Chapter 287: Strolls in a Foreign City

After dinner, Xu Chen and Xie Bingran wandered hand in hand through the streets of Osaka.

The hotel was about two kilometers away, so they decided to walk back.

Xu Chen worried Xie Bingran might be tired; she’d run a top-tier Asian competition that day after all.

Bing Ge seemed unfazed though, casually saying:

“I’ll just sleep it off. Today’s intensity was actually lighter than usual…”

That gave Xu Chen a glimpse of how grueling her daily training must be.

At least with the competition over, she could relax for three or five days.

Over dinner, Xie Bingran chatted about the event.

Back home or abroad, there are tons of competitions to join, sometimes one every month if they’re packed.

The national team keeps a steady rhythm of training and events, focusing on the top three to five key ones.

Above all, it’s about boosting athletes’ performance.

Competing is just a way to help improve skills.

It builds mental toughness for big games and turns competitive edge into second nature…

The year’s biggest event is undoubtedly the Asian Games at year-end.

There are events in October and November, but the coaching staff hasn’t decided if Xie Bingran will participate.

Xu Chen saw that as a good thing; they needed to consider Bing Ge’s physical limits.

Even a talent like her couldn’t handle endless strain; balance is key for longevity.

Luckily, Xie Bingran is a key player on the national team now, with top coaches and doctors monitoring her condition.

Plus, with Bing Ge’s fearless personality, no one could force her onto the track.

Xu Chen reminded her again.

The main thing was to stay healthy, avoid injuries, and keep going strong on the track.

Bing Ge brushed it off with confidence:

“Don’t worry, I’ve got it under control.”

…

Passing a mall, Xu Chen bought a box of ‘Shiroi Koibito’ chocolate biscuits.

Xie Bingran looked puzzled, so Xu Chen grinned and said:

“This is to bribe Bai Miao later.”

Xie Bingran held Xu Chen’s hand and smiled happily.

…

Back at the hotel, it was past nine at night.

Xie Bingran dutifully messaged Coach Cheng to say she’d returned safely.

As the team leader, Coach Cheng had to check in.

So Xie Bingran hugged the box of biscuits and headed upstairs alone to her room with Bai Miao.

Feeling a bit peckish, Xu Chen stopped at the nearby Lawson convenience store and grabbed two cans of local Asahi beer.

He cracked one open and sipped as he went up to his room.

…

Turning on the TV brought a stream of lively Japanese talk shows.

Xu Chen just let it play for background noise, downed half the beer, then stripped down for a shower.

…

Ten minutes later, Xu Chen stepped out of the bathroom in shorts and nearly jumped when Xie Bingran walked in.

“Sorted things with Bai Miao?” Xu Chen asked with a smile.

Xie Bingran: “Mm…”

She looked awkward, her eyes darting away from him.

Xu Chen glanced down and realized his shorts weren’t exactly modest.

Maybe the beer was hitting him, because he flashed a mischievous grin and cornered her against the wall…

Then pulled her into his arms.

Xie Bingran tensed up but nestled against him anyway.

She clung to him, not as relaxed as before, clearly uneasy.

His hands wandered around her waist, losing control a bit.

Panicked, Xie Bingran pushed him away:

“I need to… shower.”

Before he could respond, she dashed into the bathroom.

Xu Chen sighed and opened another beer.

…

After about ten minutes, the water stopped, and Xu Chen went to the door:

“Want me to dry your hair?”

Xie Bingran hesitated: “I’ll do it myself.”

But Xu Chen pushed the door open: “I’m helping anyway.”

Xie Bingran stood there in a white robe, her wet hair a mess, her eyes flustered.

Without a word, Xu Chen grabbed the hair dryer and started it up with a whir.

He didn’t seem up to anything else, so she relaxed a little, biting her lip as he worked.

His fingers wove through her hair, the warm air sending tingles across her skin.

Once done, Xu Chen set the dryer down and hugged her again.

…

The night stretched on.

Lights out, just one big bed.

They lay face to face, the glow from outside lights catching the sparkle in their eyes.

Xu Chen felt a bit tipsy, his eyelids growing heavy.

He drifted off, his breathing steady and deep.

In the dark, Xie Bingran blinked wide-eyed.

She reached out, touching his lips, then hers.

“Xu Chen… I’m not ready yet…” she whispered.

In the darkness, Xu Chen murmured:

“I know.”

Xie Bingran pursed her lips, a strange wave of grievance washing over her.

Without opening his eyes, Xu Chen lifted his arm.

She smiled and snuggled in.

…

…

When Xu Chen woke the next morning, Xie Bingran was gone.

He felt the warmth still on her side of the bed.

