Lin Yiyang covered his eyes with the back of his hand, suppressing that impulsive thought.
It had been over a year and a month since they had made their relationship official, yet the days they had actually spent together were few—only twenty-eight days in total. Because they saw each other so rarely, he always tried his best to show her his best self. The Lin Yiyang who could be irritable, frustrated, decadent, insecure, or plagued by bad moods and depression was someone she had almost never seen.
Moreover, she had only just graduated. She was twenty-two. If he were Yin Guo’s parents, he wouldn’t be happy about his daughter entering married life so early either.
As Lin Yiyang remained silent, Yin Guo was actually the first to drift off into a daze and fall asleep. After all, she had just returned from a long-haul flight and was exhausted to the core.
In her dream, the sound of knocking grew heavier and heavier. Yin Guo opened her eyes blankly. Lin Yiyang was also startled awake by the knocking; he rolled over and sat up, taking half a minute to clear his head before going to open the door.
Outside, Wu Wei cleared his throat. "Meng Xiaodong called Jiang Yang, and Jiang Yang found me. He told me to wake you up... said not to make it too late. You just got back to the country today, and your family is still waiting for you."
Lin Yiyang lifted his wrist to check his watch. "Got it."
He had thought he would wake up in the afternoon, but he hadn't expected to sleep straight through until dark.
Having delivered the message, Wu Wei tactfully vanished.
Lin Yiyang closed the door, pulled a bottle of mineral water from a crate in the corner, and unscrewed it to moisten his throat.
How had they slept until dark?
Yin Guo also hadn't expected that leaning against Lin Yiyang would allow her to sleep for so long. She rubbed her shoulders and walked to the window, wanting to breathe some fresh air. From this angle, she could see the large iron gates and the adjacent two-story building.
After admiring the view for a moment, she remarked, "Your place here is much bigger than the old Beicheng."
"In the past, there was only the second floor," Lin Yiyang turned on the lights. "The year I retired, Jiang Yang took over the reins. Everything you see before you is thanks to his hard work." Yin Guo knew this; her cousin had mentioned it before.
Jiang Yang had been very young when he took over, barely in his early twenties, and he had led Dongxincheng for over a decade.
There wasn't much money to be made; it all relied on a surge of passion and genuine love for the sport.
"He should have had surgery on his arm a long time ago, but he kept putting it off for the sake of the club," Lin Yiyang said with no small amount of emotion. "His best ten years were spent being distracted, given away to Dongxincheng. Otherwise, his personal achievements would have been even greater."
He truly hoped Jiang Yang could have a few years of freedom to simply play matches, as compensation for his hard work over the past decade.
"Why did you suddenly decide to take over Dongxincheng this time?" This was the confusion Yin Guo had carried all the way back.
"At first, I didn't want to," Lin Yiyang said. "First, because I felt guilty toward my teacher, and second, because my philosophy differs from Jiang Yang's. He wants to use the charisma of star players to expand the industry. I want to cultivate a cultural atmosphere, like snooker in the UK or nine-ball in the US. So, I originally intended to go solo after returning. But after talking to Teacher twice, I found that he supported me."
His teacher's original words had been simple: *If you think of it, do it.*
Old He and Lin Yiyang had very similar temperaments; he was the one most capable of persuading Lin Yiyang, and naturally, he had changed his mind.
Because Meng Xiaodong was rushing them, Lin Yiyang didn't let her stay long.
The two of them headed downstairs.
At this hour, the first floor of Dongxincheng was open to the public. Amateur enthusiasts from the community would come to play, and some players from Dongxincheng who weren't well-off would act as sparring partners to earn some extra cash.
Beicheng had such players as well, charging by the hour.
As Yin Guo reached the lobby, she spotted a familiar figure. It was actually Liu Xiran, the runner-up from the US Open... She had clearly returned today as well, yet instead of going home to rest, she was here earning money as a sparring partner.
"Isn't she an independent player?" Yin Guo remembered that this player fought her battles alone.
"She used to be part of Dongxincheng, but she retired later. Because someone in her family got sick and needed money, she came back to play," Lin Yiyang explained to her. "Jiang Yang let her train here for free and registered her as a sparring partner. But she isn't officially counted as a member of Dongxincheng. That way, she doesn't have to give a cut of her prize money to the club."
This was also the last person Jiang Yang had taken in before stepping down from his great responsibility.
Hearing Lin Yiyang say this, her admiration for Jiang Yang grew. To lead Dongxincheng for over a decade, from youth to middle age, was certainly not something an ordinary person could do.
In Jiang Yang, she saw a true "code of the brotherhood," a quality that defined Dongxincheng.
On the way driving her home, Lin Yiyang kept his Bluetooth headset on, making phone calls while driving.
As soon as he hung up one, the next began immediately.
Yin Guo listened silently, not wanting to make a sound to disturb him. She just stared at the road ahead, afraid he might take a wrong turn.
Clearly, she misunderstood Lin Yiyang on this point—he would never take a wrong turn on the way to Yin Guo's house. As soon as the car turned into the residential complex, Yin Guo said, "Drive into the underground garage. There are fewer people there, so I can talk to you for a bit longer."
