AaSoL 10
Chapter 10: The Scenery After the Snow (1)
One week later.
With Wu Wei’s help, Yin Guo signed a short-term lease with the landlord, which would last until the end of April. Two months of short-term rental, for two rooms. In the contract, she also agreed with the landlord that once Meng Xiaotian confirmed receiving the offer, they would extend the lease for a year.
On the day of the move, Yin Guo invited Wu Wei downstairs to the ramen shop for a meal as a thank you for his help.
Just after ordering, a plate of wasabi octopus was placed in front of Yin Guo.
The owner smiled at her and said in English, “It’s on me.”
So nice?
“Thank you, thank you.” Yin Guo was flattered.
The owner quickly went to attend to other customers.
“Big sis,” Meng Xiaotian said enviously, “You’re so popular…”
Yin Guo was still confused and asked Wu Wei, “You guys are regulars, right?”
Wu Wei shook his head. “Lin Yiyang is familiar with the owner. After he sent you back that night, he couldn’t go back home, so he stayed here.”
“Really?” her cousin was surprised.
“Yeah, I was confused at first,” Wu Wei said with a knowing smile. “He suddenly said he had to leave urgently, but ended up not going anywhere and circled back here.”
That night, Wu Wei’s phone froze and wouldn’t turn on. He had originally planned to take the subway home, but over ten lines were suspended due to the snowstorm. He didn’t want to bother, so he stayed at the bar to drink. When he returned early in the morning, he found that Lin Yiyang had slept in the ramen shop. Lucky for him, Lin Yiyang seemed to have friends everywhere, so he was always fine.
But after thinking it over, Wu Wei realized there must be some mystery to that night.
“We really dragged him down,” Meng Xiaotian said, taking the blame. “When’s he coming again? I’ll take him out for a big meal.”
“Next time, maybe?” Wu Wei replied with a smile, “He’s got school and work, so his free time is limited. He comes and goes quickly, usually just meets up for a couple of months.”
He added, “Don’t worry, when he comes, he’ll stay in my room, won’t disturb you guys.”
Yin Guo nodded.
So Lin Yiyang also stays here? Does that mean they’ll run into each other often?
Since that night, the two had briefly talked about the ramen shop, but there had been no further communication.
A week had passed in the blink of an eye.
During this time, whenever Yin Guo thought about it, she kept wondering whether she should strike up a conversation.
But she also felt that maybe that thought was a little too eager?
“You can thank him,” Wu Wei said at just the right moment, “The landlord was willing to rent to you guys because he said a lot of good things.”
“Yes, yes,” Meng Xiaotian agreed, “We’ll thank him when he comes back.”
Listening to their conversation, Yin Guo waited for her noodles while pulling out her phone and opening the WeChat chat with Lin.
Xiao Guo: We moved into the apartment today. Wu Wei said you spoke highly of us to the landlord. Thank you so much!
The reply came quickly.
Lin: No problem.
Yin Guo reflexively paused when she saw those two words.
Luckily, this time, he replied first.
Lin: I’m in class. I’ll talk to you after.
Lin: ☕️
Xiao Guo: 😊
Maybe because they were a bit familiar with each other now, Yin Guo found the coffee emoji quite cute.
She put down her phone, grabbed her chopsticks, and accidentally picked up a big piece of wasabi octopus, stuffing it all in her mouth. The intense wasabi flavor hit her nose, and tears immediately sprang to her eyes.
The two men looked at her in unison.
“This wasabi… it’s so authentic,” she explained, tears streaming down her face.
How embarrassing.
After eating, the room was all packed.
Everything was on track now, including training.
Wu Wei knew what was on her mind. Without her having to bring it up, he handed her a cue stick and took her to the nearest billiard hall to the apartment. Billiards wasn’t a popular sport worldwide, and it wasn’t so popular here either, so there weren’t many local billiard halls, and finding a suitable one required effort. Wu Wei’s apartment was recommended by Lin Yiyang because it was next to a billiard hall, making it convenient for his regular training.
As soon as they entered, the owner greeted Wu Wei warmly. Wu Wei specifically told the owner that Yin Guo was Lin Yiyang’s “female friend,” and they arranged the daily training time and kept the table Lin Yiyang liked reserved for her.
“Lin Yiyang worked here in the past, teaching people billiards, so he’s on good terms with the owner,” Wu Wei explained. “His name works better here than mine.”
“He worked here?” Yin Guo asked.
“Yeah, did you think he’s from a rich family?” Wu Wei laughed. “International students aren’t allowed to work the first year, so teaching billiards here was one way to make some money.”
At first, Yin Guo, like her cousin, thought Lin Yiyang was from a wealthy family, similar to Zheng Yi: good at studies, living a stable life, and excelling in everything. But what Wu Wei said next completely changed her perception of Lin Yiyang.
