She stumbled several times and nearly fell.
At this level, it's no longer a contest of skill, but a contest of physical endurance, mentality, and willpower.
Wan Jing, sitting on the sidelines, was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan.
"This... you've used up so much energy, how are you going to play the match this afternoon?"
The team doctor is also on standby at any time.
"I'm more worried about Xie Shi'an's knees than his physical exhaustion. If he keeps playing like this, the surgery will have been for nothing!"
By now, Jian Changnian's mind was blank due to exhaustion. Seeing an opening in her right half of the court, she instinctively slammed the ball over there.
By the time she regretted it, it was too late.
While trying to save the ball, Xie Shi'an fell face-first to the ground.
The referee blew his whistle.
The sharp whistle jolted her awake.
"Please rest in peace!"
Without thinking twice, she was about to rush over the net when Xie Shi'an, with his back to her, gestured for her not to come any closer, refusing the medical timeout. Holding onto her racket and gritting her teeth, she slowly stood up.
She had a scraped patch on her knee, and blood was gushing out.
Jian Changnian's eyes suddenly reddened, her lips trembled, and her hand holding the racket began to shake.
The scoreboard remained at 29:29.
If she could just get one more point, she would win.
The online comments and discussions were just as intense as the competition itself.
"Jian Changnian, what are you standing there for? Hurry up and fight!"
"It's just one ball left. Xie Shi'an is about to collapse. Seize the opportunity and you can make it to the finals!"
"Do they really have to fight amongst themselves? This might be Xie Shi'an's last Olympics."
"But this is Jian Changnian's first Olympics. How can she win the gold medal if she doesn't defeat Xie Shi'an!"
"She can compete for many more terms, but what about Xie Shi'an?!"
"Are we just going to give this point to Xie Shi'an? Isn't competitive sports all about never giving up until the very last moment, until the ball touches the ground?"
...
Jian Changnian stood still, not moving for a long time.
The referee showed a yellow card.
Xie Shi'an's eyes also reddened, and he roared, "Serve!"
With tears in her eyes, she shook her head.
The referee raised another yellow card.
The entire audience erupted in uproar.
She hesitated to serve, and she already had two yellow cards. The next one would be a red card, directly awarding Xie Shi'an a point and winning the game.
The two commentators in the studio fell into an unusual silence. After a while, the male commentator spoke.
"Today's match was really cruel for them. Xie Shi'an has a 100% chance of winning against Kim Nam-ji, but we all know she has an injury."
“I remember during the last interview, Chien Chang-nien said that Hsieh Shih-an was like family to her. Eliminating someone like Hsieh Shih-an herself would have put too much psychological pressure on her. I wish there had been a tie for first place.”
Jiang Yunli recalled the match she played against Xie Shi'an when she retired: "But isn't this the reason why competitive sports are both cruel and fascinating? Only by surpassing and constantly surpassing can you achieve your true self. This is also the reason why our national badminton team has been able to thrive and maintain a leading position in the world badminton arena."
The two people looked at each other across the net.
The lights streaming down from the dome shone on them.
Xie Shi'an roared in an almost pleading tone, "Jian Changnian, serve!"
She lowered her arms, took a step back, and tears welled up in her eyes.
Xie Shi'an closed his eyes.
That's enough, she understands.
How much she meant to her, and what Jian Changnian had given up for her.
She couldn't be so selfish. She was already covered in injuries and didn't have the strength to fight anymore, but she was still very young.
Xie Shi'an's smile was somewhat sorrowful and powerless, and he was about to raise his hand to announce his abstention when...
Clang—
A soft sound came from the other side.
Jian Changnian dropped her racket on the ground.
"Referee, I forfeit."
Chapter 124 Disbandment
As everyone knows, Xie Shi'an played with an injury and ultimately lost 1-2 to Kim Nam-ji and Choi Hye-hee in the doubles final. This was also the last time she tied the world record of 350km/h that she had set herself.
When that game-winning shot landed, she even heard a strange cracking sound coming from her knee.
A sharp pain instantly overwhelmed her from head to toe.
Xie Shi'an's vision went black, his racket fell to the ground, and he knew nothing more after that.
By the time she woke up, everything had already settled down.
At that Rio Olympics, the Chinese badminton team failed to win a single gold medal. The women's doubles team unfortunately won silver. Xie Shi'an was too badly injured to continue the competition. Due to her absence, Jian Changnian automatically entered the singles final according to the points ranking, but lost to An Dong and Kim Nam-ji in succession, and only won a bronze medal.
