Chapter 1 The Recommencement

The competition was only able to restart after Zhang Jun reluctantly released Su Fei. By this time, people were talking not just about the thirty-first goal he had just scored, but about his embrace with Su Fei. This moment was far more exciting than the goal itself.

Su Fei continued working, her face flushed, but she could feel everyone's eyes on her. Zhang Jun, on the other hand, continued to fight on the field as if nothing had happened.

She secretly savored the sweet moment. She and Zhang Jun had embraced in front of so many people. Although she was a little shy, she was willing. In that instant when Zhang Jun held her tightly, she felt like the entire stadium contained only her and Zhang Jun, with no one else around. Their uninhibited embrace was as natural as if they were at home.

There was nothing to fear. She loved Zhang Jun, and Zhang Jun loved her. Their embrace was perfectly normal.

After this interlude, the atmosphere on the field became much less tense. After all, love is beautiful, and no one wanted to shatter that beauty.

After the score became 3:1, the situation on the field gradually calmed down.

Both sides exchanged attacks and defenses, but scoring goals was not so easy.

Zhang Jun still received the unselfish support of his teammates, who hoped he could score a hat trick, but Chievo would not allow it. Whether Zhang Jun passed the ball or broke through to shoot himself, they maintained a defensive formation of at least two players to give Zhang Jun special attention.

Sabato saw that Zhang Jun would not have many more chances and decided to substitute him, allowing him to enjoy the applause and cheers of the crowd.

"Angelo, have Toni get ready to come on."

Zhang Jun glanced over and saw Toni warming up on the sidelines. He knew his season was over. But he wanted to do something before he left the field.

So, from outside the penalty area, he took a turning volley. Through a defender, he hit the ball. The goalkeeper flew to make a save but didn't touch the ball. Of course, the ball didn't go in either, flying just past the post and out of bounds.

Chievo fans gasped, while Fiorentina fans sighed loudly.

Zhang Jun scratched his head. It seemed a hat trick was out of the question.

Just after he took that shot, the referee signaled for Fiorentina to make a substitution. Toni came on, replacing Zhang Jun.

Zhang Jun raised his hands, applauding as he walked towards the sidelines. Fiorentina fans stood up to see their captain off.

"Ah! Fiorentina is making a substitution! Zhang Jun is being substituted. Sabato wants Zhang Jun to enjoy this moment alone. Thank you for your efforts, thank you for a season of goals, bringing us countless joys. We hope he can continue to perform like this next season. It has been a long time since Serie A has seen such a promising striker."

Reaching the sidelines, Zhang Jun removed the captain's armband and placed it on Toni's arm, patting him on the back, "Good luck, Luca!"

Then, he applauded and thanked the fans in the stands once more before returning to the bench.

The players on the bench congratulated him. Even Di Livio came up to congratulate him. "You did a great job, Zhang Jun. Now get some rest. You have the Olympics to play this summer."

Zhang Jun covered his head with a dry towel and leaned back in his chair, gasping for breath. He was really tired. He had fought hard all season, scoring goals, constantly scoring goals. Now, he really needed to rest.

Sabato ignored Zhang Jun and continued to stand on the sidelines, watching the situation on the field. Zhang Jun closed his eyes. Would anyone believe he could fall asleep right now?

※※※

Fiorentina ultimately defeated Chievo 3:1 in this away game, further solidifying their fourth-place position in the league and securing a spot in the Champions League qualifying round next season.

From barely avoiding relegation last season to entering the Champions League this season, Fiorentina was recognized by the media as the most improved team of the season, and Zhang Jun also won the league's Golden Boot with his thirty-one goals. The award ceremony would have to wait until the start of next season, but the honor was guaranteed. In addition, according to well-informed sources, Zhang Jun was also likely to be named Serie A's best player and best foreign player this season. Last season's Serie A Best Foreign Player was Li Yongle, who helped Inter Milan win their first championship in eighteen years. This season, it was another Chinese player.

This season was a bountiful one for Zhang Jun. Both the team and he himself had achieved very good results.

Xiang Tao successfully transferred from Anderlecht to Fiorentina, becoming a true Fiorentina player. Anderlecht knew that Fiorentina was eager to acquire Xiang Tao, and there were many other teams in the market who wanted this young defender who had risen to prominence in Serie A, so they set a high price: thirteen million euros. Ren Yudi didn't hesitate, paid the bill, and bought him. Wang Yu, who was on the same team, transferred to Villarreal, a mid-table team in La Liga, for 3.8 million euros.

