The doctor adjusted his glasses and said gently.
"Through understanding your family situation, we learned that the patient has been living alone for many years and may have had some depressive symptoms before, but didn't pay much attention to them. You mentioned that something happened to your family recently, a sudden change in circumstances, which may also be one of the triggers for depression."
The doctor's words reminded Qiao Yuchu of her mother's cold words, her extreme temper, and her tendency to get angry every time she went home, and it all seemed to have a reason.
She doesn't want to go home because of her mother, and her father has become distant from home because of her. If she could be more sensitive, more patient, and care more about her, and understand the reasons behind her emotional changes, things might not be like this today.
Qiao Yuchu sat there, filled with remorse, her eyes slightly reddening: "Then... Doctor, is there any way to treat this?"
"Clinically, there's currently no way to completely cure it. We can only advise her to take medication on time to slow the progression of the disease, have family and friends provide support and companionship to help her overcome this difficult time, and also—"
The doctor picked up Qiao's mother's medical record and glanced at it.
"I think she was admitted to the hospital because of a hunger strike. She already had thoughts of self-harm. If she has self-harmed once, she will do it again. Her family must remember to keep her by their side."
***
Before the match, as is customary, the two players shook hands politely at the net.
Kim Nam-ji: "Are you alright physically?"
Xie Shi'an: "Your dark circles are quite heavy. Didn't you sleep well last night?"
"You—" Jin Nanzhi was still brooding over what happened last night, and Xie Shi'an brought up the very thing she shouldn't have, hitting her sore spot perfectly. She angrily shook off Xie Shi'an's hand.
"You just wait, I'm going to beat you so badly you'll be crawling on the floor looking for your teeth!"
Xie Shi'an smiled slightly.
"Okay, then I'll wait and see."
The match officially began with the referee's whistle.
That's what they said, but as soon as they started fighting, Xie Shi'an could feel that Kim Nam-ji had improved since the national competition. Before, she might have had a clear advantage against Kim Nam-ji, but now it was at most a 50/50 chance. If she didn't put in her best effort, the outcome was hard to predict. Yin Jiayi was affected by her mentality, so her loss was not unjust.
When masters clash, what she can perceive, Kim Nam-ji can naturally sense as well.
"What a golden opportunity! At this critical juncture, you've fallen ill. I won't hold back."
Xie Shi'an hit the ball back to the opponent with all his might.
"That suits me perfectly!"
Yan Xinyuan, sitting in the stands, was getting restless.
"How could they do this! Isn't this just reckless?! Playing while sick, it must be Wan Jing's idea. That kid only thinks about winning and losing. I'm going to find him!"
Coach Liang grabbed the person and pulled them back.
"Old Yan! The match is in progress! Won't you be disrupting her by going down there?! Shi'an is very opinionated and hard to persuade. This match is already difficult enough, so please don't go down and make things worse!"
"That's still not allowed..." Yan Xinyuan wanted to move, but he was held tightly, so he had to give up and stay obediently in the seat.
"Okay, okay, let go."
Xie Shi'an kept her illness a secret very well. Apart from Wan Jing, Jian Changnian, and the team doctor, only the tournament organizing committee knew what illness she had. If Yan Xinyuan had known earlier that she had acute appendicitis, he would have rushed off the field to stop her no matter what.
"As expected of someone who fought his way into the finals from the bottom half of the bracket of death, Xie Shi'an's playing style is still very sharp."
"Kim Nam-ji's response was timely, but he was just a little unlucky; the ball went out of bounds!"
"Let's congratulate Xie Shi'an on winning the first game 21-19!"
When Xie Shi'an returned to the rest area, Wan Jing immediately handed her a water cup and a towel to wipe her sweat.
"How are you feeling? Can you still play?"
Xie Shi'an sat with her back to the audience, her expression seemingly somewhat restrained, but after a moment, she nodded firmly.
"Can."
"Kim Namji will probably go all out in this round. You should avoid her for now, conserve your energy, and let her win one round. Then you can unleash your full power in the decisive round," Wan Jing said after glancing at the opposing team.
Xie Shi'an really wanted to finish her off quickly, but things were different now. As his strength gradually waned, that familiar, dull, aching feeling returned.
If we don't play well in this round, and we exhaust ourselves without winning the match, the third round will be dangerous.
Therefore, she agreed to Wan Jing's tactical arrangement.
Meanwhile, Kim Nam-ji's coach was also busy arranging tactics.
"Nan Zhi, she will definitely hold back in this round. Don't think that you can win this round. You must force her to play against you. She is already playing while sick. Use up her energy so that you will have a chance to win the next round."
