Section 1
The competition registration only has an age limit; those over the age of 14 cannot register for the youth group, and those over the age of 21 cannot register for the young adult group, in order to ensure fairness in the competition
Could it be a mistake in recognition
Although her skills may not be able to instantly defeat the regional champions and renowned players in the billiard room, they are certainly not inferior to theirs
Unfortunately, plans cannot keep up with changes. By around 6 o'clock, Berry had packed her things and rushed over, warmly inviting Su Wei to join her for dinner near Flushing. That area is a gathering place for Asians and Chinese, commonly referred to as New Chinatown.
There is no lower age limit; Meng Xiaotian's brother, Meng Xiaodong, began competing in the professional league at the age of 14
After buying coffee, she parted ways with her cousin.
He is applying chalk powder to the tip of his cue, twisting the small blue chalk cube, slowly and methodically gliding it over the tip, achieving a very even coating, clearly a skilled hand.
The driver was astonished, wondering if they still had to take a detour in this dreadful weather
They were pointing and whispering to each other in front of the white wall above the sack, which was covered with the names, origins, and flavors of coffee beans. The girl in the couple picked one and placed it in the boy's mouth for him to taste
Last year during the competition, she made several friends in the youth group. This year, only one of them, a girl from Singapore named Su Wei, has transitioned to the professional group with her. This billiard hall was also recommended to Yin Guo by her, costing 15 dollars for an afternoon, which is very affordable
It was just a fleeting moment, but in a place filled with locals, it is quite easy to recognize a Chinese person. With black hair, short hair, wearing the black hoodie seen during their meeting at noon, with the sleeves rolled up to the elbows, he had his back turned to her.
The gaze halted upon her
Berry appears to be around forty years old, quite mature, and very warm-hearted, engaging in small talk for quite a while
It really is him
Lin Yiyang held the cue in his right hand, slowly leaning against the edge of the billiard table. He cautiously reached out, scooping up two balls from the table, tossing one away to his opponent for the evening, the regional champion: "Come on, let me see your skills"
When she came for the first time, someone even asked her if she had registered to participate in the competition for the youth group under the age of 14
In his hand, he unexpectedly held two berry-flavored coffee beans, wanting to toss them back into the burlap bag, but he hesitated. Having held them for quite a while, he thought it best not to throw them in after all; what if someone picked them up to taste? How unsanitary that would be
However, it is different now; from the content to the tone, the entire demeanor is one of nonchalance, as if saying: he can win this round, and with everyone present raising their bets, victory is assured.
Yin Guo took it and held it in the palm of her hand, this time she didn't have the courage to try again
... ...
Berry loudly asked his friend, who is hitting?
The cocoa powder for the left hand was placed on the edge of the billiard table
Before heading out, Yin Guo refreshed the weather forecast, noting that there is another cold wave and that there will be localized snowfall today
Most of the tables are green billiard tables, with several blue billiard tables on the inside, maintaining a cueing space of approximately 2 meters between the tables
Without lingering for a moment, I hurriedly settled the bill and headed straight to the next destination
A gust of wind swept up the accumulated snow on the road, enveloping the cars and people by the roadside in a white mist, which quickly dissipated. He hurriedly took a couple of steps, crossed the street, circled to the right side of the car, and got in.
Yingguo has not been there yet, it is a bit far.
She was pushed to the front of the crowd, directly facing that figure.
Bai Rui understood immediately, pushed open the glass door, and led them into the billiard room
"The betting limit today is five thousand dollars," he said in English to the crowd of onlookers, "I have only gathered three thousand. If anyone wants to raise the bet for me, you are welcome to do so at any time."
Generally, the youth and junior categories of such competitions are of an encouraging nature, offering prizes but no official world ranking points. However, the registration fee combined with the travel expenses does not cover the prize money, so after testing the waters last year, she has directly registered for the professional category this year. This year can also be considered her first battle on the professional path
He pointed to the small corner on the left side of the counter, indicating that the trash can was there
Lin Yiyang is very familiar with this area and quickly found that store
They spent quite a bit of time on the road. When they finally arrived at the Chinese restaurant, Su Wei had just started to place the order when Bei Rui received seven or eight phone calls in a row, urging him to hurry to the billiard room. They had no choice but to give up on the boiled beef and ordered a portion of fried rice instead
The owner is of Chinese descent, a well-known snooker player from earlier years. After retiring, he opened a billiard hall here, which is quite sizable and caters to regular customers. The entrance to the billiard hall is at the street corner. When the two arrived, there were a few people smoking next to the trash can at the entrance. One of them, who recognized Berry, discarded his cigarette butt and smiled, pointing inside: "Go in and watch the good show"
The last time she came to the United States, she registered for the youth division of the American 9-Ball Open Championship
"Give it a try," he said
Yin Guo is not very accustomed to tasting beans, so she takes out a tissue, spits out the residue, and gathers it into a ball in the palm of her hand
I am telling you that in Flushing, there is a Chinese restaurant run by my boyfriend's family, specializing in Sichuan cuisine, and the boiled beef is very delicious
Moreover, there is no distinction of age at the billiard table
As expected, when I came out of the coffee shop, it was still a bright sunny day. By the time I reached outside the billiard room, it was already dark before 3 o'clock
After Su Wei finished speaking, she smiled at Berry and greeted in English: "This is my friend, Xiao Guo, whom I just mentioned to you."
All of this was witnessed by the man beside me
Hit the bullseye, it is imperative to go
A very simple shop, a space no larger than a palm, with a glass display case connected to the checkout counter on the right, and a few small shelves on the left displaying surrounding products. Dozens of jute bags filled with brown coffee beans, each labeled with handwritten white paper boards.
