Prince of Tennis: Shocking! Hyotei's Demon King is a Yukimura fangirl!

Chapter 39 Longevity and Good Fortune Lock

The corridor of the inpatient department was nearly empty in the morning. The nurses at the nurses' station smiled and nodded when they saw him, and he bowed slightly in return.

When he arrived at the ward door, he raised his hand and knocked lightly twice.

There was a slight noise coming from inside.

Yukimura was sitting on the edge of the bed eating breakfast. The nurse had just neatly arranged his light porridge and side dishes. Hearing a knock on the door, he assumed it was the nurse returning and, without looking up, said gently, "Come in."

Wang Yueling gently pushed open the door, first peeking half her body in, and saw Yukimura sitting there eating, holding a spoon and stuffing it into his mouth, his cheeks bulging.

Completely captivated by its cuteness, her smile deepened.

"Seiichi~"

Yukimura heard a familiar voice, looked up and saw the person at the door. His hand holding the spoon paused, a faint surprise bloomed in his eyes, and the corners of his lips unconsciously turned up.

"Ling? What brings you here?"

Wang Yueling closed the door behind her back, hid the bouquet of flowers behind her back, and deliberately walked briskly to the bedside. She leaned down slightly, her bright blue eyes sparkling with a hint of playfulness: "Not welcoming me? Guess if I've missed you."

He paused deliberately, drawing out his words, and sighed dramatically, "Your most ardent fan hasn't shown up for a few days. Does the ward feel much quieter?"

Yukimura chuckled softly, his eyes crinkling at the corners. He tapped the small dining table lightly with his fingertip and deliberately followed up on his words, "Yes, indeed, my ears are much quieter now."

"Really?" Mochizuki Ryo feigned hurt, her face falling and her nose wrinkling slightly. But the next second, she presented him with the bouquet of flowers behind her. "Ta-da! Surprise!"

A large bunch of pure white lilies of the valley comes into view, paired with light green leaves, so refreshing it's as if it embraces the whole of spring.

Yukimura looked at the bouquet, his smile deepening. He gently took it, his fingertips touching the petals with tenderness. "I knew you would bring flowers, but this bouquet... is really beautiful."

Even though I said I guessed it, I couldn't hide my joy when I actually got my hands on it.

"Isn't it pretty?" Wang Yueling smiled, her tone tinged with a hint of pride. "I didn't buy this. My grandma cut and wrapped it herself from the yard and gave it to you as a special gift."

He leaned closer, lowered his voice, and said as if sharing a secret, "Grandma's lily of the valley is absolutely gorgeous. Usually, I get scolded if I pick even one extra flower, but today she took the initiative to cut a whole bunch for you. That's incredibly high-class treatment."

Yukimura paused slightly, and his movements while holding the bouquet became even gentler.

He knew the meaning of lily of the valley and understood the sentiment behind the bouquet. It wasn't expensive flowers, but it was the most sincere blessing from an elder, weighty and heartwarming.

"Please thank Grandma for me." He looked up at Wang Yueling, his voice unusually gentle. "I like it very much."

"Don't worry, I'll convey your message verbatim." Wang Yueling nodded with a smile, but her expression changed slightly when she glanced at the clock on the wall. "Oh no, I'm going to be late."

After saying that, he hurriedly took out a food storage container tied with a light blue ribbon from the bag, opened the lid, and placed it on the bedside table.

"The pudding was made this morning, and the lemon tart was made yesterday. It should taste even better after sitting overnight. You can have it as dessert after breakfast."

Yukimura looked at the food container, then at the unfinished porridge in front of him, and was both amused and exasperated. "I haven't finished my breakfast yet."

"No rush, eat slowly." Wang Yueling glanced at the time on the wall again, hurriedly stood up, pushed the chair back to its original position, turned and ran towards the door, "I really have to go, or it will be too late."

"Oh, right!" Mochizuki Ryo suddenly turned around, leaning against the door frame with a sly smile, and winked at Yukimura, "Seiichi, I've joined the Hyotei tennis club."

Yukimura raised an eyebrow, waiting for him to finish his sentence.

"You Rikkai should watch out~" Mochizuki Ryo deliberately dragged out the words, a mischievous smile on his lips. "If you run into us in the Kanto Tournament, don't cry."

Yukimura was amused by his smug look. "Rikkai isn't so easy to defeat."

"Then let's give it a try." Wang Yueling had already opened the door, and before leaving, she solemnly said, "I'm leaving now. I'll come see you again after club activities this afternoon, so it might be a little late."

Before Yukimura could respond, he waved his hand and disappeared in a flash, leaving only the gently closing door and the light footsteps fading into the corridor.

The ward fell silent again.

Holding the bunch of lilies of the valley, Yukimura gazed at the empty doorway, shook his head with a mixture of helplessness and amusement, and muttered, "They run really fast, like rabbits."

He laughed after saying that.

He placed the bouquet of flowers on the bedside table, picked up his spoon and continued drinking his porridge. After a couple of sips, he remembered what Mochizuki Ryo had said about crying at the Rikkai tournament.

His smile remained unchanged as he calmly stated in a low voice, "Winning every battle is Rikkai University's destiny..."

After saying that, he paused for a moment.

The smile on his face gradually faded.

The spoon stopped in mid-air, and the porridge slowly dripped back into the bowl along the edge of the spoon.

