The Gold is Yours, You Are Mine: Chapter 102 Homecoming
The badminton competition system of this year's Olympic Games has been greatly changed compared with previous years. The group stage has been added. Among them, the top 16 players in the world are divided into 16 different groups as seed players, so as to avoid the badminton competition that has not yet been played. There is a possibility of an early upset in the semi-finals, but this also means that the overall schedule is very long, and the game time becomes very intensive, which increases the physical burden of the players. [1]
As soon as the IBF released the news of the change of the competition system, Wan Jing was really relieved, which meant that Xie Shi'an didn't have to meet Jin Nanzhi in the first round of the group stage.
After the first day of the game, everyone lived in peace.
Xie Shi'an played two games a day and won all of them.
At the same time, Jin Nanzhi also ended the game, and their avatars and scores were shown on the big screen, both 2:0.
There was loud applause in the stadium.
Jian Changnian was the first to rush up and was about to hug her, but was separated by someone holding a racket: "Why, my whole body is sweaty and sticky."
Jian Chang wanted to laugh a little heartlessly.
"Winning your first Olympic victory, isn't this a celebration for you?"
Xie Shi'an also bent the corner of his lips, and threw his ball bag to her: "Take it, won't you win two group matches, what's there to be happy about, I'm hungry, go eat."
There are two rackets, two pairs of sneakers, some quick-drying clothes, a pile of hand gel, and three bottles of water in her golf bag. These are all fixed configurations for her to go out to play games, and they are as heavy as a bomb. .
Throwing it over suddenly, Jian Changnian's waist was almost broken, and the one who was holding her was also carrying his own, stumbling and stumbling.
"Hey, wait for me, come to London with me, I'm here to be your follower!"
"Isn't this obvious?"
"I'm an entourage, not a follower!!"
"attendant."
"I told you I'm not a follower!"
"Follower." Xie Shian shrugged calmly.
Jian Chang's lungs were about to explode, dragging two extremely heavy ball bags, chasing after her footsteps, screaming upwards.
"Xie Shi'an, I'm going to call Coach Yan and say you're bullying me!!"
Looking at the back of Xie Shi'an and his group leaving the venue, Park Minxian's eyes were thoughtful. It's really tricky. After defeating Yin Jiayi, another Xie Shi'an came. According to the current competition system, although she and Nan Zhi will not be in the group We met in the game, but it will be a matter of time before we reach the final.
In any case, he must win this precious gold medal for Nan Zhi and the Korean team.
Time flies, especially when playing games. In the blink of an eye, the group stage is over. Xie Shi'an and Jin Nanzhi have successfully entered the top 16 of the women's singles with a record of victory in the group stage.
She played games during the day and had night training at night. Under such high-intensity training, Xie Shi'an came back to the room every day with a sore back and a sore back. When she lay down on the bed, she didn't want to move, feeling weak.
"Bean sprouts, come and rub my shoulders."
Jian Changnian is not only an entourage, but also a follower, and even a training partner. When she came back from the training room with her, her buttocks were still hot.
"Hey, who's your name? I'm tired too, let the team doctor stretch you."
Xie Shi'an buried his head in the pillow and said in a drawn out voice.
"Ah, I don't want to get up again, the bed is so soft, Chang Nian..."
"..."
Speak as you speak, can you stop being coquettish?
Jian Changnian felt awkward for a while, struggling violently in her heart, suddenly her eyes lit up, the opportunity came, and she climbed onto the bed eagerly, planning to give her a trick of the nine-yin white bone claw, so that she would know that society is dangerous, and that she is not Very bullying.
She thought so in her heart, when her hand fell on her back, Xie Shi'an turned her head and glanced at her, her dark pupils were extra gentle under the dim light, and there was a hint of a smile in her voice.
"Just the part below the shoulder and the waist. I don't know if I sprained it during today's game. It hurts so much."
Looking at each other, Jian Changnian unconsciously slowed down his strength.
"is this OK?"
"Hiss..." Xie Shi'an frowned, wondering if it was something that made her feel a little uncomfortable.
"I'll take off my clothes, and you can put a plaster on it for me."
She took off her short sleeves and only wore a sports bra underneath. She showed her good figure, her back muscles were tight and graceful, her narrow waist, and the waistcoat line extended to her buttocks.
Her skin is very fair and has a jade-like texture under the lamp.
After waiting for a long time to move, Xie Shi'an turned sideways and raised his head: "Why—"
Before he finished speaking, he was slapped back by someone.
"Lie down."
Jian Changnian came back to her senses, bit her lip, and then gently massaged her with her hands, relaxing the muscles in her shoulders, neck, back and back.
