Chapter 40: The Return of the King (4)
The chef left, and he ended the intimate moment that had drawn attention.
He had kissed her with an edge of temper—this was a first.
When it was over, he released her and deliberately asked, "Did you miss me, or were you trying to comfort me?"
Yin Guo, already subdued by her sister earlier, now had to endure his words. Her chest tightened as she watched him turn away and rummage through the trunk of the car. If he had nothing to say, fine—but pretending to look for something? She stared at his back and said, "Neither. I just had nothing better to do."
Lin Yiyang stopped and turned to look at her. "If there’s nothing, go back upstairs. I’m leaving."
Then, stiffly, he added, "My brother’s in another province. Driving him back will take a while, and kids need to sleep early."
Yin Guo glared at him, clearly sensing his anger. Her eyes reddened with frustration, but the moment she turned to leave, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her back. Lin Yiyang wanted to kiss her again, but she turned her face away. "You’ve been smoking. I don’t want to."
Lin Yiyang twisted both her wrists behind her back, gripping them tightly with one hand to keep her still. With his other hand, he fished out a piece of dark chocolate from his pocket and held it up for her to see.
"Wait," he said, eyes locked on her.
Lin Yiyang tore open the wrapper with his teeth and took a bite.
...
"Chocolate won’t work either. Kissing like this would be too obvious." There were people upstairs—they’d notice right away.
Lin Yiyang slowed for a moment but didn’t stop, chewing deliberately. Though he didn’t let her go, he seemed to have abandoned the idea of kissing her. Only the grip on her wrist tightened considerably.
"It hurts. Let go." This wasn’t just pettiness—it genuinely hurt.
Suddenly, the pressure vanished.
Lin Yiyang finished the rest of the chocolate, crumpled the wrapper, and tossed it onto the pile of cigarette butts. He turned back to the trunk, searching for something again.
Yin Guo watched him retreat into silence and busywork, then spun around and walked away.
"Xiao Guo’er," he called from behind.
She wanted to stop, but her anger hadn’t dissipated.
"Yin Guo. Stop right there." His voice was low and heavy, barely above a whisper.
If anything, his words made her walk faster.
Behind the off-road vehicle, Lin Yiyang couldn’t shout her name or chase after her—he was just as frustrated.
In his palm was a handful of cherries he’d dug out from the trunk, cherries he’d gone out of his way to buy from a village, all washed and ready for her to try. There was a whole bag of them, so tender that the slightest pressure would bruise their skin...
Lin Yiyang clenched the delicate cherries in his hand. After a long pause, he threw them all onto the pile of cigarette butts.
Yin Guo entered the restaurant just as her family was coming downstairs. She stepped aside, intending to go up and retrieve her bag. Her aunt, the last one down, was already holding it. "It’s here. No need to go up."
Her aunt closed the distance in a few steps and whispered, "Still mad at your sister?"
Yin Guo knew her expression was sour. "No," she murmured.
"You were down there for a while. Did you get what you needed?" Her aunt was puzzled—she’d gone down to fetch something but returned empty-handed.
"Couldn’t find it," Yin Guo said dismissively. "Probably left it at home."
Her aunt was about to say more when she suddenly smiled past Yin Guo’s shoulder and nodded. "Your little one’s quite funny. He came to our table earlier looking for Xiao Guo."Yin Guo turned around and saw Lin Yiyang holding his jacket, nodding politely to Aunt as well: "The kid doesn't understand things well, please bear with her." His voice was low, his mood subdued, but he still maintained courtesy toward a stranger.
Lin Yiyang walked up the stairs from Yin Guo's right side, gave her one last look, and then went straight upstairs.
Yin Guo felt wronged inside. Staring at the row of seafood tanks, she deliberately avoided meeting his gaze. Yet she could still sense him pausing at the stairwell landing. She could feel that he had stopped there just to look at her...
But soon, descending customers separated them. Two groups came down together, squeezing past and forcing her to step aside from the stairway entrance.
When she looked up again, he was already gone.
The car ride home was unusually quiet.
Yin Guo's mind was filled with thoughts of Lin Yiyang—this counted as their first real argument, their first falling out...
Beside her, Grandma suddenly asked: "About that boy, that Lin Yiyang—tell Grandma more?"
Because it involved Meng Xiaodong, Grandma was particularly concerned.
"Let me tell you at home," Yin Guo said softly. "I'm feeling a bit carsick."
From the front passenger seat, Sister suddenly asked: "Xiao Guo, are you very close with him?"
"We get along well," Yin Guo replied.
"Isn't Meng Xiaodong keeping an eye on you?" Sister said from the front.
Yin Guo propped her chin on her hand, gazing out the window: "Xiaodong-ge is actually quite close with him."
