Chapter 102
Chapter 102 – New Year’s Eve (Translated and edited by Xing)
Every year, at the Beijing stage of the championship, it was virtually a competition among those in the national team . This was the real fight while everything that came before was simply filler . It was almost the same this year as well . The television commentator was familiar with the national team . When the athletes entered the rink, the commentator would introduce the person’s past results and current condition if he or she was from the national team . If the person was not, unless they used to be in the national team, the commentator would only give a brief one-sentence introduction .
When she entered the quarterfinals, there were two athletes from the national team in the same heat as her . While introducing everyone, the commentator noticed her age and emphasized, “She’s still young . Today would be an excellent learning opportunity . ”
What he meant was that she should simply learn from the more experienced athletes in this competition and not be overly mindful of the result .
The result was that Tang Xue managed to charge into the semi-finals by coming in second .
There was a total of eight contestants in the semi-final, out of which seven were from the national team . Among them, Tang Xue was like a spy that had infiltrated them .
At the start of the semi-finals, the commentator re-stressed how impressive it was for Tang Xue to have made it so far… In the end, the national team spy once again made her way into the finals .
Having been made to eat his words twice, the commentator felt that Tang Xue indeed had some skills . Thus, during the finals, he expressed his confidence in this outstanding newbie . The outcome was that Tang Xue gave a stable performance and came in fourth .
After all, none of the top athletes in the country were here to play .
The commentator was made to eat his words thrice in a row and felt that Tang Xue was simply here to jinx him .
Meanwhile, the audience watching the broadcast had long erupted into laughter .
Tang Xue did not manage to win a medal but had no regrets . After all, with everyone’s calibre, it was already not bad that she managed to fight her way into the finals .
After the competition was over, she went to look for her father and Li Yubing . The scene of them standing together outside the stadium as they waited for her seemed quite harmonious?
She walked over in front of them and Li Yubing passed her a bottle of beverage .
Principal Tang said, “Let’s have dinner together . What do you two want to eat?”
“Anything,” Tang Xue replied . She twisted the cap open and gulped a mouthful .
Principal Tang turned to look at Li Yubing . “Green Ice, what about you?”
Pfffff—
Tang Xue was like a watering can as she sprayed out the beverage she just drank .
She held the bottle and peeked at Li Yubing out of the corner of her eyes . Though he looked slightly sullen and aggrieved, he showed no signs of protest and even the feelings on his face were muted and hidden .
Just how afraid was he…
Tang Xue wiped her mouth . “Dad, just call him by his name . Yubing, do not speak of ice with a summer bug (xia chong bu ke yu bing)[1]—doesn’t it sound poetic? It suits your identity and is a familiar form of address . ”
Principal Tang nodded . “I think ‘Yubing’ sounds better than ‘Green Ice’ as well . ”
Li Yubing exhaled in relief . So Principal Tang did not do it intentionally .
Principal Tang took the train back to Lake City after dinner . Tang Xue and Li Yubing sent him off to the station . On the way back, Li Yubing was puzzled . He asked Tang Xue, “Does uncle knows what ‘green’ insinuates?”
“If you ask him what it means to ‘wear a green hat’, he’ll definitely know . But people of his age are more straightforward and won’t think of it as much as us . ”
“Oh . ” Li Yubing rubbed her head and narrowed his eyes . “Then how did he know about this nickname?”
Tang Xue blinked . “How would I know? With your reputation, he must have searched it online himself . ”
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Li Yubing bent down and nipped her lips . “You can’t even lie properly . ”
——
The third day that Tang Xue returned from Beijing was New Year’s Eve .
At night, she went out with Li Yubing to ride the Ferris wheel . She planned to ride the Ferris wheel first before going over to sound the bell . However, the queue was long and they got onto the Ferris wheel quite late . When midnight arrived, they were still hanging in the Ferris wheel cabin .
It was not possible to sound or knock any bells . She could only knock Li Yubing’s dog head symbolically .
When the Ferris wheel turned to the highest point, large fireworks suddenly blossomed in the night .
“How beautiful…” Watching the fireworks while hanging from the sky made them felt extremely close to it . This made the fireworks seem even more beautiful than usual .
Li Yubing interlocked his fingers with hers . He raised his head and looked at the sky, the shining lights from the fireworks reflected in his clear eyes . “First,” he whispered .
“What ‘first’?”
“It’s our first New Year after getting together . ” Li Yubing shifted back his gaze and looked down at her . “There will be countless more after this . ”
Tang Xue looked at him and smiled . Li Yubing kissed her .
The light kiss lingered, as if the countless things he had to say had all dissolved into unspoken gentleness .
“Li Yubing, will you continue to like me for the rest of your life?”
“Yes . ”
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“How are you so sure?”
“Because… you’re someone even more dazzling than fireworks . ”
……
After they got off the Ferris wheel, Tang Xue wanted to mingle with the crowd at the mall . Worried that the overwhelming crowd might cause a stampede, Li Yubing led her away .
It was late and the dormitory buildings were locked . The two of them could only stay in a hotel . They have a mini disagreement in the hotel lobby . Li Yubing wanted to book only one room while Tang Xue insisted on two .
There was a slightly apologetic look on the receptionist’s face . She said, “My apologies, as occupancy is tight, we—”
Li Yubing grinned . “Only have one room left, right?”
The lady at the counter was thrown off by his smile . She replied after a slight pause, “Ah? No… we have a 20 percent surcharge on our rooms . ”
Li Yubing: = = This chapter is a labour of love that should not be found outside of teafragrance[dot]wordpress[dot]com .
This was different from how it usually played out in dramas .
Unsurprisingly, they booked two separate rooms in the end .
In addition, their rooms were on different floors due to tight occupancy . Tang Xue stayed one floor higher than Li Yubing .
When she came out of the shower, she saw that Li Yubing messaged her .
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Li Yubing: Tang Xue, my head hurts .
Li Yubing: It really hurts .
Worried, Tang Xue rushed down to find him .
She pressed the doorbell and Li Yubing opened the door . Standing in the doorway, he was back-facing the porch light and she could not see how he looked .
“Li Yubing, does your head still hurt?”
Li Yubing did not speak . He suddenly pulled her into the room and pressed her against the door for a kiss . The kiss was too intense and the heavy exhalation against her face caused her mind to go blank .
Tang Xue used her might to dodge away . Li Yubing started kissing her neck instead . He stretched out the tip of his tongue and licked her skin . Feeling her body soften into a puddle, Tang Xue fumed, “Li Yubing, how dare you pretend to be sick?”
“I didn’t . ”
“I thought your head hurt?”
“It hurt earlier . It’s no longer hurting now . ”
“Scoundrel . ”
“It’s true . ” Li Yubing raised his head and looked into her eyes . He licked his lips and explained, “It only hurt for a bit . ”
Translator’s Notes:
[1] The Yubing in Li Yubing’s name is the same as 夏虫不可以语冰 (xià chóng bù kě yǐ yǔ bīng), which means that one cannot speak of ice that only appears during winter with insects that are only alive during summer . It’s a metaphor for how people’s knowledge is restricted by their experiences .