Chapter 148 You Raise Me Up

When the TV screen showed Sharapova, her face streaked with tears, saying, "I know he can't hear, but I still want to thank him. He infected me with his unique charm and encouraged me. You Raise Me Up, allowed me to surpass myself!" the song "You Raise Me Up" played at the perfect moment.

"You raise me up… so I can stand on mountains; You raise me up, to walk on stormy seas…"

Someone in front of the TV dabbed at their eyes. "This is so touching!"

"Who is that 'he'?"

"Who knows? Definitely not her old man..."

"Is he still alive?"

"I don't think so. Didn't Maria say he can't hear? Only dead people can't hear, right?"

"Tsk, what a pity... To move Sharapova so much, he must be a very outstanding man, right?"

"Could it be Sharapova and him…"

"Hehe, maybe it's true…"

"That's even more of a shame!"

※※※

Chen Yingxiong, who was being speculated about as a dead man, was with Sharapova at this moment.

He didn't watch Sharapova's award ceremony. While Sharapova was locked in a fierce battle with Henin at the Madrid Indoor Arena, he was reveling with his teammates in the hotel bar, celebrating his League Top Scorer award and setting a new single-season goal record…

But he knew Sharapova had won the championship.

"Honestly… I really didn't expect you to actually come and treat me to dinner…"

"How could I go back on my word?" Sharapova said with a grin.

"What do you want to eat? My treat!"

Chen Yingxiong rolled his eyes. She said it as if he was a child…

"I don't really want anything…"

"You're so uncooperative!"

"I'm serious. If you ask me what I want to eat right now… I really don't have a clue."

"How about… more Chinese food?" Sharapova thought of that little Chinese restaurant. She thought the food was pretty good.

"Even though I really like Chinese food, wouldn't it be a bit boring to always eat Chinese food?"

"Hmm… then how about Russian cuisine?"

"Salt and bread?"

"Of course not! Right…" Sharapova suddenly clapped her hands. "To your place!"

Chen Yingxiong was startled. "What for?"

"I'll cook you some of my specialties!" Sharapova was eager to try.

Chen Yingxiong thought of his bachelor pad that wasn't much different from a pigsty.

"Let's just go out and find a place to eat…"

"No! It has to be your place!" Sharapova was determined.

Seeing Chen Yingxiong's troubled expression, she laughed. "What? Are you afraid I'll eat you up?"

Her reverse psychology worked. Chen Yingxiong stiffened his neck. "I'm afraid I'll eat you up!"

After saying that, he suddenly realized the other meaning hidden in his words, and he fell silent awkwardly.

As a result, the atmosphere became even more awkward.

He watched as Sharapova's face turned redder and redder in the silence…

In the end, Sharapova still appeared with Chen Yingxiong at the entrance of his apartment.

When Chen Yingxiong opened the door with his key, Sharapova frowned. Although she had made ample mental preparations on the way and imagined what Chen Yingxiong's bachelor apartment would look like, she still couldn't help but frown after seeing it.

"Are you sure a thief hasn't been here?"

"Hey, all bachelors are like this…" Chen Yingxiong explained awkwardly.

Sharapova glanced at him. He could actually be embarrassed?

"I said, let's just go out and find a place to eat…"

Sharapova pouted. "Let's clean up first…" As she spoke, she walked in and started taking off her coat.

※※※

When Chen Yingxiong finally finished cleaning up the house and went to shower, covered in sweat, Sharapova was already busy in the kitchen. And when he came out of the shower, Sharapova was putting the dishes she had prepared on the table.

"Your refrigerator is really bare. There's only this much stuff. Just make do with it." Sharapova took off her apron and draped it over the back of the chair, looking very skilled, probably cooking at home often.

Chen Yingxiong looked at the sumptuous dishes on the table, somewhat dazed—how long had it been since he had enjoyed such treatment? To be able to eat food cooked by someone else in his own home.

In the past, he either ate at the team's training base cafeteria, went out to restaurants, or simply cobbled something together at home.

Taste and presentation were something he didn't dare to expect at all. As long as it didn't kill him.

But now, looking at the cherry tomatoes and broccoli garnished on the plates…

"What's wrong? You don't like it?" Seeing Chen Yingxiong looking somewhat distracted, Sharapova asked.

"Uh, no." Chen Yingxiong shook his head. "Since we're celebrating a victory… shouldn't we have some wine?" he asked.

Sharapova clapped her hands. "I forgot about that! Of course, we need wine!"

