Chapter 46: Ma Long

“Malong? Why haven’t you been answering your phone?”

This was the first sentence Duan Nanzhou uttered after countless calls to her boyfriend were finally answered, her calm tone barely concealing a hint of anger.

Duan Nanzhou knew nothing of what had happened. They had agreed to reduce their conversations during his competition period so Malong could focus on preparing. Yet, a few days later, whenever she tried to call him, either no one answered or, if the call connected, she would only hear “I'm busy” before the line was cut.

Completely in the dark, Duan Nanzhou was growing increasingly upset, especially after checking with Liu Shiwen and a few others, who confirmed nothing unusual had happened to Malong.

Still, trusting her understanding of him and reasoning things out, she thought maybe something had happened to cause this sudden, uncharacteristic silence.

“It’s nothing…” Malong’s voice came from the other end, low and lacking the usual joy when receiving her call.

“Then why haven’t you picked up my calls all this time?”

“I didn’t hear them.”

“Not a single one?” Duan Nanzhou almost laughed in frustration. “Malong, do you know your voice sounds hollow whenever you lie?”

“I really didn’t hear anything!” Malong insisted stubbornly.

“Fine, then we’ll talk when we meet.” Not wanting to continue with this obstinate boy, Duan Nanzhou contacted a few members of the national table tennis team to find out where Malong was training and decided to go there directly.

When Duan Nanzhou arrived at the training venue with her close friend Liu Shiwen, they saw Malong deeply immersed in training, completely oblivious to his surroundings and not even glancing at Duan Nanzhou, who had just arrived.

So, Duan Nanzhou folded her arms and stood beside him, watching. The couple’s expressions were serious, and Malong’s unusual behavior made teammates like Xu Xin and Liu Shiwen whisper among themselves, wondering if they had quarreled—otherwise, Malong wouldn’t be so indifferent even when Duan Nanzhou appeared.

After some quiet speculation, unsure of what to do regarding the couple’s private matters, they decided to leave, giving them some space alone.

Malong kept training without pause; Duan Nanzhou remained silent, watching him. At some unknown point, Malong sneaked a glance at her, only to be caught by her faintly amused expression, which made him realize he could no longer pretend.

He stopped training and stood firmly before his girlfriend.

“Won’t you say anything?” Duan Nanzhou looked at him, standing silently in front of her.

“What happened?” she asked again.

“Nothing…”

“I’m here now and you’re still lying? I want to know why you suddenly stopped answering my calls.”

“I just didn’t want to…”

This confession made Malong look uneasy, unable to hold Duan Nanzhou’s gaze.

“Just didn’t want to? Were you in a bad mood?” Duan Nanzhou didn’t know what to say; she hated being met with avoidance. “Whatever it is, let’s solve it. Don’t run away!”

“Besides, I don’t know anything, and you suddenly stopped answering. When I try to fix things, you don’t want to see me. Malong, this is completely wrong.”

That day, Duan Nanzhou found herself saying Malong’s full name more times than ever since they got together.

“Alright…” Malong obediently listened, though his thoughts remained a mystery.

“So, can you tell me what happened? If it’s just a bad mood and you don’t want to see me now, I can give you some private time to sort it out.”

“Nanzhou, I just don’t know how to say it…” Malong hesitated, feeling conflicted and trapped.

“Does it have something to do with me? Did I upset you?” Duan Nanzhou asked patiently. His mood seemed clearly connected to her, though she still didn’t know how.

Malong recalled the words he had heard that day, feeling overwhelmed with pain, unsure where or how to begin, and unwilling to speak.

“Nanzhou, do you really like me?” After many attempts, Malong finally asked the question that had been on his mind.

“Of course!” Duan Nanzhou was puzzled. Was he suddenly doubting her feelings?

“If I didn’t like you, would I still be with you?”

“Then why did you suddenly agree to be with me that morning when just the night before you were rejecting me, saying you didn’t like me at all?” Malong brought up the point that had been bothering him.

“Why did your mind change overnight? You can’t have just fallen for me all of a sudden!”

