Chapter 28: Passion Still Burns (1)
Lin Yiyang was arranging the cue sticks one by one. He had a habit of placing new cues on the left side—closer to the table—since people tended to grab those first. He himself always used the one on the far right, the oldest one.
This was also He Lao’s habit, including scouring the venue for nearly used-up chalk powder and giving the new pieces to the younger players. It was the mentor’s way.
He Lao had been respected in the circle for years precisely because he adhered to principles and cared for the younger generation. Being able to learn under such a mentor was an honor in itself...
After rearranging the cues, Lin Yiyang glanced at his phone lying on the table. His little Guo’er had replied.
Red Fish: Okay. Three times.
Red Fish: Ten times is fine too.
Red Fish: Just kidding. I’m easygoing and don’t hold grudges. Buy me something tasty, and I’ll cheer up right away. Guaranteed to forget everything in under half an hour.
After this message, she sent an animated sticker of a cartoon bear—a pink one, hugging a piece of fruit.
It munched adorably, over and over, never stopping...
Lin Yiyang’s thumb brushed over the image.
He wanted to laugh, and in the end, he really did.
Seeing that Lin Yiyang hadn’t replied, she started unpacking the dirty laundry she’d brought back from Washington.
As she pulled out the clothes, she found an unopened plastic case inside—a pink Apple charging cable. Just then, her roommate swiped her card and entered, only to see Yin Guo smiling at a charging cable.
A limited edition? What’s so funny?
“How can you still smile? You’ve been placed in the group of death,” her roommate sighed.
The draw results were out, and Yin Guo’s group consisted of 70% top-tier players, all among the highest-ranked in the world. The thought alone was chilling—it was practically a group from hell.
Yin Guo, however, wasn’t fazed. She put away the charging cable. “I’d have to face them eventually anyway. Meeting them early isn’t so bad.”
If the goal was the championship, it didn’t matter who she encountered in the group stage.
Checking the time and seeing it was still early, she picked up her cue and headed back to the hotel’s billiards room.
After the junior and youth competitions concluded this week, North City no longer booked the entire venue, only securing a week of private tables for each participating player. At this late hour, half the tables were empty, and the other half had no North City players—just competitors from various countries.
Coincidentally, practicing at the adjacent table was Cheng Yan from East New City, a seasoned player who competed in both Nine-ball and Eight-ball.
Yin Guo didn’t know her, so she didn’t greet her.
At first, the two minded their own business, each practicing separately.
Half an hour later, Yin Guo ran out of chalk powder on her table and went to fetch a new piece from the paper box by the window. When she returned, Cheng Yan had just finished a game and set down her cue, smiling at her. “I heard you’re in the group of death. Nervous?”
Yin Guo smiled politely. “Not really.”
“My juniors mentioned you’re very close with Lin Yiyang?”
“Very close”—the phrasing was a bit odd, but Yin Guo answered anyway. “Yes.”
“Is he doing alright over there?”
The question felt even stranger.
“He’s doing well. He’s graduating with his master’s this year and has already received a Ph.D. offer,” she replied.
Cheng Yan didn’t ask further and started another game.
Yin Guo felt unsettled. The other woman hadn’t said anything outright, but something felt off.
She set down her cue and sat on a nearby billiards chair, thinking it over before deciding to be direct.
Little Guo: I ran into Cheng Yan at the billiards room. She asked how you were doing.
She wondered how he’d respond. Lin Yiyang replied almost instantly—Lin: "Still practicing this late?"
He completely ignored the main point.
She had no choice but to go along with it.
Xiao Guo: "I have nothing else to do anyway, might as well practice a little more."
Lin: "Don’t overdo your training."
Xiao Guo: "Only half an hour, not much."
Yin Guo slowly typed out a sentence: Were you two close in the past? She read it once, then deleted it. Of course they were familiar—they were from the same pool hall. Instinct told her there was definitely something there. She wasn’t sure if this counted as irrational jealousy, but she sat there sulking on the pool table chair.
A minute later, Lin Yiyang was the one who sent a message first—
Lin: She had a crush on me.
No wonder…
Another message followed immediately.
Lin: Xiao Guo’er.
Xiao Guo: Hmm?
Lin: The first time I saw you, I wanted to get to know you.
The first time…
What was he talking about?
Lin: At the bar, outside the window—the moment I saw you, I wanted to meet you. That had never happened before. That day at Red Fish, I wanted to talk to you more, but I had no experience. I didn’t know how to talk to girls, so I could only buy you a drink.
