During The Blizzard (Amidst A Snowstorm Of Love)

Canto 86: National Team Captain

“It's not about how many times you get knocked down, but how many times you get up.” - Vince Lombardi

Translator: Wuxia Studio, Editor: M.H Lovecraft (Enochian_)

- - - -

The elevator doors slid open, revealing the familiar hallway. Reaching for her keys, a notification chimed on her phone a WeChat message.

A frown creased her brow as she saw the sender's name, Lin.

‘Aren't you driving? Why send WeChat?’

She fumbled with the lock, the heavy, reddish-brown security door groaning open with a push. By the doorway, her phone screen illuminated a single message.

Lin: Happy 30 days.

Dumbfounded wouldn't quite cut it. ‘Thirty days?’ she breathed, the number echoing in the quiet hallway.

First kiss, first night? Those felt like distant galaxies now. Hadn't he left for home over two months ago?

A memory flickered, a single perfect moment. The day they actually met. She couldn't pinpoint the exact date, just a hazy recollection of it being around a month ago.

He remembered? A man, a whole man, and he still cared about this seemingly insignificant detail? A small smile tugged at the corner of her lips. Maybe he wasn't so big after all.

- - -

A lone car, Lin Yiyang's sat abandoned on the deserted side road, swallowed by the inky blackness of eleven o'clock. Streetlights cast an eerie glow, illuminating an empty path devoid of pedestrians. Shops stood silent, their windows blank and uninviting.

He, the only soul on this deserted stretch, cracked open a window. A single raindrop, fat and heavy, splattered against the glass, shattering the stillness. More followed, tracing fleeting lines down the windshield before being ruthlessly swept away by the wipers.

"What kind of night is this?"

It seemed to echo the question that had haunted him for over a decade since the night he left Dongxincheng. This lonely vigil felt like a culmination of those ten years, a yearning to finally reach a breaking point.

***

Seventy grueling days. That's how long the closed training camp for the Asian Games would stretch. For Yin Guo, it held a special significance. Not only was it her first time training alongside athletes from various sports within billiards, but it also meant the chance to finally reunite with Lin Yiyang.

Several senior players from Beicheng accompanied Yin Guo. While only two coveted spots awaited each event, the entire national team, regardless of specialty, participated. After all, such opportunities to train with the country's elite were rare a chance to hone skills and unearth hidden talent.

In the female dormitory, Yin Guo slipped into her training gear, her long hair secured in a neat ponytail before the mirror.

The urge to send Lin Yiyang a message, a playful ‘What are you up to?’, flickered through her mind. But a mischievous grin replaced it. After all, she'd see him soon enough. A little surprise wouldn't hurt.

Reuniting with Lin Yiyang at the national training camp was a possibility she hadn't dared dream of.

The small auditorium buzzed with activity as athletes from various disciplines flooded the space. Coaches occupied the front row, while the players, a mix of familiar faces and shy newcomers, filled the remaining seats. Friendly chatter filled the air as Yin Guo entered.