Chapter 101 Sapporo, February. This city...

Sapporo, February. This city, famous for its powder snow and beer, is currently adorned with the enthusiasm of the Asian Winter Games.

The members of the national short track speed skating team have arrived and are gradually adapting to the climate and competition venue. Ren Xiyao is in good form, having successfully advanced in both the 1500m and 1000m preliminaries.

Kwon Ji-yong wore a black mask that almost covered half his face, a dark gray baseball cap pulled low over his head, and black-rimmed glasses without prescription on his nose. He stood in front of the shelves of a 24-hour convenience store in the athletes' village, carefully browsing through the various colorful energy bars and supplements.

His phone vibrated slightly in his pocket. He took it out without making a sound. On the screen was a message from Ren Xiyao: "North Gate, in five minutes."

He quickly glanced at the information, then grabbed a few bags of what looked like high-energy nuts and hot milk from the shelf and hurried toward the checkout counter.

The north gate of the athletes' village was relatively secluded, and there were hardly any people there at the moment. Ren Xiyao was already waiting there, leaning against a bare ginkgo tree, wearing the national team's down jacket. She wasn't wearing a hat, her hair was a little messy from the wind, and the tip of her nose was slightly red from the cold.

"Here you go." Kwon Ji-yong shoved a still-steaming can of milk into her cold hand. "Just finished training?" he asked in a low voice, his eyes quickly scanning the surroundings to make sure no one else was paying attention.

"Hmm, it's not too intense, it's mainly for adjustment." Ren Xiyao warmed her hands with her hands: "How did you get in? They're pretty strict here."

"I got a little help from a sponsor in Japan," Kwon Ji-yong said casually. "Nuts and energy bars, see which you prefer." He was strictly controlling his diet during the competition, but he could still have some snacks to replenish his energy.

Ren Xiyao took the bag and glanced at it casually: "Thanks. Tomorrow is the 1500m final, and the day after tomorrow is the 1000m."

"Yes, I know." Kwon Ji-yong nodded, his gaze falling on her reddened nose and cheeks, and he couldn't help but reach out and gently tidy her wind-blown hair.

Ren Xiyao suddenly frowned slightly and leaned closer: "Your dark circles...didn't you sleep well last night?"

"Huh? Really?" He subconsciously touched under his eyes and mumbled, "Maybe... I stayed up a little late writing songs last night."

"Lying." Ren Xiyao's tone was calm, yet carried an undeniable certainty.

Seeing his brother's happy expression as he prepared to embark on a new phase of his life, he was genuinely happy for him. But that radiant happiness also served as a mirror, reflecting his own inner anxiety and...confusion. His military service was drawing ever closer, and the future was shrouded in uncertainty. And where would this carefully maintained, clandestine relationship between him and her lead?

Ren Xiyao stared at the obvious guilt and fleeting complex emotions on his face, but didn't press further: "Never mind. We don't have much time. Let's go. I'll show you around the area so you can get familiar with the place next time you come."

The two walked slowly along a secluded path on the outskirts of the athletes' village. The snow in Sapporo was different from that in Seoul; it was drier and fluffier, making a "crunch, crunch" sound underfoot, which was especially clear in the quiet night.

After walking in silence for a while, Ren Xiyao's voice suddenly broke the silence: "Brother Taiyang... how are the proposal preparations going?"

Kwon Ji-yong nearly choked on his own saliva: "Cough cough... How, how did you know?!"

“Last night you were grinning like an idiot at your phone, and then you were staring blankly at a few pictures of churches.” Ren Xiyao didn’t even turn her head.

"..."

He forgot that the girl in front of him not only had amazing insight on the ice rink, but was also frighteningly perceptive in life.

"It's set for... March 14th, they say it's an auspicious day." He confessed somewhat helplessly, quickening his pace to walk alongside her: "The location is that glass chapel on Jeju Island. That guy insisted that I be in charge of the fireworks display, saying he wanted to make it as grand as a New Year's Eve concert."

Ren Xiyao's lips curved into a tiny smile, as if she were laughing: "It suits you quite well."

The atmosphere seemed to lighten. Kwon Ji-yong looked at the girl's calm profile beside him, the streetlight casting soft shadows on her face. He hesitated for a moment, then couldn't help but speak, his voice a few decibels lower than before: "Ren Xiyao."

"Um?"

"What do you think..." He stopped, kicking away a patch of compacted snow with the tip of his shoe, as if organizing his thoughts: "...how about marriage?"

Upon hearing this, Ren Xiyao stopped and turned around, looking at him with some curiosity: "What do you mean, 'how'?"

"It's just..." Kwon Ji-yong felt his Adam's apple bob involuntarily, his heart racing slightly, "I just feel... is it good or bad? Or rather... is it even meaningful?"

Ren Xiyao looked at him with a complicated expression, her brows furrowed slightly: "You should ask Brother Taiyang or Sister Xiaolin about this, right? If they think it's good, that's all that matters. Why are you worrying about it?"

"..."

He shut up completely. Okay, first attempt failed. She didn't even consider the possibility of it happening to her.

The atmosphere at the women's 1500m final was almost at its peak. Ren Xiyao stood in lane three, her expression focused and calm. Kwon Ji-yong remained seated in the last row of the media section, in that almost forgotten corner, his eyes fixed on the red figure on the ice the entire time.

The competition was thrilling. Lee Eun-jung, Kim Sook-yeon, Park Min-hee, and the host nation Japan all demonstrated exceptional skill and sophisticated tactics in the finals. Ren Xiyao and Xu Qinghe also displayed excellent teamwork.

