MTL - The Gold is Yours, You Are Mine-Chapter 1 era
Tokyo New National Stadium.
Although it was already afternoon and the sun was scorching hot, the spectators waiting to enter the venue still lined up in a long line.
The young girl with a ponytail ran out of the convenience store on the side of the road holding two popsicles, rushed across the road, and stuffed them straight into the hands of her fellow travelers.
"Here, here you are. It's a scorching hot day, but I'm dying of the sun. Why can't I enter the arena? I really want to watch Jane Changnian play!"
The companion smiled, put the small national flag waving in his hand back into the backpack, freed his hand to grab the popsicle, and pouted around: "I guess, more than half of the people came for her this afternoon."
There are many Chinese in Tokyo, and Jian Changnian is the number one seed player of the national badminton team, there are not a few people who like her.
If she can win this match, then she will be the first professional female badminton player in the country to win a Grand Slam, and naturally it is highly anticipated.
Someone nearby heard their conversation, and several young people also came over: "Are you also here to watch Jane Changnian's competition?"
As soon as he opened his mouth, it was an authentic Beijing movie, and several people laughed together.
"Yes, yes, I came from Hokkaido, how about you?"
"Me? I flew over from our country."
…
Several people exchanged pleasantries, and then chatted about today's game. The girl who spoke first looked at her watch, and sighed that it was time to enter.
"But her opponent today is Jin Nanzhi. In the Rio Olympics four years ago, Jian Changnian lost to her. Even Xie Shi'an, who was ranked number one in the world at the time, and now the head coach of the women's team, Xie Dui... "
The companion next to her poked her arm: "Why do you think so much, the audience can enter the arena, no matter whether you win or lose, this is a once-in-a-lifetime top-notch duel."
The gate of the stadium opened slowly, as if opening up another passionate new world.
People of different skin colors scattered like birds and beasts.
The young people on the opposite side of the road were quietly waiting for the traffic lights, and they walked over slowly when the crowd had almost dispersed.
The woman was in her twenties, wearing a simple sports T-shirt and a white peaked cap. A black mask covered most of her features, only revealing her clear eyes.
The woman walked to the place where the crowd gathered just now, bent slightly and picked up the five-star red flag left on the ground, brushed off the dust on it, folded it, and put it in her trouser pocket.
When she bent over, her arms were slender, and the line of her back supported a clear and smooth shape on the clothes.
After getting up, the woman looked up at the towering egg-shaped building in front of her, then turned and walked to the athlete-only passage on the other side.
The preparatory work before the Olympic Games is very cumbersome, especially there are two finals this afternoon, men's singles and women's singles, which not only test the skills, but also test the mentality of the athletes.
The athletes were extremely nervous, and the coaching staff naturally couldn't be idle. After the tactical discussion meeting, Xie Shi'an was stopped by someone: "Shi'an stay here, and the others go to prepare for the battle."
Xie Shi'an turned around, with a job card hanging around his neck, with the words "head coach" shining brightly.
The person who spoke was their team leader Wan Jing, who is now over fifty years old. Before coming to Tokyo, he deliberately dyed the two white hairs at the temples black, making him look much younger.
Xie Shi'an is the talent he recruited into the national team and the coach he promoted exceptionally. Not only does he have a relationship between superiors and subordinates, but he also has a mentor-student relationship. At this time, his eyes softened when he looked at her, and he inevitably had hidden worries.
"Is Chang Nian here?"
Xie Shi'an looked at his watch, but he wasn't too worried: "According to the time, it should be here."
It stands to reason that Jian Changnian was going to go with the main force, but in order to prepare for the East Olympics, he worked overtime almost every day to train until late at night.
Xie Shi'an wanted her to sleep more.
She couldn't hide her thoughts from Wan Jing.
People are their own people, and distressed ones belong to distressed ones.
