Chapter 89

Bai Yin practiced dancing in the courtyard, wiping the fine beads of sweat on her temples. As she passed by her grandma's room, she glanced at the phone lying quietly on the table.

"Grandma, has there been any messages for me these past few days?"

Grandma was wearing her glasses, looking at embroidery patterns. Hearing this, she looked up, "It rang a few times. I couldn't see clearly and didn't pay attention. You can take the phone if you need it."

Bai Yin suppressed the emotions in her heart and walked over casually, "I'll just use it for a bit."

"Take it. I don't use it much anyway."

"Thank you Grandma."

Bai Yin took the phone and went back to her room, closing the door behind her. Her heart was beating wildly and uncontrollably.

She took a deep breath, suppressed her emotions, and logged into WeChat.

Sure enough, in the chat box marked "chx", there were two unread messages highlighted in red.

With a trembling hand, Bai Yin entered the chat.

It was a basketball video sent this morning. In the video, many tall boys were playing basketball vigorously.

Bai Yin watched the video carefully from beginning to end, but did not see Chen Huaixiao in it.

chx: "School basketball tournament. Let me show you some handsome guys."

Bai Yin replied: "Brother, you didn't play?"

Chen Huaixiao responded within just 10 seconds: "Only replying now?"

Bai Yin: "Because the phone is with Grandma. I just saw it after school."

chx: "Oh."

Bai Yin: "Will you participate in the basketball tournament too?"

chx: "I'll play in the finals on Saturday afternoon."

Bai Yin: "Are you good at basketball?"

chx: "Going straight to the finals. What do you think?"

Bai Yin: "[Laughing emoji]"

chx: "Right, won't come to compete this week. If my brother comes, ignore him. His mind isn't great."

Seeing this message, Bai Yin felt a slight sense of disappointment. She replied: "Okay."

chx: "Good girl."

Bai Yin: "Brother, where will your finals be held?"

chx: "School gymnasium. Why?"

Bai Yin: "Just asking."

She returned the phone and went back to her room quietly. She took out her silk handkerchief and carefully embroidered patterns on it all night.

On Friday afternoon, Bai Yin took the silk products she had hoarded for several weeks and set up a stall outside the ancient town scenic area to sell them. She happened to encounter a tour group.

The aunties and young ladies in the tour group loved her embroidered handkerchiefs and purses. Soon everything was sold out.

Bai Yin gave all 2,230 yuan earned to Grandma. After keeping 2,000 yuan for living expenses, Grandma gave Bai Yin the small change of 230 yuan.

"Grandma, I don't want it. You can have it all."

"You've grown up now. You'll need money to buy snacks or go out with friends. Keep it."

Bai Yin didn't actually eat many snacks, but she suddenly had some ideas for Chen Huaixiao's match tomorrow. So she accepted the 200 yuan.

"Grandma...can I go out to play tomorrow afternoon?"

"Where are you going? With classmates?"

"Um, I want to go to Nancheng."

Hearing this, Grandma looked at Bai Yin, "Alone?"

Bai Yin hesitated for a few seconds before confessing, "Chen Huaixiao has a match tomorrow afternoon. I want to go watch."

"Oh, that's fine, but tell him to come get you. Don't wander alone since you rarely go to the provincial capital."

Bai Yin agreed verbally but had no intention of telling Chen Huaixiao in advance. She just wanted to secretly go to Nancheng University and watch his match blending into the crowd, without letting him know.

After making up her mind, she hurried back to do homework, because she was too excited, she couldn't fall asleep until 3 am.

She didn't know what had gotten into her. Waking up from a dream, her mind was filled with Chen Huaixiao.

It was his slender figure standing under the osmanthus tree, his gentle gaze when tutoring her, and his carefree smile on the basketball court...

Bai Yin knew she was utterly and completely done for.

*

The next afternoon, Bai Yin got on the bus and after more than an hour of bumpy ride, arrived in Nancheng.

