Chapter 71, the fourth leg of the competition has concluded...
After nearly 40 competitions this season, Ren Xiyao finally regained her form at the fourth stop of the competition, winning a gold medal in the 500m and a bronze medal in the 1500m. Meanwhile, Kwon Ji-yong concluded his final tour of the year.
Kwon Ji-yong sent her the location: the Nagoya Aquarium. They had booked the entire aquarium for a night session. National teams usually have strict management of athletes traveling for competitions. However, after the competition, in most cases, as long as athletes follow the rules—avoiding sensitive areas, illegal venues, and reporting to their team leader and coach before going out alone or traveling in groups—they are generally allowed to briefly stroll around the area. However, the requirements vary each time, depending on the situation.
After the match, Ren Xiyao and Lin Shan told the coach that they wanted to go shopping at the duty-free shop. The coach agreed and let them go after telling them to return to the team before 10 o'clock.
As Ren Xiyao looked at her phone to reply to messages, Lin Shan finally couldn't help but roll her eyes: "Big sister, can you two stop using me as a shield for your date?"
"Who's on a date?" Ren Xiyao subconsciously pulled down the brim of her hat. "I just came out to buy some things."
Lin Shan pointed to the plastic bag in her hand: "So you came to the aquarium late at night to buy... bottled water?"
Ren Xiyao looked down at the plastic bag she was carrying, which was obviously something she had grabbed from a convenience store. Inside, two bottles of water were rattling loudly.
"...I'll treat you to a big meal when we get back. You can eat whatever you want."
Lin Shan mimed zipping her lips shut, then pulled out her phone and started scrolling through social media: "Go ahead, go ahead, I'll just watch Tencent here. I'll message you at 10 o'clock sharp." She paused, then added, "Remember to wipe your lips clean before you come back."
Ren Xiyao kicked her and turned to walk towards the ocean tunnel.
The aquarium's nighttime lighting was a deep blue. Inside the enormous glass tunnel, schools of fish swam slowly overhead, casting shimmering shadows. Kwon Ji-yong leaned against the curved glass in the center of the tunnel, a black mask loosely hanging on one ear, a can of iced coffee in his hand, watching a manta ray glide overhead, its wings outstretched like a shadow.
Ren Xiyao walked over carrying a plastic bag from the convenience store, deliberately walking lightly, and stopped behind him. Quan Zhilong seemed to have noticed her earlier, without turning his head, only a slight smile appeared on his lips.
"What are you looking at so intently?" she asked.
"I was wondering if this fish looks like you." Kwon Ji-yong turned his head to the side, his eyes reflecting the light of the water: "It looks dangerous, but it's not actually very aggressive."
Ren Xiyao chuckled and pressed the mineral water bottle against the back of his neck.
"What are you pretending to be, you artsy type?" She tried to break free, but he pulled her closer instead.
Kwon Ji-yong's fingers slipped between hers, their fingers intertwined, and with his other hand he removed her baseball cap. The moment her hair fell down, Ren Xiyao instinctively turned her head, but he pinched her chin and turned her back.
"Why are you hiding?" he chuckled softly. "There's no one here."
The tunnel was indeed empty, with only the sound of flowing water and the occasional school of fish swimming by. The venue was booked out; there wasn't a single tourist in sight, and even the staff were lazily leaning against the exit, yawning.
Ren Xiyao glanced around warily: "Put your mask on properly."
"Afraid I'll be recognized?" Kwon Ji-yong deliberately brought his face closer. "Or are you afraid you'll be photographed?"
His breath fell on her ear, carrying the coolness of mints mixed with a faint scent of perfume. Ren Xiyao suddenly remembered the phone call in front of Salt Lake City station, when he said "I love you" through the screen.
"Is the concert over?" she changed the subject, her fingers unconsciously rubbing his knuckles.
"Yeah, the last one." Kwon Ji-yong squeezed her hand. "There will be some more stages at the end of the year. There will also be other activities for our 10th debut anniversary next year, like fan meetings. But it's not that busy anymore."
