The two of them wandered around for a while, but having nothing else to do, they went back to the training room to play badminton.
When Zhou Mu went in, she obviously noticed the conspicuous whiteboard at the entrance. She asked as she served the ball.
"So you have your assessment next week?"
Jian Changnian swung her racket, sending the ball back to her.
"Well, I don't know why, but I've never won here, not even once."
Zhou Mu ran to the net to try and catch the ball, but missed.
She stopped, panting, and braced herself on the ground to catch her breath.
"Have you ever considered that it might be because you lack competition experience?"
Jian Changnian stopped serving and blinked.
"How so?"
"Hey, think about it, you've always played ball alone since you were little, or it's just me playing with you. You've rarely had a proper match with anyone. And, not to be rude, but you're too introverted. If he makes a face, just make the same face back. What's there to be afraid of? At worst, we'll just hurt each other."
Jian Changnian's lips twitched. It really was a method that killed a thousand enemies but also injured eight hundred of his own.
She shook her head.
"No, I can't do it. Besides, with so many people around, all talking at once, it's hard for me not to be affected and to play the game without distraction."
Zhou Mu thought for a moment, then his eyes suddenly lit up, and he came over to pull her.
"Take your racket and come with me to a place."
Jian Changnian was pulled away without understanding what was going on.
Where are we going?
"In the city, at People's Park."
People's Park, the largest political, cultural, and entertainment center in Jiangcheng City, also serves as a matchmaking corner. Every weekend, besides the elderly practicing Tai Chi, diabolo, and square dancing, young people quickly occupy every corner of the park. Today, with the rare fine autumn weather, the sunlight filters through the sycamore leaves, warming everyone. The basketball courts, table tennis courts, and badminton courts are all bustling with people, creating a lively atmosphere.
Zhou Mu pulled her through the crowd.
"We're here. Look, I told you there were lots of people playing badminton here, but you didn't believe me."
This area is a specially designated sports field, with several events separated by green netting. The view is fairly open, and there are many people gathered around. Therefore, whenever someone makes a good shot or a bad shot, there will always be a chorus of boos.
Jian Changnian was quite impressed: "Wow, so many people! How did you even know about this place?"
"I've come here a few times with my friends from the school team. Don't let the small size of this place fool you; there are matches almost every week, and it's full of skilled players!"
As Zhou Mu spoke, he watched the man in green on the court smash a shot that blocked his opponent's escape route, and he couldn't help but clap and cheer with the others.
Influenced by this atmosphere, Jian Changnian also became excited.
"He's amazing! This must be at a professional level."
Someone nearby heard her and responded.
"Hey, what's with all this talk about professionalism? Most people here play amateur basketball, just for fun, there aren't that many rules."
Zhou Mu nudged her shoulder: "Hey, how about it, want to go up and practice?"
Seeing so many people made her a little nervous.
Jian Changnian waved her hands repeatedly: "No, no, I can't beat them."
"Why not! You were perfectly fine in the gym! You even beat Xie Shi'an, who's so strong, and didn't you hear what they said? They're all amateurs, amateurs. What are you, a professional, afraid of?!"
Zhou Mu seemed even more anxious than her: "The assessment is next week, Chang Nian, do you even want to continue playing professionally?!"
“I…” Jian Changnian choked, and her expression darkened.
She didn't know what was wrong with her. When she was in the gymnasium, she was fearless like a newborn calf. But after seeing a wider world, her mindset was tempered, and her confidence was also eroded.
She no longer has as much confidence in herself as she used to.
As they were talking, the man who had been on the field went to the side to get a drink of water, which was overheard by someone.
The man looked them up and down and said in a sarcastic tone.
"A woman? A professional player?"
Zhou Mu was an impatient person to begin with, and he blurted out these words as soon as he heard them.
"Why can't women play professionally? Are you looking down on women?!"
The man shrugged: "Of the girls I've fought, very few are actually good at it."
When the man's brothers heard the argument, they all came over, laughing and joking together.
"Hey, I'm not saying this to be mean, but you girls should just stay on the sidelines as cheerleaders, why bother playing professionally?"
"Yeah, little sister, you're quite pretty. How about we exchange contact information? I'm from the Physical Education Department at the provincial university. I'll invite you to come over for the next competition."
It's one thing to openly or subtly say that they're bad at the game and don't deserve to be professional players, but what's worse, some people make frivolous remarks and are on the verge of physically assaulting them.
Jian Changnian pulled him back, and Zhou Mu burrowed behind her, looking rather like a dog relying on its master's power.
