Chapter 2: Ginkgo Trees Outside the Glass Curtain Wall...

Just as the ginkgo leaves outside the glass curtain wall twirled and fell, Ren Xiyao had just run out of ink. The black pen stopped on the fully-written training diary, and the dappled shadows of the trees happened to spill over the kinesiology tape on the inside of her wrist.

In the two months I've been here, my physical fitness has improved significantly, and my technique has also improved to some extent. Reflecting on my daily training remains essential. The phone rang; Lin Shan told her to hurry to the cafeteria, or there wouldn't be any seats left.

She put away her notebook and reached for her tracksuit jacket, but as she picked it up, Ren Xiyao paused, realizing it was almost a month since that night at the nightclub. But the strange feeling she had when she met that person kept making her stare blankly at the tracksuit. Perhaps it was because of the conventional environment she grew up in. She rarely met someone so flamboyant, yet despite his flamboyance, he seemed quite gentle in private. It was probably this contrast that always left her with a lingering feeling.

Ren Xiyao walked to the bar and ordered a takeaway hot lemonade. Sunlight slanted into the light strip on the wooden floor, and fine dust was dancing a spiraling dance.

Kwon Ji-yong pressed his face against the window of the van and breathed on it. It was late autumn, early winter in Seoul. The cold air condensed into tiny ice crystals on the window. As his manager got out to buy coffee, he was drawing musical notes with his fingernails in the mist when he suddenly saw the Chinese girl standing in the shadows, deep in thought.

She was still wearing the same tracksuit she'd worn at the celebration party, but now she wore a black down vest over it. The strap of her backpack was draped over one shoulder. Her gaze was fixed on the distant light and shadows, as if lost in thought. The sound of a copper bell hanging from the eaves jingling as someone pushed open the glass door of the beverage shop interrupted her reverie. She looked at the drink the clerk was preparing.

"Iced Americano with triple espresso?" the agent asked, tapping on the car window with a paper coffee cup in hand.

"Hyung, get me a hot latte." Kwon Ji-yong suddenly pulled a cashmere scarf over half his face: "I'm going downstairs for some fresh air."

The moment the cold air stung his nostrils, he suddenly recalled some details: that night, when she sat in the booth, there was something that looked like bandages in front of her, and amidst the deafening electronic music, she seemed somewhat out of place with everything around her. She was ethereal, like the morning light piercing through a sea of ​​clouds, or perhaps a mountain spirit—it was hard to describe. She wasn't a glamorous model, a cool fashionista, or a cute or sexy idol.

She was someone he had never seen before. A blend of the primal wildness of the deep rainforest and the chilling cold of the Siberian winds—all the words in his mind failed him in finding a suitable way to describe this girl. This one encounter alone was unforgettable, and he often thought of her during this time.

I wonder which company he's a trainee from? This style is completely new to me. But I'm sure he's very photogenic. Then, as if remembering something, he shook his head almost imperceptibly. He's probably not a trainee, otherwise I would recognize him.

Kwon Ji-yong was lost in thought before entering the room and almost knocked over the Christmas tree by the door. When he came to his senses, the first thing he noticed was a rolled-up notebook tucked into the side pocket of her backpack.

"Oh, sorry, I'm sorry, it's you. I apologize, I didn't notice." Ren Xiyao spoke incoherently, mixing Korean and English. She subconsciously stepped back to a safe distance. Quan Zhilong smelled a faint medicinal scent, confirming that the scent that had left a deep impression on him at the celebration banquet that day was also on her.

The phone rang at that moment. Kwon Ji-yong frowned slightly, feeling the ringtone was a bit inappropriate. He glanced at the phone. Ren Xiyao said slowly in somewhat broken Korean, "I have to go now. See you next time."

Before Kwon Ji-yong could say anything, the girl had already run out. Watching her departing figure, he felt a strange, uncontrollable urge he hadn't felt in a long time.

The manager frantically gestured outside the door, but Kwon Ji-yong looked at the shop assistant who was visibly excited to see him. The assistant stammered, "Could you sign this for me? I'm a fan." Kwon Ji-yong smiled and said, "Of course." The assistant went to get paper and a pen. While signing, he casually inquired, "Hot lemonade, huh? Do many people drink it? I don't know if it's good?" Completely absorbed in his excitement, the assistant quickly replied, "It's good, right? Like that lady just now, she always comes and only orders hot lemonade." Kwon Ji-yong understood immediately and signed the autograph. He got the answer he wanted. He was in a very good mood.

On the way back, his manager was nagging about the storyboard for the music video shoot tomorrow. Kwon Ji-yong jotted down a date in his phone's notes app and suddenly asked, "Hyung, is hot lemonade good?"

Ren Xiyao rushed back to the cafeteria, and as soon as she sat down, Lin Shan said, "Let's watch the game tonight. The World Cup is on its third leg now, right?"

Lee Eun-jung chimed in, "Yes, time really flies! We need to adjust our training rhythm too. We might start training at a pace that's in preparation for a match."

Ren Xiyao looked at Li Enjing: "Do you have any more competitions this year?"

Lee Eun-jung said, "There's a selection process before the Winter Universiade. If you get selected, you can go to the Winter Universiade this year. Are you going to the World Youth Championships?"

Lin Shan rummaged through the rice on his plate: "Xi Yao got injured during summer training and missed the selection process. Her competitions this year will all be in China. I, on the other hand, can go to the World Youth Championships, so I should be training in China for the National Championships in a while. I'll come back during summer training."

