Chapter 39: The Return of the King (3)
Early the next morning, she left home around five o'clock. Assuming Lin Yiyang was still asleep adjusting to the time difference, she didn’t contact him.
The morning passed in a flurry of activity. On the way down the mountain, several cars in their group got stuck in traffic. Yin Guo had originally been riding in her mom’s car, keeping Grandma company, but with the prolonged standstill, the elderly woman grew increasingly drowsy. "Xiao Guo, get out and switch with your aunt. If Grandma starts feeling unwell later, your aunt can take care of her," her mom rearranged.
Yin Guo had no choice but to get out and swap places with her aunt.
Truthfully, she understood her mom had another motive. Her aunt had been riding in Uncle Li’s car, and with the switch, she and Li Qingyan would now be in the same vehicle. She had avoided it from the start, but this time, there was no escaping it.
She messaged Lin Yiyang, but there was no reply.
Was he still adjusting to the time difference?
Li Qingyan followed the same training schedule as Meng Xiaodong, and it had been over a year since they last met. Yin Guo exchanged a few perfunctory words with him about training before seizing the moment when the adults couldn’t hear. "Don’t mention anything about me to your parents," she said.
Li Qingyan didn’t understand at first, but after a couple of seconds, he gave her a knowing look. "His world ranking is so high now—what are you still worried about?"
Yin Guo didn’t want to delve into Lin Yiyang’s past. Just then, her aunt came downstairs and asked her to help pick out seafood, so she made her escape.
She and her aunt stood in front of the glass tanks on the first floor, inspecting the crabs.
Suddenly, a pair of small hands wrapped around her left leg. Her heart skipped a beat as she turned to see a little girl, about two years old, blinking her big eyes at her with a smile.
Too adorable. Yin Guo crouched down to meet her gaze, their dark, bright eyes locked on each other.
"Where are your family members?" she asked.
A pair of dark red sneakers appeared in front of her. "Right here."
For a moment, Yin Guo wondered if it was possible for someone in the world to have a voice identical to his—or if she missed him so much that even the slightest resemblance made her think of him. But as her gaze traveled up from the black casual pants, past the short sleeves, and finally landed on that rebellious, captivating face of his…
She could hear her own heartbeat pounding in her ears.
Outwardly, she remained calm, as if they were barely acquainted. But beneath the surface, it was like a turbulent flood crashing against boulders, carrying mud and sand with enough force to sweep everything away.
Their eyes met, and for a moment, she felt disoriented, as if time and space had twisted.
Every time she thought there couldn’t possibly be more surprises, he would appear at the most unexpected moments. To an ordinary person, this might just be a chance encounter, but her fingers clenched slightly, weak from the overwhelming rush of joy.
Her gaze lingered on his face. "Your relative’s kid?"
"My brother’s," he said, bending down to scoop the little girl up and settling her on his arm. "I just pointed this way and asked who she liked. She ran over on her own."
Lin Yiyang casually pinched the little girl’s cheek. "Couldn’t stop her."
With his freshly shaved buzz cut, rolled-up sleeves revealing his tattoos, and now holding an irresistibly cute toddler, he stood out even more in the crowded restaurant.
He really had a way of making people fall for him at first sight—anywhere, anytime. Yin Guo couldn’t help but think, quite inappropriately: If they had met for the first time today, would she have been the one chasing him?
Lin Yiyang, for his part, was thoroughly enjoying the way his girlfriend was staring at him.He had also gotten up early and impulsively decided to get a buzz cut downstairs—all because Yin Guo had once touched his hair in their Washington apartment and said that a crew cut suited him. It looked good.
Aunt, seeing them talking, pointed at a few items for the waiter taking orders nearby and smiled, giving Lin Yiyang a friendly nod, assuming Yin Guo had run into an old classmate. People who’ve been studying continuously always have that advantage—even though he was a full six years older than her, it didn’t show at all.
“You’re here? Just passing through?” Yin Guo asked, watching as Aunt walked toward the aquarium at the end of the aisle before feeling comfortable enough to speak with him.
“Visiting graves,” Lin Yiyang said. “For my parents.”
The last time he’d come was three years ago.
This area was surrounded by several mountains, abundant with gardens and good feng shui. During Qingming Festival, sixty to seventy percent of people from nearby big cities would make the trip here, so his reason wasn’t surprising.
It wasn’t hard to guess how he’d found this place. Whether he’d asked Meng Xiaotian or Meng Xiaodong, either was possible. With relatives around, he could’ve casually inquired with an uncle or aunt for directions.
“You should’ve told me sooner,” Yin Guo said softly, feeling guilty. “I would’ve bought flowers for your parents.”
Lin Yiyang’s eyes held a smile.
