Chapter Seventy-Five

After the competition had ended, everyone changed back into their usual clothes and prepared to visit the florist. They wanted to buy a bouquet for Zhang Yan. Yu Xingyue remembered that Zhang Yan liked white roses, though they were rare to find, so the task was entrusted to Xu Yaya. Just as she could resolve a battle in a minute on the field, she managed to secure a bouquet of white roses in only thirty seconds in real life.

Yu Xingyue joked, “Captain, are you the Flash? You’re so fast! Shouldn’t you apply to Guinness World Records for the fastest person to get things done?”

Xu Yaya handed the flowers to Lin Ling and threatened, “I think you’re itching for a beating, aren’t you?” Wang Chaolin stepped in to help Yu Xingyue, saying, “Captain, don’t bother with him. He’s just a big mouth. The Flash is just a standard for speed—if only I had your speed!”

Xu Yaya laughed and scolded, “In the end, you’re still mocking me. I don’t like being called the Flash. It’s actually a trouble in my life—even with speed, there are downsides. For example, I can’t participate in running competitions; it wouldn’t be fair to the others.”

Speed was something many people dreamed of, but it hadn’t brought Xu Yaya much benefit. She rarely showed her speed in front of friends, for fear of attracting strange looks. Only at critical moments did it become useful, but not now.

Lin Ling called out to everyone, “Stop fussing, the car is here.” She had called for taxis, not a bus, since there were so many people. Lin Ling, Zhou Ruoxue, and Xu Yaya shared one taxi, while Yu Xingyue, Xiao Jian, and Wang Chaolin took the other.

Because the journey was long, Zhou Ruoxue got carsick and fell asleep in Lin Ling’s taxi, leaving only Lin Ling and Xu Yaya awake. To prevent Zhou Ruoxue from vomiting, Xu Yaya offered her left index finger for Zhou Ruoxue to bite, a trick to stave off nausea and avoid sickness.

As Zhou Ruoxue slept, she instinctively bit her own finger to ease the carsickness—not that anyone knew if her hand was clean.

In Yu Xingyue’s car, nearly everyone was asleep. Xiao Jian’s sleeping posture was amusing; at a glance, he appeared to be asleep, but if one looked closely, he was sleeping with his eyes rolled back. The driver glimpsed Xiao Jian’s eyes in the rearview mirror and almost lost control of the steering wheel, startling Yu Xingyue awake. Upon waking, Yu Xingyue saw Xiao Jian’s rolled-back eyes and cried out in fright, which in turn woke Wang Chaolin, who also jumped at the sight. Their shouts were all caused by Xiao Jian, who continued to sleep peacefully, tightly hugging the bouquet of white roses, as if longing deeply for Zhang Yan.

After more than an hour, they arrived at the cemetery. Yu Xingyue and Xiao Jian knew exactly where Zhang Yan was buried and led the way. Soon, they stood before Zhang Yan’s grave.

Xiao Jian laid the bouquet of white roses before Zhang Yan and said, “Zhang Yan, I’ve come to see you. Not just me, but the captain and everyone else came to see you too.” Unable to hold back his tears, Xiao Jian choked up, as did the others. Standing before Zhang Yan’s grave, all their hearts ached—the group’s beloved, Zhang Yan, was gone.

Yu Xingyue said, “You must be living a very happy life there, right? Don’t worry, we’ll always come to see you, so you won’t be lonely or exposed to the wind and rain.”

Lin Ling spoke, “After hearing Yu Xingyue, as your senior, I want to say: we’re all proud of you. You’re the last hope of Tianyuan, the banner that will never fall.”

Wang Chaolin said, “I didn’t expect our reunion to be like this, Xiao Yan. Don’t worry about us, we’ll live well and won’t disappoint your expectations.” Truthfully, he didn’t really know what he was saying.

Zhou Ruoxue, sobbing, said, “I’m so sorry I couldn’t see you one last time. The last time was three years ago. I never thought you’d be gone after three years. Now, who will I confide in?”

Finally, Captain Xu Yaya stepped forward to Zhang Yan’s grave, crouched down, and wiped Zhang Yan’s photo. Tears flowed uncontrollably, and Xu Yaya’s voice moved everyone; Xiao Jian and Yu Xingyue could barely speak through their sobs. Yet, releasing their grief in front of everyone only made it harder.

Xu Yaya then addressed Zhang Yan’s grave: “You were a good teammate. Even knowing your condition, you still insisted on competing. The coach and I both advised you to rest, but your will wouldn’t allow you to retreat. Maybe that’s why I liked you—you had qualities I lacked. Now, rest well. Soon, Tianyuan will shine again.” Her voice grew heavy, and she could say no more.

Everyone, except Xu Yaya, knelt before Zhang Yan’s grave and bowed three times. After rising, they all broke down in tears, though they restrained themselves from crying aloud as there were few people around.

For them, the day felt endless; they had lost track of time.

...

At that moment, the Tianyuan team members were gathering at Wang Tianqi’s house, except for Yu Xingyue, Xiao Jian, and Yu Li. Yu Li was off handling matters with Coach Tian Nan and couldn’t come, so the rest were all present.

Lin Zimo boasted about her record on May 20th, saying, “Look, this is the gift Yu Xingyue gave me. Aren’t you jealous?” She opened her phone’s gallery to show everyone the cup Yu Xingyue had given her.

Huang Feifan exclaimed, “Oh! That’s a wonderful meaning—a lifetime. Does this mean Xingyue is interested in you?” He speculated that Yu Xingyue liked Lin Zimo, making everyone envious.

Wang Tianqi scoffed, “What’s so special? He just gave you a cup. Look at my record.” Wang Tianqi pointed to the pile of delivery boxes behind her, almost filling half the room.

“But those guys just gave you gifts as usual, right? They’re only after your family background. If you didn’t have that, would they still be so eager?” Chen Siyu questioned.

Wang Tianqi shook her head. “I don’t care for those guys anyway. Just a little favor makes them happy for a whole day. Aren’t they silly?”

This comment displeased Zhang Yi, who said, “By your logic, the two of us are crazy for you, then.” He patted Huang Feifan’s arm.

“Except for you two, everyone else is a fool,” Wang Tianqi added.

“So Yu Xingyue and Xiao Jian are fools too? I’ll tell them you’re bad-mouthing them behind their backs,” Huang Feifan laughed and high-fived Zhang Yi.

“So you two are plotting against me? You’re dead!” She moved to attack them.

“Tianqi, if you start a fight, you won’t win. Just ignore them—they’re lunatics,” Chen Siyu said, trying not to laugh. Wang Tianqi blushed at Chen Siyu’s expression and lightly tapped her arm, without much force.

Huang Feifan took advantage of the moment. “Wow! Didn’t expect you to be so gentle with Siyu. Why do we always see your violent side? Aren’t you going to stop being a tough girl? I kind of miss getting beaten up by you.”

This comment didn’t bother Huang Feifan, but Zhang Yi’s expression soured. Hearing Huang Feifan call Wang Tianqi violent and sensing her unfriendly aura, Lin Zimo and Chen Siyu’s anger flared. Huang Feifan could feel the murderous intent from the three women.