Disobedience To Control chapter 70

Not Accepting Discipline (Final Chapter)

“Run, run, run!”

When Song Siheng arrived at Jiangcheng Training Hall, there was a loud noise coming from inside the venue.

He pushed open the glass door of the training hall and looked up. Yang Xiaobei was wrapped around his waist with a thick black elastic band, and the coach behind him was holding onto the elastic band tightly, resisting him.

“Engage your core! Run!” the coach continued to command.

Sweat beads dripped down Yang Xiaobei’s forehead, and the glaring lights of the training hall shone down on his head.

“Alright, one set is over. Rest for ten minutes, and then we’ll do weighted pull-ups later,” the coach glanced at his watch and instructed.

Only then did Yang Xiaobei stop, bending over with his hands on his knees, taking a moment to catch his breath.

It was already winter, and there was no heating in the training hall, so there was still some chilliness. Song Siheng tightened his jacket, sat down on the bench by the training ground.

Yang Xiaobei turned his head and saw him, mouthing “wait for me for half an hour.” Song Siheng nodded to him, and he quickly returned to the equipment by the training hall.

The second item was weighted pull-ups.

Yang Xiaobei had a heavy dumbbell plate hanging around his waist, and in front of him was a pull-up bar higher than his head. The coach supported his back, helped him onto the bar, and then let go of his hands on both sides.

Yang Xiaobei did pull-ups on the bar with the dumbbell plate for two full sets, the muscles in his arms continuously stretching and trembling with each movement.

If it wasn’t for the monthly physical check-ups he took him for, Song Siheng would have been a little worried whether he could handle this kind of training.

Painful gasps echoed in the venue, and sweat beads kept falling to the ground.

Half an hour later, Yang Xiaobei finally finished the day’s training. Song Siheng raised his hand and looked at his watch, it was close to seven in the evening.

Yang Xiaobei quickly returned to the shower room to take a shower and then hurriedly changed into clean clothes.

The coach was tidying up the equipment on the side, and Yang Xiaobei said a few words to him before looking up and waving to Song Siheng sitting on the bench.

“You’ve lost weight,” Song Siheng walked out of the venue with him side by side. Another week had passed without seeing each other, and Yang Xiaobei seemed to have lost some weight again.

“Watch your words,” Yang Xiaobei lifted up his mineral water bottle and took a big gulp, “I’m not thin, I’m lean. I’ve reduced my body fat by two points this month! Here, feel my muscles.”

Yang Xiaobei said as he took Song Siheng’s hand and reached towards his abdomen.

“We are in public,” Song Siheng shook off his hand.

“Alright, then let’s do it when we get back,” Yang Xiaobei grinned shamelessly.

In winter, the days grew dark early. The two of them walked along the asphalt track for a dozen meters when suddenly, some white snowflakes floated down from the sky.

“How rare, it’s only December and it’s already snowing,” Yang Xiaobei extended his palm, and a snowflake landed in the palm of his hand.

“Do you think it’s because the heavens pity me too much?” he turned his head and asked with a smile.

“Don’t talk nonsense,” Song Siheng pushed his back, urging him to continue walking forward, but he himself glanced back at the gradually dimming training ground lights.

After Song Siheng got into the car, his phone rang, and a name was flashing on the screen.

After answering, he exchanged a few words and hung up.

“Secretary Li’s call?” Yang Xiaobei asked.

“Yeah,” Song Siheng started the car, “he’s going to work for an overseas company.”

“Why so suddenly?”

“He volunteered, saying he also wants to pursue a master’s degree next year.”

Yang Xiaobei thought for a moment and suddenly turned to ask, “So are you going to hire a new secretary?!”

“Why?” Song Siheng pressed the gas pedal, and the car moved forward.

“No reason, just don’t hire someone too handsome,” Yang Xiaobei teased as he folded his arms and looked at him.

“Do you have a say in that?” Song Siheng glanced at him through the rearview mirror.

“I do,” Yang Xiaobei reached over and pinched his cheek.

“Hey?!”

As the car drove two kilometers away, the radio broadcasted the weather forecast.

—”In the next two days, there will be continuous snowfall in Jiangcheng. This is also the earliest snowfall in recent years. Citizens are advised to pay attention to travel safety and plan their travel time reasonably…”

Song Siheng asked, “When are you leaving for the competition?”

“I’m leaving the day after tomorrow to adapt to the venue. The coach and Xiao Zhao are going with me, the three of us.” Yang Xiaobei explained every detail, “By the way, the competition rules were released a few days ago. In this Star River Cup, as long as you enter the top three in the individual event, you can be unconditionally selected for next year’s city training team.”

“Top three, are you confident?”

“I signed up with the eighth best time. What do you think?” Yang Xiaobei smiled, “I’ll probably be placed in the eighth lane, and it’s difficult to win with the eighth lane facing the waves.”

Song Siheng wanted to say, “If you lack confidence, why train so hard?” But in the end, he didn’t say this and just said, “It’s getting really cold in the city, take a few more thick jackets with you.”

Yang Xiaobei went to the city three days in advance. That day, Song Siheng happened to have an important meeting, so he went to the airport by himself.

On the night before the official competition, Song Siheng hurriedly arrived in the city.

Liyuan Sports Center had been renovated, and the large portraits hanging in the venue had been taken down.

Security was tight for this competition. Song Siheng didn’t have a work pass, so he could only wait for Yang Xiaobei outside the athletes’ rest area exit.

The sound of splashing water constantly echoed in the venue as coaches and athletes from various teams came and went. Some of the athletes looked very young, with thin arms and legs, running around in their swimsuits.

