Not to be outdone, Jian Changnian chased after him.
"Fifteen minutes ago."
Unlike Xie Shi'an, she is slow to get into the game and is easily distracted by her surroundings. So this week, she has been getting up half an hour earlier than usual to run, warm up, work on her core strength, and play ball in the training room to warm up her hands.
Unfortunately, she drew Qiao Yuchu in today's competition.
The year-end assessment has entered its third day, and the points situation is gradually becoming clearer, with Xie Shiquan ranking first.
Qiao Yuchu lost a few matches and is ranked seventh, but there are still two days of matches left, so she is not worried about her current score.
As for Jian Changnian, she was already ranked low, so the competition on the third day became especially important. If she didn't get a satisfactory score today, it would be difficult for her to break into the top fifteen. It would be a pipe dream to break into the top ten in the last two days.
Qiao Yuchu looked at the note in her hand, then at Jian Changnian who was warming up beside her, and pursed her lips, feeling somewhat worried.
The previous match wasn't over yet, and there was still some time before their match. She thought for a moment, then walked over and patted Jian Changnian on the shoulder.
"Come with me for a moment."
Xie Shi'an watched them walk out of the venue, seemingly lost in thought.
Qiao Yuchu led her to a secluded spot behind the training room before saying, "Play well during the match, and I'll let you win."
Jian Changnian thought she was going to say something to her, but she didn't expect this. She was stunned for a moment and looked embarrassed.
"Sister Yu Chu, this is against the rules. If Coach Yan finds out we cheated, he will expel you."
Qiao Yuchu placed her hands on her shoulders, her words earnest.
"Are you stupid? This is your last game today. If you don't get these two points, what will you do tomorrow and the day after? Do you want to go home?! You've come this far with great difficulty!"
“I…” Jian Changnian kept her head down and remained silent.
Qiao Yuchu shook her shoulder again: "It's okay, just play well, okay? Trust me, I'll lose without leaving a trace."
“I don’t want to go home…” Jian Changnian raised her head and looked at her, her eyes slowly reddening, just when Qiao Yuchu thought she would agree.
Jian Changnian took a step back: "But I don't want to cheat either. Have you forgotten the first time we met in the gym, the game we played? Sun Qian begged me to let her win the game back then. I don't want to... become that kind of person."
Qiao Yuchu's hand hovered in mid-air, somewhat helplessly: "But..."
Jian Changnian sniffed, then smiled brightly, gave her a slight bow, and turned to leave.
"I know Sister Yu Chu is good to me and doesn't want me to leave, but as a friend and a rival, if you respect me, please give it your all."
Watching her resolute departure, Qiao Yuchu sighed, "This child is even more stubborn than Shi'an when she gets stubborn..."
The idea was to have Qiao Yuchu give it her all, but once she did, it was I who couldn't keep up.
As a veteran, she had far more experience on the field than her, and Jian Changnian lost to her opponent 21-13 in the first game.
Seeing Jian Changnian walk to the rest area with his racket looking somewhat dejected, Qiao Yuchu felt bad too.
"Why did you have to draw me at such a crucial time? What if this match ruins her chances..."
Xie Shi'an patted her shoulder and glanced at Jian Changnian: "Don't feel guilty. I think she'll be quite happy to fight with you."
The break time during the competition was very short, and Yan Xinyuan couldn't say anything to Jian Changnian. He just stood outside the field and gave her a thumbs up from afar to cheer her on.
This could be described as a life-or-death battle that would determine their fate.
Coach Liang also gave her a thumbs up.
More people gathered around.
There were Zhao Qidong, Sun Qian, and her roommates.
Qiao Yuchu, standing on the opposite side of the field, also gave her a thumbs-up.
Xie Shi'an stood in the rest area and nodded to her from a distance.
Jian Changnian saw this, gripped her racket, pursed her lips, and silently cheered herself on in her heart.
Who cares? If I win, I'll make a killing; if I lose, I won't lose anything. I'll just play my best.
At the start of the second game, both sides were evenly matched, and even exchanged more than one shot, which was quite unusual.
Jian Changnian's eyes gradually focused only on the ball and his opponent, and he forgot all the noise.
She forgot that the person standing opposite her was Qiao Yuchu, her friend and a veteran with decades of competition experience. All she knew was that Qiao Yuchu was her opponent, an opponent she had to defeat. Only by defeating her could she go further and further on the road to her dream.
She didn't want to fail here; she wanted to win.
Jian Changnian jumped high into the air, stretched out his arms, and suddenly unleashed a powerful smash.
The score is tied at 11-11.
The whistle blew for halftime.
Qiao Yuchu walked to the sidelines to wipe her sweat.
Xie Shi'an handed her a bottle of water: "How are you feeling, a little stressed?"
Qiao Yuchu laughed too, and her gaze toward Jian Changnian finally held a hint of appreciation and affirmation: "It's been a long time since I've had such a satisfying fight."
