Chapter 85 Relying on Me, I Will Be Her Relying On

Seeing Yang Yiyan slide back looking pale, Xia Yuezi didn't say much and simply draped her coat over her shoulders.

Yang Yiyan was covered in sweat and panting heavily. If it weren't for the waterproof and sweatproof cosmetics she was wearing, she would probably look like a big, dirty cat right now.

Sitting in the waiting area, Xia Yuezi told her about her performance just now: "Your stability was pretty good. After making a mistake, you were able to smoothly complete the 3F+3LO and the new jump. But what happened with your 3A? I thought you could have handled that."

The coaching staff anticipated that Yang Yiyan's performance would fluctuate greatly this season, so they placed high-difficulty jumps and the newly learned 2A+3T in the first half of the season. Compared to the Olympic season, they reduced one jump in the second half, leaving only three.

Yang Yiyan took out a tissue to wipe her sweat: "My knee joint hurt for a moment, it's probably a problem with the ligaments."

Upon hearing this, Xia Yuezi's expression immediately turned serious: "We'll have the team doctor take a look later."

Just then, the athletes' scores appeared on the big screen.

With a technical score of 74.28, a program component score of 65.37, a free skate score of 140.65, and a total score of 214.12, he is currently in first place.

Li Tan, sitting in front of the computer, chuckled for a while, but then looked worried after watching the two leave the camera.

He knew Yang Yiyan was injured, but he didn't know it had flared up now. He was worried about the upcoming match in China.

There's not much to worry about in pairs figure skating, it's just that the women's singles event is too inconsistent.

Zhang Mengyi did not participate in the World Championships after the Olympics due to injury. After undergoing surgery and recovering, she went abroad to train and only returned to China a few days before reporting to university, while also preparing for the China leg of the competition.

After leaving the provincial team, she could no longer use the ice rink, and she didn't want to see her former coach again. She could only play together at commercial ice rinks or rent club ice rinks, and she was even photographed by passing ice skating fans and uploaded to forums.

Before watching this video, Li Tan had also learned about Zhang Mengyi's recent situation.

Her coach and her parents didn't rush her to pick up the difficulty level again. Instead, they first used dietary supplements to bring her bone density back to the passing grade, and then gradually increased her physical training.

Judging from the video, Zhang Mengyi's advanced 33-degree leg muscles haven't fully returned yet, but compared to before, they are no longer like two thin chopsticks, and she looks more energetic.

Zhao Shuhua ran into Zhang Mengyi at the club and chatted with her. She heard that Zhang Mengyi's amenorrhea had improved, although it was still irregular.

Backstage at the Russian station, Xia Yuezi's brows were so furrowed they could crush an insect.

"Dr. Li, are you sure?"

Yang Yiyan's injury was to her anterior cruciate ligament in her knee. To be honest, the injury wasn't good, but it wasn't serious and didn't cause complications like arthritis. In addition, with the new season approaching, they chose to follow the doctor's advice and undergo conservative treatment. After resuming training, everything was normal.

But now, Dr. Li only needed to press on her with his hand to do a simple test, and Yang Yiyan gasped in pain. Afterwards, when he helped her stand up to do a tiptoe test, her right leg trembled noticeably.

Dr. Li pushed up his glasses, his expression serious: "It's possible that the tear has worsened. Generally speaking, a tear is very painful and is relatively easy for an individual to notice. However, this situation varies from person to person. It's also possible that the athlete's leg bones and muscles are more developed, and right now the knee is only red and swollen, and the pain level is not high, so she doesn't feel anything yet."

Yang Yiyan sat on a bench, her hands resting on her knees, and asked in a low voice, "So, am I going to have surgery now?"

"My advice is to get treatment as soon as possible. She has a ligament injury now. If it is left untreated for too long, the cartilage may wear down and become inflamed, which could then affect the meniscus or even the bones in her leg."

Xia Yuezi stood there for a while, her eyes filled with countless thoughts, then walked to a secluded spot and made a phone call back home.

The anterior cruciate ligament connects the femur and tibia, and can also affect the stability of the knee joint, even causing the knee to feel weak. Most importantly, ligament injuries are more difficult to heal completely than fractures.

The knee is a crucial part of figure skating that bears the impact of jumping and landing. If irreversible damage occurs in this area, it will be very difficult to climb any further.

When Li Tan received the call, he was still waiting to watch the upcoming awards ceremony. His voice sounded particularly cheerful: "Xia, I watched the Russian leg. Xiao Yan performed very well. As long as she can maintain her current form in the Canadian leg, making it to the finals will be no problem."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone: "Coach Li, Xiaoyan probably... won't be able to participate in the upcoming matches."

Li Tan's smile froze on his face, and he asked incredulously, "Is she injured? How serious is it?"

Xia Yuezi recounted the team doctor's diagnosis and continued, "I'm not entirely comfortable with the hospitals here in Russia. I'll be taking Xiaoyan on the earliest flight, and I might need your help to arrange for someone from the hospital to pick me up at the airport."

Russian media have reported several athletes being misdiagnosed, and some even had healthy parts of their bodies removed by doctors. Even Davil suffered from this; after surgery, a cyst developed in his knee. Xia Yuezi was truly hesitant to entrust Yang Yiyan to these people.

