Amidst a Snowstorm of Love | Chapter 48 | A Lifetime's Pursuit | Novela.app

Such moving words, coming from a man of such charisma, were enough to touch anyone’s heart. Unfortunately, he was Lin Yiyang, and the audience expected more than just that. The female commentator covered her face in an exaggerated gesture. "Is he saying he hasn't succeeded yet?" The male commentator also laughed, feigning a pained expression as he pressed further. "Lin, you’re letting us down. Last year’s Most Valuable Star hasn't even secured the love he wants?" "This is going to break our hearts for you," the female commentator added. Lin Yiyang was amused by their exaggerated, tag-team performance. He really didn't know what to do with these two. Because they were so familiar with him from the past, they refused to let him off the hook, especially with such a sudden, explosive topic. Even Sun Zhou and the students beside Lin Yiyang couldn't help but laugh, urging their boss to just tell the truth. It was obvious the commentators weren't going to drop it; if this continued, the whole stadium would probably go wild. "To be blunt," the male commentator said, throwing out his ultimate goal, "Lin, today’s peak viewership ratings depend entirely on you!" "Exactly," the female commentator chimed in. "A man who left us so heartlessly must leave something behind today." The crowd joined in the clamor, chanting in unison, "Tell her! Tell her!" Amidst the waves of sound, Lin Yiyang was forced to switch the microphone to his other hand again. This was the third time he had switched hands. He rarely repeated movements like this. He was a man who picked things up and put them down with singular purpose; his actions were usually definitive, a reflection of a character that lacked unnecessary hesitation. Today, however, he was being extremely cautious. "How should I put it?" He looked at the girl in the arena again. After a long silence, he slowly expressed his feelings for her with a single compliment: "She’s so perfect, I might have to chase her for a lifetime." A moment of silence fell over the stadium. "So, there’s no rush," he said, finally looking up at the crowd. Beneath the brim of his hat, his eyes were full of warmth as he looked toward the fans who supported him. "You see? I’m not in a rush at all." After the silence came a thunderous roar of applause. The King of the Arena had given his beloved the highest praise—so sincere, and so direct. On the screen, Lin Yiyang finally looked toward the commentary booth, his expression asking: *Is that enough?* The male commentator, who was on excellent terms with Lin Yiyang, gave him a thumbs-up gesture that meant: *Thanks, old friend. Let’s grab a drink after the match.* Today’s pre-match hype had everyone’s blood pumping with excitement. They could already predict that the peak viewership was happening right at this moment. The boy from the past... the one whose grades in Chinese, Math, and English were a total mess; the one who played matches against strangers just to see his younger brother or to buy a few more workbooks; the one who only thought about scraping by with a high school diploma to give his teachers an explanation... That person could now sit in the stands of the US Open and tell the whole world about his love for a girl. No one knew the full extent of what he had been through. Even his closest friends only saw him in stages. Every phase of his life was disconnected, jumping from one to the next, and so were the people around him. All those lonely days, all those days of resentment and the struggle to walk out of the mist—he had walked them all alone. Having said those words while sitting in this cheering arena, even he felt a sense of unreality. Everything today, every step taken, had left a deep footprint—including the fact that he could sit here, and the fact that he could be with her. Lin Yiyang turned off the microphone and handed it back to the staff. The broadcast cut back to the arena. Yin Guo was trying to control her tears. Su Wei hugged her, her voice thick with emotion. "Oh my god, I’m actually crying." Yin Guo used the cover of Su Wei’s hug to wipe her tears with the back of her hand. "Don't let go... let me wipe my eyes first..." And so, on the live broadcast, shielded by Su Wei, Yin Guo wiped away the tears on her face. Five minutes later, the match officially began. Yin Guo’s eyes were still slightly red as she picked up her cue and walked toward her opponent. She proved to everyone the psychological fortitude of a professional athlete, especially since she was known among her fans as the perfect "Master of Emotions." The pre-match excitement seemed to have nothing to do with her. Standing by the table, her calmness was startling. A perfect break; she won the right to lead. Yin Guo nodded to her opponent, who was a head taller than her, then walked to the table and positioned the cue ball. After a five-second aim—*crack!