Moving Forward

The match against Xinjiang Sports Lottery is the sixth round of the North Division of China League Two this season. The next match will be the last game of the first half of the regular season in the league. They will go to Zhenjiang, Jiangsu, to challenge Zhenjiang Zhongan.

Zhenjiang Zhongan has a close relationship with Shanghai East Asia. Although Qi Ce does not have a deep impression of this, most members of Zhenjiang Zhongan came from the Tongbao base. Qi Ce knows many of these players, but it's been more than ten years, so he can't remember them clearly.

Zhenjiang Zhongan is the second professional football club in China that integrates sports and education. The first was the Beijing Institute of Technology, a strong team in the Chinese League. Zhenjiang Zhongan is supported by Jiangsu University of Science and Technology.

Before the game, Qi Ce was troubled by another matter related to Wang Xinyu.

Half a month has passed since the doping incident. Although the Football Association did not find any doping in Qi Ce's urine test, the public considered the matter over, but Qi Ce did not.

According to Zhou Feng, if Qi Ce were found to have used banned drugs, another player would benefit by getting a chance to play abroad. The problem is likely related to Wang Xinyu.

Wang Xinyu herself would not benefit, which suggests she may have been in contact with the player who would. When Zhou Feng informed Qi Ce about this, and he remembered Wang Xinyu's past relationship with a less reputable man, Qi Ce understood the situation.

Wang Xinyu may have acted against Qi Ce to block his opportunity to go abroad, keeping the chance for her current boyfriend. This man is likely the same "bad guy" she encountered before.

How could such a coincidence exist in the world?

Whenever Qi Ce thinks about this, he finds it hard not to smile bitterly. He can't help but feel this isn't just a coincidence, but something due to his unexpected journey back in time.

After leaving, Zhou Feng immediately went to confront Liu Yuhao. Although Liu denied any wrongdoing, Zhou Feng found clues in Liu's shopping records. Eventually, Liu admitted to trying to harm Qi Ce.(T/N: that was easy)

Liu found out about Qi Ce through his social circle and realized his girlfriend, Wang Xinyu, knew Qi Ce. So, he devised a plan to ruin Qi Ce's opportunity to play abroad by using Wang Xinyu. He instructed her to give Qi Ce a tampered drink during a visit.

Wang Xinyu was unaware of her boyfriend's plan and was kept in the dark. Although she sensed something was wrong, she couldn't resist his persistent pressure, so she carried out the plan.

The day before the game, Wang Xinyu went to see Qi Ce at the base. Qi Ce hesitated but ultimately agreed to meet her in town.

"Qi Ce, I want to apologize to you," Wang Xinyu broke the silence first. "I didn't know what it was, but it seems to have caused you serious problems. I..."(T/N: "__")

Qi Ce watched her and remembered their time together, from childhood to their last reunion after years of no contact. He recalled the happy moments they shared when they were in a relationship.

Despite everything, Wang Xinyu was his former girlfriend, and they had many good times together, enough to consider marriage.

Qi Ce had a lot he wanted to say, but he found himself at a loss for words.

Was it right to hate her for helping her current boyfriend harm him? Qi Ce isn't perfect; he couldn't avoid some anger, but he decided not to dwell on it.

Whether Wang Xinyu knew about the doping or not doesn't matter anymore. The evidence is gone, and her intentions are now irrelevant to Qi Ce, who suddenly found himself no longer caring.

"It's over; it never really started," he thought.

"Take care of yourself and stop seeing him,"

Qi Ce said as he turned and walked toward the football base.

"Wait! Will you still go to Germany?" Wang Xinyu asked.

"I don't know," Qi Ce replied honestly. After the Dortmund incident, Zhou Feng had talked with him about possible teams, with interest mainly from Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands. Qi Ce wasn't sure where he would end up.

Wang Xinyu hurried after him, walking behind Qi Ce. "I'll listen to you and stop seeing him," she said.

Qi Ce continued walking silently.

After a while, seeing Wang Xinyu still following him, Qi Ce turned around with a hint of frustration. "I'm fine now; you should go back soon."

"I don't know how to get back," Wang Xinyu hesitated.

"There are taxis here; you can take one back."

"But I don't have any money," Wang Xinyu muttered, and Qi Ce realized the issue.

"Use Alipay or WeChat!" Qi Ce suggested.

"Alipay? Is that for buying things on Taobao? What's WeChat?" Wang Xinyu asked, puzzled.

Qi Ce smacked his head; he forgot that mobile payments weren't around yet. He took out 200 yuan from his pocket and handed it to Wang Xinyu. "Hurry home."

After some hesitation, Wang Xinyu took the money. "If you go to Europe, should we...?"

Qi Ce shook his head and looked around. Then he saw Lin Xiaojia riding a small electric scooter. It seemed she had just come back from the market, so he called her over.

"Go home soon, or you'll miss the ferry," Qi Ce said. Wang Xinyu's home was in the city. Before 2009, the only way to cross the river to Chongming was by ferry.

Lin Xiaojia stopped and noticed Qi Ce standing with a young girl she didn't know. She frowned, annoyed.

"What are you doing here, Uncle Qi Ce? Buying snacks again?"

Qi Ce climbed onto the back seat of Lin's scooter. "Yes, take me back later."

"Hey!" Lin Xiaojia turned her head, about to scold him for being presumptuous, but Qi Ce winked at her.

"Well, I'm leaving now, goodbye," Wang Xinyu said.

Watching Qi Ce leave, Wang Xinyu stood alone for a long time. As the sky darkened, she realized Qi Ce was right; she needed to leave soon or she'd miss the ferry.

Wang Xinyu took out her phone and looked at the message she had sent Liu Yuhao.

A sense of relief washed over her. She would soon study abroad in Europe, marking the beginning of a new journey and a necessary goodbye to her past.

This could be a good opportunity, she thought as she waved in Qi Ce's direction before turning and walking away.

Back at the base, Qi Ce encountered Xu Genbao with a stern expression, which startled him. He knew he was in trouble and was about to be scolded.

"The booklet Lao Nongfa is going to kill the little girl! Come in!" Xu shouted in thick Shanghainese accented Mandarin.

Qi Ce noticed several teammates hiding behind the lobby door, chuckling. He cursed under his breath at them.

"These guys!"

"You will play football in Europe! Don't let the little girl keep asking about you!" Xu continued.

"This was an accident..."

Qi Ce tried to explain, but his words only made things worse, and Xu grew angrier. The teammates couldn't contain their laughter, and Qi Ce decided to stay quiet and take his punishment.