Jian Changnian sat on the bed opposite her, his back to her, and hadn't uttered a sound since then, clearly still angry.
Xie Shi'an watched her retreating figure.
"come over."
There was no response when I called him the first time.
She whispered again, "Chang Nian..."
The drawn-out ending of the syllable carried a hint of appeasement.
"My stomach hurts if I move it. Do you want me to come over?"
Jian Changnian reluctantly got up and slowly sat down on the chair next to her bed, saying irritably.
"What's up?"
Give me your hand.
Jian Changnian was startled, her gaze falling on her own hand. Coming to her senses, she suddenly tried to shrink back.
Xie Shi'an had already grabbed her wrist.
She didn't dare struggle, afraid of hurting her.
Little by little, his palm was pried open.
In her haste to find the team doctor, she tripped and fell on the steps at the apartment entrance, injuring her palms and knees.
Xie Shi'an's eyes were filled with the deep, unyielding darkness of the night as he spoke softly.
Does it hurt?
Jian Changnian's wrist was being pulled, and she lowered her eyes and shook her head.
The next moment, Xie Shi'an bent down and carefully wiped away the still-dry bloodstains with a tissue, then gently blew on them, trying to blow away the small pebbles and grit embedded in the flesh.
Her breath was warm, and a ticklish sensation spread from her palms to her limbs. Jian Changnian shrank back slightly, her face flushing red in surprise.
"No...it doesn't hurt..."
Even if it doesn't hurt, you should still have a nurse come and disinfect it.
“Shi An”.
Wan Jing walked in, and Jian Changnian took the opportunity to withdraw her hand, letting out a sigh of relief. Recalling the spot where Wan Jing had just touched her, a warm feeling welled up in her heart, and she didn't seem so angry anymore.
"Coach Wan." Xie Shi'an shifted, about to get up.
Wan Jing held the person down.
"Hey, don't move, don't move. I've already applied to the event organizing committee, and they've agreed. But all medications must comply with the doping rules. All treatment records must be kept for verification and inspection. Also, there will be another urine test before the competition."
Xie Shi'an nodded.
"No problem, I'll undergo the examination."
"Then you should get some rest. The organizing committee will send staff over tomorrow morning, and the ambulance will take you directly to the competition venue and stay there until the competition ends."
Although the process was complicated, it was unavoidable in order to ensure the fairness and impartiality of the competition. Xie Shi'an knew that it was not easy to get this opportunity, and Wan Jing had probably debated with many people until his lips were sore.
A genuine look of gratitude welled up in her eyes.
"Thank you, Coach Wan."
"Hey, no need to thank me. If you feel unwell during tomorrow's match, be sure to tell me. Your health is the most important thing. I can pause the match at any time."
Xie Shi'an nodded, and Jian Changnian stood up and said.
"Then I'll stay here and watch over Shi'an. You should go back and rest early. I'll call you again if anything happens."
***
Exhausted from a long day, Qiao Yuchu returned home, but before she could even sit down properly, she received a call from the detention center.
"Come here right now! Your mother has fainted! We've already taken her to the hospital!"
Qiao Yuchu jumped to her feet, her vision went black, and she had to grab a table to keep from falling. After getting the address, she ran away as fast as she could, crying as she called Jin Shunqi.
"Jin...I...my mother..."
Jin Shunqi had just returned to the hotel. Before she could even change out of her coat, she put on her shoes, grabbed her room key, and went out again.
"Don't rush, tell me slowly, which hospital is it? Okay, I'll be right there."
The lights in the emergency room went out, and the doctor came out without his mask.
"The patient was malnourished and had low blood pressure, which is why she fainted. We have already given her an IV drip of glucose."
"Malnutrition? Low blood pressure?" Qiao Yuchu was taken aback and somewhat suspicious.
"How could that be? My mom is usually in pretty good health."
Only then did the prison guard who brought Mrs. Qiao stammer out his answer.
"She's been on a hunger strike for several days now..."
"What?!" Qiao Yu immediately raised her voice. If Jin Shunqi hadn't been holding her back, she would have rushed up to argue with them.
"It's been several days already, why haven't you notified the family?! Also, my mother is perfectly fine, why is she going on a hunger strike? Is it because of you...?"
Her words became increasingly outrageous, prompting the prison guards to loudly retort.
