If you don't cry, you're not a human being

Qu Chi returned home.

The living room was more lively than before. In addition to the worried and anxious parents wiping their tears, there were two unfamiliar middle-aged men wearing the national team's training uniforms. They were coaches.

Qu Chi just said hello and wanted to go see Qu Tang directly.

Her mother stopped her.

"Xiao Chi, she doesn't want to see anyone right now. She's a little emotionally unstable. Can we wait until she calms down before trying to persuade her?"

The father also said: "Right now, I just want to tell her that it's okay not to practice figure skating, but at least go back to the hospital first and don't miss anything..."

His mother's action of hitting him stopped him from speaking.

Looking at the painful expressions of everyone in the room, Qu Chi lowered his head and said.

"At least I'll knock on the door and let her know I'm back to see her. It's okay if she doesn't open the door."

This time no one stopped her. She stood in front of the door covered with snowflakes, paused for two seconds, and then knocked.

"Sister, it's me."

It was quiet inside the door, no sound of talking.

Qu Chi asked again: "Can I come in?"

Qu Tang: "...Come in."

The door was not locked. Hearing the sound, the people sitting on the sofa stood up in shock, not daring to move, and looked at Qu Chi expectantly.

Qu Chi quickly met their gaze and then looked away, pressed the handle and opened the door.

Looking at the scene inside the house, Qu Chi remained silent, walked into the house and closed the door.

The light faded, and the room was pitch black. Qu Tang sat by the window, his hair disheveled, his foot in a plaster cast, and a pile of beer bottles beside him.

What was she supposed to say, be thankful she at least had a cast?

The light in Qu Chi's eyes returned a little, and he walked to the curtains by the wall and sat down.

She kicked the beer bottle and her tone calmed down.

"Why, it's really not slippery anymore?"

This amount of alcohol is something that no athlete should ever touch.

If Qu Tang drank alcohol, it really meant that she didn't want to be an athlete anymore.

Qu Tang was quiet, and finally Qu Chi heard the sound of plaster colliding with a wine bottle.

Qu Chi was startled and almost stood up to hold her leg. Was she using her injured leg to kick the bottle?!

Seeing her panic, Qu Tang laughed at himself:

"One bottle is untouched. I don't dare drink it."

I laughed so hard that I couldn't laugh anymore and covered my eyes with my hands.

She was crying, from silently to loudly. Qu Chi slowly crawled to her side and hugged her.

Tears soaked a large area of ​​her clothes. Qu Chi patted her back gently and said softly:

"It's done right, just look at it."

Qu Tang burst into tears.

"Why am I still afraid to drink? Xiaochi, I'm ruined. I can't skate anymore. I can't be an athlete anymore, but why am I still afraid to drink?"

Qu Chi couldn't say anything to comfort her, he could only hug her tightly.

The person in his arms cried painfully until her voice became hoarse. It seemed as if she had finally vented all her emotions. She struggled slightly, and Qu Chi only let go of one hand and let her lean sideways on him.

Qu Tang: "Why are you back? Weren't you training?"

Qu Chi: "What kind of question are you asking? Are you crazy?"

She was injured, but she insisted on returning to China without proper treatment, let alone training. Unless she was abroad, she would crawl back no matter what.

Qu Tang fell silent again, looking very sad, but his tears had dried up, so he could only sigh and say:

"I don't want to delay your training."

It was Qu Chi's turn to remain silent. What could he say? As worthy of being a gold medalist who brought glory to his country, he always had the qualities of an athlete. How could he still think about not delaying training at a time like this?

"Luckily it happened during training. If you hadn't told me, I would have heard the news of your tragic retirement after being injured during the competition. You would have lost two gold medals, and the country would have lost two precious gold medals."

Qu Tang: “…”

"I really shouldn't have asked you to come in. I don't know if I should cry."

Qu Chi touched her hair and said after a while:

"Cry, it's not the first time."

When Qu Tang sprained his ankle during training and nearly damaged his ligament, she didn't make a fuss and ask to go home. Instead, she just hugged Qu Chi and cried in the hospital. She cried very hard. In the past, when Qu Tang encountered developmental difficulties, he would occasionally break down and come to her to cry.

Perhaps because they were both athletes, Qu Tang believed that Qu Chi would understand her feelings, and she cried sadly every time.

