quickly: [Go ahead.]

[If you win this match, I want to send another cake to the team.]

[And then?]

[The cake needs to be brought backstage, but I can’t go in. Could you let the staff know and have someone come out to get it? Is that okay?]

Fearing he might refuse, Ying Nian made an extra promise: [I won’t go in! I swear it’s not to satisfy any personal desire of mine. Just have someone come and get it, that’s all!]

Half a minute later, Yu Linran replied, [As you wish.]

Ying Nian was delighted, showering him with thanks and flattery, praising him in various ways but always with the same meaning: [Captain, you’re the best!]

Yu Linran didn’t respond, completely ignoring her.

On the day of the match, Ying Nian behaved herself in the audience, cheering. The match ended quite quickly, and the process was very exciting. In the end, SF secured a solid victory. Ying Nian clapped so hard that her palms were almost red. After leaving the venue, she stood under the eaves and sent a message to Yu Linran.

For some inexplicable reason, Ying Nian felt like she was “guilty as a thief.” Holding her phone, she didn’t know who she was guarding against, glancing left and right, afraid that someone might see her phone.

This was truly something serious. With so many spectators coming out of the venue, apart from the fans of the opposing team, the other half were there to support SF. Right under everyone’s noses, she was chatting privately on WeChat with SF’s captain…

In Jiang Jiashu’s words—“If you were thrown into a crowd of fans, you’d be drowned like a pig in a bamboo cage!”

[I’m on the left side of the main entrance.]

It had been more than half an hour since the event ended. After picking up the cake from the delivery person, Ying Nian sent this message to Yu Linran and quickly received his reply: [Wait there.]

After obediently waiting for less than three minutes, a staff member wearing a badge came out and greeted her, “Are you Miss Ying?”

“Yes, I’m Ying Nian.” She nodded.

The staff member smiled and said, “Please follow me.”

Ying Nian paused, “Huh?” She said, “Aren’t I not supposed to go in…”

The staff member replied, “There’s still an interview coming up, so they won’t be leaving soon. Captain Yu ordered some snacks, and everyone was in the lounge eating. The coach heard you sent a cake and invited you to join them!”

“Wouldn’t that be inappropriate?”

“No worries! Just come along, Miss Ying!”

Since it was her first time, she didn’t put on any airs and thanked the staff member, following him backstage.

This was her second time carrying a cake into SF’s lounge. The awkwardness was slightly less, though she couldn’t say she was particularly familiar with anyone. At least when facing Yu Linran, Ying Nian still felt instinctively nervous.

The coach always greeted her with a smile, and Yi Shen was talkative; these two were always the first to speak to her. But Ying Nian was aware that their politeness was just good manners, and she never overstepped her boundaries.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Yu Linran walked over. The tie around the cake box was already untied, and he lifted the edge to peek inside.

“Chocolate again?”

Ying Nian quietly responded, “It’s tasty…”

He glanced down at her and handed her something.

It was only then that Ying Nian noticed he was holding a cup of milk tea. After realizing it a moment later, she accepted, “Captain, you’re treating us?”

He made a sound that was neither a confirmation nor a denial, then slightly tilted his chin in another direction, signaling her to go get something to eat.

Ying Nian politely declined, “No, thanks. I’m not hungry.”

Coming backstage was a spur-of-the-moment decision; she hadn’t planned on staying long. She just wanted to stand by his side for as long as she could.

Yu Linran didn’t push her to eat. His gaze casually swept over her, “Not wearing a skirt anymore?”

Ying Nian’s face warmed up—it was all because of him, after all. He had said he didn’t like it, so she tried her best not to wear skirts when she came to watch the matches.

She stubbornly replied, “…It’s air-conditioned everywhere, isn’t it? It’s a bit cold.”

The nearby air conditioner stood with its temperature display brightly showing: 28 degrees Celsius.

This temperature was perfectly comfortable for summer.

Yu Linran had a faint, ambiguous smile at the corners of his lips but didn’t expose her.

After exchanging just a few words, the coach called Ying Nian over to cut the cake. It was the same as last time; whether or not Ying Nian actually cut it, it was a gesture of respect towards her.

Seeing Yi Shen itching to do it, Ying Nian stepped aside to let him take over.

Others gradually gathered around, but Ying Nian didn’t recognize everyone. As matches were held in different cities and venues, the staff would change accordingly.

She hadn’t even fully recognized all the members of the SF team.