This was the longest sentence Lin Yiyang had ever sent her.
Completely unexpected, without warning.
She read those words three times. She tried to recall what she had said and done that day, and his behavior—there had been no trace, no hint at all.
A dozen steps away, everyone was playing pool, no one talking, just the constant sound of balls dropping into pockets.
A late-night incident had drawn out a heartfelt confession from Lin Yiyang, coming so abruptly that Yin Guo’s fingers clenched around her phone until they ached. Her mind raced with countless thoughts.
Another vibration. She thought it was Lin Yiyang again.
Wu Wei: At the hotel pool room?
Xiao Guo: How did you know?
Wu Wei: What do you think?
The door to the pool room was pushed open.
Wu Wei walked in wearing white hotel slippers—he had come down from his room. Because the tournament was starting next week, Jiang Yang had ordered Wu Wei to stay at the hotel during competition days. Naturally, that was why Lin Yiyang could call him over so quickly to put out the fire.
"Junior Sister’s here," Wu Wei said cheerfully.
Cheng Yan smiled. "I was just about to leave. What brings you here?"
"Couldn’t sleep, came down to take a look," he feigned ignorance, then pointed at Yin Guo. "Let me introduce you—this is Yin Guo, your Sixth Brother’s wife."
East New City had already spread the news. But Cheng Yan had been avoiding acknowledging this identity in front of Yin Guo.
With Wu Wei’s introduction, she had nowhere to hide: "So you’re Sixth Brother’s girl. Nice to meet you, Sister-in-law."
Yin Guo smiled too. "I’m younger than you, just call me Yin Guo."
The atmosphere was so delicate that even Wu Wei felt like he was suffering in Lin Yiyang’s place. Cheng Yan, feeling uncomfortable, said she was going back to sleep, picked up her cue, and left.
Once she was gone, Wu Wei finally let out a sigh of relief. Leaning against the pool table, he lowered his voice: "What a coincidence. Out of all the people from East New City here, you just had to run into Cheng Yan."
"It’s normal. If not today, we would’ve met at the tournament anyway," Yin Guo said, barely keeping her composure.
Wu Wei chuckled. "Just giving you a heads-up. Lin Yiyang’s been handsome since he was a kid. You know how looks matter most when you’re young—back at East New City, plenty of girls had crushes on him. At least eight or ten. Take my advice—so what if they liked him? Even if they still do, what can they do about it? Can’t you hold your head high? You’re the only one who ever made him fall."
After a pause, he still wasn’t satisfied, so he added: "And he was the one chasing after you."Still feeling uneasy, she added, "Or maybe he's been thinking about her since the first sight."
Seeing the smile in Yin Guo's eyes, Wu Wei dropped another hint: "Do you know what his WeChat nickname for you is?"
She shook her head.
Wu Wei said, "Red Fish."
It was the name of the bar where they first met.
For a headstrong man like him to go this far, his sincerity was undeniable.
Yin Guo sat on the pool chair, her feet tapping incessantly against the small crossbar beneath it, her heart melting completely.
"Happy now? If you're happy, let's go get some fried chicken wings," Wu Wei tossed the ball onto the table and pulled Yin Guo away. "Last night, I scouted the area and found a really good spot."
That evening, Wu Wei took full advantage of the situation, vividly and dramatically embellishing the stories of Lin Yiyang being pursued back in East New City. Yin Guo devoured a large plate of fried chicken wings with her drink, though it almost felt like she was dipping them in vinegar instead.
So was Wu Wei here to sabotage or to save the day?
Starting Tuesday, the group matches began.
This global Open had 318 registered and qualified participants, with 109 female players, 7 of whom were from China.
In the so-called "Group of Death," Yin Guo was the only Chinese player. It was her first professional-level tournament, and despite having won third place in youth competitions, she wasn't favored by the public.
By Friday.
The audience watching the Open had all remembered one name from the Chinese contingent—Yin Guo.
The Group of Death was the most thrilling in the group stage, with nearly every match delivering excitement, the intensity rivaling that of the finals. Every day, someone was eliminated—lose and you're out. Yin Guo fought her way through this gauntlet, reaching the final match of the group stage on Friday.
That day, she had three matches.
