During The Blizzard (Amidst A Snowstorm Of Love)

Canto 72: Rough Tenderness

"Through shared cigarettes and stolen moments, an unconventional love blooms amidst the clatter of snooker balls and the hum of neon lights."

Translator: Wuxia Studio, Editor: Maimai Exclusive (Finland Chapter)

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A veil of wistfulness clouded Chen An'an's eyes as he spoke. "Sometimes I wonder," he mused, "If we hadn't come along, would he still be content here?"

Yin Guo's brow furrowed. "You don't want him to go back?" She couldn't help but recall the people from Dongxincheng who gathered last year with the same mission to bring Lin Yiyang back to China.

Chen An'an shook his head, the rhythmic tap of his fingers against the table a familiar tell.

"It's Jiang Yang who wants him back," he said finally, his voice tinged with a hint of frustration. "And Jiang Yang wants him to take over the team from Dongxincheng."

Take over Dongxincheng? The question hung heavy in the air, thick with unspoken implications. Yin Guo's gaze flicked back to Chen An'an, searching for a deeper explanation.

Across the room, Lin Yiyang leaned intently over the snooker table, brow furrowed in concentration. Despite the white-haired old man peppering him with questions, Lin Yiyang spoke seriously, patiently explaining each shot.

"He didn't agree?" Yin Guo finally asked her voice barely a whisper.

She knew the answer. If he had, he would have told her.

"Yes," Chen An'an sighed, "No promise."

Chen An'an paused for a while, a thoughtful crease forming between his brows. The weight of the past seemed to settle on him, a hesitation evident in the way he shifted his gaze around the room. Communicating personal stories, especially with a woman, felt like unfamiliar territory on a weekday.

"Among the few of us in the past, only he and Jiang Yang were Mr. He's apprentice. My apprentice and everyone else has their own teacher. My teacher left the second year after I entered Dongxincheng. That year, I was in the first year of junior high school and had average qualifications. Other teachers were unwilling to take over But I don't want to leave, I want to continue If you fight, no one will teach you to stay."

Yin Guo guessed: "He asked Elder He to help?"

Chen An'an smiled, shook his head, and said, "He told the people in Dongxincheng that he was the champion anyway, and he came to teach me. Those words that he said were really crazy, because this offended several Dongxincheng. My teacher said that he was arrogant, and Mr. He used to dare to say anything and do anything."

Without Lin Yiyang's arrogant insistence, Chen An'an might have embarked on a completely different career path—a divergent life journey, teetering on the balance of "what ifs." Perhaps it would have been a brighter trajectory, or perhaps dimmer, but one thing was certain: it wouldn't have entangled her in the world of billiards.

"This man oozes frustration. His words drip with a disdain for pleasantries. His life philosophy screams resilience, his strength measured only in moments of raw power. He shuns the intricacies of social circles, standing solitary amidst the scattered crowd."

A moment later, Lin Yiyang arrived and motioned for her to join him outside.

Yin Guo casually propped the cue stick against the shelf, effortlessly navigating through the throng, and trailed after him up the steps.

The scaffolding still loomed outside the ballroom gates, stubbornly resisting demolition for over a year. She clasped Lin Yiyang's hand, her gaze wandering upwards. "What's the renovation for? It's been ages."