"Chang Nian, Chang Nian, keep going, I can't take it anymore..."
If only I had known this would happen, I wouldn't have done it in the first place.
Jian Changnian turned around and shot Zhou Mu a fierce glare. If looks could kill, Zhou Mu would probably be tortured to death by now.
"Hey, how about we skip the second game?" The boy on the other side pointed his racket at Zhou Mu.
"There are so many people here, it would be so embarrassing to lose. I can't bear to make the girls sad, right, guys?"
The group of people behind him burst into laughter.
The person who had just said he couldn't do it was provoked and Zhou Mu, his face flushed, said, "Don't even think about it! We won't surrender! We'll definitely beat you in the second round!"
"Oh, you've got quite the nerve."
Jian Changnian turned to look at Zhou Mu and whispered in a comforting tone.
"Don't waste your breath on him, he's a scoundrel."
A rogue plays basketball, naturally using a rogue style of play. Not only are their serves tricky and unpredictable, but they also commit fouls at will, either stepping on the line or touching the net. However, because there are no referees in pickup basketball, everyone turns a blind eye and pretends not to see it.
Zhou Mu was furious, but she gritted her teeth and endured it. Seeing her like this, her opponent became even more aggressive, launching a smash straight at her.
A white feather flew over like a meteor. In the blink of an eye, Jian Changnian hesitated for a moment, a thought that often occurred to him during training matches.
Can I catch this ball?
In that moment of hesitation, the badminton shuttlecock grazed her shoulder and struck Zhou Mu squarely in the chest.
Zhou Mu exclaimed, her racket fell to the ground, and her eyes instantly reddened.
Jian Changnian turned around and saw that her face was turning pale and then red, and she was biting her lip as if she was about to cry.
Her heart clenched instantly: "I'm sorry, I..."
Zhou Mu didn't say anything, but Jian Changnian could read a hint of disappointment in her eyes.
"What, are you about to cry?" The boy twirled the racket in his hand, looking completely unconcerned.
"Girls should just stay on the sidelines and be cheerleaders, why are they even playing ball? Seriously. Is your Binhai Provincial Team a waste recycling center? Why do you only collect useless vases? No wonder your performance has been so poor."
Say it again.
A cold voice came from the crowd.
When Jian Changnian turned around, her eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.
It's her!
Looking at Zhou Mu again, his jaw dropped in astonishment.
"Hey, another one here. Who are you?"
Xie Shi'an walked slowly to their side and said coldly.
"Xie Shi'an, a member of the Binhai Provincial Badminton Team."
The boy scoffed, "Another one. If you ask me, birds of a feather flock together. A useless teammate is just as useless."
Xie Shi'an's face remained expressionless: "Can I borrow your racket for a moment?"
"Ah, oh, okay."
Zhou Mu's slow-witted brain took several seconds to realize that this was being spoken to him, and he quickly handed the racket over.
Xie Shi'an held the racket in his hand and twirled it around. It was a bit light, but still usable.
"Whether he's trash or not, we'll find out in a fight."
Jian Changnian opened her mouth: "That..."
Xie Shi'an glanced at them casually, as if to say, "Useless."
Jian Changnian immediately deflated, feeling somewhat dejected. Not only had she failed to help Zhou Mu, but she also seemed to have embarrassed the Binhai Provincial Team.
One of the boy's friends ran over and whispered something in his ear, and the boy's expression suddenly became hesitant.
Xie Shi'an walked up to her and assumed a defensive stance.
"You and I together."
"Huh? Me? I can't do it..." Jian Changnian almost jumped up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.
"If we don't win today, the reputation of you, me, Coach Yan, and the Binhai Provincial Team will all be trampled underfoot. We'll have to redeem ourselves for the loss we've made."
This was the first time Xie Shi'an had spoken such a long sentence to her in all the time he had known her.
Jian Changnian looked at her back. She was tall but also thin. For some reason, he suddenly felt a sense of trust that she could defeat any opponent.
"I...I'm afraid of being a burden to you."
Xie Shi'an finally turned around and glanced at her.
"I'll take charge of the attack; you just need to keep an eye on the second half."
The two boys opposite were still discussing something. Jiangcheng City was neither too big nor too small. In the past, Xie Shi'an often played basketball in this park, and many people recognized her.
"She's really from the Binhai Provincial Team?"
"It's absolutely true, he even participated in the national competition."
Xie Shi'an, who overheard their whispers, gave a disdainful smile.
"What, you're too scared to fight? You only pick on the weak? How about this, you all come at me together, and I'll take on two of you."
Upon hearing her words, the boy immediately rolled up his sleeves.
