Chapter Ninety-Two: Until We Meet Again

Christina couldn’t stop praising Zhang Ma’s cooking; from initial unfamiliarity, she soon began to request dishes herself. Seeing her so delighted, Shu Ran said, “If you enjoy Chinese food, you should come visit during our Spring Festival. You’ll get to taste many more dishes then.”

Christina was quite interested and quickly leaned in. “What kind of dishes?”

Shu Ran listed a few, but Christina didn’t understand, so they both glanced at Fu Yiqing, who was sitting nearby with his laptop.

Feeling their intense gaze, Fu Yiqing sighed helplessly, his fingers flying across the keyboard. He handed the laptop to Christina. “If you want to know about the food, you can just watch the instructional videos.”

Christina actually watched a video about one dish.

Shu Ran noticed her swallowing repeatedly and couldn’t help but want to laugh.

“Are you happy?”

Shu Ran looked at Fu Yiqing in confusion and nodded.

Fu Yiqing arched his brow, his gaze toward Christina somewhat plaintive. “Then fine.” If she was happy, he suppose he could reluctantly forgive her bothersome presence these past few days.

“What?” Shu Ran asked.

Fu Yiqing shook his head. “Nothing.”

Five minutes later, Christina closed the laptop and handed it back to Fu Yiqing.

Shu Ran smiled. “So, what do you think? Interested in celebrating the New Year in China? But this year, Spring Festival is before the Winter Olympics, so you can’t celebrate before the competition. If you’re really not participating, I’d suggest you stay and celebrate with my family.”

“Is there a Spring Festival next year?” she asked Fu Yiqing, though her words were directed at Shu Ran.

Shu Ran was startled. “Of course. Every year.”

Christina scratched her nose, her eyes turning in thought. Then she said to Fu Yiqing, “May I borrow your phone?”

She blinked, her clear gaze impossible to refuse.

Yet Fu Yiqing hesitated for a moment. “Who do you want to contact?”

Christina glanced at him with a hint of disdain, then turned to Shu Ran for help. “Your coach is so guarded. Shu Ran, may I use your phone? I want to call my coach.”

Shu Ran, hearing the first half, reached for her phone on the bedside table, but the second half surprised her. “Quentin?”

Christina shrugged. “I’ve been out long enough; that old man must be furious. It’s time to go back, so let’s forget about this New Year. I’ll come next year!”

Her calm tone made it seem as if she’d never quarreled with Quentin.

But Shu Ran knew very well that Christina had sneaked into City B.

Christina walked out of the hospital room in perfect composure, spoke on the phone for about five minutes, and returned just as calmly, handing the phone back to Shu Ran.

No one knew what she told Quentin, but the next day she flew back to France.

Before leaving, Christina gave Shu Ran a big hug.

Her chin pressed against Shu Ran’s long hair, which draped over her back, rubbing it a bit, reluctant to part. “See you in about five—no, four months. The Winter Olympics are soon, and Quentin will surely give me a tighter training schedule.”

Since Shu Ran was injured and Fu Yiqing didn’t feel comfortable leaving her alone in the hospital, he called Qin Liubei.

The moment he reached the hospital room door, Qin Liubei’s complaints rang out. “Fu Yiqing, honestly, I’m amazed. Why can’t you just call a cab to send someone off? You insisted no taxis, what’s the problem? Is she a celebrity or some big shot? Maybe I should just register as a taxi driver, so you can book me anytime and I’ll decide whether to accept!”

His words rattled out like a machine gun, but when he saw everyone looking at him from inside the room, he quieted down. He stared, finally noticing something odd.

“This girl looks pretty familiar…” He frowned, and just half a second later, his muddled brain caught up. “Christina?!”

Christina looked at him in confusion, still not understanding, and asked Fu Yiqing in French, “Is that the driver you mentioned?”

Before Fu Yiqing could answer, Qin Liubei exploded.

“What driver! We’ve worked together for years, and you think I’m just a driver?” He ended by gritting his teeth at Christina. “I understand French too!”

Christina, startled, pressed her lips together in embarrassment.

After learning the situation, Qin Liubei hurriedly took Christina to the airport.

When he returned, he complained to Fu Yiqing, “Fu Yiqing, I’d appreciate an explanation. What did you mean by ‘driver’?”

Fu Yiqing calmly looked up.

Before he could speak, Shu Ran, worried he’d say something infuriating, quickly interjected, “Here’s what happened!”

Her raised voice made Qin Liubei settle down. He pulled a chair over and sat by the bed, listening quietly to her attempt to smooth things over.

