Jian Changnian gritted her teeth slightly, unsure whether to accept the call or not.
The one-point difference, while seemingly a gesture of leniency towards her, actually carried a hint of disdain, just like when she asked Zhou Mu to step down and challenge Sun Qian to a one-on-one duel.
Is this person really that arrogant?
You have to understand that if she loses just one point, she loses the whole game, and to win, she has to score 22 points in a row.
Jian Changnian was confident in herself, and Zhou Mu was considered to be of above-average level in the school team. Moreover, the two had been playing together since childhood and had an extraordinary tacit understanding. Doubles was different from singles, and it tested the two players' cooperation and ability to seize opportunities even more.
During the few seconds of silence between them, people around them whispered among themselves.
"What's wrong? Weren't you just being really tough?"
"Now they're too scared to speak."
"It's just one ball! What are you chickening out for? Go fight her!"
Hearing the sounds around her, Zhou Mu's face turned pale and then flushed. Her gaze swept over the people one by one and landed on Sun Qian's face. Her chest heaved violently, as if she was enduring something.
Seeing this, Sun Qian wiped away her tears and hid behind Cheng Zhen.
Zhou Mu suddenly turned his gaze back, tugged at Jian Changnian's sleeve, and whispered.
"Chang Nian, let's fight her."
Zhou Mu had always been the leader of the village children since she was a child, leading the way in climbing trees, catching fish and shrimp. She was used to being carefree and didn't care about anything except eating and playing. This was the first time she had spoken to herself in such a firm tone.
Jian Changnian was taken aback. The two exchanged a glance, nodded, gripped their rackets tightly, and answered Xie Shian's challenge with their heads held high.
"bring it on."
Now that it was settled, everyone around them tacitly made room for them and gathered around to watch the excitement.
The two sides switch sides to serve.
Zhou Mu and Jian Changnian gave each other a crisp high five as they passed each other.
"come on!"
"come on."
Seeing how grand their preparations were, and how confident they were of taking her down in one fell swoop, Xie Shi'an gave a slight sneer.
"They're making such a big deal out of it, as if they're going to win."
"You..." Zhou Mu choked, "What's it to you? Are you going to serve or not!"
"Send it, of course we'll send it."
Xie Shi'an slowly raised her right hand, but just as the referee was about to announce the start of the match, she lowered it again.
"Referee, wait a moment."
Under everyone's watchful eyes, Xie Shi'an chewed gum, took out an MP3 player from his pocket, plugged in the earphones, put them in his ears, turned the volume up to the maximum, and then scooped the badminton shuttlecock off the ground.
"Let's begin."
The referee was stunned by her series of actions and it took him a while to come to his senses before he called "start".
Zhou Mu was furious. How could anyone play badminton like that? It was obvious they were looking down on them. She was going to teach them a lesson later.
While thinking this to herself, her eyes were fixed on the other person's starting move, and her body instinctively slid out.
Looking at her starting stance, it was just a simple forehand serve, but Jian Changnian's mind was filled with alarm bells. Oh no, a feint!
It appears to be a straight line, but it actually has a tricky diagonal.
Before she knew it, it was too late; the white feather grazed Zhou Mu's racket and fell to the ground.
The scoreboard turned a page.
1:20
Zhou Mu seemed somewhat unconvinced and gritted his teeth: "Let's go again."
Jian Changnian stepped forward, adopted a defensive stance, turned his head slightly, and whispered.
"I'll take the lead in the attack; you focus on defense in the second half."
"Oh, changed tactics, but—will it work?"
The moment she finished speaking, she moved.
The explosive force caused the shuttlecock to hit the racket with a loud bang.
Jian Changnian quickly returned to defense, caught the ball, and lobbed it back to her.
Xie Shi'an smiled slightly, as if he had expected her to do this, and then made a big diagonal cut.
Zhou Mu lunged to save it, but it was too late; the ball landed right in bounds.
The scoreboard turned another page.
2:20
"I never expected to see such a wonderful match while I was catching up with my old classmates. Jiangcheng City is truly full of hidden talents."
Yan Xinyuan nudged his friend's arm, looking excitedly like he was watching a melon seed show, as if he was just missing a stool and a plate of melon seeds to complete the scene.
"Go away," Song Wei rolled his eyes in disgust. "Don't tell me you didn't realize that the one who came later was far superior to the two from Chengnan. Those two shots were at least professional level."
Yan Xinyuan looked thoughtfully at Xie Shi'an in the arena.
The young man darted and weaved on the court, sometimes sliding, sometimes turning, sometimes serving, sometimes smashing. His racket-holding posture was elegant and beautiful, but his offensive was fierce and deadly. For some reason, Yan Xinyuan thought of the ancient swordsmen who could kill a man in ten steps and leave no trace for a thousand miles.
The bustling stadium gradually quieted down as everyone held their breath and watched their match. Xie Shi'an possessed an innate charisma, an aura of complete control. Her attacks were methodical and her defense was impenetrable. Every strike of the badminton racket produced a resounding, awe-inspiring sound. At this moment, she was undoubtedly the queen of the court!
For some reason, Yan Xinyuan had a feeling that the strength this girl had displayed was only the tip of the iceberg.
In the short few minutes they were chatting, Xie Shi'an launched a quick attack and scored ten points in one go, bringing the score to 14-20.
