Chapter 54
Yun Duo thought that Lin Zi might take her to a graveyard of some sort to visit his younger sister. After all, every time he mentioned her, he was always in a depressed mood. Unexpectedly, he brought her to a hospital.
A quiet hospital, a white ward, like the deepest depths of a silent snowfield. As soon as Yun Duo stepped foot into the spacious and bright ward, she saw the person laying on the bed.
Her features were exactly like that in the photo in Lin Zi's handphone, but she was much thinner, and her complexion was pale with almost no colour at all in her cheeks.
Her eyes were closed, her expression serene, as if she were in a deep sleep. However, Yun Duo felt that she might not really be sleeping. Or perhaps, it should be said that she might always be sleeping like this, never waking.
Yun Duo glanced at Lin Zi. His expression was calm, but the sadness in his eyes could not be concealed. He said, "It's been four years."
Yun Duo felt a little sad. Such a young and pretty girl should have been fussed over and treasured like a pearl in hand; she should have been living a vibrant and wanton life. But now, she was lying here, forever unable to open her eyes, as good as dead.
Yun Duo placed her hand on Lin Zi's shoulder and patted him gently. She did not know how to comfort him; this matter was truly too heavy a burden.
Yun Duo had always thought that ending up in a vegetative state was much more deeply and profoundly painful to a person's family than dying outright. Death signified an end — it was a grievous wound, but time would heal it. In contrast, lying here like this, not alive yet not dead, the hope of ever waking up again was so very slim. Each day brought disappointment, each disappointment brought turmoil... this pain was neverending.
She could not help but feel sad for Lin Zi. Her eyes turned red.
Lin Zi sighed. He sat by the hospital bed and held onto his little sister's hand, and said softly, "Sang, I've come to see you."
Yun Duo thought, 'So his little sister is called Lin Sang?'
Lin Zi continued to say, "Sang, let me introduce you. This is Yun Duo."
Yun Duo waved at her. "Hello, Sang."
Lin Zi smiled at Yun Duo. "She's older than you, you can call her big sister Sang."
"Oh. Big sister Sang."
Lin Sang continued to lie motionless on her bed, not reacting at all to the lively interaction between the other two occupants of her room.
Lin Zi said to Yun Duo, "Sang used to be a chatterbox."
Yun Duo could not bear to look any further. Eyes wet, she said, "Big sis Sang will wake up someday. When that time comes, you'd better not find her a bother."
As soon as she said this, even she was in disbelief over what she had just said.
Lin Zi nodded. "Thank you. Yun Duo, I want to tell Sang some things."
"Okay. I'll wait for you outside," said Yun Duo, and she turned to leave.
In that instant as she turned around, she inadvertently glanced at the clasped hands of the two siblings. On Lin Sang's pale and delicate wrist was a thick and heavy scar.
After Yun Duo left the room, Lin Zi held onto Lin Sang's hand and asked her softly, "Sang, what do you think of Yun Duo?"
The silent sleeping beauty remained unmoved.
Lin Zi smiled. "You used to urge me to find you a sister-in-law. Now I've brought the person I like before you, won't you open your eyes to see her? Please?"
He was talking to himself and did not really expect her to answer. After he was done rambling, he let go of her hand and gently returned it under the blanket. His voice was deep as he said, "Sang, I know what you're thinking."
He stood up, "That man ruined you. I'll help you ruin him, okay?"
********
When Yun Duo returned to her rented home, she was surrounded and gawked at by the Tang couple and Er-Bai. The gazes of the two people and one dog zigzagged all over her body, leaving Yun Duo baffled at thee attention. She touched her nose and asked, "It's just been a few days. Uncle and Auntie, you... you can't have forgotten me, right?"
"What, no such thing. Yun Duo, come over here and sit. Do you want a snack? We made this ourselves," greeted Uncle Tang.
Yun Duo walked over to see a black forest cake on the table. She was rather puzzled. She had obviously just returned, so why was there three slices of cake already set out on the table? Could one of the slices be for Er-Bai?
Madam Lu saw through her thoughts instantly and she explained, "Your uncle specially reserved it for you."
Yun Duo was pleasantly surprised at the thoughtfulness of the gesture. "T-thank you."
"No need for thanks. Have a taste."
The three people happily enjoyed the cake, while Er-Bai stared at them in turn with wide eyes, acting as cute as he could to try and beg a bite from any one of them, but no one entertained him.
They're all bad people... Er-Bai flopped onto the ground, so put out he was about to cry.
As Madam Lu ate, she surreptitiously observed Yun Duo. The little lady was quite beautiful and had a good figure, but unfortunately she did not know how to style herself. She was always sporting a ponytail and wearing T-shirts or plain shirts with jeans. The times she wore skirts were rare.