The sunlight outside the window was clearly warm, but he suddenly felt a tightness in his chest.

The surgery is scheduled for the day after tomorrow.

The doctor said the success rate was high and the prognosis was good, and everyone was trying to comfort him, but only he knew the fear he couldn't hide in his heart.

What if... what if the surgery doesn't go well... and he doesn't recover well, and he can never play tennis again?

From the day he was hospitalized, these questions swirled in his mind, day and night. But he didn't want to show it in front of others. He was the eldest son in his family, the captain of the tennis club, the "son of God," and he couldn't panic.

But when I'm alone, those thoughts pop up and I can't suppress them no matter what I do.

He put down his spoon, leaned back on his pillow, stared at the ceiling, thinking about Rikkai's goal of winning three consecutive championships, his friends who did morning exercises at school, and... the surgery that was coming soon.

My emotions sank little by little, and my fingertips unconsciously clenched the bed sheet.

Just then, my phone vibrated slightly.

He picked it up and saw that it was a message from Wang Yueling.

[Wang Yueling]: Take a closer look at that bouquet of flowers, there's a little surprise! (Golden Retriever scattering flowers.jpg)

Yukimura stared at the message for a moment, pulling himself out of his slump.

I put down my phone, put the bouquet on my lap, and carefully examined it.

He looked at the flowers first, nothing special. Then he looked at the wrapping paper, nothing special either. He flipped through the hemp rope that tied the flowers and found a small greeting card under the knot, light beige paper folded into the shape of a small envelope.

He didn't pull it out; he simply unfolded it.

Above is Wang Yueling's own playful handwriting:

I'm sending you these flowers borrowed from my grandmother.

Wishing our Jing Shi surgery a successful outcome and a long and healthy life!

—Your exclusive fan Ling

Below that is a small line of French text, written in fluent and beautiful handwriting:

Pour toi, mon amour.

At the end, there was also a crooked little golden retriever head drawn.

Yukimura's fingertips paused, tracing the phrase "May you live a long and healthy life," and his heart softened. He didn't recognize the French phrase, but he vaguely felt that it didn't mean "May you recover soon."

He was about to take out his phone to look up the meaning of the French phrase when he suddenly touched the corner of the greeting card and felt something hanging there. He turned the card over and found a transparent fishing line stuck to the bottom, which was barely visible unless you looked closely.

He gently tugged the fishing line, and a small, exquisite golden object fell out of the bouquet.

It looks like a square gold lock.

It is only the size of a thumb joint, and the workmanship is very exquisite. It is engraved with bat and gourd patterns with delicate lines. It looks like it has been around for a long time, but it is very well maintained. The gold light is warm and not dazzling.

Yukimura held the gold lock in his palm, turning it over and over to look at it several times, quite puzzled.

At that moment, the ward door was pushed open.

Yukimura Yuko walked in, carrying a thermos. She paused for a moment, then smiled, noticing the food container and bouquet of flowers on her son's bedside table. "Xiao Ling came so early?"

"Yes, they just left." Yukimura nodded gently, holding the gold lock in his hand.

Yukimura Yuko placed the thermos on the table, walked over to look at the bouquet of flowers, and her eyes lit up. "This bouquet of lilies of the valley is so beautiful, with a delicate fragrance and a lovely meaning. Did he arrange it?"

"No, it was his maternal grandmother who made it by hand."

"The flower arrangement is beautiful." Yukimura Yuko leaned closer to smell it, her eyes gentle. "And it's white lily of the valley. Xiaoling's grandmother is such a kind person."

"Hmm," Yukimura replied, continuing to examine the gold lock in his hand. Yukimura Yuko noticed his movement, peeked over, then froze, gently covering her mouth, her eyes widening slightly.

"this......"

"Mom?" Yukimura looked up in confusion, handing her the lock. "You know this?"

"Let me see." Yukimura Yuko carefully took the gold lock from her son, turning it over and over to examine it. Especially after seeing the character "Ling" on the back, her expression slowly changed from surprise to a smile.

"This is a Chinese peace and good fortune lock."

She returned the gold lock to her son, her tone filled with emotion, "It's engraved with bats, lotus flowers, and gourds, all auspicious symbols. There used to be a Chinese family living next door to us, and their baby wore this when he turned one month old. I asked them about it, and they said it was something their elders had asked for to protect the child, to lock in good fortune, peace, and health—a very precious sentiment."

Yukimura looked down at the small gold lock in his palm.

"Look, there are words engraved on the other side too." Yukimura Yuko gently turned the lock over in his hand, pointed to the engraving and said with a smile, "'Ling', it should refer to Xiao Ling's name, right?"

Yukimura's heart skipped a beat. His fingertips gently traced the word, the warm gold ornament against his fingertips making his ears turn slightly red.

It wasn't an expensive gift, but something the recipient carried close to their body, a symbol of their wish for peace and safety.

"This child is so thoughtful."

Yukimura Yuko looked at her son, who was staring blankly at the gold lock, and shook her head with a smile, her tone teasing, "Snap out of it. Hurry up and finish your breakfast, or the porridge will get cold."

Yukimura blushed slightly and hummed in agreement. He carefully placed the gold lock into his pajama pocket, nestled close to his body, and then rearranged the lily of the valley, placing it in the most conspicuous spot on the bedside table.

The fragrance of flowers dispelled all my previous unease.