*—the cue ball flew out, shattering the rack of colored balls across the table. Amidst the loud crack of the break and the powerful collisions of the balls, the crowd suddenly erupted into applause even more fervent than before. This Chinese girl had pocketed four balls on a single break—including the 9-ball! She took the first rack in a single shot. She was telling the fans: the man you love, the legendary Lin—the person he fell for is the true King of the arena today. *** The semi-finals of the US Open began perfectly with Yin Guo’s first break. Her advancement to the final four was never in doubt. Chen An’an making it to the final four, however, was a pleasant surprise. That evening, they took Chen An’an to Red Fish to celebrate. Having heard Lin Yiyang’s impromptu speech in the players' lounge, Chen An’an had developed a deep interest in this bar. However, there was nothing particularly special about it; it was just a bar with a wooden door, an old handle, American-style counters and stools, a band, fried chicken wings, onion rings, and various cocktails. The only thing that could be called special was that this bar was famous for jazz, a reputation spread by word of mouth within small circles. Why "Yellow" had been playing in a jazz bar that night remained a mystery. Perhaps it was because a blizzard was coming, and everyone needed a few old songs with the scent of sunshine to soothe their nerves. Yin Guo and Lin Yiyang sat in the same spot where she and her cousin had sat that night, shoulder to shoulder, gazing at each other. Chen An’an found a separate seat to avoid being a third wheel. Back home in China, it was already dawn. She had asked her cousin after the match; the game had aired between 2:00 and 3:00 AM China time, so her family hadn't seen it. She also strictly instructed her cousin to keep it a secret... She hadn't decided how to go public yet; she would hide it for as long as she could. Yin Guo bit her straw, taking a small sip of juice. "Say something. You’ve been quiet this whole time." Lin Yiyang asked back, "What should I say?" "Talk about that night," she said, tilting her head to look at him. "I want to hear the truth." Ever since seeing Lin Yiyang’s interview at the China Open, her perception of him had been completely overturned. It was true that he usually didn't like to talk, but it was also true that his emotional intelligence was high, especially his ability to improvise. Under today’s sudden pressure, he had organized his words in just a dozen seconds and successfully neutralized all the "interrogation," leaving her deeply impressed. But no matter how well-spoken he was for the public, those were words for outsiders. She wanted to hear the unpolished version. Lin Yiyang propped one arm on the edge of the bar and rested the other behind her waist. "It was all the truth," he said softly. Seeing Yin Guo’s skeptical look, he smiled. "Come." He pulled her from her seat, pushed open the wooden door of the bar, and stood on the small path outside. They weren't alone; there were young international students chatting nearby, their laughter constant. Amidst the noisy laughter, Lin Yiyang told her about that night. "Jiang Yang was also in the US that day, stuck at the Chicago airport. He called me and wanted to meet up. When I hung up, my mind was a mess. I just wanted to find a place for a drink." Sometimes, when you think about it, the fate between people is truly predestined. If Jiang Yang had arrived in New York smoothly that day, Lin Yiyang and Wu Wei wouldn't have come out, and they wouldn't have met Yin Guo. "When I got here that night, I didn't go in. I wanted to have a cigarette first," he continued, standing in the same spot as that night. He didn't have a high demand for cigarettes, but he craved them when his mood was either extremely good or extremely bad. It just so happened to be harsh weather, twenty degrees below zero, with heavy wind and snow. He failed to light his cigarette several times. Feeling frustrated, he looked up and saw her through the row of glass windows diagonally ahead. Among all the different faces, only Yin Guo in the corner was an Asian face—an Asian face like his. A sense of affinity for one's own race is innate. And that day, his sense of displacement was lingering. Because of Jiang Yang, memories of the past had been stirred up. Seeing Yin Guo at that moment was like seeing his distant homeland through her. "Right here," Lin Yiyang pointed to the window. "I watched you for three or four minutes." He watched her tilt her head back in frustration, watched the blizzard snap tree branches, watched her tap the glass with a troubled expression, and watched the surprised look in her eyes when a branch fell and hit a car... He had really wanted to push the door open then and ask her: *Little girl, what are you so worried about? The blizzard will always pass.