Gray

night,

Lin Yueqin collapsed on the sofa after returning home. Just as she was about to order takeout, her fingertips suddenly paused. As if remembering something, she quickly clicked on Weibo.

At this moment, the video she shot for Jiang Gao was playing on the phone screen. Subtitles had been added later, and a hazy but not deliberate filter had been added.

She couldn't help but feel a little proud. She was really good at filming. The video looked really high quality. The atmosphere and angles were just right. Of course, the protagonist herself was also very eye-catching. So she gave it a like with her second account.

Half an hour later,

Jiang Gao's message appeared on the screen: [Have you eaten?]

Before she could reply, the next message popped up: [I just finished my meal and returned to the base.]

After receiving his message, Lin Yueqin unconsciously pursed her lips and her eyes lit up, but she did not answer his question.

Instead, reply: [Do you want to call? ]

Almost within a second of sending the message, the voice call interface popped up.

She quickly answered the call, a hint of barely perceptible joy in her voice: "Uh...are you guys done with training today?"

"There is no training today. Trials will start tomorrow and there is still some time before the competition."

She turned sideways, leaning against the back of the sofa in a more comfortable position, "Oh, what are you having for dinner tonight?"

"I'm eating soup pot, how about you?"

"Me? I just ordered takeout." Her voice faded away.

"Well, eat well." Jiang Gao said seriously.

She felt a little guilty when she heard that, because in fact she hadn't eaten yet.

After returning home, she kept watching the video and reading the comments. At the critical moment, she also went to read the daily posts of other players in the league. Even she was amused by this behavior.

Time passed by unknowingly and she completely forgot to order food until Jiang Gao sent her a message.

"Teacher Jiang, who did you have dinner with today?" she tried to change the subject.

"Teammate and coach."

She originally thought it was a happy dinner after the holiday, so she spoke in a relaxed tone: "So you guys should be pretty happy today, right?"

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone. "I'm not happy. The atmosphere at dinner today is not very good."

He then added, "Because one of our team members needs surgery."

"Ah? What surgery? Is it serious?" Lin Yueqin's eyebrows jumped suddenly.

"A hand surgery, an occupational disease."

"Is it... Changyan?" she tried to ask.

"Um."

Lin Yueqin opened her mouth and asked, "If he has surgery, will he be unable to play with you this season?"

"Um."

His voice was low and you could tell he was in a bad mood.

She held the phone tightly, but still asked softly, "So what do you think of Chang Yan?"

"Hmm?" Jiang Gao was stunned for a moment, as if he didn't expect her to ask that.

Jiang Gao said that Chang Yan was a very responsible captain who often adjusted the team atmosphere and cared about every member. He was also very serious about the game, very hardworking, and very persistent.

As he spoke, he recalled Chang Yan's hands shaking unconsciously backstage after the finals. Chang Yan tried to hide the pain behind him with a deliberate smile. In fact, Jiang Gao saw it all, so he felt sad for him. Such a good person had to endure the torture of injuries.

"Well, Changyan is very good. I believe he doesn't want to see you unhappy because of his injury. Having to leave the field because of the injury is something that neither he nor you want to happen.

Now that it has happened, we must weigh the pros and cons and seek a better option. All you and Changyan can do is accept and let it go, right?"

Lin Yueqin tried to swallow her saliva and added: "But Mr. Jiang, there is still a possibility that he will fight alongside you again, right?

No matter what, trust his choice. The most important thing is to carry his faith and hope with you and keep going, right? Every road has its own unique scenery. What you should do most now is to stay grounded in the present and keep moving forward with determination.

Jiang Gao stood in front of the French window on the first floor, looking at the night view outside. He took a deep breath and replied, "Yes, I will."

She heard his voice soften a little, and she breathed a sigh of relief, so she changed the subject: "By the way, do you remember I said I wanted to get a kitten?"

"Yes, I remember."

"I'm going to take it home in the next two days. By the way... have you ever had a cat? Or any other small animal?"

He tried to recall and replied calmly, "No."

"You don't either? This is my first time raising an animal too. I'm a little excited, but also a little worried."

"What are you worried about?"

"I'm worried that I won't be able to raise it well! What if I don't take good care of it and it gets sick? What if it gets lonely as a kitten when I'm at work? What if it doesn't adapt well to my home? What if I let it become dirty and ugly?" She suddenly started talking vividly.

A deep laugh came from the other end of the phone: "No."

"How do you know not?"

He paused for half a second and whispered, "You will raise it to be as beautiful as you."

Lin Yueqin suddenly opened her eyes wide and raised her voice: "What did you just say? Say it again?"

He coughed lightly, and his tone returned to normal: "...it won't become sloppy."

"Is what you said the same as before? Teacher Jiang~"

"Hmm." His throat moved.

"What would you do if I told you I was recording this?"

There seemed to be silence over there for a moment, and then his clear and gentle voice came: "You look very beautiful."