“I just thought I’d give it a try, and that doesn’t mean I don’t like you now. Why are you suddenly hung up on what happened before?” Duan Nanzhou couldn’t understand. She wasn’t deceiving him. Adults trying things out wasn’t unusual.

“Well, then I…” Malong wanted to say more.

“So, you care about whether I liked you when I agreed to be with you? Is that why you’ve been avoiding me?”

“No!” His reply was resolute.

“Nanzhou, I want to know something else. Did you only agree to be with me because you wanted to sleep with me?” Malong’s ears burned red, unsure if it was from embarrassment or something else.

“…”

Duan Nanzhou’s silence spoke volumes—she was stunned and mentally weighing her responses before finally nodding.

“Is that what you care about too?” Duan Nanzhou wondered if the reason they got together should really lead to this situation. Although she felt a bit awkward about her reason for agreeing, she never thought it was something shameful. After all, there must be some affection to start a relationship, and as long as feelings grow and responsibility follows, what’s wrong with that?

“Well, then you…!” Malong finally asked what he wanted to, but now lacked the courage to continue, especially since Duan Nanzhou’s answers matched what he had heard that day, shattering his last hopes.

“What?” Duan Nanzhou was honestly still baffled, repeatedly pondering if being “impure” in the beginning was the cause of this “silent treatment.” So what if she liked a boy a bit?

Duan Nanzhou was both confused and speechless.

The day ended with Malong’s silence. He waited until he had accompanied Duan Nanzhou home, and they barely spoke.

Duan Nanzhou tried to break the ice with casual topics, but Malong’s answers were brief and perfunctory, as if his mind was elsewhere or he simply didn’t want to talk. Eventually, she gave up and remained silent.

At the doorstep, Malong said he had to leave. Watching his retreating figure, Duan Nanzhou rolled her eyes. What kind of relationship was this? All she got was a partner who was tangled in his own problems, evasive, and silent, leaving her to solve everything. It was exhausting.

Yet it was clear the issue wasn’t resolved. Duan Nanzhou thought Malong was just upset after learning the reason she agreed to be with him and that, with time, he’d come around.

So, while giving him some space, she didn’t cut off contact completely. They still spoke briefly every day, exchanging simple chats about their routines, even though he remained distant.

When Malong went abroad again with the national team for an international competition, Duan Nanzhou, knowing he was busy and facing her own work troubles, gradually reduced their contact, eventually stopping calls altogether.

Amidst her work chaos, she came across a widely circulated interview online that caused a stir.

The interview was an airport video where reporters asked Japanese table tennis player Kasumi Ishikawa what she thought of Malong. She graciously called him a perfect male idol.

Gossip-hungry reporters then asked Malong about Ishikawa’s words. Although his relationship was no secret in the industry, these reporters clearly hadn’t done their homework or deliberately sought to stir up gossip.

Surrounded by reporters, Malong shyly and awkwardly replied that Ishikawa was a fine athlete. Even this official answer was dissected and twisted by media and netizens, who speculated the two might become a couple.

Many table tennis fans were happy to see this golden duo together—both handsome and well-matched.

Because the interview was gossip-related, it spread widely, and many uninformed netizens started assuming the pair were or would be a couple.

After watching the gossip, Duan Nanzhou felt absurd. The video had been out for days, stirring a buzz online, yet Malong hadn’t said a word to her.

No matter how rational and understanding she tried to be, she couldn’t accept her boyfriend remaining silent while rumors about him and another woman circulated. Besides, after she stopped calling him, he didn’t return her calls either. Duan Nanzhou felt their relationship was truly in serious trouble.

What baffled her most was that, after so long, he was still hung up on why they got together in the first place. Wasn’t that a bit ridiculous?

She realized she needed to have a serious talk with Malong. Their last conversation had clearly done no good and had left their relationship stuck in an awkward place.

At that moment, Duan Nanzhou was angry—at Malong’s lack of communication and explanation, at the stress and exhaustion from work. Her emotions burst forth despite her efforts to remain rational, and she was ready to confront him.