"Can we rest for a while?"
“It could have.” He suddenly lowered his head, his nose brushing against her earlobe: “But someone was leaving after the competition.”
Ren Xiyao shrank back, her ears burning: "It itches..."
A massive whale shark swam past them, its deep blue waters shimmering on the glass. Kwon Ji-yong suddenly turned her shoulders, pinning her against the glass. A cool temperature seeped through her clothes, while his burning chest pressed against her.
“Look,” he said softly, pointing to the whale shark.
Ren Xiyao turned her head, and a huge fish shadow swept overhead, as if she were in the deep sea. Quan Zhilong's arm was around her waist, and his chin rested on her shoulder.
"Doesn't it feel like kissing underwater?" His voice was tinged with laughter, his breath brushing against her ear.
Ren Xiyao turned to look at him, and was about to speak when she was kissed.
His lips were a little dry, carrying the bitter scent of coffee, but his tongue tasted as sweet as the mint he had just eaten. Ren Xiyao instinctively grabbed his collar, and Quan Zhilong chuckled, pulling her even closer to him.
Outside the glass, the fish paused for a moment, then scattered and swam away again.
They strolled along, pausing occasionally to savor the rare moments of togetherness and tranquility. In this place, a unique serenity prevailed.
The penguin enclosure was quieter than the tunnel, with only the hum of the refrigeration unit. At night, the penguins huddled together on the artificial hill, dozing off, occasionally flapping their wings.
Ren Xiyao sat on the bench, unscrewed the bottle of mineral water, and took a sip. Quan Zhilong sat next to her, playing with the gold and bronze items she had received in the past two days, his fingertips tracing the patterns on them.
"So Kiko really helped you infiltrate?" she asked.
Kwon Ji-yong raised an eyebrow: "Jealous?"
"Why would I be jealous?" Ren Xiyao snatched back the medal. "I'm just curious how she did it."
“ANA’s sponsorship rights.” Kwon Ji-yong stretched out his long legs, his toes touching her sneakers: “In exchange, he’ll grant her permission to do some of her pointed interviews.”
Ren Xiyao almost choked on the water: "What is this?"
"It basically means I'm not good at relationships. Breakups are more my fault." He waved his hand dismissively, then suddenly leaned closer: "Compared to that, did you kiss me yesterday when you kissed your medal?"
Ren Xiyao pressed the mineral water bottle against his face: "How childish!"
Kwon Ji-yong laughed and dodged, hooking his fingers around the drawstring of her hoodie, wrapping it around his knuckles: "How many days of rest do you guys get this time? Isn't it almost two months until the next competition?"
"Three days, then we'll go directly to Beijing for intensive training."
"I'll go to the capital to find you."
“I’m only free on weekends.” Ren Xiyao pulled back the drawstring: “The rest of the time we’re in closed training and can’t go out.”
Kwon Ji-yong frowned: "Is your team a prison?"
"That's how it is in training camps." She glanced at the time: "I have to go back."
Kwon Ji-yong suddenly grabbed her wrist: "Wait ten more minutes."
“She can’t wait to play with the penguins a little longer.” Kwon Ji-yong pulled her back and took out two ice creams from his pocket: “Finish this with me.”
Ren Xiyao's eyes widened: "Where did you get this?"
“The gift shop,” he said smugly, waving the last one, “the chocolate one.”
The wrapper was printed with an adorable penguin image. Kwon Ji-yong tore open the wrapper and handed it to her. The ice cream had melted a little, and chocolate sauce stuck to her fingers; Ren Xiyao subconsciously licked it.
Kwon Ji-yong's eyes darkened.
"What are you looking at?" she asked.
"It's nothing." He looked down and took a bite of his vanilla ice cream, then suddenly said, "You looked especially good when you crossed the finish line yesterday."
Ren Xiyao paused.
"The last bend, accelerate on the outside." Kwon Ji-yong gestured, "Like a sharp arrow."
"I've realized that it seems like you haven't missed anything all this time."