As Madam Lu looked, she contemplated what kind of clothes would suit Yun Duo. In her mind, she came up with several versions of Yun Duo, and she found that the girl could handle any style. She focused her eyes again — Dammit, she really wanted to tear a hole in that T-shirt of hers.
Yun Duo noticed Madam Lu's gaze and felt a little embarrassed. "Did I drop something on my clothes?" As she said this, she looked down at herself to check.
She shook her shirt gently, and the pendant hidden under her collar slipped out. When Madam Lu saw it, she was quite startled, "This pendant... you bought it yourself?"
"No, a friend gave it to me," said Yun Duo, lifting the pendant for a moment before letting it go. This pendant was the very realistic imitation Lin Zi had gifted her. She was just wearing it for fun.
"Let me see." Madam Lu moved closer to take a better look at the gem and smaller diamonds on the pendant.
Yun Duo smiled and said, "This is a fake. I'm just wearing it for style, even though it looks very real. Don't you laugh at me, Auntie, okay?"
"This is an imitation? If this is an imitation, I —" Madam Lu suddenly stopped speaking, as if thinking of something. She then slowly leaned back to settle down properly on the couch again, all traces of doubt wiped from her face. She said airily, "I have nothing to say about that."
Yun Duo smiled and did not suspect a thing.
Madam Lu's eyes were flickering rapidly. Her brat seemed to have mentioned that some passerby named Lin Zhi was hitting on Yun Duo? Giving authentic jewellery yet pretending it's a quality imitation... this passerby has really taken great pains for Yun Duo to accept it. This effort was very touching — she must think of a way to muddle things.
So, Madam Lu affected an air of mystery and looked at Yun Duo. "The person who gave you this pendant. Does his name happen to have the character for 'wood'{The 'Lin' in Lin Zi's name is a combination of two 'wood' characters in Chinese.}?"
Yun Duo was amazed. "How did you know, auntie?"
"I didn't know. It's just that there's some conflict here, you see." Madam Lu gestured with her fingers, making things up as she spoke, "Platinum is a metal, while gemstones are of the earth. Metal chops Wood, Wood parts Earth{Madam Lu is citing the Chinese belief of Wu Xing, or the Five Elements, here.} — for Wood to be trapped between Metal and Earth is a very precarious situation. People with the property of Wood should not buy this type of pendant, nor wear it or gift it. Unless his name also has Water in it other than Wood. Metal collects Water, Water nourishes Wood... things will be fine then."
Yun Duo was taken aback. "His name has no 'water' in it though. Then what? And my name also seems to have 'wood' in it?"
Madam Lu waved a hand. "That's fine. Your 'Yun' is the character for 'cloud', and clouds are the condensation of water droplets. That's the element of water, so you can wear the pendant. But it was given to you by that 'wood' element friend of yours, so you better not go near him while wearing this pendant. Otherwise I'm afraid things won't go well for either of you. Of course, this is just my casual analysis. If his 'Ba-Zi'{八字: Also known as the Four Pillars of Destiny. It refers to a Chinese astrological concept that a person's destiny or fate can be divined by the two sexagenary cycle characters assigned to their birth year, month, day, and hour (Wikipedia, 2020).} are strong, then it's all fine as well. You can believe or not as you like."
Yun Duo actually did not really believe in superstitious things like Wuxing or Bagua, but no one could help but wonder 'what if' when encountering a situation like this. What if it was true? She quickly took off the pendant. "Then I won't wear it anymore."
Daddy Tang secretly gave Madam Lu a thumbs-up. You are such a cool manipulator.
After that, Yun Duo watched television together with the Tang couple. TV news was pretty much dominated by Tang Yi-Bai for a long while; coverage on him only began decreasing in recent days. However, the lessening in news coverage did not mean a decrease in interest. On the street, curiosity about Tang Yi-Bai was still very high, it was just that the media had already exhausted everything they knew. Yun Duo's previous exclusive interview with Tang Yi-Bai and some of her articles on him had been adapted and used as much as possible, resulting in her enjoying some second-hand fame. Director Liu had even called up Yun Duo to ask if Yun Duo could seek out Tang Yi-Bai for another exclusive interview. Yun Duo felt that Director Liu was really being too wishful — even if Tang Yi-Bai agreed, the national team would not. Tang Yi-Bai was currently on fire, so of course he must go on the proper channels. The first exclusive interview was most definitely going to be with China Central Television (CCTV).
At this moment, Daddy Tang was changing the channel to CCTV. He said to Yun Duo, "Doudou's interview will be showing soon."
"Yep." This was just as Yun Duo expected, but she still felt a thrill over it. She gathered her emotions to focus on the TV.
Madam Lu asked Yun Duo, "Do you know why he's so popular right now? It's not that big a deal to be champion of the Asian Games. So many others have done it as well."
Well, because he was handsome! There were more and more people with a beauty-complex these days... Beauty was justice! Moreover, with his skills, even the Japanese and Koreans were viewing him as the hope of Asia in the short-distance freestyle, let alone China. There was no reason for him to not become wildly popular.
