All of her attention was confined to the four corners of the tennis court. Nothing from the outside world mattered to her.
“It’s Yao Ran,” the voice called again. “She’s looking for you. Aren’t you going to see her?”
Xu Xuan’s hand paused when she heard the name.
Hesitation flashed in her eyes, but she did put her racket down and trudged out of the court.
At that same moment, Yao Ranwas pacing back and forth at the entrance of the sports complex. She kept craning her neck to peek inside, her face clouded with worry.
She had come here to discuss the matter of the six-million bet she had lost.
Since she had made the wager in front of so many people, she had no hopes of wriggling her way out of it. She needed to pay.
Soon enough, she spotted Xu Xuanwalking toward her.Yao Ransmiled and met the other girl halfway.
“You’re here, Xu Xuan?”
“Yes.”
“I have to say, your training complex is really strict. I was about to enter just now, but the staff immediately came up to me and stopped me. I can’t believe it’s so hard to see you.”
Xu Xuan blinked in surprise. “You came for… Is there something you need?”
Yao Ran’s eye twitched with displeasure, but she covered it up with a sigh. “It’s about your loss at the match last time. Aren’t we in the middle of raising funds? I just came to ask you for an update. How much have you got so far? I honestly thought you were skilled. Who would have imagined that you would lose to Yao Tang?”
The subtle attempt at provocation flew over Xu Xuan’s shoulder. “Yao Tang’s ball skills are very good, too,” she said lightly.
“You can actually bear to praise her after what happened?” Yao Ranretorted, her smile faltering. “She just got lucky, that’s all. How can she be better than you, a professional player?”
Yao Ran’s voice grew shrill as she struggled to rein in her fury.
‘Is Xu Xuanout of her mind? She’s on the freaking tennis team, for goodness’ sake! Why is she even complimentingYao Tang? Did that piece of scum bribe her or something?’
“Then, what are we supposed to do about the six million?” Xu Xuanasked.
Yao Ran scowled at her. “And here I was, thinking that you would take the initiative to solve the mess you caused. I guess I was mistaken.”
“No, I’ll think of a way!” Xu Xuanexclaimed.
Yao Ran just sniffed and looked away, trying to calm herself. This was six million yuan they were talking about. Even if she compiled all her trinkets and sold them, they would only fetch a little over four million.
Yet all this time, Xu Xuanhadn’t done anything to come up with even a million.
‘This brat can’t possibly expect me to bear the penalty on my own! No, I won’t let that happen!’
Xu Xuan mulled over her options for a moment before finally saying, “There’s a tennis match in the city next week. If I participate and win first place, I’ll get a cash reward amounting to 1.5 million. The school team will be rewarding me, too, so I should be able to get 1.7 million in total.”
Yao Ran nodded in satisfaction. “But are you sure you will win this time?”
“Of course, it shouldn’t be a problem,” the other girl answered with confidence. She might be no match for Yao Tang, but she could certainly beat some small fry in a local competition.
“You’d better be right. You can’t afford to lose again.”
If Xu Xuanbagged the cash rewards, then they would only need a few hundred thousand more to secure the six million.
Yao Tang and the others probably wouldn’t collect their money any time soon. Or at least, that was whatYao Rankept telling herself. They should have ample time to raise the full amount.
After Yao Ranleft,Xu Xuanspent three more hours training in the sports complex before heading out.
No one greeted her when she arrived home. The place was dark and silent.
But Xu Xuanwas already used to it.
She made a beeline for the kitchen and microwaved the leftovers from lunch. Then, she took her meager meal over to the sofa and finished it quietly.
Once she was done eating, she changed into her work clothes and walked to her part-time job.
…
That afternoon, Lin Xinand her friends decided to payLu Minga visit after school. They found him still recuperating in bed, propelling them to express their heartfelt concern.
They had been chatting for a while, catching up on each other, when Qin Jingasked, “What aboutYan Yu? Where is he at the moment?”
“He was supposed to be on his way to Beijing,” Lu Mingreplied. “But he’s coming back instead. He should be here in a few days.”
