On the stage, the Chinese team stood together, all of them smiling, even the usually serious Zhou Lei. Lin Yue covered her mouth to hide her laugh, but her eyes sparkled.
Bai Yu raised his fist high in the air. Meng Hao nodded proudly toward the crowd.
Gu Jin stood still, her hands behind her back, but her gaze swept over the audience like she was memorizing the moment.
"Captain Gu Jin!" a man yelled from somewhere in the crowd. "You are our golden alchemist!"
"She’s better than golden! She’s diamond!" another man shouted, earning laughter from everyone around him.
Zhou Lei leaned closer to Gu Jin and whispered, "They’re going to talk about you for decades after this."
Gu Jin’s lips curved just slightly. "They should talk about all of us. This was a team victory."
Meanwhile, the England team was packing up their tools.
Sophia kept her head high, but she couldn’t block out the roaring cheers for China. Finn gave a crooked smile and shrugged at his teammates. "Well... at least we were beaten by legends."
Priya sighed. "Yeah. No shame in that, I guess."
Leo tried to joke. "I’m still telling people she’s three hundred years old." But even he looked impressed as he watched Gu Jin hold her ground in front of the crowd.
The announcer’s voice boomed again. "Ladies and gentlemen, please give a round of applause to both teams for their hard work!"
The crowd clapped politely for the England team, but when it was China’s turn, the applause turned into wild cheering again. Someone near the back blew a trumpet. People stomped their feet in rhythm with the chants.
Back in the audience, two little boys were arguing.
"My favorite is Bai Yu! Did you see how fast he was? Like lightning!" one said, waving a snack stick like a sword.
"No way, Gu Jin is the best! Her pill was glowing!" the other replied, shaking his head so hard his cap fell off.
A woman sitting behind them leaned forward and said, "Boys, they all did amazing. But yes... Gu Jin is something special."
The judges stepped forward with medals. The gold medals shone under the bright stadium lights. One by one, they placed them around the necks of the Chinese team members. When it was Gu Jin’s turn, the head judge smiled warmly. "You have made this competition unforgettable."
"Thank you," Gu Jin said simply, her voice steady.
The crowd loved her calmness even more. "She’s so cool!" a teenager squealed.
After the ceremony, the team gathered in the center of the stage for a final bow. The photographers rushed forward, camera flashes popping like fireworks.
"Over here! Gu Jin, look here!"
"Lin Yue, smile for the camera!"
"Zhou Lei, give us a wave!"
Bai Yu laughed as he threw both hands up. Meng Hao just gave a small nod toward the cameras. While Yun Qing was delighted to be able to share the stage with the future bigwigs of the alchemy industry.
As the team left the stage, people reached out from the sides, trying to shake their hands or pass flowers. A little girl with pigtails managed to hand Gu Jin a small paper crane. "For luck," she said shyly.
Gu Jin took it and gave the girl a small nod. "Thank you."
Outside the stadium, the celebration didn’t stop. Vendors were selling snacks with the Chinese flag printed on the wrappers. People were singing, dancing, and shouting about the victory.
Someone had even brought a portable speaker and was blasting upbeat music while a group of fans danced in a circle.
A teenage boy waved his phone in excitement. "Look! Gu Jin’s win is already trending online! She’s number one!"
His friend grabbed the phone to see. "Whoa! Everyone’s calling her the ’Golden Flame’!"
An older man was speaking proudly to a group of strangers. "I was here! I saw it with my own eyes! An earth rank advanced pill from someone so young... It’s not just rare, it’s unheard of!"
Meanwhile, inside the Chinese team’s waiting room, the atmosphere was calmer but still warm.
Bai Yu plopped down in a chair and sighed happily. "I could sleep for a week."
Lin Yue giggled. "We just won and you’re already thinking about sleeping?"
Zhou Lei chuckled. "Let him rest. He worked hard."
Gu Jin stood by the window, looking out at the crowd still gathered outside. "They won’t forget this day," she said quietly.
Meng Hao nodded. "Neither will we."
There was a knock on the door, and an official stepped in with a huge bouquet of red and gold flowers. "From the competition committee," he said. "To congratulate the champions."
Lin Yue took the flowers and placed them on the table. "Smells like victory," she said with a grin.
Bai Yu laughed. "Victory smells like flowers? I thought it would smell like herbs and sweat."
Everyone burst out laughing, even Gu Jin.
When they finally left the building together, the crowd outside went wild again. People waved flags, phones, and banners. A little boy ran up holding a cardboard sign that read, "China Forever!"
Gu Jin paused to look at it. Then she gave the boy a small smile and raised her fist gently into the air. The crowd copied her instantly, hundreds of fists raised high.
The chant began again, loud and strong. "Gu Jin! Gu Jin! Gu Jin!"
And in that moment, under the night sky filled with lights and confetti, it felt like nothing in the world could dim the joy of their victory.
Gu Jin had just stepped back into her room. The noise from the crowd outside still rang faintly in her ears, but here it was quiet. She reached for the light switch, and before she could even flip it, the room suddenly lit up on its own.
"Surprise!" voices shouted all at once.
Gu Jin froze at the doorway. The room was decorated from top to bottom. Red and gold ribbons hung from the ceiling. Bright balloons with "Champion" printed on them floated in the corners.
On the table in the center, there were plates of snacks, bottles of juice, and a big cake covered in white frosting.
Her alchemy teammates were there, smiling and clapping. Her family was there too. She saw her father, mother, Gu Jichun, Gu Jihu, and Gu Jishi.
Even her master from Beijing University was standing proudly near the front, along with the university principal.
And in the corner, she noticed Long Yifan and Jasmine.
One by one, they stepped forward to congratulate her.
"You have achieved something so important for the country," her master said warmly.
The principal nodded. "You even made rank on the international level. This is history."
Her father gave her a rare smile. "Our Gu family is proud of you."
Even Gu Jichun stepped forward, grinning. "I guess my little sister is famous now."
Gu Jin listened to all the praise. She tried to respond, but for some reason, she felt... numb. She had thought she would feel joy when she won, but now it felt like she had just finished a task. A box is checked off a list. Nothing more.
But as she looked around the room and saw all the familiar faces, something stirred in her chest. Her heart skipped a beat. A little warmth began to creep in.
Just when she thought she could finally feel something, the warmth slipped away again, like it had never been there at all.
She stood still for a moment, then forced a smile. "I am grateful all of you are here."
Her smile was perfect. Almost no one could tell anything was wrong.
Except Long Yifan. He watched her closely. He noticed that her smile looked just like the others she wore in public... smooth, polite, but a little too stiff.
He had seen this before, many times. He knew it would take time for her to truly heal, so he stayed quiet.
Instead, he spoke in a lighter tone. "We brought a cake for you. You should cut it for the celebration."
Someone brought the big cake to the table. It was beautiful...white frosting, gold sugar decorations, and little red flowers made of cream.
But beside it... was another smaller cake. This one was lopsided, the frosting uneven, and the color... well, it looked like someone had mixed mud and cream together.
Long Yifan introduced smugly, "This white one is made by me." His entire demeanor was screaming for praise.
Gu Jin raised an eyebrow. "Good. This one...?"
Long Yifan coughed, trying not to laugh, and pointed at Gu Jichun. "That’s the ugly cake she made."
Gu Jichun’s eyes went wide. "Who are you to call my cake ugly? It’s artistic!"
Everyone turned to look at the cake again. Silence filled the room. Even Gu Jin, who was usually polite, couldn’t think of a nice way to describe it.
Gu Jichun’s eyes darted around the room, looking for support. "Right, Gu Jin? It’s beautiful, isn’t it?"