"Ah...!" Lin Yueqin's face suddenly became so hot that she couldn't speak.

I originally wanted to tease him, but ended up being caught off guard by his blunt remark.

This person! Why is he like this?

On the other end of the phone, Jiang Gao's ears had actually turned as ripe apples, so red that they seemed to bleed.

She took two deep breaths before she managed to steady her voice: "Teacher Jiang, do you know?" She deliberately dragged out her tone.

"What?"

"Actually..." She paused again.

"Actually what?" he asked cooperatively.

"Actually... you... are very pretty too!"

As soon as the words fell, both of them held their phones and lowered their heads and laughed at the same time.

The sound of each other's gentle laughter came from the receiver, and the atmosphere quietly became soft.

"So," she asked softly, "are you feeling better now?"

"Yeah." Jiang Gao's tone was gentle, his eyes were smiling.

Then he said very gently, "Thank you."

"You're welcome. You need to eat well, sleep well, and train well."

"Okay, you too."

After saying that, he added: "Eat happily, sleep well, and work smoothly."

The two of them laughed in tacit understanding again.

Sometimes Lin Yueqin herself couldn't help but wonder how she could be so childish.

But that’s fine, they enjoy it.

"good evening."

"good evening."

After a sweet greeting, the two hung up the phone.

Please have a good sleep in the quiet night.

Welcome the rising sun tomorrow.

the next day,

There are many players coming to FD for trial training. In addition to confrontation, other lanes also need to be strengthened.

There are veteran players from other clubs in the league, as well as several young academy students.

Today's tryout results were pretty good, and we won several training matches.

After the tryout ended and the game was reviewed, it was already evening.

After discussing it, a few people decided to invite the players who came for tryouts today to go out for dinner.

If we are going to treat someone, of course we want the veteran players to come.

One Wan, dressed in a relaxed manner, sat down next to Jiang Gao and casually started a conversation: "Moon, you've become more handsome after not seeing you for a few days!"

Jiang Gao was immediately speechless and said in a somewhat cold tone, "Didn't we just meet yesterday?"

Hey! This guy, didn’t I have time to greet you yesterday?

OneWan shrugged nonchalantly, then continued calmly, "Have you been in Beijing during your vacation?"

Jiang Gao nodded slightly, his eyes still fixed on the phone screen.

Hearing this, One Wan couldn't help but feel happy for him, thinking that his relationship with his family had eased. "Are you living at home?"

He shook his head and replied calmly, "Hotel."

A hint of surprise flashed across oneWan's face. He had wanted to ask how his parents were doing, but now he found it difficult to open his mouth.

His mind raced, and something suddenly occurred to him: "Eh? Who filmed that video for you?"

Jiang Gao looked at him with some doubt, "Hmm?"

He didn't seem to react yet.

"Hey, it's the daily video of your professional player." He took out his mobile phone to find the video for him.

Jiang Gao seemed to suddenly understand, and a glimmer flashed in his eyes, "Oh, that."

"Guess." His tone was flat, but the corners of his mouth curled up unconsciously.

After hearing these two words, onewan looked at him in disbelief, thinking, are you kidding me?

"How am I supposed to guess? How could I guess? If I were to guess...it would be my girlfriend!"

Jiang Gao's fingers kept tapping the screen of his mobile phone, and his right leg was shaking in a rare relaxed posture.

He just curled his lips and didn't answer.

"Oh my god! It's true!"

"Moon, you've changed! Tsk tsk."

"Moon, I really want to go to Beijing next offseason!"

Jiang Gao frowned slightly and looked at the excited person next to him with questioning eyes.

"Because I really want to see you fall in love!"

Jiang Gao gave him a speechless expression, closed his eyes slightly to indicate that he couldn't bear to watch, and turned his head away.

On the side, "Moon! One million! Let's go, they are discussing what to eat!"

"Alright!" One Wan jumped up easily, patted the person next to him, and said, "Let's go! I'm not going to Beijing during the off-season, hahaha."

Jiang Gao stood up expressionlessly and gave him an indescribable look.

…

Spider, who was sitting in the car, suddenly said, "By the way, how was Changyan's surgery today? He didn't reply to my message."

"Yeah, the surgery should be done by now!"

"The operation was successful." Jiang Gao said in the corner.

"How do you know? Did he message you back?"

"Yeah, he just finished and replied via voicemail. He seemed to be taking a break afterwards and didn't check his phone."

Jiang Gao had sent him a message early this morning, so Chang Yan replied immediately.

"Oh, that's good!"

After hearing the news, everyone felt a little brighter and the atmosphere in the car became cheerful.

…

After completing a lot of research and listening to the advice of many cat-raising friends, Lin Yueqin finally took the kitten home.

At night, after opening the door, Lin Yueqin carefully took her out of the bag.

It was so small, probably only as big as her two palms, with pure white base fur and smoky gray tips, which was extremely beautiful.