Wu Wei went on to explain how Lin Yiyang went from being ranked over thirty in his middle school class to pushing himself hard in high school, going through tough times, gradually climbing to the top. Over the past ten years, since he decided to start from scratch, he had gone from the bottom of his class to becoming a top student, essentially abandoning his personal life for billiards.
After graduating from university, he paid off all his high school debts and university loans with scholarship money.
He returned to poverty after graduation, worked hard to earn money, and applied to study abroad again.
“Lin Yiyang is the person I admire most in my life,” Wu Wei said as he handed Yin Guo the cue chalk. “I really admire him. He dares to push himself to the limit.”
Yin Guo took the chalk and gently applied it to the tip of her cue stick.
Wu Wei glanced at his watch. “Alright, you train, I’m going to work.”
After Wu Wei left, the owner of the billiard hall came over to check on her. He told her that if anyone bothered her or caused trouble, she shouldn’t hesitate to ask the staff for help. Yin Guo agreed, and the owner, friendly as always, patted her shoulder and said, “Lin’s friend is everyone’s friend.”
It seemed like she had stepped into Lin Yiyang’s world.
Everyone here had some connection with him.
She practiced alone until it got dark.
It was close enough to walk back to the apartment, so she practiced an extra hour to get back into her routine. By the evening, more people arrived at the billiard hall, and the owner even closed the door to her little corner.
However, the thin wooden door couldn’t block out the noise from the drunk men outside.
Laughter and loud cheers continued.
This was no different from the billiard halls back home, where the crowded places were always like this.
When she was young, to train her on-the-spot psychological resilience, her cousin Meng Xiaodong had specially taken her to the most chaotic billiard halls, full of smoke, noisy swearing. Her cousin would sit at the back, leaving her alone at one of the tables, getting a random thug to play with her. It was a common occurrence. So now, the noise outside was no big deal for her, it was like background music.
But since her cousin opened his club, she rarely found herself in such environments anymore.
Before long, Chinese music started playing outside, which surprised her. It wasn’t a Chinese billiard hall, so hearing this kind of song was unexpected. It reminded her of her childhood memories. Was it “The King of the World”?
She bent down, setting up three tricky balls on the table, humming the song in her mind.
With a crack, four balls rolled into the pockets.
A great start.
Her shot felt good today. She was so happy she started humming the song in her head: “I was born to like it, arrogance is my nature… born to like it, winning with strength, dominating all with real skill…”
The door was suddenly opened, and someone walked in.
Her view was blocked by the billiard light. When she stood up, she saw him.
Lin Yiyang.
The song in her mouth stopped abruptly.
“Not bad,” he smiled, placing the beer bottle on the nearby table.
This week, he had been in such a rush to make it here by the weekend. He hadn’t had time to trim his hair, and his bangs barely covered his eyes. He looked cool in a messy, carefree way. He probably grew up in billiard halls, so it wasn’t surprising that he had this cocky charm. He had restrained it over the years, but sometimes, it still slipped out.
Like now, as he took off his coat.
He placed his gloves on the billiard chair, took off his outer coat, revealing a plain black long-sleeve t-shirt and regular jeans. His legs were so long, Yin Guo couldn’t help but think.
She paused for a moment, and then asked, “Aren’t you… in class?”
How did he appear out of nowhere?
Lin Yiyang turned back and caught her gaze.
“I came after class,” he tried to avoid looking directly at her face, not wanting to seem too casual, “I heard you’re training here, so I came to check on you.”
He tapped the table. “Getting used to the tables here?”
Each billiard hall has different tables, so there would always be some differences from the ones she was used to.
“It’s not too different,” Yin Guo pointed to a public cue stick next to her, “I occasionally use public ones, so I have to get used to it.”
“How long have you been training? Are you planning to go back soon?” he leaned against the table, asking her.
“Today, I’m practicing on my own,” Yin Guo smiled at him, “If you have time, would you play a game with me?”
“Me?”
Yin Guo nodded.
He suddenly laughed. “Not afraid I’ll make you cry?”
Yin Guo blinked. “I… I’m pretty good.”
At least, she was a semi-professional player, so she wouldn’t cry if she lost.
“Okay,” Lin Yiyang picked up the public cue, “I’ll be your practice partner.”
These years, besides practicing and gambling on games, he had been teaching billiards. Even when teaching, he was strict because he didn’t want to make a girl cry, so he never taught them.
So, how many games should they play?
He had to think carefully about how to let her win without making it look fake.
Yin Guo watched as he took the cue chalk and applied it to the cue, looking a little unhappy.
At first, she just wanted to play casually and bond over their shared interest. Now, it seemed like she was forcing the issue.
She held the cue, smiled at him, and said, “How about we just eat? I forgot you just got off the train.”
“It’s fine, I’m not hungry,” Lin Yiyang said, taking the colored balls from the bag and placing them on the table.
He found the plastic rack to set up the balls in a diamond shape.
Finally, he placed the white ball on the break line, pointing at it. “Five games, three wins. If you’re up for it, we can do ten games, six wins.”
