"I really don't know how you, who are so bad, got into the Seoul regional team and were even sent to China to study. With your skill level, even kindergarten kids play better than you."
"She's a princess, a princess, you understand?"
"Keep your voice down, don't let anyone hear you."
"What's there to be afraid of? She won't understand anyway."
The old ceiling fan in the training room creaked and groaned, casting dappled light and shadow on the floor.
The crowd gradually dispersed.
The girl stood there for a long time, looking at the racket in her hand. She pursed her lips, trying her best to hold back her tears, but they still fell.
There was a noise at the door. She sniffed, turned around, quickly wiped away her tears, and said irritably.
"What are you doing here? Are you here to laugh at me...?"
Before she finished speaking, Yin Jiayi had already walked up behind her, lifted her left hand holding the racket, and pointed out the details of her movements.
"Since you are left-handed, don't force yourself to play right-handed. Master left-handed play, and you can still win unexpectedly."
"But they... are all right-handed, which is a bit inconvenient in doubles. The coach also said... I need to fit in with them."
The girl lowered her eyes slightly, tears still clinging to her eyelashes.
"Sometimes I feel like... I'm an oddball."
Yin Jiayi gripped her hand with a little force.
"If you can't play doubles, then don't. You're here to learn, not to integrate into the Chinese team. There's nothing wrong with being unconventional."
To guide her movements, Yin Jiayi stood close behind her, her hot breath brushing against her ear as she spoke.
"Like this, straighten your elbow and use your wrist..." Yin Jiayi, oblivious to everything, patiently and professionally instructed her.
The twilight light streamed in through the glass window.
The girl blushed slightly in the sunset, her body stiffened, and she forgot what to do, until someone flicked her forehead.
"What are you thinking about? Focus."
Kim Nam-ji cried out in pain, jumped back, and covered her forehead, yelling loudly.
"Yin Jiayi, don't hit my head, it'll make you stupid!"
Now, more than a year has passed in the blink of an eye. Kim Nam-ji has grown taller and improved. He no longer needs anyone's reminders to concentrate on playing on the court without being affected by anything.
The shuttlecock rolled to her feet.
The scoreboard lights up.
21:19
Kim Nam-ji surprisingly won the first game.
Yin Jiayi was slightly taken aback, then a hint of appreciation appeared in her eyes as she looked at her, picked up her racket and walked back to the rest area to wipe her sweat.
The South Korean team erupted in cheers and rushed to hug her. Kim Nam-ji was escorted back to the rest area by her teammates.
As she drank water and wiped her sweat, she kept replaying the look in Yin Jiayi's eyes in her mind—Yin Jiayi had actually smiled at her.
It was an affirmation and appreciation of her opponent; she had never shown this expression to herself in past encounters.
She finally saw her as a rival, not a little sister who was learning to walk behind her and needed her guidance.
As Kim Nam-ji thought about it, he couldn't help but laugh out loud.
Her teammates all assumed she was happy because they had won the game, but only she knew the real reason.
Yin Jiayi returned to the rest area, but Wan Jing's expression was unusually serious.
"Jiayi, you were a bit careless this round."
Yin Jiayi nodded, her expression unchanged.
"I understand, Coach Wan. We'll win the next game."
Yin Jiayi is the kind of person who remains calm even when Mount Tai collapses before her. The calmer she appears on the surface, the more composed she is inside. Hearing her say this, Wan Jing felt relieved and patted her on the shoulder.
"Go when you're ready."
As the referee's whistle blew, the white feather was tossed into the air, and the second game officially began.
"In the last game, Kim Nam-ji used the same tactics against him, and in this game, Yoon Jia-yi did the opposite."
"That smash completely shut down Kim Nam-ji's backhand!"
"It seems that not only is Kim Nam-ji familiar with her playing style, but Yoon Ga-yi is also quite familiar with her left-handed ball routines and way of thinking."
