38 Malone

Since the last graduation dinner, Duan Nanzhou had finally settled into a more relaxed routine.

On one hand, she had moved into the national table tennis team's base, where her daily tasks involved watching their training, recording notes, and preparing for interviews. On the other hand, Chen Qi, who used to bother her almost every day, had suddenly backed off—perhaps her bluffing had actually worked?

Regardless, Duan Nanzhou had achieved her goal, and her life became a simple commute between the training base and her home.

It was just another ordinary day. Duan Nanzhou was watching the athletes train when her mind began to wander, already drifting toward thoughts of where to go for her upcoming vacation.

"Nanzhou?" Ma Long, having finished his practice and preparing to take a break, walked over to her side and called out.

"Huh?" The voice pulled Duan Nanzhou back to reality. Seeing it was Ma Long, she wasn't surprised. Ever since she started at the base, she and Ma Long had become increasingly familiar, gradually developing a friendship where they could talk easily. The same went for the other two members of the "Three Musketeers" and Xiao Zao (Liu Shiwen).

"Nothing, just saw you were distracted. Are you too tired? Do you want to go back and rest?" Ma Long asked with genuine concern.

"I'm fine..." Duan Nanzhou felt a wave of bewilderment. Tired? Why would she be tired? She was probably the most idle person in the entire building!

"Would you like to have dinner together later?" Ma Long offered, trying to sound casual, even though he was just inviting her to the team cafeteria.

"No thanks!" Duan Nanzhou refused firmly. She had been eating at the national team cafeteria for years; she really didn't want to eat there anymore! Especially now that she wasn't an athlete, she had relaxed her diet significantly, and she certainly preferred to go out and find something delicious! "I've already made plans to go out and eat with Xiao Zao!"

"Oh..." Ma Long looked visibly disappointed. But why was it so easy for other girls to make plans with Duan Nanzhou? Oh, he forgot—Duan Nanzhou liked girls!

Upon this realization, Ma Long looked at Duan Nanzhou with a hint of panic. He thought to himself, *Liu Shiwen is Zhang Jike's girlfriend! Don't tell me Duan Nanzhou has taken a liking to her! How is he supposed to answer to his good friend if that happens?*

Duan Nanzhou had no idea what she had said to trigger Ma Long. Why did his expression suddenly turn so strange? At this moment, she couldn't have guessed that her past bluffing had left this man firmly convinced of her sexual orientation.

Because the matter felt so delicate, Ma Long felt he had to keep it a secret. He had never told anyone, fearing that if others found out, Duan Nanzhou would face criticism. This left him unable to say, "No, you two can't go together," yet he was terrified that his best friend's girlfriend might be "stolen." A conflicted Ma Long fell into his own thoughts, his brain feeling like it was about to explode.

Duan Nanzhou, completely oblivious to his inner turmoil, was merely puzzled. After calling his name a few times and receiving no response, she decided to leave him to his confusion and went to find her dining companion, Xiao Zao.

...

The following days were spent with Ma Long trying his best to discreetly disrupt any overly intimate contact between Duan Nanzhou and Liu Shiwen. Seeing the increasingly suspicious looks from Duan Nanzhou, Liu Shiwen, and Zhang Jike, the well-meaning but awkward Ma Long suffered in silence, unable to explain his reasons.

Trusting his good friend, Zhang Jike didn't overthink it, though he did privately discuss with Xu Xin whether Ma Long was failing to win over Duan Nanzhou and, as a result, losing his mental sharpness.

Before they could even prepare to help their friend, however, Duan Nanzhou’s time at the base came to an end, and she happily packed her bags to leave.

"Goodbye, everyone! See you at the tournaments!" Duan Nanzhou said, pulling her suitcase with a joyful smile. Seeing her expression, Liu Guoliang couldn't help but tease, "Nanzhou, why so happy to be leaving? Were you that unhappy in our training hall?"

"How could that be, Uncle Liu? I’m just forcing a smile because I'm afraid you'll miss me too much!"

"Oh, we certainly will miss you. How about you stay a bit longer?" Liu Guoliang suggested with a grin.

"That won't be necessary!" Having eaten at the cafeteria until she was sick of it, Duan Nanzhou declined. "See you at the matches!"

With that, she marched decisively toward her warm home, good food, and a future of freedom.

After seeing her off, Ma Long remained gloomy. Although he and Duan Nanzhou were on good terms and often chatted via phone, it wasn't the same as being in person. Because of his training, even when they chatted, it was brief, and now that they couldn't see each other at all, Ma Long felt like he was becoming love-sick.

