Hide your true identity and live quietly as an honest person?

In truth, what left Bai Haonan somewhat at a loss was his own state of mind.

At this moment, he finally felt a desire to stand beneath the sunlight, or perhaps, he had always yearned for brightness. In the past, no matter how much he disliked drug users, he wouldn’t have gone so far as to report license plates. Subconsciously, he was still affected by that identity of a fugitive.

Especially when, the following day, the precinct to which these officers belonged specifically sent over a silk banner to thank Comrade Liu Hao for promptly rescuing the victims, notifying the hospital for emergency treatment, and providing firsthand information about the case. By the time they had the banner made, the perpetrator had already been apprehended; it was indeed a drug-induced hallucination, the culprit had no idea what had happened. Now, his parents, who had some money, were compensating first—Xiu'er’s car had been sent for repairs, a new motorbike was being provided, all medical expenses and compensation were covered. Yet injuring six people could not be escaped; a nurse from the ICU called, saying that at noon, the perpetrator’s parents knelt outside the officers’ ward: “Where were you before? A child’s faults are the father’s failure to teach!”

It seemed just as the officer with the broken leg had said—they only recorded Bai Haonan’s involvement at the level of an incident report. On the witness statement, they only asked for his name and phone number, never his ID number. Whether it was because things happened too quickly or due to the chaos, as long as it didn’t reach the step of checking his ID, Bai Haonan would not be exposed.

Thus, Liu Hao, Coach Liu, had become a figure of praise and light.

As a football coach hired by the First Affiliated Hospital, he was being thanked by the police precinct. The hospital itself didn’t much care for such trivial matters, but still sent a logistics supervisor as a gesture, declaring that Comrade Liu Hao had always been an exemplary staff member in their training.

A flowery sedan chair is carried by many; in any case, there was no harm in this. Bai Haonan had rarely felt this before, back when he was in the club, living under Old Chen’s wings. That man had always pounded him with “hate iron for not being steel,” tagging him with laziness, slyness, itchiness—labels that grew up with Bai Haonan, so he’d hardly ever received positive praise. Even within the team, to cover up his arrangement to observe the match for Old Chen in the first half, he always entered as a substitute, leaving the club unaware that he was actually Old Chen’s core player.

This was a child who had never received positive affirmation. He’d nearly never experienced the little sense of accomplishment from doing something well and being praised. So, when he scored that last goal, the feeling was unforgettable, something he’d never regret.

Deep down, he longed for recognition. Yet now, everything he seemed to have gained was false—a bubble that could burst at any moment. Even if he didn’t know the metaphor, Bai Haonan knew it could vanish in an instant. The smiling officers around him would, upon discovering his false identity, surely turn on him and lock him up.

So he felt a nameless discomfort, as if twisted and somewhat disdainful. Wasn’t this life before him the one he’d always yearned for? He had beauties, football, and could support himself—more carefree than when he was with the team. Yet it was all fake, leaving him anxious in a way seldom felt before.

Of course, the greatest recognition came from the girl. Xiu’er, embellishing the details, spread the story of Brother Hao’s calm heroics everywhere. Whether she truly wanted to promote Bai Haonan, or was deliberately showing off her connection to him—half announcing her claim—by afternoon, nearly every nurse at the fitness center knew, laughing and joking with Bai Haonan, some even sneakily kicking him. During training, the young doctors knew about the incident, teasing him about whether congratulations were in order, and asking if that senior college girl had broken up with him.

After all, by most people’s normal standards, announcing a relationship so openly usually meant previous attachments had ended. Who would so blatantly play with multiple partners?

This actually took away some of Bai Haonan’s mood for romance. After training, ignoring Xiu’er’s messages inviting him out, he drove home—back to the apartment shared with Qiao Yingna. Yet upon opening the door, he was surprised to find the whole room newly cleaned, especially his clothes.

