"good."
Xie Shi'an hung up the phone, turned around and looked at the calendar hanging on the wall. On the day of the World Youth Championship final, he heavily circled it with a red pen.
***
"A boy who came from a small border town ran and shouted all the way, cried all the way, broke down and despaired, fell down and got up again, followed the path of his predecessors, climbed over mountains and crossed oceans, staggeringly pursued his ideal flower, and finally, tonight it bloomed in cold Vancouver."
"Let's congratulate Jian Changnian on winning her first world championship in her career. Congratulations to her!"
"Another rising star is emerging in the world of badminton."
The moment the young girl won the championship, the entire stadium erupted in cheers and applause, with flowers and applause showering her with joy.
She looked up, bathed in the sea of flowers, tears welling in her eyes, and held the photo high in her hand.
The three people in the photo are just as they were before.
In the audience, someone unfurled a banner.
"Jian Changnian, you will always be our pride."
The camera panned across Xie Shi'an and Zhou Mu's faces. The boy couldn't hold back his tears, his lips curving into a smile.
Chapter 107 Reunion
After receiving the award, Jian Changnian went straight to the lounge to find someone. It had been a year since they last met, and she couldn't hide her excitement. As soon as she entered the room, she saw Xie Shi'an standing there and rushed straight towards him.
"Please rest in peace!"
Xie Shi'an took half a step back to catch her, and a smile naturally appeared on his lips.
Zhou Mu stood to the side, his eyes filled with a hint of mockery.
"Oh dear, you only hugged her and not me, so you're just pretending I don't exist?"
These words made Jian Changnian's face flush. He quickly released Xie Shi'an and went forward to give him a big bear hug.
"Mumu, what are you doing here?!"
Zhou Mu then smiled again.
"I'm on vacation, so I came to watch your match."
Jian Changnian shifted her gaze to Xie Shian.
"Zhou Mu was coming too, so we came together."
Jian Changnian knew that one of them was racing against time to prepare for the college entrance examination, while the other was juggling both academic studies and training, leaving them with no time to spare, yet they still managed to travel across the ocean to come here on the day of the finals.
"you……"
She had never been this happy, not even when she won the championship.
Jian Changnian's lips twitched, and tears were about to fall.
Xie Shi'an looked at the gold medal hanging around her neck.
"They're world champions, and they're still doing this kind of thing?"
Jian Changnian finally stopped crying and started smiling.
"Mine is far inferior to yours."
After leaving the venue, Jian Changnian wanted to treat them to a meal and have a proper get-together, but they came and went in a hurry. One had to go back to prepare for the exam, and the other had to go back to Beijing to prepare for the competition.
"Can't we... stay one more night?"
After dropping the person off at the airport, her eyes finally welled up with tears.
Zhou Mu went up and hugged her.
"I'll have plenty of time after the college entrance exam."
The only things that can slow Xie Shi'an down are training and preparation, so there's no need to ask.
Jian Changnian's eyes dimmed.
Xie Shi'an patted her on the shoulder.
"Let's get together properly next time, next time."
Jian Changnian has always been very sensible, so sensible that it's heartbreaking. She didn't cry or make a fuss; she just hugged each of her friends.
When it was Xie Shi'an's turn, she tightened her arms, not knowing why she suddenly felt a pang of sadness.
Xie Shi'an sensed something was wrong and asked in a low voice.
"What's wrong?"
"Next week... next week is my birthday."
"Coming-of-age ceremony?"
"Um."
Xie Shi'an thought for a moment.
"Then I'll make time to go back sometime."
Jian Changnian then let go of the person, realizing that she had been being a bit dramatic, even though she was clearly so busy.
"No, it's alright. The competition is the most important thing. Have a safe trip, and see you next time... next time."
No one expected that Xie Shi'an would break his promise to spend her birthday with her, and the next time she said she would see her soon would come.
Six months later.
An ordinary training day.
