"Would you like to be my girlfriend?"
Most of the people standing around were the girls' relatives and friends. With their encouragement and the other party's sincere confession, the girl was finally moved and nodded gently with a blush on her face.
The girl kneeling on the ground slipped the ring onto her ring finger, stood up, and the two of them... passionately embraced and kissed.
Jian Changnian stared blankly at everything happening before her eyes, her heart pounding wildly for some reason.
Qiao Yuchu pulled the person out.
"Let's go, let's go, you're still young, don't look at what you shouldn't see."
Xie Shi'an followed behind, and the young man, with his keen insight, noticed the slight embarrassment on her face.
She asked the question as if it were unintentional.
Do you find them strange?
Qiao Yuchu turned around and glanced at her.
"There is some truth to that. Two girls or boys who want to be together will face more pressure than normal couples."
normal.
So, in Qiao Yuchu's opinion, is it abnormal for two girls to be together?
Xie Shi'an pondered these two words, lowered his eyes, and said softly, "Then if I say..."
The music was too loud, and neither of them could hear what she said.
Qiao Yuchu retorted, "What did you say?"
Xie Shi'an shook his head and walked in front of them.
I said I was a little tired and wanted to go back.
On the way back, there weren't many empty seats on the bus, so Xie Shi'an sat down in the corner of the last row. The young man put his headphones back on and returned to his usual taciturn demeanor, tilting his head and leaning back in his seat, looking somewhat tired.
Jian Changnian tried to talk to her, but she ignored him, staring at the street scenes rushing past the car window, lost in thought.
Chapter 48 National Competition (12)
The next day, the Binhai Provincial Team resumed their intense training. However, even Jian Changnian could tell that Xie Shi'an was somewhat distracted, and he missed several serves from his teammates.
After the match ended, Yan Xinyuan called the people aside.
"What's wrong with you? Do you know that the singles competition starts the day after tomorrow? Although Yin Jiayi didn't register for the singles event this time, there are still many formidable opponents, such as Jin Nanzhi from the Beijing team, Cheng Yizhou from the Hong Kong team, and a group of veterans from the national team. Their experience is many times greater than yours. Don't think that just because you were lucky enough to beat Yin Jiayi once, you can be complacent and stop training."
Xie Shi'an lowered his eyes.
"Understood, Coach Yan, I will adjust as soon as possible."
Since she was unwilling to talk about it, Yan Xinyuan didn't ask any further questions. He patted her on the shoulder and said, "Go ahead, I'll see how you do."
After a training match, Qiao Yuchu could tell that she wasn't in good form. To be precise, it started last night when she came back, but if she asked her directly, she definitely wouldn't tell her.
Having known each other for so many years, no one understands Xie Shi'an better than her.
When everyone went to the sidelines to rest, Qiao Yuchu handed her a bottle of water: "Are you tired or suffering from water and soil incompatibility?"
Xie Shi'an shook his head, didn't take it, and picked up the badminton shuttlecock from the ground.
Qiao Yuchu knew that her low mood was mostly related to her, but she didn't seem to have made her angry recently. The only thing that could be considered a problem between the two of them was her hand injury.
Qiao Yuchu thought she was still worried about her.
"Don't worry, I've already called Dr. Jin. I'll go to the hospital this afternoon, and we can play ball together again after the surgery."
Hearing her say this, Xie Shi'an finally looked up at her.
Qiao Yuchu stepped forward and handed her the lollipop she had prepared beforehand.
"I brought these with me before I left. I know you love them, but the competition is coming up soon, so I have to control my sugar intake. You can only have one a day at most, no more."
The familiar wrapping paper lay in her palm.
The boy's cold mask was shattered bit by bit.
Her heart, like the taste of this sugar, was both sour and bitter.
Xie Shi'an slowly reached out, took it, and held it in his hand.
Qiao Yuchu patted her head.
"I don't know what you're angry about, but your most important thing right now is to prepare well for the competition, okay?"
"Don't make me worry, and don't let Coach Yan down."
Xie Shi'an finally looked into her eyes and nodded seriously.
"I understand, I will prepare well."
"Then I'm relieved. I can go to the hospital with peace of mind!"
Hearing that she needed to be hospitalized, Xie Shi'an felt a pang of anxiety.
"Hospitalization, you..."