Wan Jing still sighed and said: "You know, Chang Nian absolutely can't lose this match, so many pairs of eyes watching, not only for honor, for you, for herself, and..."
He didn't finish his sentence.
Xie Shi'an lowered his eyes and nodded slightly.
"I know that her opponent today is very strong."
Xie Shi'an became famous at a young age, and was once known as a genius girl. She has won countless championships in her short decades of professional career. This kind of experience made her arrogant and arrogant. In her eyes, being able to be praised as a strong opponent by her is naturally not a cheap lamp.
She spoke plainly, but Wan Jing noticed that Xie Shi'an's hand hanging by his side tightly squeezed the ballpoint pen in the palm.
It is true that she has won many championships, large and small competitions, trophies, medals, certificates, all kinds of things are almost filling the wall.
But she is one Olympic champion short of a Grand Slam.
At the Rio Olympics four years ago, the women's doubles team formed by her and Jian Changnian went all the way to the final, but lost 1-2 to Jin Nanzhi and her partner.
After that, she left for the United States, Jin Nanzhi switched to singles, and Jian Changnian followed suit.
For the three of them, that match was an important turning point in each other's lives, and for Jian Changnian, there were even more reasons why they must win.
So this time, in order to prepare for the East Olympics, Jian Changnian conducted more than a year of closed training under the arrangement of Xie Shi'an. In order to keep the tactics secret and to prevent the opponent from knowing her style of play, she almost did not participate in domestic competitions. , and the outcome of the confrontation with Jin Nanzhi in international competitions is 40-60.
Jian Chang read four, Jin Nan Zhi six.
Wan Jing told her that firstly, he was worried about them, and secondly, he wanted to find out. After all, Xie Shi'an was recommended by him. Nothing could be pried out of her mouth, so she sighed and waved: "You go."
Xie Shi'an nodded slightly, then turned and left. She opened the door a crack to let the sunlight in, and then turned around and said something.
"Old Yan said that good coaches and athletes achieve each other. This is not only a Changnian game, but also mine. I will let Jin Nanzhi know that her era is over."
When she said this, a palpitating fighting spirit flashed in her usually calm eyes.
For a moment, Wan Jing felt that Xie Shi'an, who was invincible in the field before, was back again.
Not knowing whether it was because of her words or the look in her eyes, Wan Jing's heart was also surging.
His hanging heart finally relaxed a little, and he looked at her with a smile: "I believe in you, Lao Yan and I will always be proud of you."
The corners of Xie Shi'an's lips curled slightly, and he returned a faint smile, opened the door and walked out.
locker room.
tick-tick
tick-tick
Jian Changnian turned off the faucet, wiped her face with a towel, turned around and walked towards the locker, opened the door of the locker, and a photo came into view.
In the photo, the smiling middle-aged man is holding the two children on one side and the other on the right. The older one with an unhappy face dragging two to five to eighty thousand is Xie Shi'an, and the one who is not tall and thin is her.
Jian Changnian took out the photo, smiled, with nostalgic eyes, and gently put the photo into the pocket of his jacket.
"Crack—" With a soft sound, the door of the dressing room was pushed open.
"The game is about to begin."
Jian Changnian thought it was the staff who came to urge her, but who knew that Xie Shi'an came in person.
The cabinet door was still wide open, and Xie Shi'an was not blind, so of course he saw her put the photo in her pocket.
No matter where she goes to compete, she always takes Lao Yan with her.
Xie Shi'an sighed quietly in his heart.
Without waiting for her to speak again, Jian Changnian quickly closed the door of the cupboard, a little hastily, and made a piercing sound.
"I see, I'll go right away."
But at the moment, Xie Shi'an's attention was on the game, and he didn't notice her abnormality. Even if he noticed, he would probably think she was nervous.
as expected.
Xie Shi'an said: "Don't be too nervous, just perform at a normal level."
While talking, Jian Changnian took out the racket from the huge backpack and checked the equipment for the last time.