"No way, who's afraid? What a joke! I'm not afraid of you. Come on, let's have two against two, and I'll give you a fair chance to compete."
"If you lose, apologize to them for what you just said, and apologize to the entire Binhai Provincial Team."
She didn't even lift her eyelids when she said this, looking completely nonchalant, as if she didn't take them seriously at all.
The boys were so angry they laughed, completely unaware of the impending crisis: "Fine, if I lose, I'll not only apologize to you, but I'll also kneel down and shout three times that I'm a noob, okay? But if you lose—"
The boy's eyes darted over her.
Xie Shi'an casually curled the corner of his lips: "If I lose, you can do whatever you want. Let's not have a best-of-three format, it's too much trouble. Let's have one game, 21 points to decide the winner."
***
She and Zhou Mu were having a hard time even fighting two against one. Although Xie Shi'an came, the other side also sent someone. It was clear that their skill levels were similar and their teamwork was excellent.
On the other hand, she and Xie Shi'an were a temporary team. Although Xie Shi'an was trying his best to save the ball, they were at a disadvantage from the start of the game.
Another ball landed, and the opponent was now leading by eight points.
Xie Shi'an was slightly out of breath, with fine beads of sweat on her forehead. She turned around and gave Jian Changnian a deep look.
Why didn't you catch that ball?
Jian Changnian held the racket, her palms covered in cold sweat. She bit her lower lip in self-reproach.
"I...I can't catch it."
"Although the opponent has the advantage in height and physical fitness, we are no match for them when it comes to high clears, but they can't beat us in fast breaks and quick attacks. If you continue to play like this, you can really go home and stop embarrassing yourself by using the name of the Binhai Provincial Team."
Although she knew Xie Shi'an was somewhat aloof and arrogant, Jian Changnian still couldn't help but feel upset when someone pointed a finger at her and insulted her.
The sounds of the surrounding crowd buzzed into my ears.
Zhou Mu's voice could be heard.
"Chang Nian, catch the ball! What are you standing there for!"
There were also some other strangers who were just watching the spectacle.
"Calling her trash is giving her too much credit. Does someone with this skill level even deserve to be a professional player?"
"Stop hitting me, come down, come down!"
...
Jian Changnian gripped her racket tightly, her eyes slightly reddening. She felt as if she were inside a transparent glass dome, receiving all the pointing fingers and various gazes from all directions.
She opened her mouth, wanting to say she wasn't useless, but only managed to utter one word with difficulty: "I..."
Before she could finish speaking, a cross-court shot with a tricky angle flew straight at her. Xie Shi'an reacted quickly, ran over in a few steps, and smashed the shuttlecock back at her. The shuttlecock hit the racket with a crisp bang, right in front of Jian Changnian's head, as if it had been slapped hard across the face.
Jian Changnian suddenly realized what was happening.
Xie Shi'an stood firmly in front of her, his back to hers: "Don't hit someone in the face, don't hit a ball in the head. Your ball-playing is disgusting."
The boy opposite him chuckled and said, "As long as we can win, that's all that matters."
"To be honest, I'd rather not play with someone like you and get my hands dirty, but since you've said that—"
Xie Shi'an paused slightly, observing the opponent's movements and predicting the ball's landing point. He took a step and jumped, smashing the ball back to the opponent with incredible speed. Zhou Mu rubbed his eyes, not even seeing how the ball flew over. He only heard the boy opposite him exclaim, his glasses fell to the ground, and he covered his face and took several steps back.
Xie Shi'an smiled unrestrainedly.
"No retaliation is allowed."
Zhou Mu clapped and cheered loudly for her.
A knowledgeable golfer exclaimed, "Wow, that shot was pretty good!"
Xie Shi'an won a point and turned around to switch defenses with her.
"See? Their skill level is just average. I really don't know how you managed to lose to people like that..."
Although she was sharp-tongued, her actions just now effectively protected her.
Jian Changnian wanted to thank the person: "Um..."
Xie Shi'an had already turned his face away: "Why think so much when playing ball? You have to catch the ball whether you can or can't. If you think so much about every ball, you might as well not play at all."
She spoke quickly, and before Jian Changnian could process what she was saying, she heard a sharp shout.
"Watch out, defend, left side."
Jian Changnian instinctively slid in and chipped a ball that was about to hit the ground back.
Zhou Mu patted his chest and breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness.
The opponent reacted quickly, reaching the net and returning the shuttlecock. Jian Changnian's shot was excellent, and the opponent's movement was within Xie Shi'an's expectations. She jumped to the net and smashed the shuttlecock with a forehand. The shuttlecock grazed the boy's head like a meteor and landed on the ground in the backcourt.
The score has now been tied.