Chapter 23 After Ren Xiyao withdrew her gaze, ...
After Ren Xiyao looked away, Quan Zhilong watched her walk towards the players' tunnel. A teammate handed her a towel, which she hastily wiped her face before heading towards the locker room. He also quietly slipped out through the adjacent passage. After several visits, he had become familiar with the layout of the venue and knew where to avoid being seen by most people. He went around to the corridor behind the locker room, where there were usually few people.
Sure enough, a dozen minutes later, Ren Xiyao emerged from the locker room. She had changed into loose-fitting sportswear, her wet hair cascading over her shoulders. When she saw Quan Zhilong, her eyes lit up for a moment, but quickly returned to their usual calm.
"You really came." She walked up to him, her voice very soft.
Kwon Ji-yong nodded: "I said I would come."
"You saw the whole thing?"
“From start to finish.” He couldn’t help but smile. “You were amazing, Xiyao. I mean... all those overtaking maneuvers on the corners, and the final sprint…”
Ren Xiyao's lips curled up slightly, but she quickly pursed them again: "My condition in the 1500m and 1000m was not very good. The reason I was able to come up in the 1500m was because there were no particularly strong people in that group."
Kwon Ji-yong shook his head: "In my eyes, you're like...like an ice sprite." He paused, then put it another way: "No, more like a falcon, fast and accurate."
Ren Xiyao finally smiled, her eyes curving into two crescent moons: "Hmm, it seems my imagination is always useful."
"Really," Kwon Ji-yong said earnestly, "The way you were on the ice... was completely different from usual. So confident, so..."
"So fierce?" Ren Xiyao chimed in, "Coach Jin always says my expression is too fierce during matches."
Kwon Ji-yong chuckled softly, "It's very impressive. I enjoy watching it."
They were silent for a moment. Kwon Ji-yong couldn't help but ask, "Were you injured in the end?"
Ren Xiyao shook her head and said, "No, I'm just exhausted. Sprinting 1500m at full speed is really tough, especially since I skied other things before that. Let's go, there's no training tonight. Are you busy? Want to have dinner together?"
Footsteps came from the end of the corridor, and Ren Xiyao subconsciously took a step back, putting distance between herself and Quan Zhilong.
"Are you leaving? If not, I'm going back." She said softly, "Even after this disperses, athletes will still be coming this way."
Kwon Ji-yong nodded: "Let's go, let's go, which way?"
Ren Xiyao looked around and thought for a moment before saying, "Let's go through the emergency exit over there."
The two walked into the emergency exit. Ren Xiyao stopped and turned around to ask him, "How did you get here?"
Kwon Ji-yong chuckled lightly: "Parking lot. I drove here myself."
A beeping sound echoed in the somewhat empty parking lot. An inconspicuous gray sedan was parked in the corner. "Get in," Kwon Ji-yong's voice came from behind. He then went around to the passenger side and opened the door for her.
"Thanks!"
Kwon Ji-yong turned on the air conditioning and started the car: "Let's go get Chinese food. I promised you."
Ren Xiyao raised an eyebrow: "Now? Probably not. We'll be playing in international competitions this season, which means a lot of random testing and dietary restrictions. We can't just eat whatever we want."
"Is the season already over? I thought it wouldn't start until September. How about we go back to the cafeteria together?"
"I mean, if we're going to eat together, that barbecue restaurant."
Kwon Ji-yong was looking ahead, but he was listening attentively. Only after hearing this did he remember: "Speaking of that barbecue restaurant, I just remembered it. I was quite surprised that you agreed so readily?"
"Didn't you notice he's near the north side of the city? It's a small business owned by a club shareholder. They and that other chain in the north side of the city both have special supply lines. If you walk a little further, there's another fried chicken shop there too. Didn't you see what they put on their sign: 'Meat meets doping control standards'? Otherwise, how could someone like you, a high-end person, have seen it recommended? Of course, they're making money off the athletes on one hand, and on the other hand, they're making money off people like you."
“But that restaurant’s food was pretty good,” Kwon Ji-yong said, which surprised him. “Then why is your cafeteria food so bad?”
"It's precisely because the cafeteria food is terrible that this restaurant can make money. Their barbecue and fried chicken shops are three times more expensive than outside."
Kwon Ji-yong opened his mouth slightly and suddenly realized: "Oh... so what you meant by sneaking out of the closed training to improve your life was actually going to these two stores to improve your life."
"Hmm," Ren Xiyao said noncommittally, "Otherwise, they would be the club's shareholders. They would make all the money. The athletes win a game and receive their bonuses, and the money is immediately pocketed. They make a fortune by shifting money from one hand to the other."
Kwon Ji-yong couldn't help but laugh out loud: "Okay, so should we go to a barbecue restaurant or a fried chicken restaurant now?"
"A barbecue restaurant, the fried chicken is too oily." Ren Xiyao looked utterly hopeless.
The car turned around and circled back into the alley. Ren Xiyao gazed at the street scenes flashing by outside the window. It was almost July, and she seemed to be growing more and more fond of the feeling of having this person by her side. She felt a little closer to the answer she longed for.
"What if the athletes all go home during the off-season?" Kwon Ji-yong suddenly asked.
“We have a special supply point, go to the special supply point to buy.” Ren Xiyao raised an eyebrow: “I don’t know about South Korea. A while ago, we couldn’t resist Lin Shan and Rita, so we persuaded Li Enjing to get some food from the cafeteria. We went to Li Enjing’s house for a meal.”
Kwon Ji-yong chuckled and remarked with emotion, "You athletes really have it tough."
