The only sounds in the venue were the squeaks of shoes scraping the floor and the thuds of balls hitting the shuttlecock.
As Wan Jing stood outside the window, a smile finally appeared on his lips. He had been worried about Xie Shi'an's condition, but now he no longer needed to go in.
In addition to exceptional skills, a top professional player must also possess strong resilience and self-regulation abilities.
When facing opponents with similar skill levels and equally strong abilities, these factors often determine the course of the match.
After watching for most of the night, Wan Jing turned and left, thinking to himself.
"Senior brother, you haven't misjudged him."
The two men were sweating profusely in the training room, hitting one ball after another, neither willing to admit defeat. Finally, exhausted, they both collapsed to the ground.
After the game, it felt like the pent-up emotions in her heart had been released with her sweat, leaving her feeling relieved.
Xie Shi'an lay on the ground, looking at the ceiling, and showed his first genuine smile in many days.
Jian Changnian struggled to his feet, supporting himself with his racket, and limped over to her, extending his hand.
Are you alright?
Xie Shi'an grabbed her wrist and used his strength to stand up.
"fine."
"Then let's go back."
"good."
Whether in Jiangcheng, Beijing, or now Shanghai, the seasons change, but the only constant is the sight of the two of them, exhausted, supporting each other as they walk back after each training match.
"Let me tell you, if you win this time, you have to give me some money. I have to train during the day and be treated like a slave, and at night I have to be your sparring partner. Your inhuman fighting style has left me with a sore back, aching legs, and cramps..."
"Huh? Get this straight, you still owe me money."
Upon hearing this, Jian Changnian immediately flew into a rage.
"What?! I already paid back the money I borrowed from you when Grandma was hospitalized, okay?! Then why didn't you mention when you redeemed the jade..."
Xie Shi'an ignored him and continued talking to himself.
"I don't care. The lotus jade pendant was originally mine. Why don't you mention that my grandfather saved your life?"
The two of them went back to the apartment, grumbling and cursing.
It was still a double room. Jian Changnian slept on the outer bed, while Xie Shian's bed was on the side closer to the balcony.
As soon as they entered the room, the two looked at each other, simultaneously let go of one another, and rushed to grab the bathroom, each wanting to take a shower and go to bed early.
Xie Shi'an, taking advantage of his height, was the first to reach the bathroom door, pry it open, and burst in, locking it with a click, shutting out Jian Changnian's wails.
"Hey, can't you at least let someone use the restroom first?!"
Listening to the rushing water coming from inside, Jian Changnian muttered, "Luckily there's a public toilet on the first floor, otherwise I would have suffocated sooner or later."
When she went to the bathroom and came back, Xie Shi'an had almost finished washing up. The sound of water in the bathroom stopped, and the door was opened.
Jian Changnian jumped out of bed.
"You're finally done washing up? That took way too long!"
Xie Shi'an walked out with a towel draped around his neck and his hair still wet. He leaned against the wall for support and bent over, looking somewhat uncomfortable.
Seeing that her face was also a little pale, Jian Changnian climbed off the bed and helped her up.
"Shi'an, what's wrong? Are you alright?"
Xie Shi'an walked to the bedside and sat down, biting his lip as he spoke.
"It's nothing, it's probably just that my period is about to start, and my stomach is a little sore."
"Oh? What should we do? We have a match tomorrow. Maybe... maybe I should ask the team doctor for some contraceptives to help us recover and postpone it for a few days," Jian Changnian said anxiously.
Sometimes, when athletes have their periods coincide with major competitions, they will take emergency contraception in advance to postpone their periods in order to avoid affecting their performance on the field.
Xie Shi'an calculated that her period should still be in about a week, and she didn't know why it had come so early this time.
She shook her head.
"Those were all taken before the game. If hormone residue affects the doping test results, it'll be all over. I'd better just bear with it."
"That's right. Wait a minute. I think I still have some dried longan and red dates that my grandma gave me before I left, as well as some brown sugar. I'll make you a cup, drink it, and then go to sleep."
Jian Changnian slapped her forehead, realizing she had almost forgotten about it. Before Xie Shi'an could reply, she hurriedly started rummaging through drawers and cabinets to find something for her.
Before Xie Shi'an could even refuse, a steaming cup of brown sugar water was handed to her.
A warmth surged from her palms to her heart. Xie Shi'an was slightly taken aback. It had been a long time since she had been taken such good care of during her period.
Jian Changnian looked at her and said, "What are you standing there for? Hurry up and drink it."
Xie Shi'an came to his senses, took a sip, and found the temperature and sugar content to be just right. The hot water made him feel much better.
A hint of a smile appeared in her eyes.
"Th...thank you."
