Kim Nam-ji charged to the net, and Hsieh Shih-an, not to be outdone, rushed forward and returned the ball with a flat shot.
"Unfortunately, you are not me."
Every point in the deciding set is crucial.
Others may only see her nimble movements on the field, but only Xie Shi'an herself knows that in order to make these moves, she had to bite her tongue until it bled.
She wasn't playing with technique or stamina in this match; she was fighting with willpower.
As Kim Nam-ji said, it wasn't that he hadn't considered giving up.
Can……
The shuttlecock landed on the floor and rolled a few times before reaching her feet.
She threw down her racket while crying.
"Grandpa, I don't want to fight anymore. I can't beat them."
Grandpa squatted down and patted her little head.
"Shi'an, don't give up on things you like easily. It's okay if you can't beat them now. We can go back and practice more. I have a feeling that our Shi'an will definitely be a world champion when he grows up."
"This is your first time winning the national singles championship. I don't think I can go on stage, but I should be here."
"Not the champion yet."
"In my heart, you always have been."
Qiao Yuchu's face appeared in my mind.
A white meteor hurtled towards him, and Xie Shi'an swung his racket with all his might.
Sweat dripped from his hair.
Yan Xinyuan patted her shoulder forcefully.
"Your generation is the backbone of our national badminton team, and you and Chang Nian will be the twin stars of the future world badminton scene."
Xie Shi'an jumped and landed.
Jian Changnian and she lightly bumped fists in the locker room.
"Although I don't agree with your approach, I will always unconditionally support any decision you make. Good luck in the competition, and I look forward to you winning the championship."
She clenched her teeth and swung her racket with all her might, determined not to give up until the ball touched the ground.
The commentator exclaimed in surprise.
"My God! Is this something a person can do when they're sick?! If I'm not mistaken, that ball was on Xie Shi'an's backhand side, and she didn't have time to get back to defend!"
"But in a split second, she switched her racket from her right hand to her left, and with a diving leap, she tackled the ball!"
Kim Nam-ji didn't even have time to react!!!
"It's just a left-handed ball?! We can do that too!"
"What everyone sees on the field is only a fraction of a second, but the effort the athletes put in behind the scenes is unimaginable."
Jian Changnian stood offstage, nervous for her. The audience didn't know, but she knew all too well.
From the national competition onwards, Xie Shi'an put in tremendous effort to master the use of his left hand, starting with small things like dressing and eating, and then relentlessly practicing with his left hand in the training room.
I would train until the early hours of the morning, then return to my apartment exhausted. I would get up before dawn to start training again, day after day, as the sun rose and set.
In just a few months, she accomplished what most people might not be able to do in a lifetime, which is why she is able to stand here today.
Standing on the world's highest stage.
Because of this, she knew that Xie Shi'an would never give up.
The boy watched her retreating figure, silently cheering her on, while his heart swelled with emotion, and tears welled up in his eyes.
She wasn't the only one shedding tears at the scene.
Seeing Xie Shi'an fall down again and again, only to get back up again with unwavering determination, many viewers were moved and shouted out loud.
"Xie Shi'an, no matter if you're a champion or not, Mom will always love you!!!"
"Xie Shi'an, keep it up!!! Your name will definitely be on the world badminton rankings next year!!!"
"Xie Shi'an, that's enough! You've done a great job!! Don't hit him anymore!!!"
...
When she fell again while trying to save a ball, her limbs were so weak that she couldn't muster any strength. Her internal organs were cramping, and she lay on the ground, sweating profusely, unable to get up for a long time.
Kim Nam-ji stopped what he was doing, ran to her side, helped her up, and shouted loudly.
"Team doctor! Team doctor!"
Team doctors from both China and South Korea rushed over.
Jian Changnian pushed her away and let Xie Shi'an lie in her arms, calling her name anxiously.
"Shi'an! Shi'an, are you alright?!"
The team doctor was about to lift her onto a stretcher when Xie Shi'an forced herself to sit up and made a gesture to continue the game.
