The Road Back (Part Four)
Where's the money?
Where's the money?
Where's the money?
Zhou Zeyu rolled his eyes and almost fainted on the spot.
She knew she was unlucky, but she never imagined it would be this bad, with money disappearing from her wallet. And to make matters worse, the master thief was none other than the notorious and intimidating local tyrant.
Isn't this just suffering?!
Zhou Zeyu closed his eyes, feeling as if all the blood in his body had turned cold.
This is also her fault. Back then, she was so focused on competing that she didn't care about the prize money. As long as the money didn't mysteriously disappear, she didn't care who was holding it.
Among the entire team, she was known for her extremely low material desires. She would wear her clothes for as long as they were worn out, and even if they had holes, she would still wear them. She was content with just enough to live on, so she always had an astonishing amount of money and never encountered a situation where she didn't have enough.
So naturally, she only just remembered that she still had some money missing.
It wouldn't have mattered if I hadn't thought about it, but once I did, I immediately realized that things were going badly.
Coach Xu was dumbfounded on the other end of the phone. "Who told you that I was holding this money? If it were in my hands, would I refuse to give it to you?"
Zhou Zeyu was truly innocent. "Who knew this could be faked? You know I'm the kind of person who doesn't care about money."
“That’s true,” Coach Xu had no rebuttal, so he could only change his tone, “How many times have I told you to manage your money properly? How come you haven’t checked the accounts with me in two years? When are you going to change your clumsy and rough manner?”
"I just trust you..."
She became increasingly unsure as she spoke, and her voice quickly grew softer. Coach Xu exclaimed in surprise and quickly said, "You're not a three-and-a-half-year-old anymore. You have to take good care of your own money. You're so forgetful. If you don't believe me, check your pockets. Are there any more bills that have appeared out of nowhere?"
Zhou Zeyu touched it and pulled out a crumpled, ancient twenty-yuan note, the year of which was unknown.
Sometimes knowing too much isn't a good thing. She gave an awkward laugh, then embarrassedly crumpled the money into a ball and stuffed it back into the box.
"Put it back? Quickly find a wallet or something to put it in!"
Zhou Zeyu was caught red-handed from afar and was startled. He straightened his back abruptly and hurriedly agreed.
Sometimes you really can't blame her. She started working for the provincial team when she was young and used the team's resources for almost everything she needed. She often had no concept of money. She thought a ten-yuan bun was okay, but a fifty-thousand-yuan car was too expensive. She didn't have any idea about financial management. She would just stuff things into a random place and then forget about them completely.
Coach Xu only thought the child was young at the time and didn't take such trivial matters to heart, but now the retribution has come.
"I'll ask Huang Zhengzhong for you in a bit, so don't overthink it."
Zhou Zeyu scratched his head, feeling quite annoyed. "I can't trouble you, Lao Xu. Anyway, I'm not in the team anymore. I'll just go to headquarters to find him later."
"You're going alone?"
“Yeah.” As he spoke, Zhou Zeyu had already slipped to the door and started putting on his shoes. “Anyway, I have nothing to do.”
She knew the road to the General Administration of Sport very well, or rather, it was the only road in all of Beijing that she knew best. Although she had lived there for so many years, her activities were still limited to the area near the General Administration. She easily found a bicycle and rode there, arriving in no time.
She sighed, finding it hard to articulate her feelings. After a brief pause outside, she pushed open the door and went inside.
The hall was still bustling with people, just like when Zhou Zeyu first came here. Everyone was walking with their heads down, hurrying through the spacious hall, as if following a fixed track and running in a rigid manner. No one slowed down, and of course, no one stopped.
She knew that standing there in a daze would be conspicuous, so she blended into the crowd, pretending to be expressionless, and quickened her pace to the elevator.
The elevator doors were about to close, but then slowly opened again after she pressed the button. Zhou Zeyu, who had been looking down, heard a soft, almost uncontrollable exhalation. She finally raised her eyes to look at the person in the elevator who was not her.
However, the moment their eyes met and Zhou Zeyu finally saw the other person's face clearly, she couldn't help but exclaim in surprise. She quickly suppressed her surprise and nodded to the other person as if nothing had happened.
If the other person hadn't greeted her, Zhou Zeyu would never have recognized that it was Feng Yifan.
Zhou Zeyi had a deep impression of Feng Yifan. When Feng Yifan first debuted, she and Fang Xiaocan both thought she was the most beautiful girl in the group. She was tall, good-looking, and had two shallow dimples on her cheeks when she smiled.
Now, however, she was smiling, but her big eyes were adorned with bags under them, and the nasolabial folds on her face were so deep that they could not be ignored. Her forehead was covered with countless red pimples, and she looked as if all her energy had been drained, so haggard that she was about to faint at any moment.
"How have you been lately?" Feng Yifan pressed the elevator button for her. He seemed happy to see her and looked at her gently.
