Test matches
"Quchi!"
He Yuntong was a little angry. What was going on with Qu Chi? Was he being petty?
He even suspected that this was her protest against the previous request that she run at full speed to motivate Zhou Xinwen.
This sound made Xiang Cheng even angrier.
He doesn't like athletes who don't obey the coach's discipline.
"Coach He, you don't have to say anything. Qu Chi, if you look down on the national team, just say it."
Qu Chi: "Sorry, Coach Xiang. I'm not in the right shape today."
There was silence for a moment.
Probably no one would have thought that Qu Chi would insist on not running away after saying such serious words to Xiang Cheng.
Does she not want to compete anymore?
Zhou Xinwen tugged at the corner of Qu Chi's clothes, but Qu Chi did not respond.
She pinched the banner in her pocket, feeling a little reluctant.
The coaches now don’t know why she did this, because they would never imagine that a professional athlete who has not yet reached adulthood would actually think about retiring.
Qu Chi is one year younger than Zhou Xinwen when she officially started competing. It has been almost four seasons so far, and including training, she has been on the road of track and field for six years.
She has also experienced many times when young athletes of the same age left sprinting.
The younger you are, the easier it is to change your life goals. Young athletes may switch to other events where they can more easily achieve results, or may even leave the sports circle completely.
If it were her, she would probably go back to school and then... completely disappear from the field of sprinting.
But I still feel sorry for those track and field fans who once supported her.
"Did you get caught in the rain?"
A calm and composed female voice broke the silence.
Everyone present was moved and their eyes fell on Qu Chi.
Only then did they realize that although Qu Chi had changed his clothes and blow-dried his hair, his shoes were still wet.
Qu Chi lowered her head following everyone's gaze and was about to explain something when the coach who was speaking walked up to her.
He patted her shoulder with a gentle hand and said, "Come on, I'll take you to borrow a pair of shoes."
Shoes are very important for sprinters. Professional sports shoes even have standard weights. Ordinary sports shoes that are too heavy will affect the athlete's running condition.
Of course, non-professional sports shoes are not suitable for running tracks. At the athletes' extreme speeds, the friction of general sports shoes is not up to standard and cannot provide athletes with good rebound force.
Wet shoes like this are even more inappropriate.
Qu Chi wanted to refuse again, but realized that because of her, the test match that should have been carried out smoothly has not yet begun. She didn't want to divert other people's attention. This stalemate seemed to steal Zhou Xinwen's limelight.
Qu Chi gave up. It was just a game, there was no need to be serious about it.
"Okay, thank you, coach."
The coach finally smiled: "My name is He Yang, and I'm the head coach of the women's 400m."
"Coach He."
He Yang was so kind that Qu Chi felt dizzy and closed his eyes to suppress the double image.
She began to wonder if she was sick, and maybe she should go for a check-up, but she had been under a lot of mental stress recently, which caused her to have frequent dreams. Now she felt that she had seen a certain scene or a certain person before, or had dreamed of such a scene. This should be a very common hippocampus effect.
That's all she could think for now.
He Yang: "I'll take this little guy to change his equipment first. You guys run your own, test individually, and teach one by one. This is the only way to clearly explain the problem. Okay, Lao Xiang, I'm leaving first."
Xiang Cheng nodded politely.
Qu Chi was held in his arms and walked two steps. He looked back and met Xiang Cheng's gaze.
Xiang Cheng, who was a little angry just now, was surprisingly calm now, and even nodded slightly to Qu Chi.
Qu Chi came to his senses and followed He Yang to find the organizer of the event.
Inside the indoor training ground, He Yuntong's face looked unhappy because he felt several gazes scrutinizing him.
In name, Qu Chi was also one of his team members, but not only was he caught in the rain, he was also not well taken care of.
Although there is no rule that every coach must have a nanny physique, it is a bit strange that as a coach who should know the player best besides herself, he completely ignored the possibility that Qu Chi was feeling unwell due to being caught in the rain.
Everyone present knew that Qu Chi had just finished a fierce 100-meter final.
As national team coaches, they would not take such an ordinary Grand Prix too seriously, but in the previous game, Qu Chi's explosive performance was obvious to all.
After the athletes were in a hot state, not only did they not get a good rest, they were also doused with cold water and didn't even change their shoes.
This is because Qu Chi is still a young player. If he were a regular member of the national team, the coach in charge of logistics would be scolded so much that he would crawl into the ground.
