Xie Shi'an remained indifferent: "Don't look at me, I'm not going."
Cheng Zhen softened her voice, deliberately speaking in a coquettish tone.
"Shi'an, my dear Shi'an..."
Xie Shi'an frowned and waved his hands repeatedly to brush the person away, as if shaking off something unclean.
"Get out, get out, don't come here and disgust me."
At the start of the second half, Yan Xinyuan was still standing at the entrance of the stadium watching the game, all smiles.
"It's safe to say there's no suspense."
"Why are you still watching if there's no suspense?"
"You didn't hear what that girl in the gray clothes said in the hallway outside the restroom. She said, 'What's the point of a game if you don't want to win?' Just that one sentence was enough to keep me watching."
His friend pondered the meaning behind his words.
"You don't happen to have some kind of crush on my talent, do you?"
It was meant as a joke, but Yan Xinyuan frowned and thought about it for a while before shaking his head.
"Good athletes are trained from a young age; high school is really too late."
Just as they were talking, a commotion broke out on the field. Because the score of 0:15 was too lopsided, Sun Qian's partner lost his composure and quit because he felt ashamed.
"Go ahead and fight if you want, I'm not fighting!"
The referee looked at them hesitantly, as if to say something: "Well, how about you..."
Sun Qian bit her lip, tears welling up in her eyes.
"Referee... I'll continue playing."
"Oh... but this doesn't comply with the competition rules..."
Jian Changnian twirled the racket in her hand, assuming a defensive stance at the net: "There's no point in you continuing to play."
Hearing her say that, Sun Qian forced back her tears, glanced at the stands out of the corner of her eye, and picked up the ball from the ground.
"Referee, I haven't conceded defeat yet, so this match isn't over."
“In that case, Zhou Mu…” Jian Changnian glanced at Zhou Mu, who understood her meaning. It was unfair for Sun Qian to fight two against one.
"What kind of time is this to talk about fairness with her? Have you forgotten what she said at the bathroom door just now?!"
Even so, Zhou Mu was always stubborn but soft-hearted, and reluctantly went down at Jian Changnian's request.
"Chang Nian, you have to do your best to beat her."
Jian Changnian gave her a high five and nodded: "Don't worry."
Anyway, it was just an entertainment match, and Sun Qian was crying pitifully. It wouldn't matter if they won or lost by a few points, especially since both sides had reached a consensus.
The referee waved helplessly: "Alright, alright, the game continues."
Jian Changnian's last few hook shots to the opposite corners were fast and ruthless, giving her no chance to counterattack. Even though Sun Qian kept falling to the ground while trying to save the ball, it was to no avail.
She played so aggressively for two reasons: first, she wanted to vent her anger for her good friend; second, regardless of the strength of the opponent, a match is a match, and you have to give it your all.
She hadn't played ball in a long time, and something seemed to be suppressed in her blood, slowly stirring and awakening.
Only when she's holding a racket can she stop thinking about anything and focus solely on winning.
Another net shot with a tricky angle, grazing Sun Qian's racket and landing.
The referee shook his head and turned the page.
The score is now 0-19.
There was no hope of a comeback, but Sun Qian still forced herself to stand up, supporting herself with her racket.
Cheng Zhen, standing in the stands, was both anxious and angry: "Are you really not going? You're on the Jiangbei school team too!"
Xie Shi'an glanced at him indifferently: "I dropped out of school a long time ago."
Given the boy's personality, he would most likely be furious at this point, yelling and jumping around, before finally trying to appease her in a low voice.
Who knew that Cheng Zhen would give her a deep look, then throw down a sentence: "Xie Shi'an, you say that a well-fed man doesn't know the hunger of a starving man, I thought you understood Sun Qian's situation! A few hundred yuan may not be much to you now, but it's someone else's life-saving money!" After saying that, he turned around and ran away.
Xie Shi'an frowned slightly and pursed his lips.
Qiao Yuchu gently patted her shoulder and said softly.
“Shi’an, this is the first time I’ve seen Orange Juice like a girl so much. He’s going to the provincial team for training soon, so he’ll definitely have fewer opportunities to come out. And if what he said is true, that girl is really pitiful. For the sake of our friendship over the years…”
Xie Shi'an raised his head, his gaze fixed on the gray-clad girl in the arena, a slight smile playing on his lips, a hint of fighting spirit brewing in his eyes.
"Wow, but it's not for his female confidante."
Chapter 5 A Perfect Match
Jian Changnian seized the opportunity and smashed the shuttlecock with such force that it hit the racket with a loud bang.
Sun Qian rushed to save him, but slipped and fell to the ground, her chin hitting the floor hard.
