About seven or eight minutes later, Jian Changnian, pale-faced and unsteady on her feet, was helped back.
Qiao Yuchu helped her to a chair in the rest area, picked up her cup and handed it to her: "Here, drink some warm water. Did you eat something bad?"
Xie Shi'an also sat up and looked at her: "Have you been eating out lately?"
The training base is equipped with a dedicated nutritionist, and the ingredients for every meal are strictly selected, with cleanliness and hygiene being a basic requirement.
Jian Changnian picked up her water glass and took small sips, recalling as she drank: "No... I've been training with you guys the whole time lately and haven't gone out to eat, you know that."
"Why did you suddenly get diarrhea? Think back, have you eaten anything unclean in the last few days?"
Qiao Yuchu was also somewhat puzzled.
As soon as she finished speaking, Jian Changnian clutched her stomach and cried out again. Due to the intense pain, she couldn't hold the water glass properly and spilled it all over the floor.
Qiao Yuchu looked anxious when she saw that things were not going well.
"If it really comes down to it, let's go to the hospital."
The nearest hospital is in town, and going back and forth would waste time, especially since the afternoon's match is about to start.
Jian Changnian was covered in sweat and too weak to lift her head: "No...no...there's a match this afternoon."
Xie Shi'an helped the person up with one hand: "Go find the team doctor."
Qiao Yuchu also realized what was happening and supported her other arm: "Yes, yes, let's go find the team doctor."
After the team doctor inquired in detail about her diet over the past few days, he couldn't come up with a clear answer. After all, he was just the team's doctor, and the clinic had limited resources. It was fine for treating common colds and fevers, but it was inadequate for problems like this that required detailed examinations to determine the cause.
The team doctor frowned. Seeing that she was really in pain, he still advised, "Why don't you take a day off and go to the hospital to get checked out?"
Jian Changnian shook his head, his forehead covered in sweat. He sat up straight in the chair with difficulty and grabbed the doctor's sleeve, pleading.
"No... I can't take leave... Doctor... I... I just have an upset stomach... Please prescribe some... um... painkillers first... Wait... after the match... I... I'll go to the hospital to get checked out."
"Chang Nian!" Qiao Yu Chu was also anxious when she heard her words.
Jian Changnian turned around, her eyes stubborn, gritted her teeth, and gasped for breath as she managed to utter a complete sentence: "Sister Yu Chu, you know that the assessment won't be stopped just because of me. Taking leave now means that I'm giving up this spot."
"That's still not okay..." Qiao Yuchu wanted to persuade her again.
Jian Changnian's gaze softened again, looking at her with pleading, and then at Xie Shi'an.
"I don't want to admit defeat before the fight even starts."
Xie Shi'an pursed her lips and remained silent, which was taken as tacit agreement with her idea.
Qiao Yu didn't know how to persuade her at first. After all, she had worked so hard to get here, and they had all seen how hard Jian Changnian had worked and how much effort she had put in.
Jian Changnian slowly stood up, supporting himself on the table, and bowed to the team doctor: "Please, doctor, this game is really important to me."
"Oh no, that won't do, that won't do. I'll prescribe some medicine for you."
It's not easy for any child to persevere to this day, and the team doctor knows that too. Seeing how determined she was, the team doctor softened a bit, quickly helped her up, wrote a prescription, and went to get her medicine.
"Here, painkillers, one tablet at a time, dissolved in warm water. And diarrhea powder, half a packet at a time, also dissolved in warm water. They're both fast-acting, so you should have enough time. If you still feel unwell after the match, you must go to the hospital immediately, understand?"
As the team doctor gave her the medicine, he also handed her a disposable water cup. Jian Changnian smiled gratefully at him, put the pill in her mouth, and drank it all down with the warm water.
End of Chapter 26
Just before the afternoon match was about to begin, Jian Changnian returned to the training room. Qiao Yuchu supported her, saying, "Are you really alright? Should I go and tell Coach Yan..."
Jian Changnian waved her hand, steadied herself, and her face still looked terrible, but it didn't hurt as much as before.
"It's okay, I can manage."
Yan Xinyuan noticed that she didn't look well when the lottery was being drawn.
"What’s wrong with you?"
Jian Changnian smiled and took the note from the box.
"No, it's probably because I didn't rest well last night."
Yan Xinyuan frowned, complaining, but his words were full of concern.
"How can you play well if you don't get enough rest? It's the last game, so do your best."
Jian Changnian responded loudly, "Okay, I understand."
While she was waiting in the rest area, her lower abdomen started to cramp again. Jian Changnian buried her head, pressed her fist against her stomach, and gritted her teeth to resist the increasingly intense pain.
Xie Shi'an passed by her after finishing a match.
"If you can't do it, don't force it."
Jian Changnian looked up, about to reply, when Coach Liang called her name: "Next match, Jian Changnian vs. Zhou Min, get ready."
Jian Changnian had no choice but to pick up his racket and get up, walking step by step toward the playing field. His usually brisk steps were unusually slow today.
Sun Qian stood on the other side of the field, watching her back, hesitant to speak.
"Hey, it's your turn to serve," the opponent called out.
Sun Qian then snapped out of her daze, forcing herself to concentrate and not observe Jian Changnian's every move, silently telling herself:
“Jian Changnian, I’m sorry, but you’re my biggest competitor. If you lose just one game, I can make it into the Binhai Provincial Team. No one can stop me from achieving my dream.”