What caught her attention was a boy who appeared to be around her age, seemingly just two or three years younger than the SF team members, like herself.

He seemed to be a relative of one of SF’s staff members, but the odd thing was that he kept staring at Ying Nian.

Ying Nian noticed she was being watched and looked up in the direction of the gaze, locking eyes with the boy. He seemed embarrassed and quickly looked away. However, the moment she averted her gaze, he looked back at her again.

Ying Nian was puzzled; the boy was unfamiliar to her, and she was sure she didn’t know him.

Feeling uncomfortable being stared at, Ying Nian ate only a small piece of cake. Just then, someone came to inform the SF team members—likely about some video they needed to record—so Ying Nian took the opportunity to say her goodbyes. 

…

Zhao Yan was the cousin of the team leader and also enjoyed playing games. Because of his cousin, he started watching SF’s matches and gradually became a fan of the entire team. After pestering the team leader repeatedly, Zhao Yan finally convinced him to bring him to the venue this time, fulfilling his wish to see the SF players in person.

Seeing his favorite players up close, Zhao Yan was extremely excited and even got signatures from all five of them, leaving him completely satisfied. That evening, the whole team went out for dinner, and the team leader took Zhao Yan along. For some reason, Zhao Yan seemed a bit distracted.

Before the team leader could ask, Yi Shen spoke up first, “Hey, Zhao Yan, you were spacing out just now, staring at that girl who came in. What were you thinking?”

Several people sitting near Yi Shen, including Cheng Run, Lin Shan, and even Yu Linran—who rarely engaged in trivial conversations—looked at Zhao Yan because of his comment.

Who was the girl that had just come in?

Who else could it be but Ying Nian, the one who came to the lounge to deliver the cake!

Yi Shen chuckled and winked at Zhao Yan, “You didn’t develop a crush on her, did you? I saw you staring at her just now without even blinking!”

Upon hearing this, the team leader was intrigued and asked his cousin, “Is that true?”

Usually, he was the one being teased by everyone, but now that he finally had the chance to tease someone else, Yi Shen nodded repeatedly, adding credibility to his words, “It’s true! I was standing right across from him, and saw it all clear as day! When Ying Nian was leaving, his gaze followed her all the way out!”

“Ying Nian?” Zhao Yan’s face was already flushed, and he had words stuck in his throat, ready to explain. But as soon as he heard Yi Shen mention her name, he held back his explanation and instead pressed on, “She really is Ying Nian?!”

Yi Shen was startled by his exaggerated reaction, “Who else could it be but the real Ying Nian?”

“No, I thought I had mistaken her…” Zhao Yan said. “She just looked so familiar, turns out I wasn’t wrong.”

The team leader was surprised, “You two know each other?”

“Not really,” Zhao Yan smiled awkwardly. “I’ve just met her a few times.”

“Met her?”

Zhao Yan didn’t respond immediately. His gaze moved past Yi Shen, Cheng Run, and Lin Shan, and settled on Yu Linran.

“Captain Yu… Ying Nian and you? You two…?”

Yu Linran’s expression remained indifferent, his emotions unreadable. Before he could speak, Yi Shen quickly interjected, “It’s not what you think. Ying Nian is our captain’s fan!”

“I see,” Zhao Yan responded with an “oh.” Although he was puzzled about how a fan ended up backstage, as a newcomer benefiting from his cousin’s connection, he felt it was best not to speak out of turn since he wasn’t clear on many things.

Unexpectedly, Yu Linran asked, “Are you very familiar with her?”

His gaze was fixed right on Zhao Yan. It was clear that the question was about none other than Ying Nian.

Zhao Yan was momentarily stunned. Yu Linran wasn’t one to talk much; when Zhao Yan came backstage today, he congratulated the team members after the match and asked for autographs. Yu Linran only said two words, “Thank you,” and nothing more.

Now, Yu Linran was actually talking to him, making Zhao Yan feel flattered and a bit overwhelmed.

Zhao Yan quickly replied, “No, not really. I just saw her at some competitions before; she’s super impressive!”

Yi Shen was curious, “How impressive?”

They had heard that Ying Nian had good grades, but they didn’t know the specifics.

Zhao Yan explained, “I participated in the National Middle School English Competition. I went every year during middle school, and every year I’d run into Ying Nian.”

Yi Shen asked, “Did you win any awards?”

“No,” Zhao Yan replied, a bit embarrassed.