* "I really did want to go in, to buy you a drink, to get to know you, to get your contact information, and to get you safely to your hotel," he said with a smile. "It was all the truth." Following his description, Yin Guo shifted her perspective and looked at the small corner where she had once made that phone call in the bar. It was as if she could see her most helpless, frustrated self from that day. What was so attractive about that? She hadn't showered for days, had been loitering in the airport... thinking about it, she must have looked like a total mess. But no matter how disheveled Yin Guo had been that day, she possessed a strange attraction for Lin Yiyang. However, it was later proven that this attraction was only for him. Wu Wei had met Yin Guo at the same time and only commented that the girl was quite sweet, nothing more. And every time Wu Wei saw the Japanese girl at the ramen shop, he got nervous, while Lin Yiyang just thought the Japanese girl was cute and left it at that. If it had been Lin Lin making that phone call here that day, she would likely have been scolding someone with a stern face; Lin Yiyang’s first thought upon seeing that would definitely have been—*let’s just go somewhere else.* But if the person passing by had been Meng Xiaodong, seeing Lin Lin would have led to a different result. In truth, no one can explain it clearly. If it weren't you, there would be no initiative to get close, no constant worrying, and certainly no losing one's composure. If it weren't you, no matter how perfect or excellent someone else was, it would have nothing to do with me. Or rather, the word "love" is specifically reserved for that one person. *** That night, Yin Guo was woken up in the middle of the night by a phone ringing. It was Lin Yiyang’s. He went out to take the call. The call was short. Before long, Lin Yiyang returned to the bedside in the darkness. The lamp wasn't on, but Yin Guo felt the warmth of his face against hers. His voice was very low and soft. "Sun Zhou is looking for me. I have to go back to the pool hall. I won't make it to your match tomorrow." Yin Guo gave a drowsy "mm-hmm." By the faint light from outside, she watched him get dressed. Lin Yiyang was usually a fast person, even when dressing, but tonight every movement was slow—so slow there wasn't a sound. By the time she was fully conscious again, he was no longer in the room. His warmth still lingered under the quilt. she crawled over to his side, smelling his scent on the pillow, and fell into a deeper sleep. The next day’s semi-final was a smooth and satisfying win for Yin Guo. In the Chinese team's lounge, everyone was congratulating her on reaching the finals and teasing her about her relationship. Yin Guo’s face flushed from the congratulations. She found her cue case in the corner and began wiping her cue with a cloth. Beside her, a senior teammate who was preparing to head out pulled her arm. "Chen An’an withdrew from the tournament." "Withdrew?" She was completely unaware. Yin Guo had left early that morning and hadn't run into Chen An’an. The women’s matches were held before the men’s, so it was impossible for her to have heard the news during her game... The senior teammate added, "Only one person from Dongxincheng stayed for today’s match. All the others have left." Unease flooded her heart. Yin Guo set down her cue and ran out to ask the coach for her phone. She turned it on. With a racing heart, she entered her passcode and found Lin Yiyang. The call wouldn't go through. Yin Guo forced herself to stay calm and opened WeChat. *Fruit in the Woods: Did something happen? Chen An’an withdrew?* She stood in the hallway. A tournament commentator on break walked past, saw her, and gave a warm greeting. "Congratulations!" Yin Guo gave a hurried smile. "Thank you." Suddenly, WeChat buzzed with a reply. *Lin: Is the match over?* *Fruit in the Woods: Yes, it’s over. I made it to the finals. Are you in Washington? Do you know Chen An’an withdrew?* *Lin: I know.* *Lin: My teacher has passed away.* *** **Glossary** Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation ---|---|--- 九号球 | 9-ball | A pocket billiards game where the 9-ball is the winning ball. 炸球 | Break | The opening shot in a game of pool. 东新城 | Dongxincheng | The name of the billiards club/association Lin Yiyang belongs to. Red Fish | Red Fish | The name of the bar where Lin Yiyang and Yin Guo first met. 师姐 | Senior teammate | Literally "senior sister apprentice," used for a more experienced female player in the same circle. 老师 | Teacher/Mentor | Refers to He Wenfeng, the head of Dongxincheng and Lin Yiyang's mentor.