"Long, why don't you just be brave and go for it!" Xu Xin was the one who couldn't stand seeing Ma Long like this. Especially since he had been so decisive in pursuing his own girlfriend, he couldn't understand why Ma Long was so hesitant. Was this how a real man acted?

"You don't understand!" Ma Long glanced at his friend. There were some things they couldn't grasp. Was it that he didn't want to be brave? It was that he *couldn't* be!

Especially since he believed Duan Nanzhou liked girls, he had secretly searched for characteristics of that group and learned that they were often repulsed by advances from the opposite sex. If he ignored that and confessed, he feared he wouldn't even be able to be her friend anymore. Just the thought of seeing disgust in Duan Nanzhou's eyes made his heart ache.

So, he chose to accompany her in silence. Perhaps this was the best possible outcome.

Duan Nanzhou, on the other hand, was completely unaware of Ma Long’s internal struggle. Even if she had known, she wouldn't have thought much of it, as she currently had no such feelings for him. While their time together in this life had removed the sense of distance she felt toward her elders and seniors in her previous life—allowing them to interact as peers—she just didn't "click" with him, perhaps because they were too familiar.

However, Duan Nanzhou *was* considering the idea of dating. Her life in this world was generally relaxed and happy, with plenty of personal time, so why not date a handsome man for fun?

Since realizing she might be living in a "quick transmigration" plot, her mindset had shifted. She stopped taking things too seriously and her outlook on life had changed. Regarding romance, she no longer felt the need to be overly conservative, though the idea of marriage and children still felt strange. Still, she realized she could date if she felt like it.

As someone who prioritized aesthetics, her only requirement was that he had to be handsome—the kind of handsome that fit her specific tastes! She valued that "first impression" above all. While relationships could grow over time, that initial spark of interest was irreplaceable.

Having finally given some thought to her love life, Duan Nanzhou began wondering if she should ask her college friends to introduce her to some handsome men. Some of them worked in media and the entertainment industry—they would certainly know plenty of attractive people!

Her friends, once prompted, were thrilled: *Why didn't you say so earlier? We would have introduced you ages ago! We were all wondering why someone as stunning as you wasn't dating anyone!*

Duan Nanzhou was introduced to several men, but she soon realized that they only possessed good looks and were hollow on the inside. She had no desire to keep talking to them; they couldn't hold a deep conversation and were obsessed with trivialities. It was truly frustrating!

After a few encounters, she told her friends to stop. What was this? They were even worse than the people who had chased her in college; at least those people could hold a conversation!

Her friends temporarily stopped the matchmaking, but they were determined to find her a suitable partner. It was too much of a waste for such a beauty to remain single!

Aside from her college friends, no one knew about this, especially since Duan Nanzhou had moved into the house her parents had given her for her coming-of-age. She had fully embraced a single life, which was as free and easy as it could get.

However, when she and Liu Shiwen finally met up after a long time, the topic came up. Upon hearing the news, Liu Shiwen was shocked. She immediately thought, *Does this mean Ma Long has no chance?* She began to probe for more information, hoping to see if her teammate still had a shot.

"Xiao Zao..." Duan Nanzhou was in a talkative mood today and was happy to gossip with Liu Shiwen, though she found the questions from her friend a bit excessive.

"Ah? Nanzhou, so you really haven't found a boyfriend yet?"

"Why, are you planning to introduce me to one?" Duan Nanzhou looked at Liu Shiwen with a smile, as if she could see right through her.

"Uh... yes!" Liu Shiwen hesitated for a second before answering firmly. Regardless, she had to fight for Ma Long; he was a great teammate and her boyfriend's best friend, after all!

"Who? You're at the base training every day, you don't know many people. You aren't planning to introduce someone from the team, are you?" Duan Nanzhou was skeptical. Liu Shiwen barely interacted with anyone outside, especially since she already had a boyfriend. "Forget about the team. I know them all, and there's no one I like!"

Duan Nanzhou cut off Liu Shiwen's intended words, forcing her to swallow them back and shoot an indignant glare at her.

The girls' lunch ended happily, though it concluded with Liu Shiwen returning to the training base with a "big scoop," leading to a new round of chaos and scheming.

"No! Long! You have to go for it! If you don't do it now, you'll really lose your chance!"

"Exactly! Go! Just give it a try!"