The area in front of the Qingbei team's training base was already packed with media reporters and fans.
The members of the Qingbei team stepped off the bus one after another and filed in through the human wall set up by the security personnel, occasionally accepting small bouquets from a few fans.
Coach Wang walked at the very back of the group, the wrinkles around his eyes revealing his barely concealed joy. In his haste, he also answered a few trivial questions from the media reporters.
Returning to the training ground where they usually sweat it out, the Qingbei team members felt completely different. The momentum from the victory made everyone feel like they had been injected with chicken blood, and even their posture when assembling was upright.
Coach Wang finally stopped repeatedly giving instructions while holding the tactics book. Instead, he slowly walked around the assembled team before saying, "The National League is now over. Everyone's prize money will be paid along with this month's salary. Today, I'm just going to explain the arrangements for the future."
"..."
Coach Wang never spoke more than three sentences before reverting to his familiar speaking style, his intonation filled with catchphrases that made you want to yawn after just a few sentences.
"Listen carefully. The Olympic roster will be announced in a week, so—" Coach Wang drawled, "everyone will return to the team next Friday for the selection list to be announced. Those selected will then report to the national team training base. During the Olympic team's training camp, the rest of you will have a long vacation and will return to the team before the Olympics begin in August, on August 1st. Do you all understand?"
"Understood!" the Qingbei team members replied in unison.
"Alright, let's get down to business." Coach Wang glanced at Lu Yu discreetly and said, "Tengyue Sports has arranged a celebration banquet for the Qingbei team. We'll all depart in two hours at a hotel near Qingbei City. By the way, this hotel isn't open yet; it belongs to the Jiao family, so don't worry. Everyone going will be from our team; there won't be any other people there, and certainly no media reporters. This is a reward for all the Qingbei team members. Ah, there's no intention of any socializing. You don't need to be particular about your attire; just dress as you normally would. In short, you just need to send one person and talk to them."
As soon as the humorous remark was made, several members of the Qingbei team couldn't help but burst out laughing.
*
Located on the outskirts of Qingbei City, the hotel is nestled in lush forests, surrounded by tranquility, greenery, and fresh air, making it feel like a secluded paradise. The glass curtain walls and verdant spring trees complement each other, creating a look that is both modern and natural.
Two buses were parked in front of the hotel. The entire Qingbei team, including all the players, coaching staff, team doctor, and support staff, totaled more than eighty people. The hotel's spacious lobby was suddenly packed with people, like dumplings being placed in a pot.
Chu Feiyu whispered to Sun Meng, "The third young master of the Jiao family is my idol. If I were rich, I would spend money on my boyfriend like that too. It's so awesome!"
Sun Mengshang sighed at Chu Feiyu.
Shu Juan, who was standing to the side, laughed and said, "If you say that again in front of your sister Xiaoyu, I bet she'll twist your ear."
A somewhat absent-minded Lu Yu heard her name mentioned and subconsciously responded, "What?"
Yang Lingling glanced at Chu Feiyu, who looked pleading, and said evasively, "They're saying this place is beautiful. You can see the distant mountains and the amusement park from the windows here."
After a while, there was still no response from Lu Yu. Yang Lingling put her arm around Lu Yu's shoulder, turned to the window, and said, "Stop staring at your phone, look outside, it's so beautiful."
Lu Yu forced a smile and clenched her phone tightly.
Her messages to Jiao Yuyin went unanswered. When she heard about the celebration banquet, she only intended to tease Jiao Yuyin, but two hours passed without any response. Thinking of Detective Dong's increasingly frequent phone calls before the finals, she couldn't help but feel anxious.
Shu Juan also stepped over and continued Yang Lingling's words, saying, "That amusement park hasn't opened yet either. Like this hotel, it's also owned by the Jiao family. This area is all part of the complex. It was supposed to open at the beginning of this year, but I don't know why it's been delayed. I heard that there's also an aquarium inside the amusement park."
"Oh, oh." Lu Yu didn't carefully analyze the meaning of the words, nor did she want to spoil the fun for the others, so she gave a perfunctory response.
"You actually know more about this than Sister Yu?" Chu Feiyu said playfully.
A few people stood motionless in front of the lobby's glass windows. Coach Wang, who had finished speaking with the hotel manager, ran over, clapped his hands, and said, "Let's go to the dining area now. The dining area is on the left side of the lobby on the first floor, and the leisure area is on the right. The movie theater, karaoke room, and board game room are all on the right. The basement is the sports area, with a gym, billiards, badminton, and table tennis. Anyone who wants to try extra training can go. We're not stopping them."
The sounds of laughter still lingered overhead as Coach Wang raised his voice and continued, "The second floor is the hotel's office area. Above the second floor are the hotel rooms. You can get your room cards from Ms. Fang in the logistics department later. Everyone, don't stand still by the window. You can look at them as much as you want when you get back to your rooms tonight."
*
The dinner was halfway through, and everyone was in high spirits.
"Little Taro, Little Taro," someone suggested, "Isn't President Jiao coming today? We're eating and staying here for free, shouldn't we thank him in person for his generosity?"
Coach Wang cleared his throat and interrupted, "Do you still need to arrange Mr. Jiao's schedule? Today is our entire Qingbei team's celebration night. Eat and play to your heart's content, that's how we thank Mr. Jiao."
"The nights here are absolutely amazing. The amusement park in the distance is always sparkling. I just looked out the window and it was breathtakingly beautiful," Yang Lingling said, changing the subject in a few words.
Lu Yu then realized what was happening and nodded slightly to Coach Wang and Yang Lingling to thank them for their timely help.
"bite--"
The sound of a new message notification on her phone immediately drew all of her attention.
[I was busy outside and forgot my phone in the car. I'm fine here, we'll see each other again soon. Xiao Zhong will pick you up from the hotel in 10 minutes.]
Lu Yu was completely confused. She quickly typed a question mark on her phone, clicked send, and finally received only a mysterious emoji.
Not long after, Xiao Zhong appeared in a hurry.
Lu Yu didn't linger; she greeted Coach Wang and left.
The trees on both sides of the road slowly receded from the car window.
The car drove for a few minutes and then stopped again.
A gate adorned with light green and purple star-shaped lights came into view outside the car window. The amusement park, which I had just seen from the hotel window, was now right in front of me.
The person standing under the amusement park gate was none other than Jiao Yuyin, whom Lu Yu had been thinking about for a long time.
He was still wearing a suit, and should have looked no different from usual, but Lu Yu could still sense a hint of solemnity and special meaning in it.
Lu Yu felt her breath catch in her throat. She slowly opened the car door, and only when the dashing and handsome man stood before her did she realize what was different about Jiao Yuyin today—the bouquet of flowers he held in his hands, the colorful halo behind him, the starry sky above his head, and even he himself seemed like a special celebratory gift prepared just for her.
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