That wasn’t necessary—he’d just told his parents that next year, he’d bring her to see them.
Their exchange was brief, and no one else could hear.
Before long, Aunt glanced over again, thinking to herself that Yin Guo had never had a boyfriend. If she were to find someone from her circle, this one didn’t seem bad. At the very least, his looks were top-tier. But that little girl… Nowadays, college students could get married on campus, but surely they weren’t having kids there too?
In the span of a minute, Aunt had mentally drafted a several-thousand-word evaluation report on Lin Yiyang.
Meanwhile, the little girl suddenly stretched out her arms, wanting to hug Yin Guo, but Lin Yiyang immediately pulled her back. Yin Guo’s heart softened at the sight. “Let me hold her for a bit.”
“With those slender arms and legs of yours?” Lin Yiyang subtly gripped her wrist—an angle no one could see, hidden between the two of them, the little girl, and the aquarium.
Since reuniting at the airport yesterday, they’d been stuck in that strange, déjà vu-like sense of distance. Not because anything was wrong between them, but because after so long apart, their skin and blood screamed that this was the person they loved, yet everything still felt unfamiliar.
Now, as he held her hand, it was like a reminder— Snap out of it. This is your boyfriend.
His warm fingertips brushed over the back of her hand. “Call me when you’re free.”
He said it with perfect composure, only because he saw Aunt approaching.
Yin Guo felt his fingers slip between hers, squeezing tight, as she casually bluffed, “You still have my number, right?”
“Yeah.” He smiled, amused by her acting skills.
In the end, he let her go.
The little girl, still desperate to hug Yin Guo, burst into loud sobs when Lin Yiyang carried her away instead.
Now even Lin Yiyang was at a loss. The last time he’d comforted a child was over a decade ago—and that had been this girl’s father, whom he’d alternately scared and scolded. Comforting a little girl? No experience whatsoever. He muttered something in her ear, only for her to cry even harder.
Perfect. Just moments ago, they’d seemed like a harmonious, oddly adorable pair. Now, he looked like a child-snatching scoundrel.
“He seems nice. Is that his kid?” Aunt asked.
Yin Guo shook her head, rubbing her hand. “He just graduated. He’s not married.”The little girl's cries gradually subsided. Seizing the moment while going upstairs, Yin Guo sent him a message.
Fruit in the Forest: What did you say to the kid? She was crying so hard.
Lin: Told her Auntie doesn't like you and asked me to take you away.
Fruit in the Forest: ...
Lin: Just like you - can't take a joke.
When she and her aunt returned after ordering, the only seat left was next to Li Qingyan. Everyone had clearly done this on purpose to make them sit together.
Ever since Lin Yiyang appeared, she'd been restless, afraid he might run into her mom.
As feared, the worst happened.
The waitstaff soon led a group upstairs, with Lin Yiyang carrying the little girl at the forefront. From their angle near the staircase, Yin Guo and Li Qingyan were the first to spot him.
He'd deliberately put on a jacket before coming up to cover his tattooed arm.
Both Yin Guo and Li Qingyan saw him simultaneously, with Li Qingyan looking startled for a second.
"Qingyan knows him?" someone asked.
"Yeah..." Li Qingyan answered briefly, "He's close with Brother Meng. We've met."
"So he's not Xiao Guo's classmate?" Aunt said with a smile. "Downstairs, he exchanged a few words with Yin Guo too."
Yin Guo's mom looked at her.
"We met in New York," Yin Guo kept it short, careful not to lie to avoid future complications. "He came to watch the matches."
The New York tournament wasn't broadcast domestically... thankfully, no one in the family had seen it.
His group took their seats.
Yin Guo watched as Lin Yiyang picked up the teapot and poured himself a cup.
Then, to her astonishment, she saw him walking toward their table... At the table's edge, he didn't look at Yin Guo. Instead, he raised his teacup and gave Yin Guo's mom a polite smile.
"Professor Wu," Lin Yiyang said. "Seeing you here, I thought it proper to come greet you according to seniority."
A brief silence fell.
Yin Guo's mom looked at Lin Yiyang and replied with a smile, "This is just a family gathering today. No need for formal greetings."
"It's only right," Lin Yiyang stood by the table, gazing at Yin Guo's mom. In his eyes, she wasn't just her mother—memories of past competitions surged within him, mingling respect, emotion, and apology. "Back in the competition days, I made many mistakes. Thank you for your leniency in rulings, Professor Wu, which gave me the chance to return."
"You shouldn't thank me, Xiao Lin," Yin Guo's mom told him. "The one you should thank most is your teacher. He was nearly seventy, yet went to the association to plead for you—it moved everyone who saw it. And Professor Wang, who'd never lost his temper at work before, had red eyes backstage that day. He later spoke up for you too, regretting your retirement."
