Chapter 133: Icy Encounter at the Banquet

Xie Bingran chewed on a protein bar and fished a bottle of water from her backpack.

She rummaged around but found only that one bottle left.

Without hesitation, she handed it to Xu Chen.

Xu Chen made no fuss—he grabbed it and casually twisted off the cap.

He stopped at the roadside, tilted his head back, lifted the bottle, and gulped down the water with loud “gulp gulp” sounds.

After a few big swigs—never touching the rim of the bottle with his mouth—he passed the half-empty bottle back to Xie Bingran.

“I don’t mind you’re dirty…” Xie Bingran began.

She paused, sensing something was off. Her cold, somber eyes fluttered with unease.

Right. Even if she didn’t mind, sharing the same bottle that close to his mouth was a step too far.

After all… they weren’t that close yet.

Xie Bingran glanced away, then downed the rest of the water with a “gulp gulp.”

“What did that national team coach say?” Xu Chen asked.

Xie Bingran replied, “He asked about my background—age, training, results and so on.

He also inquired about my family…”

“Then he said there’d be more procedures ahead, coordinated through the Provincial Team…”

Xu Chen said, “That’s it?”

“That’s it…” Xie Bingran confirmed.

“Do you know what procedures those are? They’re the steps to join the National Team!”

“Oh.”

“…”

Xie Bingran didn’t seem fazed. She added,

“He mentioned I still have three and a half competitors ahead of me.”

Xu Chen frowned, “Three and a half… what does that mean?”

“It means in the women’s 100m hurdles nationwide, only three and a half people have better times than me.”

Xu Chen laughed, “You’re only seventeen and have trained for just two months. Overtaking those three and a half won’t take long…

But what’s with the half person?”

Xie Bingran said, “There’s a senior on the National Team who’s roughly the second best in the country…

But she’s older now and her times are slipping. She’s expected to retire within six months.”

Athletes live on their youth; their peak only lasts a few years. Once it’s gone, they have to retire.

And after retirement comes decades of life ahead. Without a plan, things can get rough.

In fact, even some national-level athletes—even Olympic champions—struggle after they retire…

Thankfully, Xu Chen had already mapped out a future for Xie Bingran.

Besides, given Xie Bingran’s achievements and reputation, she needn’t worry about her next steps.

Although “Bing Ge” now only receives team stipends and prize money, once she really makes her name, she’ll become a bona fide young wealthy woman.

…

…

The two of them staggered into the hotel.

This was the hotel designated by the National Youth Games committee for the athletes.

It wasn’t luxurious but was clean and well-kept, with everything an athlete needed.

On the second floor was a self-service restaurant.

Xie Bingran pulled out two meal vouchers from her pocket and handed them to the attendant at the door.

Then she led Xu Chen inside the dining hall.

The restaurant was fairly spacious. In the center stood a square island of dishes, with four or five chefs and servers busy at work.

Tables and chairs surrounded the central buffet.

Not many diners were there—just athletes and coaches from various provinces.

A large TV mounted in the corner played Five Star Sports Channel’s special coverage of the National Youth Games.

Xie Bingran and Xu Chen found a window-side table and set down their backpacks.

They grabbed empty plates and headed to the buffet island for food.

The spread was abundant and looked delicious.

They each piled a big plate and grabbed some fruit juice before returning to their seats.

Xie Bingran shrugged off her team jacket, revealing the ice-blue singlet she’d just won her race in.

Xu Chen glanced at her shoulders and arms—the muscle lines looked much more defined than the last time he’d seen her.

“Something on your mind?” Xie Bingran asked, chewing a piece of meat.

Xu Chen almost said, “You’ve gotten stronger,” but changed it to,

“Your muscle lines look even better!”

Xie Bingran’s expression stayed frosty; she ignored him.

“Bing Ge’s” facial features were sharper and more refined than before…

A few athletes dining nearby recognized Xie Bingran and approached them.

“Congratulations, Bing Ge!”

Maybe they knew her already or had just learned about her upset victory this morning.

Xie Bingran’s expression remained cold, but she nodded at them—her way of greeting and expressing thanks.

That morning’s race had stirred quite a buzz among the competitors.

After all, the promotional blitz for the Shanghai Twin Stars had raised attention on the women’s 100m hurdles.

And Xie Bingran had seized the title as a dark horse, earning envy from many athletes.

