Lu Zhilan is a tennis prodigy and Lu Xia's older cousin. Zhilan was expected to become a professional athlete until a career threatening injury. With no other choice, she's forced to go to Germany for surgery and rehabilitation. She's been there for...
Zhilan slightly struggled to keep upright on both her feet. She had started her pre-rehabilitation and she found it frustrating that she couldn't do something as simple as walking. She panted from the exertion and her physical therapist handed over her crutches.
"I think that's enough for today. I'll see you next week, Zhilan."
She grabbed her crutches to start moving. Her aunt was waiting for her outside.
"How was therapy?" She asked lightly.
Zhilan didn't say anything as she settled into the front seat of her car. Her aunt sighed and started driving.
She immediately made her way to her room and shut herself away. She wanted to scream in frustration. All the work she put into her tennis only to end up like this.
Stop. You know why you're here now. You made your choice. Don't complain about something only you did. Accept tbe consequences and try to fix it.
Zhilan knew she was being irrational about her situation. Sometimes, her frustration got the better of her. She made one bad movement the day before her match which left her knee rather compromised. Despite that, she put on a knee sleeve for support and played.
Her team captain, Bree had seemed rather skeptical at letting her play when she wasn't completely healthy. She didn't argue though knowing full well her vice captain was not going to listen. Even with a slight injury, Zhilan had maintained a very high level performance. In the end, it was throwing herself to the ground that really finished hurting her.
Her phone ringing snapped her out of her thoughts. The screen showed an incoming call from Su Jian.
"Hello?"
"Zhilan, pack your bags."
She blinked, dumbfounded. "What?"
"Pack your bags. I'm sending you to Germany."
"Wait, what?!"
Germany? What was her cousin thinking? Why would she even go there?
"Listen, I have a friend who knows a medical director in a German hospital. They've agreed to get you the best doctor and treatment there for your knee."
Zhilan was at a complete and total loss for words.
"Hey, are you still with me?" Su Jian asked as he didn't hear any response from her.
"Yeah, I'm just trying to process- what?!"
Su Jian laughed at her.
"Look, I'm going to talk to your aunt about it if that's what you're worried about. Leave it all to me. Just pack your bags and focus on getting better."
With that, he hung up and she just kept staring at her phone.
Seriously, what is happening?
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After a long flight, Zhilan made it to Germany with Su Jian accompanying her. He was going to stay just long enough for her to settle in.
"Come on, kiddo. We just need to take a cab and you'll rest after meeting the doctor." He wrapped an arm around her shoulders in encouragement.
They finally made it to the hospital and waited for the doctor that would oversee her treatment.
"Hello, Zhilan. My name is Doctor Martin. Please, come in."
They entered his office and went over all kinds of paperwork and procedures. It was rather boring, but necessary for her to go over.
"All right, I believe I'll let you get some rest. You must be exhausted from your flight. Tomorrow, you'll meet with your physical therapist to continue your pre-rehabilitation. As soon as that's done, I'll have your surgery scheduled."
With that, Zhilan left and settled into her room.
"Well, what do you think so far?" Su Jian asked, placing her bags down by the couch.
"I guess it's all right. It's just really...overwhelming."
He smiled at his younger cousin and patted her head. "You'll be fine, okay? I'll try and call you as much as I can."
I can do this.
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After about a month, Zhilan was ready for her surgery. She was rolled into the surgical room and was surrounded by a couple of people.
"All right, Zhilan. I'm going to put this mask on you and just relax. Count backwards from 100 for me, okay?" The anesthesiologist said and she nodded.
The mask was placed over her face and she began to inhale and count.
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When Zhilan woke up, she was lost. She groaned as the light hit her eyes. She made a slight movement with her right leg and hissed in pain. Her eyes cleared and she stared around the empty room.
Right. No one is here with me. I'm on my own in a different country.
She laid back down, but stared blankly at the ceiling. She did not like the hollow feeling in her chest.
Author's Note
I know it's a bit random to put this chapter in, but it's for good reason. I decided to mostly just make it about the trip to and include some of her frustration. A bit about the surgery too. I delved into her injury a bit, but it's not really anything too dramatic. It's a "I hurt myself, but I'm gonna do something I shouldn't do anyway" type of thing. Like every teenager in this series lmao. Anyways, next chapter will be put back in the present storyline. I believe I'll move into Siyang's surgery next. Take care. If you're still with me, thank you very much! - Violet
