Yin Guo returned to the apartment after practicing in the ballroom for a short time. The house was empty.

    She was in the bathroom and saw that Lin Yiyang left in a hurry in the morning and confiscated the razor. She thought of a question, whether it would be bad for the blade if she didn't put it away all the time. She was inexperienced.

    She leaned against the door and opened WeChat to ask him.

    So——I saw those three sentences again, and it was still the last conversation between the two.

    Today we went to Brooklyn together, had lunch, strolled by the beach for a long time, and discussed for a long time in front of the large carousel of the Internet celebrity. They took the subway together again, and he even followed Bai Bai for a stop in order to avoid getting on the wrong station... Yin Guo rested her head there, does this count as a date?

    Just pulling his backpack strap, what I want to say is: I don't have a boyfriend.

    I didn't save face later, but he should have a feeling, right? Let him go to Washington to give himself news, understand?

    Yin Guo leaned his head against the door frame, feeling panicked, untied his ponytail, let his hair loose, stared at the razor for a long time, and then thought of Lin Yiyang.

    Suddenly, the phone vibrated, and it was the owner of the razor.

    He sent a location, which is the DC train station. He's here.

    This was an agreement between the two before they separated. He is really... a man who kept his promise.

    Xiaoguo: I'm here too, at home.

    She thought about it, decided to be honest, typed quickly, and pressed "Send" before she regretted it——

    Xiaoguo: Also, I saw your message last night. I do not have a boyfriend.

    Before he had time to catch his breath, Lin Yiyang replied.

    Lin: I know.

    How can it be?

    Xiaoguo: Who told you? Did you ask my brother?

    Lin: If you had a boyfriend, you wouldn't go out with me today.

    Lin: Is it reasonable? this inference.

    If there were no three sentences last night, today would be an ordinary lunch, but with last night's problem, today's meal is not simple. That's right.

    Just as Yin Guo was about to go back, the door opened, and it was Wu Wei who came back.

    Wu Wei was carrying a bag of packed dinner. As soon as he entered the room, he saw Yin Guo was wearing winter clothes, a scarf, and a hat. He didn't know if he was going out or just came back. He was leaning against the bathroom and laughing with a mobile phone . There was only a light source in the room, the yellow light. She turned her head to look at Wu Wei, her eyes were a little confused, and she pulled down the scarf that covered most of her face: "Are you back?"

    "Ah, yes, you are—" Wu Wei said, "Going out? Or just came back?"

    "just came back."

    Yin Guo left the bathroom and went back to the bedroom as if she had done something bad.

    Wu Wei really couldn't figure it out, so he poked his head to see what was in the bathroom that could make the girl smile so happily...

    ***

    Lin Yiyang was on the second floor of the hamburger restaurant, at a table for four by the wall, tore off the paper wrapping the hamburger, and took a bite.

    He looked down at his phone, there were two new messages.

    It doesn't matter: the girl stood at the door of the bathroom and giggled. I watched for a long time, but I didn't understand why she was smiling. By the way, I put away your razor for you, and you don't need it in the bathroom. It should be blunt. In return, tell me, did you kiss me?

    :Um.

    Look at Wu Wei's news first, then Yin Guo's.

    A bunch of words, one word, but the latter is more vivid, he can imagine her "um" voice.

    With a smile on the corner of Lin Yiyang's mouth, he took a sip of Coke.

    In front of him, the classmate who had made an appointment to go back to school with him just arrived, walked up to the second floor, and sat opposite him with a smile: "I heard they said you are going to join the Xinhua News Agency? Washington Branch?"

    Lin Yiyang nodded.

    "That's pretty good." The classmate commented.

    It was pretty good, before I knew Yin Guo.

    In the Washington branch of Xinhua News Agency, one of his brothers is also there. He helped me during the interview. My brother’s family is in China, and he planned to stay here for two years before going back. When he filled out his application form, he chose to live in DC.

    He took a big bite out of the burger, chewing slowly.

    These years, he lived his life by only looking at today, and didn't bother to think about tomorrow. People can't think too much, plan too much, and worry too much, which will weaken execution.

    But now, he had to learn to think more.

    ***

    A week is short, especially when the days are filled with monotonous training.

    Although Yin Guo didn't directly ask him if he would come this weekend, he had already adjusted the time subconsciously. I specially trained a little earlier on Friday and got home at six o'clock.

    The apartment she rented was on the third floor, and she climbed the stairs directly without waiting for the elevator.

    Going outside the door, I deliberately listened to it, but it was not noisy.

