Chapter 199: Gathering in Yangcheng
by xennovelYangcheng Restaurant.
Xu Chen’s phone rang suddenly—it was an unfamiliar number from Beijing.
He answered and heard the voice of Cheng Hong, Xie Bingran’s team coach.
Cheng Hong called to inform him that at 4:30 p.m., there was a celebratory event organized by the State Athletics Team, and Xie Bingran had to attend.
Originally, Cheng Hong had tried to decline for her, but since Xie Bingran broke the 1993 record, top officials from the General Administration wanted to come and personally award her a bonus.
Xu Chen held the phone and glanced at Xie Bingran beside him.
A bit puzzled, he asked in the call:
“Cheng, why didn’t you call Xie Bingran directly? Why reach out to me first?”
Cheng Hong replied with a hint of exasperation:
“She listens to you.”
……
Xu Chen hung up and told Xie Bingran about it.
Bing Ge looked like she didn’t want to give anyone the time of day, clearly reluctant to go.
Xu Chen smiled and said:
“It’s top officials from the General Administration, Bing Ge. You should show some respect.
I just checked—the event is organized by the State Athletics Team, near White Cloud Mountain.
We don’t have anything else on this afternoon, so let’s go climb White Cloud Mountain together.
Once you’re done with the celebration, we can head out from there…”
Xie Bingran simply said “Oh,” which meant she agreed.
Wu Feifei, overhearing the conversation, chimed in:
“Are we going hiking? Count us in!”
Xu Chen: “……”
In a few quick exchanges, what started as just climbing White Cloud Mountain turned into a group outing.
“It’s perfect since we’re leaving Yangcheng tomorrow—hiking White Cloud Mountain sounds great!”
“I heard there’s a spiritual temple called Neng Ren Temple on the mountain; President Xu, you should definitely visit it!”
“Anywhere we go is hot, but White Cloud Mountain should be cooler up there!”
“I just looked it up—we can drive right up, and if it’s too tiring, we can go halfway by car!”
Xu Chen quickly added:
“Then at White Cloud Mountain’s West Gate, drop Xie Bingran and me off first!
I’ll take her to the event near the West Gate later…”
……
……
After the meal, everyone waited downstairs for the bus.
Xu Chen and Feng Siliang held a short teleconference with several local media from Tiancheng, re-planning the next two days’ publicity.
Xu Chen had already arranged everything before coming to Yangcheng.
But today’s publicity with the Tiancheng group was a hit, especially since it made it onto national TV, giving Secretary Xia from the Publicity Department a big boost, so he specifically called Feng Siliang to ensure Xu Chen oversaw and shared more ideas.
Xie Bingran stood with Li Rui, Zhao Feng, and the other guys.
Around Bing Ge, the group relaxed more, slapping backs, laughing, joking, and passing cigarettes around.
They shared stories from Tiancheng, including life at President Xu’s factory and updates on their friends.
Xie Bingran didn’t say much, just listened quietly and smiled occasionally.
Wu Feifei sat on the steps, watching Bing Ge with the guys, lost in thought.
She turned to Huang Qianqian and said:
“I really envy Bing Ge, having such great friends…”
……
……
A bus pulled up—it was arranged by Yue Jie from the Administrative Department, the same one that brought Li Rui and the others that morning.
Everyone lined up and boarded.
Xu Chen and Feng Siliang finished their call and got on the bus.
Glancing back from the front, Xu Chen saw Xie Bingran sitting alone in a back row with an empty seat beside her.
As if by unspoken agreement, no one dared sit next to Bing Ge.
Xu Chen chuckled and walked straight back to sit with her.
Xie Bingran hugged her brown backpack and shifted over a little.
The bus started up and headed north toward White Cloud Mountain.
Up front, Huang Qianqian and Wu Feifei were still excited, snapping photos of the outside with their phones and cameras.
Xu Zhiquan and Yang Congxin sat together, discussing production lines and battery suppliers.
They called Fang Jun over midway to sort out some accounts.
Xie Bingran’s friends stayed quiet and well-behaved on the bus.
Maybe they were worn out from the morning run and dozing off.
Xu Chen looked at Xie Bingran beside him:
“Want to catch some sleep?”
Xie Bingran blinked her big eyes and shook her head gently.
Xu Chen: “Yangcheng has some amazing restaurants; I could take you for a treat.”
“Oh.”
Wu Feifei turned around: “We’re coming too!”
Xu Chen: “……”
Wu Feifei grinned:
“We won’t be third wheels, but you’re busy with projects, right?
