Qiao Yuchu opened the thermos, poured brown sugar water into the lid and blew on it to cool it down, her eyes crinkling with a smile.
"This one, oh, it's..."
She was interrupted before she could finish speaking.
Xie Shi'an grabbed one of her arms and half-pulled, half-dragged her away.
"Aren't you alright now? Let's go back and have a drink."
"Hey—" Jian Changnian reached out her hand to try to stop her, but she had already walked further and further away down the corridor. She vaguely heard Qiao Yuchu say something like, "You're a really strange person."
Jian Changnian thought to herself, "It must be really difficult for Xie Shi'an to be friends with her."
***
The rain was getting heavier and heavier, and a typhoon was approaching, so all outdoor training was canceled, and the trainees had a rare free afternoon.
Rain pounded against the glass, and the shadows of the trees outside swayed.
Qiao Yu went to take a shower as soon as she got back to the dormitory. She was quite tired after running 3,000 meters. Xie Shi'an lay on the bed and closed his eyes to rest.
After a while, Qiao Yuchu returned, and the sound of the hairdryer started, but it stopped after a short while.
"Did I disturb you?" Qiao Yuchu asked.
Xie Shi'an opened his eyes: "No, I wasn't asleep."
Since she wasn't asleep and there were only the two of them in the dormitory, Qiao Yuchu chatted with her casually.
Why didn't you let me say that you carried Jian Changnian back?
Xie Shi'an said calmly, "There's no need."
"Shi'an..." Qiao Yuchu stopped using the hairdryer and called out to her.
"Isn't it good to have more friends?"
Aside from being rather arrogant in badminton, Hsieh Shih-an is actually quite amiable in life. If a person's personality can be divided into two types: cold on the outside and warm on the inside, or warm on the outside and cold on the inside, then she is the third type: the kind who doesn't care about anyone. She may be amiable, but she doesn't really care at all.
Over the years, apart from her and Orange Juice, there have been almost no people she can truly call friends.
Qiao Yuchu sometimes wonders what will happen to Xie Shian if she leaves the badminton team.
There was a moment or two of silence, and then Xie Shi'an spoke.
"There's no need."
Qiao Yuchu was a little angry.
"But after you played the game with her that day, you went to ask Orange Juice who she was, Shi'an. You're interested in her."
Xie Shi'an pursed his lips and turned his head to look at her.
"Qiao Yuchu, can you take care of yourself first before worrying about others? In today's situation..."
Qiao Yuchu looked at her in disbelief.
"Are you saying I'm meddling? Xie Shi'an, a grown man lying on the ground, can you just pretend you didn't see him? If I hadn't meddled, you wouldn't be here today!"
She regretted saying that as soon as she finished speaking.
Because she saw the light in Xie Shi'an's eyes suddenly go out.
From childhood to adulthood, what she couldn't stand the most was that kind of look in her eyes, because Qiao Yuchu would always recall the scene many years ago when she first met her and pulled her out from under the wheels of a motorcycle.
That mix of panic, grievance, and forced strength was vividly portrayed in the eyes of a six-year-old child.
Just like now.
Qiao Yuchu got up and walked towards her.
"Um, Shi'an..."
Xie Shi'an turned over and covered his face with the blanket.
"I go to sleep."
Qiao Yuchu was about to say something when the phone rang.
She took out her phone and saw it was her mother. She answered the call and started talking as she climbed onto the bed.
"I'm fine, I'm a veteran player, don't worry about me."
"What? A blind date? I don't have time for that!"
"Tell my dad to take care of his health..."
Xie Shi'an's phone, which was next to his pillow, lit up.
She picked it up and saw it was a text message.
Dad: Do you have 10,000 yuan?
Xie Shi'an ignored it and was about to put his phone down when several more text messages popped up.
"I'm asking you a question! Are you dead? You haven't replied to my messages for half a month."
She twitched her lips, added the number to her blacklist, and when she exited, she saw another contact on the text message interface, whose chat history was still from three months ago.
