But beneath her tough exterior, a hint of warmth occasionally shines through, like a forsythia quietly peeking out from under the winter snow, which is why it is so precious.
The boy finally lowered his head and sincerely apologized once again.
"I shouldn't have questioned your tactics, nor should I have contradicted you in front of so many people. I won't do it again."
"In team competitions, the team's interests come first. When it comes to individual events, when you shine, are you still afraid of not being able to meet national team players?"
Yan Xinyuan smiled, his gaze towards her seemingly meaningful.
"But what you're saying reminds me of something. Since you're so eager to compete against national team players, why didn't you go to the national team for further training when there were quota spots in previous years?"
Xie Shi'an hadn't expected him to ask that. The night outside the window was deep and quiet; you could hear a pin drop.
Her breathing faltered.
"I...I have my own plans."
"No matter what kind of plan you make, youth is priceless, especially for athletes."
Xie Shi'an nodded solemnly: "I understand, Coach Yan."
Just as she was about to turn and leave, someone called her back.
Yan Xinyuan pointed to the band-aids on the table.
"Take this."
Xie Shi'an was taken aback, then realized what was happening and looked at a small wound on her elbow. It was from a fall during the game today when she was saving a ball, and she hadn't paid any attention to it.
Yan Xinyuan not only saw it, but also remembered it clearly.
Chapter 39 National Competition (3)
After leaving the office, Xie Shi'an originally intended to go straight back to her dormitory to rest, but she was still thinking about the videotape. She was restless and anxious until she finished watching Yin Jiayi's match today.
Since she was also competing while her opponent was competing, she had no time to pay attention to the situation.
But the videotape is with Jian Changnian.
Xie Shi'an went up the stairs and then came down again.
Fine, fine, I'll just beg her this once.
Everything is for the sake of the competition, yeah, that's it.
Xie Shi'an successfully used this reason to convince himself to go find Jian Changnian.
If they wanted to watch videotapes, besides the coach's office, there was only one other place: the training room. Occasionally, during holidays, Yan Xinyuan would show them some movies there.
Before Xie Shi'an even reached the training room, he could hear the sound of shoes scraping against the floor.
While watching the projection, Jian Changnian was also busy, swinging her racket and watching Yin Jiayi's movements, scrutinizing the details of her own game and identifying areas where she hadn't done well.
Sometimes Yin Jiayi's movements are so fast that the camera can hardly capture them. She has to stop and slow down the playback several times to carefully study it, and in the process, she inevitably feels a sense of frustration.
As expected of a national champion, she is flawless in every aspect. It's something she can't figure out or catch up with in a short time.
The ground was littered with badminton shuttlecocks; another basket of shuttlecocks had been used up.
Jian Changnian leaned on her knees, panting heavily. Sweat dripped from her hair onto the ground. She gritted her teeth, looking at Yin Jiayi on the screen with some resentment. She straightened up again, preparing for the next serve.
Xie Shi'an walked in through the winter night's mist and dew.
"The training you're doing will only make your muscles sore and make it impossible for you to get out of bed tomorrow morning. It's completely useless."
“Then you say…” Jian Changnian was practicing with great concentration when she was suddenly interrupted. She turned around impatiently, but when she saw it was her, she immediately changed her tone and adopted a fawning one.
"What should we do?"
Now that's settled, since she asked, Xie Shi'an had a legitimate reason to go in, sit down on the floor, and face the big screen.
“Even the same person can’t play exactly the same way in every game. But no matter what the style of play is, there are some subconscious habits that can’t be changed overnight. These little habits may be her strengths, but they can also become her fatal weaknesses.”
Jian Changnian nodded in sudden understanding. Xie Shi'an meant that she should concentrate on watching the game and not be distracted by watching while the game was going on.
She belatedly looked at her posture and suddenly realized what was going on.
"Wait a minute, I lost the game and you didn't mock me. Instead, you kindly taught me. Has the sun risen in the west?"
Xie Shi'an had a blank face, a forced smile.
"Actually, I've been thinking of a lot of things like, 'Even the cafeteria ladies aren't as shaky as you are,' if you want to hear them..."
"Hey, don't—" Jian Changnian quickly stopped, realizing that although she was talking to her, her eyes were glued to the projection.
The boy, with a mischievous glint in his eye, circled around with his racket and deliberately squatted down in front of her.