    Next week will be the competition between the youth group and the youth group. It is estimated that the group of people in Dongxin City will have closed training and will not come here.

    She guessed, and took out the door key.

    "My sister is in the ball room." My cousin's voice came from the stairs.

    Who are you talking to? You won't run into Lin Yiyang, will you?

    She turned around in surprise and saw that at the turn of the stairs, her cousin came up first, followed by a man in black casual trousers and a black cashmere jacket.

    The man looked up.

    Yin Guo's heart trembled: "Brother..."

    "Yes." Meng Xiaodong agreed.

    The cousin ran up obsequiously, took the key from Yin Guo, and opened the door for his own brother like a dog: "This place is great, take a look. After the school is confirmed, I plan to renew the lease for another year."

    My cousin is most afraid of——

    No, it should be that the children in the family are most afraid of this person on weekdays. He has been the kind of "other people's child" since he was a child, the kind of person who is so good that he wants to go to heaven. If the relatives in the family can't control the children, they like to hand them over to him for training. There are quite a few people who have been beaten by Meng Xiaodong. Meng Xiaotian was the younger brother who received the most beatings, while Yin Guo was a girl, so it was nothing more than being scolded.

    "Aren't you coming here?" Yin Guo stepped aside and asked cautiously.

    Meng Xiaodong walked in, followed by Yin Guo and his cousin.

    There was no one in the apartment.

    The cousin turned on the light, and Meng Xiaodong looked around the apartment.

    "I didn't come here to look for you," he replied, "If you can't even handle this kind of game, what career do you want to play?"

    I didn't say I couldn't handle it either.

    Yin Guo secretly slandered, and asked in a good-tempered manner: "Is that for the youth group competition?"

    The people from their club came late, and the game will start next Saturday, and they won't arrive until Wednesday. After a few days of jet lag, they can get used to it and go directly to the game. Unlike Dongxincheng, they are very relaxed. They have already led the team here, and they still have to play around for a while.

    "I'm here to find Lin Yiyang," Meng Xiaodong gave an unexpected answer.

    he? Yin Guo's heart skipped a beat, and he hurriedly exchanged glances with his cousin.

    Did my cousin slip the tongue, or did my cousin overhear the club coaches chatting?

    "When will he come back?" Meng Xiaodong asked again.

    "Not sure." Yin Guo replied vaguely.

    "Don't you two know him very well?"

    "The two of us...have a good relationship with him," Yin Guo said slowly, keeping himself logical, trying to cover up the slightly different relationship between himself and Lin Yiyang, "He seems to have a relationship with Lin Yiyang every weekend." Come back, it will be around this time on Friday," she looked at her cousin, "isn't it?"

    "Ah, yes." The cousin cooperated with her.

    "Is there any contact information?"

    "I have, brother, I have." The cousin said first, taking the initiative to block the bullet for Yin Guo.

    Everyday, Yin Guo treats this cousin much better than his own brother treats him, so at critical moments, his first reaction is to carry everything and protect the poor cousin who is like a little chicken.

    "Ask for me when he will arrive," Meng Xiaodong reminded his cousin, "Don't say I'm here."

    Brother, what do you want to do? Yin Guo's heart thumped.

    She exchanged quick glances with her cousin again.

    The cousin had no choice but to send a message truthfully, and soon Lin Yiyang replied.

    The cousin cleared his throat and reported, "We're downstairs."

    Meng Xiaodong responded. He took off his coat, folded it in half, and placed it beside the sofa. His upper body was a tailored white shirt with black cuff buttons.

    Yin Guo noticed that her cousin had unbuttoned a shirt button.

    He dresses well, and he always fastens his clothes tightly. He might really want to fight, right? Can't it? The teenage opponents, haven't seen each other since high school, still thinking about fighting today?

    Yin Guo didn't dare to speak, and quickly sent a WeChat message to his cousin, who was stunned and didn't look at his phone. Yin Guo moved to his side and kicked his cousin's shoe. The cousin woke up, saw her winking and pointing to the phone, and then looked down.

    Xiaoguo: Your brother has a bad temper. If there is a quarrel in a while, remember to stop him.

    Tiantian: Can't stop...

    There was a sound of the door lock.

    The three of them looked over together.

    Outside the door, Lin Yiyang put his sports backpack on the floor and inserted the key into the keyhole. He raised his hand and rubbed his neck. He accidentally fell asleep on the train, his posture was wrong, and he became stiff all the way. His fingers circled back again, and he touched his chin. There was a new stubble, he hadn't shaved it for two days, and he forgot about it.

