By the time Shi Xing accompanied Qiao Yushan to the police station, evening had already fallen. The sun was slowly sinking halfway behind the hills, and the afterglow of dusk spread across the sky, gradually dyeing the horizon a deep shade of red.

After the two entered, the officer on duty glanced at them, took a sip of water, and asked in a flat tone,
“What can I help you with?”

Qiao Yushan hesitated, clearly struggling over whether to speak. Just as she was about to retreat, Shi Xing encouraged her with a look and gave her a small nod, signaling her to explain everything.

In the end, Qiao Yushan made up her mind and spoke slowly,
“I want to file a report. Someone secretly took photos of me.”

The officer’s brows knitted slightly, his expression turning serious.
“Do you have evidence?”

“Yes,” Qiao Yushan replied, reaching into her pocket for her phone.

By the time the entire reporting process was completed, it was already late at night. Shi Xing had nearly fallen asleep waiting on a nearby chair when Qiao Yushan gently patted her. She rubbed her sleepy eyes and walked out with her.

As they stepped outside, a cold gust of wind hit their faces head-on, waking Shi Xing up a little more.

“Thank you for today,” Qiao Yushan said awkwardly, though her gaze was sincere and intense.

Then she lowered her head and added,
“Did you know? I actually used to hate you.”

“Don’t worry—I didn’t like you either,” Shi Xing replied calmly.

Qiao Yushan was momentarily speechless at her bluntness. After a pause, she turned her head away and continued,
“I grew up influenced by my parents. I always wanted to be first at everything. So whenever I entered a new environment, I instinctively looked for someone to compete with.”

At this point, she turned back and met Shi Xing’s eyes.
“So when I first met you, I suddenly felt jealous. The things I desperately wanted—you seemed to obtain so easily. That pushed me to want to surpass you even more, just to satisfy my pitiful vanity.”

After finishing such a long confession, the flush on her face slowly faded.

Shi Xing pressed her lips together, feeling quietly moved. She spoke softly,
“But how do you know you don’t have things others envy?”

Qiao Yushan froze for a moment, as if she found the idea unbelievable.

“The university you graduated from has always been my dream school,” Shi Xing said calmly. “And the table tennis team you’ve been with all this time—it was my first choice, too.”
As she spoke, a light suddenly flickered in her eyes.
“Comparison is a thief that steals happiness.”

Qiao Yushan nodded emphatically.

“What do you plan to do next?” Shi Xing asked.

“After this is settled, I’ll probably resign,” Qiao Yushan said, looking ahead with determination. “This job isn’t really suitable for me. I’m still young, and the cost of making mistakes is low. I want to try more paths.”

When Shi Xing returned home, she found a familiar figure standing downstairs. Ji Yu was wearing a black jacket, leaning against the wall with his back to her. His tall, slender silhouette was stretched long by the streetlight.

“Ji Yu,” Shi Xing called out.

He turned around, and she continued,
“Why are you here?”

“I texted you. You didn’t reply,” he said lightly, his gaze unreadable.

Shi Xing glanced at her phone. It had run out of battery and shut down while she was waiting at the police station.

She quickly walked over to him and said cautiously,
“I went with Qiao Yushan to report to the police today.”

“Mm.”

“You knew?”

“Just found out,” he replied unhurriedly.

Shi Xing tugged at the corner of her lips, a hint of complaint in her tone.
“This was such a big deal—why didn’t you tell me last night?”

Ji Yu’s gaze darkened slightly. He answered vaguely,
“The more people who know, the worse it is for her.”

Shi Xing knew exactly who he meant by “her.” She paused for a moment, surprised that Ji Yu had thought things through so carefully.

The next morning, when Shi Xing arrived at work, she noticed a stir around her. After asking around, she learned that Huo Sikai had been taken away by the police the night before. Someone had also leaked the news online, and the discussion was exploding across major platforms.

Upper management had been trying to suppress the trending searches. The swimming team’s development pipeline was already weak, and there was an extreme shortage of backstroke reserves. If anything happened to Huo Sikai, their chances of winning gold at major competitions would be even slimmer.

Somehow, the investigation led back to Shi Xing. Soon after, she was summoned for a meeting.

Standing outside the office door, she unconsciously clenched her fingers before knocking lightly. After receiving permission, she pushed the door open and saw several senior leaders already seated inside—including Yu Jing.

The moment Yu Jing saw her, she looked like she wanted to speak but hesitated. Glancing at the others, she ultimately stayed silent.

