85 Stadium and Stars
No one knows a daughter better than her mother. Even though Liu Yuwei said nothing, Yuyao could still detect the subtle melancholy in her daughter's eyes. After dinner, she immediately began to chase everyone away, urging Liu Yuwei to go home and get some rest, urging young people not to stay up all night. As they left the hospital, the summer heat lingered, and the evening skyline was stained a rich orange and gold by the fading glow of the sunset. Liu Yuwei unlocked a nearby shared bike. At the intersection, a red light flashed, and a group of high school boys in school uniforms clamored past, their backpacks slung askew on their backs, arguing passionately about the "black call" in the afternoon's game and their grand plans to "win back a game" tomorrow. With a quick thought, she swung the handlebars and sped off in the other direction. Half an hour later, Liu Yuwei stood at the entrance to the sports field, panting slightly. Sweat dripped down her forehead, and she casually wiped the moisture from her nose. Her gaze passed over the new silver fence, a silent smile spreading across her eyes. On the way here, she had almost no expectations. The basketball court of her youth in her memory was a rusty iron fence, a cracked concrete floor, and a net hanging in the air, swaying in the wind like a torn sack. Who could have imagined that more than a decade later, this forgotten corner would be transformed. The blue plastic floor was matched with orange basketball hoops, and the lights on the side of the court stood upright. Not far away, there were ping-pong tables and a pile of fitness equipment. Liu Yuwei picked up two cans of beer from the freezer of the small supermarket nearby, walked into the court with the plastic bag, found a corner seat next to the fence, and sat down on the ground with her knees bent. The cicadas chirped in the midsummer, and a group of energetic teenagers ran, jumped, shouted, and high-fived before her eyes. The air was filled with the unique hormones of youth. Not far away on the horizon, the embers of the sunset burned brightly. The aluminum can in her hand was slightly shaken, and the golden liquid gushed out fine foam and then quietly shattered. The intensity and freshness of that moment unexpectedly transported her back to a restless summer filled with endless possibilities. Long-lost memories, a mixture of energy and confusion, surged, leaving her eyes slightly sore. "Hey, pretty girl! Help me pick up the ball!" A clear call interrupted her thoughts. Looking up, she saw the bouncing basketball rolling towards her. Her body moved faster than her mind, and she swiftly stood up, snatched up the ball, and tapped it twice on the ground. An inexplicable surge of excitement washed over her. She jogged a few steps toward the three-point line, raised her arm, flicked her wrist, and the ball traced a parabola through the air, passing the astonished gazes of the teenagers and passing squarely through the center of the basket. "Wow! Good shot!" The crowd erupted in genuine admiration. …
No one knows a daughter better than her mother. Even though Liu Yuwei said nothing, Yuyao could still detect the subtle melancholy in her daughter's eyes. After dinner, she began to chase her away without explanation, urging Liu Yuwei to go home and rest early, and that young people should not stay up late all the time.
As I walked out of the hospital gate, the heat was still there, and the evening skyline was dyed into rich orange and gold by the sunset glow.
Liu Yuwei unlocked a shared bicycle nearby. At the intersection with a red light on, a group of high school boys in school uniforms passed by noisily, with their backpacks slung askew on their backs. They were arguing heatedly about the "black whistle" in the afternoon's football game and the grand plan of "winning back a game" tomorrow.
With a change of mind, he turned the handlebars and sped off in the other direction.
Half an hour later, Liu Yuwei stood at the entrance of the sports field, panting slightly. Beads of sweat trickled down her forehead. She casually wiped the moisture from the tip of her nose with her hand. Her gaze passed over the brand new silver fence, a silent smile spreading across her eyes.
On the way here, she had almost no expectations. The basketball court of her youth was a memory of rusty iron nets, cracked concrete floors, and a net hanging in the air, swaying in the wind like a torn sack.
Who would have thought that a decade later, this forgotten corner would be transformed. A blue plastic floor, orange basketball hoops, and upright lighting along the sidelines. Not far away, there's a ping-pong table and a bunch of fitness equipment.
Liu Yuwei picked out two cans of beer from the freezer in the small supermarket next to him, walked into the field with the plastic bag, found a corner next to the fence, and sat on the ground with his knees bent.
The cicadas chirped in the height of summer. Before her eyes, a group of spirited young men ran, leaped, shouted, and high-fived. The air was thick with the unique aroma of youthful hormones. In the distant horizon, the embers of sunset glowed brightly. The slightest shake of the aluminum can in her hand caused a golden liquid to bubble out, then quietly shatter.
