Book 4: The Return of the King

Chapter 20

The three of them arrived at the hotel where SP was staying.

Ai Qing took out her cell phone and called Solo. ?She knew that Solo should

have already checked in by now. ?After a short wait, it was Gun who answered

the phone. “Ai Qing?” ?Gun’s voice was a little coarse.

“Han Shangyan?” ?She was surprised.

“Is Xiao Bai with you?”

“Yes. ?Should I give the phone to him?”

Ai Qing said and passed her cell phone to Dt. ?Gun and Dt began to talk on

her and Solo’s phones. ?Gun only spoke briefly to Dt. The first thing he said

Dt didn’t even make a sound before he hung up the phone directly. ?He gave

the phone back to Ai Qing. “Han Shangyan is in Solo’s room. ?He wants to talk

to you. Go up now, I’ll wait for you here.

His words came as a surprise to Ai Qing. ?Yi Qian patted her shoulder, he would

be staying behind too.

She turned around, about to go in.

“Wait.” ?Dt spoke suddenly.

She turned her head back.

“Give me your backpack. ?I’ll hold it for you.” Dt pointed to her backpack.

Ai Qing blushed and handed him her backpack, then she took the elevator all

the way up to the twelfth floor.

Gun’s young girlfriend, who had only appeared a few times during competitions,

was hugging her own backpack outside Solo’s room. ?She nervously reported to

Ai Qing in a low voice as soon as she saw her. “Seven bottles of beer and two

and a half bottles of hard liquor.” ?The girl pointed to the room after she spoke,

“Han Shangyan wouldn’t let me go in. He’s inside with Solo.”

“Uhm, he told me to come up over the phone.” ?Ai Qing patted the young girl’s

shoulder and comforted her in low voice, ?“Don’t worry. Both of them have a

good tolerance for alcohol.”

The young girl still looked quite worried. ?She took out her cell phone. “Can

you save my number? ?If everything’s alright after you go in, could you send me.....

just send me a period.”

Amused, Ai Qing saved the girl’s cell phone number before she knocked on the door.

The door quickly opened. ?There was light inside.

She walked in and closed the door.....hotel rooms had one disadvantage.

Once you walked in the room, you saw everything inside the room. It wasn’t

like at home, where a person could hide in the bedroom or study. ?But right now

she had a full view of Solo lying on the sofa with his face covered by one arm and

Gun leaning on the side of the sofa smoking. It was as if time had pulled back and

dragged her back to that day in ‘05.

Han Shangyan seldom smoked unless he was especially irritated.

“Gou Gou....” ?Han Shangyan raised his head. ?His eyes were bloodshot, she

couldn’t tell if it was because he had drunk too much or was too emotional. ?“Come

over here.” He slowly waved his hand.

She walked over to him and asked lightly. ?“Is he ok?”

“He’s fine.” ?Gun’s dark glazed over eyes stared at the door. ?“We won our first

This was what she really wanted to say to Han Shangyan after suppressing it

for so many years.

The view of the city was filled with light.

When they first came to Beijing, they were just like Taotao’s team today, though

perhaps in a worse state, since the living standards now is much higher than before.

That was the beginning of the peak of Han Shangyan’s professional career at the time.

“Ai Qing.” ?Solo suddenly spoke with his face still under his arm, ?“I’m sorry.”

His voice was soft and weary.