"Do you know what you are most similar to Lao Yan?"
"What?" Xie Shi'an raised his eyebrows.
"Whispering."
"..."
The moody head coach frantically managed his facial expressions.
Jian Changnian chuckled, put on her backpack and stood up: "Let's go, thank you for your guidance, let's go to the competition."
Xie Shi'an was pushed forward, but when she looked back, she saw that she was holding a pair of old rackets in her hands. The paint on the sides of this racket was a bit chipped. Although it didn't affect her performance, it was just not very beautiful.
Jane often misses athletes of this level. Every year, many sponsors rush to get her to use their own company's products, but such a major international competition can even be said to be the pinnacle of her career.
She actually brought a pair of old rackets over here, what is this guy doing, and this racket looks more and more familiar, isn't it the one she gave her many years ago.
Xie Shi'an turned his face away: "Why not use a new one?"
Jian Changnian smiled: "Hey, take advantage of it."
Xie Shi'an really wanted to expose her deception. They had done thousands or even tens of thousands of training sessions, simulating various emergencies during the game, including using various rackets.
No matter what kind of racket she uses, she can stably perform at her due level, and she is qualified to stand here.
In such a crucial game, she brought out an old racket, which can only show that the racket is as important as the game.
It's not that Xie Shi'an doesn't understand, but he can only pretend that he doesn't understand, and said calmly.
"Why do you still have it?"
"I've been playing with it since you went to America."
Jian Changnian is now standing next to her, already a head taller than her, and walking with his arms around her shoulders, Xie Shi'an raised his head slightly, and his eyes collided with each other. The man's eyes were a little teasing, but his eyes were burning , smiling nicely.
Xie Shi'an directly gave her an inverted elbow, knocking her away: "It's just a pair of rackets. If you win, I'll just give you another pair."
Although the actions are merciless, the words are somewhat warm.
Jian Changnian rubbed her stomach and frowned: "Hey - wait for me, what if I lose?"
"Losing? If you lose, you will practice for another four years, the kind that lasts all year round."
Jian Changnian let out a tragic wail: "Xie Shi'an, do you still have humanity!!"
During the conversation, Xie Shi'an walked very fast. When she walked, she strode like a star, her back was very straight, and she was not too short. Her whole figure was like a crisp and sharp sword, which was exactly the same as her temperament.
Over the years, she has also changed a lot. Because she no longer played games, she gradually grew her long hair and pulled a low ponytail behind her head. It was clean and beautiful, and the half of her neck exposed was slender and fair.
Jian Changnian was a little engrossed in watching, stroked the racket in his hand, and said in a low voice: "Hey, if I win, can I exchange it for a gift?"
After waiting for a long while for a response, Jian Changnian smiled self-deprecatingly, and had no choice but to quickly follow her, half a step behind.
Xie Shi'an suddenly stopped and looked back at her: "What gift do you want?"
The wind brought her words in from the corridor, and every word fell into Jian Changnian's heart.
She was suffocating for breathing, and she nervously fastened the flannel box in the other trouser pocket.
Backlight couldn't see her expression clearly.
Xie Shi'an asked again patiently: "Ask you, what gift do you want? Speaking of which, we have known each other for so many years, and we really haven't given you many gifts."
Yes, we met when we were young and have been friends for many years, but because we are familiar with each other, some words are difficult to say.
Jian Changnian relaxed and spread her hands: "Luxury cars, villas, swimming pools, and airplanes, you can choose one."
Xie Shi'an put on a fake smile: "There are no luxury cars, villas, swimming pools, and planes, only a luxurious four-piece suit for physical training."
Jian Changnian screamed, and the two quarreled as they walked: "Help!! How can there be such a coach who avenges his own private revenge!!"
***
"Look, it's Jian Changnian, she's come out!"
There were still five minutes before the official start of the game. The moment the group entered the field, bursts of cheers erupted in the huge stadium, and the left stand was almost full of enthusiastic spectators, a sea of red.
