“Total eighty-three, WeChat or Alipay?”

Li Nan patted his pocket. It was empty. He hadn’t found his phone and only then realized it was still with the coach. After the match ended today, he was rushed into emergency treatment. Now, he had sneaked out and hadn’t had a chance to retrieve his phone yet.

In today’s world, it’s impossible to leave the house without a phone. Who still carries cash these days, especially the younger generation?

Li Nan searched through all his pockets and finally pulled out a few crumpled bills that had been washed by the washing machine because he hadn’t taken them out in time. After fumbling through them, he barely managed to gather about thirty yuan, half of which wasn’t even enough.

These bills were the change Li Nan had kept the last time he went out, when he casually grabbed two packs of cigarettes for the coach. He had shoved the change into his pocket without thinking, then completely forgot about it when he got home.

Li Nan, feeling somewhat embarrassed, put the money back down and began thinking about what he could get rid of to make enough money for the payment. Just then, the cashier asked with a hint of curiosity, “I feel like you look kind of familiar?”

Li Nan froze. He hadn’t expected the cashier to say something like that. His mind raced, and just as he was about to force a smile to respond, the cashier snapped her fingers in surprise. “You’re a celebrity, right? I remember you! I used to really like those songs you sang when I was a kid. I’ve seen you on TV a few times, too. I heard you went on to make movies, but I never got to see… um…”

As she spoke, the cashier’s voice trailed off. She looked at Li Nan awkwardly and added, “But I haven’t really followed the entertainment industry much after that… um… sorry.”

The awkward silence in the small convenience store grew thick, and the cashier regretted her words deeply. Why did she have to bring that up? In this age of entertainment overload, how could there be a famous actor who had been in TV shows and movies but hadn’t made any news? Clearly, the person in front of her was just too obscure for anyone to notice, which was why this situation had arisen.

It was probably just bad luck. She remembered she used to really like this celebrity when she was younger.

The cashier thought to herself.

Li Nan shook his head, not giving much thought to what the cashier had said. His lips, which had been about to form a smile, flattened back into a neutral expression. He lowered his head and continued sifting through the items he had originally picked, only to realize that thirty yuan wouldn’t be enough for much. So, he simply pushed everything aside, grabbed a box of instant noodles and a can of beer, and slid them over to the cashier.

“Just these two, nothing else,” Li Nan said, then pushed the thirty yuan over to the cashier.

“Okay, okay,” the cashier said, seeing that Li Nan didn’t want to talk any further. She quickly moved the other items aside and planned to put them back on the shelves once Li Nan left. “Would you like a shopping bag?”

“No need.”

“That’ll be 25.80, thank you for your purchase.”

Li Nan nodded, casually pocketing the change the cashier handed back.

The cashier hesitated for a moment, then, with a touch of nervousness, spoke up, “Would you like some hot water? We have hot water available… uh, you can sit over there and eat.”

This convenience store was part of an international chain, and like its overseas counterparts, it provided tables and chairs for customers to rest and also offered hot water and microwaves. Whether it was for instant noodles or reheating a meal box, everything was available.

Li Nan thought for a moment, considering that he wasn’t in a hurry to return to the hotel, and nodded. “Thanks, then.”

The cashier quickly waved her hands. “No trouble at all, it’s what I’m supposed to do.”

The cashier efficiently tore open the packaging of the instant noodles, added the pre-boiled hot water, and carefully placed it in front of Li Nan. “Here you go.”

As she did, she stole a quick glance at Li Nan, hesitated for a while, and then finally spoke up, “Um… could you… could you sign something for me?”

The cashier was an eighteen-year-old girl working part-time to support her studies. She hadn’t expected to meet a celebrity she had admired as a child.

It was rare for ordinary people to meet celebrities. Although this particular one had been out of the public eye for years and she hadn’t heard of him lately, he was someone she liked as a child. Asking for an autograph didn’t seem like a bad idea, and it could be a nice memento—a way to remember her lost childhood.

Li Nan sighed helplessly. “As for the autograph… forget it. I left the industry a long time ago. I’m no longer a singer.”

“Eh?” The girl was quite surprised, murmuring, “You… you’re not doing it anymore?”

“Yeah, not anymore,” Li Nan said. “So let’s skip the autograph. I’m not really a public figure anymore, and it feels a bit awkward to sign for someone.”

“I see… sorry, I didn’t know about that,” the cashier said apologetically.

“It’s fine,” Li Nan smiled at her. “Actually, I left the industry because I felt I didn’t really fit in. As for now…”

At that moment, the television screen on the counter started airing the news, and the host’s calm voice filled the air. “Today, the men’s and women’s singles in figure skating, freestyle skiing, and other events have come to a close…”

“Russian athlete Ivan Smirnov took home the gold medal in the men’s singles of figure skating at this Winter Olympics. Let’s congratulate him…”

Li Nan glanced at the screen before looking back at the cashier and smiled. “I guess now I’m considered an athlete. Although, I’ll be retiring soon.”

