The next day.
Su Miaoyin led Cheng Jianguo and Jiang Xue into Disneyland.
Today she wore a light pink long-sleeved blouse with white wide-leg pants, her hair tied in a low ponytail, revealing a clean section of the nape of her neck.
Her steps were light, and her ponytail swayed gently with each step.
Cheng Jianguo and Jiang Xue followed behind her.
Jiang Xue rested her hand on Cheng Jianguo's arm, her eyes darting around, and the corners of her mouth constantly turned up.
Cheng Jianguo stood with his hands in his jacket pockets, stopping every few steps to look at the roadside signs, like a teenager visiting the city for the first time.
"This castle is bigger than it looks on TV."
Jiang Xue tilted her head back, her mouth slightly open, her eyes bright.
Su Miaoyin turned around and smiled, then took out three tickets she had bought in advance from her bag and handed them to them.
Her fingers gently smoothed the folds on the tickets, then she handed them over one by one.
"Auntie, Uncle, here are your tickets. After you go in, turn left first; there are fewer people there."
She had been here once before and was already familiar with the park's layout.
Cheng Jianguo took the ticket, looked at it over and over twice, then put it in the inside pocket of his jacket and patted it.
The three people walked from Mickey Avenue toward Tomorrowland.
Cheng Jianguo walked for a while, then suddenly stopped, pointed at the map sign by the roadside, and raised an eyebrow.
"What's that mining cart? It looks pretty exciting."
"Uncle, do you want to play?" Su Miaoyin tilted her head to look at him, a slight smile on her lips.
"Let's take a look." Cheng Jianguo said, but his steps had already veered towards the mine cart.
Jiang Xue reacted quickly, grabbing his arm with considerable force.
"How old are you? Still playing this?"
"I'm only in my early fifties," Cheng Jianguo retorted, raising his chin.
Su Miaoyin chuckled softly beside her, her voice as gentle as the wind filtering through the leaves.
She pointed in another direction.
"Uncle, let's go ride the Pirates of the Caribbean first. It's not thrilling, but it's really good. We can ride the mine train this afternoon, no rush."
Cheng Jianguo nodded and followed her.
Jiang Xue released his arm, muttered under her breath, "The older they get, the more troublesome they become," and then quickly followed after him.
Su Miaoyin walked ahead at a moderate pace, glancing back every now and then to make sure the two elderly people were keeping up.
As she passed an ice cream cart, she stopped, bought one, and handed it to Jiang Xue.
"Auntie, this isn't sweet, please try it."
Jiang Xue took it, took a bite, and narrowed her eyes.
Seeing her like this, Su Miaoyin smiled slightly and continued walking forward.
Inside the hotel, Cheng Che sat at the table.
The tablet was playing a recording of Zverev's match.
In the video, the Germany player tosses the ball high into the air, leans back, and swings his racket.
The ball hit the service area, bounced, and flew straight to the baseline.
Cheng Che's right hand rested on the table, his fingers tapping lightly to a rhythm, his eyes fixed on the screen, unblinking.
Qin Lie sat opposite him, holding a stack of statistical data, turning the page and reading it aloud.
" Zverev, Germany, 25 years old, world number three. Two meters tall, top-notch serve and net play. His backhand isn't as consistent as his forehand, but he moves slower on hard courts Khachanov. If you can get him to his backhand side and then return the shot, his error rate will increase."
Cheng Che watched the video for a while and nodded.
He raised his hand and pressed the pause button, freezing the image on the moment Zverev served.
"His serve rhythm is different from Khachanov's," Cheng Che said, tapping the ball toss height on the screen. "He tosses the ball higher, and the ball lands deeper."
"Yes." Qin Lie put down the documents and leaned forward. "And he likes to serve a body shot on crucial points. You have to anticipate that."
Cheng Che hummed in agreement, rewound the video, and watched the serve again.
My phone vibrated.
Cheng Che glanced down at it.
A message from Pei Jingshu in South Korea.
[ Pei Jingshu: Good luck in the finals! I'm watching the live stream in South Korea!]
[ Pei Jingshu: I bought the magazine with your cover. Although I can't read the words, the photos are so beautiful.]
[ Pei Jingshu: Come to South Korea after the competition, I'll take you to eat delicious food.]
Cheng Che recalled Pei Jingshu's radiant smile, replied with an "okay," and put his phone aside.
Pei Jingshu posted another message.
[ Pei Jingshu: Let me know when your competition is over.]
Cheng Che is typing.
Cheng Che: Okay.
He had just put his phone down when it rang.
He glanced at the name on the screen.
Yan Ruanning.
?
Cheng Che was surprised that Yan Ruanning would actually call him.
He answered the call.
"Hello."
Guess where I am?
