Jin Shunqi glanced at her and said frankly.
"No strenuous exercise for three months."
Qiao Yuchu shook her head: "No, that's too long. Our competition is in half a month. Dr. Jin, let's have the surgery."
Even without the doctor saying it, Yan Xinyuan knew that the surgery would leave sequelae, and he interjected.
"Whether or not you compete is not important; the key is to cure the disease completely."
Jin Shunqi shrugged, expressing his helplessness at the lack of consensus.
Qiao Yu lowered her eyes, then became resolute again after a moment.
“Dr. Kim, I’d like to speak with you privately.”
"Okay, this way please."
Jin Shunqi went out first and led her to the reception room.
"Tea or coffee?" After a moment, he belatedly realized that athletes cannot drink outside beverages at will.
"Excuse me, I have bottled water here." He took a bottle of mineral water from the bar and handed it to her.
Qiao Yuchu took it with one hand and smiled slightly.
"Thanks."
The two sat down on the sofa, and Jin Shunqi didn't waste any words, getting straight to the point.
"To be honest, I think your coach is right. I don't recommend you have surgery either. Because of years of training and constantly using your wrist to exert force, your wrist joint bone density is already lower than normal. Surgery only treats the symptoms, not the root cause. It's not a long-term solution and will also leave some sequelae, such as redness, swelling and pain in the wrist joint, rheumatism, and easy fractures."
Qiao Yuchu held the bottle of water without drinking it, and kept tracing circles on the bottle with her left fingertip.
She said softly, "I know that getting married at my age is considered late, let alone for athletes. I don't know how many years I have left in my career, but I want to win another championship with my teammates in the limited time I have left."
She raised her head, her eyes a little red, her voice trembling, yet firm and resolute.
"So please perform the surgery on me. I can bear any kind of aftereffects."
Jin Shunqi stared at her for a long time. Most of the patients who could come to visit him through connections were already tormented by illness to the point of despair.
He had never seen such a confident and determined look on a girl's face before; she seemed to glow when she talked about her dreams.
Jin Shunqi's heart stirred slightly, and he tore off a tissue for her.
Qiao Yuchu then realized that she had shed a few tears without even realizing it.
She hurriedly took it, saying, "Oh, I'm sorry, I lost my composure."
Jin Shunqi shook his head: "There's nothing to apologize for. You're very brave. Most people would choose a more conservative treatment plan. It's rare for a patient to ask me to perform surgery right away."
Qiao Yuchu wiped her eyes and smiled through her tears.
"To be an athlete, you must have the courage to burn your bridges."
Jin Shunqi leaned forward slightly, looking at her intently.
"While I admire your courage, Ms. Qiao, as a professional doctor, I still do not recommend that you have the surgery."
He added another sentence.
"If you want to extend your professional lifespan."
After he finished speaking, Qiao Yuchu fell into a long silence.
For some reason, today's consultation time was already well past his usual hours, but Kim Soon-sik still wanted to talk to her a little longer and comfort her.
"I understand Ms. Qiao's regret about not winning the championship, but is there really such a thing as a perfect life?"
"When I was learning Chinese, my teacher once told me a Chinese idiom: 'What is lost on one side may be gained on another.' What we have lost now may be made up for in the future, so there is no need to rush."
"Moreover, I think your coach, your parents, and your teammates are probably more worried about you than about winning the game."
Qiao Yuchu gripped the fabric of his pants tightly with her left hand, finally raising her head to look at him.
"Dr. Jin, if I don't have surgery and just opt for conservative treatment, how long can I continue taking these medications?"
When this question was asked of Jin Shunqi, the experienced orthopedic surgeon chose to frown and remain silent.
Qiao Yuchu gave a wry smile.
"You see, you can't give me a definite answer either. I know my own physical condition. As I get older, my performance declines, and I get injured. Even without surgery, I can't play for many more years."
"Then why not make the most of this last bit of time, shine in your current position, and give it your all?"
Jin Shunqi knew that this girl, who appeared gentle and kind on the outside, actually had a heart as hot as fire and as hard as metal.
He couldn't persuade her.
Jin Shunqi left his business card.
"Even though you've said that, surgery is irreversible. Even if it's minimally invasive, the moment you lie on the operating table, it's filled with countless unknowns and risks for the patient. If you've really thought it through, feel free to come to me anytime."
Qiao Yuchu picked up the business card, gave him a grateful smile, and turned to leave.
"Thank you, Dr. Kim."
Jin Shunqi called the man back. The man stood up, his hands in the pockets of his white coat, his name tag hanging on his chest. He was handsome and upright.
"By the way, Miss Qiao, there's something I still want to refute you about. 26 years old is not considered an age for late marriage and late childbirth."