After the season ended, Fiorentina began their buying plan in full swing. Next season, they would be fighting on three fronts, and the team's strength needed to be enhanced, as did the depth of the bench. In addition, from a market perspective, in addition to buying some cheap but capable players, they also needed to sign one or two influential stars.

This time, Ren Yudi once again invited Sabato to lunch and then pulled out his checkbook, telling Sabato to write down all the players he had his eye on. Only at this moment did Sabato feel like he was the happiest coach in the world.

※※※

After a short vacation, Zhang Jun flew to Beijing in late July and joined the national Olympic team, preparing for the upcoming Beijing Olympics.

As an overage player, he was joined by goalkeeper An Ke, who had not participated in the previous Olympics, and midfielder Shao Jiaying, who played for Bayer Leverkusen in the Bundesliga. In addition, forwards Wu Shangshan and Zhang Jun's Fiorentina teammate, midfielder Cruyff Lee, were also participating as age-appropriate players.

Because this Olympics was the first Olympics hosted by China, the whole country attached great importance to it, and the State General Administration of Sports had set hard targets for many projects. Therefore, the national Olympic team, which had gathered so many excellent players, was also placed with high hopes by the fans. Some media even shouted the slogan that the Chinese national Olympic team should win the Olympic gold medal.

Looking at all the teams participating in the Olympics, the most famous star was naturally Zhang Jun, who had just won the Serie A Golden Boot. He was also placed with high hopes and wore the captain's armband, hoping that the team could achieve a historic breakthrough under his leadership, and that he himself could become the top scorer in the Olympics and the team could win the gold medal.

Facing the fanatical Chinese people, Zhang Jun, who had experienced many battles, felt some nervousness and pressure. He didn't expect the Chinese people to have such deep feelings for the Olympic football, which was like a chicken rib. He was participating in the Olympics just to fulfill a dream of his own and make up for a regret he hadn't fulfilled four years ago.

After training with the team for a few days, he became even more worried about the team's prospects. In his opinion, this batch of national Olympic players was far less excellent than the batch four years ago, because after Qiu Suhui left, the national Olympic team's selection of players returned to the old path, selecting the so-called most outstanding players from the already established professional teams. The resulting team had no fighting power at all. Chen Wei's vigorously promoted youth football development plan had just begun to be implemented and had not yet produced results, so this national Olympic team had become a freak—its strength was not good, but people insisted on placing very, very high hopes on them.

Even if some people knew that their strength was not good, they still had an indifferent attitude: it's okay, we have Zhang Jun!

Zhang Jun thought to himself, you're kidding me. Football isn't a sport for just one person. Is it enough to have me?

Of course, he didn't dare to say what he was thinking. He knew what the media was like, and he also knew what the result would be if he said something rebellious at this time when the atmosphere in the country was thriving and everything was going well. Facing the media and the fanatical masses, he could only insincerely say, "Ah... we have hope. This is our home field. We must strive to win honor and not disappoint the fans..."

Afterwards, he complained to Su Fei: "This is really tiring. It's just an Olympics. Is it necessary to make it so serious? It's as if we're national traitors if we don't win the Olympic championship... Olympic football should never receive such attention. It's just an opportunity to train young players."

Su Fei shrugged, "What can you do? Chinese people like to pay attention to these things. The Olympic gold medal is related to our national self-esteem and the strength of our country. Who told this Olympics to be held in Beijing? We can't lose face in our own home."

"Heh, face... will more Olympic gold medals feed the people?"

"Okay, okay, let's not discuss this issue. It's not good to go any further. Don't worry about so much. What national self-esteem, what national honor... just play your game well. As for the result, just do your best. I don't think anyone will blame you if you do your best. Also, Zhang Jun, don't express these complaints in public..."

"Yeah, I know what to say and what not to say."

※※※

As overage players and big-name stars, Zhang Jun and An Ke had privileges that other national Olympic players did not have, such as being able to go out shopping.

Today was the team's day off. Zhang Jun had originally wanted to go on a date with Su Fei, but Su Fei was extremely busy with work and didn't have time, so he had to be dragged out shopping by An Ke.

"I say, An Ke... you're not a girl, why do you like shopping so much?" Zhang Jun was in good shape, but walking around on the street like this was tiring him out, and he also had to deal with enthusiastic fans who recognized them.

