The Road To Recovery

Chapter 19: Movie Night Part 2

"Do you want to watch another movie or are you tired?" Zhilan asked as the movie ended.

Siyang shrugged. "We can watch another one."

"I'll be right back." She walked back to her room to pick up another DVD. She also picked up some snacks that came from Yingjie before he left.

"Hungry?" She tossed a bag of gummies to Siyang as she entered.

"Did you run to the cafeteria?"

"No, I stole these from my cousin when he was visiting."

"Zhilan." He attempted to sound disapproving, but it came out more lighthearted.

She tried to look innocent as she held back laughter. Just as she was about to rejoin him, her phone rang.

"Oh, I'll be right back." She said staring at her phone. She answered and walked back to her room to talk.

"Auntie? How are you?"

"I'm doing fine. How are you? I got your message."

"I'm fine. It looks like my knee is almost healed."

Her aunt hummed, content. "Yes, that's great news. I was calling to ask if you were coming back with me."

"What?"

"I was talking to your uncle. He told me that you could live with him if you wanted to."

Zhilan distinctly remembered that. "I haven't forgotten. Do you want me to go with him?"

Her aunt laughed softly. "I want what's best for you. If you really want to go back to China, I can start packing and sending your belongings."

"Um, I don't know yet. I hadn't thought of it."

"If you do go, I'm sure Lu Xia would be happy to have you back. He asked about you the other day when I called him. I think he misses you."

She smiled at the mention of Lu Xia. "I know he does. Let me think about it, auntie."

"Of course, I love you."

"I love you too."

She hung up and sighed.

Should I go back home? It's been so long. I could see Lu Xia again. He's going to play Nationals in a couple of months.

She kept thinking about it as she absentmindedly walked back to Siyang's room.

"Zhilan? Is something wrong?" He asked as she entered his room.

"Huh? Oh, it's nothing."

He studied her closely. "Something is going on. What is it?"

"Well, my aunt called me. She was asking me about when I leave. She wanted to know if I wanted to go back with her or go with my uncle in China."

Siyang kept his face neutral, but he felt a bit excited. "Are you considering going with your uncle?"

She let out a breath. "I actually kind of am. I haven't gone home since I was eight, but I also have a life outside China. I have friends and teammates waiting for me."

"It's not an easy decision." He said carefully.

She settled herself next to him and put her head on his shoulder. "No, it's not. I want to go back to my team, but I also want to see my younger cousin too. He's been doing so much. I feel bad about missing out."

"You have time to think, don't you?" He asked.

Zhilan looked up at him. "Yeah, I do. I can think about this another time."

"Why don't you tell me about your younger cousin? I don't think you've told me that much about him." Siyang said to change the subject a bit.

She laughed to herself. "Where do I even begin with that simpleton? Well, I think I told you he plays tennis, right?"

He nodded in confirmation.

"He's quiet and serious. He doesn't think about much besides tennis. He's so one track minded. You two might actually get along now that I think about it."

"Are you calling me one track minded?"

"I said that about my cousin not you." She stated as she opened her gummies.

"It's what you're implying." He muttered under his breath.

"I'm sure you think about other things besides tennis. I just can't tell since you always wear that poker face." She gently poked his nose.

Siyang snickered. "To be honest, tennis is pretty much all I think about. It is my life and I like it."

Zhilan smiled softly at him. "Speaking of tennis, I don't think I've ever asked you. What are you like as a player?"

"Me? I don't know. I've never been asked to describe myself. I think you would have to watch me."

"Well, do you have any videos of your matches? I'd be interested in watching you play."

He looked through his phone, looking for a past match. After a few minutes, he found his match with Ji Jingwu. The last match he played before coming to Germany. He handed her the phone and pressed play.

Author's Note

I keep doing these parts. The next chapter will be titled something different because I literally just did a 3 part thing for their day out lol. But expect a nice little moment as Zhilan watches Siyang's match. Also the whole avoiding Lu Xia's name really is just my running joke at this point in the story. Don't forget to vote or comment if you enjoyed the chapter! Thanks to those for supporting The Road To Recovery!
- Violet