"I can't afford to hire a sparring partner now."
Jian Changnian put his hand on her shoulder and deliberately winked, "It's okay, just use..."
Before she could finish speaking, Xie Shi'an's ears turned slightly red, and he slammed his elbow into her waist, sending her flying backward.
"Enough talk, let's practice."
Jian Changnian was in so much pain that tears were about to come out.
"Hiss... Can't you be a little gentler with me?"
Xie Shi'an responded by throwing a racket at him.
***
On the South Korean side, Park Min-heon was also looking at the latest standings, leaning back on the sofa with a fairly pleasant expression.
"Not bad, Nan Zhi is in great form lately. It seems like winning two gold medals this year shouldn't be a problem."
Choi Hye-hee carefully poured him a glass of red wine: "Coach Park, when...when can I play?"
Park Min-heon picked up his glass and took a slow, deliberate sip.
"What's the rush? You're a substitute after all, and you've only played for a few days. I can't just replace you right away."
Choi Hye-hee gritted her teeth. She had been suspended for half a year and had finally made it to the Olympics. Naturally, she couldn't let this opportunity slip by. So she leaned close to his ear, her body seemingly boneless.
"Coach Park, I overheard something that day..."
"You see, whether it's singles or doubles, Nan Zhi will always meet Xie Shi'an in the finals. Although she is currently injured, she might perform exceptionally well like last time. With her there, the gold medal will always be full of unknowns."
Park Min-heon pulled her close and lifted her chin: "Tell me all this, what do you want?"
"I'll give you a chance to play. I've been partnered with Nan Zhi for a long time and I'm familiar with her left-handed style of play. If you give me this opportunity, I will definitely not let you down."
Park Min-heon smiled with satisfaction and stroked her face: "Very good, then I'll leave this matter to you. Let me see your sincerity, and then I'll decide whether to give you this opportunity."
***
The competition continued in full swing.
"Let's congratulate Xie Shi'an and Jian Changnian on their 2-1 victory over the Thai pair and their advancement to the women's doubles round of 16!"
"The South Korean team has requested a substitution, with substitute Choi Hye-hee coming on. After nearly a year of silence, her skills seem to have improved again, and she plays more steadily than before."
"In that case, let's congratulate South Korea's Choi Hye-hee and Kim Nam-ji on their 2-0 victory over Indonesia and their advancement to the women's doubles quarterfinals!"
"The singles competition is also very exciting. With Xie Shi'an defeating Thailand's Natiyah 2-1, the Chinese team's Jian Changnian and Lü Xiaoting have both advanced to the women's singles round of 12."
"In the match against the Japanese team, Jian Changnian and Xie Shi'an of the Chinese team turned the tide after falling behind by one point. This is what a miracle looks like!"
"Congratulations to them on successfully advancing to the finals! They will face off against South Korea's Kim Nam-ji and Choi Hye-hee in the match the day after tomorrow!"
"In the women's singles round of 16 held this afternoon, Chinese player Jian Changnian defeated South Korean player Choi Hye-hee and successfully entered the semifinals, while Xie Shi'an also narrowly defeated her teammate Lü Xiaoting 2-1. As a result, due to being in the same group, they will meet in the quarterfinals."
This match was anything but easy. Xie Shi'an's legs were trembling slightly after the match. Jian Changnian came over and handed her a towel. Seeing that her face was pale, she couldn't help but complain.
"How are you? Are you alright? Xiaoting, you really are something. Sister An was injured, and you still hit her so hard."
Lü Xiaoting scratched her head and smiled somewhat embarrassedly.
"I was so engrossed in the game that I forgot about those body shots; I really didn't mean to."
Xie Shi'an threw the towel at Jian Changnian.
"You talk too much. You should give it your all on the field."
Wan Jing laughed too: "Did you hear that? Learn from others."
Jian Changnian: "I'm just worried about Shi'an..."
On the South Korean side, Choi Hye-hee was being scolded with her head down.
"Useless thing, you can't even beat Jian Changnian. Did I bring you up from the bench just to embarrass yourself? Xie Shi'an's knee was injured so badly, yet he still made it to the quarterfinals. Look at you!"
His finger almost poked Choi Hye-hee's face.
"If we can't win the doubles tomorrow, you're getting off the court and staying on the bench!"
Choi Hye-hee bowed deeply to the person.