"Tsk, why are you being so polite? I only did this for the sake of my half of the bonus."
Xie Shi'an: "...?"
Before she could get angry, Jian Changnian grabbed her pajamas and dashed into the bathroom, blocking her murderous glare from outside.
"Don't get angry during your period. Go to bed early after you finish drinking. I'm going to take a shower!"
Xie Shi'an looked at the locked door, and although he wanted to curse, he ended up gently curving his lips and drinking the brown sugar water.
When Jian Changnian came out after taking a shower, Xie Shian was already asleep. She tiptoed to Xie Shian's bedside and leaned down to look at her.
"Shi'an, are you feeling better?"
Xie Shi'an did not answer. His breathing was even, and his black hair was spread out on the pillow like seaweed. His pajamas were thin, and his collarbone was partially exposed at the neckline.
"Hey, why doesn't this person even cover themselves with a blanket when they sleep?"
Jian Changnian looked away, gently pulled the blanket up for her, turned off the bedside lamp, tiptoed back to her own bed, lay down, and turned off the wall lamp beside her.
The entire room was plunged into darkness.
She was heading towards the airway.
"Good night."
***
Qiao Yuchu booked a room near the hospital, intending to just rest briefly. However, the lack of sleep over the next few days left her extremely exhausted, and she fell into a deep sleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.
When she woke up, the room was dark and there was no sound from the street outside. It was as if she was the only person left in the world, and an endless loneliness and emptiness flooded into her body.
She picked up her phone and glanced at it. It was already 11:59 a.m. The person who had promised to come hadn't arrived yet, not even a text message.
Qiao Yuchu closed her eyes in disappointment, and the next second, a knock sounded on the door.
She forced herself to sit up, her head still groggy, and opened the door in a hoarse voice: "Who is it?"
“It’s me, Kim Soon-gi.”
The clock struck midnight precisely.
The man stood before her, covered in dust and grime. He carried no luggage, but held the food he had bought for her. His hospital badge was still tucked into his shirt, indicating that he had rushed over as soon as he came off the operating table.
Qiao Yuchu looked at him, and all the grievances and heartache she had been feeling for days seemed to find an outlet. The surging emotions could no longer be contained, and her eyes slowly reddened. Finally, she choked up and cried.
Jin Shunqi closed the door and pulled her trembling shoulders into his arms.
"I'm sorry I'm late."
***
The next morning, when Jian Changnian got up, she saw her packing her things, and she did it quite efficiently. She asked her a question.
Does your stomach still hurt?
Xie Shi'an packed the quick-drying clothes into his bag and also stuffed in a bag of cotton swabs in case of emergency.
"It hurt for a while last night, but then it stopped hurting. I checked this morning and it's not there. Have you finished getting ready?"
Jian Changnian zipped up her backpack.
"alright."
Xie Shi'an also slung his golf bag over his shoulder.
"Let's go."
***
"Good afternoon, viewers. Welcome to CCTV-5 Sports Channel. You are now watching the second half of the World Badminton Championships. I am your commentator Zhao Zhao, and I am your commentator Jiang Yunli."
The camera panned across the commentary booth, where Jiang Yunli, dressed in a well-tailored suit and wearing light makeup, greeted the audience.
"Zhao Zhao laughed as he explained."
"It's an honor to have Senior Jiang as our guest again today. What are your thoughts on the second half of the bracket today?"
"There are five matches in the bottom half of the draw today: British player Misa vs. Singapore's newcomer Tivi, American seed Allen vs. Italian veteran Garcia, and Hong Kong's Li Ruolin vs. India's Kamil."
"The other two matches are Xie Shi'an's matches. In the first match, she will face world-renowned Anton Sevich, and in the second match, she will face Natiya, a Thai prodigy whom she has faced before."
Jiang Yunli's expression turned somewhat serious as she spoke.
"Because this World Championships has adopted a brand-new round-robin format within the group stage, head-to-head results will be given priority in the event of a tie in points, so Xie Shi'an's two matches today are crucial."
The male commentator also said.
"Xie Shi'an performed poorly in the first two matches and is currently ranked at the bottom of the lower half of the draw. This means that if she loses even one game today, she will be eliminated from the knockout stage and her journey in this World Championships will be over."
Perhaps because of Anton Swieck's match today, the stadium was already packed before the game even started, with the aisles of the stands filled with spectators who couldn't find seats.
Anton's fans held up her portrait, unfurled the Canadian flag, and whistled wildly at her.
When it was Xie Shi'an's turn to appear, he was met with a chorus of boos.
Zhao also explained.
"In today's match, Xie Shi'an's opponents are a world-renowned player and a genius who once defeated her. She is likely to be in grave danger."
Nobody thinks she'll do well in today's match.