Yun Duo quoted something Chen Si-Qi said to reply, "He might be the most handsome athlete in all history."
Madam Lu followed up with this question, "Do you think he's handsome?"
Yun Duo felt that she might know what Madam Lu was alluding to. She ducked her head, her ears feeling slightly warm, and answered softly, "Yes."
As they were speaking, the interview began. The TV host began by introducing Tang Yi-Bai. Tang Yi-Bai looked at the camera and greeted the viewers with a smile. Yun Duo saw his smile and could not help but smile as well.
He seemed to have been born with innate composure, never panicking no matter what happens. Even when they had been up against a crazed murderer, he had been able to calmly assess the situation and form a plan, what more in a small television interview now. Tang Yi-Bai was forthcoming in answering the host's questions. He never said more than he needed to, but he was not reticent either. His thoughts and ideas were clear and logical, and he would even display occasional flashes of humour. Yun Duo felt that he would definitely gain even more fans after this interview.
How nice. Chin propped on her hands, her expression was one of infatuation.
At this moment, the host brought up a topic many of the fans were very interested in. "We read one of your previous newspaper interviews, and you said that you ended up choosing to swim because you saved someone before? You should have been very young when it happened, right? Professional swimmers are typically recruited from a young age."
Tang Yi-Bai nodded. "That's right. I was only 7 years old then."
The host could not conceal his surprise. "Seven years old? You were already able to save someone at seven? What a young hero!"
Tang Yi-Bai smiled, a little embarrassed. "No such thing. It was just a coincidence. Back then, it was also a young child who was drowning, otherwise with my strength then, I would not have been able to save an adult."
At this point, Yun Duo was struck with a strange feeling. Her experience and Tang Yi-Bai's were really... rather similar. She almost drowned when she was little, and he saved someone from drowning when he was little... wait a minute?!
Yun Duo suddenly recalled her saviour. He had been a child too, a pretty child, so much like Tang Yi-Bai if he were to save someone... this, this— things couldn't be that coincidental, could it?
At this moment, the tv host said to Tang Yi-Bai, "Could you tell us in more detail what happened back then?"
"Okay. When I was 7 years old, I went with my grandpa to Qixia Mountain to play. I ran off while my grandpa was playing chess with someone else there, and when I arrived by the lake, I saw a little girl drowning. Back then, I had already learned how to swim, and had also learned the essentials of saving someone in the water, so I didn't think too much and just jumped in to save her. Honestly, a child does not have much strength, so I really didn't think things through back then. Luckily, that little girl was pretty thin." At this point, Tang Yi-Bai chuckled, "Kids at home, don't copy my actions. If you encounter something like this, you must seek help from the adults around you immediately."
Watching this part of the interview, Uncle Tang's face was glowing with pride. "My son has been great since he was a little boy! Yun Duo, wouldn't you agree? ...Yun Duo?"
Yun Duo was already rendered mute by the shock. Seven years old, Qixia Mountain, lake... the time and place were a complete match. There was no need for any more explanation. It must have been him! Tang Yi-Bai was the one who had saved her!
Heavens, what fate!
It was like she had touched on the thread of fate, and the other end of the thread was firmly tied to Tang Yi-Bai's hands. So there were things which were long pre-determined.
She temporarily lost her ability to think or speak — all thought, all speech was unable to express the waves of shock crashing through her inner mind right now. She grabbed her bag and ran out like the wind.
Leaving Daddy Tang and Madam Lu behind to look at each other with strange expressions.
Yun Duo ran for a good long while outside, and calmed down a little in the cool autumn breeze. She suppressed her emotions and made a call to Tang Yi-Bai.
No answer, no answer, no answer...
It couldn't be helped. She could only call Qi Rui-Feng instead.
Still no one picked up.
Yun Duo knew then that they should still be in training. She knew that she should not disturb him, but she could not control herself. One thought was sprouting wildly inside her mind — she must see him, she must!
And so she ended up calling Coach Wu Yong.
Wu Yong was observing Tang Yi-Bai's dryland training when his phone rang. He accepted the call. "Hello, Yun Duo?"
Tang Yi-Bai, who had been earnestly training with the medicine ball, immediately stopped moving, ears honing in on the conversation.
Wu Yong gave Tang Yi-Bai a side eye.
He kept the call brief, only exchanging a sentence or two. After he hung up, Tang Yi-Bai shuffled over to ask, "Coach Wu, is Yun Duo looking for me?"
Wu Yong rolled his eyes. This brat was way too narcissistic. Why are you so certain she must be looking for you? Couldn't she be looking for the coach to discuss work matters?
Well, fine, she actually was looking for him though...
Wu Yong said, "Yun Duo needs to see you urgently."
