CHAPTER 839: CHAPTER 838: SUDDENLY REMEMBERED SOMETHING HAPPY

Because the kids were there, Lin Nianhe and Zheng Lirong didn’t talk about business. After the kids played for a while, Lin Nianhe said goodbye and left.

Zheng Shan’s game is scheduled for tomorrow morning, but she won’t compete until 10:30.

This event allows Su Yuncheng to participate, so they arrived at the venue half an hour early.

The court was still empty, but there were already many spectators waiting to watch the game.

Lin Nianhe immediately spotted Xiaowu, who was the doorman yesterday, but Zhou Laosi and Zheng Lirong were nowhere to be seen.

She trekked over and asked, "Where are my sister-in-law and Fourth Brother?"

Xiaowu, who must have heard about Lin Nianhe, got a bit nervous and replied as if reciting a text: "Fourth Brother said they need to accompany Shanshan for the game, and we should sit tight and avoid causing any trouble or getting into fights!"

Lin Nianhe: "..."

She was silent for a moment and then asked differently, "Where is the athletes’ rest area?"

"That way!"

Xiaowu pointed to a nearby bungalow.

"Thank you."

Lin Nianhe thanked him and said to Su Yuncheng, "I want to go see Shanshan."

"Alright, let’s go."

This competition isn’t professional; the only requirement for contestants is to be "non-professional athletes," with no separate categories for men and women.

That’s why many people signed up—some are athletic elites from specific factories, some are champions from certain neighborhoods, and many are junior and senior high schoolers. Kids like Zheng Shan are also present—but they were mostly eliminated early.

Today’s opponent for Zheng Shan is a contestant from a beverage factory, a twenty-three-year-old who scoffs at the thought of playing a kid in the semifinals. He sips his drink and laughs loudly: "The little girl’s not necessarily good at playing ball, but she’s really lucky; otherwise, how would she have made it this far?"

Lin Nianhe heard every word.

It wasn’t a matter of good hearing.

She had simply entered the wrong room.

She had followed Xiaowu’s pointed direction, opened the door, and found herself in front of a bunch of burly men, surrounded by smoke, speaking less-than-friendly words.

They were as stunned to see her as she was with them, each holding a cigarette, glancing at her, then at each other, as if asking: Who secretly knows such a pretty girl?

"Uh, miss, whom are you looking for?" the bold contestant asked, blushing.

Lin Nianhe: "Oh, I’m looking for Sie Yufei."

"Sie Yufei?"

"Who’s named Sie Yufei?"

"Uh... actually, my nickname is Sie Yufei..." the contestant, thick-skinned, raised his hand and stepped toward Lin Nianhe.

Lin Nianhe was completely speechless.

She didn’t bother to say more and turned to leave.

Amidst the jeers behind her, Lin Nianhe pretended not to hear, asked someone else for directions, and finally found Zheng Shan’s group after several twists and turns.

Compared to the chaos on the other side, this side was much calmer.

Two people were standing guard by the door; they were the ones who had accompanied Zhou Laosi to Xiangjiang. When they saw Lin Nianhe, they smiled but got a restraining look from her.

The two were quick-witted enough not to blurt out their words; instead, they asked, "Comrade, whom are you looking for?"

Their actions were smooth, their acting worthy of an award.

If she hadn’t known better, Lin Nianhe could have been fooled by them.

Just when she was about to praise their acting, she heard Su Yuncheng chuckle behind her.

Lin Nianhe: "..."

She turned her head and asked, "Did you suddenly think of something funny?"

Su Yuncheng: "Yeah."

"You better have."

Lin Nianhe bared her teeth at him, resisting the urge to spar with them and pushed the door open to enter the room.

The room was extremely quiet, with only Zheng Lirong, her two kids, and Zhou Laosi inside.

Zheng Shan lay asleep in Zheng Lirong’s arms.

Bai Xiaojun, being uncharacteristically well-behaved, leaned on Zhou Laosi’s shoulder playing with toys. When he saw Lin Nianhe enter, he simply waved a chubby hand.

Seeing Zheng Shan’s pre-game routine confused Lin Nianhe; she looked at Zheng Lirong with questioning eyes.

Zheng Lirong gave her an assuring look, holding Zheng Shan motionlessly.

Lin Nianhe didn’t make a sound, pulling Su Yuncheng to sit on a chair and quietly waited.

After fifteen minutes, Zheng Shan’s eyelashes fluttered, and she finally opened her eyes.

Yawning, she rubbed her eyes, still a bit dazed.

Zheng Lirong smiled and wiped her face, saying, "Get up and stretch a bit; the game is about to start."

"Mm."

Zheng Shan replied, sliding down from her mother’s arms.

Zhou Laosi handed her a water bottle, and as she drank, she spotted Lin Nianhe and her mouth curled into a smile.

Only then did Lin Nianhe ask, "Did Shanshan not sleep well last night?"

"No, it’s just that for some reason, she always has to nap before a game," Zheng Lirong said with a helpless laugh, stretching her stiff arms, "Though it doesn’t really matter."

Zheng Shan, while stretching and warming up, didn’t forget to explain to Lin Nianhe: "Very sleepy."

Lin Nianhe couldn’t judge whether exercising right after waking up was good for the body; Zheng Shan’s condition clearly seemed like a psychological need—maybe after this nap, she won’t be nervous.

Just as Zheng Shan finished her warm-up, Coach Wei Hongwei, who treats her like his own daughter, walked in.

"Shanshan, come on, it’s time to enter the field." Wei Hongwei was sweating, seemingly busy with pre-match preparations all along.

Lin Nianhe had only met him once, but the current Wei Hongwei seemed different from her memory. He was dressed better than before.

Wei Hongwei remembered Lin Nianhe well as she was his benefactor, so naturally, he remembered her.

But time was tight, and he didn’t have time for chit-chat, simply greeted her and prepared to take Zheng Shan away.

"Sister-in-law, I’m heading over too," Zhou Laosi stood up, handed Bai Xiaojun to Zheng Lirong, and left with Zheng Shan.

"Let’s head out too," Zheng Lirong said to Lin Nianhe as she pulled Bai Xiaojun to his feet.

"Mm."

Lin Nianhe agreed, squatting down to hug Zheng Shan and softly said, "Be careful, don’t get hurt."

Zheng Shan’s face was blushing, and she nodded, "I’m going to win the championship."

Lin Nianhe smiled, ruffling her hair, "Okay, off you go, I’ll cheer for you from the audience."

Zheng Shan took a deep breath and left with Wei Hongwei and Zhou Laosi.

The rest of them headed to the spectator area.

Today’s semifinals feature four teams competing in two matches. The audience mostly consists of relatives and friends of the athletes, each occupying a corner, and so far, there hasn’t been any conflict.

As soon as Zheng Lirong arrived, their people immediately made way, adding another row of chairs in front of the original first row.

Just as they sat down, the whistle blew.

The one who entered first wasn’t an athlete or a referee but a scorer sitting directly opposite Lin Nianhe and the others.

This scorer seemed to be in his thirties, holding a cigarette that wasn’t lit, with a bushy beard making him look fierce.

Lin Nianhe nudged Zheng Lirong and asked, "That scorer isn’t the provincial team coach, is he?"