Love is as simple as badminton.

Chapter 36 Drowning sorrows in alcohol only brings more sorrow...

into the night.

In a private room at Aikun Chaoshan Hot Pot Restaurant near Xiangda University, Wang Tianmao raised a wine glass filled with Sprite.

"So I hereby declare the 25th Annual Good Old Age Home Team Building Activity officially open—ouch!"

He had just stood up when Jian Yueying pressed him back down.

"What are you announcing?! Have you ever been in charge of anything?"

Jian Yueying pointed and gestured.

"The net was bought by Dandan, the intelligence was gathered by me, the junior students helped catch the cat, and Qiqi even provided friendly assistance. All you do all day is wave your broken fan around like a street urchin."

"Hey? Yueyue, how could you say that to me?"

Wang Tianmao's face turned red.

"Can you call it 'street hustling' when it comes to supervising teachers? It's called 'field research'! Otherwise, how would you know what flavor of cat treats Gian likes...?"

This was followed by a series of difficult-to-understand sayings, such as "An old horse in its stall may still be eager to gallop, but it will eventually stop," filling the dinner table with a cheerful atmosphere.

After the new members realized that the person in the prominent picture in the group was the club's advisor, they were initially a little scared. However, seeing how approachable he was, they relaxed and started eating and drinking happily.

Hearing that Wang Tianmao loved drinking when he was young and still enjoys playing the card game "Three Kingdoms Kill" now, Xu Yue felt like he had met a kindred spirit and immediately started chatting with him.

This time, it only took 1 minute and 34 seconds for him to go from being a stranger to becoming a close friend with Wang Tianmao despite their age difference.

The two chatted non-stop, and although they had only met today, they seemed like best friends who had been together for half a lifetime.

"It's truly rare to have such a fine family like ours, with two such outstanding individuals like you two!"

Jian Yueying ate the meat while making comments.

"A fish in troubled waters, a stick that stirs up trouble."

"How...how did I mess up?!"

Xu Yue's face was flushed, mainly from drinking. "I was clearly killing everyone with Lao Lin!"

"So, they're just randomly killing you, huh?"

"But I did his laundry too! If he hadn't been so embarrassed, I would have washed the bitter tea leaves too... Old Lin, say something, Old Lin?"

Xu Yue then noticed that Lin Xiang had been very quiet.

Although he ate a lot, he remained silent and did not join in the lively atmosphere.

"Is it not to your taste, junior?"

Jian Yueying asked in a low voice.

"No, it's delicious."

As Lin Xiang answered, he scooped up some meat and dipped it in the sauce.

They did look like they were enjoying their meal, but it just gave the impression that their minds weren't really on the food.

"Oh, it's alright! Others may not know Lao Lin, but I certainly do!"

Xu Yue was already a little tipsy and tried to imitate Lin Xiang's aloof expression, but ended up swaying unsteadily.

"A badminton master must have... the awareness of a badminton master! Although Lao Lin is enjoying a delicious meal, his soul must still be on the court, contemplating the game on that small court..."

"Alright, alright, you should drink less."

"Don't underestimate me, Senior Jian! I can really hold my liquor!"

"Does 'being able to drink' mean you'll be completely out of it after just one bottle of beer?"

"Ha ha ha ha!"

The dinner table became lively again. With a lively character like Xu Yue around, it's almost impossible for the atmosphere to become dull.

No one seemed to care about Lin Xiang's silence, since that's usually how he is perceived to be.

Aloof yet reliable, ruthless and taciturn.

"Why do you seem so distracted?"

Only Zhao Hao, sitting next to him, glanced at him and smiled, "Is our badminton expert preoccupied today?"

"No... well, I guess so."

Lin Xiang put down his chopsticks.

"Is it the kind of secret you can talk about?"

Zhao Hao raised the corners of his mouth. It was the first time he had seen Lin Xiang speak, but he changed his mind halfway through, using ambiguous wording.

Lin Xiang shook his head: "It's nothing serious."

"Okay, then you decide for yourself."

Zhao Hao didn't pry, he just patted him on the shoulder and continued chatting with everyone.

Lin Xiang sat there blankly for a while, then, as if possessed, opened his phone and tapped on the familiar cat avatar in his message list.