Yan Ruanning's voice came through the receiver, the last syllable rising in pitch, carrying a playfulness rarely seen in her voice.
Cheng Che was taken aback.
Where?
"Downstairs at your hotel."
Cheng Che stood up from his chair and walked to the window.
He looked down.
At the lobby entrance downstairs, a figure wearing a dark coat, hat, and mask stood next to the revolving door, waving one hand up towards the building.
"You've come to Magic City?" Cheng Che turned around and picked up his coat from the back of the chair.
Qin Lie looked up at him, his pen frozen in mid-air.
"Who?"
Yan Ruanning.
Qin Lie poked a dot on the paper with the tip of his pen.
He opened his mouth, but only managed to utter one word. "Oh."
He thought to himself: This is it. Isn't this a complete disaster?
Please, please don't run into it.
Cheng Che had already left.
He took the elevator downstairs, opened the door, and saw Yan Ruanning was fully armed.
She was wearing a long, dark gray trench coat, the belt loosely tied, the hat pulled low, and a mask pulled up above her nose, revealing only her eyes.
But he recognized those eyes; they were bright, with a smile playing at the corners.
"Let's go," he said.
Yan Ruanning followed beside him. The two entered the elevator.
The elevator doors closed, leaving only the two of them in the enclosed space.
Cheng Che stood beside her, his hands hanging at his sides, watching the elevator floor numbers slowly change.
Suddenly, a system notification sounded in my mind.
[Boundable target detected: Yan Ruanning. Appearance: 93. Intimacy: 89. Bound?]
Cheng Che was taken aback.
He glanced at Yan Ruanning.
She was taking off her mask, hooking her fingers around the strap behind her ear and pulling it down.
She revealed a clean-cut face.
As expected, Yan Ruanning's favorability towards him was higher than that towards Su Miaoyin.
[Already bound. Current number of bound users: 2.]
[Congratulations, host, you have obtained exclusive buffs: Dynamic Luck, Musical Supersense, and Iconic Moment.]
Cheng Che's eyes lit up when he saw the three buffs.
But he didn't have time to look closely; the elevator had already reached his floor.
He led Yan Ruanning into the room.
Qin Lie was sitting at the table when he saw Yan Ruanning come in, so he stood up and greeted her.
Then he picked up his phone, said, "I'm going to buy something," and went out.
After the door closed, only the two of them remained in the room.
Yan Ruanning sat down on the sofa, took off her hat, and let her hair fall down to her shoulders.
She turned her head to look at Cheng Che, her hand resting on her knee, her fingertips tapping lightly.
"I came to Magic City a magazine shoot," she said casually, "And also stopped by to see you."
Cheng Che nodded.
He sees through things but doesn't say anything. Although he's never been in a relationship, he's not stupid.
He sat down in the chair opposite her, resting his elbows on the armrests.
The final is the day after tomorrow.
"I know," Yan Ruanning said. "I'm leaving the day after tomorrow, which will allow me to watch your final match."
She spoke in a relaxed tone, but her right hand clenched lightly on her knee, her knuckles turning slightly white, before she released it.
Cheng Che didn't notice this detail.
He was thinking about something else.
Yan Ruanning looked at his profile, but her mind was on something else entirely.
You little bitch, how dare you steal from my house!
Xiao Zhou arrived in Magic City early and happened to see Su Miaoyin having dinner with Cheng Che and Cheng Che's parents.
She didn't say anything at the time, but told Yan Ruanning that very night.
Yan Ruanning was rehearsing in her studio in Capital City when she heard the news.
She put down the sheet music, her fingertips lingered on the paper for a second, and then asked Xiao Zhou, "Are you sure?"
"Confirmed. The three of them are sitting together, and Cheng Che's mother is holding Su Miaoyin's hand."
Yan Ruanning hung up the phone and remained silent for three seconds.
She tapped her fingers lightly twice on the phone case, then placed the phone face down on the table.
She told her agent to move up the magazine shoot in Magic City, saying she would fly there tomorrow.
Of course, she wouldn't tell Cheng Che these things.
She simply sat on the sofa, watching Cheng Che pour her water.
Her gaze fell on his hands, watching him grip the cup and the curve of his knuckles.
Then she looked away, rested her chin on her hand, and said with a smile:
Are you confident about the final?
"Absolutely." Cheng Che handed her the water glass, smiling as he said, "I'm determined to win this Champion."
Yan Ruanning took it and drank a sip.
Her fingers gently traced the inside of the glass, her fingertips drawing an invisible circle.
She noticed the black bracelet on Cheng Che's wrist.
She wore that white dress today on purpose, the musical notes on the buttons peeking out from under the sleeves.
"The day after tomorrow," she said, "I'll be in the stands."
Cheng Che nodded.
"Good."