    Pushing open the door, Yin Guo was the first one to see. She was standing at the door, with her long curly hair tied into a ponytail, making her face extremely small and beautifully curved. Lin Yiyang didn't expect her to be at the door, and asked in a low voice, "Aren't you going in?"

    Yin Guo pursed her lips and stared at the living room.

    "Brother Yang," the cousin braced himself and took two steps closer to his brother, "This is my brother, my brother, my name is Meng Xiaotian, and his name is Meng Xiaodong."

    This sentence is nonsense. Meng Xiaodong said when he arrived in New York that he knew Lin Yiyang, Xiaotian had no idea how he knew Lin Yiyang, and he was the only layman who didn't understand the four people in the room.

    Lin Yiyang heard the word "Meng Xiaodong" and looked at the old friend who had been scrutinizing him for a long time.

    After many years, Meng Xiaodong is still Meng Xiaodong, who only cares about billiards. Even his usual attire is the same as on the field. As long as he puts on a sleeveless suit, vest and bow tie, he can go to the game in strict attire.

    And him? Meng Xiaodong frowned, looking back at Lin Yiyang's attire.

    A sports hoodie over a blazer, black sneakers, and especially jeans. He was holding a sports backpack in his right hand, his beard was not clean, his hair was messy, and he was standing in a loose state half leaning against the door.

    A few seconds of silence.

    With a snap, Lin Yiyang threw the sports bag against the wall. That gym bag was dirty, and he was going to wash it this time, so he threw it everywhere.

    He pointed to his neck, implying that Meng Xiaodong's neck button was not buttoned: "It's not like your style."

    "It was too hot in the room, so I untied it myself." Meng Xiaodong said.

    Lin Yiyang unzipped his coat, took it off casually, and threw it on the armrest of the sofa: "It's a bit hot. I'll wash my face, you sit first."

    "They're all men, so there's no need to be so polite," Meng Xiaodong said coldly, "Have you never seen such a dirty person?"

    After Lin Yiyang rubbed his neck, it still hurt a lot. It might be better if he washed it with hot water: "I'm not polite to you, my neck hurts, I want to apply a hot towel to it."

    He went straight into the bedroom, and a voice came from inside: "If you want to ask me for something, just wait."

    Meng Xiaodong almost thought he saw a stranger he didn't know at all.

    If it was Lin Yiyang in the past, he wouldn't be so easy-going, including the kind of demeanor he talked to Yin Guo when he entered the door, it was an attitude that would never appear in him. He knows how to be merciful to others, and understands how people are warm and cold, but in Meng Xiaodong's eyes, he seems to have been plucked, from an eagle soaring high in the sky to a turtledove hiding in America.

    Lin Yiyang went into the bathroom without saying a word of nonsense.

    The cousin kept saying how tired and sleepy he was, and went back to the bedroom. Yin Guo also entered the bedroom. She closed the door falsely, sat on the bed worriedly, and looked outside through the crack of the door. Ten minutes passed extremely slowly, completely counting the seconds.

    About a few minutes later, she saw the bathroom door open through the crack of the door, and Lin Yiyang came out wearing sports trousers and shirtless. A thin seam, no specific picture can be seen.

    "Yin Guo." Her cousin called her from outside the door.

    She was about to say yes.

    "Close the door."

    "Oh." She agreed and pushed the door shut.

    There was a slight sound of the lock cylinder closing the keyhole, and the outsiders could no longer hear what they said.

    Lin Yiyang stood in the living room, just shaved off the stubble on his face, and just pressed it with a hot towel for a few minutes, but it didn't help. With his upper body naked, he looked for Futalin in the plastic glove cabinet against the wall in the living room: "What do you want to say, and you ask someone to close the door?"

    "I haven't figured out how to start yet." Meng Xiaodong told the truth.

    "Then think about it slowly." He replied.

    Both of them deliberately lowered their voices, not wanting to be heard by the two children in the bedroom.

    Lin Yiyang threw the cold towel back into the bathroom, opened the cardboard box, poured out a small plastic tube of Voltaren, unscrewed it, squeezed out a little, and wiped it on the back of his neck. The man walked into the bedroom, picked out a clean short-sleeve, and walked out again.

    "Have you figured it out?" he asked.

    "I'm here to look for you. I haven't heard anything about you these years. If Xiaotian hadn't mentioned knowing two older brothers, I really didn't expect you and Wu Wei to be in New York."

    Without saying a word, he tossed the medicine back into the plastic drawer.

    "You don't play anymore?" Meng Xiaodong is a person who doesn't like to turn corners, so he hit a straight ball, "Don't you think it's a pity?"

