The heart that stands up again

After the show, Qu Chi stood at the door for a while, and Qin Chengmo came out soon.

He had changed his clothes and had a white coat draped over his arm.

As the distance got closer, Qin Chengmo's pace slowed down. He didn't look at the road, and Qu Chi could clearly notice that his eyes were always on him.

As they approached, neither of them spoke.

Until a car passed by, and the roar woke the quiet here.

"Are you cold?"

Qin Chengmo gestured to the clothes in his hand, and Qu Chi shook his head.

The weather in Yunxia has not yet entered autumn, but the evening breeze is inevitably chilly, and Qin Chengmo's cold white face is slightly reddened by the wind.

Qu Chi suddenly thought, is it really because of the cold wind that her face turned red? It's only September now, will Qin Chengmo feel cold?

She stretched out her hand to Qin Chengmo, and Qin Chengmo thought she wanted to put on another piece of clothing, so he handed it to her.

Qu Chi's hand reached under Qin Chengmo's clothes and held his slightly cold fingers.

Qin Chengmo's fingers lost their flexibility, and the white coat was draped over the two men's hands. When Qin Chengmo moved his fingers, the coat fell from the sides along with the two men's hands.

"You..." Qin Chengmo whispered and spoke first.

Qu Chi quickly used his other hand to catch the clothes that were slipping down, returned them to him as if nothing had happened, and then let go of his hand.

"It seems like you're colder. You'd better wear some clothes so you don't catch a cold."

Qin Chengmo's fingers became even stiffer. "I'm not cold, my palms are warm."

But he didn't dare to hold Qu Chi's hand and tell her with actual facts how hot his palm was.

Qu Chi nodded. "Really? I thought you weren't feeling well."

She believed it, but she had no intention of verifying it. Suddenly, an impulse surged in Qin Chengmo's heart. He took a half step forward, placed his hand in Qu Chi's palm, and then took it back.

The tightly pressed palms transmitted each other's warmth. Qin Chengmo was indeed not cold, and the heat from his palms was almost enough to make him sweat.

Qu Chi did not break free from his hand, acquiescing to this action, and even stared at Qin Chengmo's evasive eyes, pondering:

"You don't seem to be cold, and your face is also hot and red?"

Qin Chengmo: "...Yeah."

His face turned even redder.

Qu Chi smiled and put his hands in his pockets while holding hands.

The two walked side by side. The moonlight was very bright, stretching their shadows very long.

As an athlete, Qu Chi's life is not very colorful. Apart from training and participating in competitions, she has nothing to do. However, considering her age, Qu Chi has another major life event to deal with.

Through her efforts, she was successfully admitted to a top university based on her sprinting results to study sports training and rehabilitation, which also means that she officially became a college student.

When Qu Chi first arrived at school, she once again experienced the feeling of being surrounded by people. Besides her classmates, even several teachers were rubbing their hands in anticipation of her autographs.

The feeling of being out of place as a teacher and a student made Qu Chi feel a little uncomfortable. Fortunately, as an active athlete of the national team, she spent most of her time training with the national team or participating in competitions arranged by the team. She didn't have much time to go back to school for classes on weekdays, so she would encounter less such things.

Qu Tang's injury finally recovered, and she returned to the team to try to continue training, but this injury was indeed too serious. In addition to the physical damage it brought, the most important thing was that it left a shadow on Qu Tang's psychology.

Every time she jumps, she is concerned about her injured right leg. If she overcomes this subconscious fear and fails to regain her form this season, she may face real retirement or return to the provincial team to continue recovery training.

Figure skating competitions are complex. If Qu Tang were to remain away from competition for too long, even if she were to return, she would face a new wave of judges re-evaluating her performance. At 20, she can't afford to wait any longer. Perhaps in two years, once she emerges from the shadows, her age will become a concern again.

Qu Tang is going through a difficult time. Many people are helping her, but maybe there are some things that only she can help herself with.

She would occasionally come to watch Quchi train, perhaps hoping to draw some strength from it.

While visiting, I accidentally met Dong Zichun.