Xie Shi'an just wanted to scold someone, but felt that she was pressing really well, with moderate strength, and found the position very well, and most importantly, he was very relaxed in front of her, and there was no burden in his heart when he undressed, and he squinted comfortably His eyes were closed, and he was a little drowsy.
She thought about it, forget it, I don't want to bully her today, for the sake of giving her a massage.
"You said your back hurts, where does it hurt?"
Xie Shi'an pointed her to the approximate location with his hands behind his back.
"this one."
Lumbar fossa, near the end of the tailbone.
"Really, then why didn't you tell the team doctor earlier." Jian Changnian poured a little essential oil into her hand, planning to use it.
Xie Shi'an lay down with his eyes half closed.
"It's not a big problem."
The air conditioner in the room was turned on low, and her fingers felt a little cool. When they touched the sensitive skin on her waist for the first time, Xie Shi'an was so excited that she couldn't help but tightened the quilt under her body, and blurted out.
Jian Changnian's scalp exploded instantly, as if she was some kind of scourge, she rolled out of bed and rushed into the bathroom.
"You press it yourself, I... I'm going to take a shower!"
"Hey, hey, at least put a plaster on me before leaving!"
Xie Shi'an called her several times from behind, but the only answer was the rushing water in the bathroom.
She shook her head helplessly, so she sat up, took out the plaster brought from China from the bedside table, walked to the full-length mirror, put her hands behind her back, twisted her arms, sweated herself, and managed to stick the plaster in the right place.
"Ah, really, what kind of nerves did you suddenly have?"
When Jian Changnian came back from the shower, she was already lying on the bed and fell asleep. For some reason, she quietly breathed a sigh of relief, walked around her on tiptoe, went back to her bed and lay down, and turned off the lamp.
As the schedule enters the second half, the Wembley Stadium is overcrowded every day. Today is a 16-to-8 match. Xie Shi'an still finished it easily. Jin Nanzhi also defeated another Chinese player 2-0. Successfully entered the top 8.
When she returned to the rest area, her teammates were all gathered together, and the girl who had just lost the game sat in the middle, crying miserably.
"What's wrong?"
She asked a question, and someone immediately said indignantly.
"Isn't it all the fault of Kim Nam-ji of the South Korean team? If you lose the game, you lose. Xiaoting wanted to go to her to sign an autograph, but she was ridiculed. It's useless that the Yin team was so good to her when she was here!"
This Lu Xiaoting was just promoted from the second team this year. She was about the same age as Jian Changnian. It was also her first time to participate in the Olympics. Holding the autograph book, her eyes were red and she was crying.
"It's okay...it's all my fault...the skills are inferior to others."
"Then she can't bully people like this! No seals, no ball conceded, look, you kindly ask her for an autograph, what are these paintings!"
If the strength of the two sides is too great, especially in this kind of 2:0 match, the winning side will generally give up one or two goals symbolically, so as not to embarrass the opponent. This is already an unwritten rule in the game.
Xie Shi'an took the notebook in Lu Xiaoting's hand and opened it to read. Not only did he not sign her, but he also drew a big turtle to insinuate that she was shy in the game.
Although they are not particularly familiar with the people of the national team, they have been training together for such a long time anyway. As soon as the young man's temper comes up, he throws away the autograph book and wants to discuss it with Jin Nanzhi.
Seeing that the situation was not right, a group of people rushed to grab her, and Jian Changnian held her arm tightly: "Shi'an! Don't go, the referee is watching, and the media is also filming."
There are still cameras on the sidelines, and the audience has not left yet.
The South Korean team also noticed the movement. A few players whispered something next to Jin Nanzhi's ear. She was packing her ball bag, stopped her movements, chewed gum, and turned her head to show a nasty smile. It was clearly saying: Come and hit me if you have the guts.
Xie Shi'an pushed Jian Changnian's hand away, gritted his teeth, and said word by word: "Since this is the case, we don't have to be polite to them when we meet the South Korean team in the next game, let's play the ball to death. "
***
"Let us congratulate Canadian player Anton for taking the lead in advancing to the semi-finals."
"Let us congratulate Kim Nam-ji for advancing to tomorrow's quarter-finals with his record of unbeaten victories in this Olympic Games so far."
"It has to be said that since the World Championships, Xie Shi'an has shown a strong dominance in badminton individual singles events."
"I just did a rough calculation. From the World Championships to the Asian Cup and then to the London Olympics, she hasn't lost a big game. So far, her winning percentage is 100 percent."
