The dinner gathering at Coach Long's home finally broke up close to ten o'clock, and everyone's family members had come to pick them up.
Yao Yan supported a visibly unsteady Xu Xin, her face full of heartache. While muttering that he shouldn't drink so much next time, she smiled and said she was going to film his current state to show their son.
Actually, Xu Xin wasn't that drunk. He still had the energy to laugh and block his wife's phone with one hand while begging for mercy, "I won't do it again, I really won't do it next time." The two of them bantered and chased each other, looking just like a young couple.
Wang Manyu crossed her arms and stood at the bottom of the steps, giving Lin Gaoyuan—who looked completely sober as he stood in the hallway—a look that clearly said, "You better start explaining right now."
Lin Mingming had an alcohol allergy and didn't drink a drop, yet Lin Gaoyuan had specifically called her to come pick him up after getting drunk. Was his skin itching for a beating just for fun?
Lin Gaoyuan let out a sweet "Manman," covering the distance in double-time as he hurried over to his girlfriend's side and pulled her into a sudden hug.
Manman had already been ambushed by this kind of sudden affection many times, but she still enjoyed it. She softly hummed an acknowledgement, not struggling to break free from Lin Gaoyuan's embrace.
Captain Long looked at these two affectionate couples, his brow relaxing slightly. His wife and children were away on vacation, and he was starting to miss them. Well, once he saw everyone off, he should hurry up and call his wife.
Amidst his thoughts, Wang Chuqin squeezed out of the house as well, walking down to the hallway and seeing the others. He greeted Yao Yan as Sister-in-law and called out, "Sister Manyu."
Seeing the state he was in, Wang Manyu knew exactly what was going on. Remembering that the situation on Shasha's end probably wasn't much better, she found herself at a loss for how to address it directly with him.
After a moment of thought, she frowned and said, "You won't be able to drive tonight. Come with us in our car, and we can drop you off on the way."
Wang Chuqin nodded, turned around, and pulled his car keys out of his pocket to hand them to Captain Long.
"Brother Long, can you drive my car back to the team base for me tomorrow?"
Captain Long nodded. Everyone said their goodbyes and got into their respective cars to head home.
Wang Manyu pulled open the car door and prepared to get into the driver's seat when Lin Gaoyuan tugged on her sleeve, his tone somewhat spoiled and clingy, "Manman, let me drive today. You had a hard enough time coming out to pick me up. I didn't interrupt your training, did I?"
Upon hearing this, Wang Datou gazed up at the sky, refusing to look at Lin Gaoyuan acting like such a pampered boyfriend.
Sorry, but as of today, he was disowning this brother! He couldn't bear to look—not even a glance—his eyes were going to go blind.
He couldn't stand it; he genuinely couldn't stand how a grown man could act so spoiled toward a woman. It was just too sickening.
Wang Datou couldn't stand Lin Gaoyuan's routine, and Lin Gaoyuan equally couldn't stand the way Wang Datou usually acted in front of Sun Yingsha.
That sneaky, wretched expression of his, smiling all gooey and looking so utterly spineless. As a member of the Men's Team, he spent every day hanging around the Women's Team, making the entire Men's Team lose face in front of them! A total disgrace to the Men's Team!
Just because of this love-struck brain, the Chinese National Table Tennis Team kept trending on hot searches every day; he deserved to taste the bitterness of love a little more.
Wang Manyu saw right through the two brothers' mutual complaints and their daily bickering, and she couldn't help rolling her eyes.
Still, she didn't think there was anything wrong with Gaoyuan acting this way toward her. After all, Gaoyuan only ever acted like this around her alone; the two of them were happy with it, and if outsiders couldn't stand it, they could just get lost and look away.
So, she gave Wang Datou a look that meant *stop being so boring and get in the car already*. Then she yielded the driver's seat to Gaoyuan and got into the front passenger seat herself.
Gaoyuan smiled triumphantly, practically skipping over to start the car. He even leaned across to the passenger side to fasten Manyu's seatbelt, delivering yet another blow of sweet torture to Wang Datou.
Once Wang Datou got into the car, a blast of cold wind sobered him up a bit, and he promptly plunged back into his heartbreaking sorrow over unrequited love.