"Xie Shi'an! Don't give up! Coach Yan is still waiting for us to bring back the gold medal to show him!"
Jian Changnian's voice broke through all the gloom, shining into her world like a ray of light, and the whole sky suddenly became bright and clear.
Coach Yan, yes, Coach Yan is still waiting for her to come back.
"As a professional player, a good mindset, the ability to withstand pressure, a mature and steady personality, and excellent skills are all indispensable. Shi'an, you still have a long way to go."
"Almost there, almost there! Run faster, speed up, speed up, speed up! Yin Jiayi won't play this kind of slow, old-fashioned ball game with you!"
"I have a feeling that you and Chang Nian will be the future twin stars of the world badminton scene."
"Shi'an, remember this: when two armies meet on a narrow path, the brave will prevail."
"I...I just have a bit of regret. I've struggled for most of my life...but I couldn't win a Grand Slam for her."
Grand Slam, yes, Grand Slam, she promised to win the Grand Slam for Coach Yan.
Xie Shi'an suddenly opened his eyes.
Courage and faith—things she lost in this competition—are slowly returning to her.
She sat up from the crowd, raised her hand to signal to the referee that she could continue the game, and received a quick bandage from the team doctor.
Xie Shi'an picked up the dropped racket and stood up again.
She was like that at the World Championships, and she is like that now; she is always incredibly tenacious, falling down again and again and then getting back up.
Kim Nam-ji looked at her, feeling a pang of pity.
"Even if you lose today, you will still be the youngest Olympic silver medalist in the history of world badminton."
Xie Shi'an shook his head, his gaze resolute, and dragged his injured leg to stand opposite her.
She just said that.
"I can't lose, there are too many people behind me."
From Coach Yan to her mentor's wife whom she has never met, senior Jiang Yunli, and Yin Jiayi, all of them have poured their passion into this arena. She has traveled over mountains and rivers, carrying the dreams of so many people, to get here.
Loud shouts erupted from the stands, some of her supporters already with tears in their eyes: "Xie Shi'an, keep going!!!"
"Xie Shi'an, we believe you can turn the tide!"
"Xie Shi'an, you made it through the World Championships, you can definitely do it this time too!"
"Xie Shi'an, no matter who wins or loses, Mom will always love you!"
...
With the final battle approaching, the South Korean team was not to be outdone, raising their national flags to cheer on Kim Nam-ji.
The cheers of both sets of fans resounded throughout Wembley Stadium.
Kim Nam-ji's lips curled into a cold smile.
"Let's begin, you're destined to lose."
No one knows what kind of pain she endured in those final minutes. On one hand, her mentor lay in the ICU, his life hanging in the balance, and she was extremely anxious. On the other hand, the physical pain greatly affected her performance. Every time she jumped, her knees felt like they were being cut with a dull knife. At this point, she was really testing her willpower.
The two people in the studio were also praying for her.
"17:19, keep it up, Xie Shi'an!"
"If we score just two more points, we can tie the game!"
"Kim Nam-ji is also going all out for the gold medal!"
"Wow, that was a beautiful shot! Xie Shi'an faked Kim Nam-ji to the backcourt with a feint, but actually hit a backhand cross-court shot!"
"The score is now 18-19!"
"Kim Nam-ji pushes the ball to the net with his left hand, and Xie Shian quickly moves forward to defend. This is a great opportunity!"
Xie Shi'an noticed the defensive gap on her right backhand side out of the corner of her eye. When she pushed the ball over again, she quickly retreated and jumped up to smash the ball. With a forceful effort, she felt a sharp pain in her right knee.
She swayed, lost her balance, and fell heavily to her knees. The ball hit the net, and Kim Nam-ji scored again.
A burst of enthusiastic cheers erupted from the stands on the South Korean side, and Park Min-heon stood up and applauded loudly for her.
Jiang Yunli looked at her kneeling figure, her eyes also reddening slightly: "She's probably badly injured..."
When Xie Shi'an stood up, bloodstains were faintly visible through the bandage. She gritted her teeth, her clothes were completely soaked, and her hair was stuck tightly to her forehead. She looked so disheveled, but her eyes were resolute.
“Shi’an…” Jian Changnian’s eyes were filled with tears. When she fell down again, she wanted to rush over and tell her to stop hitting her.
Wan Jing stopped the person and shook his head.
"Let her give it her all. If you don't let her finish, she'll regret it."
18:20
In the final few points, Xie Shi'an swung her racket with all her might on the court, shedding blood, tears, and sweat, while someone watched her silently from the sidelines, tears streaming down their face.
The situation was almost entirely one-sided.