The first-half equalizer boosted Jian Changnian's confidence.
She held up her racket, eager to try: "Sister Yu Chu, you better watch out, or I'll eat your points!"
Qiao Yuchu smiled with her eyes crinkling, but she showed no mercy when she attacked: "Ha, I'll soon show you what it means to be an old fox with a spicier tongue."
Coach Liang, who was watching from the sidelines, said, "Jian Changnian is most likely to win this round."
The situation on the field was indeed in favor of Jian Changnian's side.
Yan Xinyuan puffed on his pipe: "On the surface, it looks like we won, but in reality, we dug a pit for her to fall into."
"Huh? You mean—" Coach Liang also looked puzzled.
"Why do you think Qiao Yuchu has been able to stay in the Binhai Provincial Team for so long and even won the runner-up title in the women's doubles at the National Championships? She is not weak at all. Don't be deceived by her smiling appearance."
"When a player who is good at playing defensive counter-attacks gives up defense, it can only mean that she is deliberately conserving her energy. Don't forget that there is still a decisive game. In terms of skills and tactics, Jian Changnian is far behind others."
Yan Xinyuan sighed. Just as he had expected, Qiao Yuchu lost the game 12-21.
The defeat was so seamless, without revealing a single flaw.
Having tied the game and reached match point, Jian Changnian ran off the court with great joy, completely unaware that he was likely to lose the game today.
Yan Xinyuan sighed. What a naive and silly girl. He could only hope that she could perform exceptionally well in the next game and win those two points.
Qiao Yuchu walked back to the rest area to wipe her sweat, and Xie Shi'an glanced at her.
"Stop wiping, are you sweaty?"
Enraged, Qiao Yuchu threw a towel at her, saying, "I'm going to sew your mouth shut with a needle another day."
Xie Shi'an caught the towel and threw it back to her: "Weren't you going to turn on the water? Why are you going all out again?"
Qiao Yuchu gave Jian Changnian a deep look.
"Because I have a feeling that if I don't go all out, I might lose."
The third game.
Under Qiao Yuchu's constant pulling, Jian Changnian was exhausted. Due to excessive physical exertion, she was a step too slow to receive a ball at the net, and the other person took the match point first.
Everything was going according to her plan, but for some reason, Qiao Yuchu couldn't feel happy.
It was Jian Changnian who noticed that she was in a bad mood and took the initiative to shake her hand.
"It's okay, Sister Yu Chu, there's still a second half."
Trailing by seven points, it will be difficult to catch up in the second half unless Qiao Yu makes some fatal mistakes.
Qiao Yuchu moved her lips, as if she wanted to say something.
Jian Changnian shook her head slightly, her eyes reddening, but she smiled as usual.
"No matter what the final result is, I had a lot of fun in this match."
Qiao Yuchu was taken aback for a moment, then gently squeezed her hand back.
"Me too."
With a do-or-die mentality, Jian Changnian began the second half of the match.
Qiao Yuchu thought she could easily win the second half, but she ran into a snag right from the start. Jian Changnian used his agile movement and several feints to deceive her position and scored one after another.
Seeing the fighting spirit flashing in her opponent's eyes, Qiao Yuchu was shocked. How long had it been? She had only been training for three months, and she was already playing with someone who had decades of experience.
She was somewhat envious of such talent, yet also somewhat unwilling to accept it.
Qiao Yuchu gritted her teeth. No, she couldn't let herself be outdone by her.
Yan Xinyuan, observing the situation from the sidelines, thought, "It's time to start the counterattack."
As soon as she finished speaking, Qiao Yuchu took the initiative to run and, through several diagonal drop shots, regained control of the game.
This counterattack caught Jian Changnian off guard. She was struggling to keep up with her opponent's rhythm on the field, and was exploited by her opponent several times.
Seeing her opponent's obviously serious expression, Jian Changnian was not to be outdone. As a tricky smash flew towards her, she gritted her teeth, knowing that going to save the ball from this position might cause her to lose her balance and fall to the ground, but she still rushed over without hesitation.
"Bang--"
The ball cleared the net, and she fell heavily to the ground.
Are you alright?
Qiao Yuchu stopped moving when she saw her fall.
Jian Changnian stood up, panting, "It's okay, let's continue."
The following match became even more intense, with the two players trading points back and forth, neither giving an inch, until the score reached 20-19.
Qiao Yuchu is currently leading by one point; if she can win just one more point, she will win the game.
Jian Changnian glanced at the scoreboard and silently gripped her racket tighter.
We've come this far, so even if we lose, we shouldn't have any regrets.
With this thought in mind, the two of them took another few beats.
Even Coach Liang got a little nervous: "It's the last ball, whose is it...?"
Jian Changnian's last smash was perfectly angled, hitting Qiao Yuchu in the backcourt where she couldn't get back in time to defend.
A white shooting star streaked across the sky.