Camel thorn (Part 1)

It was just another ordinary day. Since Coach Huang left, Zhou Zeyu's life had returned to a calm and uneventful state, as bland as stagnant water.

Although Coach Xu has been so busy lately that he hasn't had time to supervise her, she wasn't happy for long. This was because he had delegated the task to her attending physician and nurses, and the strength of a group is always greater than that of one person. Zhou Zeyu is now being watched even more closely.

I get up at 7:30, do rehabilitation training all morning, have lunch, take a nap, then continue training, then eat and wash up, and turn off the lights at 10 o'clock sharp. Even the time I spend on my phone each day is precisely controlled to within three hours.

It's practically like being in jail.

Zhou Zeyi had been so worn down by this kind of life that she no longer had the strength to resist. She even began to wonder if Coach Xu had thrown her to some self-discipline organization and she didn't know when she would be released.

Of course, Zhou Zeyu thought with considerable pride. She had suffered so many injuries, big and small, yet she could still stand tall, which was enough to show that her body was quite resilient and could not be easily damaged.

"Don't get cocky, you'll have to stay for another month or so." After another check-up, perhaps seeing the smugness on her face, the doctor spoke coldly at the opportune moment, completely extinguishing her joy. "Since the recovery is going well, I'll have to consider increasing the intensity appropriately."

"Want to add more?"

The doctor smiled at her. "This is also Coach Xu's requirement."

really.

“Hmm…” the nurse next to him suddenly spoke up, “Actually, we all see him as your guardian, after all, you can be really unreliable sometimes.”

Zhou Zeyi retorted indignantly, "What's unreliable about it?"

The doctor, who was typing away at the keyboard, looked up with great interest upon hearing this and gave her a knowing look: "Sneaking out, stealing a phone to order takeout, disregarding rules and regulations, and behaving carelessly—in short, unreliable in every way."

She touched her nose, deciding that she shouldn't continue to be criticized in this place, so she smiled guiltily at everyone and moved away at an astonishing speed.

The rehabilitation center wasn't very big. At her snail's pace, she could walk around it in half an hour. Besides, there wasn't much to see. Only someone who was extremely bored would stroll around in a place like this, and that's exactly what she was talking about.

Because she was caught staying up late before, her phone was confiscated again, and now she's really done for. Moreover, for some reason, Coach Xu even turned off the TV in her room, which means she can only stand pitifully at the door of the common room, listening to the TV inside to pass the time.

This was just too heartbreaking. She wiped away non-existent tears and thought sadly that she would definitely not let that old man go after she was released from prison.

Fang Xiaocan was the same. She had clearly promised to come see her, but she never did. Her indifference was astonishing. Zhou Zeyu even suspected that she had been abducted by aliens, otherwise how could she not come even once? It was heartbreaking.

However, considering that she is probably extremely busy right now, it seems like a pipe dream to prepare for the competition under such chaotic circumstances. I wonder if things are going smoothly for her, or if she is still suffering from other people's mistreatment.

Thinking about it carefully, it seems that her competition is only a few days away, but she is in another city and Zhou Zeyu does not have a mobile phone, so he has no way to check clearly. He roughly guessed that it was about time, so it's no wonder that she has not been seen.

However, she didn't know if it was just her imagination, but just a moment ago she was thinking about Fang Xiaocan, and the next second she suddenly heard her voice again.

Zhou Zeyu perked up and looked around, hoping to see that familiar figure, but no matter how much she looked, she couldn't see anyone. Just as she was wondering if she was really so bored that she was hallucinating, she heard that familiar voice again.

This time it was even clearer. She blinked to make sure she hadn't misheard; it was Fang Xiaocan's voice, and it was coming from inside the room.

It's the sound coming from the television.

Zhou Zeyu paused for a moment, then pushed open the door to the common room. There was no one inside at this hour, except for a television set playing the news. She walked to the television and saw the person she had just complained about.

It seems like a week or two has passed since the two last met. When they had dinner together at Coach Xu's house, Zhou Zeyu thought Fang Xiaocan had gained weight, but now she looks like she has lost a lot of weight.

Even though TV cameras tend to widen faces, why does my face still look more haggard?

Zhou Zeyu stood in front of the television, almost unable to believe his eyes.

Fang Xiaocan has always seemed to be a nonchalant person. She is very open-minded and indifferent to many things. She does whatever she wants, eating and drinking as she pleases. Therefore, compared with Zhou Zeyu, she seems to have never been so thin.

She used to binge eat because of stress, but now she looks so thin.

The sound coming from the TV was very noisy, like an impromptu interview in a noisy place. Fang Xiaocan looked like she had just finished a competition, covered in sweat, fanning herself constantly, and shaking her head repeatedly.

"I don't think that with the team's current situation, our athletes' condition can be guaranteed. Everything is in chaos," she said, her voice clear in front of the microphone.

"So you think your loss was due to the team's disarray?"

Defeat? Zhou Zeyi keenly caught the word and couldn't help but be a little surprised. She knew that Fang Xiaocan hadn't been in good form recently, but given her personal strength, this kind of competition shouldn't have been difficult for her.

