If Lin Wanxing were by his side, he would definitely press her and ask why there were so few photos of him.
Just as this thought crossed his mind, Qi Liang opened the last email—the earliest one Lin Wanxing had saved.
ToTheMysterious:
Hello Mysterious, please allow me to address you as "Mysterious One."
Thank you very much for the message you left on the blackboard, which helped us keep Coach Wang Fa.
Although I’m not entirely sure who you are (I do have a few small guesses), I believe we both agree that leaving some things unspoken and maintaining a sense of mystery adds to the fun.
There’s so much I want to say, yet it feels like there’s nothing to say.
Whoever you are, you must care deeply about the students.
So, I’ll use this email to record some of the students’ daily lives as a token of gratitude for your help in keeping him here.
And the video below is a farewell message the students recorded for Coach Wang Fa before he was supposed to leave.
Now that he’s staying, it seems there’s no way to show it to him.
Whether you ever log into this email again, or if all of this is just me talking to myself with no one ever seeing it, I want to use this video as the first record of this new chapter.
I suppose I still hope that all the hidden gratitude and heartfelt feelings will one day be seen.
After Lin Wanxing’s brief message came a video.
The preview screen showed Fu Xinshu’s face.
Wang Fa remembered that on the evening he was supposed to leave, the sky was filled with crimson clouds.
The students seemed to be secretly up to something, but at the time, lost in the melancholy of departure, he paid no attention.
"Should we watch it now?" Fu Xinshu sniffled, his eyes slightly reddened, as he turned to ask him.
Wang Fa was taken aback. The boys’ faces were filled with sorrow and unease.
"Maybe you should watch it alone. What we said is a bit cheesy, and it’d be awkward to watch it together," Qin Ao added.
Wang Fa nodded in agreement and asked Qi Liang to forward the email to him.
It was 2:00 PM, the time marked on the students’ schedule as the start of their daily afternoon self-study.
The boys stayed in the classroom while Wang Fa, holding his phone, went upstairs alone.
It was the staircase he walked every day. Light streamed in through the high windows, illuminating the corners, but most of the long steps remained dim and shadowy.
He turned on the video, keeping the volume low enough for only himself to hear, and continued his ascent.
Fu Xinshu’s face appeared first. He had always been calm and resilient: "Coach Wang Fa, even though you were going to leave, thank you so much for teaching us. I never thought I’d get to play soccer with my brothers again, let alone win games. It feels like a dream, but it’s a wonderful feeling! Thank you!"
Chen Jianghe: "Coach, I’ve known you longer than the others. Teacher Lin told me it was you who warned her that the agent was a fraud, which led her to help me. When I encountered that scam, I was really tempted. I love soccer and wanted to make something of myself. Even though you shattered that illusion, you brought us new hope. Training diligently every day and feeling our skills improve—that’s the right path in soccer."Zheng Feiyang: "When you first showed up, we all thought you were a fraud, pretending to know football just to hit on our teacher! But damn, you weren't pretending—you actually know your stuff! It's like manna from heaven—how could someone so incredible come to coach us?"
Lin Lu: "Coach, we're really going to miss you! But it makes sense, right? A coach as amazing as you can't just keep making things easy for us forever! We'll keep playing hard, and you should come back to give us pointers sometimes! Don't forget to come back!"
...
Qin Ao and Lin Lu inexplicably squeezed into the frame together: "Coach, you're a god! You're just too awesome!"
The two of them started singing "Olé, Olé, Olé" in unison, their rowdy voices echoing through the space.
The scene shifted, and Zhi Hui appeared at the end of the video: "Coach, I did your bazi reading earlier. Your male fate chart shows a Wealth Star in your annual cycle. You should have a destined romantic encounter, but since you're running off again, I must've miscalculated—my skills aren't refined enough."
The video background was very dark, making the whole atmosphere even more mystical. Though the content sounded somewhat amusing, Zhi Hui delivered it with complete seriousness, and Wang Fa couldn't help but laugh wryly.
Wang Fa's hand rested on the iron door to the rooftop. The farewell messages from the 11 players had finished playing, and the video screen went dark. But as he reached to close the video, the progress bar at the bottom revealed there was still more content.
A moment later, Lin Wanxing's face appeared.
Wang Fa could almost hear his own heart pounding violently. He instinctively turned up the volume a little.
It was still that dimly lit room.
At first, Lin Wanxing seemed very uncomfortable recording herself on video. Her hair was loosely tied up, with a few strands falling across her face. She tilted her head to the left, then gave a slight, awkward smile, her eyes briefly clouded with confusion.
But after a moment, she collected herself, straightened up, and flashed her usual relaxed, gentle smile before speaking slowly to the camera.
"Hello Wang Fa:
I've never recorded something like this for a guy before, so I'm a bit embarrassed. First of all, thank you so much for your company during this time and for everything you've taught the students.
Although I always encourage the students to chase their dreams, reality can be harsh. I know better than anyone that without you, these kids won't be able to keep playing together. To you, these players might just be passing acquaintances—like stray cats you fished out of the water and left to dry in the sun. But you know what? For those little cats and dogs, being able to bask in the sunlight is the happiest, safest feeling in their lives!
So, truly, thank you so much!"
After saying this, Lin Wanxing seemed ready to end the recording.
