Secret Room Book 3 - Chapter 39

Translated by Team DHH at http://dhh-workshop.blogspot.com.

Playing Fish Trapped in Secret Room

Book 3: Glory on the Other Side

Chapter 39

This wasn’t the first time that she had seen folders dedicated to her
in other people’s computers.

But this one carried a totally different weight than all the others.

His hair was a little messy, his eyes looked a little bit nervous and
uncertain.  He was staring at her.

Her memory was pulled back to that summer in Singapore all of a sudden.

Both hands on the floor, he and a Swedish guy, their upper bodies
bare in the hot summer, were doing push ups with the air conditioner
turned off; before the final competition, he put his hat on her head and
promised her that he would win the championship; he lowered his head
slightly and raised the dark green beer bottle to her, “Thank you, Frigg.”......

And there was more. At the very beginning, she arrived at the resort
village by herself and went to the Chinese team men’s dorm.  He pulled
open the door only wrapped with a bath towel. He stretched out his wet
hand under the yellow light in the hallway and held hers.

He was only fifteen in ‘07.

She was just only eighteen years old.

It was far earlier beyond her imagination.

It was much, much earlier.

The air in the car carried a faint smell of chestnut cake.

She was thinking.  Didn’t he already know that this was her favorite flavor?

“Yesterday…...I was really very angry.”  Her voice was a little bit low. “I felt
very sorry also for Solo.  But I know that I’m your girlfriend and there shouldn’t
be any misunderstanding.  Especially since you two are also friends. So I
didn’t even text him at all. But when you came over you were just angry and
refused to say anything.  Then…...that. We just began. Don’t you think it’s
too fast? Also, I don’t want to before we’re married-- --” Why was she talking
about marriage? Whoops.

“I told you from the beginning that it would be quite troublesome for us to be
together.  I can’t leave SP. That’s my team. I promised to lead them to win the
championship……” She stopped and didn’t continue.

She didn’t even tell her sister about all of this in the morning.

But the words had piled up, crammed inside her heart for whole day and night.  
She wanted to pour it all out.

Obviously she had been very careful to take into account his feelings.  She
sometimes had to forcefully suppress herself. When her friend had faced such
a major event, she was too afraid to send him a text.  But in the end, Dt dumped
his frustrations on her.

Even her sister kept speaking up for him when she came over.

But in this case, she didn’t do anything wrong.

However……

It was very strange.  Why was it that she was the one who kept talking and him
just listening?

Ai Qing couldn’t help take a glance at him.

This guy was pretty smart.  He was always silent when he confessed or apologized.
Why was she the one continuously talking while he was the one who should take
the initiative…...She really couldn’t beat him.

Ai Qing suddenly found out that as long he showed a little bit of uneasiness, the
softest portion at the bottom of her heart would be feel sympathy……

When he crushed the teacup in her house, she agreed to be his girlfriend without
further hesitation. Even now, he had just casually showed a file folder to her and
told her what was inside it, without another word.  But it was enough to make her
soften.

“Xiao Bai?”

Somewhat startled, he then…...answered strangely with a meek “Un.”
“I have said so much.  Don’t you have any feedback?”

“.....I am sorry.”

After he went back to the club, people were discussing the match between
Appledog and Taotao. He saw the stream time and knew instantly that he was
wrong.  It was a very huge mistake. That was the time when he went to Ai Qing’s
place again from the club and saw Solo walk downstairs. Based on Ai Qing’s
character, if something major had happened beforehand, she absolutely wouldn’t
be interested in playing a game with strangers and even make the decision to
give a promise about a newcomer’s future.

But he didn’t know how to apologize, how to make her not angry, and how to
wipe out the stupid things he had done.

He couldn’t even trust her, the girl he had loved for so many years.

She was such a trustworthy person.  He should know that the best.

He showed the file folder to her, not expecting her to forgive him.  But he was
thinking that if he couldn’t see her again from now on, at least he could tell her
about this.

……

“I will live in the club for a while.”

Dt said, “Uhm, I know.”

“It’s for the National Finals.”

“Uhm.”

Ai Qing looked at his expressionless poker face and muttered in a low voice.  
“Why are you suddenly so reasonable?”

Dt was a little embarrassed by what she said.  He coughed a little and looked
out the window. He raised the corners of his mouth and laughed.

“Don’t laugh……”

He suppressed it obediently and turned his head back to look at her.

“Why are your eyes so red?”  Ai Qing couldn’t help teasing him.  “Did you cry?”

“......I haven’t slept at all.”

She crinkled her nose.  “I didn’t sleep either. I just fell asleep in the morning,
then shortly after my sister woke me up.”

He listened and felt bad.  “I’m sorry.”

It was like he was reborn again during this one day and night.  He had no
experience quarreling with others nor ever faced such a critical moment that he
almost lost the most important thing in his life……

And now, she had forgiven him.

There would never be a next time, he thought.

He would not allow another time.  Nobody was allowed to make her cry,
especially himself.

-- --End of Book 3-- --

Translated by Team DHH at http://dhh-workshop.blogspot.com.