Jin Shunqi sighed helplessly.
"Although it's late, I don't think you want to rest. Please come with me—"
Qiao Yuchu was taken aback: "You..."
Jin Shunqi stood at the door, his hands in the pockets of his white coat, watching her.
"I'll take you to rehabilitation."
A slight smile finally appeared on Qiao Yuchu's lips.
"Dr. Jin, aren't you off work this late?"
Kim Soon-ki shrugged and went to the rehabilitation center with her.
"I was supposed to be off work after checking on your ward, but now I have new work to do."
Qiao Yuchu looked slightly apologetic.
"I'm sorry to bother you so late."
Jin Shunqi looked over with a clear gaze, his expression slightly helpless.
“Ms. Qiao, could you please not use honorifics? It makes me sound old. And you don’t need to apologize either. Accompanying you until you are fully recovered and discharged from the hospital is also part of my job.”
Qiao Yuchu burst out laughing.
"Although Dr. Kim looks very young, he is actually..."
Jin Shunqi's expression grew increasingly helpless.
"Okay, I know. You're not the first person to say that. Even my little niece is starting to complain that we don't have anything in common anymore."
"Alright, then I won't use honorifics anymore, and Dr. Jin, please stop calling me Miss Qiao all the time; it sounds really awkward."
Qiao Yuchu's smile remained unchanged.
Jin Shunqi stopped and looked at her, his expression showing a childlike stubbornness and seriousness.
"Didn't we say we shouldn't use honorifics? Why are you calling me Dr. Jin again?"
Qiao Yuchu readily agreed and changed her tune.
"gold."
Jin Shunqi then smiled.
"Can I call you Yu Chu?"
"Okay, that's what they all call it."
Jin Shunqi looked at her with eyes as gentle as moonlight and smiled.
“Yu Chu”.
Those two short words brushed against my heart like a feather, bringing a slight itch.
Qiao Yuchu was momentarily stunned for some reason.
Jin Shunqi pushed open the door of the rehabilitation center.
"We're here, let's go in."
***
Time flew by and the day of the team competition arrived.
Xie Shi'an got up early to warm up in the training room, but to her surprise, she heard the sound of balls being hit coming from inside as soon as she reached the door. She pushed open the door and saw Jian Changnian turn around and smile at her.
Good morning.
Xie Shi'an put the golf bag on the ground.
"You didn't go home last night?"
Jian Changnian scratched his head and smiled somewhat embarrassedly.
"I originally wanted to practice a little longer, but I was too tired. I wanted to lie down and rest for a while, but I fell asleep without realizing it. When I woke up, it was already midnight, so I just lay here and continued to sleep. Luckily, the heating in the training room is warm enough, otherwise I probably would have caught a cold."
"If Coach Yan finds out, I'll get scolded again."
Jian Changnian quickly glanced outside the door, thankfully no one was there.
"Shh, keep your voice down. How could I dare let him know? I should have known better than to tell you."
Xie Shi'an smiled slightly, picked up his racket, and walked to face her.
"Come on, let's have a warm-up game."
***
When it was time to leave for the venue in the afternoon, Qiao Yuchu still hadn't returned. When Xie Shi'an got on the bus, he looked around the carriage but there was no one there.
There was a hint of disappointment in the boy's eyes.
Jian Changnian followed behind her.
"Shi'an, let's sit down first. Sister Yu Chu said she would definitely come if she said she could. I believe her."
Xie Shi'an nodded, put his bag on the seat, and then sat down.
The training center wasn't too far from the competition venue, just a ten-minute drive. Jian Changnian sat in the car, swaying, and slowly closed her eyes, turning her head towards the person sitting on the other side.
Xie Shi'an took off his headphones.
"Are you really okay with being so tired? You're the first one to go on stage today."
Jian Changnian suddenly woke up, sat up straight, and smiled at her.
"No, I'll go first and score a point first. The Beijing team wouldn't let Kim Nam-ji go first, would they?"
