Chapter Three: All Ma Dongmei Are Good Girls

After Ma Dongmei returned to the training base half a day late, it was hardly surprising that she received a “hairdryer treatment” from Old Yan Fu. It’s difficult to imagine that someone of Russian descent, who had immigrated to the Republic only a few years ago, could possess such a remarkable talent for language. Despite not looking like he had much of a mouth, Fu Sansheng could scold someone who’d made a mistake for an entire day without uttering a single curse word. Among the entire Yangtze Women’s Volleyball Team, perhaps only the thick-skinned Ma Dongmei could endure it; the other girls would typically be reduced to tears before he was even halfway through.

“Hey, is that guy giving you a hard time again?”

Having just survived the human hairdryer’s barrage, Meimei was met with a teammate’s query the moment she rejoined practice.

Three days earlier, Ma Dongmei had only told Captain Lin Na she was taking time off and hadn’t returned since. She’d also failed to give Lin Na a clear reason for her absence.

When it came to her own matters, Ma Dongmei was always careless and open, which made her popular with her teammates. But whenever it involved Wang Lei, she became highly sensitive—she didn’t want anyone to know that Wang Lei had previously tried to take his own life.

“No, I was just sick. Lei’s health hasn’t been great lately, so I’ll have to make him some good food to help him recover.”

“Hehe, if you feed yourself to him, he’ll definitely get better in no time…”

People tend to imagine athletes living lives full of sweat and tears, training with single-minded determination, striving for gold medals—that’s always been the Republic’s preferred narrative. Yet, in truth, these girls in their twenties were not much different from anyone else. They, too, were flesh and blood, and at this age, were inevitably curious about the opposite sex.

The Yangtze team members actually all knew about Ma Dongmei’s situation. Many couldn’t quite understand her unwavering devotion to caring for Wang Lei, especially given his past. But when it came to Ma Dongmei herself, most of the team felt a tender protectiveness toward this big-hearted, guileless girl.

Ordinarily, a player like Ma Dongmei—born into a sports family and gifted with exceptional talent—would draw envy or resentment. But this was not a palace intrigue novel, and the volleyball team was no imperial harem. When one is trained to the point of exhaustion, there’s little energy left for scheming. Besides, Ma Dongmei truly was pure-hearted. Of course, there will always be a few who take pleasure in harming others at no gain to themselves, but they are the rare exception. The Yangtze team’s long-standing dominance in the Republic’s volleyball world was due not to intrigue, but to discipline rivaling even the national team’s.

The teasing and laughter quickly vanished when Old Yan Fu returned. Now, every ounce of strength had to be conserved for the grueling training ahead.

Meanwhile, Wang Lei, alone at home, was in no rush to begin physical rehabilitation.

Although the fusion of two souls was perfect, the “extraordinary” Wang Lei had lived in utter listlessness for two years, isolating himself from the world and severing all ties with those around him. Now, he felt a strange sense of unfamiliarity toward everything. Moreover, his “system” had just finished updating. He needed to search for, “load,” and digest his old files.

A brand-new time and space, a brand-new soul—though part of it belonged to this world, it was not the whole. The new Wang Lei would have to reintegrate into this reality, into a society he’d long since abandoned.

Imagine, in a city on Earth, a young person who neither used WeChat nor called anyone, who shunned all contact and conversation—such a person would probably end up in some “special” closed hospital. Even the most reclusive homebody has a couple of friends, and when the urge arises, a hand—however deft—can never be as gentle as another.

The apartment Ma Dongmei rented with her salary wasn’t large, but it was fully furnished. Neither she nor Wang Lei lacked for money. Despite the conflict with her parents over her insistence on caring for the disabled Wang Lei, her salary was more than enough for both of them to live comfortably. As long as they weren’t too extravagant, Ma Dongmei even felt this was the life she wanted. Wang Lei’s own family was also well-off, and before his accident and his parents’ passing, he’d played four years of professional league volleyball. With those earnings and the insurance payout, he was anything but strapped for cash; what he lacked was a peaceful, courageous heart.

Turning on the computer and connecting to the internet, the new Wang Lei set about integrating into his new life.

After another afternoon of increased training, the Yangtze Women’s Volleyball Team members were all soaked to the skin. But no one cared about modesty now; all they wanted was to collapse into bed and sleep without waking.

Having only done half a day’s training, Ma Dongmei was still energetic, but she dared not show it for fear of being picked for extra drills by Old Yan Fu. What she wanted most was to dash to the cafeteria—today was beef set day, and she knew her “Brother Lei” loved beef.

Though she could easily afford gourmet food outside, time was tight, and the cafeteria’s food, prepared by dedicated chefs and nutritionists, was safer and healthier than anything available elsewhere. So, after each practice, Ma Dongmei would grab two takeout meals to bring home.

She could, of course, buy ingredients and cook herself, but she knew she was no chef. The one time she had tried, her Brother Lei didn’t even blink before finishing every last bite, but she also knew he was so numb to the world back then that he probably didn’t even taste it. Not wanting to risk poisoning him, she decided to trust the cafeteria chefs.

Returning home, Ma Dongmei was delighted to find her Brother Lei not lying motionless in bed, but sitting at the computer, listening to music and browsing the web. Her smile was radiant, her dimples deepening with joy.

“Brother Lei, here’s your favorite beef.”

“Mm, thank you, Meimei. I think all girls named Ma Dongmei must be wonderful people.”

“Oh? You know other women named Ma Dongmei?”

“Yes, I do. Her husband’s name is Charles.”

“What? She’s married? She must be much older than me.”

“That’s right, she’s definitely older. Come on, let’s eat. Afterwards, I’ll tell you the story of Charles and Ma Dongmei…”