She had just one wish at that time: if Sheng Kuang didn't forgive her, or never spoke to her again, as long as he answered the phone, she could hear his voice.
She dared not say Sheng Kuang was the salvation of her life.
But on that night, Sheng Kuang was the only lifeline she wanted to grasp.
Coming back from her memories, Lin Jing blinked gently, "I called you many times, almost 108 times."
"But you didn't answer any of them."
"I thought you didn't want to talk to me anymore."
"After that, I didn't dare to call you."
Sheng Kuang took a while to come back to his senses. He had no recollection of this incident. He thought hard and asked Lin Jing, "Around when was this?"
"Hmm," Lin Jing thought, "It was two days before Christmas the year before last."
Sheng Kuang opened his mouth, "You might think I'm lying, but it's true, I lost my phone."
For a long time after she left, he couldn't move on. He truly couldn't understand why she left so abruptly.
So for quite a while, he was very absent-minded.
He would often drift off, placing things down casually and then forgetting where he put them.
Lin Jing knew Sheng Kuang had no reason to lie, but hearing him say that still felt a bit absurd.
This plot would be considered a cliché from ten years ago in a novel, and it actually happened to her?
Lin Jing didn't know whether to laugh or cry for a moment.
Although the truth was a bit speechless, the ending was quite good.
At least they had clarified things, and the thorn that had been stuck in both their hearts was finally removed.
The feeling of regaining what was lost and returning to how things were was so wonderful. Lin Jing didn't want to waste her emotions on such matters. She had asked Sheng Kuang many questions earlier, and she figured Sheng Kuang must have many questions for her too. Holding his arm, she started chattering again.
She told him about her school abroad, the friends she made, and the peculiar roommates she encountered...
Sheng Kuang didn't interrupt her. She spoke whatever came to her mind, and eventually, she drifted off to sleep.
...
Since there were no urgent competitions recently, Sheng Kuang basically lived at Lin Jing's place.
However, before they could fully enjoy their time together, they had to part ways for a short period.
There was an international competition in the UK, and China only had one team. Sheng Kuang was the first to be selected. This kind of event to bring glory to the country should not be delayed by personal relationships.
Lin Jing was very familiar with the UK. While packing Sheng Kuang's luggage, she also made him a list, marking down which restaurants were good and which exhibition halls were interesting.
Sheng Kuang left with the team, and Lin Jing didn't see him off.
However, Sheng Kuang chatted with Lin Jing the entire way to the airport.
As they neared the airport, Sheng Kuang suddenly stopped replying.
Although Lin Jing found him a bit annoying when he talked too much, she still worried when he suddenly went silent.
She called Sheng Kuang, but he didn't answer.
...
Sheng Kuang had indeed encountered something. To be precise, he met an old acquaintance, or perhaps an old rival, at the airport.
Yang Sinian was dragging several suitcases, looking like he was leaving Beijing.
Although he hadn't deliberately inquired about Yang Sinian's recent affairs, he knew the general gist of it.
GDT had pushed him to such an extent that he was at his wit's end. He wanted to switch teams, but GDT intentionally set an exorbitant price, causing him to lose the opportunity.
He was at odds with GDT. His only options now were to stay with GDT and be benched, or retire.
Perhaps having gone through similar experiences, Yang Sinian could empathize with Sheng Kuang's feelings at the time. Seeing Sheng Kuang, he hesitated for a moment before calling out to him: "Sheng Kuang."
Sheng Kuang looked up at him.
Yang Sinian seemed a bit embarrassed, he scratched his head and finally spoke, "I'm sorry."
Although Sheng Kuang and Yang Sinian had been at odds before, and their fans had clashed fiercely, they themselves didn't have any deep-seated animosity. Even the conflicts they witnessed were instigated by GDT.
Sheng Kuang glanced at Yang Sinian's luggage. "You're leaving GDT?"
"Sort of, and sort of not." Yang Sinian didn't know how to explain it to Sheng Kuang. "I still have half a year on my contract, so I can only wait until it expires. Since I won't be playing anyway, I might as well go home for a while."
Setting aside the unpleasantness at GDT, Sheng Kuang actually acknowledged Yang Sinian's individual skill.
Perhaps out of mutual sympathy, as Yang Sinian was about to leave with his luggage, Sheng Kuang called out to him: "Have you considered coming to my team?"
Yang Sinian truly hadn't expected Sheng Kuang to make such an offer. He paused for a moment and turned back to Sheng Kuang, shaking his head, "No."
"Rather than being your teammate, I'd rather have a fair match against you."
"Don't worry, I won't retire or give up."
"I've made up my mind. When my contract expires, if no team signs me, I'll play in the national competition. I'll lead a second-tier league team into the KPL, just like you did with YLS before."
"So, Sheng Kuang, keep up your condition. We'll battle again in the future."
Sheng Kuang didn't force it, he smiled, "Okay, we'll battle again in the future."
...
