Turning Point (Part 1)

There aren't many direct flights from Beijing to Belgrade, so Coach Xu quickly booked a flight for tomorrow afternoon. Suddenly, time became very tight, leaving Zhou Zeyu only half a day to prepare.

She barely slept all night, pulling out that ill-fated suitcase again and haphazardly stuffing things inside. Her hands were busy, but her mind was completely blank. So when she belatedly realized something was wrong, she had already put the living room TV remote inside.

So she could only shake her head, trying to clear her mind, and rummage through the room to see if she had accidentally put anything else in there.

After rummaging around for a while, she successfully found two or three screws of unknown origin, a sharp fruit knife that gleamed coldly, and even a garbage bag with a large hole in it that exuded a strange aura.

Luckily, I realized what was happening and checked beforehand, otherwise I would have had to carry this whole basket of useless stuff back home.

Zhou Zeyu originally wanted to bring some souvenirs back, but after wandering around for a long time after leaving Professor Elbernt's house, he didn't find anything. He could only wander around to a boutique and buy a few matryoshka dolls. Although these things seem to be a Russian specialty, he couldn't find anything more suitable.

She sighed, rummaged through the trash, stuffed the various matryoshka dolls back in, packed the entire box to the brim, and zipped it up with all her might. Then everything was fine.

After doing all that, she stretched wearily, rubbed her eyes, and looked around, but inexplicably felt a sense of desolation.

She was in such a rush when she decided to leave that she didn't have time to think about anything in her excitement. She grabbed a bunch of things and rushed to the airport. At that time, all she wanted to do was go back and figure everything out. She didn't even have time to say goodbye properly. She was filled with grief and indignation and was ready to go back.

However, she was probably too anxious, and fate didn't allow her to board the plane in the end. Fortunately, the quick-witted thief helped her calm down after the unexpected turn of events.

But this time was different from before, she knew.

This departure might truly be a farewell to Belgrade. She had lived in this house for more than half a year, so it would be a lie to say she was completely carefree. Especially when she saw the once-full house suddenly emptied, the anxiety and sorrow of parting became particularly apparent.

Back when she packed her bags and prepared to take the train to Beijing, she probably felt the same way. But that was so long ago, the time gap was so long that it even romanticized some of the bitterness. But she guessed that she was probably feeling the same way now.

When she first arrived in Belgrade, she felt out of place everywhere. Everything, from the mountains and rivers to the local customs, felt unfamiliar. She dreamed of going back at night. But now, time has passed, and she has begun to feel reluctant to leave. However, this reluctance seems more like a form of escapism.

She used to want to go back because there was always somewhere to return to. She also had overly idealistic expectations for her future career, believing that although the current situation was terrible, she could always turn things around through her own efforts.

Later, she was hit by a series of blows that almost drove her to madness. She was kicked out of the national team and could no longer go home. It seems that hiding here forever is not so bad. At least she will never have to think about what to do next.

But no one can bury their head in the sand forever. She can't, and Coach Xu won't let her fend for herself here.

Some things you just have to face.

Coach Xu was staying at a hotel not far away and sent her a message early on urging her to go to bed, but Zhou Zeyu's biological clock had already been forcibly delayed, so she simply didn't sleep and looked at her watch, waiting for the time to fall asleep.

The night air in Belgrade was starting to get chilly. She stood on the balcony with a touch of melancholy, squinting at the faint lights in the distance, her loose coat billowing in the wind.

She felt a little cold, but all her clothes were packed into boxes, and opening them would obviously be a hassle, so she wouldn't do it.

So she just leaned against the railing aimlessly, letting the wind clear her chaotic thoughts. Although she lived in such a beautiful place, it seemed she had never really appreciated the scenery.

She said she came here to relax, but it seems she didn't complete the task properly. She took care of herself terribly and didn't understand what to do in the future. After going around in circles, the only thing she could be sure of was when she would leave.

Belgrade is quiet under the night sky. Actually, it's not very noisy during the day either. It is indeed a very suitable place for recuperation. Even the stars in the sky are exceptionally clear, generously spread out in front of you as if you could reach out and touch them.

She reached out her hand to try to gesture, but a gust of wind came and almost made her clothes inflate like balloons. She hesitated for a moment, and finally withdrew her hand.

The stars are bright today, and I hope tomorrow will be another sunny day. For things like saying goodbye, a sunny day is always the best weather.

She pursed her lips, took out her phone, and the screen was still blank.

Anna and Eric replied to her quickly, expressing their sadness and reluctance at her sudden departure. However, they understood that she would have to return sooner or later, either today or tomorrow, so they insisted on coming to the airport to see her off tomorrow.

Zhou Zeyu originally didn't want to trouble them, but she couldn't resist their insistence, and she also happened to have a gift to give them, so she had no choice but to agree.

As for Sorkov, no one knows where he is or what he is doing. His phone is not answered, his messages are not replied to, and he is offline on all social networks. He may still be studying late into the night, or he may still be soaking in the water.

Zhou Zeyu couldn't quite explain what she was thinking. She felt a little melancholy. She didn't actually intend to do anything; she just wanted to tell him that her previous abrupt departure without saying goodbye was too much, and she didn't want to be the bad guy again.