His presence was so commanding, just like her cousin.
The song that Yin Guo had been humming in her head started playing again: “I was born to like it, arrogance is my nature… born to like it, winning with strength, dominating all with real skill…”
Suddenly, she realized that this Hong Kong gangster song really suited him, holding the cue stick.
Yin Guo shook off her thoughts, picked up her cue, and walked to the side of the table.
She bent down and adjusted the cue stick.
“Do you want to play a fast game or take it slow?” Just as she was about to take her shot, Lin Yiyang suddenly asked.
She was distracted, thought for a moment, and said, “Either way is fine.”
“This year, there’s a favorite in the women’s group who plays fast,” Lin Yiyang suggested. “I’ll help you get used to it.”
She was distracted again and looked at him in surprise.
He was familiar with the players in the women’s group?
She couldn’t afford to get distracted anymore. Focus, focus.
Yin Guo fixed her gaze on the white ball, and once the white ball appeared in her line of sight, the game began. It didn’t matter who the opponent was.
With a crack, the white ball hit the colored balls, and four balls dropped into the pockets.
A great start.
This was her first time playing with Lin Yiyang.
Since it wasn’t a formal competition and they weren’t betting, they took turns breaking.
In the first round, she barely won.
In the second round, Lin Yiyang cleared the table with one shot.
In the third round, she lost.
In the fourth round… she could clearly feel Lin Yiyang was holding back, letting her win.
She wasn’t someone who couldn’t lose.
Now, in the fifth round, it was Lin Yiyang’s turn.
On the table, the 9-ball was near the bottom pocket. If he hit the 4-ball, it would be easy to pot it indirectly and win this round.
There were three ways to win a nine-ball game.
The first method was to pot the balls in order from 1 to 9, with the last ball being the 9-ball.
The second method was to pot the smallest numbered ball on the table, which indirectly pots the 9-ball.
The third method was to pot the 9-ball directly from the break shot.
“You don’t have to let me win,” she said, watching him. She could win this round on her own, his level of play wouldn’t make mistakes.
Lin Yiyang thought for a few seconds.
When he was applying the chalk earlier, he had been thinking about how to let her win without it seeming fake. After all, this situation was too perfect for him to let her win. He took a look at her, seeing she seemed happy, and he relaxed.
He leaned down, made the shot, and swiftly won.
Yin Guo clapped to acknowledge his skill.
Lin Yiyang stood up, walked to return the cue, and also paid for the table.
Yin Guo ran over, intending to pay for the table herself, but he stopped her with one arm and took her cue stick. “You’re the guest today. It’s your first time here, so I’ll cover it.”
Yin Guo was about to argue.
The owner had already smilingly handed the money back to Lin Yiyang, saying it was on him.
Lin Yiyang, being friends with the owner, didn’t insist, smiling and exchanging a few words before leaving the billiard hall with Yin Guo.
The temperature outside was even lower than when she had arrived. Yin Guo thought the weather forecast was right—it was definitely going to snow again.
“In the evening, I’ve prepared hot pot at home. Let’s eat together,” she said, walking beside Lin Yiyang on the way to the apartment.
He agreed.
“Actually, I have a good friend who’s from the same school as you, she’s an alumna,” Yin Guo said. “She’s at the law center.”
“Your cousin mentioned her,” he replied.
Oh, right. She had killed the conversation again. It’s not my fault.
She had originally thought that when they got home, she would have Wu Wei and Meng Xiaotian, the two talkative people, to help lighten the atmosphere. But when they got back to the apartment, the lights were off, and the place was pitch dark.
There was still the small pot and uncut vegetables she had prepared before leaving.
Where were they? They had been here just before she left.
As Lin Yiyang turned on the lights and went to the washroom, Yin Guo took out her phone to ask where Meng Xiaotian was.
Tian Tian: Wu Wei bought tickets for Broadway this afternoon, and he took me to see a show.
Xiao Guo: Didn’t you watch it a few times already?
Tian Tian: I haven’t seen it all, and this time it’s the part I missed. It’s nice to have someone to go with. I always go alone, so you can eat at home.
Thankfully, Lin Yiyang was here. Otherwise, all this food would have gone to waste.
She reluctantly put down her phone. “They’re not here, do you still want to eat?”
Lin Yiyang nodded, as if it was obvious. “Sure.”
He said, rolling up the sleeves of his t-shirt, turning on the faucet, and starting to wash the plates Wu Wei had left in the sink. Yin Guo was surprised to notice he had a full sleeve tattoo on his right arm. When they were in Flushing, his clothes were thick, and he had rolled his sleeves up only slightly, so she hadn’t noticed.
He looked really good.
Lin Yiyang noticed she was looking at him, shook off the water droplets from the plates, took a rag, wiped them down, and looked back at her.
It was only then that Yin Guo realized what she was doing and quickly turned around. “I’ll get started with the preparation.”
What was going on today? Why had she been staring at him the whole time?
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