Xie Shi'an walked into the stadium carrying his golf bag.
Wan Jing hadn't arrived yet, and the teammates gathered in small groups to chat, their conversation filled with excitement.
"Have you heard? A new person is coming today."
"Hey, isn't that normal? Every year there are people coming for trials, but I'm afraid very few actually make it in."
"This time it's different. I heard that Coach Wan personally went to local teams to recruit him."
Although the Rio Olympics are still a few years away, apart from Xie Shi'an who can shoulder the main responsibility, the national team is currently facing a talent gap. The world badminton scene is turbulent, with strong opponents such as Kim Nam-ji of South Korea, Natiya of Thailand, and Anton of Canada all in their prime. The task of building a second-tier team is urgent. Therefore, in the past year or so, in addition to guiding their training and preparation for the Rio Olympics, Wan Jing has been traveling all over the country to find promising young players.
The training period for an excellent badminton player is long, requires a lot of effort, and yields little reward. Some players may break through layers of selection to enter the national team for trials, but very few can persevere.
Xie Shi'an chuckled when he heard this, assuming he was just an ordinary newcomer, and ignored him, going to warm up on the other side.
To her surprise, this "newcomer" was actually someone she knew.
When Jian Changnian walked into the training room with her bag on her back, led by Wan Jing, her swing paused, and the badminton shuttlecock fell to the ground.
"Let me introduce you all. This is Jian Changnian, who is new to our national team for trial. Let's give him a round of applause."
Scattered applause broke out.
The national team has also seen many new faces.
Someone was whispering next to Xie Shi'an.
"Jian Changnian? This year's World Youth Championship winner?"
"Yeah, I've seen her matches, she's amazing. I heard she's also An Jie's junior."
"Even if she is the World Youth Championship winner, our Sister An's junior sister still has to follow the rules. Whether she can stay or not is still uncertain."
Wan Jing coughed lightly.
"Chang Nian, you know about the team entry assessment..."
Jian Changnian's gaze pierced through the crowd and landed directly on her. The young man, with a confident and determined smile on his lips, walked over step by step, stopped in front of her, and extended his hand.
"Senior, I want to... challenge you."
According to the rules of the national team, on the first day of joining the team, in addition to the physical fitness test, newcomers must challenge any member of the first team. Winning one out of three rounds counts as a victory. Many newcomers who come to the national team for trials have failed at this hurdle.
Many people wanted to challenge Xie Shi'an, but without exception, they all returned empty-handed. There was even a newcomer who was so badly beaten that he became depressed on the spot, cried and returned to the provincial team, vowing never to come back.
She thus earned the nickname "the devil's nightmare".
These words immediately caused a stir in the group.
"Wow, really? They're going to tackle Sister An right away."
"The newcomer is quite bold, but he's not afraid of breaking his teeth."
Do you think Sister An will go easy on her?
"When has she ever shown mercy to anyone?"
...
More than half a year has passed since we last met.
She has grown taller, her bones have matured and become stronger, her baby fat has thinned out, and her features have become more angular. When she smiles, you can still vaguely see a resemblance to her former self.
She's a pretty and well-behaved little girl.
However, she calls herself "senior".
interesting.
A faint smile appeared on Xie Shi'an's lips. Without shaking her hand, he casually picked up a racket and tossed it to her.
"Come on, I won't hold back."
It felt like a long time ago, when she was his sparring partner. The two of them were like this, exchanging moves and competing with each other. Back then, she was in complete control, but now Xie Shi'an had to concentrate on fighting her opponent. She couldn't slack off anymore.
"They're quite skilled. No wonder they're the World Youth Championship winners. They managed to tie the game at 11-11 in the first half."
"It's been a long time since I've seen An Jie play such a close game."
"Hey, what do you know? Didn't you see that Sister An is smiling? She's actually holding back."
"Isn't this Sister An's signature move, reaching back to steal?"
"What, you can't learn it, so you can't let Sister An teach others?"