Chapter Thirty-One: I Am Ranran

After several days of training, Qin Liubei was set to leave for City D.

Seeing that Fu Yiqing, despite his busy schedule, had brought Shu Ran, who was still in training, to see him off, Qin Liubei was genuinely touched. “You really don’t have to see me off. Wouldn’t it be better for you both to spend this time training?”

Shu Ran looked at him with curiosity. “Are you sure you’re going to help Xu Jingyu, and not to meet her family?”

“Oh, come on, what are you talking about? Am I that kind of person? Besides, didn’t I already meet her parents the last time I accompanied her back to City D?”

Shu Ran gave him a look reserved for gossip.

Realizing he had let something slip, Qin Liubei gave an awkward laugh. “No, what I meant was, this time her mother invited me, saying it’s not easy for me to be out here working on my own, so she asked me to spend the New Year with them.”

Shu Ran frowned in confusion. “Why didn’t she invite me to spend the New Year?”

Suddenly, she recalled what Zhu Hongzhe had said. "Oh, I remember now, Coach Fu."

Fu Yiqing turned to look at her. “What is it?”

“Do you remember Zhu Hongzhe?”

Qin Liubei’s expression grew a little odd as well.

Fu Yiqing’s face darkened. “Why?”

Shu Ran explained, “It’s like this. Last time I went to ‘Fun Street’ and ran into Wu Xincheng and Shen Yu from pairs skating, as well as Zhu Hongzhe and Chen Lecheng. Zhu Hongzhe said they were all spending New Year’s at his place, and he invited the two of us to join them—said his parents are very hospitable, and we could all have a meal together?”

Fu Yiqing was silent for a long moment before he turned his head mechanically. “You’ve met his parents?”

Qin Liubei covered his mouth, trying not to laugh, doing his best to fade into the background.

Shu Ran shook her head. “No, Zhu Hongzhe just said so himself. Why, Coach Fu, you don’t want to go?”

“No.”

“Oh.” Shu Ran lowered her gaze, disappointed. “But I don’t want this New Year to be so lonely.”

“You feel lonely?”

Shu Ran nodded.

As she raised her hopeful eyes, about to try to coax him into agreeing, he gave a gentle smile. “Don’t worry, this year won’t be lonely.”

So had he agreed or not?

It didn’t sound like agreement—so it was a no?

Shu Ran couldn’t figure out what Fu Yiqing was up to, but it was clear that the plan to spend the New Year at Zhu Hongzhe’s house had fallen through.

She was quite unhappy. When Zhu Hongzhe had invited her, she’d considered Fu Yiqing’s presence. Now that they’d both been invited, Fu Yiqing was not only unappreciative, but didn’t spare a thought for her.

At the airport, Qin Liubei embraced the two of them.

He patted Fu Yiqing’s back, moved. “We’re brothers. You seeing me off this far already means a lot to me. You’re a true friend. Now, hurry back—the training is what matters, understand?”

He had just taken his suitcase from the trunk when he saw Fu Yiqing also hauling a suitcase, following behind.

Qin Liubei stared. “What’s this?”

Fu Yiqing replied, “We’re going to City D as well.”

Qin Liubei was stunned. “We? You and Shu Ran? You’re skipping training? Why are you going to City D? How come I didn’t know?”

Shu Ran was equally bewildered, looking at Fu Yiqing with a face full of question marks.

Fu Yiqing said, “It was a last-minute decision. I’m taking her home for New Year’s.”

Shu Ran’s mind buzzed. “Coach Fu?!”

“Why, you don’t want to go home for New Year’s?”

She shook her head almost immediately. “Of course I do.”

“Good. Then let’s go get our boarding passes.”

Qin Liubei shed tears of regret for all the sentimental words he’d just said. He should have known Fu Yiqing would never be so kind as to give up training time just to see him off.

This time, Qin Liubei hadn’t been able to book a business class ticket in advance and only managed to get economy, while Fu Yiqing and Shu Ran were laughing and chatting in business class.