The intensity and freshness of this moment unexpectedly transported her back to a restless summer filled with endless possibilities. Long-lost memories, a mixture of energy and confusion, surged back, leaving her eyes slightly sore.
"Hey, pretty~ help me pick up a ball!"
A clear shout interrupted her thoughts. Looking up, she saw a bouncing basketball rolling toward her. Her body, quicker than her mind, swiftly rose, snatched up the ball, and tapped it twice on the ground. A sudden surge of excitement washed over her. She jogged toward the three-point line, raised her arm, flicked her wrist, and the ball traced a parabola through the air, past the astonished gazes of the teenagers, and through the center of the basket.
“Wow! Good shot!”
There were a few genuine gasps of admiration from the crowd.
Liu Yuwei returned to the edge of that world, sipping a cold beer. His eyes followed the energetic figure, but his thoughts were free and surging into a deeper dimension.
Those fragmented memories of Jin Lang, sweet, sour, painful, slowly spread out like ink dropped into water, entwining and seeping into each other. The past, misunderstandings, rumors, missed opportunities, and self-constructed "truths" layered over and distorted them, obscuring the original appearance like a spider web.
She once thought that he and Song Miao had rekindled their old love, and that he didn't care about their breakup that year. Until now, sitting in this stadium that carried the young man's thoughts, she really had the opportunity to unravel the light of her heart and let the past buried in the dust reveal its true outline.
"Why didn't you tell me then?"
Song Miao's words today, which were full of confusion and even resentment, suddenly echoed in her ears. Liu Yuwei vaguely remembered that she had asked Jin Lang the same question in that tavern in Berlin.
Ultimately, she and Jin Lang didn't drift apart because of a few words from others. The external disturbances were merely superficial ripples. The real problem lay in their unspoken concerns.
In that relationship where she gave her all but was forced to end, she may have been passionate and persistent, but deep down in her heart, there was always something missing that allowed her to ask frankly when she was confused and uneasy, and to have the confidence to give him her most vulnerable part.
That lack of confidence, like a hidden wound, quietly corroded the foundation of trust. Finally, at that critical fork in the road, she let go of Jin Lang's hand.
Now that the truth has been revealed, Liu Yuwei, who has a God's perspective, repeatedly savors every detail since their reunion.
Deliberately created encounters, frequent appearances, silently supported causes, stubborn demands for publicity, and in-depth interviews that diverted attention. He was doing his best to clumsily reassure her.
In the past, Liu Yuwei thought that this confidence should be given by Jin Lang, his unconditional preference, and his promise to soothe all her anxiety. So back then, she didn't dare to ask, didn't dare to say, for fear of being exposed as "not good enough" and afraid that the preference would disappear.
But now, sitting here, feeling the steady heartbeat in her chest... she suddenly understood that the lack of confidence should never be placed on others. It cannot be filled by Jin Lang's protection, but can only come from unconditional self-acceptance.
She must try to love the self who once retreated under Song Miao's brilliance, love the self who tried hard to drag others through the mud, love the self who gritted her teeth and persevered in the face of rumors, and love the self who could make a three-pointer more than ten years later.
A sense of security no longer needs to rely on anyone's promises, but rather on trust in oneself. Trust that one is worthy of love, trust that one has the courage to face the unknown, trust that one can express oneself, communicate, and even... bear loss.
The sunset glow sank into the horizon, the city lights came on, and the stadium was as bright as day. The young players on the field changed several times, and the passion of youth burned like a perpetual motion machine.
Liu Yuwei raised his head and drank the last sip of the cold wine. A feeling of intoxication and warmth mixed with an unprecedented clarity spread throughout his body along with the flowing blood.
…
Back home, the hot water washed away the stickiness and the last trace of melancholy. Liu Yuwei, wrapped in a towel, walked out of the bathroom and sent a photo of people dancing on the basketball court that evening to Jin Lang. Almost the next second, she received a call back from the other party.
Ever since Liu Yuwei returned to the Acropolis, Jin Lang had been busy promoting the film. He'd made a last-minute request for an article from People magazine, fully coordinating the time and location, with only one request: swift publication. After several rounds of refreshing and replacing the trending search list, finally no entries related to Liu Yuwei appeared, and Jin Lang's tense jaw finally relaxed slightly.
"Xiaoyu, how is Auntie's health?"
"It's nothing serious. You can be discharged in two days."