"Didn't Meng Xiaodong tell you?" Sister asked from the front. "When he was little, Lin Lin once beat him up with a brick. Lin Yiyang was the one who accompanied Lin Lin to deliver the medical compensation money."
Yin Guo was stunned.
"So it was him," Grandma said sympathetically. "That time scared me so much—I thought Xiaodong had offended someone dangerous."
"But that was all childhood stuff," Yin Guo argued. "Xiaodong-ge and Lin Lin get along fine now."
"That's hardly his only incident—there were issues all through his youth," Sister paused, then turned to look at her. "Seems you really do have a good impression of him."
...
Yin Guo could tell Sister had strong objections about him.
She wanted to argue further, but Mom spoke up: "How many times have I said—no arguing in front of Grandma."
"We're not arguing, Mom," Wu Tong said. "Just discussing reasonably."
"I'm not arguing either," Yin Guo added. "I just wanted to explain a bit for Lin Yiyang since he came sincerely today to serve tea respectfully. Mom," she hesitated but continued, "you're with the sports bureau, and so is my sister. If you both hold biases against him, isn't that unfair to him?"
Yin Guo's mother smiled: "What do you think Mom would say that could affect him?"
"Nothing." But she worried Mom's attitude might influence colleagues, indirectly affecting him.
"Mom doesn't know him personally, has no connections or conflicts with him," Mom said as they passed through the toll booth, briefly stopping to take change from Wu Tong and hand it over. "But I genuinely don't like him. Setting aside Xiaodong's matters—Mom came up through refereeing. I can't appreciate someone who's assaulted a fellow professional. Maybe because I love you, I won't criticize your friends much, but that won't change how I truly feel."
As the car pulled away from the toll booth, Mom continued: "Xiao Guo, you're grown now. You need to accept that no two people in this world think exactly alike or share identical perspectives. Everyone operates from their own angle—with their own personality and life experiences. Even the closest people differ."
Yin Guo fell silent."Also, Tongtong," Yin Guo's mother glanced at her eldest daughter in the passenger seat, "since everyone in the car is family, you can say these things. But you must never speak like this at the bureau, the association, or in public. I'm being very serious about this today—you need to remember."
Wu Tong fell silent too.
"Is the China Open starting soon?" Yin Guo's mom asked her.
"Yeah," she replied, "next week."
Lin Yiyang had timed his return precisely for this—the Snooker China Open.
After seeing his younger brother's family home, Lin Yiyang returned to the pool hall where Jiang Yang was still waiting.
The night before, he'd claimed he needed to visit graves the next day and managed to send all his brothers—who'd been hauling cases of alcohol—back to sleep. Only Jiang Yang had stayed behind to rest with him. Jiang Yang had just returned from a closed training camp himself, unattached and alone, clearly thrilled at Lin Yiyang's return and looking like he planned to settle in for the long haul.
The third floor had been fully renovated last month, while the second floor had been delayed for months due to the hotpot restaurant's reluctance to relocate. Now, the upper floors were fully equipped, finally resembling a proper pool hall.
At the northernmost corner of the third floor were two living quarters, complete with their own bathrooms.
Jiang Yang had temporarily furnished the place for him with a few simple yet stylish pieces, giving it the cozy feel of a small home.
Unable to sleep, Lin Yiyang reclined on the sofa and pulled out a note from the hidden compartment of his wallet.
The edges of the adhesive were darkened from frequent handling.
"Ever played it?" Jiang Yang, needing to use the bathroom, sat up and noticed what he was holding.
Lin Yiyang didn't respond.
Assuming he wouldn't get an answer, Jiang Yang started forward, his hand reaching for the bathroom light switch when he heard the man behind him say, "He was already in poor health. Hearing me speak would only make him angrier and worsen his condition."
Jiang Yang had no rebuttal. Their teacher had indeed never mentioned Lin Yiyang's name. Even this year, when Jiang Yang had deliberately hinted at Lin Yiyang's comeback, the old man had listened without further comment, not asking a single additional question.
One was the teacher, the other his junior brother—both stubborn as mules. There was little he could do. By now, Jiang Yang had located the toilet in the northeast corner by the moonlight and entered without turning on the light.
Lin Yiyang toyed with the note before finally tucking it away.
He left the room and paused at the nearest nine-ball table—the one reserved specifically for Yin Guo. Just last night, he and Chen Anan had taken a few practice shots there. The balls now lay scattered across the blue felt.
Picking up the nearest ball with his right hand, Lin Yiyang hurled it forcefully along the table. The white ball flew like an arrow, crashing into the black with a loud clatter before dropping into the pocket. The sound echoed through the vast, hundred-square-meter hall.