Lin Yiyang turned the steering wheel, circled back out of the complex, and entered the underground garage through a side entrance.
It had been drizzling for the past two days, and since the garage was semi-open, the air was heavy with moisture.
This was the first time Lin Yiyang had driven down here. Following Yin Guo's directions, he found her family's parking spot.
"Remember this spot," she pointed to a stairwell behind them. "Go through that door and take the elevator; that's our building's hallway."
Lin Yiyang glanced back and nodded.
His mind had been filled with too many things all evening. Now that he had delivered his girlfriend to her doorstep, he realized that besides lying on her lap and sleeping all afternoon at Dongxincheng, they hadn't even shared a few words. Their rare conversation had been entirely about the club.
He looked at her hand clutching her backpack and reached over, interlacing his fingers with hers without a word. In a raspy voice, he said, "I don't have time to spend with you."
Those seven words nearly forced tears from Yin Guo's eyes; her heart ached for him.
She pressed her other hand over his. "It was I who wanted to be with you... but I don't know how to comfort people. It wasn't about needing you to spend time with me at all."
He smiled.
*Your presence is enough.*
After leaving Yin Guo's house, Lin Yiyang first returned to his own pool hall and packed half a suitcase of clothes.
Sun Yao sadly made a plate of pasta for Lin Yiyang and fried a few chicken wings. He watched Lin Yiyang finish eating with longing eyes, cleared the plate, and followed him out of the club step by step. Standing on the street, he asked, "Are you really leaving?"
Lin Yiyang patted him on the head. "I won't leave you hanging. Just let me get through this busy period first."
Sun Yao still felt it didn't sit right, mostly because he couldn't bear to part with Lin Yiyang.
He had followed Lin Yiyang back to China because he wanted to work under him. Although he had more power now, he felt uneasy. Without Lin Yiyang there to back him up, he felt even more anxious.
"The takeover there will be busy for the next two months," Lin Yiyang patted him on the back, quite hard. "Don't drop the ball here. If I work myself to death, it won't do you any good."
"Got it."
Sun Yao watched dejectedly as Lin Yiyang's car disappeared into the night at the end of the street.
By the time Lin Yiyang returned to the club, it was already eight-thirty.
In the second-floor office, he held three consecutive meetings: first with all the coaches, then with the leaders of the various athlete groups, and finally with the heads of Dongxincheng's logistics, finance, cafeteria, and dormitory departments.
Ten o'clock.
Lin Yiyang finally stepped out of his office and went to the public bathroom in the adjacent two-story building to take a hot shower.
Eleven o'clock.
In the deep of the night, as the head of Dongxincheng, he finally caught his breath.
Walking out of the small building, dressed in black athletic pants and a white T-shirt, he looked clean and refreshed. With only a black watch on his right wrist, he walked along the path toward the main building.
Dongxincheng had changed, yet it hadn't.
When he left, only the second floor of the main building bore the "Dongxincheng Billiards Club" plaque. The top floor had been a warehouse, the first floor a washroom, and the second floor over here had been wasteland.
The fence hadn't changed. He looked closely by the moonlight; it had certainly been repainted, but on the small brick walls every ten meters, there were still carvings left by his old companions when they played together.
They were still there today. Someone must have specifically ordered them to be preserved. He guessed it was either his teacher or Jiang Yang.
Entering the main building, he saw that the children from the youth group had long since gone home.
Near the lounge area on the first floor, all the brothers except Jiang Yang were gathered around a coffee table. After dismissing that morning, they had all gone to rest for half a day, and now everyone was back.
Chen An'an was still jet-lagged, sitting drowsily at the far end of the long sofa, his head tilted back against the wall as he napped. Lin Lin was flipping through the afternoon's nine-ball training records; as the head of nine-ball, this was part of her routine. Fan Wencong and Wu Wei were playing a game at the table nearest the lounge, just practicing for fun.
Lin Yiyang chose a single armchair and sat down. Everyone gathered around, waiting for him to speak about official business.
"I've just taken over, and I don't want to make any drastic changes yet. I just have a few proposals for us to discuss together," he said earnestly, and under the guise of "discussion," he directly announced his plan. "Starting this year, the snooker group will have thirty slots annually for intensive training camps in the UK."
Snooker originated in the UK, and both the cultural atmosphere and training methods there were the best. Therefore, famous players would pay their own way to train there every year or even live there permanently, as the most prestigious tournaments were held there. While it was the most cutting-edge training, the cost was not low.
Everyone understood Lin Yiyang's first point: it was about spending money.
"Also, I want to host new tournament events," Lin Yiyang added. "Starting with this city."
Mm, more spending.
Hosting a tournament was no small matter. There were many precedents of sponsors withdrawing funds and tournaments simply vanishing. Looking at Lin Yiyang's intent, if they were to host, it certainly wouldn't be for just one session; it would be a long-term commitment.
He wanted to expand the industry's influence, and that indeed had to start with tournaments to attract the public.
