"Are you crazy? If this gets out, my career will be ruined!"
Choi Hye-hee noticed the hesitation in his eyes.
"She had surgery recently, right? It's normal to have some medication residue in her body after surgery. As long as you do it discreetly, who will suspect you? Everyone will just think that she was careless."
Hiding behind the tree, Jian Changnian gritted her teeth, her right hand clenched into a fist, her nails digging deep into her flesh without her noticing.
Choi Hye-hee was still talking to herself.
“If she doesn’t retire, you’ll never get ahead in the Chinese team. Coaches will always compare you to her, and Jian Changnian will never give you a second glance.”
"Whether you take this gamble or continue being a coward, the choice is yours."
In the darkness, the two stared at each other for a long time. Gao Jian still didn't take the bag from her hand. Cui Huixi's lips curled into a sarcastic smile. As she turned to leave, a hand grabbed her.
Gao Jian raised his head, his expression sinister and crazed.
"This medicine... is colorless and odorless, right?"
"Of course."
Jian Changnian returned empty-handed. Xie Shi'an opened the door for her. Her face was pale, and she stood outside the door, looking rather strange.
"Why did it take you so long?"
She had barely uttered a question when Jian Changnian, his eyes red, rushed over and pulled her into his arms.
Xie Shi'an paused for a moment, and after feeling her trembling slightly, he slowly raised his hand and hugged her back, asking softly.
"What's wrong?"
She just... just felt so sorry for Xie Shi'an.
She was such a simple and pure person, full of passion and sincerity, fighting on the field she loved, only wanting to win the Grand Slam, fulfill her mentor's last wish, and win glory for the country, but she endured countless open and hidden attacks time and time again.
"A common man is innocent, but possessing a treasure is a crime." Just because she is... exceptionally talented and brilliant, does that mean she deserves to be treated this way?
Jian Chang buried his thoughts in her neck, clenching his teeth until his throat was filled with the taste of blood, before forcing back his tears.
She had never hugged her like that before, with such force that it felt as if she were about to crush every bone in her body.
Xie Shi'an winced in pain and frowned, but he couldn't bear to push her away, letting her hug him and vent her emotions.
"Is it because...you're going to fight me?"
After thinking it over, this was the only reason she could come up with.
Jian Changnian sniffed, still not looking up, afraid that she would see that she was crying: "Mm."
Xie Shi'an patted her on the back.
"Please promise me something, okay?"
"you say."
"Don't hold back during the game."
Jian Changnian was stunned for a moment, her whole body stiffened, and the hand that was gripping her clothes suddenly lost its strength.
Xie Shi'an noticed this and hugged the person even tighter: "This Olympics is also very important to you..."
As soon as she finished speaking, Jian Changnian pushed her away.
"So it's not important to you?!"
Xie Shi'an lowered his hands and gently lowered his eyes.
"I mean, in case, in case the two of us lose to Kim Namji and Choi Hye-hee, at least... at least one of us needs to retain the ability to compete for the singles gold medal, I..."
In the past, she would have stepped up without hesitation, but now, along the way, although she was reluctant to admit it, she knew better than anyone that her condition had indeed been affected by injuries and was declining little by little.
“There’s no chance of anything going wrong, we will win!” Jian Changnian held her shoulder and said solemnly, “We definitely will.”
"Competitive sports are never certain, but there are always unforeseen circumstances."
Xie Shi'an raised his head and stared at her intently, his eyes reddening.
"If this really is my last Olympics, then I hope that my best partner and my best opponent will both be you."
Jian Changnian stood there, her lips trembling, tears streaming down her face.
Xie Shi'an looked at her and smiled, then opened his arms and pulled her into his embrace.
On this night, after witnessing so much darkness, only Xie Shi'an was her salvation.
Jian Changnian leaned on her shoulder, hugging her tightly, letting her tears flow freely.
***
The next day, they received a notification from the Organizing Committee that due to equipment and venue debugging issues, the doubles finals, originally scheduled for the following day, had been moved to tonight. This meant that Xie Shi'an and her team would have to play two matches in a row. Wan Jing had tried to communicate with them, but there was really nothing they could do.
He returned with a sigh, but Xie Shi'an smiled and said, "It's alright, it's not like we're playing consecutively. We can rest at noon after playing in the morning, so it's good to finish early."