"No way! Xie Shi'an is already in this state, and you still want to hit him?!"
Someone in the audience gasped.
Yan Xinyuan could no longer sit still. Ignoring Coach Liang's attempts to stop him, he ran off on his own.
When he finally managed to squeeze to the edge of the stands, Xie Shi'an had already stood up with the help of others.
"Please rest in peace!"
Upon hearing this, Xie Shi'an turned around and smiled slightly at him. Although his face was pale, his sweat-drenched hair hung down on his forehead, and he looked disheveled, his expression remained firm and his eyes were piercing. He nodded slightly and then resolutely turned and left.
The commentator was also a bit shocked.
"To be honest, I haven't seen such an intense match in a long time. Xie Shi'an's perseverance is truly moving."
The camera then pans to a viewer in the stands wiping away tears.
"I think this is the greatest charm of sports competition: never give up until the ball touches the ground, always forge ahead, and always be moved to tears."
Kim Nam-ji watched as she picked up her racket again and stood opposite him, her expression complex.
"Why bother..."
Xie Shi'an's eyes were resolute, without the slightest wavering.
"I can't give up. I've come this far carrying the dreams of many people."
Kim Nam-ji glanced at the scoreboard and raised his arm.
19:20
We are currently in the lead.
"Then let's settle this with one ball."
Here it comes!
The tiny white dot grew larger and larger in Xie Shi'an's pupils.
One step, two steps, three steps...
She endured the pain, ran over, jumped high, and smashed the ball down.
"Xie Shi'an scores with a smash!!!"
"The score is tied at 20-20!!!"
Zhou Mu and her friends from the school team sat in the gymnasium, engrossed in watching a tablet. When they saw her tie the score, the group hugged each other excitedly, laughing and crying at the same time.
This morning, Grandma didn't go to work in the fields. Instead, she hobbled to the village activity room with her cane, sat down with the villagers, and watched Xie Shi'an's blurry face on the old color TV, muttering, "Go, go, go..."
In the kitchen, Xie's mother was cooking while placing her phone on the stove. Watching Xie Shi'an's tenacious and hardworking figure, she couldn't help but shed tears and covered her lips with her hand.
The water boiling on the induction cooker next to me was sizzling and steaming.
"Still chasing, still chasing! Xie Shi'an is about to unleash his full power!"
"21:20!!! Oh my god!!!"
"An incredible reversal!!!"
Even the commentator's eyes reddened slightly as he spoke with emotion.
"355km/h! We just received news from the tournament organizing committee that Xie Shi'an has broken her own record for the highest shuttlecock speed in women's singles badminton! She has set a new world record!"
"The game is still going, it's the last ball, can we win?! Can we win?!"
As the ball landed, Xie Shi'an also breathed heavily. Her vision blurred, and Jin Nanzhi's figure split into two.
The world is spinning.
She shook her head, bit her tongue, and forced herself to stay conscious.
The referee blew his whistle, the sharp sound pulling her back to reality. Xie Shi'an instinctively went to serve, but only after the shuttlecock hit her racket did she realize something was wrong. Looking down, she saw that the racket string was broken.
Perhaps it was because she smashed the ball too fast and with too much force, but fortunately the serve still went over the net.
Kim Nam-ji went to the net to return the ball, and in the blink of an eye, the ball was already there. Xie Shi-an's pupils shrank, and he didn't even have time to run off the court to change his racket.
A familiar call came from the sidelines.
"Please rest in peace!"
The moment he heard her voice, Xie Shi'an dropped his racket and lunged to his left.
The racket traced an arc in the air and landed steadily in her hand; the ball flew over.
Xie Shi'an didn't have time to make any extra movements. He turned around on the spot and used his left hand to complete his ultimate move of grabbing back with his left hand for the first time.
It came to a perfect end.
The scoreboard lights up.
The game ended at 22:20.
The entire room fell silent for a few seconds.
Even the studio was completely silent.