When Shen You’an returned to the hotel, it was nearly ten o’clock.
Tang Yuanyuan hadn’t co back yet.
After taking a shower, Tang Yuanyuan walked in looking exhausted.
"An’an, good thing you didn’t go, you don’t know, we all beca Wang Qingyan’s backdrop, just watching her steal the spotlight."
Tang Yuanyuan recalled it with frustration, the dia only had eyes for Wang Qingyan, treating the rest of them like air, a bunch of fair-weather journalists, hateful.
Actually, Tang Yuanyuan wasn’t the kind of person who envied others. She understood that Wang Qingyan was talented, beautiful, and adored by the dia and fans, but Wang Qingyan wasn’t a humble person, she was arrogant, always flaunting her superiority, which was very off-putting.
"No, if you had gone, there wouldn’t have been a chance for Wang Qingyan to shine, you’re too low-key."
If Shen You’an attended the press conference, one couldn’t even imagine the scene, it would blow up on Weibo.
At the press conference, the list of all team mbers was announced, but one mber was not disclosed. The coach said that he had specially promoted this person into the team, keeping it a mystery for now, just wait for the competition.
Leaving room for suspense, there can be a sense of surprise.
Shen You’an slowly wiped her wet hair, saying nothing in response to Tang Yuanyuan’s complaints.
Tang Yuanyuan talked a lot, feeling a bit thirsty, she fished out two bottles of mineral water from her backpack.
"There were two bottles of water left over from the team dinner tonight, can’t waste them."
She opened a bottle and guzzled down.
Shen You’an glanced at her and suddenly said, "Don’t drink."
Tang Yuanyuan flinched, spilling water on the bed.
"Wha... what’s wrong?"
Shen You’an walked over, snatching away the half-full bottle in her hand, "At critical monts, you must be extrely cautious about what you put in your mouth."
The coach had repeatedly warned them, as the competition approached, they had to strictly guard their mouths. Many excellent athletes had been ruined by failing to control their mouths.
Tang Yuanyuan smacked her lips: "It can’t be, a lot of people drank this water tonight."
The restaurant chosen by the coach surely had no issues.
Shen You’an glanced at the plastic water bottle, their eyes deep, "The water’s fine, but people might not be."
Tang Yuanyuan was confused.
Feeling helpless, Shen You’an patiently explained, "Recently, you need to be more vigilant outside, especially since you’re close to , you’ve had it rough."
Tang Yuanyuan slowly understood, incredulously said, "No way."
"It’s necessary to be on guard against others, just rember what I said."
Tang Yuanyuan suddenly got energized, flipping over and sitting up: "You’re talking about Wang Qingyan?"
When Shen You’an returned, she bought a few bottles of water from a nearby supermarket, handing one to Tang Yuanyuan.
Tang Yuanyuan opened the cap, sowhat hesitant.
Shen You’an smiled, "You can drink this one safely."
Only then did Tang Yuanyuan gulp down a big mouthful.
In response to her earlier question, Shen You’an said, "We have no reason to suspect anyone, but at the sa ti, we must not forget to protect ourselves, you need to know this."
Shen You’an shook the water bottle, "If soone slipped sothing in while you weren’t paying attention, you drank it, and it didn’t make you feel unwell, but tomorrow’s doping test, if you test positive, your athletic career would end here. Never underestimate human malice."
Tang Yuanyuan shivered with realization: "Good thing you reminded , An’an, I’ll be careful from tomorrow."
"It’s my over-cautiousness, you shouldn’t feel burdened, sleep early."
After drying her hair, Shen You’an planned to retire early for the night, as tomorrow had many challenges in store.
In the middle of the night, Tang Yuanyuan suddenly sat up: "I rembered, those two bottles of water were left by Wang Qingyan."
After being warned by Shen You’an, Tang Yuanyuan had been thinking about those two bottles of water. Most people had left by then, and she stayed to clear the plates, as she really disliked waste.
Then Wang Qingyan ca over after making a phone call, but since Tang Yuanyuan didn’t have a good relationship with her, she didn’t pay her any attention.
"Yuanyuan, take your ti eating, don’t choke."
Tang Yuanyuan did feel a bit choked, but the water was already finished.
"I still have a few bottles of water here for you."