Qu Tang obviously didn't remember who Dong Zichun was. Although she respected her opponent very much, it was a bit unreasonable to ask her to remember an athlete who she had met as a child and who had changed events.

Therefore, the unfamiliar look in Dong Zichun's eyes made him even more unhappy.

"Qu Tang." Dong Zichun's voice was icy cold.

Qu Tang looked back in confusion.

"Are you Koike's teammate? What's going on?"

"It seems you don't remember me. Well, you two sisters are so powerful. It's normal that you don't remember a small character like me."

Qu Tang frowned. "You have a problem with me? Or do you have a problem with Xiaochi? If I understand correctly, you mean that you can't outrun Xiaochi, so why don't you train well instead of complaining to me?"

Dong Zichun's face turned pale. The two sisters were the same. Training, training, of course she knew about training! But what she wanted to express was clearly talent!

She originally wanted to talk nicely, but why did Qu Tang become so irritating?

Obviously she doesn't admit that she is also irritating.

Dong Zichun: "Of course I will train hard."

Qu Tang: "And then, wouldn't this sentence usually be followed by 'Will I definitely defeat her?'"

"Does she look like she can be defeated?"

Qu Tang sighed. "There's no opponent that can't be defeated. For an athlete, isn't the most important thing the determination to never give up? Even if you lose to her a thousand times, you must firmly believe that one day you'll succeed and surpass her. Talent is certainly important, but without the determination to get back up after failure, victory will never be possible."

After she finished speaking, they both fell silent.

After a while, Dong Zichun asked her: "So what about you? Do you have the determination to stand up again?"

Qu Tang smiled bitterly.

"That might take more than just determination."

Dong Zichun watched her walk away with mixed feelings. She actually realized that some principles were very logical when used to persuade others, but they simply didn't work on herself.

Qu Tang used to be her psychological shadow, and Qu Chi was also affected by it.

But now, her initial shadow seemed to be dissipating, but she could not feel any happiness at all, but instead was mixed with fear and hesitation.

Dong Zichun asked herself, if Qu Chi left the arena at this moment, would she be happy?

Because that was the same way Qu Tang disappeared from her life. It was not a victory, but a sense of emptiness.

She couldn't even imagine what would happen if Qu Chi hadn't switched to the 400 meters. If she never knew that the 400 meters would reach such a height, she would only be complacent. Just thinking about such a scene made her feel infinite fear in her heart.

Quchi is not only a mountain she cannot climb over, but perhaps it also makes her feel at ease to some extent.

She looked at Qu Tang's back, and her heart seemed to be relieved. There was no need to dwell on some past events. She lost and she lost. It was a happy thing that the project she loved in the past and still loves has talented players. She should indeed train well and focus on herself.

"Qu Tang, actually, I might really be your fan."

Qu Tang paused and looked back at her, but Dong Zichun had already turned and left.

The girl covered her face and took two seconds to calm down the complicated emotions she had just felt.

Meeting fans in this situation, she seemed... not so happy.

*

Quchi's achievements in the World Championships and the Diamond League are obvious to all.

The entire 400m event is making progress under this leadership, and the women's 400m team led by He Yang has begun trying to form a relay team.

Although it is still difficult for domestic 400m runners to catch up with Qu Chi's level, and even Dong Zichun is a level behind him, the national team's intention to form a relay team represents a signal.

Other talented players will have more opportunities to join the national team and represent the country abroad.

At present, in the relay team headed by Qu Chi, Dong Zichun has become a confirmed member of the main team. The remaining players Li Yali and Mo Xiaohuan, although already on the reserve team, are only reserve teams for the time being.

He Yang's current work focus has been shifted to the various provincial teams. With the example of Quchi's event change, many provincial teams are not opposed to letting some of the more outstanding athletes in other events try the 400 meters. This work is currently ongoing.

During the winter training, the national team welcomed the largest group of 400m athletes in history. They will compete for the starting position in the 400m relay team and strive for international rankings in track and field relay races.

With the intensive work and training day after day, time passed through winter and spring, and finally the Olympic season arrived.

The quadrennial Olympics, the top event, has finally begun.