SSD 69. Pan Yuan

As life gradually returned to normal, Xu Fanming also started training harder than ever.

Out of the 24 hours in a day, aside from 8 hours of sleep and 1 hour for meals, he spent nearly every other moment on the court. Most of the time he practiced alone, but whenever He Jiang had time, he would come keep him company.

Every night, Xu Fanming would drag his sweat-soaked body back to the dorm around 11 p.m. During the day, he barely managed to attend any classes, and he was always so exhausted that he often fell asleep right there in the classroom.

Two days passed like this. Then, the final meeting date was confirmed.

Along with the meeting notice came another explosive piece of news.

That day, Xu Fanming was in class when his phone suddenly lit up with an incoming call. He quickly silenced it and slipped out to the bathroom. One glance at the screen made him freeze.

It was Pan Yuan.

Pan Yuan!

Right before answering, Xu Fanming hesitated. Should he tell Zhu Xuyao about this first?

But then he thought, what if she just wanted to talk about something official?

He wrestled with the thought for a moment, then picked up.

Pan Yuan’s voice came through the line. “Fanming, the meeting time’s been confirmed. It’s this Saturday at 2 p.m., same place as always. The captain asked me to let you know.”

“Ah,” Xu Fanming nodded nervously, “okay.”

“And one more thing.” Pan Yuan cleared her throat. “Our coach is coming back. He’ll be attending the post-competition summary meeting with us.”

Xu Fanming froze. The word coach felt almost unfamiliar that he didn’t react right away.

Then it hit him. Wasn’t their coach’s surname Qiu?

“Huh? Coach Qiu… Qiu Coach…?”

“Yeah, Coach Qiu.” Pan Yuan gave a small laugh. “He’s coming back. Next week.”

A booming rush of noise erupted in Xu Fanming’s head. He clutched the phone tightly. The coach is coming back?!

Coach?! Their coach?!

That sudden wave of excitement was quickly followed by a tinge of grievance.

They had won four straight games, each more spectacular than the last, only to fall in the end to Kongxin. If only Coach Qiu had been there. What would that legendary figure have said about it all?

Still deep in thought, Xu Fanming suddenly realized that Pan Yuan had been silent on the other end for a while.

“Senior… was there anything else?” he asked.

Pan Yuan let out a slow sigh, her earlier attempt at a light tone gradually giving way to something more subdued. After a brief hesitation, she spoke with some difficulty.
“Fanming… actually, I wanted to ask you something.”

“Yeah?”

“Zhu Xuyao…” She pressed her lips together. “Has he… said anything to you these past few days?”

Xu Fanming blinked.

So it turned out that Pan Yuan had been worried about Zhu Xuyao all along, just like Zhu Xuyao had been worrying about her.

In truth, Pan Yuan had been wrestling with her own thoughts this whole time.

That day, when her hand landed across Zhu Xuyao’s face, the look of shock and hurt in his eyes had lodged in her throat like a thorn. She hadn’t been able to raise her head, only turned around and rushed off in a panic.

She had regretted it almost the moment she struck him.

She knew exactly how much it must have hurt him, but at the time, the situation had completely spiraled out of control. She hadn’t wanted to see Zhu Xuyao lose control of himself like that, hadn’t wanted to watch him fall apart, but she had had no idea what to say to bring him back.

She hadn’t truly meant to reject him. She just wished he could treat their relationship more seriously.

On the other end of the line, Xu Fanming fumbled for a response but couldn’t manage to say anything. Pan Yuan sighed again, realizing she was being foolish.

She knew perfectly well that Xu Fanming was slow on the uptake. Faced with this sort of situation, there was no way he would know how to handle it. She was overthinking it again.

Still, she couldn’t help but worry. Everyone knew how close Zhu Xuyao and Xu Fanming were. She thought, maybe Zhu Xuyao had said something to him. Was he angry with her? What had he been up to these days?

It had been nearly a week since their last fight, and they hadn’t spoken at all. Not in person, not even a single message.

Maybe… maybe the two of them had finally cooled off enough. Maybe… now was the right time.

After all, whoever tied the knot would have to be the one to untie it.

After hanging up, Pan Yuan hesitated for a long time before finally working up the courage to open her contact list and scroll to a number she knew by heart.

The call connected quickly, and the moment the timer began, both of them fell silent.

Pan Yuan blushed. She had called on impulse, but now she had no idea what to say. Her mind was in knots, and the silence stretched on awkwardly.

She could hear breathing on the other end of the line. That careful, hesitant heartbeat echoing in her chest, was it hers, or his?

Until finally, the silence was broken.

“…Do you need something?”

Zhu Xuyao’s voice was hoarse and dry. It made Pan Yuan’s heart ache, and when she opened her mouth to speak, her words took an unexpected turn.

“Um… we’re having a meeting this Saturday. At the gym.”

“Got it.”

His tone was distant, and hearing it left Pan Yuan feeling suddenly disappointed.

“The coach is back. He’s going to meet with us.”

At that, Zhu Xuyao’s tone shifted slightly. “Coach Qiu?”

“Mm. Yes. He just got back from a work trip. He wants to hold a meeting with all of us.”

His voice quickly returned to calm. “Alright. Got it.”

Just as the call was about to end, Pan Yuan suddenly said, “Wait.”

“Hm?”

