Chapter 25 The Unbearable Withdrawal Symptoms
Today there's a duo team competition; teammates will be drawn by lot.
The top three winners will receive cash prizes of 200, 100, and 50 yuan respectively. Although the amount is not much, for 'poor' college students, winning the prize is like winning the lottery.
So everyone was excited and eager to get started, wishing they could end the 'battle' immediately and fast forward to the award ceremony.
Wen Ling is not in the right state of mind.
After the draw, it took me a long time to find my teammate, who was also a girl.
The man looked at her with disdain: "Let me make this clear first, don't hold me back. With my own ability, I can definitely get first place. But if it's you... never mind, just do your best."
Wen Ling looked up at her; she was a complete stranger.
She nodded obediently, "I know."
Her teammate stood by, arms crossed, watching the game. Wen Ling stared blankly at the green floor. After a moment of silence, her teammate suddenly said, "Hey, are you close to Shang Chen from the Computer Science department?"
It's as if it received some kind of instruction.
Wen Ling turned her head mechanically: "What?"
Her teammate blushed inexplicably under her gaze and panicked a little: "Hey, are you doing this on purpose? You clearly heard it but you're pretending not to."
Wen Ling looked puzzled; she genuinely hadn't heard clearly.
All that was heard was Shang Chen's two words: "I didn't hear it."
His teammate clearly didn't believe him, scoffing and muttering, "What are you pretending for? So what if you know the school heartthrob? It's just that he happens to have a younger brother who shares a dorm with him. If someone I know were in the same dorm as him..."
Wen Ling ignored her little mood and naturally didn't hear what she said.
The teammate, seemingly justified but reluctant, spoke up again: "Um, could you give me Shang Chen's WeChat? I need to talk to him about something."
Wen Ling heard those words clearly.
She instinctively replied, "Don't you have any?"
Since you've contacted him about something, you must know him, right? How could you not have his WeChat? Or did you delete him like she did?
Wen Ling was asking the question very sincerely.
Her teammates, however, felt that she was showing off. Wen Ling didn't say anything, but her teammates angrily distanced themselves from her: "Are you crazy? If you don't want to give it to me, you don't have to. Why are you being so sarcastic?"
Wen Ling: "..."
Wen Ling felt she was being wronged.
Even if she wanted to give it, she probably couldn't.
…
Soon it was Wen Ling's group's turn.
The opponents were also determined by drawing lots; the opposing team consisted of a man and a woman.
Yan Qingli had finished her competition, and I stood in the audience cheering her on.
Wen Ling smiled gently, raised her hand in acknowledgment, and said softly, "I will, I'll do my best."
The battle was more intense than expected; not only were the opponents difficult to deal with, but the teammates were also a bit challenging.
In general, in mixed doubles matches, it is agreed beforehand who will stand on which side and who will be responsible for receiving all the balls from that side on the court.
Before the match, Wen Ling refused to communicate with her teammates. Seeing that her teammates were standing on the right, she consciously stood on the left and tacitly agreed to receive all the balls on the left side.
Who knew it would happen from the serve?
Her teammate was running all over the court, following whichever way the ball went. When the ball crossed the line on the left, she ran across the entire court to the left.
Throughout the first half, Wen Ling did not touch the ball again except for the designated serve.
They lost the first half 2-5.
During halftime, her teammates started throwing the ball around without any restraint, sweating profusely and staring at her impatiently: "Do you even know how to play? What kind of ball are you playing? I told you, don't drag me down, don't drag me down. You're standing on the court like an idiot, not moving at all. Being grouped with you is the worst luck imaginable."
My teammates were exhausted. After finishing their work, they unscrewed their water bottles and tilted their heads back to drink.
Yan Qingli strode forward and knocked the water bottle away with one hand. The bottle smashed on the ground and quickly formed a small puddle on the floor.
What's wrong with you?!
The shrill soprano voice was swallowed up in the stadium, echoing and attracting many people who gathered around.
Liu Chang, who was recording the team competition scores, rushed over upon hearing this and instinctively stopped Yan Qingli, who was about to rush forward in a fit of anger, saying anxiously, "Don't do it, please—"
When a girl is angry, she is incredibly strong. Yan Qingli pushed him several meters away and said, "Get away."
The unspoken word "say" was swallowed down with each staggering step. Liu Chang stared wide-eyed at the green floor, questioning his existence.
Yan Qingli squinted at the girl in front of her: "Do you think you're so awesome and amazing? Do you think everyone's attention is on you, all the time? Let me tell you the truth, all I see on the court is you running around like a monkey, missing the ball and serving like garbage. Where do you get the nerve to talk about your teammates?"
The girl's face turned bright red. She noticed the faint smiles on the faces of those around her, and she clenched her fists, feeling as if her dignity had been trampled on.
She opened her mouth, about to retort.
