Kim Nam-ji's pupils contracted.
Wow, so fast!
She didn't have time to get back to defend before the ball hit the ground.
The two turned around and gave each other a high five, their understanding perfectly synchronized.
Looking at the lit scoreboard, Jian Changnian's face showed a long-lost smile.
In the studio, the commentators were also cheering for them.
"Beautiful! This counterattack was swift and decisive. If I'm not mistaken, Jian Changnian made a small movement of raising her hand, which was caught by the opponent. They thought she was going to attack from the right, but who knew that Xie Shi'an would suddenly appear from the left, catching Jin Nanzhi and Cui Huixi off guard!"
"You have such great teamwork, that's how you should play. Don't rush, take it one step at a time, and widen the score gap first."
Just as they adjusted their form, scored points one after another, and were preparing to win the game in one fell swoop, the South Korean team called a timeout.
Park Min-heon's expression was serious as he made tactical arrangements.
"Didn't we say we were going to keep a close eye on Jian Changnian and beat her? Why did we give her another chance?"
Choi Hye-hee lowered her head: "I'm sorry, Coach Park..."
Park Min-heon interrupted her.
"Alright, stop with the nonsense. You're playing in Incheon, and so many Koreans are watching you. Choi Hye-hee, I don't care what methods you use, you have to keep a close eye on Jian Changnian. Nan Zhi, Xie Shi'an has a leg injury, you should know where to hit him, right?"
Kim Nam-ji glanced at Xie Shi-an across from him, but before he could say anything, the referee's whistle blew again.
Park Min-heon saw that it was almost time and patted them on the shoulder.
"Cheer up, these are the last few balls. Don't let me or the fans who are hoping you'll win the gold medal on home soil."
After the South Korean team called a timeout, Lü Xiaoting muttered to herself.
"It's the same old trick again. They call a timeout when the other team is playing well, and the referees just listen to them. Is this all the Korean team knows, nothing else?"
Once I snapped out of my focused competitive state, the pain in my knees swept through my entire body once again.
Xie Shi'an's legs were trembling slightly.
“Shi An…”
Jian Changnian turned her head to look over.
Xie Shi'an put his hand on her shoulder, forcing her to turn around.
"I'm fine. The match has started. Let's go."
Anything that requires complete concentration must be done in one go. Getting back into the game mode after being interrupted is not an easy task, especially since Xie Shi'an's knees were getting more and more painful as the game went on.
She went from being able to ignore it at the beginning, to being able to bear it in the middle of the game, and now to being in unbearable pain, she is almost gritting her teeth and persevering.
The score has once again become a long back-and-forth battle.
15:15
16:16
17:17
18:18
...
Every point in the second half is crucial.
Wan Jing had already stood up, feeling anxious for them.
The commentator added, "It's the last few balls. Even if we can't win the game in one go, we shouldn't let the opponent get the match point first."
Xie Shi'an glanced at the scoreboard briefly, panting heavily.
"Give it your all, cover me."
Jian Changnian knew that she was preparing to create distance and end the match in one fell swoop with a fast attack, but this would put too much strain on her knees. Her heart suddenly ached, but she only nodded slightly and didn't have time to say anything more.
"Okay, go ahead and smash the ball, leave the rest to me."
Coordinated offense and seamless defense.
The two understood each other without saying a word, and when they passed each other, the wind lifted the hem of their clothes.
The spotlight shone on them, the camera followed them as it moved, and their focused faces were projected onto the big screen.
They are the most dazzling twin stars on this field.
"19:18!!! Xie Shi'an is awesome! The security check duo is invincible!!!"
At the critical moment, Xie Shi'an scored again with a smash, and the crowd suddenly erupted in cheers.
Red flags waved, and the mountains roared and the sea surged.
"Go China!! Xie Shi'an and Jian Changnian, don't give them a chance, just one point away from match point!!!"
To ease the tense atmosphere in the studio, commentator A joked, "Just like the viewers, my palms are sweaty right now."
"Watch the game, watch the game!" Commentator B stared intently at the screen, his voice suddenly rising an octave.
"Xie Shi'an is attacking again! This is it! Whoever gets match point first will most likely win this match!"
"If Jinan Intelligent can't defend against it, can it?!"
"They held on! They actually held on!" It was hard to tell whether the commentator's voice was one of surprise or frustration.