But athletes know better than spectators how hard it is to improve times on the track.

Success in athletics can be a fluke, but it’s extremely rare.

Especially in short-distance events—it’s all about raw ability, not luck.

“Words can’t crown a warrior above all others.”

The more you’ve been on the track, the more you respect true power.

…

Just as Xie Bingran and Xu Chen were finishing up, two more people entered the restaurant.

They scanned the room and, spotting Xie Bingran by the window, walked straight over.

Xu Chen turned and saw it was the Shanghai Twin Stars—Bai Miao and Dong Jiajia.

Earlier at the arena they’d only seen them on the big screen from afar; now they stood right in front of them.

Bai Miao was fair-skinned and petite, about 1.7 meters tall.

Dong Jiajia was darker and taller but still slightly shorter than Bing Ge.

Both were pretty girls—no wonder they were teamed as the Twin Stars.

They approached Xie Bingran nervously.

Bai Miao said, “Xie Bingran, we knew you’d be here.”

Xie Bingran frowned and turned to them with a frosty expression.

“What is it?”

Her sharp, fierce aura startled Bai Miao into silence.

Dong Jiajia spoke up, “It’s nothing big… we just wanted to introduce ourselves.”

Bai Miao hesitated, then added,

“Yeah… you beat both of us—we think that’s impressive. We might meet again on the track.

So we thought we could… be friends.”

Possibly intimidated by Bing Ge’s tone, the fair-skinned girl spoke timidly.

What she didn’t know was Bing Ge always spoke this way.

Only with Xu Chen did she soften her tone…

Xu Chen couldn’t help smiling and gave Xie Bingran a look.

His eyes said: cut them some slack—don’t scare the poor girls.

Xie Bingran glanced at Xu Chen, though it was hard to tell if she got his meaning.

She stayed seated and lazily turned around.

Then, with a cold expression, she extended her right hand,

“I’m Xie Bingran.”

Bai Miao blinked, then offered her pale hand and shook Bing Ge’s firmly.

“I’m Bai Miao.”

Dong Jiajia followed suit, “I’m Dong Jiajia.”

After the handshake, Xie Bingran seemed bored and turned back to her food.

The two Twin Stars stood awkwardly.

Xu Chen knew Xie Bingran’s nature—she meant no ill will but genuinely disliked strangers,

especially “little girls.”

And Bai Miao and Dong Jiajia, though athletes, carried a soft, pampered aura typical of Shanghai’s elite…

exactly the type Bing Ge preferred to avoid.

Xu Chen laughed and said,

“Our Bing Ge’s just like that.”

Bai Miao smiled softly, “We’ve heard…

And Bing Ge, Dong Jiajia and I are all from Shanghai. If you ever compete or visit here, feel free to look us up.

I heard you’re a senior in high school—if you come to college in Shanghai, we can hang out then.”

Seeing Xie Bingran still cold and aloof, Xu Chen cleared his throat and gave her another look.

This time she turned her face over, brushed a strand of hair from her forehead, and whispered,

“Thank you.”

Bai Miao beamed, “Then how about we exchange contact info?”

“…”

Xie Bingran didn’t respond, and the atmosphere froze again.

Bai Miao hesitated, glanced at Dong Jiajia as if seeking help.

Dong Jiajia smiled at Xu Chen, “You’re Xie Bingran’s friend, right? You could exchange contacts with us. That way, whenever you two come to Shanghai, you can reach out.”

Xu Chen felt awkward—this was an odd approach—but out of courtesy, he reached for his phone.

At that moment, he sensed a cold glint.

He looked at Xie Bingran; Bing Ge was giving him a “Don’t you dare” glare.

“…”

Frightened, Xu Chen drew back and slipped his phone back into his pocket.

He picked up his glass of orange juice and took a gulp.

Suddenly Xie Bingran coughed, stood up, and said,

“No need to ask him for his phone. Mine’ll do.”

Xu Chen: “…”

Bai Miao’s face lit up, “Great! Whenever we come to your events, we’ll look you up!”

The three girls each pulled out their phones and finally exchanged contact information.

Xu Chen watched quietly and couldn’t help shaking his head with a smile.

…

Bai Miao and Dong Jiajia turned to leave.

They hadn’t gone far when Bai Miao’s voice drifted back,

“Bing Ge really is so cool…”