    He closed the drawer: "Keep playing, betting money comes quickly."

    Meng Xiaodong was not very happy to hear that: "I don't want to talk about gambling, you know I have a bad temper."

    He squinted at Meng Xiaodong: "It's good to chat with you a few words, do you understand what false politeness is?"

    The four eyes meet. The two former opponents looked at each other again in this moment of silence.

    Over the years, it has changed and has not changed.

    Out of the three of them back then, Meng Xiaodong was the girliest and delicate, but he was the most upright and serious in his bones. And he, with a surly face, is the same inside and out, and has the most difficult personality. Only Jiang Yang, who is dignified, upright, and polite, is actually full of "bad water" and can resolve the two of them's fights every time.

    But now, Jiang Yang is not here.

    It made Lin Yiyang really overwhelmed to face Meng Xiaodong at first, and the fake self-cultivation he had cultivated for many years was about to be broken.

    Lin Yiyang sighed, and smoothed things over first: "You are a world champion, how can you compete with me, an unknown pawn?"

    "Are you going to laugh at yourself? What about the little master Yang in the past." Meng Xiaodong didn't like him.

    "He's already in his third year, so what's the matter with Young Master Yang?" Lin Yiyang laughed at himself, "Can we stop chatting? When we meet old friends, we can eat and drink, so we don't have to catch up on the old days."

    "Okay." Meng Xiaodong unexpectedly agreed.

    The next sentence is: "Let's talk about my sister."

    ...

    He didn't say a word, staring at each other with both eyes, half mocking.

    It seems to be saying: good tactics?

    It was rare for Meng Xiaodong to smile for the first time after entering the room.

    It also seems to be replying: I am not stupid.

    On the way here, Meng Xiaodong had already guessed seven or eight points based on the information given by his younger brother. As soon as Lin Yiyang entered the door just now, looking at his state and Yin Guo's worried little expression, he raised it to nine points.

    At this time, Lin Yiyang's expression made him even more sure.

    "Guess it right?" Meng Xiaodong chased after the victory.

    Lin Yiyang finally smiled: "Meng Xiaodong, are you childish?"

    Meng Xiaodong also smiled: "It's rare to catch you, it feels good." He brought the coat from the corner of the sofa, put it on, and said, "I heard that there is a golf room downstairs. Let me try it out after two shots. Do you have the qualifications to join the team among the many suitors?"

    Lin Yiyang was not very happy with this sentence: "If you want to find an excuse to play with me, you don't have to be so devious."

    Meng Xiaodong acquiesced: "See you downstairs."

    Mentioning Yin Guo was just to give each other an excuse, Meng Xiaodong missed playing with him so much.

    It is precisely because they are opponents that they are best friends. It is the kind of deep friendship that does not require hangovers and nonsense with each other, but is achieved in competitions.

    "Find a shirt and put it on," Meng Xiaodong said before leaving, "I don't play with people who wear this."

    "This" refers to his short sleeves.

    The people left and the door was closed.

    What a shame, that hasn't changed.

    Lin Yiyang put down his cup, went back to the bedroom, opened the closet and searched for Wu Wei's shirt. Wu Wei is about the same size as him, and has a lot of shirts in his closet, most of which are for competitions. Lin Yiyang pawed for a while, took out a pure black dress, unbuttoned it, and took off half of his sleeves. He stared at the shirt for a long time with his bare upper body, twirling the material with his fingers, it felt really good.

    When I was a child, I always wore the most ordinary clothes. Before going to bed, I had to have folds, smooth the creases with a wet towel, hang them up, and wear them to the game the next day.

    Maybe it's because he has a strange and indelible feeling for shirts and trousers. He hasn't bought one of his own in these years, and he borrows it for temporary use.

    I still remember the requirements of the game dress: long-sleeved shirt, dark trousers, all buttons on the shirt must be kept buttoned, including the cuffs, and the top must be tucked into the trousers.

    Lin Yiyang put on his shirt.

    At the door, Yin Guo heard that the door was closed and sneaked out of Wu Wei's bedroom.

    She gently pushed open the half-closed door: "My brother doesn't like you, does he?"

    The voice stopped quietly, she held the edge of the door, and saw a completely different Lin Yiyang from the past. In the room, the curtains were half drawn, and there was light shining on his upper body. He was buttoning the buttons of his shirt, and the black shirt made his face look very unusual, very...

    Lin Yiyang came up to her and asked her in a low tone that only the two of them could hear, "Can I still watch it?"

    What did he say?

    "I wear this." He pointed to the shirt.

    I haven't worn it for playing for many years.