The mineral water was uniformly provided by the restaurant, so Tang Yuanyuan didn’t think much of it and accepted it.
In the past, during gatherings, she was always the one staying behind to clean plates, often taking unfinished food ho, which drew quite a bit of ridicule from her teammates. Wang Qingyan would seize the opportunity to tease her about whether she hadn’t had enough to eat at ho, mocking her poverty and greed for food, which is why Tang Yuanyuan disliked her the most.
It was late, and the restaurant was about to close, so she didn’t feel comfortable eating more and brought the water back in her bag.
In a half-awake state, she recalled the look Wang Qingyan gave her when handing over the water, and she suddenly beca alert.
She couldn’t judge if there was malice in that look, but knowing Wang Qingyan, she was certain Wang Qingyan wouldn’t be so kind as to offer her water willingly.
Always being carefree, she hadn’t thought of it before, but after Shen You’an’s reminder, she suddenly realized that at such a crucial juncture, one truly couldn’t be without vigilance against others. If anything happened, it would be too late for regrets.
Shen You’an turned over and continued sleeping.
But Tang Yuanyuan couldn’t sleep. She had to figure out whether there was an issue with the water.
After all, the doping test was scheduled for early the next morning.
If sothing was found wrong, being banned would be the least of her concerns.
Tang Yuanyuan kept thinking about it and called her cousin.
Her cousin married into Qingzhou and worked as a nurse at a top-level hospital, so perhaps she could use her hospital connections to check the water’s content.
Her cousin was on the night shift, and considering the severity of the situation, she advised Tang Yuanyuan to use a quick courier to send the water over.
After doing all this, Tang Yuanyuan finally lay down to sleep with so peace of mind.
But she couldn’t sleep, and couldn’t help but ask, "An’an, are you asleep?"
The only response she received was gentle, long breaths.
Tang Yuanyuan tossed and turned in bed like flipping a pancake.
The next morning, Tang Yuanyuan boarded the bus with the team heading to the competition center, sporting two dark circles under her eyes.
As soon as she got on the bus, she saw Wang Qingyan sitting in the front row. Wang Qingyan noticed her too, flashed a phony smile, then turned to chat with the person beside her.
Tang Yuanyuan rolled her eyes, pulling Shen You’an to the back row.
"If she’s really playing dirty tricks, see if I don’t tear her face apart."
The morning consisted of the doping test, then the drawing of lots to determine groups, with sixteen events in the won’s category. After weighing her options, Shen You’an signed up for four events.
Won’s 50-ter freestyle, 100-ter freestyle, 200-ter freestyle, and 1500-ter freestyle.
Shen You’an didn’t sign up for the mixed relay event, as it required team cooperation, and she didn’t have that much ti for training.
On the morning of July 28th, the won’s 50-ter freestyle preliminaries would be held, the semifinals in the afternoon, and the finals in the evening.
On July 29th, the morning would have the 100-ter freestyle preliminaries, the afternoon the won’s 200-ter freestyle preliminaries, and the evening the 100-ter freestyle semifinals.
On July 30th, the morning would have the won’s 200-ter freestyle semifinals, the afternoon the won’s 1500-ter freestyle preliminaries, and the evening the won’s 100-ter freestyle finals.
On July 31st, the afternoon would have the 200-ter freestyle finals, and the evening the won’s 1500-ter freestyle finals.
The schedule packed tightly into three days was very exhausting, which is why many athletes focused on two events at most, as they couldn’t endure more physically or ntally.
Shen You’an signed up for four events. If she won gold in every single one, her points would qualify her for the Olympics. Of course, the coach could grant her a special privilege considering her talent, but Shen You’an didn’t want to take soone else’s spot, earning herself a reputation for receiving special treatnt.
In the arena, it’s the results that speak for themselves.
Other teammates, upon learning she’d signed up for four events, thought she was overreaching and eagerly awaited her to make a fool of herself.
Indeed, Shen You’an was extrely talented, a born swimming prodigy, but in official high-level competitions, densely packed schedules tested endurance, physical strength, and ntal resilience.
Completing four competitions in four days and winning all the gold dals, it could be said that throughout the history of competitive swimming, no prodigy had ever reached such a high standard.
The coach wanted to build her up as a dark horse, but he worried she might embarrass herself with a major blunder in front of everyone.
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