"I also want to see her too. Where is she?" said Tang Yi-Bai as he threw aside the medicine ball.
"You continue with training! She's on her way here in a taxi and will be here in a while. You continue doing what you should do."
Tang Yi-Bai responded with an "oh", a little disappointed. So he will only see her after a while longer... still, she was in such a rush to see him after coming back, it was clear to see she also missed him too. Thinking of this, Tang Yi-Bai was in a good mood again.
Really, being in love was like being insane with unpredictable mood swings.
After that, training seemed to stretch out forever to Tang Yi-Bai. He waited for so long, so long that he was almost about to sprout wings when Coach Wu's cell phone rang for the second time.
Wu Yong hung up and waved at Tang Yi-Bai. "Go. She's at the gates."
"Thank you, Coach Wu!" Tang Yi-Bai ran off faster than a rabbit.
After riding in the taxi for about 10 minutes, Yun Duo's emotions had cooled down. She was starting to feel a little regretful, worried that her impulsiveness had affected Tang Yi-Bai's training. She paced around the gates of the training base for a few minutes before she saw Tang Yi-Bai's tall figure hurrying over.
"Yun Duo," he called out as he came to stand before her.
As soon as Yun Duo saw him, she started to feel emotional again. She stared straight at him and said, "October 19th."
"What?" Tang Yi-Bai was a little lost.
"When you saved that person at 7 years old, was it on October 19th?"
Tang Yi-Bai thought for a moment but then shook his head. "I really don't remember the exact date, but it was in October. Yun Duo, why are you asking about this?"
Yun Duo continued to stare stubbornly at him. "When you saved that person, there was another child crying on the shore. Later, when you were unable to bring the drowning child back up on land, you asked that girl to go look for adults. And then you were pulled up onto the shore by two adults, right?"
Tang Yi-Bai was startled. "I've never shared these details before. How did you know?"
"How do I know? I'm that person you saved!"
Tang Yi-Bai stared at her in shock, trying to find any hint that she was joking from her face. But there was none. She was very worked up — her eyes were red, and her voice had become somewhat shrill with emotion. Even her vocal pitch had changed.
He held onto her shoulders. "You, you..." It was truly such a shock that he really did not know what to say.
Yun Duo rubbed at the corner of her eyes. "Tang Yi-Bai, you saved my life."
Tang Yi-Bai looked at her with intense eyes. So they had met each other so much earlier? Fate was really a wondrous thing, drawing two completely separate life trajectories together so they would intersect. Destiny had whipped them together like a whirlpool — the heavens itself had destined them to be together. Even though they had missed connecting then, they had met once again. And after this second meeting, they were no longer able to fight it and can no longer be separated. No one else could come between them.
He suddenly felt his heart pound, and his hands on her shoulders pulled her closer towards him.
The two of them stood so close that Yun Duo's forehead was almost touching his chin.
Yun Duo said, "Tang Yi-Bai, my family and I have been looking for you all these years. I want to thank you. Thank you for saving me."
Tang Yi-Bai gave a slight nod, his lips almost making contact with her hair. He could smell the subtle fragrance of her shampoo, a refreshing lemon scent. He lost himself in a trance for a moment, so when she called him, he only answered with a faint sound of assent.
'You're mine. We're destined to be together. No one can break us apart,' he thought, feeling his blood roiling within his chest, even as threads of gentleness pooled like water around his heart, wrapping it in warmth and tenderness.
Yun Duo went on to say, "I don't know how I can thank you. This is a life debt. I don't know how I can repay you. Tang Yi-Bai..."
Tang Yi-Bai suddenly interrupted her, "A life debt needs to be repaid."
"Hmm?" Yun Duo looked up at him. The two of them were standing very close. She could even feel his breath on her face. She blushed, a little flustered, "I... don't know how to repay you..."
"It's easy." He looked at her through half-closed eyes, "Kiss me."
Yun Duo gaped, never having expected him to answer this way.
"What? Can't you even do that? I saved your life, you know." His words were coercive, but there was a smile in his eyes.
Yun Duo's face was fully aflame at this point. However, he had saved her life... it wasn't too much to ask this of her. So she clenched her teeth and stood up on her tiptoes, eyes closed as she pressed closer to him.
Tang Yi-Bai looked down to see her pink-as-cherry-blossoms face gently closing in. He kept still, breathing in the light unique fragrance coming from her, as he waited for her to bestow her kiss. Her soft lips pressed gently onto his cheek.
It was very light and very soft, somewhat plump, and a little ticklish. The ticklish feeling crept all the way to his heart. It was not enough. He wanted more, but she moved away as soon as the kiss landed, very quickly standing back and bowing her head to avoid looking at him.
Tang Yi-Bai gently lifted her chin, forcing her to make eye contact with him. His gaze was passionate as he lightly licked the corner of his lips. In a deep voice, he said to her, "I forgot to tell you. A kiss to the face doesn't count."
