81 Moscow Direct

◎This is the kingdom that our predecessors fought for and passed down to your generation. It cannot be lost in your hands.◎

No one knows what Mr. Shi and Qin Xiaoba talked about.

But when Gao Xiaofeng came to see Qin Xiaoba the next day, Qin Xiaoba told Gao Xiaofeng very confidently.

"I'm going to keep fighting."

He plays table tennis not for anyone, but because he really likes it.

Master is right.

Saying you want to quit the team out of anger is already a mistake, but if you actually leave, you will truly regret it.

Gao Xiaofeng breathed a sigh of relief, but still snorted with a sullen face. "That's all I need to know. Training will begin today. Also, regarding your three-day absence from work, write a letter of apology and read it in public tomorrow!"

Qin Xiaoba nodded.

After the training, Qin Xiaoba changed his usual cheerful self and became a completely different person, sitting in the crowd without saying a word.

Ah Shui wanted to lighten the mood between the siblings and joked, "Old Qin's black eye is so bad it's terrifying. If you didn't know better, you'd think he'd been in a fight..."

Zhu Qi was not amused and pretended not to hear.

New Year’s Day will be two months after the World Cup.

The next year will be the year of the “three major competitions”.

It is so important for the national table tennis team.

The coaching staff actually said that if he was banned, then so be it. It seemed they were telling everyone that if they didn't keep pushing forward, even an absolute star player would be eliminated from the national team.

Ren Xinhua also held a separate meeting with the coaching staff to discuss the sudden suspension of Qin Shang. He said, "I know the team is experiencing a generational gap. Qin Shang is a rising star we're actively cultivating, and one of the few remaining players on the men's team. But we need to take a long-term view, just like his sister said. If all the players don't care, believing there are always better players to fill their shoes, and just play the game, striving for no mistakes, not merit. Qin Shang is already a senior player on the team, and soon the second-year national team player will join the first team. If even the senior players have this attitude towards competition, how can we lead this team in the future?"

The coaches all nodded, thinking it made sense.

Qin Xiaoba was banned for six months.

It will be April next year before we can participate in Asian and world-class competitions.

On New Year's Eve, all the members of the national team went out to play in the Asian Cup. After being away for half a month, Qin Xiaoba was left alone in the national team as a "left-behind elderly person".

The Asian Championships were held in January, and Zhu Qi, Daxiong and others started packing up and flying to South Korea less than three days after returning.

Since he was 16 years old, Qin Xiaoba has been eligible to participate in singles.

This is the first time in more than two years that I have stayed with the national team and cannot go anywhere.

He watched everyone set out with high morale and come back happily holding medals. Qin Xiaoba felt envious and sad at the same time.

After the large group left.

The entire national team was deserted.

Something is wrong.

Qin Xiaoba didn't expect that he would have another chance to play in the game. When Ren Xinhua called Qin Xiaoba to the office, Qin Xiaoba thought that he was asked to lead the new kids in the second national team.

Maomao got the news in advance and told Zhu Qi: "The coaches said that a club in France wants to apply for the national table tennis team to send a player to represent their club in French competitions. The coaches chose Qin Xiaoba."

Zhu Qi reacted calmly and continued to pretend not to hear.

The cold war between the siblings has continued since last year's World Cup.

In February, Chinese people celebrate the New Year.

But foreigners don’t realize that February is actually the peak period for many European events.

Ah Shui didn't understand. She had never heard of the Chinese table tennis team sending players abroad before. She asked curiously, "I only know that many players from the Chinese table tennis team used to work as coaches abroad and they earned a lot! More than twice our salary! Why did France choose Lao Qin? They don't want Lao Qin to be their coach, do they?"

Maomao shook his head: "That's not the case. France is different from us. When we played in the Chinese Games, we were divided according to provincial teams, and they were divided according to clubs."

"Oh, so that means their club is equivalent to our provincial team."

Maomao nodded. "Well, there's a French club that wants to 'buy' him for three months to help them play in French tournaments. It's widely acknowledged that Chinese table tennis is the best."

Zhu Qi understood.

This is the table tennis version of power training.

Although Qin Xiaoba was in the suspension period, Jin Lili had also been suspended before. After the provincial team pleaded with the national team, she was still able to participate in the internal table tennis league.

If Qin Xiaoba were to go to France, the French club would pay him a monthly salary, and the national team would take a 20% commission, and the rest could be counted as Qin Xiaoba's own income.