In the morning, she defeated a seasoned Russian player with a stunning 11-3 score, then followed up with an 11-4 victory over a Polish player. When she returned to the Chinese players' lounge, she was met with applause from everyone—not just those from North City, but also East New City and other billiard clubs across the country.
Yin Guo smiled modestly.
Most players came alone or with just a coach, while only a few major clubs and teams arrived as a group. The East New City crowd was lively, gathered near the east door chatting away; the North City group was quieter, winners and losers alike huddled together, each processing their emotions.
The North City group was at the very back.
Yin Guo sat alone on a small stool, facing the wall with her back to everyone in the lounge. She held a pre-packed box of fruit and a freshly heated sandwich, put on her headphones to play a song, and quietly ate her lunch.
Her phone wasn't with her—it was in her bag.
This was competition week, and Lin Yiyang, not wanting to disturb her matches or training, only chatted with her for ten minutes each night before bed. Even then, he never brought up the matches.
With a white plastic fork, she picked at the fruit in the box, selecting a piece of mango and slowly chewing it as she mentally prepared herself.
She wanted to win too badly—that was dangerous.
Her greatest strength was her lack of emotion.But she desperately wanted to make it to the quarterfinals so she could compete on Saturday. If it was Saturday... maybe Lin Yiyang would have a chance to come watch.
Yin Guo lowered her head again, picking through her food to find the strawberries. She took small, slow bites of her sandwich, chewing deliberately.
She had her own philosophy about eating during competitions—taking her time helped calm her nerves, and stopping at half-full prevented her stomach from becoming a burden. The last thing she needed was stomach pain from nerves during a match.
The door to the lounge swung open.
A man walked in.
Wu Wei, who had been lounging with his legs crossed while joking around with Chen Anan and a bunch of kids, nearly leapt out of his chair at the sight. First Wu Wei, then everyone from East New City.
Jiang Yang, leaning against the armrest of a sofa while comforting two girls who had been eliminated in the group stage, also paused. The authoritative demeanor of East New City's leader was still on his face, but his eyes trembled slightly.
Jiang Yang's first instinct was to reach for a cigarette, but remembering they were indoors, he took a deep breath instead. His eyes were already wet without him realizing: "Old Six is back?"
Something flickered deep in Lin Yiyang's pupils—something like tears, yet not quite, a scalding surge of emotions suppressed for years that he couldn't quite control. He lowered his head with a faint smile, forcing back whatever had rushed to his eyes: "Yeah, I'm back."
When you finally cross that threshold, words feel inadequate.
Lin Yiyang was back.
In that moment, his old brothers saw the Lin Yiyang from over a decade ago, before matches.
That sharp, angular face never wore a smile back then. He always wore jeans and a white T-shirt, moving around the lounge. He hated hassle, hated restraint—never changed unless he was competing. Sitting among men in dress shirts and slacks, he stood out glaringly.
He didn’t chat with anyone, didn’t listen to chatter either. He’d walk in, greet everyone, find a corner of a bench, and sit there waiting for his match.
Today was no different.
From top to bottom, oldest to youngest, male to female—everyone in East New City set down their lunches and phones, pushed back their chairs, and stood up one after another.
"Sixth Brother," "Sixth Uncle"—the calls never stopped...
Lin Yiyang patted the shoulders of a few kids standing nearby, scanned the room, and headed straight for the northern corner.
Among the coaches, those who recognized Lin Yiyang exchanged whispers, quickly briefing their players in the simplest terms: This is the man who once crushed Jiang Yang and Meng Xiaodong.
And now, this man was walking straight toward Meng Xiaodong’s little sister.
Everyone in the lounge watched, including Cheng Yan.
Yin Guo, lost in her music, pursed her lips slightly, her dimples faintly visible even without a smile.
Hearing murmurs of "Sixth Brother" behind her, she assumed Meng Xiaodong had arrived.
Someone tapped her shoulder. Still holding a small piece of strawberry on her fork, she murmured, "Brother, I think I want to win too badly... I want to make the finals, I want him to watch me play..." The thought alone was frustrating. Damn pretty boys and their distractions.
A hand plucked the left earbud from her ear.
The very "pretty boy" she’d been mentally scolding was now bending down beside her, a smirk playing on his lips as he studied her profile. Teasing, he asked, "What did you just call me? Brother? "Yin Guo spun around abruptly. Her heart pounded so hard it felt like it might stop, all the blood in her body rushing to her head. She was dizzy—truly dizzy...
How was she supposed to compete like this...
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