Chapter 47

This Asian Games was Tang Yi-Bai's first major competitive event. Before this, he had never even participated in the National Games. Even though his time in the 50-metre free was also very good, he still wasn't completely matchless in Asia. Furthermore, taking into consideration the fact that he was a rookie to major competitions and rookies tended to perform erratically, the local media did not dare to expect too much from Tang Yi-Bai's 50-metre free. It would be great if he could obtain the gold, but he could not be faulted even if he did not manage to do so. It was fine as long as he made his way onto the podium.

That said, Tang Yi-Bai's results in the preliminaries was surprisingly very good, ranking first, holding a lead of near 0.1 seconds over Japan's Yuda Matsushima as they headed into the finals.

And so many people began to hold new hopes for this grand battle of the flying fish.

Yun Duo was looking through the pictures she had taken one by one, and when she saw the one of Tang Yi-Bai looking up towards the digital screen after he reached the finish line, she suddenly felt a little melancholic. She had personally witnessed his journey over the past year making his way to where he was now. A year ago, he was a relative unknown, being besieged and interrogated by the media, pushed into the teeth of public opinion, unbelievably domineering within the water... no matter what he faced or what he experienced, he was always calm and composed, taking steady steps towards his goal. He had never been disturbed by the chaos and clutter of the outside world.

He would not overstretch himself for public approval, and neither would he become demotivated under public censure.

That was him, the Tang Yi-Bai she knew.

Watching him grow into the high-profile rookie he was today, Yun Duo was simultaneously proud of him and yet, she also felt slightly sour. This man... would eventually become a radiant star of sports. He would gain many, many fans, and he would be chased by many, many reporters for interviews. At that time, would the distance between them just grow wider and wider?

Would it grow so much that they would return back to where they started?

At the thought, Yun Duo felt rather frustrated.

The finals were all scheduled to be after 6pm; the afternoon period before that was break time for the athletes. Yun Duo was hanging out at the temporary office of Sports Weekly in the media area for the event. She was sorting through her images and materials, and drafting her manuscripts as she waited for the finals to begin.

Lin Zi suddenly called her out of the office, his expression shifty and mysterious — who knows what was going on? No matter what, it definitely wouldn't be anything official.

Yun Duo followed him out and the two of them came to a secluded corner. Lin Zi then took out a long rectangular velvet box and handed it to Yun Duo. "Yun Duo, happy birthday."

Yun Duo's mouth fell open. She only just realised herself that it was her birthday today. Usually, she would never have forgotten her birthday, because the National Day holiday was on October 1 and her birthday was the very next day. However, this time, due to the Asian Games, she had been so busy that her head was spinning, so all thoughts of holidays or birthdays had been shuffled to the back of her mind.

She was surprised Lin Zi remembered.

Yun Duo was rather touched. She accepted the velvet box. "Thank you."

"Why so polite? You're my boss! Open it and see if you like it."

"Ok." Yun Duo nodded and opened the box. She saw a blue gemstone pendant laying inside — it was the one she had liked when she had been window shopping with Lin Zi but yet could not convince herself to buy. She was a little torn. "This is too expensive. I can't accept this."

But Lin Zi said, "Don't worry. This is a high-quality imitation. It's not expensive."

"Really?" Yun Duo did not really buy his explanation. "You would buy an imitation?"

"Because you won't accept the genuine product. What can I do?"

Yun Duo looked carefully at the pendant. The sapphire was clear and bright, and the small diamonds sparkled radiantly. No matter how she looked at it, it really did not seem like an imitation. She stared suspiciously at Lin Zi, "You're trying to fool me, aren't you?"

"No, it's the truth. Here, see this if you don't believe me," Lin Zi said as he turned his phone to show her his purchase history on Taobao.

Yun Duo looked at it and he had really purchased an imitation. She exclaimed, "It's scary how real imitations are nowadays."

Lin Zi was looking at the ground, preoccupied with his own thoughts. He only said, "As long as you like it."

Yun Duo carefully kept the pendant away and then patted Lin Zi lightly on the shoulder. She said with a laugh, "My subordinate is so thoughtful! I have not treated you well in vain."

Lin Zi looked into her eyes and his thin lips ticked up into a small smile. "Feeling better?"

Yun Duo blinked, staring blankly at him for a moment before sticking out her tongue to hide her embarrassment. "How could you tell?"

Lin Zi did not answer her question but said instead, "Yun Duo, do you know why Tang Yi-Bai doesn't like you?"

"Why?"

"Because he can't."

Yun Duo gaped slightly at his response. She looked at the calm in his long, narrow eyes, and she suddenly understood what he meant.