"In tomorrow's game, she will face Canadian player Anton, and Jin Nanzhi will face the Indian player who won the previous game, Katia, who is currently ranked fourth in the world. Let us wait and see!"
As the commentary came to an end, Jin Nanzhi, who had just finished the game, came to talk to her for the first time.
As soon as she opened her mouth, her tone was full of sarcasm.
"It's a pity, I thought I could kill you in the group stage."
Xie Shi'an packed his golf bag and didn't plan to talk to her.
"Even if you meet in the group stage, it's just that you are eliminated early. If you drag it to the final, the result will be the same."
"You—" Jin Nanzhi was anxious, and stepped forward to block her way: "Don't think that you drove Yin Jiayi away, you are number one in the world!"
As soon as she mentioned Yin Jiayi, Xie Shi'an became very angry, raised his eyes suddenly, and bent his lips contemptuously.
"Why did she retire? You know it in your heart. Also, I have beaten her twice, how about you?"
What she said was ambiguous, Jin Nanzhi thought she was talking about Yin Jiayi breaking up with her and going to get married, and happened to poke her sore spot, and immediately gritted his teeth, wishing to tear her alive.
"Sooner or later, I will surpass her points, and also surpass you, and become the real number one in the world!"
After playing the game all day, Xie Shi'an was a little hungry, so he didn't want to entangle with people anymore, so he pushed them away.
"Get out of the way, don't get in the way, save your words for the finals."
***
After the game, in order to celebrate the Korean team's successful entry into the semi-finals, Park Min-heon held a simple party in his room, and other members of the coaching staff also came, sitting cross-legged on the ground and cooking the army pot.
He was blushing while drinking from his glass, and his neck was thick, and other coaches also complimented him: "Thanks to Coach Park, Nan Zhi has such a good result this time. Nan Zhi entered the semi-finals, and our Korean team entered the semi-finals." Qiang, come on, cheers to the semi-finals, cheers to Coach Park!"
A group of people touched their glasses together, and Park Minxian's face was flushed red, while waving his hands and saying that he couldn't drink anymore, at the same time he would not refuse anyone who came.
During the meeting, it was inevitable to talk about the game, and someone started a conversation.
"It shouldn't be a problem for Nan Zhi to beat that Indian player. It would be great if Xie Shi'an lost to Anton in the quarter-finals. In this way, he won't have to meet her in the final, and the gold medal will be guaranteed."
"Didn't Xie Shi'an beat Anton? I don't think so."
"Oh, I can only bless our Nan Zhi's extraordinary performance."
"Hahaha, then I will bless Xie Shi'an for making a major mistake. It would be better if he didn't make it to the final."
Park Minxian poured himself another glass of wine, held it up to touch them, and smiled intentionally or unintentionally.
"I heard that Xie Shi'an's head coach didn't come with her this time, and they were inseparable during the World Championships. The Olympics won't come."
;***
After returning to the Olympic Village, the two went to the cafeteria to eat.
Jian Changnian: "What did Gang Jin Nanzhi tell you?"
Xie Shi'an held the dishes on the plate.
"It's the same old way, come here to show off your power as usual before the game."
Jian Chang thought for a while: "I watched her compete this time, and her strength is much stronger than before. There shouldn't be any problem in the final, right?"
Xie Shi'an choked, and hit her on the head with the other end of the chopsticks: "Are you okay, I beat her with appendicitis and high fever during the World Championships, let alone now."
Jian Changnian covered her forehead and smiled sarcastically: "I'm not worried about you."
"Don't worry, as long as there are no major mistakes, such as my heart attack, cerebral hemorrhage, sudden fainting and unable to fight anymore, beating her is still a piece of cake."
"Bah, bah, what are you talking about!" Seeing that her words became more and more outrageous, Jian Changnian hurriedly stopped her words.
"But yes, you can play against Team Yin, let alone her. I have to call Coach Yan and report the good news that you have entered the semifinals."
As she spoke, she put the phone on the table, pressed the speakerphone, and the ring rang twice before being picked up by Coach Liang.
"Oh, it's Chang Nian, what can I do with Lao Yan?"
Jian Changnian smiled: "It's nothing, I just want to tell him that Shi'an has entered the semi-finals. If there is no accident, it should be no problem to play Jin Nanzhi the day after tomorrow."
There was a hint of joy in Coach Liang's voice.
"Old Yan is teaching, and the mobile phone is left with me. When the training is over, I will tell him."
"Hey, good." Jian Changnian replied crisply.
"Then I won't tell you. You and Coach Yan should pay attention to your health. We will show you what the gold medal looks like when we go back."