Jiang Yang removed his glasses, rubbing his temples as he leaned against the doorway, watching the shadowy figure under the pool table's lamp seemingly fishing out balls. "Something on your mind?"
"Go back to sleep," Lin Yiyang retorted.
From his tone, Jiang Yang could tell the weight on his mind was heavy.
Lin Yiyang didn't reach out to her all night.
Even on the way home, she'd argued with her mom and sister about him, yet he wouldn't seek her out—wouldn't even lower his head to do so.
Originally, she was supposed to head to the closed training camp that afternoon. With dark circles under her eyes, she and a few fellow female players booked a seven-seater van and left early for the training base.
In the car, they chatted about everything under the sun until the conversation inevitably turned to the Snooker China Open.When the name "Lin Yiyang" came up in the conversation, her senior sister subtly nudged her arm and asked why Lin Yiyang hadn’t participated in last year's China Open.
Yin Guo shook her head—Lin Yiyang had never mentioned it.
"What a shame," another senior sister chimed in. "If he had competed last year, his ranking definitely wouldn’t have been lower than Jiang Yang’s."
"Hard to say," Yin Guo replied with a smile. "Jiang Yang has been in great form."
Halfway through the journey, the group stopped at a highway rest area for thirty minutes.
Located at the provincial border, the rest area was large, with shops selling local specialties from both provinces and plenty of fast-food outlets. Since their group had set off the earliest, they had plenty of time to spare. Everyone dispersed, agreeing to regroup in half an hour.
Most went to stock up on snacks and regional products for the upcoming closed training camp.
The driver noticed Yin Guo still hadn’t gotten off the bus and asked with a smile, "Should I open the door for you? I’m going to stretch my legs too."
Soon, she was the only one left.
Wearing a bucket hat, Yin Guo sat sideways by the open bus door, her legs basking in the sunlight.
On her phone, Lin Yiyang had sent two WeChat messages half an hour earlier.
Lin: Awake?
Lin: Wanted to talk to you.
She hadn’t replied.
Partly because she’d been sulking all night and he hadn’t reached out, and partly because the bus was crowded, making calls inconvenient. Clutching her phone, she stared at the messages, hesitating.
As if sensing her thoughts, a new message popped up.
Lin: ?
He knew her routine—she should’ve been awake by now. After steeling herself for a moment, Yin Guo tapped the voice call button.
The call connected.
The background noise on his end sounded open, likely outdoors, with the bustle of a roadside.
She stayed silent.
"Still mad at me?" Lin Yiyang asked.
Still no reply.
"I’m outside your neighborhood," he said. "Come down whenever you’re up. No rush."
...
"I’m not home," she murmured, adjusting her hat to block the sun, her heart softening. "Closed training. We’ve already crossed the provincial border."
This time, he fell silent.
"I’ll be back in time for the second half of your Open," Yin Guo added.
Hearing his continued silence, she mumbled, "If you’d just reached out last night, I wouldn’t have left this morning. We could’ve met today."
A long pause followed, with no response.
Spotting the driver returning, Yin Guo lowered her voice. "Say something. Someone’s coming—I won’t be able to talk soon."
"Let me know when you’re back," the man on the other end finally spoke. "Miss you."
Lin Yiyang had spent the morning scoping out the front, back, and north gates of Yin Guo’s neighborhood, along with the two entrances to the underground parking garage. Yesterday, he’d driven Jiang Yang’s car, but today, with Jiang Yang taking it, he’d come by subway.
Now, in no particular hurry, he strolled along a small road behind the neighborhood, crossing a stone bridge over the river to the opposite bank. Hoping to retrace Yin Guo’s usual paths, he spotted a motorcycle shop.
The shop was quiet in the morning. At the back were several top-tier sport bikes and a few Harleys. The owner, sizing up Lin Yiyang’s build and demeanor, immediately pegged him as a rider and launched into an enthusiastic pitch. He wheeled out a sleek black Harley—a new model—followed by an Aprilia.The shop owner pointed him to a narrow path. Lin Yiyang swung his long legs over the bike, fastened the helmet, hunched his waist, and started the motorcycle, riding off with a roar from the powerful exhaust.
When he returned, even before removing his helmet, he drew many onlookers—it was practically a live advertisement. He took off the helmet and placed it on the bike, leaning his elbow on it as he asked the shop owner, "How long for a domestic license?"
"All exams done in one day, and the license will be ready in a few days. Let me know what modifications you want first."
Lin Yiyang had the shop owner adjust the overly high handlebars to align with the seat level, swiped his card for the deposit, and chose a black helmet. After glancing around, he added, "Also, order a white helmet."
Author's Note: The backstory of the youth mentioned in this chapter is in Chapter 17.
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