“Yeah,” Ren Xiyao said without any modesty this time, “I do think it’s not easy for me when it comes to eating.”
Twenty minutes later, the car stopped at the entrance of a narrow alley and circled back to the barbecue restaurant. This time, Kwon Ji-yong really took a good look at the restaurant; the storefront was very eye-catching, with a "WADA certified" sign.
Even the menu inside clearly labeled all the meats as "WADA certified," and along the corridor leading to the private rooms, there were many autographed photos of athletes, including famous South Korean soccer players and shooting athletes...
As Kwon Ji-yong entered the private room, he took off his mask and said, "I knew before that athletes' diets were strict, but I didn't expect them to be this strict. I thought it just meant they couldn't eat meat outside."
"Speed racing is more rigorous than I imagined. After I became an athlete, my whole family's diet was adjusted accordingly."
The barbecue was served quickly, and Kwon Ji-yong casually picked up the tongs, stopping Ren Xiyao from touching it. Ren Xiyao leaned back in her chair, watching him skillfully flip the meat slices. The sizzling sound of oil filled the air with the aroma of meat.
Kwon Ji-yong placed the grilled meat onto her plate: "Try it."
Ren Xiyao squinted her eyes in satisfaction: "Your cooking is really good. You have no idea how tough the meat in the cafeteria is," Ren Xiyao said, her mouth full of food, her voice slightly muffled, "The team members couldn't stand them cooking the beef so tough they couldn't chew it. They complained, and then our logistics manager said that chewing it longer helps control food intake."
“It sounds like abuse,” Kwon Ji-yong said half-jokingly, as he put another piece on her plate.
Ren Xiyao shook her head: "Although they are sophistry, competitive sports sometimes really do require attention to detail. In my opinion, the diet for short track is already quite good. You know, when I was training in figure skating, I could count the number of times I was able to eat my fill in a year on one hand. Even drinking water was regulated."
"Really?" Kwon Ji-yong put down the clip and looked at her seriously.
"Well, I didn't drink water for two days before the competition. I would just sip a little when I was thirsty, and then gulp it down after the competition..." Ren Xiyao suddenly stopped: "Won't you get bored if I tell you all this?"
“No,” Kwon Ji-yong shook his head, “I like hearing you say these things. You’re unusually vibrant at times like this.”
Ren Xiyao's face flushed slightly, and she lowered her head to take a sip of water to hide it: "And what about you? What does music mean to you?"
Kwon Ji-yong thought for a moment: "Like breathing. You don't consciously think about it, but you'll die without it."
This answer made Ren Xiyao look up and meet his serious gaze. At that moment, she felt as if something invisible was flowing between them.
She said softly, "I feel this way every time I stand on the ice."
Kwon Ji-yong smiled and raised his teacup. Perhaps it was the lighting, but his eyes seemed to sparkle like stars.
Ren Xiyao laughed and touched his cup.
They talked a lot. The food was running low, but the conversation only grew longer.
When it came time to pay, Kwon Ji-yong insisted on paying, saying, "We agreed I'd treat you." Ren Xiyao argued, "Didn't you treat us the last few times? I'll treat you this time." Kwon Ji-yong stopped her, saying, "Next time, you treat me next time. Don't fight over it, or people will notice." In the end, he gave in, and Ren Xiyao noticed that he paid with cash, not by card.
Stepping out of the restaurant, it was already late at night. The alley was much less crowded, and a light drizzle was falling.
"It's raining." Kwon Ji-yong frowned. "I didn't bring an umbrella."
"It's alright." Ren Xiyao looked up at the sky: "It's just a light rain."
They hurried towards the parking lot, but the rain suddenly intensified. Without a word, Kwon Ji-yong took off his coat and held it over their heads.
"It's okay, just be careful not to catch a cold." Ren Xiyao tried to push his hand away.
“Athletes can’t catch a cold,” he insisted, his arm casually wrapping around her shoulder. “Besides, the season is almost here.”
His body heat seeped through her thin T-shirt, mingling with the scent of rain and a faint perfume. Ren Xiyao suddenly felt her face burning, but thankfully the deepening night concealed her expression.
When he finally reached the car, Quan Zhilong was already half-soaked. He opened the car door and let Ren Xiyao get in first before going around to the driver's seat himself.
"You're all soaked." Ren Xiyao frowned as she looked at his dripping hair. She hurriedly rummaged through her bag for a towel: "Dry it off."
Kwon Ji-yong took the towel, looked at it, and smiled: "It was worth it."
On the way back, raindrops pattered against the car window, but the car was unusually quiet. Ren Xiyao gazed at the blurry lights outside the window and suddenly wished the road could be longer.
"We're here." Kwon Ji-yong's voice brought her back to reality. The car was already parked at the back gate of the training base.
The rain hadn't stopped. Ren Xiyao unbuckled her seatbelt, paused for a moment, but didn't get out of the car.
"Thank you for your understanding today." She finally spoke: "Let's have Chinese food together when you come to China sometime. It'll be on me."
“Okay,” Kwon Ji-yong turned to look at her, his eyes softening. “It’s my duty.”
"Also, thank you for coming to see me." Her voice was soft: "I... well... I had a very happy day."
I opened the car door. Raindrops fell on my face, cool and refreshing.
"Ren Xiyao." He suddenly called out to her.
She turned around.
"Keep it up!" he said simply, but his eyes held so much more.
She smiled, turned, and ran into the rain. Only after returning to her dormitory and closing the door did she allow the corners of her mouth to fully turn up in a smile.
"I hope you can come again for the next competition." In a place where Ren Xiyao could no longer hear, Quan Zhilong looked at her back and said softly.
A note from the author:
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