"Anyway, it's boring in Xianghe. There aren't many people I know in the whole national Olympic team... I'm just annoyed by those youngsters, so I'm coming out for some fresh air." An Ke looked around excitedly, as if he hadn't been out shopping for a long time.

Zhang Jun found it strange: "Youngsters? Oh, they're quite respectful to you, why are you annoyed?"

"Damn it! It's because they're too respectful! None of them have any opinions of their own. How can they be professional players? Oh, they're so inferior when they see stars, and they're so arrogant when they see someone below their level. Didn't you see that Cruyff doesn't even bother with them? With players like this, do you think we have any hope of winning an Olympic gold medal?"

Zhang Jun quickly pulled An Ke: "Keep it down! Don't talk nonsense. We're on the street."

An Ke knew what Zhang Jun meant by his reminder. He muttered softly, "Anyway... this is the worst national Olympic team I've ever seen, but people still have endless expectations for them, what Olympic gold medal... makes me laugh! I'm here purely because I've never participated in the Olympics, just to have some fun... Do you really expect to rely on football to add a gold medal to China's medal table? Those mindless bureaucrats! Ah! Let's not talk about those things that are worse than pigs and dogs when we come to the street... Let's have fun! I still have a lot of things to buy for my parents."

Zhang Jun was the captain, and he did feel a headache about the current situation of the team, but he was powerless. The overage players and Cruyff and Wu Shangshan were not very satisfied with these national Olympic players, and the internal friction among the national Olympic players themselves was also terrible, reminding Zhang Jun of the national team in the past. People from developed football regions looked down on people from undeveloped football regions, and they wanted to deliberately curry favor with the players who had studied abroad. At a young age, they didn't think about how to play football well, but instead spent all their time trying to figure out these things. Zhang Jun couldn't stand this, but he couldn't scold them either. After all, they had never been in contact with each other, and they were too unfamiliar with each other. The national Olympic team's coach was also far from having the courage of Qiu Suhui and Sabato. He was the captain only because he was the most famous, not because he could manage the team. Being this captain was really depressing, much more depressing than being the captain in Florence.

If a team is not united, it is only worth worrying about how far they can go.

An Ke was very active in front, but Zhang Jun followed behind listlessly. He sighed, why is football a happy and simple thing abroad, but it has to be given so many meanings in China and become so complicated?

After being said that by An Ke, he lost his interest in shopping and just followed An Ke with his head down.

Suddenly, he bumped into An Ke's back.

Zhang Jun covered his forehead and looked up at An Ke's back in surprise. He just stood there motionless, looking ahead. As if there was something in front of him that surprised him very much.

Zhang Jun didn't know why, so he had to go around to see what was going on.

Then he saw a woman who was also standing there in front of them, and the man beside the woman.

※※※

Lin Jia hadn't originally planned to go out shopping today, but her boyfriend, Li Wei, said he wanted to buy something for his future parents-in-law, so he dragged her out with him. She and her new boyfriend were in Beijing to watch the Olympics. Now, the Olympics was the topic of everyone's conversation, and being able to see the Olympics live in Beijing was a proud thing. Besides, they also had tickets for the opening ceremony and some matches.

Her boyfriend was a football fan, and when he heard that Zhang Jun was going to participate in the Olympics, he insisted on coming to see it. But after Lin Jia heard that An Ke was also coming, she didn't want to come very much. But she couldn't bear to see her boyfriend lose an opportunity to meet his idol because of her stubbornness, so she had to come along.

She didn't expect, she didn't expect that she would meet an old acquaintance in the place and at the time when she shouldn't have met an old acquaintance.

At that time, Li Wei was telling her a joke, making her laugh so hard that she leaned forward and backward. Just then, a tall man walked towards them. Although this person was wearing sunglasses, she recognized him at a glance.

It was An Ke.

This was really an embarrassing encounter.

It was her old friend Li Wei who broke the atmosphere. He excitedly pointed at Zhang Jun, who was emerging from behind An Ke: "It's Zhang Jun! Zhang Jun! Oh my god! I'm your fan, I didn't expect to meet you here! Give me an autograph, please? A photo... a photo, too. Lin Jia, come on, take a picture of us!" He excitedly stuffed the digital camera in his hand into Lin Jia's hand, completely unaware of the unnatural expression on Lin Jia's face.