While you’re handling that, Huang Qianqian and I can take Bing Ge out for fun!”
……
……
As per Xu Chen’s request, the bus first stopped at White Cloud Mountain’s West Gate, dropping off Xu Chen and Xie Bingran before turning around with the others.
They walked to the ticket booth, and Xu Chen grabbed a map to look over.
He’d climbed White Cloud Mountain in a past life but couldn’t remember the details.
“Let’s just wander around. I’ll get you out by four o’clock…”
“Oh.”
……
They bought two tickets and headed inside, each with their backpack.
The West Gate had fewer tourists, offering a bit of peace away from the crowds.
Xie Bingran walked quietly, glanced at Xu Chen, and said softly:
“You’re quieter than usual today.”
Xu Chen smiled: “I’m still buzzing from your win!”
He suddenly remembered something: “Almost forgot…”
He took off his backpack, pulled out a box, and handed it to Xie Bingran.
“Congratulations on your victory—this is my gift to you.”
Xie Bingran took the box, looked at it, and pressed her lips together without a word.
“What’s wrong? Don’t like it?”
Xie Bingran: “You always buy me expensive things.”
In her hands was a new mobile phone.
“The phone you gave me before, I haven’t even used it for six months.”
Xu Chen: “You’re a national champion now, so you deserve something better. Besides, the one I gave you was used.”
Xie Bingran: “It wasn’t used…”
Xu Chen led her to a nearby pavilion and sat down.
He took the phone and started to unwrap it.
Xie Bingran reached out to stop him:
“Don’t open it! I’ve taken too much from you already.”
She still wore the sports watch he’d given her…
Xu Chen chuckled and opened the box anyway.
Then he pulled his own Nokia N70 from his pocket.
The two phones looked identical side by side.
Xie Bingran looked down and finally smiled.
She thought for a moment: “Then I’ll use the old one, and you take the new.”
Xu Chen: “You’re the new national record holder, so you get the new phone!”
He held out his hand: “Give me the old one; I’ll swap the SIM card.”
Xie Bingran looked up at Xu Chen but handed over the old phone.
In a few quick moves, he switched the SIM card.
The phone booted up with the classic Nokia handshake animation.
“This one’s better for browsing the web!”
He passed her the new phone.
Xie Bingran flipped through it, frowned, and said:
“What about the messages on the old phone?”
Xu Chen paused—it was a hassle.
Feature phones back then were limited; you couldn’t back up messages between brands easily.
“Any important messages? Just take photos of them.”
Xie Bingran murmured:
“They’re all from you…”
Xu Chen was quiet for a moment, then smiled:
“From now on, let’s chat on QQ. The records stay online.”
“Oh…”
Xie Bingran blinked, then pointed at Xu Chen’s backpack: “Can I have that too?”
“Huh?”
“Not the bag—I mean that…”
Xu Chen looked down.
When he grabbed the phone, the backpack zipper was open, revealing a red banner inside.
Xie Bingran reached in and pulled out the banner.
She unfolded it and saw the words: ‘I’m in Tiancheng missing you…’
She hugged the banner and looked up at Xu Chen:
“Give this to me. I like it.”
Xu Chen hesitated, then nodded: “Sure…”
Xie Bingran smiled brightly, looking genuinely happy.
She stood, shook out the large banner, folded it neatly into a square, and tucked it carefully into her backpack.
……
Xu Chen: “Thirsty? Let’s grab a bottle of water later.”
Xie Bingran nodded.
She suddenly tensed, a flash of alert in her eyes, and turned toward the right.
Xu Chen blinked in surprise and followed her gaze, then sighed:
“You three are like shadows—why sneak around?”
From behind a rock formation, Wu Feifei, Huang Qianqian, and Fang Jun emerged, looking a bit sheepish.
Who knew how long they’d been watching…
Wu Feifei laughed:
“We didn’t want to hit the old folks’ temple, so we came your way.”
Xu Chen: “……”
Huang Qianqian: “We’re not crashing your vibe—just doing our own thing.”
“……”
Fang Jun said flatly:
“Running low on water?”
She walked over and handed them two fresh bottles.
“……”
Xu Chen took them with an awkward smile:
“Thanks, Fang Jun.”
Fang Jun glanced at Xu Chen, her expression neutral but hinting at something deeper.
Xu Chen frowned:
“What?”
Fang Jun looked back at Wu Feifei and Huang Qianqian, then said quietly:
“Your dad in Yangcheng—nothing like an old flame or ex, right?”
Xu Chen: “??”