Kim Nam-ji glanced at Xie Shi-an across from him.
"What if she doesn't want to fight me?"
The coach smiled slightly.
“That would be passive play, and I will appeal to the referee for a penalty.”
Kim Nam-ji bit her lip.
"She was already sick, there was no need for that..."
Before she could finish speaking, her head coach patted her shoulder hard and said earnestly.
“Nam Ji, you’re wearing the Korean team’s jersey and standing here, which means that our Republic of Korea is no longer a member of the Chinese team. There’s no need to go easy on them. Look behind you, there are so many fans who support you. They’ve traveled thousands of miles to Shanghai for you. Don’t let them down, and don’t let me down either.”
"Besides, this is called making reasonable use of the rules. If you want to blame someone, blame Xie Shi'an for being unlucky and getting sick at this time."
"Alright, it's almost time for the competition, go and get ready." Wan Jing took the water cup from her hand, and Xie Shi'an took off the towel around her neck. When she stood up again, she waved to the audience.
The stands erupted in cheers, chanting her name like a tidal wave.
"Xie Shi'an—"
"come on!!!"
"Team China—"
"Victory is certain!!!"
She knew that Coach Yan must be sitting among them, and that he must know about her illness at this moment. She wanted to put his mind at ease.
The boy turned around, his smile vanished, he took a deep breath, endured the pain, picked up his racket again, and stepped onto the court.
For Hsieh Shih-an, this was perhaps the toughest match she had ever played in her professional career so far.
Because of physical pain, she wanted to put the ball down a few times to give herself a chance to catch her breath, but the referee's whistle blew immediately because the South Korean team complained that she was playing passively.
Despite her carefulness, she still received two yellow cards.
Kim Nam-ji added a point, securing the victory in the second game.
The audience booed loudly.
The live stream chat was filled with insults.
"What's going on? If Xie Shi'an can't do it, he should just forfeit."
"Their indecisiveness in choosing between fighting and fighting is infuriating."
"No way, no way, we can't expect to get no gold medals in women's singles this year, can we?"
"Xie Shi'an deliberately let the game go, didn't he?"
"Fake athletes should be kicked out of the world badminton arena."
"Are you all blind? Can't you see that Xie Shi'an is not feeling well? If he doesn't want his eyes, he can donate them to someone in need."
...
Xie Shi'an returned to the rest area and sat down. Her hand holding the water cup was trembling slightly as she drank. When Jian Changnian walked over, she put down the water cup, rested her hands on her knees, and tried to appear calm.
"Shi'an, are you alright?!"
"No, I can..."
Before she could finish speaking, a cold hand touched her forehead, and Jian Changnian was shocked.
"You have a fever! Team doctor—"
Xie Shi'an stood up and grabbed her. Because he used too much force, his vision went black, and he fell into her arms.
To outsiders, it looked like a close, encouraging hug between teammates, but only Jian Changnian knew the pain Xie Shi'an was going through at that moment.
She was trembling slightly, clutching her clothes to keep her balance, clenching her teeth and inhaling hard before she could utter a complete sentence.
"Don't move! And don't... make a sound... Kim Nam-ji is already targeting me. Do you want me to lose?"
“I…” Jian Changnian was speechless for a moment, and her eyes reddened slightly.
"Coach Yan is watching too. Just behave normally and don't worry him, okay? I'm really... fine."
After the boy finished speaking, he loosened his grip on her clothes, his face pale, but he still gave her a slight smile, fragile yet beautiful.
Like a white rose that is easily broken in the wind.
"Shi'an." Wan Jing also walked over and extended his hand to her.
"It's the last game. Win or lose, we won't blame you."
Xie Shi'an placed his hands on top of Jian Changnian's, looked at her, and nodded gently.
After struggling for a moment, Jian Changnian finally put her hand on it.
"come on!"
"come on!"
"come on!"
After three sounds, they dispersed.
Xie Shi'an picked up his racket again and went back to the battlefield.
"We can understand the last game as a tactical evasion. Xie Shi'an is still sick, so we shouldn't think about the game that's over. Conserving energy and focusing on the decisive game is the top priority."
"At this point in the match, both players have performed very well. Whether it's Kim Nam-ji's superb left-handed shot or Hsieh Shih-an's spirit of playing despite being ill, both are commendable. We should be more tolerant of our athletes."
The two briefly shook hands in front of the net.
Kim Nam-ji: "You look very uncomfortable."
Xie Shi'an smiled dismissively: "You should worry more about yourself."
"If I were you, I would abstain."