However, none of them were as bad as this time.

Qu Tang also said softly: "This time is different."

Both of them fell silent, because they both knew why it was different, why Qu Tang, who had cried countless times during the developmental stage and had to be treated in the hospital for sprained ankle injuries, refused to be treated this time.

Because this time it was a fracture, and it was in her right leg again. Perhaps, after treatment, she could still go out on the ice, but she would never again have the same trust in her right leg as she did before the injury. Even if a medical god were alive and could perfectly heal her leg, she would still have doubts.

This is a psychological illness.

From a physiological point of view, the more realistic reason is that as a top figure skater, such an injury cannot be completely without impact. Going back to the time when she sprained her ankle, could it be that she was really not affected by the injury at all? But why was it the same leg this time?

Was it that injury that caused Qu Tang to suffer the most painful defeat long afterward?

No pain can leave no trace, and Qu Tang’s career may really be over.

But Qu Tang understands, doesn’t Qu Chi understand?

Qu Tang felt comfortable crying in front of her because she thought she could empathize with him, and she really understood it all. Athletes are not afraid of pain, but pain can really ruin their dreams of chasing the top.

Qu Chi finally said, "Let's go back to the hospital. At least there are people watching you and not letting you drink. I'm afraid if you really drink, you'll regret it so much."

"No. I don't want them to see me. They'll cry."

"They cry when you're here, and they're worried about whether you're crying or not."

"I don't dare to see them cry. When they cry, I feel like I'm useless and hurt, and I've let them down..."

Qu Chi touched her head again.

"Then you cry in front of them. When they see you crying, they won't dare to cry anymore."

Qu Tang: “…”

"Am I going to be a tearful athlete in the future? Has the Olympic Committee approved the establishment of a competition? What will it be about? Who cries faster? Or is there a point system?"

Qu Chi curled his lips and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that she was able to argue.

"Okay, I told them not to cry in front of you."

Qu Tang was still not satisfied: "When I can't see them, I worry about whether they are crying or not."

"Don't worry, I will definitely cry. If I don't cry, I'm not Chinese."

Qu Tang couldn't stand it anymore, so he pushed her head and straightened her back to sit up.

The two of them just sat there, their eyes gradually adjusting to the darkness. Qu Chi saw Qu Tang curled up on his knees out of the corner of his eye, tears glistening in the corners of his eyes.

Qu Chi could only sit with her. Finally, Qu Tang choked up and asked:

"Xiao Chi, can you come back to practice figure skating?"

Qu Chi laughed speechlessly.

"Me? Figure skating? Your Majesty, why don't you look at my height, my muscles, and my healthy tan skin?"

Even from a practical point of view, it is impossible for her to go back.

Qu Tang knew it was impossible, but he still said "Oh" in disappointment and muttered to himself.

"The teacher said you have great talent. It would be great if you continued to practice figure skating. Even if I'm gone, I still have you."

Qu Chi forced the man onto his shoulder again. Qu Tang struggled for a while, but as a wounded man, there was no possibility of escape, so he could only lie there and let Qu Chi pat his head.

"How could you dream of the Qumen dominating the world?"

Qu Tang subconsciously asked, "Who else?"

He said dejectedly, "Is this a dream?"

Qu Chi said, "It was a dream, a daydream. If I had continued to practice figure skating, I would probably be like other figure skaters in China by now, panicking because Qu Tang was injured, and shouting, 'Oh my God! Our world is falling!'"

"What are you talking about? Are you mocking me?"

"How dare you? Aren't you known as the best in women's singles?"

Qu Tang was like a mantis pupa on the head. Qu Chi's short hair was tickling her head. At this moment, she adjusted her position dissatisfiedly and sighed.

"Figure skating isn't going to end, is it? ... Bah, bah, bah, it's not going to end. It's still going strong. Many skaters are very talented and will grow quickly. My master has a young apprentice, but she's only 15, too young. I was thinking of letting her skate for a few more years so she can grow up and take over seamlessly. Bah, bah, bah, how can you say it's like passing on the throne?"

Qu Chi snorted softly, "Fifteen is almost the same. When you were fifteen, you had already seen the strength of the figure skater king."

Qu Tang started crying again: "But I don't want to retire... She can't even skate better than me, what should I do, Xiao Chi...?"

She was so unwilling.