Xie Shi'an put on his headphones again and looked out at the street scene.
"If you feel it's too much to ask, you can talk to Coach Yan before the starting lineup is changed."
Although her tone was cold, Jian Changnian still managed to detect a hint of concern in her voice.
The boy smiled and nudged her arm.
"Hey, you care about me?"
Xie Shi'an slapped her hand away in disgust and frowned.
"Don't touch me. I'm afraid you're not feeling well and will drag us down."
"Oh, don't worry, I'll definitely get you a point first and won't hold you back. Besides, I promised you I'd give you a championship, and Sister Yu Chu won't go back on her word, and neither will I."
Jian Changnian said with a smile.
Xie Shi'an took it as just a joke.
At the time, she didn't take it to heart at all. What she didn't expect was that in the long years that followed, the person who had vowed to walk with her all the way through life drifted away, while another person's casual remark was remembered for a lifetime.
Jian Changnian always remembered that he wanted to give her a championship. Moreover, she was facing a strong player from the Beijing team in the first match. The victory in the first game had a great impact on the morale of both sides.
Therefore, she absolutely could not lose this match. With this belief in mind, Jian Changnian picked up her racket and resolutely stepped onto the court.
The player she was playing against had already been selected for the national team and was considered a rising star in China, already quite well-known. His strength was certainly not to be underestimated.
This was destined to be an extremely close match, with spectators both inside and outside the stadium on edge, their nerves taut and their hearts pounding.
Amidst everyone's anticipation, Jian Changnian lost the first game by one point, and she walked back with her racket in a somewhat dejected manner.
"I'm sorry, Coach Yan, it's only one point. I didn't play well."
Yan Xinyuan patted her on the shoulder to comfort her.
"It's okay, there are still two rounds left. Come on, have some water. Play well in the second round, don't be afraid of her, just go for it."
Jian Changnian nodded, took a deep breath, rallied himself, and stepped onto the field.
"At the start of the second game, Jian Changnian was very aggressive and didn't give his opponent any chance at all."
"I have to say, when I watched her match during the singles group stage, Jian Changnian's serve return was still a little hesitant, and sometimes her opponent would find an opportunity to take control of the rhythm and end the match in one go."
"After this period of adjustment, you can clearly feel that she is more confident and more daring than before, and her strength has obviously reached a new level!"
The commentator exclaimed excitedly.
"On the last point, Jian Changnian won the match in one go, taking the second game by a large margin of 13-21!"
"The two sides have tied the score and reached match point."
When Jian Changnian came down, she grabbed a chair in the rest area. She was drenched in sweat and looked a little pale.
Yan Xinyuan helped her up.
"What's wrong? What's going on?"
When she sat down, she felt a little better. Jian Changnian forced herself to smile.
"It's alright, Coach Yan. I just used up a lot of energy. I'll be fine after a rest."
Seeing that she was covered in sweat, Yan Xinyuan was worried that she would get dehydrated, so he opened a bottle of purified water for her, his eyes showing some concern.
"If you feel unwell, just say so, and I'll apply for a medical leave."
Jian Changnian took a sip of water, felt a little better, and shook her head.
"No need, I'll just sit for a while. When the break is over, I'll go on the court and play the match. It's the last game, and I'm determined to win this one."
"Coach Yan..." The referee came over and asked him to look at the replay of the controversial play, so Yan Xinyuan had no choice but to get up.
"Okay, you should rest for a while. Be sure to tell me if you feel unwell."
Jian Changnian nodded, watching him walk away. Just as she was about to pick up a towel to wipe her sweat, a hand was already extended to her.
She looked down along the fair wrist and saw Xie Shi'an.
The young man had a cold exterior but a warm heart.
"Don't try to be brave, I'll still be there for the rest of the matches."
Jian Changnian took the towel from her and dried her hair.
"I'm fine, I just didn't sleep well last night..."
Before she could finish speaking, the towel covering her head was pulled off, and Xie Shi'an's palm touched her forehead; it was incredibly hot.