Love is as simple as badminton.

Chapter 56 It's normal for good friends to be like this, right?

5:9, Zhao Jianlei's overhead attack was steadily defended by Wang Luo.

After landing, Zhao Jianlei quickly moved forward, preparing to grab the net and continue the offensive. However, at that moment, an unexpected event occurred:

Whether due to his eagerness to score or his poor footwork, when he stepped out with his left foot, his toes did not point outward but were slightly turned inward. As a result, the forward momentum was diverted inward, causing his ankle to twist violently.

Through slow motion on the big screen, you could even see the sneakers deforming dramatically.

Zhao Jianlei immediately collapsed to the ground, gasping for breath in pain.

"Are you alright?"

Wang Luo immediately stopped catching the ball and squatted down in front of the net.

"fine……"

Zhao Jianlei gritted his teeth and shook his head slightly, but a layer of cold sweat seeped out on his face and neck. He gripped his racket tightly with one hand and tried to stand up with the other, but his twisted ankle could not withstand any extra force, causing his attempts to stand to fail repeatedly.

Wang Luo quickly looked at the classmate who was acting as the referee and felt it necessary to request a medical timeout.

However, before the referee could react, Deng Ziyang and Ling Ye had already entered the court.

"Does it hurt here?"

Ling Ye pressed on a spot on Zhao Jianlei's ankle and asked.

Zhao Jianlei shook his head.

"And here?"

Ling Ye pressed down.

"hiss!"

Zhao Jianlei nodded immediately, a layer of cold sweat appearing on his pained face.

"It's not a big problem, I just need some rest. But I have to withdraw from this match."

Ling Ye removed his hand, his calm tone tinged with a sigh.

Zhao Jianlei slowly lowered his head, his hopes of continuing the match completely shattered. Although he hadn't expected to advance to the finals, he never imagined he would be eliminated in this way. Until the moment before, he felt that injuries were something far removed from him.

"I'm sorry, Captain Deng..." He looked at Deng Ziyang on the other side.

"Okay, stop it. If you apologize again, I'll beat you up."

Deng Ziyang gave his curly hair a good pat. "Take good care of yourself and don't think too much. We'll wait for you to come back and continue playing."

At this moment, the school doctor who was waiting on the sidelines brought a wheelchair, and everyone worked together to lift Zhao Jianlei into the wheelchair.

After hugging Wang Luo, he waved goodbye to the audience around him with reluctance.

The audience responded with soft applause.

"In any case, thankfully it wasn't a serious injury."

In the guest seats, Chen Zaiyou breathed a sigh of relief. "Was that student Ling Ye just now?"

Chen Bing nodded in response: "Yes, the World Junior Championships champion two years ago."

"Unfortunately, his professional career ended before it even began due to injuries."

Chen Zaiyou gently shook his head, "Whether it's enjoying badminton or pursuing higher, faster, and stronger, I hope injuries can stay away from the court."

The disorder caused by the unexpected situation did not last long.

After seeing Zhao Jianlei off, host Xu Yue went on stage to remind all the contestants that health was the most important thing, and announced the remaining competition schedule.

With this, the semi-finals have officially concluded. The finals for the five events will take place tonight, after dinner.

"I hope Zhao is alright..."

As Shi Yuqi accompanied Lin Xiang to the athletes' preparation area, she was still shaken.

"Junior, you need to be careful too!"

She tugged at Lin Xiang's sleeve again, "It doesn't matter how badly you get beaten, you've already proven yourself, you must finish the race safely!"

"I will, please don't worry, senior."

Lin Xiang nodded seriously in response, and then ate his bread and chocolate just as seriously.

The finals were just after dinner, and it was not wise to eat too much, so all the finalists chose to eat only a little bit of high-energy food.

Then comes the final preparation stage.

While pondering the tactics for the final, Lin Xiang used his breathing to adjust his physical state, so that he could remain calm while being slightly excited.

"Brother Lin!"

Following the call, he saw Wang Luo waving from afar.

"You've arrived."

Lin Xiang nodded in response.

"For you, this is yet another unfair match. Whether it's the difficulty of advancing or the energy expenditure, you are far greater than me."

But I will still give it my all in the finals. Old Zhao just asked me to carry on his part in the competition.

See you in the finals!

Wang Luo raised his fist.

"Okay, see you in the finals."

Lin Xiang responded with a fist bump.

Both players are seasoned veterans who have played countless matches and experienced a variety of situations, so neither of them was affected by the unexpected outcome of the semi-final.

On the field, where various factors are beyond our control, the only thing we can do is to do our best.

But as Wang Luo said, Lin Xiang's energy expenditure was far greater than his, as he encountered mostly top players from the school team along the way.

"Junior, how are you feeling now?"

With only half an hour left until the men's singles final, the mixed doubles final has already begun.

Shi Yuqi sat next to him, holding his large sports bag, and watched the game broadcast on the screen with him.

"I'm a little tired."

Seeing the girl's concerned look, Lin Xiang slowly stood up and calmly replied, "It's nothing serious, just normal exertion."

"Are you going to start warming up?"

"Yes, men's singles is the third event. We can start warming up now."

Seeing Shi Yuqi put down her golf bag and walk up to him, Lin Xiang asked thoughtfully, "By the way, senior, what was that thing you said you'd give me if I made it to the finals...?"

"You really remember that!"

Shi Yuqi covered her mouth and laughed, "I thought your memory only worked well when playing basketball!"

"My memory is also very good when it comes to things related to my senior. Zhao Hao noticed that."

Lin Xiang said in a serious tone.

"So what exactly is it?"

Seeing the girl's smile deepen, he became even more curious.

"It's really nothing..."

The girl took a step forward, standing just a step away from him. Then, she stood on tiptoe, leaned forward, opened her arms, and gently rested her chin on his shoulder.

At the same time, she wrapped her arms around his waist and gently hugged him.

Lin Xiang was caught off guard until he felt a tingling, electric-like sensation on his body, at which point he belatedly opened his eyes wide.

"It's perfectly normal for good friends to encourage each other with a hug, right?"

The girl's embrace was fleeting, lasting only a moment before fading away.

She had been the one who initiated the hug, but now she jumped back like a startled deer. She tried to keep her head down, and her flushed cheeks stood out clearly through her hair.

"Well, I'll be going now, I won't disturb your warm-up!"

After saying that, she fled from him as if she were escaping.

Just as she was about to disappear around the corner, she suddenly stopped and clenched her fist at him.

"Go, junior! Go!"

The girl's clothes and hair fluttered forward with inertia, like butterfly wings.

Lin Xiang watched her escape, his pupils trembling slightly.

Then he looked down at the calluses on his right hand and tried to calm himself down, but his heart was still churning and churning for a long time.

It was a feeling he had never experienced before, a mix of nervousness, excitement, and joy, yet it seemed to be none of them. It was unlike any other match he had ever played.

The fatigue accumulated from the previous fierce battle was miraculously cleared away at this moment.

It felt as if some inexplicable power was flowing through my body...

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