Following the route she had planned, she first took the bus to Nancheng University. While asking for directions and looking at signs, she finally found the gymnasium before the start of the match.

However, after going in, she discovered there was no organized basketball tournament in the gym. Only a few scattered teams were playing.

The figure she longed to see was of course not among them.

Disappointed, Bai Yin walked out of the gym.

Did they change venues at the last minute? She had no way of knowing.

...

At the provincial stadium, Chen Huaixiao had already changed into a white basketball jersey and was sitting in the recliner looking at his phone.

On the phone screen was his chat with Bai Yin.

He felt a little uneasy. That girl...she wouldn't be so foolish as to just impulsively come over without saying anything, right?

The change of venue was notified at the last minute. It was originally the school gym, but later moved to the provincial stadium more than 10 km from school because some leaders were attending.

Liu SuYu noticed Chen Huaixiao's unease and handed him a bottle of water, "What's wrong, Brother Xiao?"

"Nothing."

Chen Huaixiao got up and walked to the deserted corridor, calling Bai Yin's phone.

Unexpectedly, an elderly voice answered, "Who is this?"

"Granny Bai?"

"Little Xiao."

Chen Huaixiao remembered Bai Yin said the phone belonged to her grandma, she only occasionally used it after school.

"Granny Bai, is Bai Yin there?"

"Didn't little Yin go to Nancheng to find you? She got on the bus two hours ago. How come...you're not together?" Granny Bai became a little anxious, "This girl! I told her not to wander around!"

Chen Huaixiao's heart thumped. He immediately said, "Granny, don't worry. She's probably still at school. I'll go find her now."

He hung up the phone and hurried out of the gym with his jacket.

Liu SuYu quickly chased after him, surprised and asked, "Brother Xiao, don't say you're leaving now?"

Chen Huaixiao put on his sports jacket as he walked, striding out of the provincial stadium. He jumped on a motorcycle parked at the roadside, "A Yin came, I'm going to pick her up. Let the substitute play first."

"Hey, a lot of leaders came. You're our main player!"

"I'll be right back."

"Just ask her to take a taxi over!" Liu SuYu blocked the motorcycle, "It's a small thing. No need to pick her up yourself. She's not a 3-year-old kid, a girl that big..."

"She didn't bring her phone and doesn't know the route." Chen Huaixiao looked at Liu SuYu with a calm yet powerful gaze, "Move."

Liu SuYu could only unwillingly move aside, "She's more important than the finals?"

"Nothing compares."

Chen Huaixiao drove the motorcycle out in a flash, speeding all the way back to Nancheng University.

...

Bai Yin had been wandering around the gym entrance of Nancheng University, asking the boys going in to play basketball about the finals -

"Isn't the finals in this gym?"

"You have to go to the provincial stadium to watch the finals. We got notice this morning that the location changed." The boy looked at his sports watch, "It's probably already started by now."

"How do I get to the provincial stadium?"

Seeing Bai Yin was petite, unfamiliar with the place, and didn't seem like a college student, the boy threw his basketball to his buddy, "Let me take you to the south school gate to catch the bus. Take bus number 3 for 7 stops and you'll get to the provincial stadium."

"Ah, no need to trouble you!" Bai Yin quickly bowed to thank him, "I can go myself! I know how to take the bus."

She then hurried away, afraid of troubling the kind boy to send her off. Arriving at the south gate, she waited for bus number 3 as the boy had directed. Before getting on, she paid special attention to confirm the round trip direction was right before boarding.

Twenty minutes later, the bus stopped at the main entrance of the provincial stadium.

With a nervous yet excited heart, Bai Yin entered the stadium.

There were many people. She found a corner seat in the front row of the stands and looked towards the court.

After carefully searching for a long time, Bai Yin disappointedly discovered Chen Huaixiao was not here either.

What was going on?

Didn't he say he was playing the finals? She had come all this way under the blazing sun, yet Chen Huaixiao wasn't here!

