Xie Shi'an also smiled.
"How is Orange Juice doing inside? I haven't had time to go back and see him."
"It's good. They wrote to me a couple of days ago, saying that I'm working as a kitchen helper in the cafeteria and that if I behave well, I can try to get a reduced sentence."
Xie Shi'an also occasionally sends some daily necessities to Jiangcheng City Prison. Hearing her say this, I felt a little relieved. But when I heard her say she regretted it, I picked up the can.
“There will be people who will defend Orange Juice. He still has us. We’re out there, and we’ll think of another way to help him.”
Jian Changnian also raised his beer.
"Yes, there are still more good people than bad in this world. Even if we lose one lawyer, there will be lawyers like Wang, Liu, and Li. These things will not be left undone."
Zhou Mu's eyes welled up with tears, and she smiled, lightly clinking glasses with them.
"Then let's toast to your victory, and may all our wishes come true."
The night grew deeper.
Xie Shi'an was always a man of few words, quietly drinking and eating, listening to Zhou Mu's teasing of Jian Changnian and adding insult to injury at crucial moments.
Another bottle of beer down the drain.
Her face was flushed.
Zhou Mu wanted to play the game again, but Jian Changnian quickly held him down.
"No, no, Shi'an can't drink anymore. She's been busy with training lately and hasn't been eating properly. Her sleep schedule is already irregular, and I'm afraid she'll get a stomach ache if she drinks any more."
"It's not that easy..."
Xie Shi'an's eyes were full of smiles. He was about to stand up and take the wine from her hand when he suddenly stumbled.
Jian Changnian quickly helped the person to their feet.
"See? She's really not doing well. I'll take her back to her room first, and then I'll come over and help you clean up."
"Jian Changnian, let me go, I'm not drunk—"
"Alright, alright, I know. You're not drunk. If you keep yelling like that, everyone in the building will know we've been secretly drinking behind Coach Wan's back."
Xie Shi'an finally shut up, grumbling as she was helped back to her room. Jian Changnian dragged her onto the bed, took off her shoes and coat, and wiped her face with a wet towel.
After tidying up, I poured a glass of warm water and placed it on her bedside table, within easy reach, before getting up and leaving.
When she returned to Zhou Mu's room, she had almost finished tidying up, and Jian Changnian was about to take the trash downstairs to throw it away.
Zhou Mu looked at her, seemingly lost in thought.
"You and Shi'an are very close?"
Jian Changnian smiled.
Zhou Mu thought about it and it seemed to be true, but she also felt that she cared too much about and concerned about Xie Shi'an in the smallest details, which went far beyond the scope of friendship.
How is she to you?
Jian Changnian thought about it carefully and said sincerely.
"Aside from bullying me on the field, making me run errands for her, and occasionally putting me down, she's been pretty good. Why are you suddenly asking this?"
Jian Changnian is a sincere person, full of enthusiasm for others, while Xie Shian is a ball fanatic, with nothing on his mind but playing ball. It seems that the two are just good friends.
After all, they were friends who went through thick and thin together, and now they're teammates. Spending so much time together, it's natural that they'd become closer.
Zhou Mu felt relieved.
"It's nothing, I was just worried you'd get bullied. It's getting late, go home and rest."
Jian Changnian nodded and smiled innocently again.
"Okay, you should go to bed early too."
Chapter 110 Old Wounds
After the World Championships, the national team returned to China for a short rest of less than three days before immediately throwing themselves into intensive training in preparation for the Incheon Asian Games, which will begin in mid-September.
The weather at the end of August was humid and muggy, with continuous rain, coupled with nearly a month of non-stop work.
Xie Shi'an's old knee injury has flared up again.
Medical room.
The team doctor used a syringe to drain the fluid from her knee. Throughout the process, she gritted her teeth and remained silent.
Wan Jing saw large beads of sweat on her forehead. He was worried about her, but the Asian Games were just around the corner. Xie Shi'an, as an absolute mainstay of the Chinese team, had suffered a relapse of his old injury at this time. He was caught in a dilemma.
"How about... we just participate in the individual events this time?"
"Haven't all the application forms already been submitted?"