"You guys are so good, do you dare to fight her?! She's from the Binhai Provincial Team, she's many times stronger than you!"
Jian Changnian suddenly turned around, wanting to tape her mouth shut and then bury her in some remote mountain forest. He had seen people who betrayed their parents, but he had never seen anyone who could betray their friends like this.
Zhou Mu stuck out his tongue, tugged at her clothes, and whispered, "Practice...practice..."
The man scoffed, clearly not taking them seriously.
"Alright, then all of you come at me together, so people won't say I'm bullying girls."
Before Jian Changnian could refuse, Zhou Mu poked his head out and asked, "What if you lose?"
The man's brother leaned over and whispered a few words in his ear. The man twirled his racket, looking at them with a somewhat frivolous gaze.
"Lost? If you lose, you can do whatever you want with me, but if I win, I'll have a meal with my brothers. My brother wants to get to know you."
The other party was numerous and powerful, and they were tall and strong. They were saying such things, which made Zhou Mu feel a little scared. Jian Changnian also wanted to refuse, since the other party did not seem like a good person. But before she could speak, Zhou Mu tugged at her sleeve and nodded firmly.
"Chang Nian, let's fight him."
Jian Changnian turned her head in disbelief: "Are you crazy? If you lose, you'll have to..."
On the contrary, Zhou Mu always believed in her, no matter what.
"It's okay, I believe you. Besides, they look down on girls, we should teach them a lesson."
Jian Changnian smiled bitterly to himself, thinking, "You're making such grand pronouncements far too early."
"Hey, are we going to fight or not?" the man asked, sounding impatient.
The onlookers also joined in the jeering: "Two against one, what are you afraid of?"
"It's just a meal, let's go with him."
"Are these two really professional players? They don't look like it."
...
Jian Changnian took a deep breath. Since things had come to this point, she had no choice but to bite the bullet and do it.
Xie Shi'an was playing chess under the shade of a tree in a corner of the park. Her opponents were all elderly people, and she would take a long time to think about each move.
"Cannon—no, no, let's use a pawn instead."
"Grandpa Li, please watch carefully, there's no going back on your move."
Xie Shi'an said this, but still let him eat one of his soldiers before making his move.
"Flying Elephant, hey, you've lost again this game." Seeing Xie Shi'an about to take away his chess piece, Grandpa Li couldn't stand it anymore.
"No, no, let's start over."
"Hey, you said you couldn't take back your moves, but you've gone back on your word again."
"How can you call this taking back a move? I'm getting old, my head is spinning and my eyes are blurry. I didn't see it clearly. Besides, I can't beat you at ball games, and you won't even let me win at chess. I taught you chess when you came to the park with your grandpa! It's true what they say, 'Teach your apprentice and you'll starve yourself'!"
Grandpa Li pointed at the chessboard, blowing his beard and glaring.
Xie Shi'an smiled helplessly and, as he had instructed, put the chess piece back to the person.
"Alright, I'll let you take this step again."
The two set up the chessboard again and were locked in a fierce battle when Cheng Zhen ran back from the store with two bottles of water, excitedly patting her on the shoulder.
"Hey, guess who I just saw?"
Xie Shi'an didn't even raise his head before slapping his hand down.
"Get out of here! Can't you see I'm playing chess?"
Cheng Zhen went around in circles and ended up right under her nose.
"Hey, it's that girl you fought with at the Jiangbei No. 2 Middle School gymnasium that day..."
Xie Shi'an finally looked up from the chessboard.
"who?"
Cheng Zhen's lips moved quickly, her expression saying, "I've discovered some gossip, let's go see what's going on."
"I just saw her having a badminton match. She said if she lost, she'd have to eat with some guys. I know the guy she was fighting with; he's from the Ledong Badminton Club. He's a sports student, and his playing style is really wild..."
Before he could finish speaking, Xie Shi'an suddenly stood up.
Grandpa Li: "Hey, not playing chess anymore?"
Xie Shi'an pressed Cheng Zhen down onto a stool: "Let him keep you company for a while, I have something to do."
Cheng Zhen watched her leave and exclaimed, "Hey, hey, I don't know how to play chess..."
Chapter 14 Traveling together
As Xie Shi'an pushed his way through the crowd, he heard a male voice say, "This is it? The Binhai Provincial Team? If you're the Binhai Provincial Team, then I'm the National Team."
Jian Changnian, panting heavily with her hands on her knees, knew that even with two against one, it was difficult for them to gain the upper hand.
Zhou Mu's stamina was even worse; he was exhausted after just one game.