Tang Yi-Bai could not like her — that was the truth. He was so popular... if he was willing to be in a relationship, he would have long gotten himself a girlfriend. He had never had a girlfriend all this while, which just goes to show that he had no intention of being in a relationship. He had devoted all of his time and energy into swimming.

In that case, how could he accept her?

His entire world was swimming, and time was running out for him. He was 22 years old this year, and he would be 23 at next year's World Championships, then 24 at the Olympic Games the year after that. The two years from now to the Olympic Games would be the final golden age of his professional career. And he had experienced so many bumps along the way, far from the smooth sailing of Qi Rui-Feng. Qi Rui-Feng had attended so many major competitions ever since he had debuted at 15 years old and had obtained so much honour and glory, but Tang Yi-Bai?

He only had these two years left. If he missed this Olympic Games, he would be 28 years old for the next one.

This age was already the late stage in an athlete's professional career. No matter how much fighting spirit you have at that point, your body would no longer be able support it.

This was very cruel, but it was reality.

Thus, at this stage, Tang Yi-Bai must definitely want to swim without any distractions. Romance and flirting and all that can just step aside for now.

This was the truth. This was why he was distancing himself from her. He sensed her feelings for him, and so he was using this method to avoid being pulled into a relationship.

After figuring things out, Yun Duo did not feel as frustrated as before.

Of course, she also wasn't that happy.

Lin Zi added, "So you can also put to rest your plans to confess to him after the Asian Games."

Yun Duo stared at him in shock. Her cheeks flushed. "H-how did you know?" She had indeed planned on having a talk with Tang Yi-Bai. If the timing seemed right, she did not mind confessing...

Of course, she no longer had such plans.

Lin Zi sighed. His gaze on her face was as gentle as the first snow melt. He said, "Yun Duo, you must know, I'm the one that understands you most."

"Yes." Yun Duo nodded emphatically.

Lin Zi broke out into a sudden smile. "No matter what, I'll forever support you, Boss."

Yun Duo's eyes felt hot as she stared at him with her lips pressed together.

He spread his arms out, his eyes warm. "Come here for a hug."

Yun Duo stepped forward into his arms. She put her arms around his waist and buried her face in his chest. In a muffled voice, she said, "Lin Zi, thank you."

Thank you for enlightening me when I was confused, for cheering me up when I was feeling down. Thank you for remembering my birthday, thank you for always supporting me.

Lin Zi hugged her gently, his eyes narrowed as he looked at a figure in the near distance. When that person saw them hugging, his body swayed slightly, and then he stared at them, frozen.

Lin Zi quirked an eyebrow and then closed his eyes. He bowed his head slightly and dropped a feather-light kiss on Yun Duo's forehead.

That person turned tail and fled.

All the way until he stepped out of the media area, the image of the two people hugging wavered before Tang Yi-Bai's eyes.

He had remembered her birthday and so he had wanted to sneak into the media centre to look for her and wish her a happy birthday. He knew he should not have done that, but his self-control had been crumbling after holding out for so long, so he had decided to just give up and come see her once.

He must give her his well wishes, and if possible, he wanted to hear her wishing him good luck for the race.

However, he had stumbled onto that scene.

His heart felt terrible, so terrible he could die. There were some truths he did not want to think about or acknowledge, but the truth insisted on tearing off its mask and confronting him to his face. It was like a sharp blade piercing straight into the softest spot in his heart and twisting roughly. It hurt, oh it hurt right to the depths of his soul.

What should I do? What should I do...?

He mulled on this all the way back to his quarters. He couldn't have said how he spent this hour or so. That evening before the races, Coach Wu gave him some instructions and he agreed absentmindedly, but by the time he turned around, he had already forgotten what his coach had said.

Of course, in the end, he still had to get onto the starting block.

Tang Yi-Bai had ranked first in the preliminaries, so he was holding the best lane.

He stood up on the starting block and heard the referee say, "take your mark ——"

He went into preparatory mode and held his stance, waiting for the starting gun to fire. His nerves were stretched taut but his thoughts were a little adrift. In this hazy state, he thought he heard the gun fire and so he immediately dove into the water.

He had entered the water more than a thousand times; his motions were unbelievably smooth. However, after swimming for a distance, he sensed that something was not right. The pool around him was empty — he could not feel any shifts in the water from any opponents. His heart dropped. He instantly stopped to surface and turned back to look at the starting point in confusion.

The athletes from the other countries were all still standing on their respective starting blocks, staring at him in the water.

The referee walked over and announced that Tang Yi-Bai had committed a false start violation and was disqualified from the race.

The live commentator explained the situation in both English and Japanese. One of the most capable candidates in this race had been disqualified because of a false start. The entire venue was in an uproar. The flags that had been waving all this while in the China audience section were lowered, and the entire section was deathly silent.