Liu Yuwei turned on the speaker, put the phone on the dressing table, picked up the towel and continued to wipe her hair, "The photo... did you see it?"
"Um...why did you end up playing basketball?"
Jin Lang was puzzled. He enlarged the picture on the screen with his fingers, looked around carefully, and his breathing suddenly stopped.
"This is...the basketball court from back then!"
The tone of voice suddenly rose, and the surprised tone revealed unconcealable excitement and joy.
The place that carried youthful memories and was thought to have disappeared suddenly appeared before their eyes with vitality, just like the love between them that was lost and regained.
"That's right!" Liu Yuwei's lips curled up, "I didn't expect you to recognize it! Next time you come back, let's go and see it together!"
The long-lost relaxed tone brushed across Jin Lang's eardrums like a feather, and also gently scratched his heart.
In the past few days, Jin Lang had been resisting the urge to contact her, fearing that she would be busy at the hospital and disturbed, and even more afraid that this incident would cause a new rift between them. He could only devote all his energy to solving the problem. Only in this way could he do his best to protect her and ease his anxiety.
He didn't know what had dispelled the haze that enveloped her heart, making her sound so different at that moment. Perhaps it was the strength given by her family!
"Okay, let's do it together!"
Jin Lang suppressed the throbbing in his heart and mustered up the courage to ask the question that had been lingering in his mind for a long time, "Xiao Yu, when will you... come back?"
"Just a few days!"
She answered simply, then as if remembering something, added, "Didn't I promise you I'd attend the opening ceremony? Shouldn't I be able to make it in time?"
Jin Lang's fingers gripping the metal frame suddenly tightened, and his Adam's apple rolled unconsciously.
After that tender moment, he invited Liu Yuwei out. She agreed, but Jin Lang sensed she couldn't bear to ruin the joyful, warm atmosphere. After what happened a few days ago, she hadn't even announced their relationship, so why would she risk appearing at another media-focused event? Jin Lang had already put a bright red cross on that extravagant hope.
At this moment, hearing that she not only remembered it but also brought it up on her own initiative, an indescribable bitterness mixed with great joy surged into his heart, almost leaving him speechless.
After not hearing a reply for a while, Liu Yuwei lowered his head and leaned towards the microphone in confusion, "Hello, can you hear me?"
"I heard it, I heard it." He answered quickly, as if afraid she would regret it, and then added, "Then I'll talk to Shen Cheng again. Don't worry, the media outlets present this time are all partners with whom we have a good relationship. They won't take random photos or publish them randomly!"
"Hmm..." Liu Yuwei responded softly, her tone gentle, "I read your interview today... How did you persevere in those years after your uncle passed away?"
She carefully chose her words and had no intention of telling Jin Lang that she knew about the debt. Since he didn't want to talk about it, she didn't ask. That was his way of protecting his self-esteem.
Jin Lang was silent for a few seconds, then said calmly, "I didn't have many classes in my last year of college, so I mainly stayed in the hospital to take care of my mom. Shanghai was still too far away, so after graduation I returned to Beijing. I worked at an architectural design company during the day and sang in bars at night."
He paused, pretending to be relaxed, "It's actually not bad, it's quite fulfilling!"
"oh…"
Hearing the deliberate omission in his words, Liu Yuwei didn't intend to ask any further questions.
"But...when I'm really too tired to hold on any longer, I reward myself by taking apart a star."
Liu Yuwei's heart skipped a beat, and the hand holding the towel stopped.
The man's deep voice came through the airwaves, with obvious tenderness.
"Don't put too much pressure on yourself. The very fact that you're working hard is already shining!"
"The weather is nice today, remember to smile more."
“I hope that in the future the reasons that keep you up late at night will be worthwhile dreams, rather than the worries of life.”
The more Liu Yuwei listened, the more familiar it sounded. Her cheeks began to heat up uncontrollably, the heat spreading all the way to her ears. She had written a blessing in every star, but she never thought Jin Lang would actually see it.
"You... stop talking..."
She couldn't help but interrupt, her voice a little embarrassed.
"Why, you wrote it yourself and you're embarrassed!"
Jin Lang asked back with a smile.
"Later, after I had taken apart all the stars, I bought new paper and wrote on it myself, thinking that maybe I could give it to you someday in the future."
Liu Yuwei's mind suddenly flashed with the large box of colorful things in Jin Lang's study. So that's it.
"So...what did you write?"
On the other end of the phone, Jin Lang smiled, his voice full of temptation: "Wait until you come back...see for yourself."
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