Seeing that everyone understood, he moved to the third point. "The last one is relatively simple. I want to systematically build up our star players and coaches," Lin Yiyang leaned his elbows on his knees, playing with a small cube of green chalk in his hand as he explained. "For example, our Coach Xin is very much worth promoting. He isn't highly educated—graduated primary school, did farm work, threshed wheat, worked as a miner, and even ran a small convenience store. He only started learning billiards at twenty-two. But who is the student he trained?"
Lin Yiyang pointed at Lin Lin. "He trained Lin Lin, a world number two who once won three major opens in a single year. And your junior sister—wasn't she ranked world number one?"
Lin Lin nodded. "My teacher has a real knack for teaching."
Although this coach's personal best ranking was only a national champion, it didn't stop him from producing legendary students.
Lin Yiyang continued, "To get the public to pay attention to a sport, to let the whole nation see us, we need to share these legendary experiences. That way, there will be a constant stream of new talent and youth joining us. Although this road will be long, we take it step by step. Perhaps in twenty or thirty years, billiards can achieve the same status as table tennis or diving."
Lin Yiyang paused, then added, "Dongxincheng is willing to take an extra step for this industry, without being mercenary about it."
Having finished, Lin Yiyang leaned over and picked up a pomelo from the fruit bowl on the coffee table.
He stopped talking and began peeling it to eat, signaling: *I'm done.*
Of course, everyone got the message. This third point was also about spending money.
No one is going to promote you for free; it's all built on throwing money at it. In the past, these coaches and players were famous within the circle, but the public didn't pay attention. It was rare for one or two to break into the mainstream.
"Dongxincheng's three-year money-burning plan," Fan Wencong summarized.
"So where is the money coming from?" Chen An'an, being an honest man, asked.
Lin Yiyang gave a harmless smile and pulled his phone from his pocket. The next second, everyone's phone chimed.
"I took some time over the last two days to make tournament schedules for you. Everyone's is different. Look closely and arrange yourselves," he said nonchalantly. Of course, his own schedule was even more packed.
The schedules were dense with matches, covering both domestic and international events. Sixty percent of them were tournaments these people usually wouldn't attend.
Top-tier players usually picked major tournaments to earn ranking points. The ones Lin Yiyang listed were all new tournaments in various countries. To attract famous players, the organizers offered substantial prize money, but unfortunately, they didn't count toward world ranking points, so they generally didn't go.
Lin Yiyang's attitude was clear: those with the ability should work harder. It was time to start making money.
Having grasped the spirit of the meeting, everyone put down their phones and began dividing up the remaining edible items in the fruit bowl. Only Chen An'an was still scrutinizing the schedule. "But I'm retired."
Everyone looked at Chen An'an simultaneously: *What are you thinking? The brothers are earning money, and you want to sunbathe?*
Chen An'an coughed, found a bunch of grapes, plucked them off a few at a time, and ate them silently.
Lin Yiyang felt tonight's talk had gone well and was very efficient. He finished the rest of the pomelo in a few bites. Two unexpected WeChat messages popped up on his phone.
Fruit in the Forest: My grandmother said...
Fruit in the Forest: She wants to invite you to our house for dinner this weekend.
Yin Guo was lying in her small armchair, eating pomelo.
Seeing that he hadn't replied for a while, she guessed he had misunderstood, thinking she was hinting at him meeting her parents. She nibbled through the pomelo bit by bit, and unable to restrain herself, she messaged him again.
Fruit in the Forest: I was just chatting with my grandmother, and she praised you a bit.
Fruit in the Forest: I reckon... she was just saying it.
Fruit in the Forest: She also heard from my brother that you took care of him in New York all last year, so she wants to thank you.
Fruit in the Forest: Don't overthink it.
Fruit in the Forest: If you don't want to come, I'll tell her tomorrow. Consider the greeting made.
Just as she was about to explain further, he suddenly responded.
Lin: Okay.
Lin: I'll come this weekend.
Lin: Friday night? Saturday?
Lin: Sunday is fine too. Any time is fine. Any time at all.
***
**Glossary**
Chinese | English | Notes/Explanation
---|---|---
东新城 | Dongxincheng | The billiards club/sect Lin Yiyang has just taken over.
北城 | Beicheng | The rival/friendly club led by Meng Xiaodong.
六哥 / 六叔 | Six / Sixth Uncle | Lin Yiyang's seniority-based nicknames within the club.
江杨 | Jiang Yang | The former head of Dongxincheng who stepped down for Lin Yiyang.
孙尧 | Sun Yao | Lin Yiyang's assistant/friend from his time running his own pool hall.
刘希冉 | Liu Xiran | A professional player, runner-up in the US Open, formerly of Dongxincheng.
陈安安 | Chen An'an | A veteran player at Dongxincheng.
林霖 | Lin Lin | A top female 9-ball player at Dongxincheng.
范文匆 | Fan Wencong | A player at Dongxincheng.
辛教练 | Coach Xin | A legendary coach at Dongxincheng known for his unconventional background.
贺老 | Old He | Lin Yiyang's late mentor and the founder of the club's lineage.
江湖道义 | Code of the brotherhood | A term referring to the traditional values of loyalty and honor in Chinese circles.
巧粉 | Chalk | Billiard chalk used for cues.