Li Tan's calm voice carried on, making it easy to overlook the tension and panic in his eyes: "Okay, I'll make the arrangements now."

…………

As dawn broke, at Beijing Daxing International Airport, the head coach of the Beijing provincial team stood with a group of people in front of the arrival gate. After waiting for a while, they finally saw Xia Yuezi pushing Yang Yiyan, who was in a wheelchair, out of the airport, with staff members helping to push the luggage behind them.

To avoid unnecessary suspicion, Yang Yiyan insisted on completing the awards ceremony, but declined interviews and performances due to injury, and instead flew back to China overnight with her coach in casual clothes.

Because the flight time didn't match the itinerary, there weren't many ice hockey fans or reporters at the airport to pick up their idols.

Xia Yuezi saw the people next to Li Tan, took off her mask, and revealed a tired expression: "Before boarding the plane, Dr. Li gave her painkillers. If you want to do the test, you may have to wait until the effects of the medication wear off."

As soon as Yang Yiyan arrived at the boarding gate, her knees began to ache and swell. She was restless even while sitting in her wheelchair. At that moment, there was no way to treat her, so they could only prescribe some painkillers to help her recover for a while.

The hospital staff took Yang Yiyan away, and Li Tan also called Yang's mother, asking her to stay at the hospital with her.

Xia Yuezi, unusually, didn't go to accompany her; she had to return to the team to submit a report and handle matters following Yang Yiyan's withdrawal from the competition.

Li Tan watched the ambulance drive away and sighed, "I only told the higher-ups about Xiao Yan's injury. If you're going to handle the withdrawal from the competition, you'll have to bring the diagnosis results over no matter what."

He didn't finish his sentence. Being the top male or female skater isn't easy. Unless they're injured to the point of being unable to skate, many people have to take painkillers and get injections to play.

In China, the most popular figure skating events besides pairs skating are women's singles skating, the former because of their good results and the latter because of their high popularity.

Perhaps due to a long period of scarcity, the sudden emergence of a skater who has won medals in international competitions has garnered enthusiastic support from figure skating fans, who have made Yang Yiyan one of the most popular skaters in China.

During the off-season, Weibo held a poll for the most popular athletes. Among popular sports such as diving and table tennis, figure skating, which jokingly refers to its athletes with a 300-point skating streak, managed to get Yang Yiyan into the top five. Meanwhile, the highest-ranked pair of the newly crowned world champions, Cao Lu and his partner, was thirteen.

In addition, her commercial value is also rising. As soon as the Olympics ended, the Beijing team received several endorsement offers. Although the endorsement fees offered were not as high as those for athletes in popular sports, the commission would still allow the Beijing team to make a fortune.

That's why countless people at the higher-ups are watching this athlete closely, hoping she'll perform well in the new season so they can advance their careers.

The pressure one faces when deciding to withdraw from the competition at this point is unimaginable.

Xia Yuezi stood at the airport entrance, her trench coat billowing in the wind. She bent her knees, supporting herself with only one leg, her whole body leaning slightly outward, looking somewhat nonchalant.

The rising sun on the horizon was a blindingly red. Xia Yuezi squinted slightly, took a deep breath of the still cool air, wiped her nose, and turned to look at Li Tan, her eyes filled with a complex emotion that the head coach couldn't quite decipher.

This young woman, whom he had recruited, was sometimes nervous and sometimes playful in his presence. She was a rising star coach who used both kindness and strictness in front of her students, and for a time, he found her somewhat difficult to handle.

Immediately afterwards, from a distance not far between the two, another voice rang out, carrying an undeniable firmness and an almost imperceptible restraint.

“I know, but no matter what, the athlete’s health is always the top priority. Xiaoyan is only sixteen years old. Once she steps off the ice, she’ll be just an ordinary high school student. Her life hasn’t even begun. She can’t be plagued by injuries for the rest of her life. If she really has to go to a intensive training camp…”

She couldn't bear to continue before she finished speaking, and Li Tan was speechless for a moment. His lips moved a few times, and then he saw Xia Yuezi turn around, sniff, toss her long hair, and return to the tone he was familiar with.

"In short, I will take the diagnosis results to them. I will not let Xiaoyan risk ruining her career by playing."

Li Tan silently calmed the heaviness in his chest, his fists clenching and unclenching repeatedly, his voice filled with vicissitudes: "Don't worry, I know which people are willing to risk their lives for grades. I will do my best to mediate for you. If they really reduce the responsibility, I will take it for you. They can't do anything to me."

"Thank you, coach."

Xia Yuezi seemed to be thinking of something, her voice softened, and her eyes became gentle, like the sunlight shining on her, warming her so much that the hard shell she was wearing quietly cracked open.

She knew that if Li Tan really said something or made a promise to someone, he would definitely keep it.

Just like when she goes out to compete.

Her coach always stood by her side, and was her most reliable support in a foreign land.

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Author's Note: Even though Sister Xia isn't mature enough yet, she's trying her best to learn from her coach and strive to become a pillar of support for her students.