After a full day of work, the students’ total revenue on Sunday reached the enormous sum of 2,000 yuan.

The balloon team alone had a net profit of 300 yuan.

Lin Wanxing didn’t hesitate with Qin Ao, taking 180 yuan. Wang Fa also didn’t hesitate with her, keeping to the 80-20 split, taking 144 yuan and leaving her 36.

The students reached their target amount on Tuesday, the day before Wang Fa’s departure.

The student’s cumulative income reached 7,921.3 yuan.

After that evening’s training, the students were, as usual, counting their bills on the rooftop. The cash had accumulated into quite a thick stack.

The sky was indigo blue, and the stars were bright.

The Minnie Mouse balloon Lin Wanxing had given to Wang Fa was tied to the rooftop railing, swaying back and forth against the night sky.

Lin Wanxing and Wang Fa went downstairs to buy drinks.

When they pushed open the rooftop door again, Fu Xinshu was sitting alone in the corner of the rooftop, not far from the money-counting gang. He typically didn’t participate in such activities, preferring to sit aside and watch.

Lin Wanxing handed him a bottle of water. The boy was startled for a moment, then raised his head and said, “Thank you, Teacher.”

“How are you feeling?” Lin Wanxing sat down beside him. The rooftop floor had been baked by the sun all day and still retained a warm temperature.

Fu Xinshu looked at her, his expression momentarily bewildered before quickly realizing what she was asking.

“Good, really good,” the boy repeated.

“I used to think making money was difficult,” Fu Xinshu said.

Lin Wanxing sat cross-legged on the ground, opened a can of Coca-Cola for herself, and listened to her student speak. The boy had monolids with very long eyelashes that always drooped, giving him a gentle and obedient appearance.

“When I was little, my family was quite well-off. Back then, my father could afford to send me to play football. Later, something happened, and my family owed a lot of debt, so we became poor. My mother’s health isn’t good either. To make money, I’ve done many jobs and always felt earning money was too difficult.”

Fu Xinshu spoke about his family situation in a soft, slow voice, afraid that if he spoke any louder, his teammates happily counting money nearby would hear him.

Lin Wanxing looked at her student, nodded, and didn’t speak, feeling that Fu Xinshu needed a quiet listener more.

“Anyway, football definitely can’t make money. I’ve always known my skill level, so when you asked us to write down what we wanted most, I wrote ‘Attend a good university.’ I know that only through education can I change my situation. But my academic performance is similar to my football skills—neither good nor bad—just enough to barely get into a university. At that time, I had the feeling of ‘wanting everything but achieving nothing.'”

“What about now?” Lin Wanxing asked.

“Now? It might sound a bit arrogant, but these few days have made me feel that earning money isn’t so difficult. Well, not that it’s not difficult—it’s still very tiring. But somehow, watching us earn the amount we wanted bit by bit gives me a feeling that I can survive in this world. It’s reassuring, different from before.” Fu Xinshu took a big gulp of water, his lips very red and his eyes bright.

“You’ll have a good life in the future,” Lin Wanxing said with a smile.

As she chatted with Fu Xinshu, Qin Ao, Chen Jianghe, and the others came over with their drinks.

The students began discussing plans for the next day.

They planned to clear out their previously stockpiled inventory, and then go together to sign up for gym memberships. Finally, depending on how much money was left, they would have a barbecue for dinner.

Despite it being nighttime, the rooftop was filled with colorful sounds.

The students finished their drinks and skillfully placed the plastic bottles on the ground, crushing them flat with a “crunch” of their feet.

Wang Fa sat in his usual spot, with his feet propped up on the rooftop railing. He would occasionally take a few sips of cola, the ice cubes floating in the carbonated water, occasionally colliding with the sides of the cup, making a tinkling sound.

All in all, it was indeed an exceptionally relaxing night.

So much so that Lin Wanxing was completely too lazy to think about how the person who had filled the refrigerator with drinks today would be leaving the next day.

On Wednesday, Lin Wanxing woke up very early.

According to her habit, she would generally go downstairs for breakfast, sometimes meeting Wang Fa on the rooftop if he was up early, and they would go together. But more often, she would eat by herself, then bring a portion back for Wang Fa.

The breakfast choices at Wutong New Village were too abundant. Lin Wanxing would often drink a bowl of fish porridge at one place and then buy a bowl of noodles at another.

Even when she was already full, she would still want to buy appetizing pan-fried buns she saw by the roadside, and these extras usually ended up with Wang Fa.

According to past habits, after finishing breakfast and returning home, Wang Fa would usually be up.

He would sit under the simple parasol on the rooftop, preparing the day’s training plan.

The students wouldn’t have arrived yet. Sometimes he would be drinking water, sometimes eating snacks, and occasionally Lin Wanxing could smell the scent of cigarette smoke spreading across the rooftop.

But today, Wang Fa didn’t appear on time on the rooftop. The outdoor area was empty, with only weeds in the brick crevices swaying in the wind.

Lin Wanxing placed the soy milk and pan-fried buns she had bought on the outdoor table, then turned to go back to her room to tidy up.

But when she went outside again, the plastic bag on the table remained unchanged, except that the soy milk had been blown over by the wind.

Nearby, the pink Minnie Mouse balloon tied to the railing swayed back and forth, as if everything was normal, yet something was different.

Lin Wanxing hesitated, then walked to Wang Fa’s door.

She instinctively wanted to knock but felt it inappropriate, afraid of waking Wang Fa if he was sleeping. With this in mind, she took out her phone and sent Wang Fa a message—Breakfast is on the table outside.

Lin Wanxing put her phone away, and as she passed Wang Fa’s window, she saw into his room.