She leaned forward, her delicate face magnified on the screen. But at the last moment, she froze.
As if interrupted by a sudden noise outside, or perhaps lost in her own thoughts, she settled back into her seat.
The progress bar continued moving.
"Was that a bit fake just now? Even though it came from the heart, it wasn't the deepest part. Rationally, the things I most want to say are things I can't tell you. But since I'm going to edit this part out anyway—you'll never hear it—it doesn't matter."After murmuring almost to herself for a while, she sat back properly in front of the camera, her smile fading to reveal her most genuine calm expression. She collected her thoughts and continued in a different tone—less cheerful and bright, but particularly confused and puzzled.
"Wang Fa, I don’t know what’s wrong with me. When I heard you were leaving, I felt really strange. Sad, I guess—it must be sadness.
You’re the most interesting guy I’ve ever met. Being with you, every day feels relaxed and happy. Even though you seem to have many stories of your own, I have my secrets too.
But with you and the students around, it feels like every day is so busy that I can temporarily stop thinking about those questions I can’t find answers to.
There was a period before when I couldn’t sleep at all through the night, and even when I first came here, it was the same.
But just knowing you were next door, and wondering what new drink you’d come up with tomorrow, made every day feel like it held a different kind of anticipation.
It feels really good to have someone by my side all the time. If you leave, the room next door will be empty, and I’ll be alone again.
I really love the feeling of hiding up here on the rooftop with you every day.
So I want to ask you—could you stay, for me?
I know it’s selfish and annoying, and I don’t even know why I feel this way, but I just want someone to stay with me.
So, can you stay? Can you keep me company?"
On the screen, Lin Wanxing gave a sly smile at the end. Then she leaned forward and, as if making a firm decision, turned off the camera.
The progress bar reached the end.
The screen faded to black.
Wang Fa felt as if his breath had been stolen, his eyes fixed only on Lin Wanxing’s final smile under the desk lamp.
Though her voice had been barely a whisper, it echoed like thunder in his ears.
Their first meeting at Wuchuan Road Stadium, their reunion at Mingzhu Stadium—gradually, Lin Wanxing and the players had seeped into his life.
He used to think they were like a passing breeze, giving his hectic half-life a stretch of carefree, easy days. But in reality, after the breeze had passed, the entire city had turned green, breathing vitality into his entire world. And now there was rain—at this very moment, thunder roared, and he was drenched in a downpour.
His emotions were intensely tangled and chaotic. On one hand, he was grateful he hadn’t left, that he had stayed and shared so many happy moments with Lin Wanxing. On the other, he felt a creeping fear.
But he had been the one Lin Wanxing asked to stay. She clearly needed him, yet she had always refused to let him get closer, leaving with unwavering resolve.
He simply couldn’t understand any of it.
Outside the door, a sudden gust of wind swept across the rooftop, rattling the iron door loudly.
In all their shared stories, there must have been something he had overlooked.
Wang Fa forced himself to calm down.
He kept replaying everything that had happened since he arrived in Hongjing, but at one point, his thoughts shifted forward along the timeline to a critical juncture. Almost unbelievably, he turned his phone back on and scrolled through his contacts.
It was a little past six in the morning in the UK.
Ordinarily, therapists and patients weren’t supposed to contact each other privately, but a family psychological consultant could be an exception.
When Wang Fa dialed, he expected to wait a long time, but the call was answered almost immediately.
"Dr. Yan, sorry to disturb you so early," he said, steadying his voice.
"It’s not early. I’ve been waiting for your call for a long time," replied a calm, steady woman’s voice on the other end, accompanied by the whirring sound of a coffee machine starting up.Hearing those last words, Wang Fa’s heart beat uncontrollably—he knew he had found the right direction.
The story goes back to before he came to Hongjing.
He remembered clearly that after he decided to return to China, his therapist advised him not to rush into completely giving up. Instead, he could try living somewhere close to a football field, observe and reflect before making a decision.
So, he rented the rooftop at No. 17 Wutong Road.
During that time, there were occasional family days, which required the entire family to participate in online psychological counseling sessions.
When discussing his situation, the therapist on the phone suggested he could attend youth football matches in China to rediscover the thrill that first made him fall in love with the sport.
That was why he ended up at Mingzhu Stadium that Sunday.
“I have a question—do you know Lin Wanxing?” he asked directly.
Chapter 119: Destiny
The wait for an answer felt incredibly long to Wang Fa.
But for Yan Ming, it might have only been the time it took to take a sip of coffee.
Yan Ming said, “If you’ve carefully read my resume, you should know I studied psychology at Yongchuan University for my undergraduate degree.”
“So?” Wang Fa tightened his grip on the phone.
“So, I do know Lin Wanxing,” Yan Ming replied.
She didn’t even ask which “Lin” or which “Wanxing”—she admitted it outright.
Wang Fa pushed open the rooftop door, and the bright light flooded in. The wind whipped his hoodie, making it flutter noisily.
“How do you know her?” After Yan Ming’s admission, Wang Fa’s chaotic thoughts settled, and he restrained the many questions swirling in his mind. “You’re twelve years older than her. By the time she entered university, you had long since graduated.”
“Good attention to detail, Wang Fa.” Yan Ming paused briefly. “But is it possible that I know her, but she doesn’t know me?”
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