Incidentally, Bai Haonan, raised in group living, almost never washed his own clothes. Early on, mingling with girls at sports school, he had girls doing laundry for him. As a pro player, it was all handled by club staff or hotel workers. So, over the past month, he either bought new clothes often or brought them to the fitness center for others to wash. It wasn’t laziness—he simply wasn’t accustomed to doing it himself, used to being served.

Thus, the place was often piled with dirty clothes, at least since Qiao Yingna had left over a month ago. There was a washing machine, but he couldn’t be bothered. Bottled water everywhere—don’t expect Brother Haonan to boil his own water; he always bought bottled water and tossed the bottles.

But now, all of it was gone. Clean clothes hung on the balcony outside, the living room sofa covered with a new dust cloth—effectively Bai Haonan’s new bedsheet. The glass coffee table was so spotless it could serve as a mirror.

His first reaction was that Chen Sufen, that mischievous girl, had returned. In sports school and the club, she’d always done this—coming back quietly to clean all his personal items, without any notion of privacy, especially some hard-won Japanese educational films brazenly placed on the desk or bedside, with two boxes of tissues beside them, infuriating him.

But then he caught the scent of cooking from the kitchen. Bai Haonan found Qiao Yingna, wearing an apron and a hairband, busy at work. Though a bit clumsy, three or four dishes were already set out. Seeing Bai Haonan come in, she was pleasantly surprised: “Don’t you usually eat out before coming home?”

Bai Haonan’s way of greeting was to lift her skirt, earning him a smack with a spatula: “Can’t you stop acting like a breeding boar every time we meet? Go wash your hands and bring the dishes!”

He shrugged and complied, then quipped, “But you described yourself as a sow…”

Qiao Yingna hit him again, not truly violent, but now itching to smack him, taking deep breaths: “Just got the news—next week, there’s an audition coming to Rongdu. I need to register, so I came early to prepare.”

Bai Haonan, lazily sniffing the food, doubted, “Looks pretty good—why haven’t I seen you cook before?”

Qiao Yingna finally admitted, a bit embarrassed: “My mom made them. I just bought the pan and spatula and reheated them.”

Bai Haonan, understanding, took on the role of porter, carrying all the dishes out in a layered stack. Qiao Yingna couldn’t help wanting to hit him again, but this time it was more cheerful: “How’s life lately? I see you’re home every day, but haven’t brought any women back?”

Bai Haonan didn’t surprise her: “Of course not. This place is originally yours and Chen Sufen’s—I’m just borrowing it. You guys could have moved out over the summer. If I brought someone here, that’d be too much, so I settle things outside.”

Qiao Yingna controlled her chopsticks: “From what you’re saying, it’s parties every night?”

Bai Haonan was confused: “What?”

She remembered his ignorance: “Have you thought about making this team-leading model a long-term thing?”

Bai Haonan liked to joke, but rarely schemed: “It’d be great, but their tournament ends in October.”

Medical students always have more long-term plans: “The First Affiliated Hospital is the largest in the world. Investing a hundred or two thousand a month for a football team is negligible. The key is you have a grassroots base—the doctors themselves asked you to lead. So, your priority is to get good results in this tournament and then come up with new ideas.”

Bai Haonan, not much for conversation unless flirting, replied, “You understand football too?”

Qiao Yingna brushed her hair: “Not really, but I’ve watched matches at every school and unit since childhood. There are a lot of football enthusiasts. Med Uni has five hospitals, several colleges, and since Med Uni was merged with Provincial Uni, there are intercollegiate tournaments every year. If you get good results for Affiliated One, you could lead Med Uni’s teams—students will be even more enthusiastic. After this batch, even if the income is less, you’ll be ready for the adult staff teams. That way, you can spend more than half the year leading teams at Med Uni and its hospitals. You’d be a regular staff member—whether living or working, even if you like to play, you could live comfortably in Rongdu.”

Bai Haonan was taciturn when discussing serious matters, or perhaps he disliked it: “Too bad my identity is fake. This life won’t last.”

Qiao Yingna fell silent, gazing softly at this man with a curious light in her eyes.