That guy had actually bought tickets even earlier than him. When Qin Liubei had confronted him about not warning him about the Spring Festival travel rush, Fu Yiqing simply replied, “I thought you’d bought yours already.”

Brothers—they say time reveals a person’s heart!

Shu Ran sat on the plane home, as happy as if she were already there. She stared out the window at the sky like an eager child, full of excitement. They were headed for her hometown.

Her joy was contagious—Fu Yiqing couldn’t help but share in it.

At last, Shu Ran remembered to ask, “Coach, when did you decide to go to City D?”

Fu Yiqing replied, “I forget.”

It must have been a while ago. But the most important thing now was that she’d see her parents soon.

A year had passed in a blink—she wondered how they’d been.

“Oh right, Coach Fu, you really didn’t have to go to the trouble of bringing me home. I could have gone by myself.”

Fu Yiqing frowned slightly. “Bringing you home?”

Shu Ran was puzzled. “?”

“I’m going to spend New Year’s at your place with you.”

Since when did guests get to make the host’s decisions?

“Why, am I not welcome?”

“Of course you are!” Shu Ran smiled. “You’re very welcome.”

She just didn’t know what her parents would think.

Shu Ran was still confused. “There’s still more than a week until New Year’s. Why are we going back so early?”

“It’s not just for the holiday,” Fu Yiqing explained. “I checked with Xu Jingyu—during the New Year, there’s no training at the City D rink, so before then, we’ll be training there.”

Shu Ran’s mood became subtly complicated. So, it turned out they were just training in a different city.

But that was fine—at least she’d get to see her family after so long.

It had been two years since she’d returned to City D.

When they got off the plane, if Shu Ran hadn’t reminded him, Fu Yiqing seemed to have forgotten about Qin Liubei altogether.

Shu Ran’s and Xu Jingyu’s homes were in the same district, so the three of them shared a taxi.

The driver took a route that got Shu Ran home first. As she got out, she asked Qin Liubei, “Do you want to come in for a bit?”

On the plane, the rowdy kid beside Qin Liubei had given him such a headache that he now only wanted to find a place to rest.

He waved her off. “No, I’d better get to Xu Jingyu’s and rest.”

Shu Ran didn’t insist, closed the door, and watched the taxi drive away.

“All right then.” She shrugged energetically and winked at Fu Yiqing. “Let’s go home!”

Fu Yiqing didn’t object, following her into the neighborhood.

The landscaping was even lusher than it had been two years ago. Shu Ran didn’t see any familiar faces from her building downstairs.

As they entered the elevator, Grandpa Zhang stepped in with them. He glanced at her, then looked back, clearly recognizing her.

“You’re…,” Grandpa Zhang began, “Old Wang’s granddaughter from upstairs, Dian Dian, right? Home for the holidays?”

Shu Ran was about to get excited, but the unfamiliar name doused her in cold water.

Fu Yiqing let out a warm chuckle, which caught Grandpa Zhang’s attention. The old man’s brows rose, and he said cheerfully, “Brought your boyfriend home! That’s wonderful.”

The elevator suddenly felt awkward.

Shu Ran quickly explained, “Grandpa Zhang, I’m Ran Ran—Shu Ran.”

Grandpa Zhang’s face lit up in realization. “Ran Ran! It’s been ages. I heard you made the national team?”

Shu Ran nodded.

Grandpa Zhang gave her a thumbs-up. “Bringing honor to our country, good job! Next year is the Olympics—Grandpa Zhang will be glued to the TV to watch you compete.”

Next year was the Summer Olympics, but figure skating was a Winter Olympic event—three years away.

Shu Ran had no idea how to correct him, so she could only watch him step out of the elevator with a wry smile.

Fu Yiqing finally couldn’t resist and laughed outright. “Is everyone here this interesting?”

Shu Ran was helpless. “Maybe everyone got more interesting after I left?”