Xie Shi'an's knuckles turned white as he gripped the chair armrests, and it took him a long time to squeeze out a complete sentence through his teeth.
“If you submit it, you can also apply to withdraw from the competition,” Wan Jing said.
That one minute felt like an eternity.
The team doctor placed the full syringe of drained fluid into a tray before speaking to offer his advice.
"My thoughts are the same as Coach Wan's. You already injured your meniscus at the last Olympics, and this time the old injury has recurred. Although it's not to the point that you can't participate in the competition, meniscus damage is irreversible. You are still young and have a long career ahead of you, so there's no need to rush."
Xie Shi'an bit her lip, about to say something, when footsteps came from the doorway. Jian Changnian's voice arrived before she did.
"Shi'an, how are you?!"
Just before she rushed through the door, Xie Shi'an swiftly grabbed the syringe from the tray and threw it into the medical waste bin next to her.
Jian Changnian burst in, pounced on her, looked her up and down, as if he wanted to poke a hole in her.
A barely perceptible smile appeared on Xie Shi'an's lips.
"I'm fine. Aren't you playing a friendly match against the men's team?"
"The match wasn't even over when I heard you'd fallen in the training room, so I rushed over."
Upon hearing this, Wan Jing glared and bristled.
"They even learned to desert their posts in the face of battle."
Jian Changnian scratched his head, looking a little embarrassed.
"Hehe, it's just a friendly match anyway. Besides, I'm worried about Shi'an. I wouldn't act like that in a real match."
"Team doctor, how is she?"
Jian Changnian then turned the conversation to the team doctor.
The team doctor glanced at Xie Shi'an, but before he could speak, she answered first.
"It's nothing, I just twisted it, it doesn't hurt anymore, I'm just about to go home."
Jian Changnian wanted to help her, but Xie Shian stood up by supporting herself on the armrest of the chair.
Wan Jing watched her retreating figure and gave her some instructions.
"Think about what I just told you."
Xie Shi'an paused, then left without saying anything.
Once they were outside the infirmary, Jian Changnian asked curiously.
"What does Coach Wan want you to consider?"
Xie Shi'an's expression remained indifferent throughout.
"nothing."
Seeing that she was alright, Jian Changnian was relieved and resumed her usual chattering and carefree self.
"Speaking of which, this is my first time participating in the Asian Games. Shi'an, does the Grand Slam include the Asian Games?"
Xie Shi'an gave a soft "hmm".
"The Olympics are still a long way off. Winning the Asian Games gold medal first would be great, and it would bring me one step closer to the Grand Slam. I'm sure I'll get a straight win in singles. As for me, well, I really hope I'm not in the same group as Kim Nam-ji."
"What's there to be afraid of?" Xie Shi'an, an old rival, looked at her with disdain.
Jian Changnian's expression seemed somewhat troubled, but after a moment's thought, she smiled and her eyes crinkled.
"Her left-handed shot is very difficult to deal with. In singles, I'm afraid of facing her, but in doubles, with you there, I'm not afraid."
Xie Shi'an neither confirmed nor denied it, but he had to admit that the feeling of being needed was very pleasant.
She involuntarily curved the corners of her lips into a smile.
So I'm just a doubles support player?
Jian Changnian skipped and hopped over to her.
They were less than half a meter apart.
Under the setting sun, the girl smiled brightly.
"Of course not. I especially enjoy playing with you and standing on the highest podium together."
On and off the stage, so many people cheered for them. She leaned against her, raised the gold medal, and her heart pounded wildly.
Jian Changnian loved this moment more than ever.
The faint smile on Xie Shi'an's lips slowly widened, and a cool breeze of late summer swept around Jian Changnian.
When she came to her senses, the person was already far away.
Jian Changnian shouted at her back.
Where are you going? Aren't you going back to the dorm?
Xie Shi'an waved.
"Let's go to the convenience store and buy some food."
***
Xie Shi'an returned to her dormitory, took a shower, and walked out while drying her hair. The window was open, and there were many trophies on her desk. She walked over, picked up the ones that had been blown over by the wind, and then she saw the old pipe.