Shu Ran exhaled deeply and improvised, “You know, if anyone found out Christina was here, it would make the news. There’s no way we could let her just call a cab. So I mentioned you. Christina asked if you were reliable, and I said you’re our friend, half my coach, very reliable, and also very handsome, gentle, and understanding…”

Fu Yiqing, who had been staring at his laptop, softened visibly, the corner of his mouth twitching in a barely noticeable smile.

Shu Ran rattled off five compliments, racking her brain and feeling a headache.

Seeing Qin Liubei’s expression grow satisfied, she knew the matter was nearly settled, so she wrapped up, “Then Coach Fu said he’d trust you as the driver. Christina’s comment was just for convenience, not from Coach Fu himself. Coach Fu, isn’t that right?”

Fu Yiqing looked up expressionlessly.

Qin Liubei waited for Fu Yiqing to confirm. He knew Shu Ran was mostly making things up, but as long as Fu Yiqing softened, he’d be happy.

On the surface, though, Qin Liubei still wore an unhappy look. “Old Fu, is it as Shu Ran says?”

Shu Ran desperately signaled Fu Yiqing with her eyes, warning him not to ignite Qin Liubei’s temper.

But she knew Fu Yiqing well; the more dangerous a situation, the more he liked to push it. The word “compromise” didn’t exist in his vocabulary, let alone sweet-talking Qin Liubei.

She was ready for Qin Liubei to storm out.

“Yes.”

Shu Ran looked up in surprise, unable to believe it, her face breaking into a smile as she said to Qin Liubei, “See? I told you.”

Qin Liubei withdrew his gaze, cleared his throat. “Alright, since it was my misunderstanding, let’s leave it at that.”

Shu Ran’s mouth twitched; she hoped Qin Liubei would let things rest.

*

The airport was bustling. The girl looked around, finally spotting that annoying face in the crowd.

She instinctively felt impatient, her brows drooping, unwillingly walking to the old man’s side. “Let’s go.”

“Had enough fun?”

Her tone was distracted. “Mm.”

“You were gone just a few days, but how much did you eat? Check your weight when you get back, and if it’s up, lose it quickly.”

The girl stopped in her tracks, glaring at him. “Coach Quentin! You only care about results.”

Quentin laughed instead of getting angry. “I’m your coach, of course I care about your results.”

Christina pouted, looking down. “Other coaches are much better than you.”

Quentin hadn’t known Christina had been in China these past days, so her words made him ask, “Why did you run off to China? Other coaches? Want to switch?”

Christina gave him an exasperated look, got in the car, and closed her eyes for a nap.

After a long while, Quentin spoke. “So you realized your mistake and called me so I wouldn’t blame you?”

She didn’t open her eyes. “I don’t think I made a mistake. I called you because I figured things out.”

Quentin had a granddaughter not much younger than Christina, but work kept him from spending much time with her. Now, he thought Christina was somewhat like his granddaughter—a bit like teasing a child, he found it amusing.

“So tell me, what did you figure out?”

“I came back not because of your bet, but for myself. I want to skate for myself, to move every spectator with my performance—not because of your childish wager with Barrow!” With that, Christina opened her eyes and huffed, as if in defiance.

Quentin was shaken—not by her expression, but by her words.

He’d expected childish remarks, but she’d actually gained insight from her trip.

He looked at her, brows tightly furrowed. “Christina, who did you see in China?”

Christina arched her brows. “Shu Ran! Barrow understands her much better than you do.”

She leaned back in the seat and closed her eyes again.

Quentin, however, was skeptical.

Barrow understands Shu Ran...

Was that really Barrow?

Quentin’s impression of Barrow was of a man who’d climbed to the vice-chairman position through cold professionalism and formidable competence. At Barrow’s age, Quentin could never have reached such heights, and Barrow, younger still, managed it. Quentin had sacrificed much to get where he was; Barrow surely sacrificed more. Someone so stingy with smiles even toward friends—how could he possibly understand a young girl?

Christina’s words struck Quentin as unbelievable.

“So you changed your mind and came back to France because of Barrow?”

“No, it was Shu Ran,” Christina said. “She persuaded me to return.”

Quentin was shocked again, looking at her in disbelief.

“She said, even if she’s the last person on the rink, she’ll give the audience her best performance for herself!” Christina’s tone was mocking. “So what if you’re older than us? You’ll never reach Shu Ran’s level, because you don’t understand the meaning of figure skating. To you, it’s just a series of numbers representing results.”

Quentin stared at Christina, a strange feeling rising from deep inside, leaving him speechless for a long time.