“Of course, I saw it all.” He chuckled. “You have no idea how smug and radiant you were when you won the championship.”
Ren Xiyao lowered her head and scooped out ice cream: "That's because..."
"Why?"
"Because I inexplicably thought of you," she whispered. "It's a 40-minute drive from there. I hope your performance goes well."
Kwon Ji-yong was stunned, then burst out laughing: "So that kiss you blew before accepting the award was for me."
Don't be presumptuous.
Kwon Ji-yong smiled and glanced at his watch: "Five minutes left."
"What?"
"Didn't Lin Shan say he'd send the message at 10 o'clock?" He shook his phone: "It's 9:55 now."
Ren Xiyao glared at him: "You peeked at my phone?"
"Need to peek?" Kwon Ji-yong mimicked her, "I'll be standing right next to you while you're typing. Even if I can't read Chinese characters, I can read Arabic numerals, right?"
Ren Xiyao kicked him in anger, but Quan Zhilong laughed and dodged it. He then crumpled the ice cream wrappers from both of them into a ball and accurately threw it into a trash can three meters away.
"I'm leaving." She stood up.
Kwon Ji-yong grabbed her hand: "Wait a minute."
He pulled a small box from his pocket: "A gift."
Ren Xiyao opened it, and there was a LEGO keychain shaped like an ice skate, all assembled. It was small and exquisite.
“I was going to give it to you yesterday,” Kwon Ji-yong said, hanging it on her keys, “but I was afraid it would affect your competition.”
"It's funny, ever since I met you, I've become incredibly interested in anything related to ice skates, ice skates, or even any ice-related accessories or ornaments. I want to bring you every single one of them. When I saw this, I thought it would be perfect for you."
"......Thanks."
Kwon Ji-yong pinched the back of her neck: "Get some rest."
My phone vibrated, and Lin Shan's message popped up right on time: "Ancestor, it's time to come back."
Ren Xiyao put away her phone. Quan Zhilong had already put on a mask and hat, leaving only his smiling eyes showing: "Let's go, I'll see you to the door."
The lights in the penguin enclosure dimmed, signaling the end of a beautiful night.
On the way back, Lin Shan looked at Ren Xiyao, who was constantly wiping her lips, and sighed: "Can you two be a little more mindful? Don't you have an internal team interview tomorrow?"
Ren Xiyao paused: "It's obvious?"
"Not really." Lin Shan opened her phone camera and pointed it at her: "It's just that someone's mouth is practically stretched to their ears."
Ren Xiyao turned her head, and her eyes shone brightly in the reflection of the car window.
My phone vibrated. Kwon Ji-yong sent me a message: "Ms. Ren Xiyao, may I take this as an admission ticket to your world?"
The accompanying picture shows Ren Xiyao's gold medal from this competition. In their farewell hug, she secretly slipped it into Kwon Ji-yong's pocket.
Ren Xiyao typed: "Let's do less reading comprehension."
After sending the message, he added another one: "Go home and rest early."
The other party replied instantly: "See you in my dreams!"
Despite her efforts to suppress her laughter, her joy and excitement were obvious. Lin Shan shook her head and closed her eyes, preferring to ignore it.
Outside the car window, the neon lights of Nagoya swam by like fish in an aquarium. Ren Xiyao subconsciously touched the necklace around her neck again. At the same time, Quan Zhilong solemnly put away the gold medal. He understood Ren Xiyao's meaning; this was her first gold medal since returning to the competition. Although she stubbornly refused to admit it, perhaps for the former Ren Xiyao, a World Cup gold medal wouldn't have been enough to give it such solemn significance. But this one was different. From western Sichuan to Nagoya, he witnessed her low point and her return to the top. He hadn't missed any important moments in her life. Glory or slump, they had always stood together. This gold medal held Ren Xiyao's unspoken words: she thanked him for accompanying her through the low points and was willing to share the glory with him. At this moment, Quan Zhilong thought that perhaps nothing could be overcome when they stood firmly together.
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