Zhou Zeyu was a little unsure how to put it. Her relationship with Feng Yifan was neither close nor distant; they seemed to be merely nodding acquaintances, far from the level of exchanging pleasantries. However, half a year had passed, and she didn't know what had happened, but Feng Yifan's gaze towards her had become friendly, almost entirely cordial.
"I'm actually doing alright, how about you?"
She regretted her words as soon as they left her mouth. No one could be living such a good life and still look so haggard. Combining this with Fang Xiaocan's earlier comment that "even I have to pity her," Zhou Zeyu finally realized where this pity came from.
In just six months, how did she become like this? Even Zhou Zeyu's gaze towards her began to show some pity.
"Me?" Feng Yifan seemed to be smiling, her eyes crinkling, but she didn't seem happy at all. "Can't you tell?"
Of course you can see it; you don't even need to squint to look closely, it's completely visible to the naked eye.
Zhou Zeyu carefully considered her words, but before she could decide what to say, the other person continued speaking.
"Are you here to see Coach Huang?"
She nodded.
Feng Yifan nodded knowingly: "Are they here to ask for money?"
Zhou Zeyu suddenly turned to look at her, somewhat surprised that she had seen through the secret so quickly. "How did you guess it?"
She didn't answer the question directly, but shrugged mysteriously. At that moment, the elevator doors opened, and she politely gestured for Zhou Zeyu to exit first before slowly walking out herself.
Zhou Zeyu felt increasingly uneasy. Seeing that her route was exactly the same as his own, he couldn't help but ask, "Are you also going to Coach Huang... to ask for money?"
Looking at her hesitant expression, Feng Yifan suddenly revealed a smile that was undoubtedly bittersweet.
"yes."
Zhou Zeyu raised her eyebrows, suddenly having a bad feeling. The two of them stood at the office door, looking at each other for a while, before Feng Yifan finally raised her hand and knocked on the door.
However, before the person inside could speak, Zhou Zeyu pushed open the door, nodded at Feng Yifan's half-surprised and half-frightened expression, revealed a smile that seemed to enjoy stirring things up, and decisively walked in.
Coach Huang was standing by the window making a phone call when he saw the two intruders. He was visibly surprised, especially when he saw the uninvited guest, Zhou Zeyu. He waved his hand, intending to shoo them out, but Zhou Zeyu stood at the door like a pine tree in deep meditation, refusing to budge no matter what he said.
Feng Yifan gently tugged at her sleeve, but she ignored him, neither backing up nor moving forward, just standing there at the door with one hand on the doorknob, her face completely calm.
She knew Coach Huang's character all too well. He would use the excuse of having something to do to kick people out of the house, then add some trivial but convincing excuses, and the matter would naturally fade away, only to be brushed aside again when it was brought up next time.
So you absolutely must not leave, you cannot have even the slightest bit of fear or hesitation.
Zhou Zeyu sighed with feigned maturity, intending to turn to Feng Yifan and boast about his profound understanding of Coach Huang. However, he quickly realized that there was nothing to boast about, and it even made him feel a little sad. So he swallowed and kept quiet.
Are you just going to... stand here and wait like this?
Is it embarrassing? Is it shameless? Zhou Zeyi chuckled and gave her a mysterious look: "Nothing ventured, nothing gained. You may have taken the money, but you can't keep your reputation."
Feng Yifan raised his eyebrows, clearly moved by her heartfelt words, and an expression of admiration immediately appeared on his face.
"Captain, you seem very experienced."
Upon hearing the familiar address, Zhou Zeyu was stunned for a moment, even subconsciously thinking that she was referring to Cen Zheng. It took her a while to realize what she meant, and she lowered her head and hurriedly let out a bland laugh.
"Really?" she said with a self-deprecating tone, "It's an experience of struggle that I had no other choice."
Seemingly sensing the sadness in her tone, Feng Yifan stopped talking, and the two fell silent. Fortunately, Coach Huang hung up the phone at this moment and walked towards them, looking troubled.
Seeing that he seemed about to speak, Zhou Zeyi decisively spoke up before him: "Coach Huang, I'm here to ask for some money. Coach Xu said that my entire year's bonus from the year before last is still with you. Did you forget to give it to me?"
Without being tactful or merciful, since she was now an unofficial employee, they weren't afraid of offending her; their only concern was whether they could get the money back.
Coach Huang paused, seemingly recalling something, but quickly, the expression on his rough face changed from confusion to composure. He smiled and hastily squeezed out a few indistinct syllables, then cleared his throat, adopted that typical bureaucratic air, and was about to speak to her.
However, the instant his expression changed, Zhou Zeyu realized something was wrong. He crossed his arms and forced out a cold, clearly malicious smile.
"Huang Jiao is very busy and it's understandable that he forgot about this matter. However, I'm not in the group now, and there's no reason to delay this money any longer. I'm just a young woman in Beijing, and it's difficult for me to make a living. I hope you won't make things too difficult for me."
She deliberately lowered her voice, but was certain the other person could hear her clearly.
Coach Huang didn't react to her words, just smiled and nodded without answering directly. "When did you come back to China? You didn't even come to see me after you got back. You look much better. You've been recuperating well these past few days, haven't you?"
