Chapter 79 But her face remained expressionless, her heart...
She remained outwardly calm, but her heart was in turmoil because of Ding Chu's suggestion regarding Chaohu.
Sun Ying.
She hadn't heard that name for many years.
After the meeting, everyone was eager to leave work and go home, and the office quickly became empty.
Ye Yuying did not leave immediately.
Alone, leaning on her cane, she walked to the huge floor-to-ceiling window that overlooked the entire city's night view.
Outside the window, the city of Jiangcheng is a dazzling galaxy formed by countless neon lights and traffic that never go out.
My gaze shifted to the window, where her own figure was clearly reflected in the glass—thin and frail, barely able to stand with the aid of a cane.
She remembered, many, many years ago.
At that time, she was a victim of school bullying and a troublesome student who gave teachers headaches.
At that time, she suffered terribly every day, but at least her legs could still run and jump.
She remembered the girl who always wore a high ponytail and whose eyes were as wild and proud as a little lion's.
Sun Ying has always been arrogant, but every time she loses to her, she will deliberately come to her side and say arrogantly, "Don't be too happy, I will definitely beat you next time."
Later, as Ye Yuying won more often, when Sun Yingsai spoke to her, his smug eyes held a hint of admiration as he reluctantly said, "...Do you have any tips for cornering? Teach me... Forget it, I don't want to ask you."
The request she had just uttered was immediately rejected by herself.
Ye Yuying recalled their fierce 400-meter final at the Provincial Games, a duel that was so intense it felt like their lungs were on fire.
She remembered that when she crossed the finish line first, she looked back and saw Sun Ying's face flushed red from heavy breathing and immense resentment.
She also remembered that on the awards stage, Sun Ying looked at her, and in those eyes there was no jealousy, only a pure unwillingness and fighting spirit between the strong.
Recalling the past, a very faint smile unconsciously appeared on Ye Yuying's lips.
Over the years, Jiangcheng has become increasingly modern and developed, with everything moving in a better direction.
However, everything was not as vibrant as I remembered.
She once briefly thought that the competition between them would last throughout their youth, from the city to the province, and then... to the whole country.
But halfway through, she chose to leave the track she loved—because she had found something she loved even more.
Today, Sun Ying has become the one who stood on the world stage for her and for all sprinters of her generation.
Her success embodies the dreams of athletes who dropped out halfway or were unfortunately forced to leave the field due to injuries.
Ye Yuying, however, had already embarked on a completely different path.
In the end, the one who stayed on the field and reached the top was Sun Ying.
Ye Yuying slowly pulled herself out of her thoughts.
She took out her phone and typed in the name "Sun Ying" in the search bar.
On the screen, countless news articles about this "Asian female sprinter" immediately popped up.
There are moments of her breaking Asian records, draped in the national flag, and roaring on the field; there are also commercial advertisements she shot for major international brands, full of power and beauty.
Ye Yuying looked at Sun Ying on the screen, who still had her hair tied in a high ponytail, but whose eyes were more determined and powerful than before.
She looked at the reports about Sun Ying with a very complicated expression, and was genuinely happy for her.
*
That afternoon, Ye Yuying was invited to participate in the recording of a science and technology interview program on Jiangcheng TV.
The interview went smoothly. She was dressed in a well-tailored women's formal suit, and sat down before handing her lightweight silver-gray cane to a staff member to take off the stage.
Sitting on the sofa in the studio, facing the host's pointed questions about technology, entrepreneurship, and online public opinion, she answered calmly, professionally, and concisely, yet with the humility of someone from the perspective of a startup.
The recording of the program was not long; it only involved answering a few simple questions. After the recording, Ye Yuying walked out of the studio accompanied by Ding Chu.
As they walked through the corridor filled with celebrity posters, they found that the other end of the corridor was blocked by a group of reporters and cameras.
"Mr. Ye, you've worked hard." The station's host greeted him warmly. "There's another interview outside, so you might have to use the back exit."
Ye Yuying nodded calmly: "No problem."
She gently gripped her cane, walked around the backstage corridor, and as soon as she pushed open the door, the sunlight outside suddenly poured in, making her squint slightly.
The noisy voices of reporters reached my ears.
Surrounded by the crowd at the center was a woman wearing a national team red tracksuit, with her familiar high ponytail, exuding a powerful aura of a top athlete, and showing a slight hint of impatience as she was surrounded by numerous reporters.
"How confident are you about your chances in the 400-meter event at this Olympics?"
"You achieved your personal best this season. What special adjustments did you make during your training cycle to prepare for the Olympics?"
"Given the current outstanding form of Team USA's rising star, Renee Dawson, do you have any strategies to counter her?"
