Chapter 19: The Tide of Eventful Years (1)
At first, Yin Guo didn’t understand.
After pondering for a few seconds, she got it—or at least, she thought she did. Lin Yiyang had been rather cryptic, after all.
Lin Yiyang reached out his right hand, asking her to pass him the bag of coffee beans. Yin Guo handed them over—both the beans and her hand. He took the paper bag and tossed it into a drawer, but he didn’t let go of her hand.
As Lin Yiyang pulled her closer, all she could think was: No, I haven’t brushed my teeth yet.
“Your coffee—I think it’s ready to turn off,” she said, making an excuse to avoid him.
“This batch isn’t good,” he murmured. “I’ll dump it later.”
Yin Guo was still agonizing over it— No, I really need to brush my teeth first.
She shook her head and dodged him again.
In the early stages of their relationship, there was still a delicate shyness between them. She couldn’t just bluntly say, Wait, let me brush my teeth first. But Lin Yiyang saw right through her conflicted expression.
He tilted his head slightly, studying her eyes. “Changed your mind?”
Just then, the bathroom door suddenly swung open.
Wu Wei shuffled out, looking groggy, only to be met with this scene: Lin Yiyang shot him an annoyed glance, turned off the stove, and waited for the ridiculously expensive pot of coffee to cool. Meanwhile, Yin Guo leaned against the counter, standing a step away from Lin Yiyang, staring intently at the empty countertop as if it held the secrets of the universe.
Wu Wei was dying to peek under the counter to see if their legs were touching.
Come to think of it, he mused, where was Lin Yiyang before I made that phone call last night?
Lin Yiyang shoved the drawer shut with his knee—loudly—as a not-so-subtle hint for Wu Wei to back off.
Wu Wei cleared his throat and rubbed his neck. “Morning.”
Yin Guo looked up and gave him a friendly smile.
“Did I wake you last night? That was my sister calling,” Wu Wei said.
She shook her head. “I didn’t hear much.”
“It was Lin Lin. Heard of her? She plays Nine-ball too.”
“Yeah,” Yin Guo said. “I have a competition in Hangzhou at the end of April. I might run into her if she’s refereeing.”
Lin Lin was a veteran in women’s Nine-ball, consistently ranked among the top players in the world. One year, she won three major tournaments in a row, fulfilled her ambitions, and promptly announced her retirement, stepping back to become a referee. Rumor had it that poor health was the main reason she quit.
Yin Guo’s thoughts wandered…
Was there something special between Lin Lin and Lin Yiyang?
“Over the years, has your brother ever mentioned her?” Lin Yiyang suddenly asked.
Afraid that Yin Guo might misunderstand him, he had no choice but to throw Meng Xiaodong under the bus.
The abrupt shift in topic left Yin Guo momentarily stunned. “My brother and her—are they close?”
“More than just close,” Wu Wei chimed in, seeing that Lin Yiyang had already spilled the beans. No point hiding it now. “Lin Lin chased your brother for years.”
Yin Guo looked utterly bewildered.
“Lin Lin is… your sister?” she asked, remembering Wu Wei’s earlier words.
“Just a nickname,” Wu Wei said. “But we’re as close as real siblings.”
Lin Yiyang explained, “When Wu Wei was a kid, he was a good student but timid. He kept getting cornered and beaten up by bullies at school. Lin Lin always protected him, so he’s always treated her like an older sister.”
“She was the one who really went all out for Meng Xiaodong,” Wu Wei added, pulling up his sleeve and pointing to his shoulder. “Lin Lin has a tattoo here. When she was sixteen, she got into trouble defending your brother and ended up with a scar from some thugs. She thought it looked ugly, so she covered it with ink.”
What kind of earth-shattering gossip is this?
“My brother never mentioned a single word about it,” Yin Guo said, racking her brain for any signs of a connection between the two.
Lin Yiyang and Wu Wei exchanged a glance."Did my brother ever like her?" she asked softly, afraid of waking her cousin who was sleeping in the room.
Lin Yiyang shook his head: "Not sure."
He poured three cups of coffee, one for each of them.