"Welcome home! My baby!" she said in a light tone.

She gently stroked its fur with a loving look. The little guy was still in the kitten stage and was a little shy. He stared at Lin Yueqin with his big, innocent eyes, which was so cute that her heart melted.

She had already prepared a beautiful little house, soft cushions, cat litter, and everything else for it.

She quickly opened the cat water dispenser and watched the kitten stretch out its pink tongue to lick the water bit by bit. She couldn't help but record a video when she saw its humming voice.

She seemed to suddenly understand why people say "Once you become a mother, you love to show off your baby", because at this moment she couldn't wait to post a message on her Moments.

Before I could put my phone away, a new message popped up on the screen.

Jiang Gao: [Have you eaten?]

Looking at the message, she remembered that she had been busy today and had not sent him a message.

Lin Yueqin: [Yeah, I ate it at the kitten's original owner's house when I went to pick it up today.]

Then, she recorded a separate video and sent it to Jiang Gao.

In the video, her fingers were gently hooking the kitten's chin, and the kitten made two slight humming sounds.

Lin Yueqin: [Is it cute?]

Jiang Gao: [Lovely, what's her name?]

【! I haven’t decided yet. 】

Lin Yueqin was in a dilemma for a moment.

She looked up and around, her attention drawn to the three plates on the coffee table. An idea struck her, and she sat down on the sofa, looking at the scene in front of her, and continued to message him.

Lin Yueqin: [Is today's training over? ]

Jiang Gao: [Well, tryouts are usually in the afternoon lately, and there are no evening trainings scheduled yet.]

Looking at the message in front of her, Lin Yueqin chose to call him directly.

"Good evening!" she began seriously.

Jiang Gao was amused by the formal tone. He suppressed a chuckle and replied, "Good evening."

"Teacher Jiang, there are three kinds of fruits in front of me. From left to right, they are numbered 123. Please choose one!"

"Hmm?" Jiang Gao hesitated.

"Well, don't doubt it, you heard it right, pick one quickly!"

"Then I'll choose the middle one." He answered quickly.

"Why?" Lin Yueqin's eyes lit up in an instant. Why did he think the same as her?

"Because it is customary to put the favorite in the middle," the other party explained.

Lin Yueqin nodded in agreement after hearing this, "Well, you're right, so I've thought of a name!"

"Um?"

"Call me Greep!" she said as she typed these words into the chat box and sent it over.

He then explained during the call: "Do you know why? Because the fruit in the middle is grapes, haha."

All I heard was a low laugh from the other end of the phone.

"What are you laughing at? What's going on? Isn't it nice?"

“It sounds nice.”

Lin Yueqin looked at the name she had just sent out, shook her head a little dissatisfied, and said, "But, after thinking about it, I don't really like the word 'common'. I still want my kitten to be a little more unique. Hmm..., let's just call him Gray!"

"Hmm?" Jiang Gao unconsciously let out a light hum from his nose.

"Well, Gray, everyone must think that her name comes from her gray fur, but it's not actually because she's an unusual grape. What do you think?"

"Yeah, I think it sounds nice and quite interesting." He nodded involuntarily on the other end of the phone.

Although the name sounds quite ordinary, Lin Yueqin couldn't help but feel complacent when she thought about the little meaning behind it.

"Teacher Jiang, do you know? It's really small! It feels like you can cover it with one palm." Lin Yueqin couldn't help but stretch out her palm to try to gesture as she spoke.

Jiang Gao couldn't help laughing when he heard that, and said jokingly, "I don't know."

He was teasing her.

Lin Yueqin felt that Jiang Gao's words were actually a bit coldly humorous. She moved the corners of her mouth and said, "Well... if you don't know, then you have to come and see for yourself."

After that, both of them were silent for a moment.

Then, a pleasant voice came into her eardrums through the phone, firm yet gentle: "Okay, off-season."

She couldn't help but curl her lips, "By then it must have grown big enough to be the size of two palms!"

"Then let me demonstrate."

"good."

On both ends of the phone, pink bubbles quietly floated up, spread, and filled each other's space.

At this moment, it is like sparkling water in summer. With a "bang", the uncontrollable gas rushes out of the bottle, and the overflowing bubbles hang on the edge. The refreshing and stimulating feeling makes people intoxicated, insatiable and addictive.

At the end of the call,

"good evening."

"good evening."

After hanging up the phone, Lin Yueqin was in a really good mood.

She tilted her head to look at the kitten lying quietly beside her, walked over gently to stroke its fur, which was not much at the moment, and whispered, "Grey, can you call me Grey? My baby!"

"Meow~" Gray called out in response, as if to say that he liked it very much.

She held Gray and slowly walked to the window sill. The moonlight sprinkled on the leaves. The corners of her mouth unconsciously rose as she quietly appreciated the tranquility of the night.

Happiness says she has arrived.