“You’re the one who accompanied Qiao Yushan to file the police report?”
The man seated at the center spoke first. Judging by his demeanor, he was the highest-ranking official in the room. He looked Shi Xing up and down, his gaze faintly contemptuous, radiating pressure.

Shi Xing nodded. Before she could speak, another voice snapped angrily,
“Foolish! Do you know that because you reported this, the situation has blown up? Do you really think this was for her own good? You’re clearly harming her!”

Hearing the accusation, Shi Xing’s breathing grew heavier. She met his eyes and replied steadily,
“So suppressing the matter like you do—leaving the victim unable to defend her rightful interests while the perpetrator walks free—is that what you call a foolproof solution?”

They clearly hadn’t expected her to argue back. The man’s neck flushed red as he pointed at her and shouted,
“You—You—You! Yu Jing, this is the kind of person under your management? Look at how they handle things!”

Yu Jing hurriedly stood up, frantically signaling Shi Xing with her eyes while trying to smooth things over.
“She’s young and doesn’t understand things yet. I’ll educate her properly afterward.”
She tried to pull Shi Xing away.

At that moment, the man at the head spoke slowly,
“No need. We don’t need team doctors who disobey orders. You can pack your things and go to HR to process your resignation.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Yu Jing anxiously tried to defend Shi Xing, but the leader cut her off coldly,
“If you keep speaking up for her, you can leave with her.”

Shi Xing shook her head at Yu Jing, signaling that she was fine.

Once outside, Yu Jing looked at her regretfully.
“If you had just softened your stance earlier…”

Shi Xing interrupted her gently.
“But then that wouldn’t be me, Sister Yu Jing.”
Her eyes softened as she smiled faintly.
“Thank you for speaking up for me just now. This was my own choice—and I don’t regret it.”

Yu Jing’s expression wavered. Her lashes trembled as she lowered her head and sighed.
“When I was young, I was just like you—righteous, always standing up for others. But reality wears people down. Over time, I learned to restrain myself.”

It was the first time Shi Xing had heard Yu Jing talk about her youth. She listened carefully and asked,
“What happened back then?”

Yu Jing shook her head and changed the subject.
“I’ll try talking to leadership again over the next few days. Go home and wait for my message.”

Although Yu Jing tried to comfort her, Shi Xing knew very well that she probably wouldn’t be coming back.

As she passed the race-walking training base, she hesitated, debating whether to say goodbye one last time. In the end, Liu Yu noticed her first and called out.

“Shi Xing, what are you doing here?”
Several of them jogged over, surprised by her sudden appearance.

Shi Xing deliberately avoided mentioning her dismissal and forced a smile.
“I came to see you.”

Immediately, they began talking over one another—mostly about how uncomfortable things had been since she left, and how much they truly, truly missed her.

Listening to them, Shi Xing fought back tears and promised,
“If I get the chance, I’ll definitely come visit you again.”

After returning home, she realized that Ji Yu hadn’t called her even once. This wasn’t what she had expected. By all logic, he should’ve known by now—yet there was nothing. Not even a symbolic text to comfort her.

The more she thought about it, the more irritated she became. She tossed her phone aside and went to take a shower. Lying in bed afterward, she refreshed repeatedly, still seeing nothing. She even wondered if her home internet was broken.

Eventually, she drifted into sleep—until Yu Jing’s early-morning call jolted her awake.

“Shi Xing, hurry back to work. Leadership has changed their stance.”

“Huh?” she exclaimed, stunned. “Why?”

Yu Jing sounded just as confused.
“I don’t really know either. They suddenly reversed their decision this morning and told me to have you come back.”

Shi Xing tugged at her lips. Good thing she hadn’t gone around saying goodbye to everyone yesterday—otherwise today would’ve been unbearably awkward.

After washing up and getting ready, she casually glanced out the window—and unexpectedly saw Ji Yu standing downstairs.

Still holding a grudge over the fact that he hadn’t called her yesterday, she deliberately ignored him. Just as she tried to walk past, she hadn’t gone two steps when he grabbed her collar and pulled her back.

“Doing that on purpose?” he asked, staring straight at her with a low chuckle.

Shi Xing smoothed her wrinkled collar, scrunched her nose, and muttered,
“No. I just woke up too early today—my vision’s a bit blurry.”

“Oh? Is that so?”
As he spoke, he slowly leaned closer until the distance between them vanished. He bent down and gently blew a breath into her eyes.

Shi Xing froze instinctively. Before she could react, Ji Yu said meaningfully,
“Can you see clearly now?”

Her ears instantly turned red. She shoved him away and replied quickly,
“Much better.”

Ji Yu smiled without saying a word and nodded slightly, signaling her to get into the car.