Yin Guo looked at Wu Wei.
Wu Wei also shook his head: "Who knows what your brother was thinking," he said, then added indignantly, "Even with his heart of stone, he’s only ranked fifth this year, always trailing behind Jiang Yang."
Yin Guo reflexively defended her brother: "Jiang Yang is only fourth this year. The year before last, my brother had him beat."
Seeing how serious she was, Wu Wei chuckled: "Right, right, let’s not get hung up on their rankings. They’ve been rivals for years."
Lin Yiyang listened to them, holding the white porcelain cup with two fingers as he took a sip of coffee.
As if none of this concerned him.
Wu Wei didn’t say more, deciding it was time for him to leave. He quickly finished his coffee, grabbed his keys, and left.
Once they were alone, the atmosphere returned to how it had been before.
"Does listening to us talk about the past bore you?" he asked.
Yin Guo shook her head and countered, "Would you be bored listening to stories about my childhood?"
Lin Yiyang also shook his head. Anything was fine—it’s just that no one had ever told him such things.
The beginning stage of a relationship is the most wonderful.
I don’t know you, you don’t know me, I long to learn everything about you, and so do you.
Every word Wu Wei had said about Lin Yiyang, about this man’s past, was fresh and fascinating to her. She listened intently to each syllable.
Lin Yiyang pushed the coffee cup toward her, urging her to drink. Yin Guo suddenly remembered she hadn’t brushed her teeth yet: "I need to brush my teeth before I can eat anything." With that, she dashed into the bathroom.
As the door closed, Lin Yiyang couldn’t help but smile.
Too adorable.
By the time Yin Guo came out, Meng Xiaotian was already awake, chatting with Lin Yiyang.
Seeing the coffee had gone cold, Lin Yiyang brewed a fresh pot for Yin Guo, which hadn’t yet boiled. Their eyes met across her cousin for a few seconds.
"Wait a bit," Lin Yiyang said, gesturing to the coffee pot.
She nodded.
As she waited, another thought occurred to her: "I have to move out today."
Lin Yiyang looked at her.
"The rest of the club team has arrived, and the coach wants me to stay at the hotel," she explained. "Everyone needs to gather."
"You’re leaving already?" Meng Xiaotian exclaimed. "My brother’s really something, dragging you back the moment he arrives."
Yin Guo’s reasoning made sense, so Lin Yiyang didn’t overthink it. "Pack your things. I’ll take you there," he said directly.
"Aren’t you supposed to go back to school?" she asked, remembering he had a train to catch after lunch.
"I’ll take you first," he replied.
If necessary, he could always catch a later train back to DC.
"Then I’ll go pack now," she said immediately.
That way, she could finish before lunch, and he’d still have time to drop her off at the hotel and make it to the station.
Lin Yiyang nodded: "Go ahead."
Meng Xiaotian noticed no one was paying him any attention, his eyes darting left and right.
Yin Guo had barely taken a step when Lin Yiyang grabbed her wrist and pulled her back.
This time, the coffee was truly ready—just in time for the perfect sip.
Once he pulled her back, he didn’t let go…
Meng Xiaotian finally understood. He ruffled his short hair and said, "Uh, sis, you go ahead and pack. I don’t want to see my brother anyway. I’ll visit you at the hotel after he’s gone. I’m starving—literally dying of hunger. I’ll go eat first and won’t wait for you two."
Without delay, her cousin left in a hurry.Unexpectedly, just as her cousin left, she ran into a group of people from East New City downstairs.
The folks from East New City loved morning training sessions, and the younger players always practiced early. They insisted on coming to the pool hall where their "Little Uncle" had once worked, booking the place for training. So, early in the morning, they all showed up—the younger ones to train, the older ones to freeload breakfast…
Yin Guo had no desire to be scrutinized multiple times in one day, let alone within an hour, by all of Lin Yiyang’s friends. She retreated to her room to pack. Meanwhile, Lin Yiyang lingered outside, absentmindedly sipping his second cup of hot coffee.
Jiang Yang wanted to chat with him: "Get me one too."