"So that's why you're like this today. You wanted to watch Yin Jiayi's video too."
Xie Shi'an's expression was unpredictable, as he felt she was blocking his view.
"Are you done talking? If you are, then move aside."
“That won’t do. I borrowed it first, unless…” Jian Changnian jumped in front of her and sat down cross-legged next to her.
Let's watch it together.
A teenager's body is hot, and his knees are touching, separated only by a thin layer of sweatpants.
Xie Shi'an felt uncomfortable and moved to the side.
"Stay away from me."
Jian Changnian is getting increasingly greedy.
"No, no, I want to be right next to you."
Help.
Seeing that she was about to pull him up, Xie Shi'an felt a chill run down his spine and was about to run away.
Jian Changnian's single sentence froze her in place.
"I really don't want to watch it. Oh well, I guess I'll just have to study it by myself. Maybe I can use it in future competitions."
"..."
Xie Shi'an stepped back and sat down obediently, but his back was straight and he exuded an aura that kept strangers at bay.
Jian Changnian couldn't help but burst out laughing, which earned her a fierce glare from the other party, who also made a neck-scratching gesture.
She wisely kept quiet and obediently sat cross-legged beside her, no longer trying to bother her.
The two sat side by side like model students. Only a few wall lamps were on in the training room, and the dim yellow light cast a soft halo over them, making their shadows on the floor look like they were snuggling together.
Jian Changnian would occasionally ask questions in a low voice if there were things she didn't understand.
Xie Shi'an answered her in a perfunctory manner.
The clock on the wall ticked away, marking the deepening of night.
The videotape has finished playing the last frame.
Jian Changnian hadn't asked her any questions in a long time. The remote was with her. Xie Shi'an wanted to ask her to turn off the projector, but when she turned her head to look, she realized that Jian Changnian hadn't asked her any questions.
The person had their eyes closed, their head nodding slightly, looking extremely sleepy, when suddenly they fell towards her.
In that instant, Xie Shi'an didn't think much, placed his hand between her head and his shoulder blade, and whispered.
"Wake up, go back to sleep."
Jian Changnian leaned into a warm, soft spot, then suddenly woke up, the faint scent of laundry detergent lingering around her nose.
She realized she had fallen asleep leaning against Xie Shi'an and tried to stand up in a flash, but her legs went numb from sitting for so long, and she lost her balance and fell headfirst into Xie Shi'an's arms. Out of a sense of danger, she wrapped her arms around Xie Shi'an's waist to catch her.
Xie Shi'an: "..."
Jian Changnian: "..."
When their eyes met, Xie Shi'an's gaze was so cold it seemed like he wanted to kill, and he spoke each word clearly.
"stand up."
When Jian Changnian realized where she was hiding, she was so embarrassed that she fell to her knees, her face turning red to the roots of her neck.
"Ahhh, I'm so sorry, my legs are numb and I really can't stand up, I didn't mean to, sob sob sob."
Before he finished speaking, Xie Shi'an gently tugged at the corner of his lips.
"Oh, really?"
As she spoke, she grabbed the person by the back of the neck and shoved them away.
Despair welled up in Jian Changnian's eyes.
"Please, don't let go, I can't feel my legs..."
Before she could finish speaking, Xie Shi'an smiled at her again.
It's like an angel's face with a devil's smile.
Jian Changnian felt a chill run down his spine, and the next second, he felt a sense of lightness throughout his body.
Xie Shi'an turned and left, followed by heart-wrenching wails.
"Ah—Xie Shi'an, I didn't do it on purpose! You hit your teammate, I'm going to report this to Coach Yan!!"
Jian Changnian, who had gotten up from the ground, limped after him, his face showing a "you're finished" expression.
Xie Shi'an glanced at her indifferently.
"Wasn't I the one helping you relieve your leg cramps?"
"You, you, you are simply unreasonable, you confuse right and wrong, you are petty and narrow-minded..."
Xie Shi'an looked at her with a forced smile. Every time she said a word, she would crack her knuckles and loosen her wrists.
Seeing that things were not going well, Jian Changnian scrambled up the stairs, his legs much more agile now. As he ran, he kept turning back to bluff.
"You...you just wait, one day I will defeat you!"
She ran fast, giving Xie Shi'an no chance to catch up and kick her again.
After everyone had run far away, Xie Shi'an smiled with pleasure and turned back to his dormitory.