That night's chat actually didn't last very much longer. After Shasha promised not to tell anyone, Wang Chuqin insisted on walking her back to her room, saying it was too late and unsafe outside.
She felt too embarrassed to tell the boy her real reason for wandering outside in the middle of the night. So, enduring her hunger, Shasha allowed herself to be "escorted back" to her room, and even had to express her gratitude.
During the next day's matches, the women's singles finished early. Exhibiting her trademark tenacious fighting spirit, Shasha managed to claw back a game 12-10 from a 0:2 deficit, though she ultimately lost the match 4:2.
Chapter 28