Needless to say, the men's team's seeded player, Gao Jian, was taken away by the Badminton World Federation and the Olympic Committee for a joint investigation before the competition. On the women's side, after losing Xie Shi'an, a key player, their performance plummeted, and they were eliminated in the semifinals.
After all the matches were over, the national team suspended all of Jian Changnian's training and competition activities and conducted an investigation into her.
In the conference room, she sat alone on one side, surrounded by a large group of people, her phone tossed in front of her.
"Look at this! If Gao Jian has a problem, why don't you talk to your coach or the management? Why do you have to make a scene in public? Don't you know what it means to keep family scandals private?!"
The video on my phone is still playing.
Holding up her ID card, she spoke each word clearly and forcefully: "I, Jian Changnian, a current member of the women's national badminton team, am filing a real-name report against Gao Jian of the men's team for allegedly throwing matches, rigging games, and damaging national honor during the Sudirman Cup, as well as for having an improper relationship with Choi Hye-hee of the South Korean team and conspiring with her to frame a teammate..."
"All of the above statements are supported by audio and video recordings, and I am willing to take legal responsibility for every word I have said."
Her video caused a huge stir in media outlets around the world as soon as it was released, and its popularity has remained high ever since.
That's why the Badminton World Federation acted so quickly.
Jian Changnian sat there, her eyes lowered, saying nothing.
The national team leaders are still arguing incessantly.
“You told us that the internal discussion would definitely choose to suspend him, but now look what happened. He didn’t win a single gold medal this year and has become a laughing stock in the world of badminton.”
"How can you be so selfish? Can't you think about our group?"
Jian Changnian lazily raised her eyelids and smiled, "How long do you plan to suspend him? Three months? Half a year?"
The national team leaders looked at each other, bewildered: "This..."
Before she could finish speaking, she jumped up, smashed the teacup beside her, and her eyes were red.
"But Shi An did nothing, yet it's like he's been banned from competition for life!"
A long silence fell over the meeting room.
Wan Jing took off his glasses and squeezed his Qingming acupoint.
"Let me tell you, as long as Gao Jian is still in the national team, this matter is not over. No matter what you do, whether you suspend me, punish me, or even expel me, I will seek justice for Shi An!"
One of the leaders stood up aggressively: "Jian Changnian, are you crazy? Get your place! We haven't even finished investigating your little affair with Xie Shi'an, and you're already eager for us to fire you? Don't think you're so great just because you got a bronze medal!"
Jian Changnian curled her lips into a cold smile: "Then you might as well fire me."
Anyway, it's already like this.
She simply loves Xie Shi'an, to the point of no return.
"You—" The leader nearly fell backward, looking at her trembling fingers, too angry to speak, so he turned his anger towards Wan Jing.
"Old Wan, say something! These are your men! Old Wan..."
Wan Jing slammed his fist on the table, his eyes bloodshot.
"Get out! All of you, get out!"
After everyone had left, he let himself lean back in his chair, staring at the ceiling, his eyes reddening.
Senior brother, one of your two disciples looks docile, but is actually unruly at heart. He even dared to bang on the table and challenge the leaders of the national team for your sake. The other is docile by nature, but she is more ruthless than a wolf when it comes to her senior sister.
You entrusted them to me. I can't bear to see Shi'an lying in a hospital bed now, unable to play ball or even walk properly. I also can't stand by and watch Chang Nian continue to cause trouble and ruin her future. Please tell me what to do.
***
"Doctor, is she feeling any better today?"
Jian Changnian went straight to the hospital after leaving the apartment.
"It's the same as always, you need to have the surgery as soon as possible."
"Can I go in and see her?"
"The patient needs to rest and no visitors are allowed."
Jian Changnian knew that Xie Shi'an didn't want to see her, so she shoved the flowers and nutritional supplements in her hand at the doctor.
"Then please give this to her for me. Tell her... it was given to her by her teammates. Please tell her to take her medicine on time and cooperate with the treatment so that she can recover as soon as possible."
Xie Shi'an listened from inside, turned his head away, and a single tear slid down his cheek.
Her injuries were severe; she had a fractured right leg, a torn meniscus, and a ruptured cruciate ligament. It was as if the surgery had been in vain, and it was even worse than before. She urgently needed to return to China for treatment, so as soon as her condition stabilized, she prepared to return home.
On the day of departure, someone leaked the news, and the airport was packed with people.