Coach Huang seemed to be smiling as he slowly walked up to her, speaking softly, "Isn't that suburban villa you're staying in cozy? It's a resort right outside the door, a prime location, with all the amenities you could need. I thought you'd be so comfortable you'd forget all about home."
His words were completely nonsensical, and Zhou Zeyu subconsciously felt something was wrong. He seemed to vaguely sense his intentions and was about to speak when he was stopped.
“The money for rent, utilities, and psychological treatment isn’t something the team is giving you for free; we’re not exactly that wealthy,” he said with a smile. “So, I’m deducting it from your bonus. I think you won’t have any objections, right?”
Zhou Zeyu's heart skipped a beat.
This is a mess. Back then, she stayed in Belgrade without really understanding what was going on, leaving everything else to others, including the arrangements for renting a place and getting medical treatment. Who knew that her inaction back then would now come back to haunt her, leaving her with no reason to object?
In a short instant, all her strength was suddenly drained from her body, and she deflated like a ball that had been maliciously punctured.
However, no matter what, Zhou Zeyu would not allow herself to collapse without knowing why. She forced herself to maintain a calm expression, but her knuckles turned slightly white from the excessive force.
"Impossible. How could it cost so much money for just six months' rent and utilities?" She took a deep breath. "Coach Huang, are you sure you didn't make a mistake somewhere?"
However, Coach Huang spoke first: "Then what about the fine?"
"What fine?"
Her confusion was clearly inappropriate, as Coach Huang noticed it, gave her a stern look, and spoke.
“After your sick leave ended, you continued to miss daily training and pre-match training without reason, arbitrarily violated team rules, and failed to fulfill the duties of a captain for a long time. These are all violations of discipline and regulations. As the captain, you can’t possibly forget even this.”
Oh no! Zhou Zeyu's brow twitched suddenly; she realized the problem wasn't so simple.
After her sick leave ended, neither her mentality nor her competitive level had fully recovered, so Coach Xu applied for long-term recuperation for her. At that time, she was busy fighting her injuries and of course did not care about such a trivial matter.
The problem is that Coach Xu is only responsible for requesting leave, but Coach Huang is responsible for approving it, and he also has the power of interpretation. If he happens to refuse to approve it for some reason, then everything is in vain.
However, Zhou Zeyi knew, of course, that there was never any such thing as coincidence or not in this world, so there was no doubt that this was intentional.
When she realized this, she froze, and a chill suddenly ran down her spine.
Everything seemed premeditated, from the exorbitant rent and utilities to the deliberately denied leave slips, as if someone had known all along that today's events would unfold.
In other words, all of this was intentional, and the goal was very clear.
Zhou Zeyu stood there, unwilling to accept the fact that she had been defeated. She was thinking of a countermeasure at lightning speed. She did not notice when Coach Huang slowly walked to her side. He sighed and a look of fatigue and helplessness suddenly appeared on his face. His eyes lingered on her and Feng Yifan for a while.
"You...sigh, you are all good children."
Zhou Zeyu suddenly looked up, squinted, clearly unsure of what he was about to do, and watched him warily and cautiously.
But to her surprise, Coach Huang did not show that worldly expression again. He looked out the window with a distant gaze, and his voice carried a vague, half-true, half-false sorrow.
"Xiao Zhou, ask yourself honestly, over the years the team has put in a lot of effort to train you, if not to the point of exhaustion, but certainly with great care and resources. You should weigh the consequences yourself, isn't that right?"
"The physical trainer we hired is one of the world's best. Everything we eat, wear, and use is top-notch. Take your knee surgery back then, for example. Our expenses must have been in the seven figures. The team covered all of that money. We didn't ask you for a single penny, did we?"
Zhou Zeyu was stunned. She knew very well what he meant by saying these words, but she also realized that she could not refute them because they were all true.
She was put on a moral high ground and tormented, but she was powerless to do anything about it. What could she say? What could she do?
Over the years, the organization has nurtured and supported him without complaint. Even though so many things happened later, and even though Zhou Zeyu's respect and gratitude were almost gone, this is still undeniable.
One cannot move forward without looking back, and without the team's support, she could not have gotten to where she is today.
The atmosphere inside the room seemed to slowly become more eerie. She stood there, watched intently by four eyes, one in front of her and one behind her. Feng Yifan was curious about her choice, while Coach Huang just stared at her silently.
Zhou Zeyi was exhausted. She couldn't explain what she was thinking. She only knew that no part of her body felt relaxed, especially her brain. She hated the feeling of being controlled by others and knew that she had no choice at all, which made her actions just now seem even more ridiculous.
She was like a manipulated lab rat, her every move was speculated on and predicted, or more realistically, she was being used.
"Okay, okay." In that instant, all her fighting spirit seemed to vanish, replaced by utter helplessness. She opened her mouth and heard herself say, "Let's just say it's..."
She carefully considered her words, but it seemed there was nothing more tactful, so she stopped thinking and blurted it out.
"Consider it a draw."
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