Zhang Jun didn't know Lin Jia, but he had heard the name before. He had even taught An Ke a lesson because of that incident.

So when he heard the man beside Lin Jia call out this name, he suddenly understood why An Ke's performance was so abnormal.

Because the girl in front of him was Lin Jia, who had been pursuing An Ke for five years.

※※※

Li Wei's words relieved both parties. Zhang Jun cooperated very well with Li Wei, taking photos and signing autographs. Then, he chatted with him for a few words, which was all just to give An Ke and Lin Jia a chance to be alone.

But the two of them didn't seem to understand Zhang Jun's good intentions. While Zhang Jun was dealing with Li Wei, the two of them just stood there and didn't do or say anything.

It wasn't until Li Wei let go of Zhang Jun and asked An Ke for an autograph and a photo that Lin Jia introduced them—actually, she only introduced An Ke—"This is my boyfriend, Li Wei." It was a simple sentence, but Zhang Jun could feel An Ke's body tremble slightly.

"This idiot, fool, suffers from his own actions!" He cursed An Ke fiercely in his heart.

Satisfied, Li Wei even left his and Lin Jia's phone number, perhaps thinking that Lin Jia and An Ke were classmates and they could contact each other often in the future. Zhang Jun remained silent on the sidelines, watching everything. He thought Li Wei was really childish and ridiculous. Who would give his girlfriend's phone number to his rival in love...? Hmm? Did An Ke want to pursue Lin Jia? No? Yes? Zhang Jun's head hurt again. Forget it, let An Ke worry about it himself. Even if Lin Jia wasn't his, he could still meet a better girl in the future.

Lin Jia took the still-reluctant Li Wei and left. Zhang Jun and An Ke also completely lost interest in shopping, and the two began their return trip.

"That girl was Lin Jia?" Zhang Jun asked knowingly. In fact, he was just starting a conversation.

An Ke nodded: "Yeah... it's been a long time, I didn't expect her to become so beautiful..."

"Damn it! As expected, a dog can't change its habit of eating shit!" Zhang Jun cursed, wondering if he had been worrying about An Ke for nothing.

"But... the guy beside her looks... really sleazy..." An Ke murmured. Zhang Jun also agreed with this. Although it might be disrespectful to Li Wei, Li Wei's appearance was really unflattering. He was 1.63 meters tall, had buck teeth, a slight hunchback, and a face full of pits due to acne... He was a far cry from the 1.74 meter tall Lin Jia. "How could she find such a boyfriend? She's also a very ambitious girl..." An Ke didn't understand.

Zhang Jun thought, what's so hard to understand about that? You let her down, so she had to degrade herself and just find a boyfriend at random.

"Hey, An Ke, are you interested in Lin Jia?"

"No! No! Absolutely not!" An Ke shook his head like a rattle drum.

Zhang Jun sighed and didn't say anything, seeing An Ke being so stubborn.

※※※

The opening ceremony of the Olympic Games was held in Beijing at 8:00 p.m. on August 8, 2008. But the football matches started two days earlier. As the host, China was the first team to appear, and they were playing against Ghana's national Olympic team from Africa.

Logically speaking, there shouldn't have been much suspense in this match. The Chinese team, which had many big-name stars, was expected to easily defeat Ghana before the match.

But the process and result of the match were unexpected to many people. The Chinese team played extremely hard on their home field, and in the end, they only managed to tie Ghana 2:2, thanks to two goals from Zhang Jun.

An Ke didn't perform well in this match. He made several unnecessary mistakes, which led to China's two goals being conceded.

China's opening wasn't a good one, and it poured a bucket of cold water on many people. Many media outlets felt that China's performance was incredible, believing that this was definitely not China's true level. "Even if Ghana's youth football used to be world-leading, that was in the past. The current Ghana has no strength to compete with our Chinese team! Maybe we'll be better in the next match. An Ke's slump is a bit inexplicable. He performed normally in some of the warm-up matches before the start of the tournament..."

But Zhang Jun saw another problem.

"He still says he's not interested in Lin Jia? Humph!" He knew that Lin Jia must have been in the stands for this match, because Li Wei had told him that they would be watching all the matches that China participated in, to cheer for Zhang Jun and cheer for the Chinese team. An Ke must have known this too, so the reason for his slump was easy to find, but he wouldn't say it out loud. An Ke still had to work hard. Although Lin Jia was someone else's girlfriend now, if he really liked Lin Jia and Lin Jia really still had feelings for An Ke, then he would definitely be able to win her back.