Steam rose from the instant noodles, blurring Li Nan’s handsome features, and for a moment, the cashier was transported back to the summer many years ago when she first saw Li Nan on the TV screen. The fleeting spark of admiration from that time resurfaced, leaving her speechless.

“Thanks for the hot water,” Li Nan said, lifting the bowl of noodles and nodding at the cashier before heading over to the seating area with a can of beer in one hand and his noodles in the other.

He popped the tab on the beer can and took a long drink, the bitter taste immediately filling his mouth. Li Nan grimaced, clicking his tongue in distaste and muttering, “Why does this taste so bad?”

Back when he was a singer, his manager had prohibited him from drinking. After leaving the entertainment industry and becoming an athlete, his coach had also forbidden him from drinking. Now, looking back, he realized that in his thirty-plus years, the number of times he’d drunk alcohol could be counted on one hand. He was really bad at it. This time, he had listened to someone’s advice about drinking to drown his sorrows, thinking it would lift his spirits.

But after downing the bitter drink, Li Nan figured that using alcohol to drown his sorrows would only make them worse.

He pulled a wry smile, then set the beer aside and buried his head in his noodles, focusing on eating.

He knew that his coach was probably searching for him everywhere right now, but Li Nan wasn’t ready to go back yet.

Going back meant facing the harsh reality.

Retirement.

It was the last thing an athlete wanted to confront.

But Li Nan was already thirty-one. After his birthday this year, he’d be thirty-two. Among all the active athletes in figure skating, there was no one older than him.

For this opportunity to compete on China’s ice, he’d injected two rounds of cortisone and pushed his body to its limits, risking further injury to make the jumps more difficult, all to secure a medal for his country on home soil.

But sadly…

Li Nan sighed silently, staring at the rising steam from his noodles, lost in thought.

Unfortunately, he had missed the podium by just one point.

After today, the official announcement of his retirement would probably be made.

If he were a few years younger, or if his injuries weren’t so severe, perhaps he could have skated for a few more years, giving the younger generation more time to grow and develop.

But sadly, life doesn’t offer that many “what ifs.”

Li Nan felt a dull ache in his ankle and bitterly sighed.

He no longer had time.

His journey had come to an end.

…

Li Nan opened his eyes, feeling his whole body aching, especially his neck, which felt as if it had been pounded with dozens of punches, making it impossible for him to move.

He stared blankly at the ceiling, taking a long time to snap out of the haze of just waking up. As his thoughts slowly gathered, his eyes suddenly widened, and he quickly sprang up.

“Oh no, oh no, Coach is probably freaking out since I didn’t go back last night!” Li Nan smacked his forehead in regret. But as he moved, the strain on his neck made him suck in a sharp breath, clutching it in pain. “Ouch, did I sleep on my neck wrong?”

As expected, he shouldn’t have listened to others. “Drink to drown your sorrows?” That was clearly a harmful piece of advice.

For someone who hardly ever drank, of course he ended up passed out after just one drink!

Li Nan cursed himself internally for not knowing his own tolerance and still trying to drown his sorrows alone with alcohol.

But he never imagined that a few sips of beer would knock him out like that. If any of the young guys from the national team heard about it, they’d probably laugh at him for ages.

He quickly dropped the thought, his smile fading. After all, he was about to retire. There wasn’t much time left for those kids to laugh at him, anyway. But now, what time was it? Would the coach report him missing? It hadn’t been 24 hours since he disappeared, right?

Ugh, he needed to get back and explain himself to the coach. He also had to thank that young woman for taking care of a drunken fool like him all night. He wondered if he had caused any trouble while drunk or acted foolishly.

Thinking about all this, Li Nan looked around, only to freeze in place.

Where… was this?

What met his eyes was an old, worn-out setup: a dull yellow desk and stool that had been in use for who knows how many years. The desktop was cluttered with books and papers, and beside it lay a cartoon-themed backpack, featuring Ultraman, a favorite of children. With his years of experience watching tokusatsu, he immediately recognized that it was a counterfeit because the features on the design clearly didn’t belong to any known Ultraman.

On the dull, gray walls hung posters of Jacky Cheung and Andy Lau, with their corners carefully taped down with transparent tape. Beside them was a handmade wooden bookshelf, and next to it stood a brand-new guitar.

As Li Nan’s gaze fell on the guitar, his eyes froze.

This guitar was incredibly familiar—wasn’t it the one that had accompanied him since childhood, the one he had kept even after entering the entertainment industry?

But that guitar had completely broken down in the second year after he entered the industry. He had sent it back to his hometown, asking his parents to store it carefully. At the time, his mother had even complained about him sending back all his old junk.

Li Nan remembered very clearly that the guitar had been beyond repair, yet the one in front of him looked brand new, almost as if it had been bought recently.

Wait, bought recently?

Li Nan quickly came to his senses and hurriedly began looking around, and after a quick glance, he was stunned.

Wasn’t this my childhood room?