After getting his boarding pass, Sheng Kuang immediately called Lin Jing back. He briefly recounted his encounter with Yang Sinian.
After clearing security, Sheng Kuang boarded the plane.
Next was a flight of over ten hours. Lin Jing still missed Sheng Kuang quite a bit.
Upon arriving in the UK, to maintain their competition form, Sheng Kuang and the team had their phones confiscated. They were only allowed two hours with their phones in the evening.
During those two hours, Lin Jing and Sheng Kuang mostly spent their time talking on the phone.
On the day of the competition, Lin Jing was early to watch the live stream.
Her young man was as spirited as ever, representing the national team and effortlessly winning the world championship.
According to the original plan, after the competition, Sheng Kuang and his teammates were supposed to stay in the UK for about 36 hours before returning home.
During these thirty-six hours, Sheng Kuang didn't stay in the hotel sleeping. Instead, he went out to explore. He didn't go to the places his girlfriend had listed but went to Lin Jing's school.
He toured every corner, walking slowly, spending time in each place. By the time he left, it was nearly seven or eight hours later.
He reached the entrance and was about to hail a taxi when someone called out to him: "Sheng Kuang."
This person, Sheng Kuang would recognize even if they turned to ashes, was Lin Jing's class monitor, He Lin.
He Lin invited him to sit at a coffee shop across the street. Sheng Kuang accepted.
After they sat down, Sheng Kuang remained silent, but He Lin didn't mind and spoke first: "I knew you were coming to the UK ten days ago. If I hadn't run into you today, I would have called you later anyway."
Sheng Kuang looked up at He Lin.
He Lin smiled, "Actually, I owe you an apology, and I owe Lin Jing an apology. If it hadn't been for me back then, Lin Jing might not have come to the UK as an exchange student, and you two wouldn't have broken up so abruptly."
"Some things, given Lin Jing's personality, you might not know. It was I who revealed to her mother that she was out all night. Afterwards, her mother forced her to come to the UK. Her mother was already in the late stages of cancer, and she felt you were unreliable, not wanting Lin Jing to be with you. She used her own impending death to force Lin Jing to choose."
"..."
He Lin said a lot.
Some of what he said aligned with what Lin Jing had told him that night.
But the majority of things Lin Jing had never mentioned to him.
She was an excellent student, and she only spoke of happy moments on campus. But during her two years in the UK, she had mostly endured torment and depression.
Yet, she hadn't said a word about it to him.
Long after He Lin left, Sheng Kuang's mind was still replaying his words.
"That night, Lin Jing kept calling you, many, many times, and you didn't pick up."
"You have no idea what state she was in when I found her. She was completely out of her mind, soaking in the bathtub, motionless."
"Although she repeatedly said later that she didn't intend to commit suicide, she just wanted a bath."
"But everyone knew she was suicidal at that time."
"..."
Sheng Kuang felt as if his throat was being choked by something, making it difficult to breathe.
He looked at a notebook lying quietly on the table.
He recognized her handwriting on the cover at a glance.
This was left by He Lin, who said it was Lin Jing's and asked him to take it back to China.
Sheng Kuang took great effort to pick up the book and then signaled the waiter to pay the bill.
As he stood up and walked out of the coffee shop, his phone rang. Lin Jing had woken up and was reporting her whereabouts: "Sheng Kuang, do you know what I dreamed of tonight? I dreamed I lost three teeth. I just searched it online, and the Duke of Zhou's interpretations say losing three teeth is a good omen, symbolizing prosperity, and I might be turning lucky..."
"I love you." Sheng Kuang stopped in his tracks and suddenly blurted out these words.
Lin Jing on the other end of the line went silent.
Sheng Kuang said again, "Lin Jing, I love you very much."
Lin Jing's phone dropped to the floor. The next second, Lin Jing's voice came through: "Why are you suddenly so sentimental, Sheng Kuang? Did you do something to betray me in England?"
"No." Sheng Kuang's tone was soft and gentle. "I just felt I should tell you that I love you very much."
Lin Jing hung up the phone with a click.
Just as Sheng Kuang was about to call back, a message popped up on his screen.
It was from Lin Jing.
"I love you too."
Sheng Kuang looked at the phone screen and smiled.
A gust of wind blew, scattering the notebook in his hand. A small note tucked inside fluttered to the ground.
Sheng Kuang bent down to pick it up.
He saw a line of elegant, small characters written on the note:
The 108 calls you received were all my attempts to hear your voice.
[End of Text]
Finally finished writing the grand finale in one go~~~~ I was in a bad state last year, thank you all for your understanding!
See you with a new book this month.
The new book will be an attempt at a new style I haven't written before, which is Xianxia!
And on April 8th night, Saturday night, "Your Call" will be available for pre-order! Limited edition signed copies! Those interested can keep an eye on Weibo.
And this might be the last book I do special signed editions for, it's just too tiring, I can't handle it anymore~~~~~~~ Love you all~ Let's work together in 2023 to start a new chapter!