Of course, if Qin Xiaoba can help the club win a prize, the bonus will be calculated separately.

The coaching staff thought this was a great learning opportunity and agreed.

Qin Xiaoba suddenly perked up. He had been suspended for three months and couldn't play any games. He had been feeling frustrated for a long time.

When Qin Xiaoba heard that he could play in the competition again, he was as excited as if he had been injected with chicken blood.

After confirming his departure, Qin Xiaoba packed his suitcase early and prepared the rubber and glue he would need in advance, looking like he was so bored as if he hadn't played a game for three months.

Then……

Song Linzhou knew that he wanted to talk to his sister, but he couldn't bring himself to do so.

There were several times when he would carry soda, snacks, and buns and go to the women's team to pretend to meet his sister by chance, but when Zhu Qi saw Qin Xiaoba, he would turn around and leave as if he didn't see him, so Qin Xiaoba didn't dare to do it again.

"If I go to France, she will have to come and see me off, right?" Qin Xiaoba muttered softly as he pulled his suitcase out of the dormitory building.

Then... Qin Xiaoba thought too much.

The women's dormitory building was tightly closed, and there was no sign of anyone coming out.

His sister is really heartless! Humph!

"She must know that I'm leaving, right?" Qin Xiaoba sat on the stone block at the entrance of the management center while waiting for a taxi, with his legs crossed and his chin in his hand, and he would look back at the door of the women's dormitory building from time to time.

Daxiong and Song Linzhou were watching from the side, laughing. Daxiong sighed, "I told you to apologize to your sister. Now you feel better, right? You've been waiting here so longingly. If you didn't know better, you'd think you'd never come back."

The latter took out a piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to Qin Xiaoba along with a list of common French phrases. "This is the number of the Chinese Embassy in France, as well as the phone numbers of various French police and firefighters. Take it. If you encounter any trouble when you get there, go to the embassy first."

Then, Song Linzhou added, "Your sister wrote it."

Qin Xiaoba's eyes lit up, and he pulled Song Linzhou and laughed, "Is this true? Then why didn't she give it to me herself?"

"Your sister didn't let me tell you, so I told you secretly. You are not allowed to let it slip in the future." Song Linzhou warned.

"I know, I know." Qin Xiaoba put the paper in his pocket.

Under normal circumstances, there will be no problems.

Because the French side gave him a temporary number card and mobile phone, he could contact the French coaches. As long as he got off the plane, the French coaches would come to meet him, and he just had to follow them.

Although I have flown everywhere to play games before, I have been to France two or three times.

But we all set out with the national team, accompanied by team doctors and translators. All we have to do is keep our heads down and follow the group.

But this time Qin Xiaoba went alone, and the language barrier was a problem.

You'll be staying in France for three months, and you'll have to take care of everything yourself, including food, clothing, housing, and transportation. Fortunately, English is widely spoken in France, so communicating in English should be acceptable.

The men's team coaches also came to see him off. Gao Xiaofeng stood at the door, smoking a cigarette, and instructed Qin Xiaoba, "When you get to France, you must study their new European style of play. I heard they've started practicing loop shots there, but they've adapted some of the Asian loop shots. Also, you're representing all of China this time, so be mindful of your words and actions! Got it?"

Qin Xiaoba nodded: "I know! I will definitely not bring shame to China!"

He looked so serious and solemn, and suddenly I felt mature.

Gao Xiaofeng felt relieved. He patted his shoulder and watched Qin Xiaoba get into the taxi.

In the taxi, Qin Xiaoba called his family and said that he would go to France for "further studies" for three months on behalf of China.

The family members saw the news of Qin Xiaoba being banned from the game in the newspaper, but surprisingly, no one called to scold Qin Xiaoba.

Many years later, when Qin Xiaoba thought about this matter again, he felt that it might be his sister who informed the family first, so that they would not blame him too much.

But his uncles and aunts didn't know about the quarrel between Qin Xiaoba and Zhu Qi. When they heard Qin Xiaoba speaking in a depressed tone, they thought that he was unhappy about being suspended, so they said that Qin Xiaoba might still be playing in France in February, and it was a pity that he couldn't go home for the New Year.

Qin Xiaoba also felt it was a pity.

If I could go home with Zhu Qi in February, I could use this opportunity to reconcile...

The last of all.

Father Qin picked up the phone. Judging from the sound of his voice, he probably took the phone and quietly found a place where no one was around.