Yan Qingli's aura was even stronger than hers: "If you continue to play like this in the second half..."
She suddenly shouted, "Minister Liu!"
"Huh?" Liu Chang turned around and saw that it was Yan Qingli calling him. He was a little confused. Why was she suddenly being so distant and calling him "Minister"? "What is it?"
Yan Qingli pointed at the defiant girl: "Was her fighting style just now considered a foul? If she continues to play like that, shouldn't she be disqualified from the competition?"
"Why? Why did you cancel my score?" the girl suddenly exclaimed, "I played so well—"
Liu Chang walked over, coughed, and gently interrupted her: "Zhou, your playing style is acceptable, but this is a friendly match, and friendship should come first. If you insist on playing like this, you don't need to participate in future doubles matches. What do you think?"
She was speechless when she thought of the prize money.
Yan Qingli snorted coldly, glared at Liu Chang, and then returned to Wen Ling's side, her tone instantly softening: "Sister Wen Ling, are you alright?"
Wen Ling shook her head: "It's nothing."
She'd heard even more outrageous things before, but she still needed to vent her anger. She walked up to Zhou Tian, her voice tinged with coldness, and questioned her, "You want Shang Chen's contact information, don't you?"
Zhou Tian held half a mouthful of water in her mouth without swallowing, looking at her suspiciously: "So, you're planning to give it to me?"
Wen Ling smiled slightly: "No, I just wanted to tell you that I deleted him, so you don't need to try to get him from me anymore. Go find someone else."
"..."
Yan Qingli looked at Zhou Tian's face, which was as black as the bottom of a pot, and almost burst out laughing when she turned around. She silently gave Wen Ling a thumbs up: "That was a brilliant move, hitting her sore spot."
It was heartbreaking that Wen Ling could discard something she couldn't obtain despite her best efforts.
Wen Ling shook her head helplessly, knowing that she had misunderstood, and explained, "I didn't lie to her on purpose, I really did delete Shang Chen."
"...Huh?" Yan Qingli asked weakly, "What happened?"
"It's nothing, it's just..."
"It's not really appropriate for us to be friends."
"..."
…
In the second half, Zhou Tian toned down her game and didn't play like that anymore.
The two guarded their respective halves of the battlefield, engaging in a fierce back-and-forth battle with their opponents.
Zhou Tian's playing style is aggressive; she smashes the ball hard every time, as if she wants to break the racket.
This resulted in inconsistent force, and the opponent's serve was sometimes light and sometimes heavy. Wen Ling ran back and forth to receive the ball, working up a thin layer of sweat and panting heavily.
With the final ball, the score was tied.
Both sides were highly focused and tense, their eyes glued to the ball's trajectory.
The audience was also drawn into the emotions, and everyone stared intently at the trajectory of the ball.
No one noticed Zhou Tian's darting eyes and somewhat guilty expression.
She was waiting for the right opportunity.
Seeing that the opponent had made a mistake in receiving the ball and that the force of the hit might not be enough to clear the net, Wen Ling still subconsciously started to run forward. Immediately afterward, she noticed a figure beside her and an obstacle inexplicably appeared under her feet. She couldn't dodge in time and fell flat on her face.
At the same time, the ball didn't cross the net and landed at the other end of the net.
They won! Zhou Tian seemed not to see the person who had fallen to the ground beside her. She jumped three feet high and cheered that she had won. Her laughter echoed throughout the entire venue.
The audience watched her coldly, their attention mostly focused on Wen Ling, who was lying on the ground and wouldn't get up. They stood up and surrounded her again.
Yan Qingli and Liu Chang arrived early.
Yan Qingli crouched down, took her arm, and cautiously called out, "...Sister Wen Ling?"
Wen Ling used her strength to turn over and sit on the ground. Her limbs were numb, and her chin was red from the bump. She lowered her head and remained silent.
Yan Qingli gave Liu Chang a look.
He understood immediately and dispersed the crowd that had gathered around him.
He then asked Wen Ling in a low voice, "Are you feeling unwell anywhere? I'll take you to the infirmary."
He reached out his hand, seemingly wanting to help the person up, but Wen Ling avoided it, and Liu Chang withdrew his hand somewhat disheartened.
Wen Ling felt that she must have twisted her right ankle; it was throbbing with pain. She shook her head and said to Yan Qingli, "Excuse me, could you help me sit in the audience area?"
Yan Qingli agreed and quickly helped her walk over slowly.
Yan Qingli noticed that her walking posture was wrong: "Did you twist your ankle?"
As she spoke, she was about to squat down to check, but Wen Ling pressed her hand down, her voice growing softer and softer: "Could you please call Wen He for me?"
Yan Qingli turned around and saw the tears welling up in her eyes. Her heart skipped a beat, and she hurriedly nodded. She took out her phone, unblocked Wen He from her blacklist, and dialed him directly.
