The sky had turned completely dark.
A small crack was left open in the window. The suction of the night breeze pulled the curtains flush against the wall, the fabric outlining the window's frame. Moonlight, or perhaps the glow of streetlamps, filtered through the thin cloth.
She rested her head on his arm, looking up at him. From this angle, she could see the sharp curve of his jaw and his Adam’s apple. Suddenly, she thought of the box of blades in the bathroom—the silver edges, sharp and paper-thin, and the path they took across his skin. She remembered his scruffy, decadent look on his birthday when she had secretly flown to Washington.
Back then, he had looked exactly like this—a bachelor with no one to look after him and no one to worry about.
That day, she had waited in the pool hall while everyone crowded around her to catch up. Though they had only met once before, they were all incredibly enthusiastic toward this "sister-in-law."
When the elevator doors opened, she saw him step out. He looked completely unkempt, having been too busy to shave for half a month. The moment he appeared, the crowd started jeering, demanding that Lin Yiyang give his "sister-in-law" a kiss; otherwise, they claimed, he couldn't possibly express the joy of having his sweetheart drop from the sky. Yin Guo had been flustered by the commotion.
Lin Yiyang had pointed at a few of the loudest ones, instantly dousing their rowdy flames.
He wasn't a particularly expressive person. Amidst a room full of laughter, the two of them hadn't even shared a hug, but she could tell he was happy.
Everyone had been tactful that day, quickly giving them some space.
She had leaned against the bar, watching him step behind the counter—this older man who didn't know how to look after himself when they weren't together—and asked softly, "Are you happy?"
At the time, he had turned around, pouring her a drink as he countered, "What do you think? I almost walked into someone in the elevator."
Then he added, "Are you tired?"
She had hummed an affirmative, her eyes unwilling to leave his face. She wondered how a man could be so incredibly likable.
"If you're tired, I'll take you back to sleep," he had said quite naturally.
She had just said "Oh," watching him with a suppressed smile.
Lin Yiyang had been amused by her staring. He tucked the soda can into the fridge and shut the door. Only after he had wiped his hands clean did he lean his arms on the other side of the bar, gazing at her as he asked in a low voice, "Don't want to go?"
...
Yin Guo suddenly felt a pang of regret. It was a pity they didn't have time to visit Washington again; she really missed his little "poor" pool hall.
Resting her head on his chest, she thought of something else. "Lin Lin took great care of me during the training camp."
Lin Lin knew about their relationship. Fearing that the two of them were inexperienced and might rely too heavily on external protection—which could lead to an "accident" that would affect the World Championships—she had pulled Yin Guo aside for a private chat. Lin Lin had even used herself as a cautionary tale, mentioning she had once "gotten caught" that way. Yin Guo’s gossip instincts had flared up instantly, but since one party was Lin Yiyang’s childhood friend and the other was her own brother, she couldn't very well ask to her face.
"Did she ever like anyone else? Besides my brother?" Yin Guo asked circuitously, not wanting to betray another girl's privacy to Lin Yiyang.
"Probably not," Lin Yiyang said.
He had guessed as much from the atmosphere between Lin Lin and Meng Xiaodong the other day. Lin Lin was the type who was decisive; if she truly fell out of love, they would be dead to each other forever.
"Do you think... my brother being off his game this past year has something to do with his relationship problems?"
"No." He knew his old rival well; he wouldn't be that fragile.
Meng Xiaodong’s performance last year could only be described as volatile, and this year it had been a steady decline. It was almost May, and his best result so far was reaching the semi-finals of the recently concluded China Open—and even that small burst of form was only because he’d been spurred on by Lin Yiyang’s aggressive momentum.
"He’s even younger than you. He should still have a chance to bounce back, right? If he really starts going downhill, I’m afraid he won't be able to take it." She was still worried.
This was a heavy topic, one that every athlete eventually had to face.
Lin Yiyang thought for a moment and spoke the cruel truth. "In the world of sports, hard work doesn't always yield rewards. No matter how great your achievements are, the future is always a hero’s end. It’s just a matter of sooner or later. Even if you can't take it, you have to."
He spoke from experience, having been through both the peaks and the valleys. His words carried weight, but they were harsh.
Seeing her fall silent, Lin Yiyang realized he was being too serious. He spent thirty seconds reflecting, then remembered his girlfriend seemed very interested in Lin Lin and Meng Xiaodong’s past. "Lin Lin once told your brother that she loved watching him use that face—prettier than a girl's—to crush people. He’d carve them up until they cried, all while keeping that same stoic, punchable expression without a hint of a smile."
"If your brother still has her in his heart, he’ll pick himself back up," he concluded.