Dad's voice on the phone sounded earnest.

"Son, to be honest, I've often wondered why you took up table tennis. At first, like your mother, I thought you watched your sister practice table tennis and thought it was fun, so you wanted to try too. Then, when you made it to the national team, I started to rethink this. Over the years, we've certainly paid less attention to you than to your sister. We adults are at fault for that, but I'm also happy because you're a sensible child. You've never gotten angry with us about this sort of thing, and you're very kind to your sister. There's one thing you might not know: back then, when your sister was in that house..."

Later, his father said a lot, and Qin Xiaoba began to tremble all over as he listened in the taxi.

Because I was a child before, many adults would not tell me their stories.

Qin Xiaoba only knew that her aunt's husband had cheated on her during the marriage, abandoned her widow and orphan and ran away to another province, brought back a woman holding a baby during her aunt's funeral, and that Zhu Qi had suffered injustice in that family.

But now his father told him that it was not just grievance, but also abuse.

The extent of the abuse was not limited to beatings, forced kneeling, being forced to stand outside in thin clothes in winter, and being taken home by the chairperson of the Women's Federation of the village committee.

He suddenly felt a little regretful.

If I had seen that man at the Jianghuai Chinese Games, I should have punched him.

Qin Xiaoba sighed and said, "Dad, please stop talking. I understand."

When the master came to see him, he didn't scold him, but told Qin Xiaoba something.

It was about the time when I led Ren Xinhua and his group of athletes.

At that time, in 1949, when the People's Republic of China was first established, the whole country was in ruins and many people did not understand why a sports headquarters should be organized at such a difficult time.

There are also many colonists and migrant workers who have gone abroad, using foreign insults to say that China likes to do this kind of thing to swell up its own reputation.

People can't even afford to eat, so why should they participate in the World Games?

Other countries’ athletes are raised with high protein, high muscle and high welfare. What kind of athletes can China produce?

But the Chinese team was organized and participated in the World Games, not only participating but also winning many medals.

In particular, in 1953, Mr. Shi led a group of athletes including Ren Xinhua to directly cut off the dominance of Japan in the table tennis world at that time, and swept major competitions in Asia and the world.

But at that time, the General Administration of Sports was not optimistic about table tennis, and all its focus was on organizing basketball and football events.

Mr. Shi went to great lengths to form the national table tennis team at that time.

The athletes at that time also paid a lot to build the foundation of the "Great Wall of Table Tennis", especially Ren Xinhua, who now suffers from recurring stomach problems, which is the root cause of the disease when he was an athlete.

The master said to him.

"This is the kingdom our predecessors fought for and passed down to your generation. We cannot let it be lost in your hands."

Qin Xiaoba suddenly didn't feel wronged anymore.

He is an athlete in the national team, which is completely different from when he was in the provincial team.

In the past, when fighting civil wars, winning or losing didn’t matter; it was just a matter of how much bonus you got.

But when playing in world-class competitions, you have to represent the 1.2 billion Chinese people who pay you.

The reason for banning himself from playing was that Zhu Qi and the coaching staff felt that if they continued like this, there would be no hope.

Qin Xiaoba told his father on the phone: "When I get to France, I will fight well and will not bring shame to China."

/

Ah Shui also felt that Zhu Qi was even more... ruthless and impartial than he had imagined?

Zhu Qi had scolded Qin Xiaoba once before because Qin Xiaoba did not play basketball seriously. At that time, he also said, "If someone can take Qin Xiaoba's position, I will definitely teach him how to beat Qin Xiaoba."

Ah Shui always thought that this was Zhu Qi's angry words, but he didn't expect Zhu Qi to really sacrifice his relatives for the sake of justice...

Moreover, it is indeed a bit of an exaggeration to say that Qin Xiaoba played passively in the game.

Even if Qin Xiaoba had hundreds of guts, he wouldn't dare to give away points on purpose.

At most... I'm not that competitive.

Maomao was washing clothes on the rooftop. As he watched the washing machine purring, he jokingly said, "Do you think the suspension is too severe a punishment?"

Ah Shui sat beside him, cross-legged and eating biscuits, sighing as he ate. "It's mainly because I can understand a little bit of his thinking. Sometimes, when I see you and Bao Bao, I relax a little. I think... well, I have you and Bao Bao to support me. Bao Bao is just too demanding of himself, so he wants to set high standards for those around him, but he didn't expect Lao Qin's own ability to be limited and couldn't keep up..."