Although he felt a little sorry for Li Wei, he and Lin Jia were not suitable... Who told him to appear later?

※※※

The abnormal performance in the first match didn't affect An Ke's performance in the following matches. In the next two group matches, China won both of them, and they qualified as the first in their group.

Zhang Jun scored his fifth goal in the Olympics, currently ranking second in the scoring chart. However, the opponents were too weak, and he couldn't get excited about it. Even if he scored more goals, he would feel it was normal.

China's smooth qualification in the group stage excited many people, because they seemed to see a golden Olympic medal waving at them in the distance. Even the team itself had this delusion, thinking that the gold medal was really within reach.

Zhang Jun felt sad that their efforts on the field had resulted in everyone's delusions getting worse. No one paid attention to their performance on the field, and everyone was enthusiastically anticipating the historic Olympic gold medal.

Zhang Jun had a headache because of the attitude of the Chinese people, but An Ke was having a headache alone because of his own feelings.

If the other person was a strange woman, he would naturally call her out and find a romantic place to talk about love and finally spend the night together.

But when facing Lin Jia, he never had a way to do that. He didn't know why, but he felt that he might have fallen in love with this girl, so he didn't want to use the methods he used to deal with third-rate women on her.

Love?

Maybe...

※※※

After qualifying from the group stage, the whole country was overjoyed. The national Olympic team's coaching staff gave the players a day off, and many people went to the city center to have fun. This time, An Ke stayed quietly in his room alone and didn't go out. Even when Zhang Jun and Cruyff came to ask him to go out to play, he didn't agree.

He lay in bed thinking about a problem.

His relationship with Lin Jia.

Did he really like Lin Jia? Or was it just because he felt guilty about his previous behavior and wanted to give her some compensation?

Or, to put it in a more common way: did he want to find someone he loved, or someone who loved him?

Someone he loved? He had no hope of that in this life. Someone who loved him... since he became a star, there have been several women around him who seemed to want to be with him. However, An Ke could see what those women were after: money, fame, and fortune, but not love. The concern they showed him was hiding some purpose. Although An Ke was a playboy, he wouldn't lose his composure for a few false expressions of concern.

An Ke only remembered those women's shapely bodies, but he couldn't remember their faces and names. In his mind, they were no different from prostitutes on the street, just high-end ones.

Only Lin Jia, only Lin Jia... was a special existence by his side. She washed his clothes, cleaned his room, helped him take a bath when he was tired from training, and helped him get to bed to rest. Even after being coldly rejected by him, she still followed him all the way to Munich.

You say... isn't a girl like that too cheap?

Slap!

An Ke raised his hand and slapped himself.

No matter what, he shouldn't evaluate a girl like that.

An Ke got up and went to the bathroom to look in the mirror. That slap wasn't light, and he could faintly see a trace of blood on half of his face.

"Hey, An Ke, when did you ever slap yourself for a girl?" An Ke asked himself in the mirror.

The An Ke in the mirror answered in a different direction, "Nonsense, I have principles, I never scold girls, especially since Lin Jia isn't that kind of girl."

"Oh? What kind of girl do you think Lin Jia should be?"

"Uh..." The An Ke in the mirror touched his chin and lowered his head to ponder. "Gentle... although not as good as Su Fei, she's better than a lot of other girls. Pretty... that's not really true, but... but she's pleasing to the eye. Anyway, when I saw her again, I thought she seemed to have gotten prettier. Figure... ah, that's the most important thing, she has a great figure! Hmm, no, no! I mean to say that Lin Jia is actually a good girl."

An Ke suddenly turned on the faucet and splashed water on his face.

Then he shook his head and wiped the water off his face directly with his clothes, then returned to the bedroom, took out his phone, and started rummaging for the phone number that Li Wei had left him.

He finally found the crumpled card after searching through his wallet. Then, looking at the phone number on the card, he hesitated again, wondering if he should call Lin Jia and Li Wei.

The reason was actually in his self-questioning and self-answering, he had already thought it through, which was to invite them out for dinner under the guise of being former classmates. Then... then what? Eat dinner together... after dinner... go back to their respective hotels...

...then end.

Then why the hell would I call them out to dinner? There's still a sleazy man following them... An Ke felt annoyed and threw the phone aside.