After the phone hung up, Xie Shi'an said, "Why are you speaking on my behalf?"
Jian Changnian frowned and smiled.
"Because I know that's what you think."
Xie Shi'an was eating, with a trace of emotion in his eyes.
"I just thought, it's not easy for Coach Yan. I just want to get an Olympic gold medal all my life. I must fulfill this dream for him."
Jian Changnian gave her the chicken legs in his bowl.
"Then eat quickly, I will practice with you after eating."
At that time, Xie Shi'an was still immersed in the dream of being a champion, and she didn't know what it means to be full when the moon is full, and when the water is full, it will overflow. Fate made her fall hard at the London Olympics, and she almost fell into a slump.
When they were practicing hard in the training room, Jin Nanzhi also did not rest. After finishing the physical training, he started to hit the wall again.
The teammates packed up their things and were ready to leave.
"Nan Zhi, there is still a game tomorrow, so go back early."
Jin Nanzhi didn't turn his head: "Go back first."
"Let's go, let's go first."
The teammate wanted to say something, but was dragged away.
"Do you feel that Nan Zhi seems to be a different person?"
"She's been like this since she came back from China, and now I don't even dare to talk to her."
"Didn't she cry a little girl from the second team that day, just because someone mentioned that Yin Jiayi is her idol?"
"Speaking of Yin Jiayi, why did she suddenly retire?"
"Then who knows, but anyway, if Yin Jiayi hadn't retired, Nan Zhi wouldn't have made it to the semi-finals so easily."
…
Jin Nanzhi slammed the ball against the wall with such force that the racket in his hand flew out, hit the wall with a bang, and fell to the ground.
Standing in the empty training room, her eyes were slightly red.
***
After hanging up the phone, Coach Liang stood outside the ICU, and through the transparent glass, he mouthed Yan Xinyuan who was lying inside.
Yan Xinyuan looked back, his eyes seemed a little dazed, white mist appeared on the oxygen mask, Coach Liang thought for a while, turned on the phone, edited the text message, enlarged the font, and pasted it on the glass.
"Chang Nian said that Shi'an has entered the semi-finals, and the opponent in the final will be Jin Nanzhi without accident, so there should be no problem."
Only then did Yan Xinyuan show a gratified smile on his face.
Coach Liang took the phone back, typed, and then posted it in the same way: "You have to work hard."
Yan Xinyuan saw it and nodded slightly. Wearing an oxygen mask and several infusion tubes attached to the back of his hand, he tremblingly raised his left hand and gave him a thumbs up.
Coach Liang also smiled and gave him one back.
***
It has been more than three months since he played against Anton in the last World Championships. When Anton saw her again, he was much friendlier than before, and he took the initiative to come over to shake her hand.
"To be honest, I have been studying you all this time, in order to beat you in the Olympics today."
Xie Shi'an couldn't understand what she was talking about, maybe she was talking harshly, but even though she couldn't understand, she remembered that at the World Championships last time, she relied on her status as an old senior to incite the audience Booing, and calling himself the "sick man of East Asia".
Xie Shi'an pulled the corner of his lips slightly, not even bothering to stretch out his hands.
"Stop talking nonsense, let's start fighting."
Today is different.
Although it was an away game, there were also many fans who supported her and traveled all the way to London.
The stands are covered with Chinese red.
"Xie Shi'an, come on!!"
"Team China, invincible!!"
Amidst the shouts of mountains and tsunami, Xie Shi'an took a racket and strode onto the field with his head held high.
Here, she is the king.
Of course, there was no surprise in the ending. Anton lost to her 1:2. She played very tenaciously in the third round, which dragged on for a long time, which made Xie Shi'an feel a little troubled at one point, but fortunately, she won it smoothly. .
When the scoreboard came on, the audience was boiling, and the audience was chanting her name crazily. Xie Shi'an raised his arms to signal them to be quiet, then raised the net, and walked over to Anton who fell to the ground. Helped up.
Anton didn't seem to expect that she would come to pull him, with a trace of gratitude in his eyes, he held her hand and stood up.
"Thank you. You won."
Xie Shi'an understood this sentence, and a smile appeared on the corner of his lips.
"And you were awesome. Thanks."
Soon after she returned to the rest area, the results on the other side of the field came out. Jin Nanzhi defeated Indian player Katia 2:0. The voice of the commentary was impassioned and echoed throughout the audience.
