Chapter 20

Jiang Yihao felt more stifled than he had in over a decade. He paced restlessly, his sneakers scraping against the floor with an irritating grating sound.

"Do you have any idea how long I looked?"

"I spent three hours in that dark lounge, crawling around on my hands and knees, pulling dead bugs and bats out from under the desks until I finally found the brooch."

"And you? You didn't trust me; you treated me like a thief!"

"When I asked you over and over, what did you say?"

"Am I really that untrustworthy?"

Jiang Yihao was like an erupting volcano, spewing scorching, dangerous lava bubbles from every pore. Anyone who came too close would be burned alive.

Ruan Ning bit her lip, her eyes filled with guilt and tears. Her teeth seemed glued to her lower lip, and for a long moment, she couldn't say a word.

A thousand thoughts swirled in her mind, but only a small "I'm sorry" escaped her lips.

"Go away. I don't want to see you."

Jiang Yihao shook off her hand, breathing heavily, his chest heaving as if it might burst.

The commotion drew onlookers, who pointed and whispered about how young people these days were, even if they were a couple, they shouldn't make such a scene in public.

Ruan Ning couldn't hear the surrounding criticism; she hung her head in shame, sobbing quietly.

She never imagined Jiang Yihao would spend three hours searching in the dark for her.

Because of the mission, lies had become second nature to her, and she'd never felt guilty about them. Only when she betrayed someone's genuine sincerity did she feel true remorse.

But Jiang Yihao was too angry to hear her out now—he'd never forgive her.

She didn't want to make excuses; any further words would just be piling lie upon lie. Ruan Ning gave a slight bow to Jiang Yihao's retreating back and silently walked away.

Jiang Yihao saw Ruan Ning about to leave again with red-rimmed eyes, his frustration and anger boiling over. He lunged and grabbed her arm. "Where do you think you're going?!"

Ruan Ning stared at him, at a loss for words.

Embers of anger swirled in Jiang Yihao's eyes, but his pent-up frustration dissolved into a resigned sigh. "Haven't you had enough of being gawked at?"

He pulled her past the growing crowd and into the training building.

In a quiet, empty meeting room, Ruan Ning hung her head and sniffled as she apologized.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to lie to you. It's just that our backgrounds are so different, and I didn't know how to tell you some things. That's how it ended up like this."

Before she finished, Jiang Yihao frowned. "Why overthink it? Just tell me straight."

Ruan Ning paused, looking at his exasperated expression, and let out a soft sigh. "If that's really how you feel, then why don't you play under your real name? Why use the alias Zhang Hao?"

Jiang Yihao opened his mouth, but no words came out, like a frozen river.

The room fell so quiet you could hear footsteps passing in the hallway. Jiang Yihao picked up a bottle of water from the conference table and started juggling it with his foot, the slim bottle bouncing in an elegant arc on his instep.

"You don't have to think so highly of me. Before I turned seventeen, I was nobody. The title of Duke was never meant for me."

A flicker of surprise crossed Ruan Ning's face. Jiang Yihao caught the bottle and held it still. "What? You don't even know about the Duke of Tapei?"

Ruan Ning quickly explained, "I really don't know. What happened?"

She wasn't lying this time. Back then, she was buried in exam prep, studying day and night for a year without touching a TV or phone. Even if an asteroid were about to hit Earth, she wouldn't have known.

Jiang Yihao's brow twitched, but he held his patience and explained.

"Before I was seventeen, the Duke of Tapei was my uncle."

"My father was the second son, and my mother was just the daughter of a viscount. The title was never meant for our branch of the family."

"A year ago, my uncle's family went on a seaside vacation and got hit by a tsunami... and you know the rest. The dukedom fell to my father."

"I grew up just like you—no different. I didn't go to an aristocratic private school. I went to a regular public school, same as you."

Ruan Ning was stunned, unsure whether to be more shocked by the accidental inheritance or by the fact that someone with such "noble" blood on both sides would deign to attend a public school with commoners.

"I've never used my real name since I started school. Whether it was parent-teacher meetings or signing up for the youth training camp, my mom's secretary handled it all."

Ruan Ning couldn't help but interrupt. "Your mom's secretary came to the youth camp?"

Jiang Yihao wasn't surprised by her reaction, continuing to juggle the bottle. "Yeah, I've been playing in the youth camp since elementary school, and my family knew. They thought it was fine as a hobby, but a professional career was out of the question."

Ruan Ning said softly, "At least they supported you in the beginning. Maybe a professional athlete's path is too harsh, and they couldn't bear to see you risk it."

Jiang Yihao scoffed. "They never really cared about me. The one who truly supported my football was my uncle!"

"My uncle was a die-hard RQ fan, but as a duke, there were many things he couldn't do. My two cousins, the original heirs, had no interest in football, so he poured all his hopes into me."

"He was my first coach. He taught me to play, supported me through the youth camp. He said I'd become a star and wanted to see me play on TV... but he never got to see me sign a contract before he..."

Jiang Yihao choked up, unable to continue. He struggled to steady his breathing, refusing to let tears fall in front of Ruan Ning.

Ruan Ning's heart ached. She gently patted his back. "So you keep playing to fulfill your uncle's dream, right?"

