Chapter 106: Torn Cruciate Ligament in the Knee (You weren’t really fooled by yesterday’s April Fools’ joke, were you?)

Generally speaking, university campuses are quite vast. Some particularly large campuses even have internal bus routes so students do not have to trek for miles just to get a meal. As one of the nation's premier institutions, Beijing Normal University covers a significant amount of ground, even in the heart of Beijing. Universities typically do not allow vehicles to enter at will, so the four buses brought by Yunjia Tianyu could only park outside the school. Before the match, the players had walked the entire way, a distance estimated to be around two thousand meters from the parking area to the field.

Ding Yu and the others had intended to have the buses driven onto campus, but Long Bisheng could not wait for that; he simply scooped Ning Xi up and began running toward the exit—a feat not too difficult given his strength.

Thus, a peculiar sight unfolded at Beijing Normal University: a boy over one meter eighty tall, with a face still full of youthful innocence, was sprinting for his life while cradling a girl drenched in sweat. Behind him followed a crowd in silent pursuit—elderly people, middle-aged individuals, but mostly youths and children, both male and female. It was a truly spectacular scene.

Curled up in Long Bisheng’s arms, Ning Xi felt the pain in her body persist, yet as she watched beads of sweat slowly form on his forehead, heard his heavy, ragged breathing, and felt the warmth and vibrant vitality radiating from him, her heart gradually calmed.

"A-Long, my legs hurt so much... Will I never be able to play soccer again?" Ning Xi suddenly asked in a soft voice.

"Hoo... Don't think like that... I'll have you on the bus in a moment, and we’ll head straight to the hospital... Hoo, this is Beijing. The best doctors in the country are here; they will definitely be able to heal you. Even if they can’t, I’ll send you to Europe. They have the best sports injury specialists in the world. Think about it, so many players with serious injuries recover, why wouldn't you?" Long Bisheng answered, panting as he pushed forward.

"But that costs so much money. My family doesn't have that kind of money. My dad is just an ordinary worker and my mom is a housewife. If the school hadn't recruited me back then, I definitely would have given up on soccer," Ning Xi said gently.

Long Bisheng paused for a second, then immediately quickened his pace. "It doesn't matter, I have money... No, I don't have much, but Brother Li Fang is very wealthy. He’s a starter in Serie A now, a big star with a high income. He left me a million a few months ago, and I haven't touched it. I can use that now. I’m sure Brother Li Fang wouldn't mind. If that's not enough, I can borrow from others. I’ll definitely become a big star too and earn lots of money; people will definitely be willing to lend to me."

Long Bisheng kept talking, as if only this could calm his restless heart. He did not notice the growing tenderness in Ning Xi’s eyes as she looked at him. "Why are you so good to me, A-Long?" Ning Xi whispered. "I know. I probably won't be able to play like this anymore... I’m thirteen, and I haven't studied much. If I can't play, I’ll surely end up working in my dad’s factory as a laborer. Why are you so good to me? You work so hard at soccer; you’ll definitely be a big star later... I think when we grow up, we’ll slowly forget each other. Time, distance..."

She suddenly began to sing softly:

"Yellowed photographs, ancient letters, and faded Christmas cards.
The song I wrote for you in my youth—I fear you’ve long forgotten it.
Past promises are like the colorful bookmarks in a textbook,
Carving out so many beautiful poems, yet in the end, they are but smoke..."

Long Bisheng bit his lip, saying nothing, just listening quietly as Ning Xi sang "Story of Time" in a voice that had begun to waver. He knew why she chose the second verse.

Why was he so good to her? Because of that encounter last winter. Because of those warm smiles. Because of the days spent playing soccer together in the pine woods, and because of the songs they had sung together.

Would he ever forget her? No. Never. He would not forget how she spoke up for him when others mocked him, how she taught him technique again and again when he struggled, and he would certainly never forget the year they spent together. To him, that had been such a warm environment, such a cherished memory.

As she sang, Ning Xi eventually fell silent. A hot droplet fell onto her face. She didn't need to look up to know that two lines of tears were streaming down Long Bisheng’s face.