The current situation is not that she intentionally doesn't want to tell him, but that she is willing to be honest, but he has mysteriously disappeared for some reason.

Professor Elberlint explained to her that Sorkov had been extremely busy lately, juggling writing her thesis and defense with preparing for the World Championships, and to make matters worse, neither end was going well; she was practically stuck in a rut.

Zhou Zeyi sympathized with him and understood him, so she wasn't angry about his inexplicable disappearance. Just as she had realized a long time ago that when people are busy, they really neglect a lot and make a lot of mistakes, and he didn't need to give up what he should have done for her.

But in any case, she wanted to be able to sincerely thank him, looking him in the eyes, before officially leaving, for all he had done these past few days, and for how happy she was to have met him.

Even though she knew perfectly well that after she left this time, they would never see each other again unless something unexpected happened.

Thinking of this, Zhou Zeyu seemed to feel anxious again, which she couldn't quite control. She couldn't pinpoint the source of her anxiety, but she knew it must be related to Solkov, or at least she felt it was a very regrettable thing.

All she could do was try to make the regret less severe, such as seeing him one last time before leaving.

The phone screen remained black, with no messages coming in. Zhou Zeyu stared at the dark screen and suddenly saw his own expressionless face. Startled, he hurriedly hid indoors as if fleeing in panic and slammed the balcony door shut.

With a loud bang, the glass door trembled slightly due to the excessive force. That subtle vibration traveled from my fingers all over my body, finally reaching my heart.

Zhou Zeyu couldn't tell whether the trembling in his heart was due to excessive force or because he was not calm to begin with; it was probably both.

But in any case, it was very late, even past the point where she should be tired; in other words, she really needed to sleep.

Lying in bed, completely wrapped in the blanket, she stared at the stain on the ceiling again, just as she had done countless nights before, but this was probably the last time.

When the sun rises again tomorrow, and the sunlight shines through the thin curtains onto the bed and wakes her up, all of this will be over.

Zhou Zeyu closed his eyes, waiting for sleepiness to overwhelm him.

I hope tomorrow will be a good day, I hope to see everyone, and I hope everything goes well in the future, or at least not too badly.

\\

Zhou Zeyu recalled Fang Xiaocan's earnest advice to her: when you desperately want something to happen, it's best not to reveal it, otherwise that damned Murphy's Law will definitely detect it and make it all impossible.

She used to dismiss this as pure feudal superstition, but now she completely believes it.

After finally making it to the next morning, when Zhou Zeyu opened her eyes and found the room completely dark, she had a bad feeling. She suddenly pulled back the curtains, and sure enough, it was dark.

This is a rare, torrential rain day.

Standing with her hands on her hips, Zhou Zeyu stared at Da Yu silently for a while before finally pulling the curtains shut again. She was already used to such sudden changes, and her speechlessness outweighed her sadness.

Is the heavens deliberately targeting her? Belgrade has been sunny for at least a month or two, and of all times it has to rain. Not only is it raining, but it's also such a rare thunderstorm. They might as well just strike her dead with lightning.

Zhou Zeyu opened her phone but didn't receive any news about the flight delay. Could it be that she really had to take off in this thunderous weather? She thought despairingly, "I might really get struck by lightning and die."

However, since that's the case, the original plan still has to proceed as scheduled. She quickly packed her things and took her suitcase to meet up with Coach Xu.

What's worse, in this weather, it's impossible to hail a taxi. The two stood on the street for half an hour in a daze before finally managing to get a taxi struggling through the floodwaters. Without saying a word, they immediately paid three times the fare and finally managed to persuade the reluctant driver who just wanted to go home and sleep.

What's even more disastrous is that after the two of them finally arrived at the airport after going through all sorts of hardships and settled down in the waiting room, they suddenly received news that their flight had been delayed.

Coach Xu was very annoyed, but Zhou Zeyu had already gotten used to his bad luck and calmly accepted reality.

She knew things wouldn't go so smoothly...

I wonder if Belgrade Airport is deliberately targeting her. Last time she came, her suitcase was stolen, and this time her flight was delayed. I wonder if the entire airport will explode next time she comes.

Zhou Zeyu was stunned for a moment, then decided that he would never come here again, otherwise heaven knows what kind of disaster he would bring to this place.

She texted Anna and Eric, saying that it was better not to go out in this terrible weather, and that her gifts could be sent back from China. Although the two were disappointed that they couldn't come to see her off, they really couldn't do anything about it in such bad weather.

Sorkov was thankful that she finally replied, sending only an "OK" emoji and not saying a word more, being quite sparing with her words.

Zhou Zeyu turned off her phone, feeling a bit frustrated. It wasn't that she wanted Sorkov to cry and beg her not to leave, but they had been friends for half a year, and now that she was leaving, it was one thing for him not to see her off, but why didn't he even say goodbye?

She became increasingly depressed, resting her head on her hand and staring blankly at the heavy rain outside the airport.

Then, while she was lost in thought, Zhou Zeyu suddenly noticed that the cars parked outside the airport were reduced to mere rooftops. She blinked, trying hard to understand this phenomenon, and then, in the next second, she suddenly realized something and became dumbfounded.

Is it... flooded?