Every year, new talents emerged, and countless talents were eliminated, which was not a new story in the swimming pool.

It would be Yang Xiaobei’s twentieth birthday in two days.

Song Siheng originally wanted to buy something to celebrate in advance, to help him relax and ease his nervousness, but Yang Xiaobei found out and refused directly.

“Let’s talk about it after the competition,” Yang Xiaobei said.

Song Siheng stood at the exit, waiting for about twenty minutes before Yang Xiaobei finally walked out wearing sportswear.

“Finished training?” he asked.

“Yeah. The venue has been renovated quite a bit,” Yang Xiaobei followed behind Song Siheng as they walked out.

However, he had only taken a few steps when he stopped.

“What’s wrong?” Song Siheng turned to look at him.

Yang Xiaobei stood still, his eyes looking at two people not far away.

“Do you know them?” Song Siheng also looked over. It was a middle-aged man with a boy. The man had an orange badge on his chest, probably a coach. The boy was wearing swimming trunks and listening to what the man was saying.

“I know the older one,” Yang Xiaobei answered softly.

“Who?”

“Yu Hai.”

“The coach from the city? ” Song Siheng vaguely remembered this name.

“Yeah, he kicked me out of the team.”

The voices of the two people opposite came over.

The middle-aged man’s voice raised, “You’re already fifteen this year! It’ll be dangerous if you can’t make it into the top three this time! Pull yourself together, understand?”

The young boy nodded weakly, “Yes, coach.”

The middle-aged man continued to scold loudly, “I’ve seen so many kids like you, don’t think you can relax just because you have some talent!”

Song Siheng remained silent for a moment, not knowing what to say.

But Yang Xiaobei smiled, waved his hand, and said, “Let’s go. I’m hungry.”

The next day, Yang Xiaobei’s competition was scheduled for eleven in the morning.

Before the athlete check-in, Song Siheng saw him for the last time at the exit.

Yang Xiaobei jokingly asked him, “Do you want to bet again this time? Guess if I can make it to the top three?”

Song Siheng said, “What if you lose?”

Yang Xiaobei replied, “I’ll admit defeat.”

Song Siheng asked again, “What if you win?”

Yang Xiaobei stared into his eyes and said, “Then wish me a happy birthday.”

Song Siheng patted his shoulder firmly without giving a clear answer.

He just said, “As I told you in the park that day, geniuses don’t necessarily…”

“Geniuses don’t necessarily have to win,” Yang Xiaobei finished his sentence, “I know.”

He smiled, waved to Song Siheng, and walked towards the entrance, saying, “I have to check in!”

Song Siheng and Xiao Zhao sat together in the excellent viewing seats in the middle of the third row of the stands.

Yang Xiaobei was assigned to the eighth lane. When he appeared, the commentator barely introduced him, instead focusing on a teenage genius in the fourth lane.

“Ladies and gentlemen, in lane four is this year’s champion of the junior group from North City, fifteen years old this year.” It seemed like an invisible spotlight followed the boy in the venue.

Xiao Zhao nudged Song Siheng, “Song Ge, that’s the little genius I told you about last time.”

Song Siheng just nodded.

As the race was about to begin, Yang Xiaobei stood on the starting block of the leftmost lane. The referee raised the starting gun, and the audience instantly fell silent, holding their breath.

Yang Xiaobei fiercely slapped his arms, crouched down, fingers gripping the edge of the starting block, then glanced one last time towards the middle of the stands.

And Song Siheng in the stands met his gaze for a second, then pointed to the left side of his chest.

At the end of nineteen, Yang Xiaobei was assigned to the outermost eighth lane. Tomorrow would be his twentieth birthday.

All around, there was silence. A gunshot rang out.

Yang Xiaobei pushed off the block, leaping into the calm blue water, his figure perfectly overlapping with that of his fifteen-year-old self.

The birch trees in North City shed their leaves again, the roads froze once more, while the spring in Jiangcheng began to brew amidst the winter.

-“The eighth lane battles the waves, it’s hard to get a good ranking.”

-“I’ve seen so many kids like you!”

-“Geniuses don’t always have to win.”

Geniuses don’t always have to win, but ordinary people can also aspire to win.

If top-tier talent is lost, then one can reshape themselves with an ordinary body.

Yang Xiaobei, like a sharp blade, split the calm water surface, piercing towards the heart of the pool.

“What if you lose?”

“I’ll admit defeat.”

“What if you win?”

“Then wish me a happy birthday.”

The second hand never stopped, ticking forward more than forty times. Water splashed, and light pierced through.

Then, Song Siheng’s arm was shaken vigorously by the person next to him, but the surrounding noise was too loud, he could no longer hear the words of others clearly, only feeling hot tears swaying in his eyes.

The boy in the pool emerged from the water, tearing off his swimming cap, waving excitedly towards him.

“Yang Xiaobei, happy birthday,” he said in his heart.

At the end of nineteen, Yang Xiaobei finally grew into a fearless adult.

And Song Siheng was willing to continue being the disobedient child with him.

(End of the main text)

📢 Author’s note

Finished! Ah, there’s a feeling of melancholy.

Actually, when I first decided on the title of this story, I didn’t think so much. Later, after overturning the outline several times, I finally settled on this theme for the ending.

Let me share something unrelated to the story. In two months, it will be almost two years since I signed the contract. I won’t be able to shamelessly call myself a new author anymore, haha. Although I’m still a confused person writing fuzzy stories. But I’m still very happy, I gained a group of readers who have been following my stories. Anyway, grateful, grateful. I also hope that this book has brought you a little progress..

Finally, if you liked this book, please follow my author column~ 

Until we meet again