"This is the first time you speak up for Qin Shang." Maomao said with a smile.

Ah Shui sighed, "Ah, I just felt a little sorry for Lao Qin when he left. He's a mean guy, but he was really good to Bao Bao. Think about it, when we went to Jianghuai to compete in the Chinese Games, and Bao Bao's father came looking for us, Lao Qin was such a man, he almost got into a fight with that guy..."

Maomao was about to respond when she looked up to see Zhu Qi standing at the seventh floor stairs, holding a pile of laundry. He frowned and asked, "What did you say? Who's looking for me?"

Ah Shui's hand trembled, and he didn't hold the biscuits firmly, so they fell all over the floor.

/

After listening to Maomao's detailed account of what happened at the Jianghuai Chinese Games, Zhu Qi frowned, "Why didn't you tell me about this? I was wondering, what you were whispering about back then was this very thing."

And the male reporter who asked me the question at that time.

At that time, Zhu Qi thought that man was an idiot, but now he thinks that he might be an idiot hired by that family.

Ah Shui picked up the biscuits one by one from the ground, with an expression that said it was a pity to waste food.

Maomao sighed: "We were playing a game at the time, and no one wanted to affect your mood for the game."

"How could I be affected by something like this? You really underestimate me." Zhu Qi didn't take it seriously. He walked to the empty washing machine next to him and put his things in one by one.

"Oh~ Actually, we just want to say that Lao Qin cares about you very much." A Shui walked over and hooked his arm around Zhu Qi's neck.

Zhu Qi knew that after he and Qin Xiaoba had quarreled, everyone in the team wanted to be a peacemaker.

Now Qin Xiaoba has gone to France, and I haven't gone to see him off yet. I don't know how he's doing in France...

Maomao knew that Zhu Qi was worried about Qin Xiaoba but didn't say it, so he discussed with Chang Hongxia and Xu Dong and decided to go to the coach's room to watch European competitions after the three training sessions every night, and find out how Qin Xiaoba was doing outside.

Gao Xiaofeng also often made transatlantic calls to inquire about Qin Xiaoba's situation there.

Food and accommodation are all good, but the language barrier is indeed a problem.

It was fine when playing singles, but playing doubles with a group of French people in the club was a nightmare.

When Qin Xiaoba spoke, they couldn't understand him; when they spoke French, Qin Xiaoba couldn't understand him either.

When I first went to France to play my first team match, I played a men's doubles match and lost because of the language barrier.

When he went back, he was given some cold stares. The French coach took the others away without calling Qin Xiaoba.

Qin Xiaoba took the French phrase book that Zhu Qi gave him and found a taxi to go back to the club.

On the way back to the hotel, Qin Xiaoba did not feel wronged or sad.

If you lose, you lose. People paid money to "invite" you to be a substitute coach in order to lead the entire team to advance, not to "invite" an idler to come and eat for free.

The contempt and contempt of this group of old white men actually aroused Qin Xiaoba's drive and bloodiness.

After all, he is the absolute main force of the Chinese national men's team!

How could I go to France and be looked down upon?!

The next day, Qin Xiaoba took the initiative to run errands around the club.

Since there was no coach to take care of him, he ran to the players who were training and watched them practice.

Without a training plan, he trained himself according to the national team's usual schedule.

These foreigners don’t have good basic skills. Their steps are too light and their center of gravity is too heavy. They will definitely feel tired after running for a while.

Qin Xiaoba went over and started teaching them how to move with less effort. Several old masters found it very useful and came to ask him for advice.

After teaching the steps, Qin Xiaoba started teaching the serve.

At the beginning, when they couldn't communicate in the same language, a few of them just wrote strokes there. Later, when Qin Xiaoba began to understand a few simple words, he started to play men's doubles together.

Asia mainly uses fast break and emphasizes multi-shot stalemate.

Europeans have their own playing style, and it is indeed more powerful than the Asian style.

The ball is hit harder, like a small cannonball, emphasizing the first three shots, which is a bit similar to the cat-and-mouse style of play.

So these old methods began to lose their power when they reached the fourth and fifth boards.

Qin Xiaoba learned the first three board tactics from them, and the old players learned the Asian fast break from Qin Xiaoba.

In just one month, Qin Xiaoba incorporated some European playing styles and his skills improved dramatically. He could even speak a few simple words in French.

When Qin Xiaoba was playing in the French tournament, Zhu Qi happened to return to Jianghuai Province to celebrate the New Year.