Entering the final two laps! Ren Xiyao began to exert her strength! Two consecutive precise inside overtakes instantly made the already chaotic situation even more chaotic! This time she moved later than the South Korean rider.

The last bend! It's Kim Su-yeon again, they both cut in almost simultaneously! Their skates clashed, neither giving an inch! Their battle was almost a hair's breadth apart.

Emerging from the bend! With her superior explosiveness and sprinting ability, Ren Xiyao crossed the finish line first, holding a slight advantage of half an ice blade!

Gold medal! Women's 1500m gold medal at the Asian Winter Games!

The entire venue erupted in cheers!

Facing the camera, Ren Xiyao once again made a "W" sign, slid to the sidelines, and finally revealed a victorious smile on her face.

After Ren Xiyao finished her interview following the 1500m final, Kwon Ji-yong was already waiting in the safety passage. Leaning against the wall, he was playing with a metal lighter in his hand, the lid opening and closing with a monotonous, rhythmic "click, click."

Ren Xiyao sat cross-legged on the stair steps covered with a thin layer of dust, and took out a piece of bread from her pocket: "Stop playing, it's too noisy."

Kwon Ji-ryong reluctantly put the lighter away and tucked it back into his pocket. Watching her eat with her cheeks bulging like a little squirrel, his mood inexplicably improved, but the lingering anxiety in his heart remained. He hesitated for a moment, then tried to speak again, attempting a more roundabout approach: "Are your... parents' relationship good?"

Ren Xiyao paused in her chewing, thought for a moment, and replied calmly, "It's fine. Otherwise, my grandparents and maternal grandparents wouldn't be able to get together every day. My mom makes the decisions in my family."

"Oh, that's good." Kwon Ji-yong responded softly, feeling inexplicably relieved. At least, her impression of marriage shouldn't be entirely negative.

"What exactly are you trying to say?" Ren Xiyao put away the bread and finally couldn't help but look him directly in the eye: "You've been acting really strange these past two days."

Kwon Ji-yong felt a little uncomfortable under her gaze, avoided her eyes, and took the bread from her hand: "No... nothing. I just looked at those photos and felt a bit emotional, so we just chatted."

Just then, the voice-activated sensor light above them clicked off. The emergency exit was instantly plunged into complete darkness. Only the soft breathing of the two people echoed in the confined space.

"Snap!" The motion sensor light turned on.

The orange light illuminated the corridor again, and also the complex, unspoken expression on Kwon Ji-yong's face.

“Kwon Ji-yong.” Ren Xiyao looked at him, her tone becoming more serious.

"Um?"

"You've been acting really strange these past few days," she repeated, her eyes probing. "Is something... bothering you?"

He tugged at the corners of his mouth, trying to put on a relaxed smile, but it looked somewhat forced: "Maybe... I caught it from the sun and got a taste of 'proposal anxiety syndrome' ahead of time."

"By the way," he said again, seemingly casually, "among the players in your team... those who are around the same age, are many of them married?"

"not much."

Why?

"What else could it be?" She finally looked up and gave him a strange look. "At your early twenties, you should be focusing on achieving results and competing in the Olympics. Who has time to think about marriage?"

After a day of "lurking" and "testing the waters," Kwon Ji-yong returned to his room that evening, feeling utterly exhausted. Just then, his sister called, and he hesitated for a moment before answering.

The two chatted idly, but Kwon Ji-yong seemed a little distracted. His sister, who was applying a face mask, said, "Hey, Kwon Ji-yong, you've been acting really strange lately."

"Really?" he asked absentmindedly, twirling the jade ring on his left ring finger.

"Of course!" the older sister raised her voice. "Last time she suddenly asked my parents what kind of daughter-in-law they liked, and this afternoon she texted me again to ask about the specific procedures for marriage registration. What, has our family's star finally settled down? Which outstanding beauty is she?"

"Hmm? Assuming what?" The older sister removed the face mask and stared sharply at her younger brother on the screen.

"Suppose... if, I mean if, I were to get married, what do you think... what would you say?" He lowered his voice, with a hint of barely perceptible nervousness.

His sister narrowed her eyes, looking at him like she was scrutinizing a criminal: "I don't even know who the other person is, how can I possibly judge? You've never even publicly acknowledged a girlfriend, and suddenly you're getting married?"

"Let's just treat him like an ordinary person," he said vaguely.

"How ordinary?" His sister clearly wasn't going to let him off the hook.

Kwon Ji-yong touched his nose, his eyes darting around: "...Well, um...for ice skating."

"Figure skating?" the older sister guessed. "Are there any girl group members from any company who switched from this sport recently?"

“No,” he said in an even lower voice, “short track.”

Silence fell on the other end of the screen. The teasing expression on her sister's face slowly faded, replaced by surprise and thoughtfulness. She suddenly sat up straight, her voice tinged with uncertainty: "Wait, short track? Could it be...that...I thought you were..." She didn't finish her sentence. Seeing Kwon Ji-yong's less-than-pleasant expression on the screen, she subconsciously swallowed those two words back.

"Assumption! I already said it's assumption!" Kwon Ji-yong interrupted her loudly, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, his cheeks flushed.

There was a long silence on the other end of the video call. So long that Kwon Ji-yong thought the signal had been lost, she finally spoke slowly, her tone complex and earnest: "Ji-yong."

"Um?"

"From childhood to adulthood, all your so-called 'assumptions'... seem to have come true in the end."

After the video call ended, Kwon Ji-yong irritably tossed his phone aside, slumped back onto the soft bed, and stared blankly at the ceiling. He couldn't sleep at all. Outside the window, the Sapporo night was deep and dark. And his heart, like the night, was filled with anticipation for the future, and... a deep unease.