It's Sun Ying.
Ye Yuying paused almost imperceptibly.
She looked at the girl, whose eyes remained sharp as an eagle's and who was full of vigor even under countless flashes of light.
That face was more mature and resolute than it had been eight years ago, but that deep-seated, indomitable pride and confidence remained unchanged.
It was as if, in the blink of an eye, they had gone from the plastic track of the provincial games back then to the torrent of fame and fortune they are surrounded by today's spotlight.
It feels so unfamiliar.
Just as Ye Yuying was about to look away and walk around to the other side, Sun Ying in the crowd, as if on cue, suddenly raised her head.
Her gaze pierced through all the noisy reporters and flashing cameras, precisely targeting that figure—the one she had chased countless times in her teenage years but never truly surpassed—and collided with him fiercely.
Their eyes met.
Both of them were stunned.
Sun Ying looked at Ye Yuying, who was leaning on a cane, wearing a smart suit, and who seemed much more composed and aloof than before. She was both familiar and unfamiliar.
For the first time, an indescribable shock was revealed in her eyes, which always burned with an arrogant flame.
The next second, she did something that surprised all the reporters.
"I'm sorry, that concludes today's interview."
Sun Ying abruptly interrupted the interview.
Then, she pushed aside the reporters in front of her and, like a red, winding message, strode through the crowd towards Ye Yuying's direction.
"Ye Yuying!" Her voice was still clear and full of power.
The two finally stood face to face for the first time in eight years.
Ye Yuying stopped in her tracks, her grip on her cane tightening slightly.
"Why didn't you message me when you went back to China?" Sun Ying's eyes immediately showed resentment, but when she looked down and saw Ye Yuying's cane, her eyes flickered and she swallowed back the rest of her complaints.
All the unfamiliarity disappeared, but Sun Ying's personality remained unchanged.
Ye Yuying smiled apologetically, "I was just thinking you must be quite busy, so I wanted you to focus on preparing for the Olympics."
They've kept in touch using WeChat all these years.
"What kind of relationship do we have that you're talking to me like that!" Sun Ying complained unhappily.
The assistant stepped forward and whispered a reminder in Sun Ying's ear. Sun Ying glanced at her watch and instantly showed an anxious expression.
"The coach is urging me to go back tomorrow at 3 PM. Are you free?"
Sun Ying looked at her and quickly said, "Let's keep in touch via WeChat."
After saying that, she didn't give Ye Yuying any chance to react before her assistant pulled her back into the noisy battlefield.
Ding Chu, standing beside her, was completely dumbfounded.
"Boss..." Ding Chu's voice was dry and stuttering due to excessive shock, "That...that one, is it Sun Ying? Is it...is it the one who's alive, the one who's going to participate in the Olympics, Sun Ying?"
"Mm," Ye Yuying replied succinctly.
"You guys..." Ding Chu looked at his boss's profile, which remained completely calm, and finally couldn't help but ask the most crucial question, "You... know each other?"
"I know him." Ye Yuying remained as nonchalant as ever.
Ding Chu was so shocked that his scalp tingled: "Damn it, I forgot to ask for an autograph..."
Ye Yuying stood there, watching her figure disappear into the crowd. After a long while, she slowly smiled with emotion.
*
The following afternoon at 3 p.m., the executive lounge on the top floor of the Uwe Center.
Ye Yuying arrived early and found a quiet spot by the window.
Sun Ying arrived right on time. She was still wearing that red national team uniform, but with a different brand's logo on it.
He sat down, leaned back on the sofa with a carefree attitude, and let out a long sigh of relief.
"You're something else, Ye Yuying." She looked at Ye Yuying with undisguised, straightforward admiration, the kind that comes between old rivals. "I just searched for you online, and you've become a 'tech darling.' I've seen all the shady stuff online, and you're still doing it as well as ever."
Ye Yuying simply smiled, leaned over, and poured her a glass of lemonade.
Sun Ying's gaze finally shifted downwards, landing on the silver-gray cane leaning against the sofa.
Her smile faltered slightly.
"What happened to your leg?" she asked tentatively.
Ye Yuying looked at her, at the pure concern in her eyes that was devoid of sympathy or pity.
She knew she might not be able to lie to Sun Ying.
"It's alright." Ye Yuying shook her head, her tone as calm as if she were talking about a trivial matter. "It was four years ago, in Germany, there was a car accident."
Sun Ying's hand, which was holding the water glass, suddenly froze.
"A car accident?" Her voice trembled slightly. "So you're really going to have to use crutches for the rest of your life...?"
"I can still walk," Ye Yuying smiled, a smile that carried a sense of relief and composure that she herself was unaware of. "It's just that I can no longer run."
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