Since Ji Siyue had returned, everyone was quite excited, and their enthusiasm for training had increased a great deal.
However, there were still some changes in their lifestyle.
After Ji Siyue came back, she forced everyone to follow the rest plan she had made. Although the next round of selection was just the day after tomorrow, she insisted that everyone should sleep for nine hours every day.
Time flew by in a blink of an eye, and today was the competition where forty - four teams would be whittled down to sixteen.
With so many teams being eliminated at once, everyone must have been feeling heavy - hearted.
Ji Siyue got out of bed slowly. Feeling that her legs were almost okay to walk on, she tried to stand up and took a few steps.
The wound on her leg still hurt, especially when the muscles tightened while walking. But this aching feeling was exactly what she had been looking forward to. She was already fed up with the days when her legs were numb.
She left her room and knocked on the doors of the three rooms upstairs. Receiving no response, she decided to go downstairs to call everyone.
Just as she reached the stairs, she saw a rather comical scene downstairs.
Everyone downstairs was wearing the team uniform neatly. They were sitting at the dining table, carefully setting the tableware and chopsticks. Although they were all busy together, they all tacitly moved their hands gingerly. When putting down the bowls, they did it in slow motion, for fear of making the slightest sound.
Especially Xingxing and Bai He, the two clowns. They were acting like they were having a fight, with ferocious expressions on their faces, but they still managed not to make a sound.
Ji Siyue smiled and said, "What are you guys doing?"
Suddenly, everyone downstairs looked up at Ji Siyue in unison.
They glanced at each other for a few seconds.
The next moment.
Xingxing: "Damn it! Bai He, you wait for me! I'll get my brother to beat you to death!"
Bai He: "You little rascal, come here! See if I don't beat you until you call me daddy today! Your brother is like my son, so you have to be too!"
Landu: "You two stop fooling around and come eat!"
Nangong Qi: "Clap!" (The sound of putting down the tableware.)
Bai Yu silently turned up the volume of his phone on one side. It turned out he was watching a replay of a game.
Zhu Zhiyao was preparing Ji Siyue's daily rehabilitation medicine at a corner of the dining table.
Qin Chengyao walked out of the dining room with two plates in his hands. He glanced upstairs, gave a gentle smile and said, "Did you sleep well? Come and have breakfast."
Ji Siyue stood on the stairs, looking at the scene in the living room on the first floor. She felt her eyes getting a bit moist.
This scene would still linger in Ji Siyue's mind many years later.
This was Ji Siyue's youth and everyone's memory.
It was to remember... those who had passed away.
Ji Siyue walked downstairs, putting more force on her legs. The pain made her frown slightly.
Seeing this, the others all stood up and were about to come and help her.
Qin Chengyao was the closest. He simply put down the plates, walked up the stairs, and picked Ji Siyue up in his arms.
"You—!"
Ji Siyue's eyes widened slightly as she looked at Qin Chengyao who was so close.
"Your leg hasn't fully recovered yet. Why didn't you let us come and get you?" Qin Chengyao said as he walked downstairs.
Ji Siyue unconsciously tightened her grip on Qin Chengyao's collar and said, "Isn't it your competition day today? I thought you guys wouldn't get up so early. I just wanted to save you some trouble."
Bai He whistled and said, "You're the soul of the team. What if you get tired?"
Ji Siyue felt quite helpless about this.
When the eight of them were having breakfast together, the sound of a car horn came from outside. Zhu Zhiyao immediately stood up and said, "I'll go and check outside."
"Who is it?" Ji Siyue asked curiously.
Bai Yu answered while looking at his phone, "It's the bus. It's here to pick us up to the stadium."
"Wow! I finally feel like I'm participating in a professional competition!" Ji Siyue even felt a little excited.
When she used to watch TV, the professional players on TV always took the bus and wore the same team uniform. Wait! Why didn't she have a team uniform!
"Where's my team uniform? I want to wear it too!"
"Okay, I'll get it for you!" Xingxing ran into a room beside and took out a set of clothes for Ji Siyue.
"Put this on!" Xingxing said excitedly.
Ji Siyue opened it and frowned.
The clothes of the other seven people were all black PUMA ones. Why was hers white?
"You're the soul of the team. White looks good on you!" Xingxing said.
Nangong Qi said coldly, "He won't tell you that on the day they bought the team uniforms, this kid Xingxing ran all over the mall with Lao Qin's card but couldn't find a black one in your size. So he bought you a white one. White looks good too. Put it on, junior sister."
"Fine. I thought I was being 'left out' by you guys!"
After breakfast, Qin Chengyao carried Ji Siyue upstairs to change clothes. The others went back to their rooms to organize their peripherals.
Back in the room, Ji Siyue looked at Qin Chengyao who was standing by the door, holding the clothes and said, "If you don't close the door, how can I change?"
Qin Chengyao said, "We've even shared a bed. Can't I watch you change?"
Ji Siyue: "……WHAT？？？"
This was not the Qin Chengyao she knew.
She saw Qin Chengyao slowly approaching her in her sight. He stopped in front of Ji Siyue, stared into her confused eyes, then lowered his head and got infinitely close to her face, his eyes fixed on her lips.
He was getting closer...
Ji Siyue felt his warm breath on her face. It seemed that she would touch his lips if she moved a little...
She slowly closed her eyes...
The next moment, she was suddenly hugged tightly.
Ji Siyue opened her eyes, escaping from the illusion of that kiss.
"Qin Chengyao..."
"Don't move." Qin Chengyao hugged Ji Siyue even tighter and said, "I miss you so much. The competition is coming soon. I'm so worried, so restless, so nervous. Let me get some comfort."
Ji Siyue stopped moving. After hesitating for a while, she slowly put her hands on Qin Chengyao's back and patted him twice as if to comfort him.
He was the captain, the leader of the team, and the one everyone could rely on.
Others could be nervous and seek comfort from each other, but he couldn't. No matter what happened, he had to stand firmly in front of everyone to block those storms and doubts.
This was his mission and also his sadness.
But this man, just two hours before the competition was about to start, showed all his nervousness and uneasiness.
How could Ji Siyue not soften her heart?
"Don't be nervous. No matter what the outcome is..."
Before Ji Siyue could finish, Qin Chengyao interrupted her.
"No, I must win."
Qin Chengyao loosened his grip on Ji Siyue slightly, stroked her bangs and said, "Have you forgotten? When you were determined to reorganize GH, you swore that if you didn't win the championship, you'd never be able to stand up on your legs again."