That means the shadow on his lungs did not shrink; in other words, the chemotherapy results were not as good as expected.
Coach Liang plopped down in a chair, looking dejected.
Yan Xinyuan sat on the hospital bed and gave a bitter smile.
"It seems that this is the will of Heaven."
***
Jian Changnian did not forget Zhou Mu's instructions. The day after returning from his hometown, he planned to visit Cheng Zhen in prison.
The two people were eating in the cafeteria.
Jian Changnian: "I'm going to see Cheng Zhen this afternoon, do you want to come?"
Xie Shi'an paused with her chopsticks. Jian Changnian noticed her hesitation and knew that she still couldn't get over that hurdle in her heart.
"I think Orange Juice... probably won't blame you."
"I'm stuffed."
Xie Shi'an picked up the cutlery and headed straight for the recycling area.
That being said, in the afternoon, Jian Changnian was packing her things in the dormitory and gave Cheng Zhen some simple toiletries, such as toothpaste, toothbrush, and towels, when Xie Shi'an suddenly pushed open the door and handed her a CD.
"What is this?" Jian Changnian looked down and glanced at it.
"I got this from Orange Juice a while ago. It's a rare autographed Jay Chou record. I don't know if I can get it in. Could you... take it to him for me?"
Jian Changnian was taken aback, and then a smile appeared on her lips.
"Tsk, some people say they won't go, but secretly they give them records they like."
"Hmm... Why are you talking so much?" Seeing that she didn't answer for a long time, Xie Shi'an's tone also carried a hint of impatience.
"Are you going to take it or not? If you don't, I'll regret it."
Jian Changnian snatched it away.
"Take it, take it. Cheng Zhen will be very happy to see this record."
In the ward, after everyone had left, Yan Xinyuan received a phone call.
"Senior, when are you planning to bring Shi'an to Beijing to train with us? We need to get some practice before the competition."
Compared to the World Championships, Wan Jing was much more sensible, taking the initiative to invite him and Xie Shi'an to go to London together, and even bought him a plane ticket.
"Although I can't accompany her to London for the Olympics as the head coach, I've already spoken to the higher-ups, and the team has agreed to let you go with her as a member of the accompanying staff. With you there, Shi'an will surely feel much more at ease."
Yan Xinyuan sat on the hospital bed.
"I won't go to London. There's something I'd like to ask you."
***
After finally making it to Friday, Kim Nam-ji called Yoon Ga-yi as soon as get out of class ended, but the call was hung up before the call could be connected.
A while later, she sent a message.
"Training isn't over yet, so it's inconvenient to answer the phone."
Kim Nam-ji is typing.
"Can you still come over tonight?"
"It should be possible, but it will be a little later."
Kim Nam-ji sent a wronged emoji.
"Okay, then I'll go home and wait for you."
Yin Jiayi responded with three "hugs".
The moment her luxury car drove out of the school gate, it was spotted, and a Land Rover parked on the side of the road quietly followed it.
The person in the passenger seat raised their camera, aimed it at the Ferrari in front, and snapped a few pictures, capturing the license plate number along with the car's image.
Kim Nam-ji returned to their apartment, put down her bag, turned on the light switch on the wall, and looked up to find the room still dimly lit.
"Ashi."
Undeterred, she pressed the button a few more times, but the main light in the living room remained unresponsive. She then stepped back and glanced at the electricity meter on the wall in the hallway.
The circuit breaker didn't trip, and the elevator is still running, which means it's not a power outage, but rather a problem with the lights in the house.
She initially wanted to call Yin Jiayi to tell her, but then she thought it was too small to bother her, so she called the property management to report the problem instead.
Not long after.
The building manager came up, wearing the uniform of the apartment property management staff, so she didn't suspect anything and let the person in.
"Look, the main light in the living room is broken."
The staff member turned off the power switch, changed into shoe covers, set up a ladder in the living room, climbed up, and fiddled with the repair tools for a while.
Kim Namji, standing below, used his phone to shine a light on the boy and urged him on, noticing that his movements were a bit slow.
"Are you even capable of this? This house cost so much, how come the renovation quality is so poor? The lights broke after only living here for a short time."
The staff member was also sweating profusely, and turned his head to say.
"Don't worry, the filament inside this downlight is broken. I'll take it apart and install a new one for you. Could you hand me that screwdriver?"
Kim Nam-ji glanced back; the screwdriver was on the table. She let go of the ladder and turned to get it.
In the instant she turned around, the staff member pinched a tiny metal object, smaller than a button, between his fingertips and inserted it into the light trough, pressing it firmly to make it stick.