The room was very clean.

“Clean” is a relative term. Wang Fa’s place was always clean—he had good habits, not many possessions, and his home always maintained a freshness and tidiness unusual for a single man.

But no matter what, a home will always have traces of life.

For instance, the blanket on the sofa, cups on the coffee table, notebooks, and pencils casually tossed aside…

Now all these surface items had been swept away, and the entire room looked as clean as if no one had ever lived there.

Lin Wanxing found the most appropriate word for this, and she felt her heart rate increase. So she did something she would never normally do—she began to knock.

At first, it was a calm three knocks, but with no response from inside, she began to knock harder.

The “bang bang” sound echoed across the rooftop. The surroundings were open, making the sound particularly clear.

Lin Wanxing, startled by her knocking, instantly calmed down. She took out her phone and called Wang Fa on WeChat.

The waiting time was particularly agonizing. Although Lin Wanxing had prepared herself for Wang Fa not answering, when the background noise sounded at the moment of connection, she still felt a sense of relief.

The WeChat voice call wouldn’t immediately let her hear the other person. The background noise continued for a while before she heard Wang Fa’s voice.

“Hello?” Wang Fa’s voice sounded very calm.

“Where are you?” Lin Wanxing took a breath and asked, “Have you left?”

The person on the other end of the phone was silent for a moment, then said, “Not yet. Walk forward a bit and look south.”

Lin Wanxing followed his instructions, walking to the edge of the rooftop and looking toward the distant field.

Her gaze passed over the smoke-gray concrete stands to the green field, where someone was waving to her from afar.

Although she couldn’t see clearly, Lin Wanxing recognized at once that it was Wang Fa.

The young man was dressed as usual in a black cotton T-shirt and sports shorts that had been washed until the edges were slightly whitened, looking very casual.

Beside him was a tall high school boy wearing brand-new goalkeeper gloves—it was Feng Suo.

Wang Fa stood on the grass, pointing in her direction from afar, and Feng Suo excitedly jumped up, waving to her.

The sky was crystal clear, the grass lush green—everything seemed to symbolize a beautiful day ahead.

Lin Wanxing breathed a sigh of relief, went downstairs, and arrived at the edge of the field.

Wang Fa was conducting one-on-one goalkeeper training with Feng Suo.

He started by correcting the basic movements and guiding Feng Suo’s saving actions. He was very patient, having Feng Suo repeat again and again, tirelessly.

Lin Wanxing watched for a while until Wang Fa told Feng Suo to rest and drink some water.

He spun the football in his hands and shifted his calm gaze toward her.

“So early today?” Lin Wanxing asked.

“Yes, I’m leaving tonight, so I called Feng Suo out to teach him a bit more,” Wang Fa responded.

Wang Fa said this in a very ordinary tone as if his departure was just a business trip or a few days of travel—nothing out of the ordinary.

Lin Wanxing—”You’re going to… Yongchuan?”

“Yes, they’re urging me to report for duty,” Wang Fa answered.

Feng Suo had been stretching his neck, eavesdropping nearby.

When he heard these words, Lin Wanxing saw the student’s eyes widen and his expression stiffen.

She thought her expression was probably similar.

“I thought you were leaving tomorrow,” Lin Wanxing said.

“It doesn’t make much difference,” Wang Fa paused, glanced at Feng Suo, and continued, “The goalkeeper coach I mentioned last time might be difficult to find separately. It’s still important to first focus on finding a new team coach.” As he spoke, he casually moved the football with the instep of his foot. “I’m not familiar with the local area, so I can’t recommend anyone. You should start looking at local clubs—you should be able to find someone. If you have the resources, then look for a professional goalkeeper coach.”

Lin Wanxing had many things she wanted to say.

Such as “Didn’t we talk before about you guiding remotely?” and similar sentiments, but even as these words reached her lips, she knew they were just excuses to comfort the students.

If Wang Fa was going to coach Yongchuan Hengda, he wouldn’t have so much time to guide them. They needed to find a new coach, preferably with an additional goalkeeper coach—this was Wang Fa’s sincere suggestion.

Lin Wanxing reached a rare moment of speechlessness, and finally could only say, “I’ll ask the teachers in our sports department if they know anyone suitable.”

“If you need anything, I can also ask around once I’m in Yongchuan.”

“Thank you,” Lin Wanxing said.

“It’s what I should do.”

When a conversation reaches the stage of formalities, it means it’s time to end.

Lin Wanxing looked toward the school and said, “I’ll go back to tidy up a bit, then get ready for work. So when are you leaving today?”

She tried to make her voice sound as normal as possible.

“After dinner,” Wang Fa gave a precise time and added, “When they come for training later, I’ll tell the players. Don’t worry, go to work.”

This seemed like the most ordinary farewell, yet Lin Wanxing still felt uncertain.

Wang Fa had long ago mentioned his departure, and she and the students had all been silently counting down in their hearts.

But when the day arrived, she found herself quibbling over Wang Fa leaving half a day earlier than expected.

Walking in the gentle morning breeze, Lin Wanxing fell into a brief reminiscence.

She and Wang Fa weren’t very close. They had known each other for less than a month, so by that measure, she had even less reason to ask him to stay.

Yet somehow, her heartfelt was clogged with cotton wool.

Conversely, the air around her seemed to have a hole in it, always feeling like something was missing.

Thinking it over, it seemed to be because Wang Fa had always been by their side.

Although he was verbally indifferent and liked to tease her, he always seemed to be sitting in that section of the stands.

Once he belonged to the field, he was forever calm and assured of victory.

Like a pillar.