"What's going on? Jian Changnian isn't in good form today." Coach Liang, standing off the court, also noticed something was amiss.
Not only was his serve reception poorly executed, but even his basic footwork was not up to standard, and he made a lot of mistakes.
Seeing Jian Changnian let go of a golden opportunity to smash the ball, Yan Xinyuan grew furious. He knocked on his pipe, stood up, and pointed at Jian's nose, cursing.
"Jian Changnian, what are you doing?! Even a three-year-old in the park plays better than you. If you're like this in the next round, forget about it, just go home!"
Having lost the first game, Jian Changnian rested her hands on her knees, panting heavily. Sweat dripped down her hair and into her eyes. She blinked, her head spinning, the badminton net turning into white lines, and her eardrums ringing. She shook her head and bit her tongue to clear her vision.
Jian Changnian straightened up again: "Again."
The second game begins.
She played entirely on instinct. She knew that if she couldn't win this point, there was little hope of making it into the Binhai Provincial Team. She had to stand up, grit her teeth, and receive the serve.
Even though her internal organs were churning, even though she had to bite her tongue and use all her strength to jump up for every smash, even though she would lose her balance and fall when trying to save the ball, and every fall made her vision go black and added to the pain.
The time it took Jian Changnian to get up after falling down was getting longer and longer. After falling to the ground again, she didn't move for a long time.
Yan Xinyuan finally sensed that something was wrong and stood up.
"If you're not feeling well, you can..."
Before he finished speaking, Jian Changnian stirred, raised his head slightly, and then his fingers groped for the racket that had fallen to the ground. He grabbed the racket and, supporting himself on the racket, knelt on the ground. Then, he slowly straightened up, held his knees, and stood up little by little.
Her back was completely soaked; it was hard to tell whether it was from the heat or from the intense pain.
Jian Changnian was panting heavily, swallowed hard, and fixed her gaze on the scoreboard. It took her a long time to see it clearly.
20:19
She only had one more point left to win.
"I...I won't abstain," she spat out through gritted teeth.
Jian Changnian never knew before how strong a person's willpower could be. Only today did she realize that as long as the desire to win is strong enough, everything else can be put aside.
She cannot, absolutely cannot, fall here.
Jian Changnian took a deep breath, his slightly trembling hand picked up the badminton shuttlecock, ready to end the match with a smash.
As expected, the opponent attacked her backcourt. Jian Changnian quickly retreated and prepared to jump. She stretched out her long arms and raised them high. Just as she jumped up with all her might, an overwhelming pain overwhelmed her like a tidal wave.
Jian Changnian's vision went black, and a burning sensation surged from her stomach to her chest, making it hard for her to breathe.
The moment she fell to the ground, she vomited everything up, and her racket flew out of her hand and off the court.
A commotion broke out in the training room.
Seeing that things were going badly, Yan Xinyuan was the first to rush over: "Chang Nian, Jian Chang Nian, wake up!"
Seeing that he couldn't wake her no matter how he called, he was alarmed. Ignoring her filth, he picked her up, hurriedly gave Coach Liang an instruction, and ran outside.
"Clean up the field, the game continues, Lao Liang, you be the referee, I'll take her to the hospital."
Seeing Jian Changnian faint, Qiao Yuchu was extremely anxious. Fortunately, she had finished her matches for the day. She glanced at Xie Shi'an and followed him.
"I'll go with Coach Yan, you stay here."
Jian Changnian was in a daze, feeling as if her internal organs were churning and her stomach was on fire.
She frowned, trying to open her eyes, but it felt as if an invisible hand was pulling her straight down into the abyss.
The feeling of weightlessness washed over her, and she was about to give up.
A familiar voice called out in my ear: "Chang Nian, Xiao Nian, wake up, don't sleep, hang in there, we'll be at the hospital soon..."
A gap was torn open in the darkness, and colorful light shone in. In a daze, she was transported back to that summer when she was very young. Once, she had a high fever, and her father carried her over mountains and valleys to the hospital.
I could faintly smell the scent of tobacco, a memory of my father.
Jian Changnian murmured indistinctly, "Dad..."
Yan Xinyuan, who was carrying her on his back, stiffened. He turned around and glanced at her. He saw that she was covered in cold sweat, her face was pale, and her lips were a little purple. He couldn't help but speed up his running.
"Quick, Xiao Qiao, go open the door!"
Qiao Yuchu rushed to the gate and opened it. Yan Xinyuan put Jian Changnian on the back seat of the car. After Qiao Yuchu jumped into the car, he stepped on the gas and sped off like an arrow.
After they left, the training room remained noisy and filled with chatter. Apart from Xie Shi'an, who didn't join in the fun, there was another person who also didn't go. Sun Qian stood at the door watching their departing figures, her expression more like that of someone who had done something wrong than one of worry.
Xie Shi'an looked at her, lost in thought.
***
"Doctor, doctor, what's wrong with her?"
Yan Xinyuan drove straight to the nearest hospital, where the doctor briefly examined her pupils and listened to her heartbeat.
"It looks like drug poisoning. Let's prepare to pump the stomach."
Upon hearing this, Yan Xinyuan and Qiao Yuchu were both stunned. How could it be drug poisoning?
The doctor wheeled Jian Changnian into the emergency room: "Family members, go register and pay first."