Kim Nam-ji didn't have an easy time receiving this ball; he stumbled back a few steps, his hand slightly numb from the powerful impact.
She was already panting heavily, drenched in sweat, and breathing was as heavy as a bellows. If she was like this, one can imagine how much worse it must be for Xie Shi'an, who had an injury on his knee.
The ball was then flicked back by Jian Changnian.
Xie Shi'an ran back to the right half of the field to defend.
Kim Nam-ji swallowed the metallic taste in his throat and lunged toward the oncoming white meteor.
A figure swept past her.
Choi Hye-hee suddenly appeared from the side.
To avoid the two colliding, Kim Nam-ji took a step back.
Oh no, the angle of that ball could hit someone!
Xie Shi'an's pupils contracted, and he roared.
"Jian Changnian, hide!"
She was standing a bit far from the center line, and despite running as fast as she could, she was still 0.5 seconds too late.
Jian Changnian remembered her promise.
"Even if it costs me my life, I will defend every ball that comes my way."
She can't back down; she has to create opportunities for Xie Shi'an's smashes. Match point is just around the corner.
This ball absolutely, positively must not touch the ground!
Even though she knew the ball was at a tricky angle, and that if she didn't catch it, they would score, but if she did catch it, she might get injured, she still rushed forward without hesitation.
As long as... as long as they hook the ball back to them, the opponent's left half of the field will be open, and Xie Shi'an's position is just to the right, so they can launch an attack from her side.
Jian Changnian's movements were extremely fast, but to Xie Shi'an, they were like a slow-motion replay of a movie.
A white meteor came hurtling towards her. She tried to block it, crouching down slightly, but her raised racket missed the mark by just a little bit, grazing the rim before bouncing and hitting her in the eye.
A sharp pain shot through her right eye, and Jian Changnian's vision went black as she swayed precariously.
"Chang Nian!" Xie Shi'an rushed over and steadied her.
Xie Shi'an's voice was right next to her ear, but she couldn't see her clearly at all. It was as if countless double images were flying around. The burning sensation on her eyelids made her unconsciously shed tears.
"Shi'an, Shi'an... I... I can't see you anymore."
A badminton shuttlecock spinning at high speed can smash even a watermelon, let alone the most vulnerable organ in the human body.
Her eyes were visibly red and swollen, almost squinting into a slit.
Xie Shi'an gritted his teeth and roared back.
"The team doctor? Where's the team doctor?!"
Wan Jing and the team doctor rushed over and helped the person back.
The team doctor is examining her injuries.
Wan Jing turned around and went to negotiate with the referee.
"What?! This isn't even called a foul?!"
The foreign referee answered him in English, clearly and precisely: "A follow-up shot is just a tactic, it's not a foul."
"I—" Wan Jing couldn't catch his breath, and pointed at his nose, cursing, "Have you ever seen anyone hit a ball that goes straight for the body, aiming for the eyes? Let me tell you, if our athletes suffer any health problems because of this, I'll never forgive you!"
The referee looked slightly hesitant, whispered something to the other referees, and then turned back to speak.
"Our referee team will discuss it and give you an answer later."
"What's there to discuss? It's a foul, isn't that a clear fact?! Your arena looks clean, but it's actually filthy!"
As the head coach of the women's team, Wan Jing is usually reserved and serious, and rarely has the chance to yell and curse like this. Because of his position, his words naturally aroused dissatisfaction from the South Korean team.
"What are you saying?! This was an accident. Nobody knew the ball would hit her in the eye. Besides, didn't Choi Hye-hee already apologize to her? As the coach, why are you still swearing at her?!"
Jian Changnian sat there, holding an ice pack to her eyes, listening to the farce over there. She found it quite amusing and couldn't help but curl her lips in a mocking smile.
He apologized, but what kind of apology was he giving? He rattled off a whole bunch of things in Korean, which she couldn't understand anyway.
"What time is it? How can you still laugh?" Xie Shi'an looked at her right eye with concern.
"Remove the ice pack and let the team doctor take a look."
Jian Changnian obediently put her hand down. The team doctor tried to pry open her eyelids with his hand to take a closer look with an electric pen, but even after applying the ointment for a while, the swelling was still severe, and she felt pain whenever it was touched.
"hiss……"
The team doctor had no choice but to wave the test pen around.
How are you feeling now?