"You actually knew that much? About their business?" Yin Guo couldn't help but admire him; his lips were truly sealed tight.
Lin Yiyang smiled. After all, they had grown up together; he had seen everything.
Just then, there was movement outside.
"An-mei is awake," Lin Yiyang said, changing the subject.
As if on cue, there was a knock on the door. "Are you guys awake?"
"Just woke up," he replied.
The voice outside continued, "Last time I was here, Jiang Yang mentioned there was a pool hall nearby? Tell me where it is; I need to go practice."
"Wait a bit, we'll go together," Lin Yiyang called back.
Since Chen An'an was up, they couldn't very well stay in bed.
As he and Yin Guo tidied the bed and got dressed, he told her, "Once the 9-ball World Championships are over, An-mei is retiring. This will be his last Open."
So soon? Chen An'an was about the same age as him, not even thirty...
"When we go out, act like you don't know," he said, ruffling her hair.
She replied softly, "I'm not stupid."
Lin Yiyang’s trip to America was partly to accompany Yin Guo, but also for Chen An'an. That kid was stubborn; no matter where the tournament was, he would do nothing but practice and then fly straight back to China the moment it ended, not wanting to waste a single cent of the club's money. So, even though he had been to New York last year, he hadn't actually seen the city.
Lin Yiyang wanted to take advantage of this last tournament to take the silly kid around. Who knew when he would be back again?
When the older brother played host, the younger brother never dared to refuse.
***
They had dinner and then went to the pool hall to practice.
Returning after a year, Yin Guo found that every corner of the place sparked countless memories.
Lin Yiyang had lived in this apartment for the past year, so he naturally practiced at this hall. The private room he used to frequent had even had its table specially converted to snooker, and he kept it booked year-round.
Yin Guo and Chen An'an each took a table to complete their daily training.
Lin Yiyang acted as a practice partner on the side, leisurely and seemingly enjoying himself immensely. In truth, he loved this kind of life—booking tables for his girlfriend and his brother to practice while he hung around, occasionally bantering or playing a few frames with others. With a bucket of iced beer, whether they were regional champions, national champions, or amateur players, everyone mingled. Those who liked to lecture, lectured; those who liked to drink, drank; and those who liked to tell jokes, told them freely. It was straightforward and pure.
That night, Yin Guo saw the long-lost Lin Yiyang again.
He was just like he had been that night in Flushing—wearing a black cotton casual top, trousers, and sneakers, holding a house cue in an obscure little pool hall, acting like a hidden master of the world.
This was the man who wasn't bound by rules, the one brimming with talent. This was the man who played with the same joy whether it was a tournament or not, whether there was prize money or not—a man who played through life.
"He’s so much better like this, so free," Chen An'an said at Yin Guo’s side. Thanks to a few beers, he was uncharacteristically talkative. "The Lin Yiyang that no one can control is the real Lin Yiyang."
She agreed. "That was my first impression of him playing, too, at another Chinese pool hall. He was so arrogant that day. His opponent was a very famous regional champion, and he just said to the guy—'Come on, let me see what you've got.'"
To this day, she remembered the way he held his cue, bouncing a ball in one hand with his back to her as he spoke.
Chen An'an laughed. Holding his brown glass bottle, he continued sentimentally, "He’s a pretty contradictory person. On one hand, he’s incredibly carefree—he can walk away from anything if he says so. On the other hand, he’s too loyal; he gets his hands and feet tied because of it."
But then again, who wasn't contradictory? People are multifaceted.
Chen An'an paused for a moment, then suddenly said, "Sometimes I think, if we hadn't shown up, it wouldn't have been bad for him to stay here."
"You didn't want him to go back?" She had thought the people from Dongxin City who swarmed over last year all had the same goal: to get Lin Yiyang to return to China.
Chen An'an shook his head.
After a while, he added, "The one who wants him back is Jiang Yang. Jiang Yang wants him to take over the leadership of Dongxin City."
Take over Dongxin City?
Yin Guo glanced at the man by the snooker table in the distance. He was playing a frame with a white-haired old American man. The old man was an enthusiast, nowhere near Lin Yiyang's skill level, and he kept asking questions. Lin Yiyang was explaining things seriously, essentially playing and giving a lesson at the same time.
"He didn't agree?" Yin Guo asked softly.
She guessed he hadn't. If he had, he would have told her.
"Right, he didn't."
Chen An'an paused again, as if he had much to say, but because he rarely interacted with women, he ended up talking about the past. "Back then, out of all of us, only he and Jiang Yang were Master He’s direct disciples. Everyone else had their own teachers. My teacher left during my second year at Dongxin City. I was in seventh grade then, my talent was average, and no other teacher wanted to take me on... but I didn't want to leave. I wanted to keep playing, but there was no way to stay without a teacher."