When they reached her door, Shu Ran was suddenly struck by nerves, her palms sweating. She wiped her hands on her pants and gestured to Fu Yiqing. “You ring the bell—I’m a little anxious.”

Fu Yiqing pressed the bell, but no one answered for a long time.

Shu Ran frowned. “Don’t tell me my parents aren’t home?”

She thought for a moment, then called her parents. “Dad, Mom, where are you?”

“Where else? City D.”

“When are you coming home? I’m at the door, and I have a lot of stuff.”

“What?!” Shao Anhong exclaimed. “You’re home?”

“Yes.”

“Your dad and I are at your grandma’s. We thought you weren’t coming, so we planned to spend New Year’s here. Why don’t you come over and spend it with us?”

Shu Ran frowned. “Mom, it’s not just me—my coach is here too.”

“What?”

“And,” Shu Ran added awkwardly, “there’s no ice rink at Grandma’s. I still need to train during this time. Coach Fu came with me so I could be home for New Year’s, and to supervise my training.”

On the other end, Shao Anhong hesitated—clearly, she’d already promised to celebrate with the relatives, but now Shu Ran was home.

After only a few seconds of indecision, Shao Anhong and her husband Shu Yutian had made up their minds.

Home for the New Year.

The relatives understood perfectly well—after all, it had been over two years since they’d seen their daughter. They didn’t need to say a word and urged them to hurry home.

“Don’t forget to tell your friend we won’t be spending New Year’s at his place,” Fu Yiqing reminded.

Shu Ran snapped back to reality and quickly messaged Zhu Hongzhe. He replied at once. When he learned Shu Ran would be home for New Year’s, he could only congratulate her and say that if she couldn’t go home next year, she should come to his place instead.

Shu Ran agreed.

Fu Yiqing caught a glimpse of her reply and made a silent decision to do the same next year.

Shu Ran and Fu Yiqing waited at her door.

Suddenly, Fu Yiqing stood up. “Wait here—I need to take care of something.”

“What is it?”

He didn’t answer. Half an hour later, the elevator doors opened, and Fu Yiqing appeared carrying several gift boxes, all brightly and festively wrapped—essentials for visiting relatives during the New Year.

“What are you doing?” Shu Ran asked.

Fu Yiqing replied calmly, “It wouldn’t be right to show up empty-handed the first time I visit.”

Why did that sound so much like meeting the parents?

Shu Ran shook her head to clear away her wild thoughts, but her eyes locked on the baby bottle and diapers he’d just bought. “I can understand the massager, but what’s with those two? Wishing my parents a new baby?”

“Spend five hundred and get a free bottle, spend a thousand and get free diapers. I tried to refuse, but the cashier had already packed them.”

Seeing Fu Yiqing’s helpless expression, Shu Ran couldn’t help but laugh. “If it’s free, why not take it? No reason to let the supermarket take advantage of us.”

As she waited, Shu Ran came up with countless explanations for her parents about why Fu Yiqing had come home with her for New Year’s. But when her parents saw her, they were so delighted they forgot everything else.

As for Fu Yiqing—Coach Fu! Not only had he helped their beloved daughter achieve new heights, but he’d also accompanied her home for New Year’s just to supervise her training. He was practically a benefactor to the Shu family!

Shao Anhong beamed, unable to contain her joy. She was briefly bewildered when she saw the diapers and baby bottle, but since it was Fu Yiqing, she quickly composed herself.

She reminded herself that perhaps in foreign countries, baby products were popular gifts.

“It’s wonderful of you to come, but you didn’t have to bring gifts,” she said.

Fu Yiqing smiled, neither too much nor too little. “It’s only right. And I ask for your understanding—since the Four Continents Championships are close to the Lantern Festival, this period is crucial. Even during the holiday, Shu Ran can’t slack off.”

Shu Yutian’s hearty laughter filled the living room. “Of course we understand! We’re grateful to you, Coach Fu. Spend New Year’s with us this year—what do you think?”

Shao Anhong quickly agreed. “Yes, yes, it’ll be so much livelier together!”