"Let us congratulate Xie Shi'an and Jin Nanzhi for winning today's game and successfully meeting in the finals. In the last World Championships, Jin Nanzhi lost 1:2 to Xie Shi'an. After all, Jin Nanzhi came back from a desperate situation this time. To avenge the World Championships, it is Xie Shi'an who will continue to lead the show steadily and win her first Olympic champion! The winner will be announced tomorrow, let us wait and see!"
The voice of the commentary fell like a heavy hammer.
The two looked at each other from a distance across the badminton net.
There is war burning in each other's eyes.
***
On the day of the finals, Yan Xinyuan's mental health improved a lot. He ate some liquid food in the morning, and in the afternoon he rarely told the nurse that he wanted to wash his hair and change his clothes. He had lived here for more than half a month, and it was the first time the nurse saw him. I was so happy, so I wondered.
"Is there any happy event today? Or is your family coming to visit you?"
"No, I... my apprentice... the competition... the champion... no problem... I can't let her see me so sloppy when I come back, it's time to laugh at me."
He was lying on the bed with his head turned outward, letting the nurse wash his hair while chatting with each other.
"The one playing badminton...Xie Shi'an?"
"you know too?"
The nurse aunt smiled: "My son likes her very much. Every day after school, he goes home and finishes his homework. He either plays ball or watches TV to watch her games. Those who can qualify for the Olympics are not ordinary people."
There is no mobile phone or TV in the ICU, and the visiting hours are limited. All Yan Xinyuan’s sources of news about the outside world come from the few words of Coach Liang. When he heard the news about Xie Shi’an from other people, his eyes were red again, and his face was filled with relief. smile.
"Yeah, this kid...is really outstanding."
After the nurse finished washing his hair, Yan Xinyuan turned his head to look at the new set of national team coach uniforms sent by Coach Liang yesterday when he was about to change into a new hospital uniform. A jacket with a lapel collar, a golden dragon tattooed on the cuffs, and a five-star red flag rusted on the chest.
This is only worn when attending important occasions, such as attending the award ceremony of the team members who have won major international championships.
He touched the soft fabric with his hands, tears welling up in his eyes.
"Wear this."
After getting dressed, he tremblingly picked up the team emblem of the Coastal Province team, and finally pinned it to his chest.
Yan Xinyuan smiled: "Hey, that's right."
When Coach Liang came to visit him, he couldn't help but see him in this body, and his eyes turned red instantly.
"Old Yan, what are you doing?"
Yan Xinyuan leaned on the bed, and slowly handed him the letter he had written. He hadn't sat up to write for a long time, and he felt a little tired just for a while.
"I can't go to the scene, so I just treat it as a celebration of picking up the An, and, this letter, please pass it on to them for me."
Coach Liang's hand holding the envelope was shaking.
"They will be back soon, if you have anything to say, tell them in person."
As if Yan Xinyuan didn't hear what he said, he smiled and looked up at the void.
"Has the game... started?"
"No, it didn't start until 9:30 p.m. Beijing time."
"Oh, it's still early, I'm a little tired, I want to sleep for a while."
Coach Liang gently covered him with the quilt.
"Go to sleep, I'll be outside, and I'll tell you as soon as the game result comes out."
***
Xie Shi'an had a very long dream at night. In the dream, she seemed to be back when she was a child, carrying a schoolbag, running non-stop, shuttling through the pure white corridors of the hospital.
In front of him are pairs of adult feet walking up and down.
They opened their mouths and just said: "Your grandfather passed away. He was found at home this morning. He had a heart attack. You must mourn."
"No! Impossible! You lie!"
The little Xie Shi'an covered his ears, shouted hoarsely, pushed away the crowd, rushed into the ward, and lifted the white cloth covering the bed to have a look.
"Coach Yan!"
She bounced off the bed, still in shock.
"What's the matter, what's the matter?!" Jian Changnian was also frightened by her sudden yell, and sat up straight away, crawled over and shook her shoulder.
"Shi'an, Shi'an, did you have a nightmare?"
It was bright outside, and birds were faintly singing outside the window.
Xie Shi'an came back to his senses, propped his forehead with his hands, looked up at her, his eyes were slightly red, and he smiled wryly.
"Well, I dreamed that Coach Yan...is sick."
Jian Changnian breathed a sigh of relief.
"It's okay, it's okay, dreams are reversed, Coach Yan will definitely be teaching, waiting for us to go back and treat him to a celebration wine."
Xie Shi'an also smiled.
"what time is it?"
"Nine thirty in the morning, do you want to sleep for a while?"
Xie Shi'an shook his head, turned over and got out of bed.
"I'm going to take a shower, go to the venue early to prepare for the game, and go home directly after the game."
For some reason, she had a bad premonition, and began to return to her heart like an arrow.