Kim Nam-ji turned around and handed him the screwdriver.
"Hurry up, it's so late."
The staff member remained calm and tightened the downlight.
"Okay, ma'am, please try turning on the light."
***
Yan Xinyuan also made a special trip to Jian Changnian and Xie Shian's last training session before they went to Beijing, watching them play from the sidelines.
After finishing a game, Jian Changnian returned to the rest area.
"You really aren't coming with us?"
"London is so far away, it's not like Shanghai. I also have a lot of things to do with my team, so I can't leave."
Hearing him say that, Jian Changnian looked rather dejected.
"If you don't want to go to London, you can come with us to Beijing, right?"
Xie Shi'an, while playing basketball, also cast a concerned glance in their direction.
Yan Xinyuan patted her on the shoulder.
"There are limited spots for accompanying personnel. The reason for sending you to London is that you can take care of each other in terms of living conditions. Moreover, the most important thing for you right now is to accumulate experience in major competitions. The more you watch, the better you will know how to play."
Jian Changnian also knew that this spot was hard-won. It was probably only because Wan Jing was considering Yan Xinyuan as his senior brother that he gave it to her. Not only did he let her go to London with Xie Shi'an, but he also arranged for her to be included in the national team's pre-match training list.
Not wanting to disappoint Yan Xinyuan's kindness, she could only nod.
"I know, Coach Yan. I will train hard when I get to Beijing. Even if I can't play, I can't let our Binhai Provincial Team down."
Yan Xinyuan then smiled with satisfaction.
"Hey, that's more like it. The competition has started, let's go."
Jian Changnian responded and ran back onto the court with his racket.
The Binhai Provincial Team holds weekly challenge matches, ranking players based on their training results. Players with lower rankings can challenge those with higher rankings, and those who win receive special allowances, food subsidies, and vacation benefits, all designed to incentivize healthy competition, continuous effort, and self-challenge among team members.
Xie Shi'an is currently ranked first in the overall standings.
Ever since everyone learned that she is now ranked seventh in the world, they have been eager to fight her.
Xie Shi'an was not intimidated at all, and a smile appeared on his lips.
"Why don't you all come at me together? Taking them down one by one is too much of a waste of time."
After losing two games in a row, Jian Changnian, panting heavily, and his teammates exchanged glances, nodded, threw down their rackets, and rushed forward.
"Let's all go at her together!"
Oops.
Xie Shi'an knew something was wrong and tried to run away, but someone had already blocked the door. The training room was empty and there was nowhere to hide. After all, one fist can't fight four hands, and he was quickly pinned to the ground and tickled.
"What are you doing?! Stop it right now!"
Coach Liang was blowing his whistle frantically on the sidelines, his mouth twisted with anger, but it was all in vain.
Yan Xinyuan watched their playful figures as they walked away, a smile appearing on his lips, but his eyes held a hint of emotion.
Shi'an, Chang Nian, I have nothing more to teach you. From now on, you will have to walk your own path.
Whenever Jian Changnian recalled Yan Xinyuan, she didn't think of his strictness or his signature old pipe, but rather of that summer evening when the three of them rode the old bicycles at the training base, leisurely strolling along the rice-scented path in front of the gate.
The road was so long, it seemed to have no end.
That was her sixteenth year, a time of wild growth like the roadside weeds, and also the last joyful time of her adolescence.
At the end of the road was a small village with several fishponds. Yan Xinyuan bought a few fish and two pounds of shrimp from the local villagers, and insisted on going home to cook a farewell meal for them.
Jian Changnian could help with frying, stir-frying, and cooking in the kitchen, but Xie Shian could only do small things like washing vegetables and peeling garlic.
There was no range hood in the old teachers' dormitory, and when the gas stove was turned on, Yan Xinyuan was choked badly by the fumes. Jian Changnian saw that he was uncomfortable and tried to take the spatula from his hand, but was chased out.
"Coach Yan, let me do it."
"It's nothing, cough cough cough... No need, you go out and watch TV with Shi'an, the food will be ready soon."
The meal was served, consisting of two meat dishes, two vegetable dishes, and a crucian carp soup, making it a very substantial meal for a home-cooked meal.
Yan Xinyuan would occasionally call the team members together and cook them a special meal. Jian Changnian even thought his cooking skills were better than the cafeteria chef's. She was already very hungry, and when the dishes were served, she couldn't wait to pick up her chopsticks and take a piece of braised fish.
Xie Shi'an slapped her hand away.
"Coach Yan hasn't sat down at the table yet."
"But I'm hungry." Jian Changnian said with a pitiful look, and put down her chopsticks again.