While other families were watching the Spring Festival Gala, Zhu Qi and his uncle were trying to find a way to use an antenna to watch the French events.

But unfortunately, there is no software to bypass the firewall in this era.

The next day, Zhu Qi could only listen to the retelling of He Qianlu, his only connection abroad.

"I heard that guy's in France now, becoming a semi-coach. Even the club's head coach consulted him about switching formations in men's doubles. He even took him out for some French cuisine and beef, and he's not afraid of gout. I think if you weren't playing in the direct tournament in June, that guy would have to come back, otherwise the French club might have to add 'time'."

"That's called stew and snails, stupid pig." Zhu Qi corrected He Qianlu's pronunciation.

"Who are you calling a stupid pig!" He Qianlu yelled.

"I'm speaking French, stupid pig, for 'hello'."

"Don't bother with me, just keep making a scene. Did you have a fight with your brother? Otherwise, why didn't you just ask him directly on the phone? Why didn't you come over and ask me?"

"Don't worry about it." Zhu Qi stood in the Jianghuai Provincial Team's gym, looking at a group of twelve or thirteen-year-old children in front of him, feeling a little dazed.

I used to be a member here too.

She had always been a source of worry for the coach in the provincial team, and He Qianlu had helped her out several times.

She was practicing next to the pool table, and little Qin Shang was stretching her legs and tendons beside her...

At that time, there were many people following me, all of them were friends from the provincial team.

However, after I made it into the national team, I rarely contacted the players I knew from the provincial team.

I don’t know what those former players are doing now. I guess many of them have returned to school.

In this day and age, there is no WeChat or □□, and I don’t even know your phone number. I guess it will be difficult for us to meet again in the future.

"By the way, that kid I told you about last time is also going to the national team after the New Year." He Qianlu crossed his arms, retracting his gaze from watching the players practice, and said to Zhu Qi. "She didn't participate in the youth training camp, but if she won the championship in the U15 competition, she could be guaranteed a spot on the national team."

He Qianlu said last time that the little girl's family background was not very good.

The training fee of the youth training camp is so expensive, so I'll just be admitted if I can.

"I saw it in the newspaper. Where is she?" Zhu Qi asked.

"Because you're confirmed to be on the national team, you don't have to come to the provincial team for the next two days. You should stay at home and pack your things."

"Give me her family's contact information, as well as her ID number and name, and I'll buy her a train ticket to Beijing with me."

After all, she is my junior sister from Jianghuai Province.

As Zhu Qi was born in Jianghuai Province, he still had to be taken care of.

He Qianlu saw her mature and reserved appearance, and she really had the aura of a senior sister. He began to sigh: "I suddenly realized that you are almost 20 years old. I always thought you were still a little kid who only reached my chest. Time flies."

"Yes, there are more wrinkles on your face. Time really flies by." Zhu Qi said lightly.

He Qianlu touched his face and looked back at the window glass: "Really? Nonsense, I'm still as handsome as ever."

/

Jianghuai Railway Station at the end of February 1998.

Two girls, one big and one small, stood at the bustling platform, followed by their families, and were talking to each other.

There was a crowd of people nearby, including migrant workers wearing blue cotton jackets and carrying snakeskin bags on their backs, travelers eating in aluminum lunch boxes while waiting for the train, and staff blowing copper whistles to maintain order at the scene.

On an electronic screen set up nearby, a string of red words "K36 is delayed" were flashing.

Little Lingling followed Zhu Qi, her round eyes wide open, curiously observing everything around her. Her elderly grandparents stood below the platform, holding Little Lingling in their arms, reluctantly watching the train approaching from a distance, its wheels scraping against the rails as it entered the station, creating sparks and a light white mist.

"When you get to the national team, you must listen carefully to the coach." The two old men stood under the cold hanging ceiling and waved to Xiao Lingling.

Xiao Lingling nodded and followed Zhu Qi onto the train.

This girl is very quiet. She was only 13 years old when we met last year. When we saw her again this year, she seemed to have grown a lot taller, but she was still half a head shorter than Zhu Qi.

Zhu Qi bought two sleeper tickets. The journey was nearly ten hours long, and she was used to taking a short nap in between.

When I opened my eyes, I found Xiao Lingling sitting opposite me, peeling an orange.

She was actually carrying a bunch of very heavy fruits. Zhu Qi guessed that the two elderly people in the family asked her to carry them.