Ning Xi said no more, simply reaching out to wrap her arms firmly around his neck to lighten his burden.

"The... the school gate... hoo, hoo, almost... almost there." Long Bisheng could already see the gate. He saw the bus driver had pulled up to the entrance. Without official orders, the guards would not let the bus enter, which was why Ding Yu and the others hadn't called for them to come in.

Long Bisheng did not hesitate; he rushed out of the gate, hurried onto the bus with Ning Xi, and because the space inside was cramped and he feared jarring her legs, he had to sit down while holding her horizontally across his lap, shouting at the driver, "Drive, hurry!"

"What’s the rush? What’s the rush?" It was not the driver who spoke, but Ding Yu, who had followed them onto the bus. "What good will you do by going alone? Do you even know where the hospital entrance is? You little brat, you really think you’re an adult now?"

Long Bisheng was left speechless. Seeing his awkward expression, Ning Xi, despite the intense pain in her legs, couldn't help but laugh.

"Don't have so many people go, what for? Too many people just cause trouble!" Rad began organizing from outside the bus. "Coach Jian, go. She is your player. Coach Ding, why are you going too? Oh, that big guy is your student, fine, you go too. Coach Xia, your legs are not well, you don't need to go. Two coaches are enough... Team doctor, you come along too, to look after things on the way... Everyone else, return to the guesthouse. If there isn't enough room, go in two shifts!"

Following Rad’s instructions, Jian Ying and the team doctor quickly boarded, and the driver immediately started the bus, heading toward the Third Affiliated Hospital of Peking University—the most famous hospital in Beijing for treating sports injuries and a common destination for national-level athletes.

Ding Yu helped Long Bisheng adjust the backrests of the two seats he was occupying, allowing Long Bisheng to lean back more comfortably and position Ning Xi so she could rest her legs across his lap. Jian Ying cradled Ning Xi’s head with a look of deep affection.

Jian Ying was incredibly fond of Ning Xi. Whenever she saw the girl running heroically on the pitch, she seemed to see her younger self. This young girl was so bright and graceful, yet Jian Ying never expected that the same misfortune she had once suffered would befall Ning Xi. She had been worried when she saw Ning Xi frequently using those moves that put such immense strain on the knees, but who could have known that this fear would become reality so quickly?

She herself had retired only after winning the World Cup, but Ning Xi? She was only thirteen! Her soccer career hadn't even truly begun; was it to end already? Heavens, you are too unfair!

It was because of this that Jian Ying abandoned her duties as head coach and insisted on accompanying Ning Xi to the hospital. She believed that her presence could provide some comfort. To her, no match was worth more than caring for Ning Xi at this moment. Fortunately, after consulting with the Shanghai women's team, the referee had decisively ended the match a few minutes early—no one wanted to see such an incident, and at a time like this, any championship lost its meaning.

However, when Jian Ying saw the anxious look on Long Bisheng’s face, she felt slightly comforted. Back when she was injured, Nie Fei had stayed by her side, even missing critical games for Roma without hesitation—a decision that reportedly strained his relationship with the club and nearly cost him his starting position. With someone like that by her side, perhaps Ning Xi’s pain would be a little easier to bear.

The team doctor came over to check Ning Xi’s knees again, applied some pain-relieving spray, and then gave Jian Ying a look before walking toward the back of the bus with a solemn expression.

Jian Ying’s heart trembled. She handed her spot to Ding Yu, gave Ning Xi a calm smile, and followed the doctor to the back.

"The situation... it’s not too bad, is it?" Jian Ying asked, clinging to a glimmer of hope.

Seeing that Ning Xi was looking toward them, the doctor forced a dry smile, turned his head to shield his face from Ning Xi, and whispered to Jian Ying, "It’s not good... My preliminary diagnosis is a likely tear of the anterior cruciate ligament."

Although she had been mentally prepared, Jian Ying still struggled to bear it. She instinctively covered her mouth, then immediately lowered her hand, reminding herself not to lose composure, lest the sharp-witted young girl behind her guess the truth. This only made her heart ache even more. "Are you sure? You... please, don't just say things like that, okay?"