Qiao Yuchu was slightly taken aback, somewhat puzzled.
"ah?"
Jin Shunqi shrugged.
"Because I'm already 36 and still single."
***
When Qiao Yuchu returned to the training center, it was already evening. The three of them went to the cafeteria for dinner together.
Jian Changnian carried the tray and walked ahead. The canteen at the National Badminton Training Center was a buffet, with all kinds of Chinese and Western dishes, fish, shrimp, crab and meat, which were served out of the window like a flowing stream. It was simply dazzling, and just looking at it made one's mouth water.
Xie Shi'an followed behind Qiao Yuchu, picking up whatever she wanted to eat and putting it on her plate.
What did the doctor say?
"He said I could have surgery or conservative treatment, and told me to think it over before going to see him again."
Qiao Yuchu omitted most of her conversation with Jin Shunqi, only mentioning the unimportant parts.
Xie Shi'an nodded and picked out her favorite dishes to put on her plate: "Surgery must have risks, right?"
"No, it's just a minimally invasive surgery. It's quick and has little risk. Conservative treatment would take much longer, and I can't stand that kind of suffering. Look, I need help even to eat."
Xie Shi'an smiled.
"No problem, I can feed you too."
"No way, I'm not seventy or eighty yet."
Jian Changnian took a good spot and waved to them.
"Shi'an, Sister Yuchu, over here."
Qiao Yuchu pulled the person along.
"Let's go, let's go... it's not like we're feeding pigs, this is enough for us to eat."
After the three finished their meal, Jian Changnian saw that it was still early, so she encouraged them to go out for a walk.
Xie Shi'an: "No, I'm going to the training room to play ball."
She then tugged at Qiao Yuchu's sleeve, begging and pleading.
"Sister Yu Chu, playing ball every day makes me stupid. I finally have some time to rest, and I haven't even been to Beijing yet."
Xie Shi'an's temples were throbbing with veins. They hadn't known each other for long, but he had already learned all of Orange Juice's tricks perfectly.
She got goosebumps all over; it was disgusting.
Can't you speak properly?
Qiao Yuchu couldn't help but chuckle: "I didn't stay here last time I came. I heard there's a place called Houhai nearby with a beautiful night view."
Xie Shi'an: "..."
So those who initially said they wouldn't go ended up following along like shadows, secretly grinding their teeth as they watched their backs.
Jian Changnian, you just wait. When we clash one-on-one, I'll make you cry.
Jian Changnian, who was walking ahead, suddenly sneezed, and a chill ran down her spine.
Starting from the training center, it's just a few bus stops to Houhai, the place Qiao Yuchu mentioned.
As soon as she got off the car, Jian Changnian realized that Houhai was not actually a sea, but a huge artificial lake composed of several bodies of water. Both sides of the lake were commercial streets with antique-style buildings and shops, offering all kinds of old Beijing snacks such as candied hawthorn, tripe, braised pork offal, and douzhi (fermented mung bean juice).
Pedestrians thronged shoulder to shoulder, neon lights flashed, and the music from the bars was deafening—a scene brimming with the warmth of everyday life.
As Jian Changnian walked and looked around, she occasionally exclaimed in amazement. When she saw that there were more candied hawthorns for sale by the roadside, she couldn't resist the temptation, took out her money and bought three, and turned around to hand one to each of them.
Qiao Yuchu asked Xie Shian to hold the phone for her while she walked around taking pictures.
"Now we've arrived at Houhai area in Beijing, it's so bustling..."
The camera panned around and returned to her face. Qiao Yuchu swayed behind her, just as Jian Changnian took a bite of a candied hawthorn.
"Ugh...it's so hard, it hurts my teeth!"
She covered her mouth, crying out in pain, which made Qiao Yuchu burst into laughter, and even Xie Shi'an had a faint smile on his face.
"Are you alright? Come on, let's take a picture together."
The three of them stood on the Silver Ingot Bridge, shoulder to shoulder, head to head, leaving behind the most carefree smiles and the most beautiful moments.
After crossing the Yinding Bridge and walking further in, the number of pedestrians gradually decreased, but the music from the bars gradually increased.
A crowd had gathered at the entrance of a bar not far away, and laughter and cheers could be heard from time to time. Jian Changnian thought it was some kind of excitement and excitedly pulled her over. But she was slightly taken aback when she squeezed into the crowd.
So it turned out to be a confession scene?
However, unlike typical confessions of love, the protagonists are two girls.
The short-haired girl knelt down on one knee and took out a ring from her pocket.
“We are no different from each other except for being the same gender. I can feel our hearts slowly getting closer to each other. It’s normal for a magnet to attract positive and negative poles, but I am willing to overcome these obstacles and love you without reservation.”