Following the cheers, Jian Changnian raised her head, showed a trademark smile, and waved her hand towards the stands. Before she could recover, another door opened, and a team came in. The leading woman in dark clothes The golden South Korean team uniform is about the same size as her. When passing by Jian Changnian, she turned a blind eye to her opponent today. Instead, she stopped beside Xie Shi'an and looked at her slightly.
"Thank you coach, long time no see."
"I just saw it at the World Championships a while ago." Xie Shi'an didn't bother to talk to her, so his reply was a little sharp, and he was about to leave after speaking.
Jin Nanzhi didn't evade, he was still smiling, but he was clearly mocking them.
"Ah, what a pity, the opponent in the World Championships is not you, otherwise you can fight back and forth, and you won't be swept out 3-0."
The distance is close, and Jin Nanzhi's Chinese is very idiomatic, and Jian Changnian can hear it clearly.
She lost that game, but winning or losing in competitive sports is a common matter in military affairs, who can guarantee that she will never be defeated?
What's more, Xie Shi'an has her tactical arrangements.
If so, the big competition is coming soon, facing this provocation, Jian Changnian's youthful heart suddenly improved, he gritted his teeth, took a step forward, stared at the other party, and was about to say something when Xie Shi'an grabbed his shoulders .
From the audience's point of view, it was just an interaction between athletes and coaches, but in fact, only Xie Shi'an knew how hard it took to hold her down.
Xie Shi'an remained calm, and he was much calmer than Jian Changnian's hot-tempered personality: "The competition is about to start, let's go."
Jin Nanzhi watched them leave, with regret in his eyes, and whispered: "It's a pity, the Rio Olympics four years ago was actually the last game between us..."
Xie Shi'an ignored her and dragged Jian Changnian to the coach's bench before letting go.
Jian Changnian threw the backpack on the seat with a little annoyance, sat down to drink water, drank half of the bottle, and then wiped the corners of her lips.
"Why are you stopping me? Can't I scold her if I can't do it?!"
"Is the game more important or personal grievances? What's more, you also know that she has that personality, deliberately provoking you and messing with your mentality."
"I..." Jian Changnian choked, looked at her former partner, and slowly lowered her head.
"She's right, and I'm also very sorry that I couldn't play another game with you..."
"Jian Changnian." Xie Shi'an rarely called her full name.
Jian Changnian raised her head, and Xie Shi'an stretched out her fist, just like countless days and nights of fighting side by side.
"Although we can't stand with you, we..." She lightly tapped her chest with her empty left hand.
"The hearts are connected."
Because of the same mind, it doesn't matter who is standing on the field.
Decades of tacit understanding has long given them a tacit understanding, and the two are like one person.
And precisely because of this connection, she must not lose.
Jian Changnian finally laughed, stood up and fisted her: "Come on!"
***
Jian Changnian's angry roar also ignited the audience, and the sound of cheering suddenly shook the sky.
"Ladies and gentlemen, the women's badminton singles final is next. Let's invite Jian Changnian and Jin Nanzhi from both sides to enter..."
As the radio sounded, Jian Changnian picked up the racket and walked towards the center of the court.
As usual, athletes from the two countries would shake hands before the game. Jin Nanzhi walked to the net with a smile, extended his hand to her "friendly", and said in a voice that only two people could hear: "If I were you, I would retire and never play again. Now, so as not to embarrass yourself by coming out."
After the incident just now, Jian Changnian knew that this person was deliberately provoking her, just using tricks.
Xie Shi'an's exhortations are still in my ears, because she is in a good mood because of that sentence "the heart is connected".
Jian Changnian showed a wanton smile, gently held the other's hand, and quickly let go.
"Not only will I not retire, but I will also defeat you and become number one in the world. The era that belongs to Kim Nam-ji has come to an end from now on."