Humph, Zhang Jun must be on a date with Su Fei. Let the two of them be entangled... woo, I'm so jealous...

An Ke turned over in bed and hugged the pillow tightly.

※※※

An hour later, An Ke was still sitting in a private room in an ordinary restaurant with Lin Jia and her boyfriend, having lunch together.

He had been tossing and turning in bed for a long time, and finally couldn't help but call Lin Jia and them, inviting them out for dinner. The excuse was naturally the one An Ke had thought up.

Lin Jia's response on the phone was cold, but Li Wei was so excited that he kept nodding and promising that they would definitely come. An Ke responded vaguely, but was still trying to figure out Lin Jia's thoughts.

Now that he saw Lin Jia, it still made him feel a little cold. Because Lin Jia had no expression on her face, and the contrast with her excited and excited boyfriend was too great.

Maybe she had really given up.

An Ke sighed in his heart, then lowered his head to eat, occasionally responding to the overexcited questions of Lin Jia's boyfriend. Forget it, forget it. There are fragrant grasses everywhere in the world. With his current wealth, fame, and appearance, it wouldn't be a problem to find as many beauties as he wanted.

Why bother? Why suffer? Lin Jia was just a girl who had selflessly helped him when he first came to Germany. An ordinary girl who couldn't be more ordinary. Even if he owed her in the past, he would pay it all back with this meal today.

But, that figure sleeping on the table, those clothes hanging on the balcony reflecting the sunlight, and the figure silently waiting for him to get off work every night when he was working... can these really be repaid with an ordinary meal?

An Ke deliberately avoided this question.

This meal was tasteless for An Ke. He had things on his mind and still had to deal with that chattering man.

When they were almost finished eating, An Ke waved to pay the bill, but this time Li Wei wouldn't let him. He stood up and stopped An Ke, then ran out of the private room quickly. "I can't let you treat us, how can I be so embarrassed? I'm very satisfied to be able to eat with you."

An Ke waved his hand, but didn't actually get up to pull him. Then he said to Lin Jia with some self-deprecation, "Your boyfriend... is a really good person... ha."

"Thank you for the compliment, although he's a little ugly, he has a very good heart," Lin Jia responded politely.

This politeness made An Ke feel very distant. He used to be the one who was cold and harsh to Lin Jia, but now the tables were turned, and it was his turn to be cold and harsh to Lin Jia?

There was silence for a while. An Ke touched his nose, feeling very awkward. He fidgeted, wanting to leave here as soon as possible.

Why hasn't that Li Wei finished paying the bill yet? he thought in his heart. For the first time, he felt that Li Wei was so cute.

Looking at the table full of cups and plates, An Ke couldn't help but sigh.

At this moment, Lin Jia suddenly spoke: "How... how are you in Germany?"

An Ke hadn't reacted to Lin Jia's question yet: "Ah? Oh! Cough cough! Still, still good. It's just that the house is a bit big, and I'm not used to living alone..."

An Ke's unintentional words touched his own pain. He opened his mouth, but didn't continue. Lin Jia also seemed to have been touched. "...I heard about the house you bought, it's really big..."

"Yeah... you..." An Ke was asking a very important question, and it was also the question he had wanted to ask since he saw Li Wei. "Does he know about what happened back then?" An Ke looked out the door.

Lin Jia of course knew what An Ke was talking about: "Of course he knows."

"Knows? Then he would still let you come out to see me?" An Ke was a little surprised.

"Because I promised him that I wouldn't pester you again, it's that simple."

An Ke was speechless. It seemed that she had really given up. Then there was no need for him to turn around and pester her again, right? Although Li Wei looked sleazy, as Lin Jia said, he had a good heart. Lin Jia was just an ordinary girl, and all she wanted was an ordinary love.

Li Wei finally came back, "Sorry, it took a little time to get the invoice from them." Then he took Lin Jia's arm—this action, combined with their height difference, was really funny—and said to her gently, "Let's go."

Lin Jia stood up and nodded. An Ke also got up, then walked to the entrance of the restaurant with the two of them.

Because their hotels were not in the same direction, they had to part ways here.

An Ke shook hands with both Lin Jia and Li Wei separately: "I wish you happiness..." Although An Ke had never admitted that he had fallen in love with Lin Jia, he felt very reluctant when he said these words.

Li Wei said goodbye to An Ke enthusiastically. Lin Jia still had no expression on her face. She was the first to get into the taxi.