Song Wei frowned: "I don't know why, but I feel like I've seen her somewhere before. I can't see her face clearly because she's wearing a hat, but I feel like I've seen her somewhere before. Besides, not an average person could pull off this move."
Yan Xinyuan's eyes lit up as he looked at the talent, his heart already filled with admiration. He was eager to try his hand at it: "Can't you see? To have such a level at such a young age, that's early training! I don't know which team he's on, but no matter which team, I want to recruit him. His aura, his skill, his reaction speed, his observation skills, even his predictive ability are all top-notch. If I train him for two or three years, he'll definitely have room for improvement. Winning an Olympic gold medal won't be difficult for him! Putting him in the hands of others would be a waste!"
He kept rambling on and on to himself, while his friend watched the game and replied to him.
"Hey, here comes Yan Lao praising his own melons, isn't he? Great shot! Look! The girl in the gray clothes, who's been getting pressured for over ten points, finally seized an opportunity. She received the ball and immediately went for a smash, pushing the ball straight down the opponent's head. This is a good chance; whether they can take the point in one go depends on their teamwork!"
"Hey, with your smooth talk, it's a shame you're not a sports commentator."
Just as Yan Xinyuan finished speaking, Xie Shi'an defended against the attack and launched a forehand attack to the net, commonly known as a "slap in the face," which requires explosive power in an instant.
In the blink of an eye, Xie Shi'an came hurtling towards them, racket in hand, and Jian Changnian could even feel the air currents she created lifting her hair.
The two met face to face at the net.
The badminton shuttlecock landed.
Xie Shi'an smiled slightly: "Sorry, I won again."
15:20
Zhou Mu was already panting heavily. She simply couldn't keep up with the two of them. Jian Changnian was doing most of the receiving in the second half of the match, and even so, she was exhausted. Sweat streamed down her temples.
Not to mention Jian Changnian, who has been playing since the beginning, his entire back was soaked with sweat, and he stopped in front of the net, panting heavily.
The person on the other side was clearly exhausted.
Xie Shi'an twirled the racket between his fingertips.
Is there any point in playing a match where the outcome is already decided?
Jian Changnian swallowed hard, tried to calm her breathing, and nodded firmly.
"I will fight as long as there is a glimmer of hope."
"Actually, your skill level is already quite good for an amateur, it's just a pity—"
I met her.
Xie Shi'an didn't want to drag it out any longer. She wanted to finish the match quickly. Playing such a boring game was a waste of time and life.
"Here it comes! She's serving! The girl in the gray shirt actually managed to defend that ball, not bad!"
Yan Xinyuan snorted coldly and said coolly, "Didn't you see? He was deliberately showing his weakness to the opponent."
Sure enough, Jian Changnian seized the opportunity to exploit the defensive gap in her right half of the court and launched a backhand attack.
"She targets her opponent's right side, but they're keeping a close eye on her backhand."
Xie Shi'an's move was a masterstroke, first using Jian Changnian's attack to hook diagonally against her, then quickly pushing the ball to the net, directly blocking her turning motion.
Jian Changnian had no time to get back on defense. The consequence of forcibly turning around to receive the ball was that he lost his balance and fell to the ground sideways.
The badminton shuttlecock landed beside her.
The entire stadium fell silent, then erupted in cheers.
The score is now 20-20.
The referee swallowed hard, then rubbed his eyes. He couldn't believe his eyes. A huge advantage that meant winning the entire game by just one point had been wiped out by a relentless surge!
That is, the ball landed.
Yan Xinyuan's friend suddenly slapped his thigh: "Hey, I said before that she looked familiar, but if it weren't for her 'backhand grab' move, I really wouldn't have recognized her! It's her!"
Yan Xinyuan frowned, his curiosity piqued. He hated it when people left things unsaid.
"Hey, who is it? Tell me now!"
"Her name is Xie Shi'an, a member of the Binhai Provincial Badminton Team. She started playing badminton at the age of five, and at the age of six, she won the championship of the city's junior badminton tournament, making her the youngest participant. I was the referee at that match, and I was deeply impressed by this child who, despite her young age, had an exceptionally sharp playing style. She started playing professionally at the age of eleven, and she has achieved excellent results all the way from the Jiangcheng City team to the provincial team. Last year, she and her partner won the silver medal in the women's doubles at the national competition."
Speaking of the national competition, Yan Xinyuan seemed to have some recollection: "Is that the dark horse that defeated the previous national champion?"
"Yes, it was a huge upset at the time."
Yan Xinyuan frowned: "That doesn't make sense either. Logically speaking, with her young age and good grades, she should have been able to join the national youth team long ago. Why haven't I seen her in all these years with the national team?"
Song Wei shrugged: "I don't know about that. This kid is quite low-key in the industry. He doesn't show his face much when he's competing. I've only heard about him and haven't had much contact with him."
Losing her balance and falling meant there was no time to take protective measures. Jian Changnian saw stars for a while and couldn't get up for a long time.
Zhou Mu rushed over to help her up: "Chang Nian, Chang Nian, are you alright?"
With Zhou Mu's help, Jian Changnian sat up, removed her hand from her arm, and saw blood between her fingers. She hissed softly.
"No...it's nothing..."