Previous: Chapter 53
Next: Chapter 55
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A quiet hospital, a white ward, like the deepest depths of a silent snowfield. As soon as Yun Duo stepped foot into the spacious and bright ward, she saw the person laying on the bed.
Her features were exactly like that in the photo in Lin Zi's handphone, but she was much thinner, and her complexion was pale with almost no colour at all in her cheeks.
Her eyes were closed, her expression serene, as if she were in a deep sleep. However, Yun Duo felt that she might not really be sleeping. Or perhaps, it should be said that she might always be sleeping like this, never waking.
Yun Duo glanced at Lin Zi. His expression was calm, but the sadness in his eyes could not be concealed. He said, "It's been four years."
Yun Duo felt a little sad. Such a young and pretty girl should have been fussed over and treasured like a pearl in hand; she should have been living a vibrant and wanton life. But now, she was lying here, forever unable to open her eyes, as good as dead.
Yun Duo placed her hand on Lin Zi's shoulder and patted him gently. She did not know how to comfort him; this matter was truly too heavy a burden.
Yun Duo had always thought that ending up in a vegetative state was much more deeply and profoundly painful to a person's family than dying outright. Death signified an end — it was a grievous wound, but time would heal it. In contrast, lying here like this, not alive yet not dead, the hope of ever waking up again was so very slim. Each day brought disappointment, each disappointment brought turmoil... this pain was neverending.
She could not help but feel sad for Lin Zi. Her eyes turned red.
Lin Zi sighed. He sat by the hospital bed and held onto his little sister's hand, and said softly, "Sang, I've come to see you."
Yun Duo thought, 'So his little sister is called Lin Sang?'
Lin Zi continued to say, "Sang, let me introduce you. This is Yun Duo."
Yun Duo waved at her. "Hello, Sang."
Lin Zi smiled at Yun Duo. "She's older than you, you can call her big sister Sang."
"Oh. Big sister Sang."
Lin Sang continued to lie motionless on her bed, not reacting at all to the lively interaction between the other two occupants of her room.
Lin Zi said to Yun Duo, "Sang used to be a chatterbox."
Yun Duo could not bear to look any further. Eyes wet, she said, "Big sis Sang will wake up someday. When that time comes, you'd better not find her a bother."
As soon as she said this, even she was in disbelief over what she had just said.
Lin Zi nodded. "Thank you. Yun Duo, I want to tell Sang some things."
"Okay. I'll wait for you outside," said Yun Duo, and she turned to leave.
In that instant as she turned around, she inadvertently glanced at the clasped hands of the two siblings. On Lin Sang's pale and delicate wrist was a thick and heavy scar.
After Yun Duo left the room, Lin Zi held onto Lin Sang's hand and asked her softly, "Sang, what do you think of Yun Duo?"
The silent sleeping beauty remained unmoved.
Lin Zi smiled. "You used to urge me to find you a sister-in-law. Now I've brought the person I like before you, won't you open your eyes to see her? Please?"
He was talking to himself and did not really expect her to answer. After he was done rambling, he let go of her hand and gently returned it under the blanket. His voice was deep as he said, "Sang, I know what you're thinking."
He stood up, "That man ruined you. I'll help you ruin him, okay?"
********
When Yun Duo returned to her rented home, she was surrounded and gawked at by the Tang couple and Er-Bai. The gazes of the two people and one dog zigzagged all over her body, leaving Yun Duo baffled at thee attention. She touched her nose and asked, "It's just been a few days. Uncle and Auntie, you... you can't have forgotten me, right?"
"What, no such thing. Yun Duo, come over here and sit. Do you want a snack? We made this ourselves," greeted Uncle Tang.
Yun Duo walked over to see a black forest cake on the table. She was rather puzzled. She had obviously just returned, so why was there three slices of cake already set out on the table? Could one of the slices be for Er-Bai?
Madam Lu saw through her thoughts instantly and she explained, "Your uncle specially reserved it for you."
Yun Duo was pleasantly surprised at the thoughtfulness of the gesture. "T-thank you."
"No need for thanks. Have a taste."
The three people happily enjoyed the cake, while Er-Bai stared at them in turn with wide eyes, acting as cute as he could to try and beg a bite from any one of them, but no one entertained him.
They're all bad people... Er-Bai flopped onto the ground, so put out he was about to cry.
As Madam Lu ate, she surreptitiously observed Yun Duo. The little lady was quite beautiful and had a good figure, but unfortunately she did not know how to style herself. She was always sporting a ponytail and wearing T-shirts or plain shirts with jeans. The times she wore skirts were rare.
As Madam Lu looked, she contemplated what kind of clothes would suit Yun Duo. In her mind, she came up with several versions of Yun Duo, and she found that the girl could handle any style. She focused her eyes again — Dammit, she really wanted to tear a hole in that T-shirt of hers.