"I'm sorry, Coach Park, I will try my best."
Park Min-heon glanced in the direction the Chinese team had left, a gloomy light appearing in his eyes, his expression suggestive.
"You really should work harder and think about your future. Why were you suspended in the first place?"
Choi Hye-hee immediately clenched her teeth.
"Yes, I understand. I will give it my all before the finals."
Chapter 123 Abstention
As the tournament neared its end, the atmosphere within the national team became increasingly tense, especially among the key players who had made it to the quarterfinals. Even after playing all day, they continued to train late into the night.
Gao Jian had just returned to his apartment, taken a shower, and lay down when his phone, which was on his pillow, lit up.
He sat up, glanced at it, and then went downstairs in his slippers.
Teammate: "Going out so late?"
"I can't sleep, I'm going downstairs for some fresh air."
Gao Jian closed the door and went downstairs alone, looking around furtively all the way until he found her next to the flower bed.
He pulled the person into the shadows where the streetlights couldn't reach.
"Didn't I tell you that what happened that night was an accident? Don't come looking for me again."
The girl looked up, and it turned out to be Choi Hye-hee.
"What, you dare to do it but not admit it?"
He was in a bad mood after arguing with Jian Changnian that night, so he went out drinking without telling his teammates and coach. Who knew that he would run into Cui Huixi in the bar, and when he woke up again, he was lying in the same bed with her.
Gao Jian's face alternated between pale and flushed, and he seemed somewhat irritable.
"Speak up, what exactly do you want? It won't do you any good to have this exposed."
Choi Hye-hee immediately squeezed out a few tears.
"How could that be? I'm the victim."
"You—" Gao Jian grabbed her neck, furious. The Chinese team was very disciplined. If the coach found out that he had not only sneaked out to drink before the game, but also had an ambiguous relationship with the South Korean team, his starting position would be in jeopardy.
Choi Hye-hee gently grasped his wrist and slid it down little by little, her eyes filled with seductive allure.
“You told me a lot when you were drunk that day. You hate Xie Shi’an, and so do I.”
The hand gripping her neck suddenly loosened, and Choi Hye-hee knew he was wavering, so the smile on her lips became even more alluring.
"She's your rival in love, and also my opponent. We both want to see her disappear from the world of badminton, don't we?"
Gao Jian finally let go.
"What do you mean?"
"Don't you understand what I mean? Once she retires, you'll have plenty of time to get to know Jian Changnian. Women are emotional creatures, so maybe you can take this opportunity to win her heart."
A cold smile curled at the corner of Gao Jian's lips.
"Don't think I don't know what you're up to. You just don't want to meet Xie Shi'an in the doubles final."
Choi Hye-hee, on the other hand, was quite composed.
"Yes, isn't this killing two birds with one stone?"
Shortly after Gao Jian left, his roommate received a phone call from Jian Changnian.
"Excuse me, is Gao Jian there? I just called him, but no one answered."
The men's team knew that Gao Jian liked her, and they didn't hide it from her.
"He's not here. He just got back to his dorm and went out again."
"Do you know where he went?"
"They said they couldn't sleep and went out for a walk, but I don't know exactly where they went."
"Okay, thank you. By the way, please keep this a secret and don't tell him that I contacted him."
His teammate chuckled.
"Okay, no problem, I'm really looking forward to your wedding candy."
Jian Changnian neither agreed nor disagreed, and hung up the phone.
Xie Shi'an came out after taking a shower.
Who are you talking to?
She waved her phone, preparing to leave.
"Nobody, just a spam call. I just remembered I left my charger in the training room, I'll go get it."
Xie Shi'an picked up his and handed it to her.
"Use mine."
"It's okay, it's just a different model. It's only a short walk, I'll be right back."
After saying that, Jian Changnian picked up her access card and hurriedly left. Xie Shi'an stared at her back for a moment, but didn't say anything.
What do you want to do?
Choi Hye-hee took out a PVC bag and handed it to him; inside were a few pills.
Jian Changnian hid behind a tree, turned on the camera, zoomed in, and clearly captured their faces.
“This is…” Gao Jian’s expression turned serious.
"It's the kind of thing you're thinking of. There's nothing that can ruin a professional player's career like taking performance-enhancing drugs, even if she's Xie Shi'an."
Gao Jian looked at the few pills but hesitated to take them.