"Honestly, did your coach pull some strings for you, or were you on drugs?"
One sentence made Kim Nam-ji furious again, her temple veins throbbing. She picked up the fork on the table and smiled sinisterly.
"To be honest, I also want to know, will a person die if you stick a fork into the carotid artery in their neck?"
Jin Shunqi almost choked to death on the steak. A chill ran down his neck, and he quickly stopped and begged for mercy.
"Okay, okay, I was just kidding. When we were in Korea, our Namji won the All-Korea High School League championship at the age of fourteen. Of course, we are exceptionally talented. I just recently treated a professional player, so I'm feeling a bit sentimental."
As he finished speaking, his expression became unusually serious.
"Going down this path to the end inevitably leads to injuries. I can see that you prefer playing and don't like closed training."
"In South Korea, you won't have to worry about food or clothing, nor will you lack money. You've already received an admission letter to Seoul National University without taking the entrance exam. If you want to work after graduation, your family can arrange a job for you. If you don't want to work, they can support you. You can live the life you want."
"Why did you travel so far to study in China, and then have to compete and endure so much hardship? You can't even drink your favorite beverage. Your parents had you late in life, and you know how much they cherish you. Like them, I just hope that you can live a peaceful and healthy life."
When she first said she wanted to study in China and systematically learn badminton, her family strongly opposed it. Her mother cried all the time, and her father even hit her in a fit of anger.
That was the first time she had ever been hit in her life.
In desperation, she had no choice but to protest by going on a hunger strike, which secured this hard-won opportunity.
Even so, Kim Nam-ji never told them the real reason she wanted to study in China.
Kim Soon-ki is different; her uncle is the person she trusts the most.
Kim Nam-ji lowered his eyes, put down his knife and fork, and was just about to speak.
"I……"
The doctor's phone on the table vibrated. After glancing at the caller ID, Jin Shunqi answered the call and immediately stood up.
"Okay, prepare the operating room, I'll be there soon."
"Uncle..." Kim Nam-ji called out to him.
Jin Shunqi picked up his suit jacket from the chair and took out a bank card from his wallet, placing it on the table.
"I have to go for emergency surgery at the hospital. There's some money in the card, you can use it first. The password is your birthday. Call me if you need more."
"Also, although your parents and I don't approve of you pursuing a professional career, since you've made that choice, you should keep going forward. I wish you good luck in tomorrow's match."
Kim Nam-ji grinned at his retreating back.
"Eight out of ten times we eat together, we end up in the emergency room!! What kind of bad luck do you have?!"
Finally, she picked up the bank card and looked at it, a smile appearing on her face.
"That's more like it."
Kim Nam-ji called the waiter to pay the bill. After leaving the Western restaurant, he saw that it was still early and didn't want to go back so soon. So he made a few phone calls and invited his friends to go to a nearby KTV. He didn't feel any urgency that the final was tomorrow.
While she was out partying late into the night, Xie Shi'an and Jian Changnian were still training. After another round of sparring, Xie Shi'an's left-handed ball skills improved, and she collapsed from exhaustion.
Jian Changnian lay on her back on the ground.
"I can't go on, let me rest for a while."
Xie Shi'an gently kicked her calf with his foot.
"Get up and keep fighting."
Unable to bear it any longer, Jian Changnian sat up abruptly and pointed angrily at the clock on the wall.
"Hey, are you made of iron?! Look at the time! It's 12:30, lady! Even if I can go without sleep, can I go without eating?! Huh?!"
As soon as she finished speaking, her stomach rumbled loudly twice, which could be heard especially clearly in the empty stadium.
Xie Shi'an touched his nose, turned his face away, and whispered.
Didn't you just eat this afternoon?
"We ate at five o'clock, and seven and a half hours have passed! By the way, aren't you hungry after such a physical exertion?" Jian Changnian looked at her curiously.
Before he could finish speaking, Xie Shi'an's stomach growled.
Jian Changnian laughed so hard she was practically begging to be punched.
"I knew it. Oh, stop practicing and take a break. Do you think you can catch up with someone's efforts of more than ten years in just a few nights? Coach Yan also said to know when to stop, relax, and go eat something to fill your stomach."
Xie Shi'an also sat down and took a towel to wipe his sweat.
"It's so late, the cafeteria is closed. Let's go buy a pack of instant noodles."
Jian Changnian's eyes were sparkling, and Xie Shi'an knew she was brewing some mischievous idea.