A white shuttlecock landed beside her.
20:0
Is there any point in continuing this match?
The referee opened his mouth, about to announce the end of the match.
A figure walked past Cheng Zhen, took off his baseball cap, and put it on his own head: "Can I borrow your hat for a moment?"
Xie Shi'an quickly walked to the center of the field, helped the person up from the ground, and Cheng Zhen also reacted and quickly followed.
"Sun Qian, are you alright?"
Sun Qian looked unsteady on her feet, barely able to stand, and mumbled, "No...it's okay, I can still fight."
Xie Shi'an took the racket from her hand, twirled it between her fingertips, and found that although it was a bit light, it was still usable.
"I'll play in her place for the next match."
Just when it seemed like they were about to win, a surprise opponent appeared out of nowhere, and Zhou Mu panicked and rushed over.
"Who do you think you are? What gives you the right to call for her?"
Xie Shi'an merely raised his eyelids lazily: "My name is Xie Shi'an, a member of the badminton team at Jiangbei No. 2 Middle School."
"You're on the No. 2 Middle School team, so how come I've never seen you before..." Zhou Mu looked at her suspiciously, sizing her up and down.
"I dropped out of high school in my first year, so it's normal that you haven't seen me. Anyway, there's only one point left. If you win, you'll make a killing, and if you lose, you won't lose anything. Besides, she's injured like this; she can't even stand up, so she can't continue the game, right, referee?"
At this moment, students from Jiangbei No. 2 Middle School recognized her and gathered around her.
"Senior! It's Senior Xie! She's back!"
"With our senior in charge, we're sure to win!"
The referee scratched his head: "This..."
Cheng Zhen chimed in from the side, winking and making faces.
"Referee, referee, say something!"
They say they've hired professional referees, but they're probably just some amateurs from some club. And these referees might not know anyone, but they'll definitely give Cheng Zhen face because of his father.
"Uh... this requires mutual agreement."
Upon hearing this, the students from Jiangbei No. 2 Middle School exchanged glances, their eyes filled with joy.
On the other hand, in the south of the city, although there were some who wanted to stand up for Jian Changnian, they were all held back by Li Jiajia.
"Hey, don't go. It's not our team anyway. Let's just watch the show."
Only Zhou Mu trembled with anger: "You...you're bullying me!"
"Bully?" Xie Shi'an raised an eyebrow slightly.
"Do you dare say that knowing the opponent is weak, repeatedly serving tricky net shots isn't bullying?"
Because of the save, Sun Qian suffered abrasions of varying degrees on her knees and elbows.
Zhou Mu glanced guiltily at Jian Changnian, still stubbornly saying, "That...that's because she's bad at it and incompetent, she can't blame anyone else!"
Xie Shi'an drawled out an "Oh," then looked thoughtfully at Jian Changnian, who remained silent to the side.
"That's true. It's no one's fault if you're not as skilled as others. It's just that I have some friends on the South City School Team, but I never knew that such a person had joined the team."
Jian Changnian swallowed hard and gripped the racket in his hand tightly.
Compared to impersonating someone else, all the fouls committed on the court today combined don't amount to this one. If it's discovered, they might be disqualified, since it's clear the referee is on their side.
Zhou Mu was about to say something when someone grabbed her arm.
Jian Changnian shook her head, signaling her to stop talking.
This person appears calm and indifferent, but in reality, she is cunning and ruthless. With just a few words, she can stir up trouble and hit their weak points. Moreover, she seems to be very familiar with the Chengnan No. 1 Middle School team. Just now, there was still room for negotiation, but now she has no choice but to agree to continue the competition.
Seeing their hesitant expressions, Xie Shi'an's lips curled into a confident smile.
She picked up her racket and pointed to the two rackets in front of her.
"How about this, so people won't say I'm bullying the newbies, the two of you go together. If you win, I'll give you an extra bonus."
These words caused an uproar in the venue.
"No way, two against one? This guy's so arrogant."
"I think she seems to have some real skills. Chengnan No.1 Middle School is in danger."
"Hey, do you think the guys in the south of the city dare to take this on? It's two against one, anyone can do it, right?"
Zhou Mu also tightened his grip on his friend's arm and muttered, "Chang Nian, is this guy out of his mind? Even if he's skilled, we're only one point away from winning in a two-on-one situation."
Xie Shi'an raised her head slightly and looked at Jian Changnian opposite her. Her future formidable opponent was currently just a small beast with its wings not yet fully grown and its fangs not yet fully developed.
"So, it's just one ball, do you dare to accept this challenge?"
What should have been a perfectly good match has somehow turned into a fighting ring.