“What can we do if the prisoner doesn’t eat! We have rules too, we can’t just force her to eat by holding her head down! It’s not that I didn’t tell you, but many of the new inmates have lost their appetite, who knew your mother’s health was so poor…”
"You!" Qiao Yuchu was about to rush over when Jin Shunqi stopped her and pushed her into the emergency room.
"Yu Chu, Yu Chu, let's go see Auntie first. Her health is important. We can complain about them later."
Mrs. Qiao lay on the bed, asleep with her eyes closed. In just a few days, her hair at the temples had turned white, and she looked haggard. Because she hadn't eaten or drunk anything for days, her lips were dry and cracked.
Qiao Yuchu felt extremely distressed. She sat on the edge of the bed, gently took her hand, and whispered through tears, "Mom, you've suffered so much..."
After seeing Qiao's mother, she was still a little worried, so she went to see a doctor again.
"Doctor, I still have some questions. My mother has always been in good health. Even if she doesn't eat for a few days, she wouldn't just faint. And I've never heard her mention having low blood pressure."
The doctor looked around and, seeing no one in the corridor, said...
“When the patient was brought in, his mental state was very unstable. He was anxious, talking to himself, and also had hallucinations and aggressive behavior. However, after examination, there were no organic lesions. I think you, as his children, should pay more attention to the mental health of the elderly.”
Qiao Yuchu took a step back in disbelief.
"Wha...what...you mean...my mother...she has...a mental illness?"
"It's just a suspicion. We'll have to wait until she's feeling better and do some more detailed tests to find out what the illness is."
After the doctor left, Qiao Yuchu leaned against the wall, slid down helplessly, and covered her face, crying.
Jin Shunqi walked over, gently embraced her, and patted her back, offering silent comfort.
After calming Qiao Yuchu down, Jin Shunqi walked to the end of the corridor and made a phone call to his lawyer friend.
"Isn't just posting bail enough?"
“Chinese law is somewhat different from the Korean legal system. Bail can only be granted with the understanding of the victim’s family. Otherwise, you can only wait for the detention period to end and the public security authorities to release the person themselves.”
Jin Shunqi frowned.
"That won't do. He's already fainted once in the detention center."
"Then why don't you ask a doctor to make a diagnosis? If there really is a mental illness, you should be able to apply for medical parole."
Jin Shunqi finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"Okay, thank you. We'll take the old lady for a thorough check-up once she wakes up."
My friend was joking.
"Jin, you rarely put so much effort into girls. Will I be able to attend your wedding this year?"
Jin Shunqi slightly curved the corners of his lips.
"Go ahead and do your thing, it's still far from over."
Chapter 79 Champion
Kim Nam-ji lay in bed, tossing and turning, looking at her phone. From the afternoon until now, Yoon Ga-yi still hadn't replied to her messages.
She thought for a moment and then made a phone call.
"Sorry, the number you dialed is temporarily unavailable."
Disappointed, Kim Nam-ji put down her phone. She glanced at the screen and saw that it was getting late. She had a match tomorrow, so she turned over and forced herself to sleep.
But less than two minutes after she turned around, she suddenly sat up again, still feeling that something was wrong, so she got dressed and got out of bed.
Her teammate turned around and looked at her, still a little dazed.
"Hmm...where are you going so late?"
Kim Nam-ji picked up the room key and went out.
"I have to go out for a bit. You should go to sleep first."
She ran all the way to the Chinese team's accommodation, but the security guards blocked her at the entrance and wouldn't let her in.
Who are you looking for?
"Yin Jiayi, I'm looking for Yin Jiayi." As if afraid he wouldn't believe her, Jin Nanzhi also handed over his contestant certificate.
"I am Kim Nam-ji from the South Korean team. I used to be on the Beijing team. I was also a teammate of Yin Jiayi. I'll go up for a bit and come back right away."
The security guard glanced at it and handed it back to the person.
"It's so late, everyone's asleep. I don't care who you are, even if your coach comes, it's no use. Get out of here."
"Yin Jiayi! Get down here! I have something to tell you!"
Kim Nam-ji gritted his teeth, still wanting to rush inside, and shouted upstairs.
The security guard shoved the person aside, saying, "I think you're here to cause trouble! If you don't leave, I'll call the police! Then you'll be disqualified and you'll regret it!"
Kim Nam-ji stumbled back a few steps, barely managing to regain his balance, and reluctantly left the Chinese team's accommodation apartment.