"I...I can do it myself."
"Isn't it inconvenient?"
Jian Changnian didn't dare to look up, afraid that she would see that she was actually very nervous at this moment, as this was the first time she had done something like this.
Xie Shi'an's skin was very fair, with capillaries faintly visible. Holding the instep in my hand felt like holding a piece of mutton fat jade, which was flushed red by the hot water.
Jian Changnian felt a violent throbbing in her chest and unconsciously swallowed.
"Is it... all done?"
"alright."
She snapped out of her daze, suppressed the pounding in her heart, quickly wiped the water droplets off her feet, put them in slippers, stood up abruptly, took the basin into the bathroom to empty the water, and finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Jian Changnian, wake up!
You must not take advantage of someone in distress!
She patted her forehead and walked out, but Xie Shi'an stood up again, leaning on the bed for support.
"Hey, where are you going?"
"Wash your face and brush your teeth." Xie Shi'an quickly cut her off before she could hug him again.
"The doctor said I should exercise appropriately, so I can walk by myself."
"I didn't plan to do anything."
Jian Changnian chuckled and stood protectively by her side, which earned her a fierce glare from Xie Shi'an, who slammed the bathroom door shut.
"Get out of the way."
She washed up inside, and Jian Changnian stayed by the door to watch over her until she came out safely and returned to bed. He then put the water glass that had been cooled to a warm temperature into her hands.
"Drink it quickly, it'll help you sleep better."
Jian Changnian watched as she frowned, closed her eyes, swallowed a handful of pills, and gulped down half a glass of water. It was obvious that the medicine didn't taste very good.
"I'll bring some more candy tomorrow."
"No need, you're too old to eat candy."
"Really not? The nougat I bought yesterday was pretty good."
Xie Shi'an said awkwardly, "Then give me a smaller amount."
Jian Changnian smiled, took the water glass from her hand, helped her lie down, and tucked her in.
"Okay, I'm leaving now. You get some rest."
She was fine when she wasn't around, but once someone showed her concern, a wave of loneliness and vulnerability would instantly overwhelm her.
Xie Shi'an let himself hold her wrist, thinking: Just one night, just one night, let her draw a little more strength from her to get through this long night.
"My leg hurts a little."
"I'll go get the doctor."
"You'll be fine once you fall asleep."
She spoke softly, but held onto her wrist tightly without letting go. Under the dim light of the desk lamp, her eyes seemed to speak volumes.
Jian Changnian's heart softened completely. He dragged a chair over and sat down on the edge of the bed, took her hand, and tucked it into the blankets.
"Then I'll wait until you fall asleep before I leave."
Xie Shi'an seemed to breathe a small sigh of relief, and quickly closed his eyes. The once formidable demon king on the field looked as innocent and well-behaved as a child as he slept.
For the first time in days, her tightly furrowed brows relaxed.
Jian Changnian stayed by her side the whole time, gazing at her face, watching her trembling eyelashes and her breathing gradually become even and calm.
She slowly leaned down and gently hugged her through the blanket, pressing her head against her chest.
It will be alright, Shi'an, it will definitely be alright.
***
Jian Changnian returned from the hospital early in the morning and bumped into Wan Jing, who was about to go downstairs for his morning exercise, at the entrance of the apartment.
She kept her head down, intending to pass quickly, but was stopped by someone. Wan Jing looked her over suspiciously.
"Where did you come from so early in the morning?"
"I...I'm going to buy breakfast."
"What about the breakfast you bought?"
"..."
Jian Changnian's hands were empty, so he could only scratch his head and laugh awkwardly: "Coach Wan..."
Wan Jing knew, of course, that her not returning home all night could only mean she went to the hospital to visit Xie Shi'an, but at this crucial moment, he couldn't help but feel anxious and agitated: "What time is it? Why are you still running around? What if someone takes pictures of you again? Can't you just give me a break?!"
Jian Changnian's expression darkened slightly.
"I know, Coach Wan. I just brought her some food. I won't do it again."
"Go back to training. I think you've been idle all day. Add another five kilometers of physical training today."
Wan Jing waved his hand, signaling her to leave quickly, out of sight, out of mind.
Jian Changnian nodded, took a couple of steps, but then remembered something and turned back to call him back.
"Coach Wan, it's about Shi'an's injury at the Sudirman Cup last time..."
She was interrupted before she could finish speaking.
