Chapter Two: The Price of Ten Seconds

You wished that one day you'd play in the biggest arena, with us in the front row." "So that's what happened." "What's wrong?" "Just tired." Before hanging up, she said, "The match matters. You matter more. Keep the order straight." Lin copied every detail into his notebook, but facts could not restore the heat of making that wish. A chair rolled behind him. Su Wanxing sat up in a dark corner, her jacket still over her shoulders. "How much did you hear?" he asked. "From the elementary-school teacher." He spun around. "You write after every game. Yesterday you stared at a photo for six minutes. Today you saw an opening and refused it." She approached the notebook. "I don't know what you're doing, but it frightens you." "I'm out of form."