Yin Guo saw him cross the road through the glass; he did not take a taxi and should be heading to the nearby subway station
It is him, it must be him, this voice was still telling her amusing stories about the fallen literary masters this afternoon
Berry asked again, who is it
Looking at Berry's performance, she should also be a well-known local player. She propped her pole beside her and, before she had the chance to take off the hood of her down jacket, she caught sight of ... ...
The truth is revealed on the billiard table
Ying Guo showed him those names and called over a store clerk, pointing to several bags of coffee beans. The clerk smiled and chatted with him for a moment, and Ying Guo listened as they discussed which of these items sold the best.
As he was about to settle the bill, Lin Yiyang raised his right arm to check his watch
Yin Guo threw the backpack onto the billiard chair and greeted Berry
The bespectacled man first helped the brother and sister into the car, loaded the luggage into the trunk, while Lin Yiyang settled the bill at the bar
On both sides of the billiard table, there are two brown billiard chairs.
Two individuals meet here every day for training
She lost her focus, obediently placed the coffee bean against her lips, bit down, and gently chewed.
Originally intending to savor it carefully, Lin Yiyang kept looking at her, causing her to gradually chew more slowly and feel increasingly uncomfortable. He seemed to sense her thoughts, averted his gaze, and took two sweet and sour berries from a nearby burlap bag, placing them into her palm.
Berry smiled as she moved aside her two friends, allowing the two girls to see more clearly
Berry noticed that she was still hesitating and whispered a few words to Su Wei
The venue for tonight's gathering is a Chinese billiard hall
Su Wei pointed with her eyes to a nearby location, quietly sitting on the billiard chair, watching her opponent, the American local champion Berry, play: "Didn’t you want to see the real thing yesterday? Here it is today."
They chose this local American billiard hall for another reason: they can meet many world champions from the United States, who practice like ordinary people, occasionally engaging in small competitions, which is quite interesting
Yin Guo lost a paper ball and heard himself asking: "What does your friend want?"
He originally did not have dinner and was not in a good mood, but now, it is different
This scene of crossing the road reminded her of that night when they first met
Lin Yiyang did not waste much time on idle chatter and pushed the door open
She decisively confirmed Meng Xiaotian's location on WeChat, while reminding him to return to the hotel early, put the cue in the cue case, and then followed the two of them.
Meng Xiaotian continued to wander around the nearby area. She went directly back to the hotel, took her cue from the room, and carried a small bag containing her phone, wallet, and key card to the billiard room
Yin Guo nodded
A row of billiard tables is arranged neatly, extending from the entrance of the billiard room all the way to the end
The other party mentioned a name, and Bei Rui became excited, smiling as he set down his backpack and golf club, walking into the crowd
After the two couples left, only the three customers remained in the store. She and Lin Yiyang were by the coffee beans, while her cousin was at the last row of the shelves, selecting surrounding gifts
However, later on, no one asked anymore
She has been tempted by her cravings. It has been over a week since she last had hometown cuisine, and her taste buds are nearly overwhelmed by Western food. However delicious it may be, there is no need to rush over so late; she can go on her own tomorrow as well
Sister? The cousin came back with two souvenirs and was surprised to find that Lin Yiyang was gone. Did he leave?
The match has not yet started
Later, Yin Guo recalled that night, always believing it was the true beginning of her acquaintance with Lin Yiyang. Here, in this Chinese billiard room, the person was him, that lazy, talented, unconventional Chinese man who always defeated his opponents with a carefree attitude, indifferent to winning or losing.
Is it him
Yin Guo, from behind the two layers of glass of the car window and the bar, saw him down the remaining half of his drink in one gulp, sign the bill, put on his cold-weather hat, and push the door open to exit
Just now, she wanted to study how to pronounce it, to look it up in the dictionary, and only after she could pronounce it correctly would she feel comfortable asking the store clerk. Lin Yiyang's question was like a lifeline for her
Su Wei found a new reason to tempt her: "He said that because of the open tournament, there is a gathering tonight where you will meet many professionals from various countries, and you can meet them in advance."
He turned his head
Several types
He said, yes, take a detour
First, they hurried to get there, not even having lunch, quickly finishing off coffee and panini, bringing them here. Although they did not speak of it, one could sense a feeling of urgency in everything, likely having rushed over from Washington.
"Yes, I am in a hurry." She took out her wallet to settle the bill
Today she arrived late due to afternoon tea and wishes to extend the time to 8 o'clock
Shall we arrange to meet again when we have time? He also knows that he cannot delay any longer
The billiard room is mostly filled with men, with only Su Wei and Yin Guo at one table being the female contestants registered for this competition. The two blonde girls at the other table are purely there for fun. Su Wei is half mixed-race and has a height that is relatively closer to the local people, while the two local beauties have long legs and ample chests. Among the four women in the billiard room, only Yin Guo is a petite girl.
Sichuan boiled beef is indeed a globally renowned Chinese dish
Su Wei's boyfriend lives over there, and she can go over and stay directly without needing to return. This means she will have to come back alone after dark, which raises safety concerns.
After she entered the door, someone in the corner of the ball room called out: "Yin Guo."
The driver asked, where to go
Someone responded, there is a regional champion involved in sports betting, three thousand US dollars
He said, Queens.
After they entered, they discovered that the pool table was filled with unfinished games, and everyone had left, crowding around the innermost blue table. The place was bustling with people engaged in lively conversations, clearly there to watch the match
In the store, there is only a young couple who are also selecting beans
Lin Yiyang picked up two pieces and placed them in her palm. He pointed to her mouth
She had no place to dispose of them, so she stuffed two coffee beans into the small pocket on the inside of her backpack
Since leaving the café, he has checked his watch several times.
Yin Guo immediately said: "You should hurry, go quickly, anyway, I have already bought it."