Thank you to fan63 for writing a review in NU. This chapter dedicated to fan63 and those unnamed others who rated the novel on NU.
He smiled at her. As if to tell her that everything was going to be okay, and that she shouldn’t think too much.
She surmised that he must have called either the coach or a staff member for the team, but she had guessed wrong.
The driver was a gentleman, his eyes calm,thick eyebrows with a hooked nose. He looked quite serious.
Li Yongxuan hesitated a moment, then slowly moved forward.
" This is my personal steward, driver, assistant, you can call him Old Mai." Mai Wei Zhe casually introduced him to her then said, " Hurry up ! I’m starving to death."
Mai Wei Zhe looked at her in surprise. She had figured this out the first time ? It was cLear that she had thoroughly studied the personal files of Mai Wei Zhe and all his other team members.
She knew that Mai Wei Zhe had been brought up by his grandfather since childhood. But she was surprised that even his grandfather had such a healthy spirit.
They sat quietly in the car till it reached it’s destination. At this point, Old Mai turned towards Mai Wei Zhe and said , " You haven’t told me the lady’s name yet,"
Li Yongxuan was dumbfounded, when was this decided ?
Old Mai just nodded solemnly nodded, took her luggage and walked towards the house .
It was a very ordinary looking two storied brick house. But as she walked into the entrance, she couldn’t help but take a deep breath.
In the living room, apart from a large LCD TV and a sofa in the corner, the were treadmills, fitness bikes, weight training equipment; then there was an open kitchen and on the other side was the dining room.
She stood in a daze when Mai Wei Zhe came and pushed her from the back, " Let’s have dinner."
" First, wash you hands!" The old man commanded from the kitchen as he heated up the food.
They washed their hands and sat at the table. The fare was quite simple, a clear beef soup, two kinds of vegetables, and chicken breasts.
However, Old Mai was a very good cook. Even a boring food like chicken breast had been roasted with spices so that there was a fragrant aroma and even Li Yongxuan wanted to try it.
She stared as Mai Wei Zhe ladled some soup directly from the pot and put it in her bowl. She drank a mouthful.
The clear beef soup was very tasty, the seasoning done just right. She was used to having lunch at restaurants. No one had ever even made a cup of coffee for her, or sent her a meal. She couldn’t remember the last time when she had such a delicious homely meal.
The old man froze in fright. Mai Wei Zhe turned around to see her crying and immediately came over to her side. Very calmly, in a low voice, he asked, " What’s the matter ?Did you burn your mouth ? I forgot to mention to you that the soup was hot…"
"No no..I just feel this soup is so delicious…"
After listening to her, both the old man and the young man were obviously relieved .
She didn’t answer, but concentrated on devouring the food.
She looked up , and just took a spoonful of brown rice.
Every dish that she tasted, even the chicken breasts that were in front of Mai Wei Zhe, were amazing.
Mai Wei Zhe would occasionally make fun of her, but the teasing did not deter her from eating her fill.
After eating, her face looked much better. Her eyes no longer had that empty haunted look it had before.
Old Mai nodded, but didn’t say anything.
" But you didn’t cook", she winked at him.
Mai Wei Zhe touched his nose, and sulked. On one side he helped pick up the dishes from the table, on the other hand, he kept muttering something under his breath. He seemed very unwilling, but there was a smile in his eyes.
" I will help with cleaning the dishes", she offered.
" No", said the old man. He signaled that she should go upstairs, " Xiao Mai will take you to your room upstairs. Get some rest."
"Go", he categorically stated, with no room for dissent.
" If it’s too inconvenient, I can go to a hotel". Although she didn’t know where there was a hotel, she could not help but offer as she walked upstairs.
" Don’t worry, my family often offers temporary shelter to my team mates. Anrun lived here for more than two months after the hostel he used to stay in asked him to move."
He pointed out one to her, " You stay in that room. If you need something let me know. I have to go now."
" You have to go …go wash the dishes ?" A pair of huge eyes looked at him. In her heart, she was secretly hoping he could give her some company for a little while, talk a little…
She stared at him as he went downstairs, then stepped into the room.
She sat down on the bed covered with a green bedspread, and for a moment, wondered …why did Mai come after her ?
The next day,when Li Yongxuan woke up, she felt completely refreshed.
Ten thirty ! She immediately sat up. She slept till ten thirty ? In the past five years she had never woken up later than seven, what was going on with her today ! But then she remembered where she was.
From downstairs, she could hear the sound of the treadmill. There was a delicious fragrance of food, and her stomach rumbled as she smelled it. She could smell coffee, muffins, fried eggs..
After washing up, she came downstairs with some trepidation. As she had expected, the table was laden with a hearty breakfast, all hot and fresh. Seeing this, her belly rumbled again shamelessly.
" Have your breakfast", Old Mai gestured, holding a spatula, gestured towards the freshly made French toast.
The old man shook his head and replied with a solemn expression, " Because I didn’t know what you would like to eat- Mai only told me you have coffee and donuts for breakfast – I made a western style breakfast for you to chose."
This table was filled with so much food, she wouldn’t be able to finish it in a week !
The singing was off key and the self made lyrics were obviously awful.
" Why do I only get whole wheat toast and omelette..why why ?"
Li Yongxuan could not help but burst out laughing.
When she laughed, her usual calm and dignified expression changed completely. It warmed people up, as if they had walked out from the freezing ice rink to the sunshine outside.
She faced the table full of food; this was going to be a problem. But this was a good problem to have.
" Don’t you want to eat together?" she called out joyfully.
" I want to.l want to…" MAi Wei Zhe's answer was enthusiastic, but it was drowned by the old man’s admonishment. He roared back at Mai , " You owe me an extra three and half hours of training that you missed yesterday."