“What about Ying Nian?”

“She got first prize,” Zhao Yan paused, “three times in a row.”

The team leader advised, “She’s so outstanding; you should learn from her!”

Zhao Yan nodded and continued, “I have a classmate who participated in the National Middle School Speech Competition. He went for two years during middle school, and he knows Ying Nian as well. Ying Nian participated in the speech competition for three consecutive years. My classmate won a silver medal once, but Ying Nian won gold twice. The only time she got a bronze medal was when she seemed to have a fever and competed while sick.”

Cheng Run didn’t hold back his praise, “From what you’re saying, Ying Nian is really impressive!”

Lin Shan added quietly, “Obviously, she spoke Japanese so fluently last time.”

“If you often participate in national competitions, you’ve probably heard Ying Nian’s name at least once,” Zhao Yan said. “But for some reason, she didn’t participate in the speech competition this year—just last semester.”

Yi Shen, quick with his words, remarked, “She’s basically never missed a match. Even before the summer vacation started, she frequently came to watch the games. Could it be that this is what caused her to miss the competitions?”

Yu Linran, who had been silent on the side, slightly pursed his lips, and his brows furrowing almost imperceptibly.

Zhao Yan responded, “I don’t know, but she’s definitely amazing. At our school, among the group of us who regularly participate in competitions, there’s a saying—if you’re up against Ying Nian, you might as well forget about first place; just try your best to aim for second or third.”

Yi Shen laughed, “So she’s like the big boss on the competition scene?” He couldn’t help but tease, “It’s odd, though—Ying Nian is so smart, excels at studying, but somehow she’s pretty bad at games.”

Before anyone else could respond, Yu Linran suddenly spoke up, “Actually, she’s not that bad.”

Yi Shen choked, almost biting his tongue, “Cough… What?!”

Everyone on this side of the table simultaneously turned to look at Yu Linran.

Yu Linran remained as steady as a rock and calmly said, “I said, her gameplay isn’t that bad. It’s decent.”

Cheng Run: … 

Lin Shan: … 

Bo Can: … 

Yi Shen: …

“Captain, this isn’t just talking nonsense with your eyes open—your eyes are fully closed without even a sliver left open!”

Even the team leader was speechless. Only Zhao Yan, who had never seen Ying Nian’s gameplay, looked completely clueless.

“What’s going on?” he asked his cousin.

The team leader cleared his throat and whispered, “Nothing, don’t ask, just have some soup.”

Zhao Yan: “…Oh.”

…

After a simple dinner, Ying Nian returned to her hotel room early. She played on her phone for a while and then went to wash up. Not long after she came out of the bathroom and reached the bedside, the quiet room was filled with the sound of a WeChat notification.

She picked up her phone from the bed, and to her surprise, Yu Linran had sent her a message!

Ying Nian’s smile hadn’t fully bloomed when she glanced at the conversation content, and her smile froze on her lips.

Yu Linran had said: [Starting this week, you’re not allowed to come to watch the matches anymore.]

She asked, [Why?]

His reply came: [The frequency is too high; it’s affecting your studies.]

Affecting her studies? What a joke!

Ying Nian replied, [My studies are great and very stable, not a problem at all. Captain, you don’t need to worry!]

However, Yu Linran was unmoved. [Don’t let me catch you at the next match.]

Ying Nian’s face instantly fell.

Then he pulled a ruthless move: [Otherwise, I’ll block you.]

No way!!!

Ying Nian gasped, [No! Don’t block me! We can talk this out, everything can be discussed. Captain, please don’t act impulsively!]

Yu Linran responded, [There’s nothing to discuss.]

Ying Nian felt like crying, anxiously stomping her foot by the bedside as she tried to bargain: [How about once a week? I’ll be starting school in half a month; let me watch just two more matches in these last two weeks, okay?]

Yu Linran was resolute: [No.]

Ying Nian held her phone, on the verge of tears. No matter how much she pleaded, he wouldn’t budge. He was adamant that she focus on her studies, and she couldn’t figure out what had gotten into him.

Feeling utterly dejected, she dropped to her knees by the bed, half her body slumped onto the mattress, completely drained of energy.

Have you ever chased a “star” like this?

One who cares about your gameplay and even your academic performance…

This was the first time she cursed him, and in her heart, Ying Nian was gritting her teeth as she did—

Yu Linran! You unreasonable nag! So infuriating!