"Yes." Fang Xiaocan answered without hesitation on TV, "Perhaps you will think I am shirking responsibility by saying this now, but that's not the case. I'm sure everyone has heard about Coach Huang's situation recently. Once you understand his character, you will know why the team's performance has been generally poor lately. It was simply unavoidable."

Zhou Zeyu was stunned.

She glanced at the station logo, confirming that it was CCTV and that it was a live broadcast. After Fang Xiaocan finished speaking, the reporter's expression became rather intriguing.

However, Fang Xiaocan did not give up. She noticed that the reporter seemed to want to end the conversation, so she quickly reached out, grabbed the microphone, and gave a slightly sarcastic smile.

"Coach Huang, I hope you've never forgotten how you suppressed and ostracized me back then. It's ironic that you only remembered me when no one else in the team could participate in the competition. Should I thank you for your belated attention? But I'm afraid I'll have to disappoint you because I failed to win and couldn't hand over the championship prize money to you."

Looking at her, Zhou Zeyu felt a surge of indescribable bitterness in his heart, and he could hardly speak.

The reporter was almost stunned. After a couple of seconds, he suddenly remembered that this was a live broadcast and hurriedly tried to make amends, saying, "It's okay. It's okay to lose the game. We all know that you have a tough time. No one will blame you for the loss. It's understandable that you need to vent when you're under a lot of pressure."

"I'm not venting, I'm just telling the truth." Fang Xiaocan put her hands on her hips, stared at the camera, and even sounded somewhat nonchalant.

"As for whether anyone blames me for my failure, that's hard to say," she suddenly smiled. "If you can forgive me, then why can't you forgive Zhou Zeyu? You will soon find out that what she has experienced and endured over the years is a thousand times more painful than what I have suffered, yet you are not so magnanimous in forgiving her."

The live interview was suddenly cut off, and Zhou Zeyu remained standing in the same spot, staring blankly at the screen that had switched to another view.

Now she finally understood why Fang Xiaocan, despite wanting to retire, accepted Coach Huang's request and forced herself to participate in training despite not being fully recovered from surgery. She had probably been waiting for this moment since then, or rather, she had been waiting for this moment for many, many years.

Rather than a grievance, this was more like a one-sided rant. Fang Xiaocan's temper has remained unchanged over the years. She is clear about her likes and dislikes, acts without regard for consequences, is easily impulsive, and is also prone to causing trouble. This live-streaming incident is a typical example. Of course, she knows what awaits her, but she doesn't care at all.

But that's good too; at least she said what she'd always wanted to say, and everyone heard it.

Zhou Zeyu remained silent, suddenly finding it difficult to articulate his feelings.

Of course, she felt exhilarated, without a doubt. It was like a pent-up anger that had been building up inside her for years was finally released in front of the national audience. All the pent-up grievances were finally released, and she was so moved that she almost cried.

But she seemed to have a vague feeling that it wasn't worth it, because she knew that Fang Xiaocan's move could be considered a mutual destruction. Once she said those words, for the sake of momentary verbal satisfaction, she really had no room for regret. She was completely ruining her career.

Just like when Fang Xiaocan decided to retire, Zhou Zeyu simply felt it was a pity.

But then she thought about it again and suddenly felt relieved, because aside from her impulsiveness, Fang Xiaocan had another characteristic: she never regretted what she did.

So she doesn't regret it, and even feels happy about it, because this is what she wanted to do. After losing all her love for table tennis, this is the best she can do to rebel against the world.

Just like her last words, no one could cover her mouth.

There was a knock on the door of the break room, and a nurse came in and handed Zhou Zeyu's phone to her. "Someone called, looking for you."

As soon as the call connected, a thunderous scream rang out, startling Zhou Zeyu. She instinctively pulled the phone away from her ear. She knew that voice all too well; she knew it so well that even if the other person didn't say a word but just screamed wildly, she could recognize who it was.

"Fang Xiaocan, what are you up to?"

The other person's shouting suddenly stopped. "What the hell? Don't you think my speech was cool?"

"So cool!" Zhou Zeyu said. "If you hadn't tortured my ears right from the start, you might have been even cooler."

A deafening laugh rang out from the phone. Zhou Zeyu couldn't dodge in time and felt as if someone had bitten his ear hard. "Ouch! You're doing it again!"

"That was so satisfying, Zhou Zeyu!" The other party showed no remorse whatsoever, his words filled with pride in his performance. "I didn't rehearse beforehand, it was all improvised. My eloquence is pretty good, isn't it? I can already imagine the livid faces of those people when they saw it. It was awesome!"

Zhou Zeyu couldn't help but burst out laughing.

"So what are you going to do now? Aren't you afraid of being beaten to death the moment you step out the door?"

"I don't care about anything else!" Fang Xiaocan sounded breathless, as if she were running, her voice filled with barely concealed excitement. "Anyway, I'm running away! I don't want to stay in this damn place for another second!"