“Are you free tonight?” Pan Yuan took a deep breath and tightened her grip on the phone. “Let’s have dinner together. Let’s meet at our usual place. Is that alright?”

Fortunately, Zhu Xuyao replied, “Alright. I’ll be there.”

Pan Yuan changed into the white polka-dot dress that Zhu Xuyao had always liked. She rarely wore dresses, reserving them for special occasions. Most of the time, she stuck to hoodies and dad sneakers. But whenever she did put on a dress, Zhu Xuyao would light up with delight and offer her generous praise.

So today, she would wear her armor again.

When they met, Pan Yuan felt a sudden calmness settle over her. She looked at Zhu Xuyao. His outfit was the same as usual, clean-shaven, but his eyes seemed to avoid hers. Pan Yuan smiled. He clearly cared too, didn’t he?

Wearing heels and standing beside Zhu Xuyao, who was over 180 centimeters tall, she looked perfectly matched with him. They made a striking pair, a handsome man and a beautiful woman, just like a couple.

They went for hotpot. While Zhu Xuyao focused on adding ingredients to the pot, Pan Yuan sat quietly, glancing at her phone now and then, just like they used to do.

By the time lunch reached the halfway point, the two of them had continued to keep their distance. They sat close, yet not quite close enough, as if something invisible still stood between them and neither knew how to bridge the gap.

When the beef rolls were finally cooked, Zhu Xuyao reached for a clean plate and, without thinking, instinctively began preparing Pan Yuan’s favorite dish: beef and tomato rice. He had done it for her so many times before. It was only after he had finished that he realized what he was doing. His face flushed as he looked up, meeting Pan Yuan’s gentle, smiling eyes.

See? Love was never something that could be hidden. It was always tucked away in these quiet, familiar gestures. Impossible to shake off.

The tension between them began to melt.

At last, Pan Yuan pressed her lips together and broke the silence first. She looked him in the eye and offered a sincere apology.
“Zhu Xuyao, about that day… I was wrong. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have been so impulsive. I never should have hit you. That wasn’t what I meant at all.”

Zhu Xuyao froze. His eyes instantly turned a little red, but he forced himself to stay composed. He dumped another plate of food into the pot and muttered stubbornly,
“It’s fine. I stopped caring a long time ago.”

Pan Yuan rested her chin on one hand, her long ponytail spilling over her shoulder. The soft lighting of the hot pot restaurant cast a warm glow across her cheeks, making Zhu Xuyao subtly avert his eyes.

Pan Yuan slowly began to reminisce. “I still remember the first time we met. I think it was also over hot pot, right? It must have been during a team social. Hard to believe how much time has passed since then.”

“But actually,” she added, “the moment I really started noticing you was during that friendly match we played. The one last semester, right before finals, against the neighboring school.”

Zhu Xuyao paused, caught off guard.

“You weren’t one of the main players back then, but I honestly thought you played the best in that match. It wasn’t because you scored the most points, but…” She trailed off, then shifted her tone. “I liked the way you stayed steady. Even though you weren’t in the spotlight, you still took the game seriously. You didn’t let pride or frustration affect you. You focused on doing your part well. You weren’t chasing personal gain. I admire that kind of mindset. When someone isn’t obsessed with success or failure, they don’t rush to prove themselves. And sure enough, six months later, you became one of our core players.”

Zhu Xuyao felt a tightness in his chest. “Pan Yuan, I…”

“I know what you want to say,” she said with a gentle smile. “And I understand. Once someone has a goal, it’s natural to start caring about the outcome. But what I want to remind you is this…”

“You can only go far if you stay steady. If you fall short, you have to figure out why, and then keep improving step by step. That way, you stay true to yourself. You don’t lose sight of what matters just because of pressure or temptation. Eventually, the things you’re working for will come to you, whether it’s in basketball or…”

Pan Yuan lifted her gaze and softly said, “In love.”

Zhu Xuyao had once read a line in a book. In love, timing is everything. Timing is magic.

And now, for the first time, he was beginning to understand what that meant.

“I don’t want this relationship to become an outlet for your frustrations or just a substitute for winning,” she said as she wiped her mouth with a napkin. “Once you’ve found your footing again, once you’ve really sorted things out, we can talk about this again.”

Zhu Xuyao sat in silence for a moment, then slowly nodded.

“Alright.”

Pan Yuan gave a small smile, her eyes softening.

“These past few days, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking too.” Zhu Xuyao lowered his head, then cautiously reached out and gently wrapped his fingers around hers on the table. “I’m sorry I made you worry. I’ve been immature.”

“But, Yuan Yuan, you know this,” he continued, lifting his gaze to meet hers. There was a quiet brilliance in his eyes, like stars flickering to life. “The person who’s been motivating me to keep playing basketball all this time… it’s always been you.”

“I’ve always been a pretty aimless person,” Zhu Xuyao said. “No real ambition, no clear dreams. Just getting by each day. But because of you… I finally wanted to fight for something.”

He looked at Pan Yuan and smiled. “But now, I know what I need to do.”

Just as he finished speaking, Pan Yuan capped her lipstick and looked up with a gentle smile. She was as graceful and radiant as the day they first met.

“Now that Coach Qiu is back,” Pan Yuan said as she lifted her head, “it’s time for us to make our comeback.”