Xiao Lingling peeled four oranges and placed each segment in an aluminum box. Seeing Zhu Qi wake up, she handed it to him carefully.

"Sister Baobao, this is for you."

Zhu Qi pinched two pieces and asked her, "Didn't you take a break?"

Little Bell shook her head: "I dare not sleep. Grandma said there are thieves on the train."

Zhu Qi ate an orange and looked at the child in front of him who, if he still wore a red scarf in school, now had to carry his luggage and run to live in Beijing, more than a thousand kilometers away.

Although I was in the same situation five years ago, Xinzi was still an adult in her thirties after all, and she quickly adapted to life in Chaojing.

Oh, not really.

Almost all the players on the national team left their hometown at this age.

Xiao Lingdang had very little luggage. After joining the national team, she was given team uniforms and jerseys, three sets each year for spring, autumn, winter and summer.

You don’t need to bring daily necessities, as the national team will provide most of them. If you need them, you can buy them from the team’s small shop.

Because Xiao Lingdang was brought here by Zhu Qi, after reporting to the second national team, Zhu Qi took her around the entire management center to familiarize herself with the environment.

Five years ago, when Zhu Qi came here, Xu Dong took him and walked around in circles.

Now it is Zhu Qi's turn to become a guide for others.

"This is the playground. We do our morning run between 7:30 and 8:00 every morning. After running around the playground twice, we go straight to the cafeteria for breakfast. The national team has four cafeterias, east, west, north and south. We at JAC prefer the south or north cafeteria. The soups cooked by the chefs in the north cafeteria are very rich and delicious. The breakfast in the south cafeteria is spicy soup and fried dough sticks."

"The training hall is over here. The women's team is usually in the west area, and the east is the men's area. Aside from mixed doubles practice, they don't usually interact with each other."

"Behind the training hall is the coach's office, and further inside is their coach's dormitory. Usually the coach stays in the dormitory from Monday to Friday nights, but they all go home on Saturdays and Sundays."

"After joining the national team, we lived on the first floor of the women's dormitory. Usually, there were 12 or 10 people in a room. After joining the national team, there was competition everywhere. The better you played, the higher up the floor you lived and the fewer people in the room. Once you became a key player, you could have your own small room."

"After joining the National Second Team and training for a while, the coach will sign you up for Asian qualifying tournaments, GTT feeder tournaments, or organize internal team competitions. You earn points by playing these tournaments, using the same structure as the world rankings. Once you're in the top five of the National Second Team, you can challenge for the last position on the First Team, and then play in the round-robin tournament between the First and Second Teams to advance to the First Team."

Zhu Qi was walking in front.

Little Bell followed behind.

Just like Xu Dong and Zhu Qi who walked the same path five years ago.

Xiao Lingling looked at Zhu Qi with longing. She responded to everything Zhu Qi said and nodded vigorously.

When I was in the provincial team, I felt that my idol was thousands of miles away. I could only look at Zhu Qi’s posters in the gym and the game videos on the display screen.

Now that the opponent is right in front of me, my excitement has surpassed that of joining the national team.

There's a new guy on the team.

The number of players in the national team never seems to decrease, but the faces are constantly changing.

There are always only a few who can stay.

In April, when Qin Xiaoba returned from France, the old guard at the door was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said, "I thought you had quit the team. I haven't seen you in such a long time."

"How could I quit the team? I just came back from a 'business trip'." Qin Xiaoba said that he was sent to work in France, but he said it was a "business trip" to save face for himself.

As soon as he appeared in the training hall, he was surrounded by a group of people.

The men's team chirped.

"Hey, I heard you won the national championship in France. Is that true?"

"You stayed in France for three months this time. How much money did you make?"

"How come you've gained weight after being away for three months? Do you eat so well? Are the French snails delicious?"

"Did you buy us any gifts? I heard France has some... perfume? Did you buy it?!"

"That's what girls use. Why would a grown man like you use perfume?"

"My suitcase is so small, how can I put any space for you to put your gifts? Besides, I'm going there to represent China in a domestic competition, not to travel." Qin Xiaoba said as he pushed the crowd away.

Actually, I did buy gifts, but not too many. I just bought some for my family.

Qin Xiaoba peeked towards the women's team, opened the luggage bag and rummaged through it, and found a box wrapped in a gift bag, which was obviously carefully prepared.

The French are quite romantic, and his teammates there even taught him how to choose items that girls like.