Yun Duo noticed Madam Lu's gaze and felt a little embarrassed. "Did I drop something on my clothes?" As she said this, she looked down at herself to check.
She shook her shirt gently, and the pendant hidden under her collar slipped out. When Madam Lu saw it, she was quite startled, "This pendant... you bought it yourself?"
"No, a friend gave it to me," said Yun Duo, lifting the pendant for a moment before letting it go. This pendant was the very realistic imitation Lin Zi had gifted her. She was just wearing it for fun.
"Let me see." Madam Lu moved closer to take a better look at the gem and smaller diamonds on the pendant.
Yun Duo smiled and said, "This is a fake. I'm just wearing it for style, even though it looks very real. Don't you laugh at me, Auntie, okay?"
"This is an imitation? If this is an imitation, I —" Madam Lu suddenly stopped speaking, as if thinking of something. She then slowly leaned back to settle down properly on the couch again, all traces of doubt wiped from her face. She said airily, "I have nothing to say about that."
Yun Duo smiled and did not suspect a thing.
Madam Lu's eyes were flickering rapidly. Her brat seemed to have mentioned that some passerby named Lin Zhi was hitting on Yun Duo? Giving authentic jewellery yet pretending it's a quality imitation... this passerby has really taken great pains for Yun Duo to accept it. This effort was very touching — she must think of a way to muddle things.
So, Madam Lu affected an air of mystery and looked at Yun Duo. "The person who gave you this pendant. Does his name happen to have the character for 'wood'{The 'Lin' in Lin Zi's name is a combination of two 'wood' characters in Chinese.}?"
Yun Duo was amazed. "How did you know, auntie?"
"I didn't know. It's just that there's some conflict here, you see." Madam Lu gestured with her fingers, making things up as she spoke, "Platinum is a metal, while gemstones are of the earth. Metal chops Wood, Wood parts Earth{Madam Lu is citing the Chinese belief of Wu Xing, or the Five Elements, here.} — for Wood to be trapped between Metal and Earth is a very precarious situation. People with the property of Wood should not buy this type of pendant, nor wear it or gift it. Unless his name also has Water in it other than Wood. Metal collects Water, Water nourishes Wood... things will be fine then."
Yun Duo was taken aback. "His name has no 'water' in it though. Then what? And my name also seems to have 'wood' in it?"
Madam Lu waved a hand. "That's fine. Your 'Yun' is the character for 'cloud', and clouds are the condensation of water droplets. That's the element of water, so you can wear the pendant. But it was given to you by that 'wood' element friend of yours, so you better not go near him while wearing this pendant. Otherwise I'm afraid things won't go well for either of you. Of course, this is just my casual analysis. If his 'Ba-Zi'{八字: Also known as the Four Pillars of Destiny. It refers to a Chinese astrological concept that a person's destiny or fate can be divined by the two sexagenary cycle characters assigned to their birth year, month, day, and hour (Wikipedia, 2020).} are strong, then it's all fine as well. You can believe or not as you like."
Yun Duo actually did not really believe in superstitious things like Wuxing or Bagua, but no one could help but wonder 'what if' when encountering a situation like this. What if it was true? She quickly took off the pendant. "Then I won't wear it anymore."
Daddy Tang secretly gave Madam Lu a thumbs-up. You are such a cool manipulator.
After that, Yun Duo watched television together with the Tang couple. TV news was pretty much dominated by Tang Yi-Bai for a long while; coverage on him only began decreasing in recent days. However, the lessening in news coverage did not mean a decrease in interest. On the street, curiosity about Tang Yi-Bai was still very high, it was just that the media had already exhausted everything they knew. Yun Duo's previous exclusive interview with Tang Yi-Bai and some of her articles on him had been adapted and used as much as possible, resulting in her enjoying some second-hand fame. Director Liu had even called up Yun Duo to ask if Yun Duo could seek out Tang Yi-Bai for another exclusive interview. Yun Duo felt that Director Liu was really being too wishful — even if Tang Yi-Bai agreed, the national team would not. Tang Yi-Bai was currently on fire, so of course he must go on the proper channels. The first exclusive interview was most definitely going to be with China Central Television (CCTV).
At this moment, Daddy Tang was changing the channel to CCTV. He said to Yun Duo, "Doudou's interview will be showing soon."
"Yep." This was just as Yun Duo expected, but she still felt a thrill over it. She gathered her emotions to focus on the TV.
Madam Lu asked Yun Duo, "Do you know why he's so popular right now? It's not that big a deal to be champion of the Asian Games. So many others have done it as well."
Well, because he was handsome! There were more and more people with a beauty-complex these days... Beauty was justice! Moreover, with his skills, even the Japanese and Koreans were viewing him as the hope of Asia in the short-distance freestyle, let alone China. There was no reason for him to not become wildly popular.