Chen Yingxiong turned and took a bottle of wine from the wine cabinet. As someone who liked to drink, how could he not have a collection of wine at home? Wine, champagne, whiskey, vodka… Chen Yingxiong had every kind of alcohol available on the market in his wine cabinet. He even got a bottle of Er锅头 (Erguotou) from the boss of Rui Long Ju…

Then, when he came back, he looked up at the brightly lit dining room, with several large lamps turned on, making it as bright as day.

He suddenly felt that these bright lights were too harsh, so he reached out and turned off a few of them.

Sharapova was sitting at the dining table when she suddenly felt the light dim. She looked up and saw Chen Yingxiong holding the wine, walking out of the dim shadows.

When he appeared in the light, he said to Sharapova, "I think this is more atmospheric."

Sharapova smiled sweetly. "Indeed."

Chen Yingxiong poured half a glass of wine for both of them, then raised his glass. "Congratulations on winning a championship."

"Congratulations on creating a new history."

With a crisp and melodious sound, the ruby-like wine rippled in the clear glass, creating small waves.

The hazy and ambiguous faces of the two people were reflected on the walls of the glass.

※※※

Chen Yingxiong kept having the same dream, dreaming that he was carrying a heavy boulder, walking on a boundless wilderness. Apart from the horizon, there was nothing else on this wilderness, not even a tree or a blade of grass.

He didn't even know if he was moving forward or just walking in place, because there were no landmarks to let him know if he was moving.

Such dreams tormented him constantly, making it hard for him to breathe.

Just when he felt like he was about to suffocate, he woke up.

The first thing he saw was the familiar ceiling—he was lying in his bedroom, without a doubt. He knew exactly what his bedroom ceiling looked like.

Then he quickly found the reason why he felt like he couldn't breathe—a pink arm was pressing on his chest!

His gaze followed the smooth arm, and the first thing he saw was a smooth, bare shoulder. Then came a slender neck with a few fine hairs, and down from the neck was a bare back, which was covered by the blanket.

Chen Yingxiong was feeling regretful that he couldn't see anything more exciting when he suddenly realized—there was a naked woman lying in his bed!

A naked woman?!

He was shocked and suddenly lifted the blanket. He looked down and saw the mosaic-covered thing—he was also stark naked!

What the hell is going on?!

His brain stopped responding for three seconds before he remembered to look at the woman's face, who was still lying on her stomach.

What he saw was Sharapova…

Hiss—

Chen Yingxiong gasped, almost rolling off the bed.

This was for real?

Sharapova was disturbed by Chen Yingxiong's movements on the bed, and she frowned.

Looking at her vivid expression, Chen Yingxiong dared to confirm that the person in front of him was really Sharapova, not some inflatable doll that looked like Sharapova…

Damn it! What did I do last night?

Let me think, uh… Sharapova made a table of food, then I went to get wine, and we chatted and drank, chatted and drank… We chatted happily and drank several bottles of wine. It seemed like we even mixed wine, vodka, and champagne?

Chen Yingxiong could feel the sweat on his forehead…

Could it be that we really got drunk and did something we've never done before, something we shouldn't do?

Chen Yingxiong carefully lifted the blanket on Sharapova's back, his gaze sliding down the smooth back, unobstructed, all the way down, down… and down. He saw the equally smooth buttocks!

Stark naked!

Stark! Naked!!

Truly stark naked!

This was simply too shocking!

Chen Yingxiong tugged at his hair.

※※※

Chen Yingxiong was sitting blankly on the sofa, while Sharapova was already using a hair dryer in front of the mirror to dry her blonde hair.

"I didn't expect you to have a hair dryer here." Sharapova said, enjoying the hair dryer while looking at Chen Yingxiong in the mirror. Seeing that Chen Yingxiong didn't respond, she called out, "Hey, what are you thinking about?"

"I'm thinking the world is so wonderful." Chen Yingxiong looked up, looking at Sharapova in front of him with her back to him. She was only wrapped in a bath towel.

"The world is so wonderful?" Sharapova didn't understand.

"The last time we met in this room, we had a big fight. Now…"

Sharapova laughed.

"The world is indeed wonderful."

She turned around and smiled at Chen Yingxiong.

It was impossible to overlap it with the image of her pointing at his nose and scolding him before.

Chen Yingxiong was a little dazed.

Sharapova stood up, walked to Chen Yingxiong, and then sat on his lap, reaching out to hug Chen Yingxiong's neck.

"Are you ready?"

"Ready for what?" Chen Yingxiong didn't understand what Sharapova meant.

"To be my boyfriend…" Sharapova hooked Chen Yingxiong's neck, leaned down, and pressed her lips against his.

※※※

ps, there is no double reward, and the growth rate of monthly tickets is obviously slow.

But I still have to shout as usual - asking for monthly tickets!!