During the break when players were substituted, Bai Yin saw Liu SuYu sitting on the bench drinking water and quickly called out to him, "Brother Liu SuYu!"

Liu SuYu looked up and saw Bai Yin, stunned: "Hey? You...what are you doing here! Where is Brother Xiao?"

"I want to ask you too, doesn't he have a game today?"

"He came looking for you!"

"Looking for me?"

"You guys..."

Liu SuYu hurriedly took out his phone and made a video call to Chen Huaixiao.

When Chen Huaixiao received Liu SuYu's call, his breathing was a little hurried. He had looked around several times near the gymnasium of Nancheng University, but did not see anyone. All the blood in his body seemed to flow in reverse.

The girl didn't have a phone again and couldn't get in touch. He also didn't know if she brought money or not. If she got lost...the consequences were unimaginable.

He tapped the video and said, "I'm not coming to the game anymore, I have to go check the surveillance."

"What surveillance are you checking?" Liu SuYu yelled: "The person you want to find is right in front of me, come on, Xiao Bai, say hello to your brother."

The front camera was aimed at Bai Yin.

Bai Yin stood next to Liu SuYu, awkwardly waving at Chen Huaixiao: "Brother, I'm at the Provincial Gymnasium. Where are you?"

"..."

"Wait for me."

Chen Huaixiao hung up the phone, rode a motorcycle, and sped away from Nancheng University.

In just over ten minutes, he returned to the provincial basketball gymnasium and found Liu SuYu in the waiting area: "Where is she?"

"Hiding over there." Liu SuYu nodded with his eyes.

Chen Huaixiao looked back and saw Bai Yin hiding in the aisle, like a vigilant little beast looking at him, with apprehension written all over her eyes.

She also knew she was guilty.

Chen Huaixiao took off his sweat-drenched jacket, wearing only a basketball jersey, to cool himself down a bit, before walking over to Bai Yin and trying to control his temper as much as possible, "You came without telling me, giving me such a big scare, hmm?"

Bai Yin didn't dare look at him, only lowered her head to look at the tips of her white shoes, like a reprimanded elementary school student.

"Speak, what were you thinking?"

"I'm sorry, I just didn't want to disturb your game."

"But you made me miss half a game."

Bai Yin said in a mosquito-like voice, "I'm this old already, and I won't get lost. Why did you come looking for me?"

"You think you're quite grown up, don't you? Have you seen how many girls in the news have gone missing and were sold to the mountains to have children, disabled with severed hands and feet!"

Chen Huaixiao had just been scared to death, his temper surged, and he couldn't quite control his volume: "Where would I go looking for you if you were lost?"

"I'm really sorry!" Bai Yin's eyes turned red from his scolding, and she turned to run away.

Chen Huaixiao immediately called her to a halt and yelled angrily, "Bai Yin, try running again!"

Bai Yin stopped in her tracks, her eyes brimming with sourness, stubbornly wiping them with her sleeve.

Behind her, Liu SuYu shouted at Chen Huaixiao: "Brother Xiao, time to play."

Chen Huaixiao paid no attention, just staring at Bai Yin's back.

A few seconds later, Bai Yin took a deep breath and returned to his side, obediently saying, "Brother, I'll stay right here, don't worry about me, go play your game."

Chen Huaixiao felt his heart melting for the first time, as if roasted over a raging fire.

He didn't reprimand her anymore, just unceremoniously poked her forehead with his fingertips as a lesson, then turned to the basketball court—

"Liu SuYu, keep an eye on her for me."

"You got it, leave her to me, don't worry." Liu SuYu pulled Bai Yin to sit on the bench, wishing he could handcuff her: "You just sit here nicely, don't run around, you don't know how anxious you got your Brother Xiao, he didn't care about the game he practiced for months."

The more he said this, the more guilty Bai Yin felt: "I made Brother worry."

"You didn't just make him worry," Liu SuYu looked at her meaningfully, with a hint of playful sarcasm, "you made him lose control!"