"Hey, when Yin Jiayi was on the national team, she often went to the Beijing team as a guest coach. The two of them were teammates for more than a year. How could they not be familiar with each other?"
"Hey, you know what, I love watching teammates fight each other, it's a battle of equals, a love-hate relationship."
"This round was a blitzkrieg! Yin Jiayi won the game with a score of 21:14, giving Jin Nanzhi no chance to react at all, and ended the game in one fell swoop!"
Wan Jing led the applause.
"Good, well done! Keep it up next time! That's how we play. We can't give her a chance to breathe. Kim Nam-ji is very resilient too. If she gets close and catches up, it'll be troublesome."
After he finished arranging the tactics, Xie Shi'an also finished the game, mingled into the crowd, and approached Yin Jiayi.
She glanced at Kim Namji, who looked dejected after losing a game by a large margin, and said with a hint of mockery in her eyes.
"You really aren't going to give in?"
Yin Jiayi smiled, glanced at her, and wrapped her grip tape around her racket.
"She must also want me to give it my all."
After she finished speaking, she suddenly felt that something was wrong and looked Xie Shi'an up and down.
"You're done playing?!"
Xie Shi'an shrugged.
"It's over. We've accomplished the first feat in World Championship history: going from the bottom of the standings to winning five straight games to reach the finals. That's what the commentator just said. It's nothing, it was a very easy match."
Yin Jiayi: "..."
What a high-class Versailles this is!
On the surface, the captain appears dignified and elegant, but inwardly he is screaming for help.
Compared to Yin Jiayi, who was in excellent form and had a hot hand, Jin Nanzhi, who had lost a game, sat there looking a little dejected.
Unfortunately, there wasn't enough time to make any more adjustments for her.
The referee has already blown the whistle.
Xie Shi'an broke away from the main group and stood on a path she had to take to the competition venue. When Jin Nanzhi looked over, she nodded slightly and mouthed something.
"Confess, love".
Kim Nam-ji immediately realized what was going on.
"I've made up my mind. Once I win the championship, I'll confess my feelings to her."
Her past boasts resurfaced in her mind, and a smile finally appeared on Kim Nam-ji's lips. The two exchanged a smile, and she nodded emphatically before walking onto the field with her head held high.
Jian Changnian also came over.
"What did you say to her? She's smiling so happily."
Xie Shi'an glanced at her, then turned and left.
"Children shouldn't meddle in adults' affairs."
Jian Changnian made a face at her back, and when she saw that she was really leaving, she quickly chased after her.
"What?! He's only three years older than me, what's with the act of being an adult! Hey, aren't you watching the game?"
"I'm not going to look anymore, the result will be the same."
You can tell just by watching the game; two people who truly love each other will be blessed by the entire universe.
Chapter 76 Victory
Bang--
Bang bang—
Kim Nam-ji was panting heavily, unable to distinguish whether the sound was from his own hitting the ball or his own heartbeat.
The soles of his shoes rubbed against the ground, and with every jump and powerful swing of his racket, sweat dripped from his hair.
This was an extremely close match.
Yin Jiayi's situation wasn't much better than hers. She was rarely pushed into such a desperate situation. Even the match she played against Xie Shi'an didn't feel as difficult as the one against Jin Nanzhi.
Although she was reluctant to admit it, Kim Nam-ji really knew her too well, was familiar with every move and strategy of hers, and kept the score close, making it difficult for her to widen the gap.
Yin Jiayi swallowed hard, and sweat stung her eyes as it got in.
In the blink of an eye, a white shooting star came hurtling towards her.
Kim Nam-ji has already reached the net.
"Yin Jiayi, you're not paying attention."
I think it was she who said those words before.
Yin Jiayi slightly raised the corners of her lips and showed her what a 180-degree turn and extreme save looked like.
Instead of talking, you should go back and defend your own backcourt.
Kim Nam-ji frowned. Oh no.
She dove forward, but the ball had already landed.
The scoreboard lights up.
10:11
Yin Jiayi takes the lead in match point.