An Ke watched them leave before waving to stop a taxi. He sighed in his heart, in the future you will go your way, and I will go my way, and the past will be treated as a beautiful dream.

※※※

When An Ke returned to the hotel, he happened to see Zhang Jun and Su Fei in the lobby. The two were hugging each other as if no one else was around. Now that their relationship was public, they were no longer afraid of what others would say. But An Ke was touched by the scene, and when he saw this scene, plus what he had just experienced, he felt uncomfortable, and he didn't even pay attention to Su Fei when she greeted him, and went straight to the elevator.

"What's wrong with An Ke?" Su Fei felt strange.

Zhang Jun rolled his eyes: "Don't pay attention to him, that kid suffers from his own actions. It's good for him to suffer a little, he claims to be a 'flower butterfly' all day long, and can't even sort out his own feelings."

"Are you talking about Lin Jia's business?" Su Fei had heard Zhang Jun mention it.

"Yeah."

Su Fei turned her head and looked towards the elevator entrance, but she couldn't see An Ke anymore.

※※※

An Ke returned to his room. Zhang Jun was downstairs, and now he was the only one in this room. He locked the door from the inside, then lay alone on the bed.

Recalling the experience of going out to eat just now, An Ke felt that his performance from beginning to end was like a clown, his emotions being led by Lin Jia's performance. When he closed his eyes, he would think of Lin Jia's face.

Idiot! You still say you didn't fall in love with that girl?

Shut up! I'm just used to it! Used to it! Thinking habit!

Stubborn! Be stubborn, I'll see how long you can be stubborn! Facing the girl who liked you, the girl who gave so much for you, you acted like a coward. Don't give me Su Fei as an excuse, that's a really outdated reason. Look at your performance today, a waste! What if the boyfriend is a good person? You should have been with Lin Jia in the first place, he's just a third party. Snatch her from his hands, snatch her!

Shut up! Shut up!

An Ke threw the pillow on the bed to the ground. At this time, he heard a knock on the door.

"..." An Ke didn't want to pay attention. It must be some hotel staff coming up to harass him. He kept silent, but the knocking continued. An Ke got up and walked to the door, and saw through the peephole that Su Fei was knocking on the door.

This time he didn't dare to be negligent and quickly opened the door.

"Ah, I'm sorry, I fell asleep just now and didn't hear it," he explained. Of course, he couldn't tell Su Fei that he thought she was a hotel staff.

"It's okay, I only knocked a few times."

"Huh? Where's Zhang Jun?" An Ke didn't see Zhang Jun behind Su Fei.

"Oh, he's downstairs chatting with the reporters." Su Fei walked straight in and sat on Zhang Jun's bed. An Ke sat down opposite her a little awkwardly: "Sorry, the room is a bit messy."

Su Fei laughed: "An Ke, you've said 'sorry' twice in just a few words. When did you become so polite?"

An Ke widened his eyes: "What, was I not polite before?"

"Um, um, you used to have a rough voice, shouting loudly, afraid that others wouldn't hear what you were saying. But today your voice is as soft as a mosquito." Su Fei kicked off her sandals and rubbed on the bed, then hung her two white legs on the side of the bed and swayed them back and forth.

Maybe it was just because he was in a bad mood. An Ke himself of course knew what was going on. He looked at the two white legs swaying in front of him, then turned his gaze to Su Fei's face. She was flipping through the CDs on Zhang Jun's pillow. He wouldn't have those kinds of fantasies about Su Fei anymore, maybe it was the same as when Lin Jia saw him. Thinking of himself when he was young, he would feel emotional even when listening to a corny love song, because it reminded him of his feelings for Su Fei. What about now? He didn't feel anything when listening to love songs, and he didn't feel like crying like he used to. Did Lin Jia also feel this way?

An Ke vigilantly interrupted his thoughts. How could he think of that Lin Jia who had already left him even when looking at the beautiful Su Fei? It was really spooky.

"Um... is there anything you need, Su Fei?" An Ke didn't want Zhang Jun to misunderstand, that he was alone in a room with his girlfriend...

"Oh." Su Fei put down the CD in her hand, then raised her head to look at An Ke, "Actually, it's nothing, I just thought you were strange, so I came up to see. Did you encounter anything when you went out?"

An Ke looked into Su Fei's eyes. He knew that he couldn't hide that little thing from this smart girl. "No