Lin Yiyang pretended not to hear. "Didn’t sleep all night. You guys stay put—I’m going to catch up on sleep."
Not a shred of politeness.
At one point, Yin Guo wanted to leave but was afraid of running into the guys alone, so she texted Lin Yiyang.
Little Guo: When are they leaving?
Lin: We’ll leave first.
Little Guo: …I don’t dare go out.
Lin: ?
Little Guo: It’s awkward.
Lin: I’ll send them to the bathroom. You leave, then they’ll come out.
Little Guo: No, no, it’ll be even harder to face them later.
Little Guo: Forget it, I’ll just tough it out.
Lin: :)
Lin: We’ll leave when you’re ready.
Little Guo: Okay.
Once Yin Guo finished packing and was ready to go, Lin Yiyang found a spare key and tossed it to Jiang Yang. "I’m heading back to school. Do whatever you want."
He grabbed Yin Guo’s suitcase and walked out first.
As Yin Guo stepped through the apartment door, she could feel the weight of everyone’s gazes burning into her back. Summoning all her composure, she turned around and waved at the group, who had gathered around takeout for breakfast, as a way of saying goodbye.
The moment the door shut behind her, the men exchanged glances—Lin Yiyang was returning to school, and the girl was following with a suitcase?
Truly fitting for the "Little Master Yang," who never played by the rules, not even in love.
Fast. Precise. Ruthless.
"Start preparing the red envelopes," Jiang Yang remarked. "Can’t let East New City lose face."
"How much is enough?" Fan Wencong, ever the practical one, pulled out his phone to check his online banking.
Chen Anan thought for a moment. "This year’s bonus."
Jiang Yang had no objections—it was a good omen, celebrating the return of their brother.
Fan Wencong, seeing that even the world’s fourth-ranked player had no qualms… silently put his phone away. Fine, I’m ranked in the teens—I’m nowhere near you anyway. He grumbled inwardly, At least give us a proper look at your future wife after all those red envelopes. What a waste—didn’t even get a good look. Next time, I’m staring properly to see what she really looks like.
The Open had a designated hotel that offered discounts for participants.
So, most foreign players stayed at the same place, training either in the hotel’s pool room or at one of the two nearby halls. After checking in, Yin Guo found her coach and clubmates already in the hotel’s pool room.
Seeing that Lin Yiyang didn’t seem opposed, she took him up to the third floor.
The North City team had just arrived today, and Meng Xiaodong had immediately booked the place for everyone to practice and adjust to the local time difference.
When Yin Guo pushed the door open, all eight Nine-ball tables and four Snooker tables outside were occupied by their own people. Spotting their junior sister, they waved and called out to her.
"Why are you all here?" Yin Guo asked, puzzled, looking at the group by the Snooker tables.
Someone answered, "We were supposed to go to the Tour Championship, but Sixth Brother said to come to the U.S. first. Probably worried about your first pro tournament."In Beicheng, the sixth-ranked player was Meng Xiaodong, so naturally, they were referring to him.
Yin Guo nodded. "Is my coach inside?"
She had just received a call saying he was in the lounge.
"Yes," another voice answered. "Go on in, he's waiting for you."
Yin Guo glanced around. Near the window, there was a row of chairs.
She waved at Lin Yiyang, who leaned down as she whispered in his ear, "At most twenty minutes... or half an hour."
Lin Yiyang nodded and casually patted her head. "No rush."
Yin Guo smiled at him before reluctantly running off.
To be honest, Lin Yiyang’s gesture was deliberate.
Unlike Yin Guo, who walked into this floor’s pool hall as if returning home—surrounded by familiar faces, oblivious to any scrutiny—Lin Yiyang had known from the moment he stepped through the door that everyone was sizing him up.
Including now.
He walked to the window but didn’t sit, instead leaning against the glass as he watched the Beicheng players practice, especially those at the Snooker tables.
Though he hadn’t followed tournaments in recent years, Wu Wei, who was still active in the sport, had occasionally mentioned Beicheng’s rising talents and shown him snippets of their matches. His assessment? "Same mold as Meng Xiaodong."