His fingers hovered over the keyboard, paused for a moment, and then silently withdrew.

Then I opened other apps, but I would just glance at them and then close them, and then I would open that profile picture again...

This was repeated several times, and just as Lin Xiang was about to continue eating, the nickname "Chang Qi Su Shi" suddenly changed to "typing...".

Chang Chi Su Shi: (Image)

Chang Qisu: "Xiao Xiang! Guess where I am?"

It was a selfie of her making a peace sign, with the endless stands in the background and a striking green rubber court on the red floor below.

Shoko Toyokawa: "Shenzhen Stadium? You went to the China Masters?"

Chang Chi Su-shih: "Hehe! I've finished taking care of things at home, and now I'm busy with badminton association matters, and taking a short trip on my own~"

Chang Qisu Shi: "I bumped into Brother Dan here! He greeted me!"

Shi Yuqi's tone was full of longing and excitement.

Lin Xiang echoed this sentiment – ​​anyone who follows badminton can hardly help but admire this heavyweight GOAT whose honors, divided by two, are unparalleled in the badminton world. Of course, after Vice GOAT Artes successfully defended his Olympic title, being divided by two was no longer enough.

Chang Chi-Su-Shi: "I also met a lot of other star players~ By the way, junior, who do you like more?"

Lin Xiang: "Hmm, I think I prefer Qi Yu."

With the retirement of Ling Dan and Chen Long, Qi Yu has taken over the mantle of the Chinese men's singles badminton team.

Compared to his predecessors, his life has been full of hardships: he was a brilliant young genius, but he suffered a serious injury during his rise and fell to the bottom.

However, with his honed skills to perfection, he created a unique style of technique and finally fulfilled his dream at the World Championships this year at the age of 29, personally crowning himself with the title.

Qi Yu may not be the most perfect player, but he is certainly the most moving.

Chang Qisu Shi: "Haha, that's a bit difficult~ Brother Qi has been quite busy lately~"

Shoko Toyokawa: "Is the senior inviting guests for the Freshman Cup?"

Chang Qisu Shi: "Oh dear, you guessed it! I was planning to give you a surprise /knocks on the head"

Shoko Toyokawa: "It's so obvious, it's easy to deduce."

Shoko Toyokawa: "So, who exactly did you invite, senpai?"

After thinking for a moment, Lin Xiang added a "scratching head" emoji. Zhao Hao said that using emojis appropriately can liven up the atmosphere.

Chang Chi Su Shi: "Hehe, I can't tell you that. But it'll be a player you'd never guess!"

Shoko Toyokawa: "Okay."

Looking at his reflection on his phone screen, Lin Xiang realized that he had unconsciously raised the corners of his mouth.

Shoko Toyokawa: (Image)

Toyokawa Shoko: "Jane-senpai is treating everyone to Chaoshan hot pot, it's delicious."

Chang Qisu Shi: "Haha, eat up, eat up!"

Chang Qisu: "Once I'm done with this busy period, I'll take you to that congee hot pot place next to Hong Kong Polytechnic University~ It's really delicious~"

Shoko Toyokawa: "Mmm."

"Old Lin."

A strong smell of alcohol wafted over, and Xu Yue staggered closer, his eyes wide open.

"What are you laughing at?"

"It's nothing, I just remembered something happy."

Lin Xiang silently picked up his chopsticks. "Hmm, beef hot pot is pretty good."

"ah!!!"

Upon catching a glimpse of the curve of his lips, Xu Yue suddenly let out a painful scream, as if struck by a sudden illness, and shrank back to his seat.

"You bastard! You deserve to die!"

"What's wrong with me now?"

"I don't care! You're a piece of trash, waaaaah!"

Everyone thought Xu Yue was drunk, and they laughed and watched. Some even took pictures and turned them into memes.

Only Xu Yue knew he wasn't drunk—he could chug baijiu straight from the bottle, so how could a few bottles of beer possibly get him drunk?

Old Lin's smile only appears when he's talking to Senior Sister Shi!

And it's never been this obvious before!

Xu Yue had no way to express his bitterness, feeling like a stray dog ​​on the roadside who had suddenly been kicked.

He gulped down a mouthful of wine, leaving only bitterness in his throat.

Sigh, drowning my sorrows in alcohol only makes them worse...

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