Yun Duo quoted something Chen Si-Qi said to reply, "He might be the most handsome athlete in all history."
Madam Lu followed up with this question, "Do you think he's handsome?"
Yun Duo felt that she might know what Madam Lu was alluding to. She ducked her head, her ears feeling slightly warm, and answered softly, "Yes."
As they were speaking, the interview began. The TV host began by introducing Tang Yi-Bai. Tang Yi-Bai looked at the camera and greeted the viewers with a smile. Yun Duo saw his smile and could not help but smile as well.
He seemed to have been born with innate composure, never panicking no matter what happens. Even when they had been up against a crazed murderer, he had been able to calmly assess the situation and form a plan, what more in a small television interview now. Tang Yi-Bai was forthcoming in answering the host's questions. He never said more than he needed to, but he was not reticent either. His thoughts and ideas were clear and logical, and he would even display occasional flashes of humour. Yun Duo felt that he would definitely gain even more fans after this interview.
How nice. Chin propped on her hands, her expression was one of infatuation.
At this moment, the host brought up a topic many of the fans were very interested in. "We read one of your previous newspaper interviews, and you said that you ended up choosing to swim because you saved someone before? You should have been very young when it happened, right? Professional swimmers are typically recruited from a young age."
Tang Yi-Bai nodded. "That's right. I was only 7 years old then."
The host could not conceal his surprise. "Seven years old? You were already able to save someone at seven? What a young hero!"
Tang Yi-Bai smiled, a little embarrassed. "No such thing. It was just a coincidence. Back then, it was also a young child who was drowning, otherwise with my strength then, I would not have been able to save an adult."
At this point, Yun Duo was struck with a strange feeling. Her experience and Tang Yi-Bai's were really... rather similar. She almost drowned when she was little, and he saved someone from drowning when he was little... wait a minute?!
Yun Duo suddenly recalled her saviour. He had been a child too, a pretty child, so much like Tang Yi-Bai if he were to save someone... this, this— things couldn't be that coincidental, could it?
At this moment, the tv host said to Tang Yi-Bai, "Could you tell us in more detail what happened back then?"
"Okay. When I was 7 years old, I went with my grandpa to Qixia Mountain to play. I ran off while my grandpa was playing chess with someone else there, and when I arrived by the lake, I saw a little girl drowning. Back then, I had already learned how to swim, and had also learned the essentials of saving someone in the water, so I didn't think too much and just jumped in to save her. Honestly, a child does not have much strength, so I really didn't think things through back then. Luckily, that little girl was pretty thin." At this point, Tang Yi-Bai chuckled, "Kids at home, don't copy my actions. If you encounter something like this, you must seek help from the adults around you immediately."
Watching this part of the interview, Uncle Tang's face was glowing with pride. "My son has been great since he was a little boy! Yun Duo, wouldn't you agree? ...Yun Duo?"
Yun Duo was already rendered mute by the shock. Seven years old, Qixia Mountain, lake... the time and place were a complete match. There was no need for any more explanation. It must have been him! Tang Yi-Bai was the one who had saved her!
Heavens, what fate!
It was like she had touched on the thread of fate, and the other end of the thread was firmly tied to Tang Yi-Bai's hands. So there were things which were long pre-determined.
She temporarily lost her ability to think or speak — all thought, all speech was unable to express the waves of shock crashing through her inner mind right now. She grabbed her bag and ran out like the wind.
Leaving Daddy Tang and Madam Lu behind to look at each other with strange expressions.
Yun Duo ran for a good long while outside, and calmed down a little in the cool autumn breeze. She suppressed her emotions and made a call to Tang Yi-Bai.
No answer, no answer, no answer...
It couldn't be helped. She could only call Qi Rui-Feng instead.
Still no one picked up.
Yun Duo knew then that they should still be in training. She knew that she should not disturb him, but she could not control herself. One thought was sprouting wildly inside her mind — she must see him, she must!
And so she ended up calling Coach Wu Yong.
Wu Yong was observing Tang Yi-Bai's dryland training when his phone rang. He accepted the call. "Hello, Yun Duo?"
Tang Yi-Bai, who had been earnestly training with the medicine ball, immediately stopped moving, ears honing in on the conversation.
Wu Yong gave Tang Yi-Bai a side eye.
He kept the call brief, only exchanging a sentence or two. After he hung up, Tang Yi-Bai shuffled over to ask, "Coach Wu, is Yun Duo looking for me?"
Wu Yong rolled his eyes. This brat was way too narcissistic. Why are you so certain she must be looking for you? Couldn't she be looking for the coach to discuss work matters?
Well, fine, she actually was looking for him though...
Wu Yong said, "Yun Duo needs to see you urgently."
"I also want to see her too. Where is she?" said Tang Yi-Bai as he threw aside the medicine ball.
"You continue with training! She's on her way here in a taxi and will be here in a while. You continue doing what you should do."