Ren Xiyao looked at Rita: "What about you? Do you have any competitions this year?"

"I'll be going back to China at the end of December to compete in the domestic qualifying rounds. If I get a spot in the Winter Universiade, I'll go; if not, the group will disband." Rita shrugged.

Lee Eun-jung sighed, "Two months is considered a short training period. We've only just started to get to know each other."

Lin Shan patted Eun-jung: "Don't worry, we signed a long-term training contract, we'll be back next year. Besides, isn't Xi-yao with us?"

That's how training camps are; people come and people go. The different paths they take mean that no one can stay in one place for long. So most people walk this path alone. Everyone knows this, but no one says it aloud at this time, because parting is always painful.

That night, Lin Shan and Ren Xiyao stayed in their dormitory. South Korean television was broadcasting short track speed skating, but neither of them could understand the audio. Lin Shan searched for a long time before finally finding the CCTV broadcast online: the Short Track Speed ​​Skating World Cup Turin leg, 1500m Group B final.

The short track speed skating finals are divided into Group A and Group B. Group A is about who gets the gold medal. Group B is basically about the results of the top 6 and below.

As the familiar Chinese voice announced the broadcast, Lin Shan excitedly exclaimed, "It's done! I was too tired from training the past two days to watch it, so I didn't know how it went this time."

Ren Xiyao, standing nearby, was also very excited: "The four competitions before the Olympic season are all great opportunities for training. Every team is giving it their all. But right now, our biggest enemy is still the South Korean team."

Lin Shan, standing nearby, said, "With the captain here, at least 500 is definitely no problem, and 1000 is also very promising. For 1500, we have Sister Xu, and our relay team is stable. We're definitely a contender. Do you think we can do what Vancouver did and have the women's team sweep all four gold medals again?"

Ren Xiyao, standing beside her, also showed a longing expression: "Vancouver, what a highlight! But it's okay, with our captain this year, who knows, we might be able to recreate that glory. As for the future, it's our future. Maybe we can be like our captain, Sister Zhou." Just then, Whit from the Canadian team made a beautiful overtake, securing the victory in the 1500mb group.

Lin Shan got excited: "Alright, alright, it's time for the Group A finals. Who's this? The South Korean team." Ren Xiyao also turned her attention back to the game: "The two South Korean team members, Sister Li and Sister Zhou, have also made it. Sister Zhou should have a chance to win a medal."

Lin Shan's face turned serious: "The South Korean team's newcomer, Kim Suk-yeon, is younger than us. Born in '97, she's really strong. And she's actually doing quite well in the 500m, despite being disabled on the South Korean team. It's really good that she made it to the A finals, and she even shows signs of becoming an all-around champion."

Ren Xiyao also looked serious: "In two years, when Park Hye-yeon of the South Korean team retires, it will probably be her time to shine. South Korea doesn't have much trouble with talent development. From what we've seen during our training abroad, they have quite a lot of reserve talent in the 1500m. Take Lee Eun-jung for example, if she weren't prone to injuries, she would definitely have a place on the South Korean women's team."

Lin Shan pursed her lips and said, "We have a lot of talent in reserve. But only Li Enjing is normal. The others... Ah! Sister Zhou is up. She's already moving so early. There are still seven laps to go."

"Things are going to get chaotic later. If we don't come in early, it'll be difficult for the two South Korean players to coordinate." Both of them fell silent, focusing their attention on the game. Only the commentator's voice echoed in the room.

"South Korea's 1997-born Kim Suk-yeon has a wealth of experience in major competitions. Her stamina is a huge advantage! She's incredibly fast in the final sprint! The South Korean team chose to overtake from the outside! The Chinese athlete temporarily opted to cut inside. A successful overtake by the South Korean team! In the crucial final two laps, it depends on whether the Chinese athlete can hold the inside lane and withstand the attack from the other South Korean athlete behind them!"

"Oh, it seems like we were just one blade short at the very end." Ren Xiyao breathed a sigh of relief the moment the match ended. Lin Shan said, "A bronze medal is pretty good, it's just that we didn't lock onto that last little bit of the inside lane, and we might have come up a little too early. It's a bit disappointing." The two of them were still eager to analyze the match further.

The student affairs teacher knocked on the door and said, "Get some rest, stop playing around." The two replied and started packing up to rest.

In the quiet of the night, Ren Xiyao lay in bed, feeling a bit sleepless. The competition she had just participated in had put her under immense pressure. The South Korean athlete, born in 1997, was three years younger than her, yet already possessed a wealth of experience in world-class competitions. She was a strong contender for the gold medal and a hot favorite for the 1500m gold at the Solo Winter Olympics. The Chinese team's earliest notable achievements were in the 500m, and both the 500m and 1000m, given the current situation, can be considered anaerobic events, requiring explosive power. However, there is still a long way to go in the 1500m, and the talent pool is not as deep as in the 500m.

This kind of thinking is really frustrating. Ren Xiyao came to a foreign country alone with a simple purpose: to improve her long-distance running skills. She still has a long road ahead. Not four years, but every single day.

The early winter wind swirls the skeletal remains of the paulownia trees, trembling in the cold, pale moonlight. All ambitions will stretch their roots beneath the frost-covered soil, waiting to break through and meet spring head-on.