When Wan Jing heard her mention the Sudirman Cup, he became furious: "The Sudirman Cup? The most important thing right now is the Olympics! With Shi An in this state, if he really can't play, do you know how heavy the burden on your shoulders is?!"
Yes, the most important thing right now is the Olympics, and even if she reported Gao Jian for deliberately losing that point, without evidence, the national team leaders wouldn't believe her.
Even if she has evidence, so what? With the competition just around the corner, they won't deal with Gao Jian immediately. After all, he's one of the favorites to win the men's championship. Losing two promising players who are strong contenders for gold would be a devastating blow to any team.
She could only keep this matter to herself for the time being.
Jian Changnian lowered her eyes, gritted her teeth, and turned to leave: "I understand, I'll go train now."
A few days later...
Jian Changnian went to the Olympic Village to assemble with the rest of the group, while Wan Jing stayed behind to help her with her rehabilitation. Xie Shi'an was discharged from the hospital when she was able to walk freely and transferred to a more professional rehabilitation center to begin some simple upper limb rehabilitation training.
Soon, the Olympic draw was released.
The good news is that she and Kim Nam-ji are not in the same region because of their high world rankings.
The bad news is that she and Jian Changnian are in the same half of the bracket, which means they might meet in the knockout stage.
Looking at the schedule, Wan Jing was also feeling quite overwhelmed.
"This time at the Rio Olympics, the men's and women's team events have been added, as well as your singles and doubles events. Our coaching team's idea is to not let you play in the team events, but let you play one of the singles or doubles events. Just make sure you win at least one gold medal, otherwise it will be too much of a burden on your body."
Xie Shi'an was lifting dumbbells when he heard what he said. He paused for a moment and stopped.
Although she was unwilling, this was the only way she could accept it.
"Then I won't withdraw from the competition. I'll play as far as I can."
Wan Jing noticed that her forehead was covered in sweat and the back of her clothes were wet, so he handed her a towel.
"Okay, if you don't want to withdraw from the competition, then don't. It'll save those media outlets from gossiping. Anyway, I'm sure you know what you're doing. Wipe your sweat, take a break, and then practice some more."
Xie Shi'an shook his head and lifted the dumbbells again.
"Time is running out, I need to improve my physical fitness as soon as possible. Coach Wan, please time me."
Wan Jing was actually a little worried that she would become depressed because of her injuries, but Xie Shi'an was stronger than he expected.
A relieved smile appeared on his face.
"Okay, but we have an agreement, we'll proceed step by step. After this set, we must rest."
During their time in the Olympic Village, while their teammates went out to play during their rest periods, since it was a rare opportunity to travel abroad, Jian Changnian stayed in his apartment, training room, and canteen every day, living a very disciplined and hardworking life, even more so than when he was at the national team training base.
When she has a spare moment, she sends messages to Xie Shi'an. Sometimes she tells him she's lifting weights in the training room and how many pounds she's gained, and sometimes she complains about how bad the food is in the Olympic Village and says she should have brought her grandmother's chili sauce with her.
Xie Shi'an doesn't talk much. Most of the time, he sends photos of food, the blue sky and white clouds outside the ward, his stitches being removed, his discharge from the hospital, and his rehabilitation training.
One day, I sent her a photo of myself wearing the national team uniform, holding a racket, and standing in front of the net from behind.
Jian Changnian jumped out of bed and dialed her number immediately, his voice filled with barely suppressed joy.
"You can play ball now?!"
"Yeah, I just got back from the club, and I feel pretty good."
Her voice sounded fairly pleasant.
Jian Changnian breathed a sigh of relief, almost bursting into tears of joy.
"So, does that mean I... will see you soon?"
It had been a while since Wan Jing caught her visiting him in the hospital and gave her a lecture. Even the candy he promised to bring her was delivered by a nurse.
Xie Shi'an was walking on the street when she heard her say that, and her ears burned a little: "It hasn't been that long..."
"I want to... fight alongside you, the security check duo, invincible!"
See, even the simple phrase "I miss you" requires such a long explanation before I can say it.
The feeling of unrequited love made her heart ache, but thankfully, she was able to return to the competition, which made Jian Changnian happier than anything else.
Xie Shi'an smiled.
"The plane is the day after tomorrow."
She blurted out, "Then I'll come pick you up."
"I'm with Coach Wan."
Xie Shi'an's voice was faint.
Jian Changnian paused for a moment. That made sense. She must be surrounded by a large entourage at the airport. She shouldn't go and cause her any trouble.
"Then...see you on the field."
"good."