After Tang Yi-Bai got out of the pool, almost all eyes were on him, and there were many reporters snapping pictures.

She must be seeing this too.

Realising this, Tang Yi-Bai felt depressed. He silently left the pool and went to find his coach Wu Yong.

Wu Yong saw how dejected Tang Yi-Bai looked and did not have the heart to scold him.

'In the end, he was still a boy who had never been through a major competition', thought Wu Yong. He was normally such a reliable kid, but even he could not hold firm in a moment such as this. He patted Tang Yi-Bai on the shoulder and said gently, "It's fine. Just swim well in the later races."

Tang Yi-Bai nodded.

Qi Rui-Feng had a race soon after this as well. When he saw Tang Yi-Bai being disqualified from a false start, even though Qi Rui-Feng felt very sad for him, he had no idea how to comfort Tang Yi-Bai. After some thought, Qi Rui-Feng said, "It's okay. I lost my first race as well. Let's win it back tomorrow in the relay."

Tang Yi-Bai nodded.

Qi Rui-Feng wanted to say something more, but Tang Yi-Bai waved and said, "Bro Feng, I'm headed off for now."

Tang Yi-Bai had just left when Yun Duo arrived looking for him. Reporters had a limited range of activity so she could only call out to Qi Rui-Feng from the audience seats, "Qi Rui-Feng! Qi Rui-Feng!"

Qi Rui-Feng saw it was her and asked, "Yun Duo, what's up?"

"Where's Tang Yi-Bai?"

"He left. Yun Duo, you can't interview him today. He's not in a good mood."

Yun Duo was left speechless. "I'm not planning to interview him. I...I just wanted to see him."

To see whether he was okay...

Qi Rui-Feng shook his head. "He has already gone back to the dorms."

Imagining Tang Yi-Bai's dejected look, Yun Duo felt really bad. She tenaciously asked Qi Rui-Feng, "Then, can I go see him in the athletes' quarters later tonight? I just want to check in on him."

"I think you can't. Reporters can't just come into the athlete's quarters. And we can't simply go out either."

"Help me figure something out." Yun Duo's eyes turned red in her desperation.

Qi Rui-Feng considered it seriously for a long while and then his eyes lit up. "There is a way."

"What?"

He was just about to shout it out when he suddenly realised that this method he was proposing wasn't strictly proper. It wouldn't be good for others to know. So, he waved at Yun Duo to come closer. The two of them walked along the audience railing until they were at a point where they could meet and he whispered to Yun Duo, "There is a small forest beside the west wall of the athletes' quarters. That wall is a symbolic wall, not very high. Both Tang Yi-Bai and I can flip over it. You go wait for him in the forest. I'll get him to go over the wall and look for you. Bring a flashlight with you and I'll ask him to bring one too. That way, you will both be abe to see each other... I'm such a genius."

"Yes, yes, you're really a genius. Let's do that!" Yun Duo was generous with her praise, and then she continued, "I'll wait for him till 10:30. It's fine if he doesn't want to come, don't force him. I'm just a little worried about him."

"Ok, I've got it. I'll tell him when I go back." Qi Rui-Feng nodded and then suddenly his expression turned contemplative. "Doesn't this feel like a secret tryst?"

"What?!" Yun Duo flushed red, stammered an excuse and ran off.

It was almost 7:30pm by the time all the races for the evening were done. After Yun Duo was done with her interviews, she grabbed something quick to eat and then quickly made her way to the small forest by the athletes' quarters. The forest was not very big, but Yun Duo was worried Tang Yi-Bai would not be able to find her, so she paced silently along the western wall. The 'wall' was mostly made of metal railings, and it really was not that tall.

She was afraid that she would be caught by the night patrol so she did not dare to turn on her flashlight. She continued to just walk and peek periodically over the fence — her behaviour was extremely, extremely sleazy.

When she saw a figure heading her way, Yun Duo quickly retreated back into the woods and carefully observed what this person would do. The man was tall and he walked straight to the wall and then stepping on the crossbars, he easily flipped over the wall in three moves. Yun Duo saw him coming over the wall and abruptly regretted her impulsiveness. If he accidentally hurt himself flipping over the wall, it would have been a big mess.

She was still reflecting and repenting when he switched on his flashlight and waved it over the forest. Yun Duo hurriedly turned on her own flashlight to signal her response.

Tang Yi-Bai headed in her direction.

Yun Duo saw his figure approaching and she could not stop her heart beat from accelerating. She gripped tightly to her flashlight, not daring to illuminate him nor herself. Thus, she could only let the light dip low and shine a bright circle on the ground.