They didn't say anything to He Yuntong, but they probably all knew that Qu Chi was not very valued in their provincial team.
I understand that her grades are not as good as Zhou Xinwen's.
But you can't blame the girl for feeling aggrieved because of the different treatment.
Everyone has his own thoughts.
Zhou Xinwen was soon notified to go to the track and do some warm-up exercises.
He Yuntong reminded her: "Don't worry, just show your strength."
Zhou Xinwen was a little nervous.
If it were a formal competition, all she would have to worry about was being faster than her opponent.
But now, she doesn't even have a reference. She doesn't know if she has performed well enough or demonstrated the ability to impress the coaches.
*
In the locker room, He Yang stood by the door, watching Qu Chi change his shoes.
"Will there be a massage to relax your muscles after the game?"
"I didn't make it in time." Qu Chi looked up again and explained, "I wasted time."
She knew that He Yuntong just cared more about Zhou Xinwen, but he would not treat her harshly.
This time it was indeed her own fault that she did not return to the locker room in time, and she did not expect to be suddenly taken to compete in front of the national team coach.
He Yang simply reminded, "Recovery and rest after a match is very important. The human body has a limited tolerance for lactic acid. If you encounter this situation in a future match, no matter who tells you to, make sure you get enough rest first."
Qu Chi was speechless at this.
This is a competition organized by the coach, she can't really not go.
"Have you taken a shower? Don't get sick."
"Um."
Qu Chi responded.
She's always had a healthy physique, rarely taking cold medicine or the like. After becoming a professional athlete, she's become even more careful, and while some of her attempts at self-care may seem excessive, her top priority is ensuring she doesn't harm her health.
He Yang suddenly laughed again: "Young people nowadays are all so quiet. You are in high school, right? Which sports school?"
Qu Chi: "I didn't go to a sports school. I joined the school team in junior high school and later went directly to Jing'an Middle School."
He Yang pondered for a moment and felt that this school sounded familiar, but she was a professional sprinter, so it was good enough that she paid attention to a sports school. She couldn't remember why she was familiar with it, so she gave up.
"So you plan to retire and take the college entrance examination?"
Qu Chi paused while putting on her shoes. When asked about retirement, she didn't know how to respond.
He Yang saw through it and said, "Don't be afraid. If you really can't stay in the team because of unfair treatment, you don't have to stick to your provincial team. Go see if there are any other provincial teams that are short of people."
"Once I achieve good results and make the national team, I'll be representing the country. I won't care about the provincial team anymore."
Qu Chi was amused by her, but she didn't dare to laugh. She didn't even dare to think about the national team.
She shook her head to explain for her provincial team.
"The coaches are very fair, and the athletes speak for themselves based on their own strengths. I haven't felt wronged."
He Yang couldn't do anything about her, so he could only sigh and change the subject.
"With your height and long legs, you're a great candidate for sprinting."
Qu Chi is very clear about whether he is a good seedling. He is not as good as the best, but better than the worst.
"Thank you, coach."
He Yang looked at her and liked her more and more.
There was genuine regret in her tone:
"I can tell by the length and rhythm of your running stride. If you have good endurance, you should be able to run over 400. Your legs are so long. How tall are you?"
Qu Chi was a little confused. Why did she feel that He Yang was really considering pulling her to 400 meters?
"174.5cm."
He Yang even walked closer to take a closer look, almost touching it: "Oh, the proportions... the speed is great..."
Her tone was full of desire for this seedling, just like seeing a cake that particularly suits your taste in the glass cabinet, but you can't touch it, and you are afraid that the cake will not go with you.
Qu Chi was still confused. She was confused not only because He Yang suddenly mentioned the 400 meters, which she knew nothing about, but also because she had a sense of déjà vu in her mind for a moment.
"How about this? Do you want to try the 400 meters?"
"Sorry, Coach... I don't want to practice sprinting anymore."
The sense of déjà vu was so strong that she even believed that this scene had happened before, but how could this be possible? She had never seen He Yang before.
Qu Chi's fingers were trembling. She raised her hand in confusion and pressed it against her chest, trying to soothe the regret and remorse that followed the rejection.
She had already seen what He Yang meant. If... if it weren't for the recent dream and the feeling brought by the flash of the scene just now that made her resist, she might really reject the 400-meter proposal.
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