"That's true, but this year's competition format and draw are really not favorable to us at all."
The audience gradually entered the venue, and with the competition about to begin, Wan Jing looked around and asked, "Where's Chang Nianren? Hasn't he arrived yet?"
Xie Shi'an's smile faded slightly.
"When I arrived, she said she would be leaving a little later."
Actually, he just didn't want to face today's game.
The South Korean team's rest area.
Kim Nam-ji also has a match today, but he went to warm up.
After hearing that the doubles finals had been rescheduled, Park Min-heon became even more smug.
"It's like heaven is on our side! How's the thing I asked you to do going?"
Choi Hye-hee walked over and sat on his lap in a coquettish manner.
"Don't worry, not to mention how much physical exertion she will have to endure from playing two matches in a row, even if she wins, if she is found to have used performance-enhancing drugs, her reputation will be ruined."
Before the match started, Lü Xiaoting remembered that she had left her phone in the lounge. She hurriedly ran back to get it, but saw a familiar person at the door.
"Senior brother, what are you doing here?"
Gao Jian pulled his hand back from the doorknob.
"Oh, I came to see if you were there."
"I was just about to go watch the game when I suddenly remembered I forgot my phone. I'll come back to get it. Let's go watch the game together."
As she spoke, she pushed open the door and went inside. She found her phone on the sofa and noticed that Xie Shi'an's water glass was still on the table. She must have forgotten to bring it too, so she took it to her.
When Gao Jian saw her pick up the water glass, his expression turned serious, but after a moment he smiled as usual: "Okay, I have nothing to do anyway, the competition isn't until this afternoon."
"Here you go, Sister An, I've brought you your water cup." Lü Xiaoting handed her the water cup.
"Thank you."
Just as she finished warming up and felt a bit thirsty, she unscrewed the bottle cap and was about to take a sip when Jian Changnian cut in between the two of them. She was quick and bumped into Xie Shi'an's wrist.
The water glass fell to the ground.
"What are you talking about? It's so lively."
Lü Xiaoting turned around and smiled.
"I thought you weren't going to come today."
"How could that be? We're still coming, right, Shi'an?"
Xie Shi'an remained noncommittal, only raising his eyebrows slightly. Jian Changnian snapped out of her reverie and took out a water bottle from her bag.
"It's all spilled, drink mine instead."
Xie Shi'an snatched it away in annoyance, unscrewed the cap, and took a sip. The two of them didn't think it was a big deal.
Lü Xiaoting gasped.
"Indirect kissing!"
"Cough...cough cough..." Xie Shi'an hadn't even swallowed a mouthful of water when his face turned red, and he almost choked to death.
Jian Changnian looked at the half-smear of lipstick on the bottle opening and felt a little flustered. She took the water glass back, screwed on the cap, put it in her bag, and pulled Xie Shi'an away.
"Wh...what nonsense! The competition has started, let's go, let's go."
The two men bumped fists at the net as usual, but this time they stood on opposite sides.
Xie Shi'an: "Remember what I said last night."
Jian Changnian pursed her lips, her gaze darkening slightly.
"Understood, I will do my best."
Jiang Yunli will still be the commentator for this match.
"What are your thoughts on today's match, Mr. Jiang?"
"When two tigers fight, one will surely be injured."
"Yes, the weather was not cooperating. Only one of the two could make it to the finals, even though they both had the ability to compete for gold."
As they were talking, the referee blew his whistle.
"Alright, without further ado, let the match officially begin. Let's enjoy this clash of titans together!"
On the field, the usual tacit understanding becomes a sharp sword aimed at the opponent's most fatal weakness.
Xie Shi'an was extremely familiar with her playing style, even more so than she was with herself.
"It's a pity that Jian Changnian missed this ball."
"Xie Shi'an saw through all her feints."
"There were still some mistakes. This is her first time on the Olympic stage as a starting player. I hope she can continue to work hard and not leave any regrets," Jiang Yunli said.
Xie Shi'an could, of course, see that she was distracted.
The second game started with an increasingly fierce offensive.
She used a body shot, which is not commonly used in matches, and smashed the ball into Jian Changnian's wrist.
Her entire arm went numb instantly, the racket slipped from her hand, she took two steps back, and gritted her teeth.