Jiang Yihao lifted his red-rimmed eyes and nodded.

Ruan Ning had never seen him like this. Normally, he looked down his nose at everyone, but now his face was pale from the painful memory, his thick lashes trembling, casting a shadow like a lost, helpless creature whimpering softly.

Ruan Ning gently pulled him into a side embrace. "You've already done so well. Your uncle is watching from above, cheering you on silently."

Jiang Yihao looked up and met her warm gaze. His jaw tightened, and something deep in his eyes began to shift.

He let out a sudden, bitter laugh. "It's been over a year. I've made peace with it. But you—don't keep everything bottled up. I consider you a friend, so you should consider me one too."

Ruan Ning blushed. "Okay. I'll try to tell you the truth from now on."

"What do you mean 'try'? It has to be one hundred percent truth."

"Alright, alright, I've got it." Ruan Ning smiled softly, her eyes curving like crescent moons.

But as she thought about what she was about to ask, she grew nervous, unconsciously clenching her hands. "Since you consider me a friend, could you introduce me to your friends? Like Bai Xingmiao, maybe? Could we, one day... hang out together?"

"You want to hang out with Bai Xingmiao?" Jiang Yihao repeated loudly, each word emphasized.

Ruan Ning's face flushed hot and red. She took an awkward step back. "Uh, I was just making conversation. Don't take it seriously..."

"No, why do you want to see Xingmiao?"

"No reason..."

Ruan Ning lowered her head, biting her lip hard.

She had just promised Jiang Yihao she wouldn't lie to him anymore, so all she could do was stay silent.

Jiang Yihao saw tears welling up in her eyes again, her expression pitiful and on the verge of crying. He clumsily patted her shoulder. "Alright, alright, don't pull a long face."

"I just find it strange that anyone would want to see Bai Xingmiao. Do you know who he is? If you want to have fun, I can call Bu Chen. He's more fun."

"No, no need." The hairs on the back of Ruan Ning's neck stood up, and she waved her hands frantically. "I just wanted to hang out with your friends. If it's inconvenient, forget it."

"It's no trouble. It's just a word. Just don't cry if you're scared."

Ruan Ning's eyes lit up instantly, breaking into a radiant smile. "Really? You mean it? Thank you!"

Jiang Yihao nodded and muttered under his breath, "When is it ever not up to you?"

So they agreed to meet at Jiang Yihao's place that weekend to play games, and he'd invite Bai Xingmiao along. Jiang Yihao also gave her Bai Xingmiao's game account, telling her to get familiar with his style so she wouldn't get beaten too badly.

As a thank-you, Ruan Ning offered to accompany him to training and cheer him on from the sidelines.

Jiang Yihao was a bit surprised but smiled and agreed.

Usually, first-team training was closed to outsiders, but family and friends were allowed to watch from a distance.

Ruan Ning watched Jiang Yihao sprinting across the green field, breaking through defenses, and the scene blurred with memories of that school football match under the spotlight.

For a moment, it wasn't RQ's training ground; it was just an ordinary high school pitch. The teammates weren't famous RQ stars; they were just ordinary classmates.

But Jiang Yihao was the brightest star on the field.

His teammates noticed a girl had come specifically to watch the boss's little brother play, and they tacitly set up assists, feeding passes to his feet.

Jiang Yihao didn't disappoint. He received the ball, sprinted past several defenders in a blur, his posture sharp and graceful.

Ruan Ning watched from close range, her heart pounding, gradually caught up in the electrifying atmosphere.

Jiang Yihao was like a lightning bolt, tearing through the enemy's defenses in waves, reaching the goal. Then the opposing team converged from all sides, forming an impenetrable wall to snatch the ball from him.

Ruan Ning covered her mouth nervously. There was no way he'd get past all of them.

All eyes were on Jiang Yihao. He feinted, fooling the defenders, then launched a bold shot. The ball sailed over everyone's heads, arcing through the air like a missile, a sharp, beautiful curve that slammed into the net.

Goal!

Ruan Ning screamed and jumped up, applauding.

His teammates rushed over, noisily tossing him into the air, cheering and jeering as if he'd scored the winning goal in the finals.

Jiang Yihao laughed and told them to put him down, then jogged straight over to Ruan Ning, waving triumphantly.

Basked in sunlight, he flashed a grin with neat teeth, his loose jersey fluttering in the wind, as if he'd just run over from the high school football field in her memories.

At that moment, Jiang Yihao perfectly overlapped with the boy from her high school memories.

But this time, she wasn't the invisible girl watching someone else's love story from the crowd. Envious gazes surrounded her, and she had somehow become the protagonist...

A light blush spread across Ruan Ning's cheeks, her lashes fluttering like startled butterfly wings.

She didn't remember how she got home. Sitting in front of the screen, she still felt dizzy.

After getting Bai Xingmiao's game ID, the first thing Ruan Ning did when she got home was turn on the computer. She told herself she'd finally gotten his contact info, so she should focus on studying him.

But as the computer loaded, she couldn't help replaying the afternoon on the green field, like a missing puzzle piece that had suddenly clicked into place after all these years.

When a pop-up suddenly appeared on the screen, Ruan Ning snapped back to reality. No, her life was more important than this.