With this scolding, he obediently shut his mouth, and continued running on the treadmill.
He had missed out on his training yesterday because he had come after her.Li Yongxuan contemplated this as she ate the soft and sweet honey muffins.
" Dont make excuses for him", the old man interrupted her coldly, " even if he trains normally, he isn’t allowed to eat these things . He has a special diet."
" Unfair..why my life …", Mai Wei Zhe continued singing from behind, airing his grievances.
With the strange soundtrack behind her, she finished a muffin , French toasts two strips of bacon, an omelette, a cup of coffee , a glass of orange juice, and two pieces of apple. After all this, she felt that her stomach was close to bursting, and she stopped.
After eating, Li Yongxuan helped to clean up the dishes.
After she finished the task, she asked a bit shyly ," Is there something else I can help with ? Also, about the rental for my stay…"
" If you want to help…"
Mai Wei Zhe was running on the treadmill, but he quietly looked at them as they approached, giving her a very jealous look.
"Will you write these records ?" Old Mai pointed at a notebook on the table.
Since she had followed their training schedules for so long, she was no stranger to the records of the physical condition of the athletes.
Old Mai was very satisfied, he entrusted her with the responsibility, and went back to the kitchen, ready to show off his skills in Chinese cuisine.
Mai Wei Zhe had been running for an hour, his speed was still very stable. The regular running sound, together with the beat of the rap music he was listening to, although very loud, soon seemed to have an invisible rhythm. From time to time, he himself would sing a line or so, in compliance with the coach’s instructions," when doing aerobic exercise, your speed should be to the extent that you should be able to sing."
No computer, no mobile phone, even no work…suddenly , she had nothing to do.
" Oh yeah.,yeah.." snatches of singing came to her ears.
" I did not doze off". Didn’t he see how solemnly she was recording everything ?
Though she wasn’t the one running, she suddenly felt a bit heated and out of breath.
Their glances collided , then he moved his gaze away.
Mai Wei Zhe turned away, and continued to run as if he hadn’t heard her.
Mai Wei Zhe maintained his silence, but ran faster and faster , his footsteps pounding the treadmill..Beep, beep ..
The old man roared from the kitchen, " Are you trying to kill yourself ?"
"You could not have known that I was fired, I had nowhere to go, and even if you knew, what did you want to tell me?"
" And also…"
" Have you asked enough questions ?" Mai We Zhe was finally forced to respond. He pulled of the heart rate monitor and got off the treadmill. Then he put his hand inside his bag.
As his fist opened, she saw her silver ring.
" Is it? I thought you weren’t paying attention to anything", Mai Wei Zhe sneered, " that night you only seemed to have eyes for.."
But then he abruptly stopped speaking.
Because he didn’t want to mention the name of Liang Wenhe.
He breathed in, his face flushed and covered with sweat. His eyes flashed fiercely at her. At that moment, he seemed like a ferocious beast who had rushed across the grasslands and was now staring at his prey.His expression was confusing. A bit happy, but also a bit sad..
She pondered for a moment, then said, " This is the only thing that I have of my aunt. This was the ring her boyfriend gave her. But that day she received the ring was also the day…"
That day, a couple with their daughter visited their sister at her university. The whole family was travelling together. It was a nice sunny day in early autumn, and the family had a lot of fun. But while they were returning, a drunk driver destroyed it all.
They drunk driver rammed into their car. The man driving the car died on the spot. The wife was taken to the hospital but died after first aid. Leaving only their nine month daughter Li Yongxuan in the care of her aunt Li Hui.
Her aunt was only a freshman at that time, a mere 19 years old. She had just got herself a boyfriend. After a series of misfortunes, the boyfriend left her, and the rest of the extended family too. Her little niece became her sole responsibility and a heavy burden. But her aunt never complained. She quit university to work. They weren’t very well off but she persisted in raising Yong Xuan.
" .. in my junior year, my aunt was diagnosed with liver cancer. She first gave me the ring after twenty years of wearing it constantly when she entered the operating room. " Li Yongxuan gently narrated, " Later Aunt had become too thin and could no longer wear the ring. After a year.. my aunt passed away."
She could remember that time as if it was yesterday. She was sitting outside the intensive care unit, cold with fear as waves of panic washed over her.
The room was silent except for the whirring noise of the treadmill." When my aunt was cremated, the head priest of the temple would not allow me to put the ring with her. He said this ring was unlucky, and any woman who wore it was destined to be alone for the rest of her life. He said I should throw it away, but how could I?Even if she was really lonely, how could I forget the kindness of my aunt ?"
Mai Wei Zhe suddenly reached out and grabbed the ring in her hand.
" I have been wearing it for some time. I lost some weight, so I think probably the ring slipped out." She wiped her face full of tears , strange, since she hadn’t been aware that she was crying and caught up with him, " Can you give it back to me ? I will be careful, probably wear it as a pendant.."
She removed the towel from her face and was surprised to see that he had taken off his t shirt!
His shoulder, arms, back and even the thin waist with clearly defined muscles was at the same level as any underwear model.
li Yongxuan's ears turned red, " You., why are you suddenly undressing ?"
At this point, her sad memories and the poignant atmosphere had suddenly changed. He had skilfully managed to pull her back from the edge of lonely desolation.
But this time it wasn’t as simple. She blushed but bravely looked back.
Mai Wei Zhe was a little surprised.
" It’s a pity that this will have to be left for next time", he winked at her, " I have an appointment."
" You…all you can do is talk". Knowing she was safe, she deliberately provoked him.
" You don’t know how bad I am", he answered in a low voice.
Her heart suddenly started beating rapidly.