Tang Yi-Bai responded with an "oh", a little disappointed. So he will only see her after a while longer... still, she was in such a rush to see him after coming back, it was clear to see she also missed him too. Thinking of this, Tang Yi-Bai was in a good mood again.
Really, being in love was like being insane with unpredictable mood swings.
After that, training seemed to stretch out forever to Tang Yi-Bai. He waited for so long, so long that he was almost about to sprout wings when Coach Wu's cell phone rang for the second time.
Wu Yong hung up and waved at Tang Yi-Bai. "Go. She's at the gates."
"Thank you, Coach Wu!" Tang Yi-Bai ran off faster than a rabbit.
After riding in the taxi for about 10 minutes, Yun Duo's emotions had cooled down. She was starting to feel a little regretful, worried that her impulsiveness had affected Tang Yi-Bai's training. She paced around the gates of the training base for a few minutes before she saw Tang Yi-Bai's tall figure hurrying over.
"Yun Duo," he called out as he came to stand before her.
As soon as Yun Duo saw him, she started to feel emotional again. She stared straight at him and said, "October 19th."
"What?" Tang Yi-Bai was a little lost.
"When you saved that person at 7 years old, was it on October 19th?"
Tang Yi-Bai thought for a moment but then shook his head. "I really don't remember the exact date, but it was in October. Yun Duo, why are you asking about this?"
Yun Duo continued to stare stubbornly at him. "When you saved that person, there was another child crying on the shore. Later, when you were unable to bring the drowning child back up on land, you asked that girl to go look for adults. And then you were pulled up onto the shore by two adults, right?"
Tang Yi-Bai was startled. "I've never shared these details before. How did you know?"
"How do I know? I'm that person you saved!"
Tang Yi-Bai stared at her in shock, trying to find any hint that she was joking from her face. But there was none. She was very worked up — her eyes were red, and her voice had become somewhat shrill with emotion. Even her vocal pitch had changed.
He held onto her shoulders. "You, you..." It was truly such a shock that he really did not know what to say.
Yun Duo rubbed at the corner of her eyes. "Tang Yi-Bai, you saved my life."
Tang Yi-Bai looked at her with intense eyes. So they had met each other so much earlier? Fate was really a wondrous thing, drawing two completely separate life trajectories together so they would intersect. Destiny had whipped them together like a whirlpool — the heavens itself had destined them to be together. Even though they had missed connecting then, they had met once again. And after this second meeting, they were no longer able to fight it and can no longer be separated. No one else could come between them.
He suddenly felt his heart pound, and his hands on her shoulders pulled her closer towards him.
The two of them stood so close that Yun Duo's forehead was almost touching his chin.
Yun Duo said, "Tang Yi-Bai, my family and I have been looking for you all these years. I want to thank you. Thank you for saving me."
Tang Yi-Bai gave a slight nod, his lips almost making contact with her hair. He could smell the subtle fragrance of her shampoo, a refreshing lemon scent. He lost himself in a trance for a moment, so when she called him, he only answered with a faint sound of assent.
'You're mine. We're destined to be together. No one can break us apart,' he thought, feeling his blood roiling within his chest, even as threads of gentleness pooled like water around his heart, wrapping it in warmth and tenderness.
Yun Duo went on to say, "I don't know how I can thank you. This is a life debt. I don't know how I can repay you. Tang Yi-Bai..."
Tang Yi-Bai suddenly interrupted her, "A life debt needs to be repaid."
"Hmm?" Yun Duo looked up at him. The two of them were standing very close. She could even feel his breath on her face. She blushed, a little flustered, "I... don't know how to repay you..."
"It's easy." He looked at her through half-closed eyes, "Kiss me."
Yun Duo gaped, never having expected him to answer this way.
"What? Can't you even do that? I saved your life, you know." His words were coercive, but there was a smile in his eyes.
Yun Duo's face was fully aflame at this point. However, he had saved her life... it wasn't too much to ask this of her. So she clenched her teeth and stood up on her tiptoes, eyes closed as she pressed closer to him.
Tang Yi-Bai looked down to see her pink-as-cherry-blossoms face gently closing in. He kept still, breathing in the light unique fragrance coming from her, as he waited for her to bestow her kiss. Her soft lips pressed gently onto his cheek.
It was very light and very soft, somewhat plump, and a little ticklish. The ticklish feeling crept all the way to his heart. It was not enough. He wanted more, but she moved away as soon as the kiss landed, very quickly standing back and bowing her head to avoid looking at him.
Tang Yi-Bai gently lifted her chin, forcing her to make eye contact with him. His gaze was passionate as he lightly licked the corner of his lips. In a deep voice, he said to her, "I forgot to tell you. A kiss to the face doesn't count."
Previous: Chapter 53
Next: Chapter 55
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kyaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa >.< kiss kiss
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