Chapter 8 — Bridge Yard Beats

Long officially returned to full-time training after exactly one week of rest, and his wrist has completely recovered thanks to strict compliance with the treatment regimen. The first training session back, the whole team welcomed him with warm words of encouragement, especially from Vy, who had been looking forward to this moment all week.

"Welcome back," she said, a bright smile on her lips as she saw Long enter the yard with a familiar confident look.

"Thank you for waiting," Long replied, his eyes sparkling with joy at being back where he belonged the most.

Coach Kiet quickly put the two into a high-intensity training routine, making the most of the remaining time before the regional Olympic qualifiers in just three weeks. The first exercise after Long's return was to review everything the two had built, ensuring there were no interruptions that affected the chemistry they had worked so hard to cultivate.

The surprising thing is that, despite a week off from practicing together, the chemistry between Vy and Long seems to have not diminished, and is even better than before. Perhaps, the conversations and sharing sessions during Long's recovery helped the two understand each other more deeply, creating a stronger foundation for coordination on the field.

"That's impressive," coach Kiet commented after the first training session back, unable to hide his satisfaction. "I thought it would take a few days for you guys to regain your form, but it seems you guys have surpassed my expectations."

"Maybe because we kept in regular contact throughout the past week, even though we couldn't practice together on the field," Vy explained, glancing at Long with meaningful eyes.

In the following days, the intensity of training increased significantly, with exercises that accurately simulated situations that could occur at the regional Olympic qualifiers. Coach Kiet and Mr. Trinh Bao Son diligently analyze each potential opponent, building unique strategies for each possible match.

One afternoon, during a break between exercises, Phong - a close teammate of both - approached, his eyes full of mischief. "Hey, I've noticed that you two seem a lot closer these days," he teased, making both Vy and Long somewhat confused.

"We're just trying to build the chemistry needed for competition," Long replied, trying to keep his voice normal even though his ears were a bit red.

"Yeah, just teammates," Vy added, although she couldn't avoid glancing quickly at Long.

"Okay, okay, I believe," Phong smiled, raising his hands as if to surrender, although his eyes still couldn't hide the happy skepticism. "But if you two have anything to announce, don't hesitate to share it with the brotherhood."

After Phong left, the two stood there in awkward silence, neither one daring to look the other in the eye. Finally, Long broke the silence first.

"Do you think Phong means anything?" he asked, his voice trying to sound casual.

"I don't know," Vy replied, equally confused. "Maybe he was just teasing."

But deep down, they both knew that Phong's teasing was not completely baseless. The relationship between them has quietly changed a lot since that first collision-filled day, even though none of them has dared to frankly face and accurately name the feelings growing inside.

That evening, after a long practice session, Vy received a video call from her younger brother Nguyen, who was always eager to update her sister's training status. "Sister, I heard that you are about to compete in the Olympic qualifiers? Everyone in my school knows this news!"

"That's right," Vy smiled, touched by her younger brother's sincere excitement. "I'm training very hard to prepare as best as possible."

"Remember to win," Nguyen said, her voice filled with pride. "I was bragging to all my friends that my sister was about to compete in the Olympics."

"I will try my best," Vy promised, although she could not avoid the pressure of growing expectations from her family and those around her.

After ending the call with her younger brother, Vy lay on the bed, her eyes looking up at the ceiling, thoughts about the pressure of the upcoming competition lingering in her mind. She took out her phone and texted Long, which has become a habit every night since her first international competition.

"Are you still awake?" she texted, her finger lightly gliding across the screen.

Just a few seconds later, a response message appeared. "Also, reviewing some tactical videos. Are you okay?"

"I'm a bit worried about the upcoming qualifiers," Vy honestly admitted. "Our family and friends have so many expectations for us, I'm afraid we'll be disappointed."

A few minutes later, her phone rang with a call from Long. She picked up the phone and heard his voice ringing warmly through the line. "I think, instead of worrying about letting someone down, we should focus on playing to the best of our ability. What the outcome is, that's something that's completely out of our control."

"It sounds as easy as you say," Vy replied, her voice still a little worried. "But when the whole family puts their trust in you, it's hard not to feel pressured."

"I understand that feeling," Long replied, his voice low and filled with sympathy. "All my life I've lived under pressure to live up to my family's reputation. But I've learned that pressure is only truly useful when it pushes us to try harder, not when it makes us so scared that we don't dare act."

"How do you get over that?" Vy asked, really curious about the psychological secret of this teammate who always seemed calm.

"I focus on every single moment on the field, instead of thinking about the big picture too early," Long explained. "Every shot, every combination, that's what I can control. The final result will come if we do each small part well."

Vy listened attentively, clearly feeling the sincere comfort from those shared words. "Thank you," she said, her voice much lighter. "I always feel calmer every time I talk to you."

"Me too, when talking to you," Long replied, his voice with a rare hesitation. "You know, I've never had anyone to share my secret worries like this with, not even my family. But with you, everything just flows out naturally."

Those words made Vy's heart beat faster, a warm feeling spread throughout her body. "I feel the same way," she replied softly, her voice filled with sincerity.

The two continued to talk for a while longer, no longer revolving around the topic of competition or pressure, but turning to simple everyday stories - hobbies, dreams, childhood memories that both of them had never had the opportunity to share before. The conversation lasted late into the night, and when they finally hung up to rest, they both clearly felt that the distance between them had narrowed more than any joint practice session could have done.

The next morning, at practice, Coach Kiet announced another important news. "The organizing committee has just sent the official competition schedule for the regional Olympic qualifiers. We will depart three days in advance to get used to the field and climate conditions at the venue."

The whole team was excited by that information, the atmosphere of preparation became more urgent than ever. Coach Kiet distributed a detailed schedule, clearly showing each day of training, rest and tactical meetings before leaving.

"These last three weeks will decide everything," he said, his stern gaze sweeping across the team. "I want each athlete to put one hundred percent of their heart and soul into each training session, not being allowed to slack off even for a day."

Vy and Long exchanged determined looks, both clearly understanding that this was the most important sprint stage during their preparation journey. The training session that day took place with unprecedented intensity, both pushed themselves to the limit to perfect every smallest technical detail.

"Are you okay?" Long asked when he saw Vy breathing heavily after a series of continuous physical exercises.

"I'm fine," Vy replied, even though her shirt was drenched in sweat. "Just need a little rest."

"Don't try too hard," Long said, handing her the bottle of water, his eyes filled with sincere concern. "Injury from overtraining right now will be much worse than from proper rest."

"You're right," Vy nodded, took a sip of water, clearly feeling the warm concern in his every word. "Thank you for always paying attention to me."

"That's what a good partner should do," Long replied, a warm smile at the corner of his mouth, his gentle eyes watching her rest and regain her strength before continuing the challenging training session ahead.