Apart from--
Zhou Mu jumped up, waving his toy hand vigorously and shouting at the top of his lungs, "Shi An, go for it!!!"
The shrill sound pierced the eardrums, standing out starkly amidst the chorus of English words.
Xie Shi'an walked along, his coat draped over his shoulder, and turned his head back.
Zhou Mu and Cheng Zhen stood together in the stands, waving the five-star red flag and smiling as they waved to her. She didn't know when they had arrived or that they hadn't informed her beforehand.
The girl slightly curved the corners of her lips and nodded as a greeting. She walked to the rest area, casually ripped off her coat and threw it on the bench, picked up her racket and strode onto the court.
Chapter 73 Sweet
At the hospital.
Because the victim's family was still very emotional, Jin Shunqi didn't let Qiao Yuchu show up. Instead, he went with the insurance company staff to discuss the compensation with them.
Qiao Yuchu stood at the corner, leaning against the wall, listening silently.
The fruit, milk, and other gifts they brought were all thrown out and scattered on the ground right in front of her.
"Get out!!! I don't want to see you again! My mother is dead, and my wife is hospitalized from shock. If anything happens to her, I'll make you pay with your lives!"
With a bang, the ward door slammed shut in front of Jin Shunqi.
He was turned away as soon as he arrived and barely said a few words.
The insurance company staff were also somewhat astonished, but having been in the industry for a long time and seen a lot, they were not surprised.
"If you ask me, given their attitude, you probably won't be able to get that 1.8 million or 200,000 yuan insurance coverage. You'll have a lot of time to wait."
Jin Shunqi escorted the person to the elevator and handed them a pack of cigarettes.
"Thank you for making this trip today. We'll have to trouble you again later to pay us the money from the policy first, so we can advance some of the medical expenses for the victim's family."
The insurance company employee smiled and declined his cigarette.
"I won't smoke. I'm here today to confirm the situation. I have a general understanding of the situation. Once the company completes the formalities and the money is approved, it should arrive in my account within three business days at the earliest."
Jin Shunqi was finally relieved.
The elevator arrived, and he stepped back, watching the person walk away.
"Then I won't see you off. Goodbye."
"Okay, please contact me if you have any further questions."
Jin Shunqi saw the person off before returning to Qiao Yuchu's side.
She was squatting on the ground, picking up the fallen apples one by one and putting them into a bag.
“Yu Chu”.
A hand landed on her shoulder.
Qiao Yuchu turned around and smiled at him, her eyes slightly red.
"My mom also loves apples, let's not waste them."
Together with her, Jin Shunqi picked up the scattered fruit, milk, and other items, and then he helped her to her feet.
"Let's go, let's go to the detention center to see your parents first."
Qiao Yuchu glanced back at the direction of the ward, her expression somber.
"Are they still not accepting compensation? If this matter isn't resolved, it feels like a stone is pressing on my heart, making it hard to breathe."
Jin Shunqi understood her kindness and knew that it wasn't her fault. He gently put his arm around her shoulder and shook her to comfort her.
"Give them some time to grieve. I've already said what I needed to say, and I believe they will come to their senses."
Not long after they left, in the ward, the wife lifted the man who was lying on her lap, weeping bitterly, and murmured.
“Honey, Mom’s already gone anyway. Whether they go to jail or die, she won’t come back. So...so...let them pay us more compensation...so we can buy a bigger house in the provincial capital...when our son goes to school, kindergarten, elementary school, middle school, high school, he won’t be able to get into a good school without a house in a good school district…”
"If he can't get into a good school, he won't be able to find a good job in the future. We can't let him end up like us, working from dawn till dusk, selling breakfast in all kinds of weather!"
Hearing her words, the man slowly stopped crying and lowered his voice to shout.
"What do you mean? Our mother's body is barely cold, and you're already... you're already going to use her life to make money?!"
The woman cupped his face, wiped away his tears, and her own eyes reddened as she said, "Husband, think about it. What were we doing in the provincial capital that day? We were going to take Mom to see a doctor. She has Alzheimer's and a stroke. Even... even if this hadn't happened, the doctor said she wouldn't live much longer!"
At this point, the man buried his head in his hands and began to cry again.
"You...you need to let me think about it..."
The woman pulled his head into her arms, gently patted his back, and comforted him.
"Once this is over, we can erect a monument for our mother in our hometown, hold a banquet with more than a dozen tables, and let people from all around come and see. She worked hard all her life and didn't get to enjoy her life. We will definitely hold a grand funeral for her, as a way of fulfilling our filial duty to her in the end."
The man was crying his heart out when he heard her words. He gritted his teeth and looked up.
“You’re right. Since that’s the case, we’ll decide how much to pay. I think that guy was pretty rich, so let’s just go all out and ask for more.”
A few more tears welled up in the woman's eyes, and she and he embraced and wept bitterly.