One of the players Lin Yiyang had seen in those videos was now standing by the green Snooker table, rubbing Chalk powder onto his cue tip. From the moment Lin Yiyang and Yin Guo had entered, this man—Li Qingyan, if he remembered correctly—hadn’t taken his eyes off them, not even for a second.
Since coming in, Lin Yiyang had observed this man play a few shots. Like Meng Xiaodong, his rhythm was steady, each shot executed within a strict 25-second limit. After noticing Meng Xiaodong’s new habit that day, Lin Yiyang had looked up the rules of major tournaments.
This was a Super League regulation—harsh by most standards.
Many other international competitions didn’t impose such a 25-second rule. Yet Meng Xiaodong was clearly training himself—and his players—under the strictest conditions.
A minute later, two taller boys familiar with Yin Guo from the Nine-ball section cheerfully crossed the invisible boundary separating Lin Yiyang from the rest of the room.
"Hey, man. Nice to meet you," the taller one said, leaning to Lin Yiyang’s left and extending his right hand.
Lin Yiyang shook it briefly.
"You play?" the shorter one asked.
If he were a professional, someone would’ve recognized him. So everyone assumed he was an outsider.
Seeing their friendly curiosity, Lin Yiyang leaned against the window and casually replied, "Occasionally."
The eavesdropping crowd got the message: amateur.
So Yin Guo had gone to New York and somehow ended up with an amateur enthusiast. None of them had dared to hope for her attention—how must Li Qingyan, who’d grown up with her, feel about this?
By the Snooker table, Xiao Zi, who’d been practicing with Li Qingyan, picked up a ball and grinned, pointing at the green table. "Anyone who enters Beicheng’s private hall has to take a shot. That’s the rule."
Lin Yiyang shook his head. "Not Snooker."
No one could make him break that rule—not even Meng Xiaodong, who’d only gotten him to concede half a step.
"Nine-ball?" someone suggested, pointing at the blue table nearby.
Lin Yiyang thought about it, then decided against it.The Nine-ball players were all young and spirited, and they were participants in this Open. Asking them to go easy or throw the game was out of the question, but playing seriously against a professional right before the Open wasn’t exactly fair either.
So, he shook his head again: "Not playing that either."
Everyone exchanged glances—so he played Chinese Eight-ball.
"Set up an Eight-ball for him," Xiao Zi said. "Use the Nine-ball table."
After Xiao Zi spoke, all eyes turned to Li Qingyan.
Finally, Li Qingyan spoke up, his tone polite: "Anyone who can get into our private booking is either one of us or a friend. If you want to be friends, take a shot. Otherwise, it’s hard to convince everyone."
Xiao Zi added the final word: "Unless you say you’ve never touched a cue and don’t know the game—then we won’t push it."
Lin Yiyang assessed the situation and realized he wouldn’t get away without at least going through the motions today.
He could tell Li Qingyan was the key figure here—probably someone who had either pursued Yin Guo in the past or had been with her, and at the very least, still had feelings for her even now.
Leaning away from the window, he walked straight to the Snooker table where Li Qingyan and Xiao Zi had been practicing and tapped the edge: "This one."
The pool hall gradually fell silent.
"I thought you didn’t play Snooker?" Li Qingyan asked from across the table, smiling.
"Right, I don’t," Lin Yiyang replied, scanning the room for a house cue.
"Xiao Zi, give him yours," Li Qingyan said.
Xiao Zi handed his personal cue to Lin Yiyang: "I’ve got a match coming up—go easy on it."
Lin Yiyang took the cue and gave Xiao Zi a pat on the shoulder: "Thanks."
Only three balls remained on the table. Lin Yiyang cleared them all by hand, leaving just one red and the cue ball.
He pointed at the red ball: "Place this wherever you want. I’ll take the shot."
The moment he said it, everyone watching was stunned.
Too cocky—daring them to set up a single ball and still play?
Lin Yiyang picked up the chalk powder from the table’s edge and added: "Fifty shots. If I miss pocketing it three times, I lose."
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