Yin Guo guessed, "He asked Master He to help?"
Chen An'an laughed and shook his head. "He told the people at Dongxin City that since he was the champion, he would be the one to teach me. The things he said... he was incredibly arrogant. He offended several teachers at Dongxin City over that. They all said he was conceited, that he dared to say and do anything because Master He spoiled him."
But without Lin Yiyang’s self-assured persistence, Chen An'an would have changed careers long ago. His life would have taken a different path—maybe better, maybe worse, but he certainly would have been finished with billiards.
"Dun-cuo isn't one for pretty words. His philosophy is that being strong yourself is the only thing that matters; he doesn't like playing the social networking game. When you're doing well, you won't see him trying to join your circle. But when you're down and everyone else has scattered, that's when you'll see he's still there."
Lin Yiyang waved at her, gesturing for her to come outside with him for some fresh air.
Yin Guo put her cue back on the rack and wove through the crowd in a few quick steps, following him up the stairs.
The scaffolding outside the pool hall entrance was surprisingly still there. She took Lin Yiyang’s hand and looked up. "What are they renovating? It hasn't been taken down in a year."
He laughed. God only knew.
Lin Yiyang held a pack of cigarettes he’d gotten from the pool hall owner. Currently in high spirits, he leaned against the doorframe, watching the street scene. He tapped the bottom of the pack, popped one out, lit it with a lighter, and took a drag.
Faint smoke drifted into the night. He squinted, watching her through the haze, and remained silent even after the smoke vanished.
"Had too much to drink?" She waved her hand in front of his eyes.
With that little bit of alcohol, he might have a buzz at most; it was far too early to be drunk.
"Look there." He suddenly grabbed Yin Guo’s wrist, pulling her arm close as he embraced her from behind. His finger, holding the cigarette, pointed toward the next intersection.
It was an ice cream truck.
She knew it—he was going to feed her again...
"Is your way of being good to people just feeding them delicious things?"
Put that way, it was pretty much true. His parents had passed away early. For the first two years, before he’d connected with relatives, he had looked after his younger brother himself. If he couldn't coax him, he’d buy him food; if he gave him a beating, he’d still buy him food. It was quite effective. It had been annoying at first—he had to go to school, go to the pool hall, and ride his bike to pick up his brother from kindergarten. Life wasn't easy; having something good to eat was the ultimate happiness.
His interest piqued, he finished his cigarette in a few drags and pulled his wallet from his trouser pocket.
In the end, Chen An'an came out and was also gifted an ice cream. He and Yin Guo each had one.
"I'm a grown man," Chen An'an, a rough-around-the-edges guy, muttered as he held a waffle cone. "Buying me this..."
He laughed and said to Yin Guo, "When he was a kid, he looked after his brother every day with only three moves: scare him, beat him, or buy him food. I guess he went straight to the third move with you; he doesn't know any others."
Yin Guo laughed heartily. "Right, right, he loves treating people to dinner. That’s the one move he used to win me over."
"Would a junior sister from Beicheng ever lack people wanting to buy her dinner?" Chen An'an laughed.
She smiled to herself. She didn't lack for it, but no one compared to him. Not even by a fraction.
When a man carries his entire net worth with him, his head full of plans to take you here and there to eat, wishing he could spend his last cent to buy you a vintage wine from the year you were born—no one can compare to that kind of person.
Lin Yiyang lit another cigarette nearby, watching the two of them finish their ice cream like he was watching children. Inside the pool hall, someone ordered several more buckets of beer and shouted loudly, "Lin, is it until midnight? Is it all on you?"
Lin Yiyang leaned there and laughed back, "Until dawn tomorrow. However much they drink, I'm buying."
Amidst the enthusiastic cheers and thanks, Lin Yiyang saw two homeless men by the roadside watching them. He tossed the half-pack of cigarettes over. "Enjoy."
The homeless men’s repeated cries of "Amazing!" made the mood even better.
Yin Guo and he stood on opposite sides of the door. He was smoking, watching her.
Caught in his gaze, Yin Guo took two steps toward him and wrapped her arms around his neck. Lin Yiyang looked down at her. There was something intense in his dark pupils, though it remained deep in his eyes.
On this street corner, in the place where he had first hugged her, beside the road filled with traffic and pedestrians, he leaned down. Fearing she would dislike the smell of smoke, he just pressed against the corner of her mouth for a kiss, then quietly slipped his tongue inside to tangle with hers for a moment before quickly pulling away.
Then, he smiled and whispered his evaluation: "The ice cream wasn't bad."
***