I don't know if she was truly overwhelmed with grief or crying tears of joy.
"Honey, you've finally come to your senses."
***
Xie Shi'an has very little experience competing on the world stage; this is only her third world-class match.
When playing against Jiang Yunli and Yin Jiayi, although they are both world-renowned players, they belong to the same country. Even though they are in different teams, the domestic training systems are similar, which leads to some similarities in their playing styles and ways of thinking.
She can easily figure out what the other person is thinking, but it's a different story when fighting external enemies.
Her opponent had more experience than her, and white people also had a natural advantage in physical strength and height. Anton had also studied the Chinese players very thoroughly, so her fast attack and quick kill tactics were completely ineffective against them.
This is why she lost her first two matches.
Yan Xinyuan arrived late, and the match had already started when he entered the venue. He sat there and watched for a while, and then he roughly figured out where the problem was. He was so anxious that he scratched his head and wanted to rush up and grab her ear to give her some pointers.
Coach Liang stood by and tried to put pressure on him.
"Old Yan, we agreed before we came that you can watch and cheer for Shi'an, but you're not allowed to rush up there. If the leaders of the national team see you like that, not only will you be embarrassed, but you'll also be demoted to a lower position."
In the blink of an eye, the situation on the field changed rapidly. Xie Shi'an made a mistake and the ball was ruled out of bounds.
The scoreboard lights up.
7:11
The first set was held during the halftime break.
A chorus of boos erupted from the stands behind him. A white spectator, waving a Canadian flag, raised his ring finger at Xie Shi'an and shouted in broken Chinese, "Sick man of East Asia, Get out!"
Yan Xinyuan could no longer bear it and slapped his thigh as he stood up.
"If this keeps up, she'll lose sooner or later. On our own soil, being insulted like this by foreign devils—you can tolerate it, but I can't! Look at how arrogant they are!"
"Back when I was competing, if they acted like that, I would have twisted their heads off. Don't stop me! Even if I quit today, I still have to go and give my apprentice some pointers. We Chinese can't afford to lose face like this!"
Anton returned to the rest area, where the coach handed her a towel to wipe her sweat: "Are you alright?"
Anton glanced at Xie Shi'an across from him with disdain.
"Yes, after Jiang Yunli's retirement, Chinese athletes are not a threat at all."
The coach patted her on the shoulder and handed her a bottle of purified water.
"I want to see you shut out her, Anton."
“No problem, didn’t you hear what they were shouting in the audience?” Anton mouthed to Xie Shi’an across from him, holding a water bottle.
"East, Asia, sick, husband".
When Xie Shi'an saw what she said, he gritted his teeth, his eyes were bloodshot, and he gripped his racket tightly.
Jian Changnian grabbed the person and pulled them back.
"Shi'an! Don't be impulsive! Let's see who's the best on the field!"
Some sharp-eyed spectators noticed the commotion and, at the behest of the Canadian players, stood up, waving their hands and leading the fans in chanting.
" Get out! Get out! Get out! "
The boy stood in the center of the conversation, his knuckles white from gripping the racket, somewhat annoyed by the shouting.
Wan Jing went to talk to the referee, but the white referee shrugged and said that it was the behavior of the audience and had nothing to do with the players.
The break time was almost over, and Anton was getting ready to get up.
Xie Shi'an looked at his racket, took several deep breaths, and adjusted his mindset. Just as he was about to step onto the court, a familiar call came from behind him.
Taking advantage of the security guard's inattention, Yan Xinyuan rushed to the guardrail.
"Shi'an! Xie Shi'an! Just play freely! Don't try to figure out her playing style, focus on playing your own game well, let her rhythm follow you. Just play the way I taught you in practice, and remember, play to your strengths and avoid your weaknesses! That's the key to your victory!"
"Furthermore, regardless of victory or defeat, all members of our Binhai Provincial Team will always be proud of you!"
"Coach Yan..."
Xie Shi'an looked back, and it was as if a bright light had swept across her world, and she could no longer hear any other sounds.
Only the scenes from training with the Binhai Provincial Team flooded my mind.
He led them through the training room, where they worked up a sweat.
He would patiently guide her through her movements late at night, correcting the details.
There were also times when they were severely scolded for poor performance.
And that snowy night, he held an umbrella for her and walked her to her apartment building.
"Your generation is the backbone of our national badminton team, and I have a feeling that you and Chang Nian will be the twin stars of the world badminton scene in the future."
A smile slowly crept onto Xie Shi'an's lips as he watched him nod slowly and solemnly, thinking to himself.
"Coach Yan, don't worry, I won't let you down."
Yan Xinyuan was taken away by the security guards who arrived. Xie Shi'an turned around and resolutely went onto the court. Another future star of the world badminton arena stood on her path and reached out her hand slightly.