While waiting for him to answer.
Zhou Tian walked over, intending to say something sarcastic, but before she could finish speaking, Yan Qingli impatiently interrupted her: "Liu Chang, if you let this woman hang around me again, do you believe I'll try to harass you?"
Liu Chang: "..."
As soon as the call connected, Wen He, after listening to the entire sentence, said: "?"
Zhou Tian was chased away by Liu Chang.
Wen He had originally intended to tease her a bit, but then he found a new target. Upon hearing her explain her purpose, his blood rushed to his head, and he dashed out of the dormitory in a flash.
It used to be a half-hour journey.
Wen He somehow got hold of an electric scooter and arrived within ten minutes. As soon as he came in, he loudly called out, "Sister, sister!"
Yan Qingli waved her hand: "This!"
Wen Ling raised her eyes, which were red. The emotions that had been building up inside her finally burst forth when she saw her loved ones running over with worried expressions.
Tears welled up in my eyes, but I held them back.
When Wen He saw her like this, his anger flared up immediately: "Damn it, who did this?"
He came over too conspicuously, and most people knew him. They all pointed to Zhou Tian, who was hiding behind Liu Chang not far away.
"Okay, wait until I've finished dealing with my sister's matter, then I'll come find you."
Zhou Tian realized she was intimidated. She hadn't expected everyone to betray her so easily, without even giving her a chance to defend herself. She grabbed Liu Chang's clothes and stammered, "Chang... Brother Chang, I... I know I was wrong. Can you please plead for me? I really didn't mean to, I just tripped by accident."
Liu Chang coldly pulled her hand away: "Explain to her yourself that I am not a victim."
"..."
"Sister, can you still walk?" Turning around, Wen He squatted down in front of Wen Ling, her voice as gentle as water.
Wen Ling shook her head, pouted, and stretched out her hands. Wen He immediately turned around, picked her up, and walked out of the venue.
Yan Qingli realized she hadn't kept up. Watching the two figures disappear into the distance, she took a deep breath, feeling slightly annoyed.
With no outsiders around, Wen Ling lay on Wen He's back.
Her eyes were buried in his shoulder, tears soaking his collar. Whether from real pain or her emotions, she sobbed softly, "It hurts so much..."
Wen He felt the pain, so intense it felt like her heart was being clenched. She gritted her teeth and said, "Sister, don't cry. I'll get revenge for you."
He told her a lame joke: "If your family knew I didn't take good care of you and that you got hurt, they'd kill me."
Wen Ling didn't reply, she just cried silently, her voice low.
The image of that person keeps flashing through my mind. My feet hurt, my heart hurts, I cry so hard, and my eyes and throat hurt too.
It's just losing a friend.
Why are withdrawal symptoms so severe?
…
In the infirmary, the school doctor touched Wen Ling's swollen ankle: "It's just a little swollen, but there shouldn't be any broken bones."
Wen Ling's face was streaked with tears. She was embarrassed and clutched the sides of Wen He's open coat with both hands, burying her face in Wen He's chest and refusing to show it. Her shoulders were trembling slightly.
Wen He thought Wen Ling was in so much pain that she kept crying. He scratched his hair in frustration and said in a slightly anxious tone, "Don't say 'it should be,' Auntie. My sister is crying like this because of the pain. She must have broken her bone."
The school doctor gave him a speechless look: "Young lady, it's normal to be afraid of pain. If you're really worried, go to the hospital for an X-ray."
Wen He thought about it and decided it was feasible. After thanking him, he was about to carry the person on his back.
Wen Ling calmed down a little, wiped away her tears, looked up at him, and said softly, "It's...it's okay. Go back to the dorm and rest for a few days."
Wen He casually grabbed two tissues from the table and used them to wipe her tears: "No, we should still go to the hospital to get checked out. That way we'll feel more at ease."
Wen Ling didn't want to go; she was too tired and just wanted to go back to her dorm to rest.
She remained silent. Wen He sighed helplessly and patted her head: "Sister, be good, just go get it done, it'll be quick."
Wen Ling stubbornly replied, "I'm not going."
Having witnessed many such conflicting situations, the school doctor offered a new solution: "Go back and apply ice water. If the swelling is still severe by tonight, then go to the hospital again."
Wen Ling looked at him and blinked pitifully. Wen He had no choice but to give in, took the opened liniment, and was about to carry her on his back when someone came in through the door, and the originally bright infirmary instantly became dark.
The person walked in against the light, so their face was obscured.
As he got closer, Wen He blurted out a curse, rubbed his eyes in disbelief, and stared wide-eyed at the familiar figure: "Holy crap, what the hell?"
Wasn't Shang Chen abroad preparing for his wedding? How come he suddenly appeared back in China?
-----------------------
Author's Note: I started writing early today, so here's an early update! [Facepalm emoji]
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