Bing Ge had a national team meeting that morning and would meet him at Kansai Airport around noon for a quick goodbye.

Nie Fei and Wu Feifei were still in Osaka but left together that morning.

They planned to hit Nara first, then head to Kyoto…

So the morning was all Xu Chen’s.

He enjoyed a leisurely breakfast in the hotel restaurant, then checked out.

Not in the mood for specific sights, he wandered back toward Nagai Stadium.

Nearby was Nagai Park, perfect for some quiet alone time.

Xu Chen sat by the lake watching fish, then strolled through the botanical garden and natural history museum.

Close to noon, he grabbed a cheap sushi meal at a local spot and was pleasantly surprised by how good it was.

…

…

At Kansai Airport in the duty-free area.

Xu Chen sat on a bench, scrolling through messages on his phone from the past couple of days.

Discussions about the competition and Xie Bingran were still buzzing.

What made him roll his eyes was that someone had dug up that Xie Bingran went to Tiancheng No. 1 High School.

It wasn’t shocking; the city publicity department had pushed out a ton of promo during the National Games, and he’d even reviewed some.

But no one seemed to know he was an alum, so they didn’t bother him for comments.

Saved him the hassle of dealing with it…

Qian Xin, the ‘Jiangsu Prince,’ openly fawned over Bing Ge and talked about ‘accidentally’ running into her at Huahai Normal University soon.

Xu Chen just shook his head; in a few days, this guy had completely forgotten about Min Siyang…

Director Feng Siliang sent over a bunch of articles for ‘Teacher Xu Chen’ to review.

As a key contact in publicity, Feng Siliang would be vital for promoting Chenfeng Electric Vehicles in Tiancheng, so Xu Chen took it seriously.

The pieces were standard official stuff, tightly linking Xie Bingran to Tiancheng.

They even crafted a whole ‘Xie Bingran Spirit’ as per leadership directives, which impressed Xu Chen.

On the surface, the ‘Xie Bingran Spirit’ points looked solid; the writers in the department must have pulled their hair out over it.

To show he cared, Xu Chen offered a few minor suggestions—nothing major.

…

Xie Bingran’s win thrilled Xu Zhiquan, who threw another drinking party.

From the pics Fang Jun sent, it looked like a blast last night.

With Guo Liang joining Chenfeng Technology, Xu Zhiquan finally had a solid drinking buddy.

Yang Congxin couldn’t handle his liquor, and Fang Jun enjoyed it but didn’t have the tolerance…

Li Rui and Zhao Feng could drink, but their jobs kept them from indulging.

Now with sales guy Guo Liang around, Xu Zhiquan’s drinking sessions were about to get even merrier.

Seeing the group chats, Xu Chen missed Old Xu.

He opened his messages and texted his dad:

“I’ll come home for the National Day holiday!”

…

…

“Xu Chen!”

A bright voice called out; it was Bai Miao.

Behind her were Xie Bingran and Dong Jiajia.

Most of the athletics team was heading back today; Xie Bingran, Bai Miao, and Dong Jiajia had the same itinerary—first to Beijing for events, then shifting training base to Shanghai.

Xu Chen stood with a smile and greeted them.

Bai Miao pouted playfully, grinning:

“Handing Bing Ge over to you! Make sure you walk her to the gate!”

Xu Chen: “Don’t worry, I won’t mess up your plans.”

Bai Miao laughed sweetly and dragged Dong Jiajia away.

Xie Bingran looked a bit embarrassed and said quietly:

“Coach Cheng is watching me closely now; I can’t move around on my own.”

Xu Chen: “You’ve skyrocketed in value; you’re the whole team’s hope, so they’re keeping a tight eye on you!”

Xu Chen took Xie Bingran to pick up a few things in the duty-free area.

Following Nie Fei’s tip, he bought several packs of local ‘Seven Stars’ cigarettes to bring back for Li Rui and Zhao Feng.

Then they hit a cosmetics store; Xu Chen snapped photos of gift sets and sent them to Fang Jun.

Fang Jun replied quickly:

“Get number 3 for me and number 12 for Yue Jie.”

Xu Chen chuckled and bought them without hesitation.

Xie Bingran wanted to get a good bottle of sake for Xu Zhiquan, so they went to a liquor shop.

After browsing, a clerk who spoke Chinese recommended one for about 800 yuan, in a fancy wooden box.

Xie Bingran frowned, not satisfied.

“I want something more expensive.”

The clerk paused, then brought out four or five premium bottles.

After a string of explanations Xu Chen barely followed, Xie Bingran picked the most expensive one.

The clerk smiled:

“You have great taste, miss. This Sudo Family Yamakawa Kusaki is limited edition…

“We only have two left in the store.”

…”