Jian Changnian closed her eyes, unable to bear watching any longer. Just then, a burst of enthusiastic cheers erupted from the stands behind her.
Her teammates jumped up to celebrate with her.
Even the commentators were moved to tears.
"19:20! Xie Shi'an, amazing! Despite his knee injury, he still managed to catch up step by step!"
Jiang Yunli also said anxiously, "Come on, Xie Shi'an! It's the last ball. You must tie the score so you can continue playing!"
Xie Shi'an glanced at the scoreboard briefly and found that it was a double image again, with numbers overlapping numbers.
She shook her head, finally managing to shake off the dizziness in her head, and refocused her gaze on the scoreboard.
19:20
She gripped the racket tightly, raised her arm high, and slammed the ball down with a thud.
As they passed each other at the net, Xie Shi'an could even hear each other's heavy breathing; her mind went blank.
The last few seconds felt like an eternity.
Bang.
Bang bang.
Bang bang bang.
The sound of hitting the ball, the sound of running, the sound of heartbeats.
A white meteor flew towards us.
Xie Shi'an rushed over like a moth drawn to a flame.
The audience held their breath and stared intently at the big screen.
The entire room was silent for about half a minute.
The scoreboard suddenly lit up.
19:21
South Korea's Kim Nam-ji won.
The slow-motion replay showed that Xie Shi'an misjudged the situation and the ball he rushed towards landed out of bounds.
The entire stadium erupted in cheers and jubilation. The South Korean team members ran up to her and embraced her tightly, celebrating her victory.
When the light shone on her, Xie Shi'an lay on the ground, covering her face with her hands, her shoulders shaking violently.
Despite the less-than-ideal result, the commentator still explained.
"Let's congratulate Kim Nam-ji on winning the women's singles badminton title at the 2012 London Olympics. Congratulations to her! Today, she has once again made history at Wembley Arena. It has been twenty years since the last time the South Korean team won a gold medal at the Barcelona Olympics."
Jiang Yunli looked at Xie Shi'an and said.
"A sword's edge is sharpened by grinding, and the fragrance of plum blossoms comes from bitter cold [1]. Xie Shi'an made mistakes, had regrets, and felt unwilling in today's match. I hope she will not be discouraged, adjust her state in time, and look forward to her return as the queen in the next four years."
Xie Shi'an disappeared from the public eye without even attending the press conference after the match. She and Jian Changnian boarded a plane back to China, flying from London to Beijing, and then transferring in Beijing to Jiangcheng. The two didn't stop for a moment, and it was already dawn when they landed in Jiangcheng.
After leaving the airport, they hailed a taxi and rushed to the hospital. From the moment she lost the last point, it seemed as if some things were already destined. Their flight back home had never been delayed, but they were stuck in traffic at the intersection closest to the hospital.
Looking at the long line in front of him, Xie Shi'an suddenly pushed open the car door without saying a word and ran wildly into the wind.
Jian Changnian threw down the money and ran after her.
After a night of intensive care, the doctor still shook his head sadly.
"Family members, please go in and say your final goodbyes."
Yan Xinyuan was sent back to a regular ward, where his bedside was already surrounded by people, including Coach Liang, leaders from the provincial team, and his students. They all rushed over upon hearing the news, and everyone's eyes were red from crying.
He awoke from his long coma, his gaze sweeping over their faces, and his first words were...
"Where...where's Shi'an? Did he...win the match?"
Coach Liang looked grief-stricken and couldn't bear to say anything more. He turned his back and wiped away his tears with the back of his hand.
The room was silent. Suddenly, the door to the ward was kicked open, and Xie Shi'an stumbled in, pushing through the crowd to rush to the bedside.
Coach Yan!
Yan Xinyuan's gaze gradually became unfocused, and he looked into the void. He could hear her voice, but he couldn't see her face clearly no matter what he did.
"Shi'an, you're back... Did you win the competition?"
Xie Shi'an held his hand, but could no longer feel any warmth. She choked back tears, wanting to put the silver pendant around her neck into his hand.
“Coach Yan… Coach Yan, I… I won… I brought the gold medal back to you… Touch it… Touch it…”
A relieved smile appeared on Yan Xinyuan's face, but before his fingertips could even touch the medal, it slipped from her hand.
The cardiac monitor by the bed beeped, all the values returned to zero, and life became an endless line.
Jian Changnian threw herself on him and burst into tears.
Coach Yan!
Xie Shi'an reached out and closed his eyes for him.
Like a wandering ghost, she pushed through the crowd, leaned against the wall, and stumbled out step by step.
Upon receiving the news, Qiao Yuchu rushed over from Beijing early in the morning and bumped into her, who looked distraught, outside the ward.