Lin Yiyang was quiet for a moment before nodding. "You're right."
He lightly raised his glass, which held a half-filled cup of pu'er tea, freshly poured.
"I'm driving today, so I won't pour wine," Lin Yiyang's voice lowered slightly, his throat seemingly choked—whether by the past or the emotions stirred by revisiting old matters, he had no more words. He drank the entire cup of tea in several gulps.
She'd never seen Lin Yiyang speak formalities like this, never seen him like this before.
As Yin Guo watched him drink the tea as if it were the strongest liquor, burning down his throat, she felt an inexplicable sting in her own chest.
After Lin Yiyang finished the tea, Yin Guo's mom gave a slight nod, signaling the end of the exchange.
The adults at the table, having witnessed his deliberate gesture of respect, couldn't help but chat a bit more about him.The referee assigned to Lin Yiyang's table during that match was a male official who was good friends with Yin Guo's mom. Yin Guo often saw him and would call him Uncle Wang. Yin Guo's mom was the head referee and initially wasn’t at that table, but by the time she went over, Lin Yiyang had already clashed with the referee and walked off, leaving his opponent behind.
"If it were under today's rules, he could’ve been banned for three years," Mom said, glancing at Yin Guo. "Your Uncle Wang values talent. He was actually happy to hear about his comeback."
"Did he really throw a match?" Li Qingyan's father suddenly asked.
"No," Yin Guo's mom said fairly. "One thing doesn’t affect the other. He was banned for confronting the referee."
"Xiaodong seems close to him?" Grandma muttered worriedly upon hearing this.
"Not necessarily that close," Yin Guo's sister said. "They’re just colleagues who know each other."
"Actually, now—" Yin Guo, who had been silent until then, spoke up, "he’s always played by the rules. There haven’t been any bad rumors."
"Enough, this has nothing to do with us," Sister cut in.
"And—" Yin Guo still wanted to shift the tone, at least to avoid a one-sided judgment, "when I talked to him in the U.S. about billiards, you could tell he genuinely loves it."
"Didn’t I just tell you to drop it?" Sister’s face darkened.
Yin Guo, shut down by her sister, wanted to say more but had no ground to stand on. Frustrated, she lowered her head and took a couple of bites of food.
Her family was a blended one—an older brother and sister from her parents' previous marriages, while she was their only biological child. The siblings, products of two broken families during their teens, weren’t close to her. As a child, she didn’t understand and would eagerly follow them around, often getting bullied. When their parents found out, they’d go easy on the older two, pitying them as "brought-along" kids, offering only light reprimands. So the relatives present were long used to the sisters’ dynamic.
"Alright, alright, let’s talk about something else," a relative chimed in to mediate.
Li Qingyan’s father, noticing Yin Guo’s low spirits and assuming it was due to her sister’s harshness, signaled his son to serve her a bite of her favorite braised dish. Unfortunately, that very gesture was spotted from afar by Lin Yiyang.
Later, Lin Yiyang went downstairs and didn’t return.
After the meal, while his younger siblings lingered and Yin Guo’s family chatted idly, Yin Guo couldn’t sit still any longer. Excusing herself to fetch something from the car, she took her mom’s keys and hurried down.
She circled the area several times before reaching the parking lot behind the restaurant. As she weaved between cars, a freshly stubbed cigarette butt suddenly landed at her feet. She looked up.
Turns out, he had propped open the trunk of his off-road vehicle for shade and was leaning against it, smoking—no wonder she hadn’t spotted him earlier.
"Looking for me?" Lin Yiyang asked.
Obviously. Yin Guo nudged the butt toward a small pile of cigarette ends and packs nearby, likely a spot where kitchen staff gathered to smoke, all neatly discarded for periodic cleanup.
Stepping over the gravel, she reached him: "You weren’t replying to my texts."
His hands cupped her face. "What did you need me for?"
Her hands instinctively gripped his waist, seeking stability. The uneven ground, littered with loose stones, shifted under their weight as he kissed her. The scattered gravel crunched beneath their feet, the sound sharp and clear...Lin Yiyang's breath was scorching and heavy, burning against her face as he fiercely tangled his tongue with hers, holding her close in the small patch of shadow cast by the trunk lid. After a while, the wet heat on their lips eased slightly. "What did you come to find me for?" Yin Guo's face was brushed twice by his palm before his lips sealed hers again.
Someone from the kitchen came out for a smoke. Two chefs in white coats exchanged cigarettes and glanced over at the passionate young couple.
Lin Yiyang rarely acted like this—even when noticed, he refused to let go, stubbornly holding on no matter what.
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