Mom: Your sister is having her tenth birthday party, and your uncle would like to invite you to attend. If you have time, please come over.
While talking on the phone with her parents, Qiao Yuchu heard a noise from the lower bunk. She turned her head and saw Xie Shi'an getting off the bed.
Where are you going?
"Play ball."
Xie Shi'an took his racket, gently closed the door, and went out.
Chapter 13 Distance
Not long after Xie Shi'an and the others left, there was a knock on the door. Jian Changnian sat up and replied, "Come in."
The door was pushed open, and there was Sun Qian again.
Jian Changnian was quite surprised because she had helped her up during training, but because of what had happened before, her expression wasn't exactly warm.
Why are you here?
Sun Qian walked to her bedside, opened her palm, and handed her a piece of chocolate.
"I heard you went to the infirmary, so I came to check on you. If you have low blood sugar, eating a piece of chocolate will help."
Jian Changnian remained seated and didn't accept the gift: "Thank you, I'm fine now."
Sun Qian smiled and placed the chocolate on her bedside table. Since it was just the two of them, she could be more frank.
Are you still upset about what happened that day?
Jian Changnian remained silent.
“I think you should be able to understand me…” Sun Qian looked down at the old sneakers full of patches that she had placed by her bed. Although Jian Changnian had bought new shoes, she was reluctant to wear them and put them away as soon as she returned to the dormitory.
"A thousand yuan may not be much to others, but for people like us, it is a lot of money. Sometimes, it can even save our lives."
Jian Changnian pursed her lips: "But you can't... fix the match, can you?"
She felt that even saying those four words was an insult to her beloved sport of badminton.
Sun Qian knew that she was indeed wrong about what happened that day. Hearing her say that, her eyes immediately reddened. She was actually quite pretty, with the kind of oval face, big eyes, and well-behaved girl look that most people would like. When her eyes reddened, it was easy to evoke pity in people.
"I'm sorry, but I really, really want to win, and I really need that money. I had no other choice but to beg you..."
"Believe it or not, I really want to be your friend, and I came here because I really want to continue playing."
Jian Changnian couldn't stand seeing girls cry, especially since she had helped him during training and given him chocolates. Even with a heart of stone, he softened and quickly handed her a tissue.
"Hey, don't cry..."
Before she could finish speaking, the door to the infirmary was pushed open, and Yan Xinyuan walked in.
"Hey, what's going on?"
Upon seeing him arrive, Sun Qian immediately wiped away her tears and stood up.
"Coach Yan, it's nothing. I'm just chatting with Chang Nian. You must have something to say to her, so I'll head back now."
After saying that, he left the infirmary.
"Hey, you're leaving already? I don't have anything to do..." Yan Xinyuan wanted to stop him, but the person had already gone far away, and he was completely confused.
"Coach Yan..." Seeing Yan Xinyuan come in, Jian Changnian struggled to get out of bed.
Yan Xinyuan pressed her down and tucked the blanket around her.
"Hey, don't move, the injection isn't finished yet."
Jian Changnian smiled and then lay down again.
"Coach Yan, how did I get back?"
Before she completely lost consciousness, she only remembered someone calling her name, and when she woke up, she was lying in the infirmary.
"Xie Shi'an carried you back."
"Cough cough..." Jian Changnian choked on his own saliva.
No matter how hard she racked her brains, she never imagined it would be her.
Yan Xinyuan poured her a glass of water from the kettle on the table.
"To save you, Xie Shi'an and Qiao Yuchu both had the worst grades this time, and of course, so did you."
These words made Jian Changnian feel somewhat ashamed, but she also felt a slight change in her opinion of Xie Shi'an and a sense of apology.
It turns out that even someone who seems so arrogant and selfish on the surface can have such a kind and gentle side.
"I'll definitely thank her properly another day."
Yan Xinyuan smiled: "I didn't expect her to run back to save you, but Xiao Jian—"
He paused briefly, then spoke earnestly.
"While academic performance is important, physical health is even more important. We must never again engage in training on an empty stomach."