Until the person in his arms inadvertently let out a sharp gasp of pain, Wang Chuqin abruptly snapped back to his scattered senses.
He hurriedly propped up half his body with his left hand, raised his head, stroked the girl's head, and asked anxiously with a face full of worry.
"Baby, what's wrong? Did I touch your injury?"
The girl in his arms looked at him with big, deer-like, watery eyes and gently shook her head. She didn't speak, just stared at him.
The room was dark, and with his back to the moonlight outside the window, Shasha couldn't see his face clearly, only feeling that his eyes were shining brightly. The girl reached out her left hand and gently stroked Wang Chuqin's face. They hadn't seen each other in a month, and he had lost so much weight; the baby fat on his chin was gone, revealing a sharply defined jawline.
At this close distance, she could feel the exhaustion of the man before her. She knew he had spent the past month suffering deeply. And so had she. In the past, as long as they were by each other's side, even without speaking, they could sense each other's subtle emotional shifts. Now, even across the ocean, the pain seemed to be shared.
Shasha traced his face gently with her fingers, her heart aching terribly. Clearly, he was so talented, worked so hard, and played so brilliantly, yet he was willing to give up the chance to reach the world's highest peak for her sake, just to live an ordinary life.
He was so good, yet she had broken up with him, treating him so badly and breaking his heart. But still, he ran to her time and time again, smiling at her gently. Clearly, he was such a proud person, yet before her, he lowered his head time and time again without any principles.
Could she still be worthy of his love now?
The doctor said that compared to her wrist and shoulder injuries, the adverse reactions from the pain-blocking injections in her knees might cause even more serious problems. If she could never play table tennis again, she would no longer be the world's number one female player, nor could she accompany him to win more trophies. She might lose everything she was once proud of, becoming an ordinary person—even worse off than an ordinary person.
The girl's eyes suddenly turned red, moisture instantly gathering in her eye sockets, and crystal-clear tears rolled down her cheeks, dripping onto the man's arm.
Wang Chuqin felt a slight chill drop onto his arm, and when he realized it was Shasha's tears, his heart suddenly trembled.
"What's wrong, baby? Please don't cry. Does it hurt somewhere? Tell me where it hurts, please."
Wang Chuqin's heart felt as though it had been slashed by a knife, bleeding continuously, a tearing pain that made his heart ache beyond bearing.
"It's all my fault. Please don't cry anymore... I was wrong, I was really wrong..."
Wang Chuqin was at a complete loss, hurriedly using the back of his hand to wipe away her tears. But the girl's tears only seemed to multiply, gushing out unstoppably.
Throughout these days, the physical pain, the hopeless future, and the torment of love had converged into a bottomless abyss, devouring Shasha's resilience and confidence, leaving her exceptionally fragile.
Finally, before this man—the lover she relied on most—her last line of defense collapsed.
He couldn't stop her tears, and she wouldn't say a word. He didn't know why he had made her cry again, or if the surgical incisions on her body were hurting once more.
Almost instinctively, he lowered his head to kiss her, hoping to distract her.
He kissed her cheeks, her eyes, her tiny ears, and her soft, sweet lips. The back of his hand gently stroked her back and hair, soothing her gently.
The effect was quite evident; the girl's soft sobbing gradually turned into breathy whimpers. Finally, Shasha's breathing slowly steadied, her eyes closed quietly, and she gradually drifted off into a dream. The girl looked exceptionally docile and adorable as she slept.
Wang Chuqin looked at the girl's watery face, gently got up, tucked the blanket around Shasha, and then quietly opened the door and walked out.
Deep in the night in City A, the air carried a biting chill.
As Wang Chuqin walked back to the hotel, his chest felt burning and swollen, filled with both heartache and sweetness.
Shasha, no matter what difficulties we encounter, I will face them with you. Even if you want to push me away, I will not leave.
The world is vast and the road ahead is long, but you are also a part of my dream. The championship and you—I will never let go of either!
Shasha, my future will always have you in it.