"When I came back from Houhai that day, I noticed that there was a night market just one street ahead of our training center. It was packed with people, and they had everything from spicy noodles and rice noodles to grilled cold noodles, wonton noodles, candied hawthorn, braised pork, and donkey meat sandwiches."
Well, judging from the situation, I decided to sneak out and scout the place out first.
Jian Changnian nudged her shoulder, her eyes almost squinting into crescent moons.
"You've worked so hard sparring with me until this late. Even if you haven't done anything special, you've still put in the effort. It's not too much to ask you to treat me to a late-night snack, is it?"
***
The walls of the national team training center are not as easy to climb over as those of the Binhai provincial team; they are surrounded by barbed wire and surveillance cameras.
The two wandered around until they reached a secluded side gate. Jian Changnian hid in the flower bushes, pointed to the sleeping gatekeeper in the guard post, and whispered.
"Crawl out from under the turnstile over there."
Xie Shi'an stared at that narrow spot, which resembled a dog hole, and gritted his teeth.
"Can't we just go out openly and honestly?"
"Are you stupid? We're in closed training. Coach Yan doesn't allow us to go out freely, let alone eat at a roadside stall. If we get caught, we'll have to do at least five hundred push-ups."
Xie Shi'an: "..."
Although it was somewhat exaggerated, she still felt a chill and shoved Jian Changnian from behind.
"You go first."
The two of them, timid and cowardly, slipped out of the gate right under the watchful eye of the gatekeeper and ran quite a distance in one breath.
Jian Changnian jumped up and spun around.
"Wow, the air outside is so much fresher! I was about to suffocate!"
Xie Shi'an looked back a few times to make sure no one was following.
"Enough talk, I'm hungry, lead the way."
The training center was located in a quiet area in the heart of Beijing. The gate they came out of was the most secluded one. There were several newly built construction sites nearby. It was late at night, and there wasn't a single pedestrian on the street. The streetlights were dim and dim.
Jian Changnian led the way.
"Look, just walk a few hundred meters further, cross the street and you'll reach the night market."
Xie Shi'an suddenly grabbed her shoulder.
"Did you hear anything?"
Jian Changnian listened intently for a while, then looked around. All she could see was a construction site, with only the buzzing sound of machinery operating at night.
"All I heard was the sound of an excavator, you..."
She had barely finished speaking when she heard a shrill female voice from not far ahead: "Help..."
Xie Shi'an's expression changed, and he turned and ran.
"Hey! Check the situation first!" Seeing that things were not going well, Jian Changnian picked up a brick from the ground and followed.
As I turned the corner, I saw several drunk men on the sidewalk pulling and tugging at a girl, with a car parked nearby.
"How can you be broke if you're carrying an LV bag?"
"No money? If you're short on cash, you can hang out with us guys."
As they spoke, they picked the girl up by the waist and tried to put her in the car. The girl clung tightly to the car door, struggling and kicking, but she was no match for their strength. The darkness blurred her face, and her expression was unclear. All that could be heard was her sobbing cry for help.
The man reached out to pull her hand away, and just as he was about to close the car door, someone patted him on the shoulder from behind.
Who is it?
He turned around impatiently.
Xie Shi'an threw a punch right at him.
Jian Changnian took the opportunity to pull the person out of the car.
"Run!"
When their eyes met, both of them were startled. In the dim light inside the car, Jian Changnian finally saw clearly that the disheveled girl was actually Jin Nanzhi.
"you……"
Xie Shi'an roared, "What are you standing there for? Run!"
It was this delay that caused the problem.
The man touched the blood on his face, hissed softly, and finally came to his senses.
"Damn, that's a strong grip! Chase after her!"
The people sitting in the car all got out and surrounded the three of them.
The boy stood in front of them, his face unusually calm, his eyes cold and devoid of any warmth.
"I've already called the police. If you don't leave now, the police will be here soon."
He didn't know why, maybe it was because she looked tall enough, or maybe it was because her punch was so powerful that it made the man feel a little apprehensive and subconsciously felt that she was dangerous.
Jian Changnian, standing next to him, was holding a brick in his hand, looking like he was ready to risk everything.
The sound of cars could be faintly heard in the distance; I wondered if the police had arrived.
The younger brother next to him tugged at his clothes.
"Brother, someone's coming, let's go!"
The man glared at them fiercely, then the group got into the car and drove away.
Jian Changnian breathed a sigh of relief, threw down the brick in her hand, and turned to look at her.
Are you alright?