When A Shui saw Qin Xiaoba coming over, he winked at the cat next to him.

Maomao understood what was going on and tried to hold back her laughter as she watched Qin Xiaoba tiptoeing towards her.

Zhu Qi was standing beside the table with his back to the men's team, watching the second-grade national team kids practice. Suddenly, a gift box with a large red and green bow appeared in front of him.

"Sister~ I'm back!" Qin Xiaoba stood beside her with a playful smile and a flattering look.

Zhu Qi glanced at him.

very good.

Gave me the eye!

It means that the anger has subsided.

"Pfft..." Ah Shui laughed out loud at the vicious color combination. "Are you using leftover Christmas packaging from France?"

"Go away, what do you know?" Qin Xiaoba held the shoe box and opened it while introducing the shoes: "These are the sneakers I picked out for you after going to several stores! They are so precious! They cost me half a month's salary in France!"

Zhu Qi still ignored him, and Qin Xiaoba started his next move. He pinched the zipper with his hand and pulled it hard. With a "swish", the jacket was pulled open, revealing a row of medals hanging around his neck.

The golden light illuminated his grinning face, which looked funny no matter how you looked at it.

"Fuck, hahahahahahaha... have you inlaid yourself with gold?" Ah Shui laughed so hard that he fell over.

The cat covered its face and tried not to laugh out loud, but later it couldn't help it and kept laughing while holding onto the table.

"I didn't bring shame to China! Look!" Qin Xiaoba pointed proudly at the pile of glittering gold medals in front of his chest.

Zhu Qi's mouth twitched. He felt that this kid had been in France for three months and his brain had become abnormal.

After Zhu Qi finished speaking, he opened Qin Xiaoba's head and urged the other girls from the second-grade national team who were also laughing and saying, "Stop laughing and keep playing."

Seeing that Zhu Qi still ignored him, Qin Xiaoba spoke a lot of French to show off his proficiency in the minor language that he had learned in three months.

Zhu Qi frowned: "Speak human language."

"Then don't be angry, I know I was wrong." Qin Xiaoba blinked pitifully. "Really!"

Zhu Qi curled his lips and cursed, "I know, I know. Didn't you see I was watching a kid practice serving? Put your things down and get out of here!"

Qin Xiaoba put down his things and ran back in a hurry.

The men's team saw him grinning even after being scolded and asked, "Why are you so happy even though you were scolded?"

"You know shit." Qin Xiaoba ran towards the coaches, ready to report in.

Scolding him means you are no longer angry.

His sister is like that.

Ren Xinhua heard the noise from a distance and laughed heartily at Qin Xiaoba's bewildered look. "I heard you performed well in France? It seems sending you abroad was very effective. Did you get bullied out there?"

be bullied?

Of course I did.

Qin Xiaoba went home and naturally started complaining: "At first I couldn't understand what they were saying, and they all made jokes about me. There were also players from other French clubs who squinted at me. Later I asked Lu Ge, and Lu Ge said that it was a gesture that foreigners used to deliberately mock Chinese people. Another time, I asked how to get to the stadium, and someone deliberately pointed me in the wrong direction."

Because he went to France alone and had no compatriots around to speak for him.

Even in the club he was in, everyone was French and would only help their own people.

"Then what did you do?" Ren Xinhua asked.

"I just took it out on the table," he said. "As I got better, I started seeing fewer and fewer of those people."

Ren Xinhua said earnestly, "We've been through what you've been through before, and it's only worse than what you've been through."

Qin Xiaoba knew that he had been protected too well by the national team before.

When I usually go out with a large group, I naturally don’t feel any discrimination against Chinese people by foreigners.

That’s because there was a group of people who first built this “Ping Pong Great Wall”, so that the outsourced partners were scared when they saw the red color, so they dared not offend again.

But when he was alone outside, the feeling he got was different.

His short three-month trip to France may be the result of more than ten years of grievances suffered by his predecessors.

He said, "I know I was wrong, and I will definitely change in the future."

Ren Xinhua was very satisfied, Shi Ge was very satisfied, and Gao Xiaofeng was also very satisfied.

The children who left home have returned, and all the games that were supposed to be played at the beginning of the year have been played.

Collective meeting in the first week of June.

Ren Xinhua stood under a red cloth as it slowly unfolded.

There was a line of big words written on it.

——[Moscow Century's Strongest 12-Player Direct Tournament, Countdown 7 Days]