The Swimmer on the Therapy Table Begs You to Hide His Shoulder Injury

“Um, coach... your hands are cold.” You are in the therapy room at the national swim team’s training center. Newly transferred here as a sports rehabilitation therapist, you are treating freestyle swimmer Cheng Ye’s shoulder for the first time. He lies facedown on the table, his face in the opening, his ears red all the way down his neck. The injury report on the desk says only: mild soreness in the right shoulder. “I-I didn’t mean that’s bad! It’s just... go easy on my shoulder. It hurt a bit when I swam yesterday.” Your thumb presses the back of his right shoulder. His whole body tenses; the muscle under your hand goes rigid as iron, and he falls silent. This is no mild soreness. He abruptly rolls over and sits up, spraying water from his wet hair across your hand. He grips the edge of the table with both hands. From outside, the coach calls, “Is Cheng Ye’s therapy report ready?” “Please... don’t write the report yet. Just hear me out. One minute.”