Qiao Yuchu was afraid that she would misunderstand, so she quickly explained.
"Although it is a minimally invasive surgery, there are still some necessary examinations to be done, and you will need to stay in the hospital for observation for a few days after the surgery."
"When will you be back?"
"I'll definitely be back before the team competition next week."
Hearing this, Xie Shi'an finally felt a little relieved.
When Qiao Yu first saw her, she still had a stern face, so she reached out and pinched her cheek.
"Hey, I'm about to be admitted to the hospital, aren't you going to give your sister a smile?"
Xie Shi'an looked unwilling and took a few steps back to avoid her clutches.
"Get out of the way, she's only a few years older, what kind of 'older sister' is she?"
"Being a year older is still being older, okay?" Qiao Yuchu glanced at her watch and saw that it was getting late. She had to head to the hospital, and Xie Shi'an needed to continue his training.
"I'm leaving now. Take good care of yourself these next few days. Beijing is dry, so remember to drink plenty of water and make sure you're covered up well at night so you don't catch a cold."
She rambled on and on, finally saying, "And when I come back, will I see someone win the championship?"
The singles competition schedule is short, with several matches played each day. The team finals will only begin after all the singles events are over.
A smile finally appeared on Xie Shi'an's face.
"Yes, the championship trophy is your discharge gift."
***
In the afternoon, Coach Liang accompanied her to complete the admission procedures. When they arrived at the ward and opened the door, they found that it was a single room, similar to the athletes' apartment. The room was clean and bright, and all the appliances were provided.
Qiao Yuchu was taken aback: "This is..."
She thought it was just a regular shared room in a hospital. Are the wards in international hospitals this luxurious?
The nurse covered her mouth and smiled.
"Our hospital mostly has double rooms, but in the orthopedics department, there are more children. Dr. Jin was worried that Ms. Qiao wouldn't be used to it, so she specially arranged a single room for you. Knowing that you are an athlete, she also brought over the treadmill from the gym, since it can be quite boring during hospitalization."
That last sentence is indeed Kim Soon-sik's original quote.
Qiao Yuchu felt a sense of gratitude.
"Thank you for your help, Dr. Jin."
The nurse smiled.
"Dr. Jin has surgeries scheduled for this afternoon and evening, so he probably won't be able to come see you. I'll come over in about an hour after you've settled in to take you for your pre-operative check-up."
Qiao Yuchu put down her luggage.
"Okay, thank you for your help."
The nurse smiled slightly, turned and left.
Coach Liang hasn't left yet, probably because he wants to stay and wait for her to finish her check-up before leaving. It was also Yan Xinyuan's idea, because he was worried that it would be inconvenient for her to be alone.
Qiao Yuchu smiled.
"Coach Liang, you should go back first. Coach Yan is the only one in the team, and he probably can't handle it all. I can manage on my own."
After all, it was surgery, and Coach Liang was a little worried.
"But……"
"It's okay. I'm not a child anymore. I can take care of myself. Besides, the hospital has nurses and caregivers. Look how nice the environment is. They certainly won't mistreat patients."
"The service at the International Hospital has been impeccable throughout our journey," Coach Liang sighed.
"Alright then. The organizing committee of this event stipulates that each team can only bring two coaches. Also, there are things to do with the men's team, so I really can't leave. But don't worry, if you need anything, just give me a call, and Lao Yan and I will definitely come over."
From top to bottom, whether teammates or coaches, everyone in the Binhai Provincial Team gave her a sense of family warmth.
Qiao Yuchu smiled and said, "Okay, I will try my best to recover from my injury and return to the team as soon as possible. Coach Liang, take care."
***
While they were busy preparing for the individual events, Yin Jiayi disappeared from the Zhejiang team's roster.
She had barely landed in Hangzhou when she received a call from Jin Nanzhi, whose tone was urgent and rapid.
Why didn't you tell me you didn't even register for the singles?! Do you know how long I've been waiting for this chance to play?!
Yin Jiayi answered as she walked, pushing her luggage, her tone indifferent.
"I need to prepare for the World Championships next spring and don't want to waste time on these small competitions."
"ha?"
The person on the other end of the phone sounded as if they had heard some incredible joke, their tone filled with disbelief.
"You call a tournament with world-class champions a small competition? Do you know how many people flock to it?"
"Yin Jiayi, you're not scared off by some nobody, are you?"