Tang Yi-Bai walked right up to her and called her name. "Yun Duo?" His voice was very soft, as if coming out of a dream.

Yun Duo nodded. "It's me, Tang Yi-Bai." It was too dark in the woods for her to see his face clearly, but she knew he was looking down at her. She was a little nervous, quietly clenching her toes against the ground.

"Bro Feng said you're looking for me?"

"Uh, no, I was just... Tang Yi-Bai, you... are you okay?"

Tang Yi-Bai gave a dry laugh and said softly, "I don't think I'm doing too well."

Yun Duo suddenly felt very bad for him. A false start was a very low-level mistake — he must have already beat himself up over it countless times by now, and the public opinion within the country was all also along the lines of regret that he had not lived up to their expectations. Many people felt that Tang Yi-Bai was not strong enough mentally. Yun Duo did not think that he did badly; she just felt bad for him.

She could feel tears gathering in her nose. She consoled him, "Tang Yi-Bai, don't feel bad."

Tang Yi-Bai thought, 'Tell me then, how can I not feel bad?'

Yun Duo continued, "A false start is no big deal. There are many other famous swimmers who have committed false starts before too. It's all because they were too nervous during a race. It can't be helped. Don't blame yourself. You're great. Swim well in the 100-metre after this. You've got the gold for sure."

Tang Yi-Bai looked down at Yun Duo's hazy face below him. The night was too dark, so he could only see the outline of her face. Yet his heart felt warm. He said softly, "Are you worrying over me?"

"Yes," Yun Duo replied quietly.

Tang Yi-Bai felt the heaviness in his heart disperse considerably. He found that he was really too easily satisfied. Tang Yi-Bai was silent for a long moment and then he suddenly said, "Yun Duo, I have a question I want you to answer."

"Oh? Tell me."

"Is Lin Zi your boyfriend?"

"No! Who told you that?!" Yun Duo quickly denied it, "He's just a colleague."

"But I saw him hugging you today."

Yun Duo was exasperated. "You've hugged me before too! Are you my boyfriend?"

Just one question and Tang Yi-Bai's heart was pounding. He almost blurted, "Let me be your boyfriend!" He pursed his mouth, and after calming down a little, he said lightly, "Oh."

Yun Duo pressed. "Why are you asking?"

"Just a little curious."

If she could see his expression right now, she would definitely understand immediately why he had asked her that question.

After knowing for certain that Yun Duo and Lin Zi were not lovers, Tang Yi-Bai felt as if the smog around him had lifted. His body felt light. The two of them chatted for a while longer. After verifying that Tang Yi-Bai was fine emotionally, Yun Duo did not dare to keep him out for too long, so she soon bid farewell.

Right before she said goodbye, Yun Duo said, "Tang Yi-Bai, you'll be participating in the 4x100 metre relay, right?"

"Mhm."

"Swim well then. Good luck!"

His voice carried a smile. "Yes, I will."

Yun Duo scratched her head. "But don't give yourself too much pressure. Just do your best."

"Mhm."

Finally, Yun Duo opened her arms. "Let me give you a hug for encouragement."

Tang Yi-Bai gently pulled her into his arms. The night was too dark, so she did not see how softly he smiled. Embracing her soft body, he whispered by her ear, "Thank you, Yun Duo. I will definitely swim well tomorrow."

Yun Duo yearned for his warm and broad embrace, but she did not dare to linger too long. The two of them soon separated.

When Tang Yi-Bai returned to the dorm room, Qi Rui-Feng sensed something off about him.

He couldn't pinpoint what was off precisely, but he just felt that there was a strange air about Tang Yi-Bai. When Tang Yi-Bai had gone out earlier, he was like a block of ice, and now when he returned, he was like a cloud of mysterious fog. Even his eyes had changed, becoming somewhat clingy, lingering on everything he looked at, and smiling too! Hells!

Please, you've just thrown away a gold medal due to a false start, what do you have to smile about?!

It was freaky...

Qi Rui-Feng was a little concerned. "Are you sick?"

Tang Yi-Bai was taken aback by the question, but he quickly nodded. "Yes, and it's quite serious."

Seeing the other admit it so readily, Qi Rui-Feng was even more unsettled. "What have you got? Go see the team doctor now. Don't drag things out. You need to diagnose and treat it early."

Tang Yi-Bai shook his head. "No need, it can't be cured."

Qi Rui-Feng was frightened out of his wits. "You, you, you, you— what the hell have you gotten?!"

Tang Yi-Bai toppled over onto his bed and pillowed his head on his arms. He sighed and said, "All ills may be treated, but lovesickness is difficult to cure."

---

Previous: Chapter 46
Next: Chapter 48

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