128 Seizing the Future
◎As the saying goes, truth comes out when one is drunk.◎
This was the first time that Zhu Qi officially celebrated his birthday in the national team. Before, Ah Shui, Maomao and Qin Xiaoba would just buy some small cakes, and a few close friends would sing birthday songs and blow out candles privately.
But today the entire national table tennis team is celebrating Zhu Qi's birthday.
The cake seemed to be specially designed. It was carved into the shape of a paddle with chocolate, and then topped with round white chocolate to look like a ping-pong ball.
On the side of the cake facing Zhu Qi, "Grand Slam" was written in red cream.
The birthday party that day lasted for a long time, and Zhu Qi's face was covered with cake.
Several players from outside associations also experienced the Chinese birthday celebration. In addition to the cake, the coaches also asked the canteen to prepare a bowl of longevity noodles.
For Zhu Qi.
The biggest advantage of getting older is that you don’t have to act like a child anymore.
When I first joined the national team, I was only fifteen years old. Everyone treated me like a child. There were also some older players in the team at that time. No matter what I said, they treated me like a child.
Now they have a lot of trophies and gold medals in their hands. In addition, the older players have retired. The oldest player in the team is 26-year-old Maomao, and the rest are basically children under 20 years old.
Nowadays, people don’t give gifts on their birthdays.
For those who are close to each other, it is fine to just give a gift. Many young players who have just joined the national team do not have many games to play and do not have much prize money, so they wrote some birthday cards to Zhu Qi.
The contents are also very cute, with many seemingly rigid grid characters expressing very childish blessings.
What surprised Zhu Qi was that Song Linzhou actually brought her a very "special" gift.
"Agency?" Zhu Qi looked at the contents on the paper. Starting from the first line, Zhu Qi understood everything.
Either she doesn't know the meaning of the contract, she is just a franchisee.
Just like any milk tea franchise store in the future, you buy from the original manufacturer at the purchase price, and then sell the rackets at your own risk.
Thinking Zhu Qi didn't understand, Song Linzhou explained, "My coach and I think your racket has great potential. We hope to open a dealership in Chaojing. Chaojing has a larger flow of people, a stronger purchasing power, and it frequently hosts various tournaments. If foreign players come to Chaojing to play, it will be more convenient for them to purchase your rackets."
Zhu Qi thought this trick would work.
Song Linzhou, the provincial team coach, also has his own tennis racket business, and the prices are cheaper than Zhu Qi's, probably because his business is not very prosperous.
Zhu Qi thought it was a good idea. He would give Zhu Qi a share of the profits from every racket sold by the franchise stores. This way, he could "take advantage" of the entire Chaojing's business.
Seeing Zhu Qi nodded, Song Linzhou was very happy and said, "Then I will ask my provincial team coach to contact you later."
"good."
Fortunately, He Qianlu also came to Chaojing this time, so we made an appointment to discuss the issue of joining.
Zhu Qi was still puzzled as to why he and He Qianlu came to Beijing without telling him.
He Qianlu stammered that the Bayi team had some information for him to submit, but Zhu Qi felt that he was lying to him again. This person became incoherent when he lied.
Although He Qianlu is a non-staff coach of the Bayi team, he is basically responsible for some of Zhu Qi's training matters.
Now Zhu Qi has no competition, what is he doing here?
Meanwhile, Ah Shui sneaked past the cake-eating crowd and ran to Zhu Qi, whispering, "Did you know? Coach Xu goes out every Sunday, and he wears a black shirt."
The coaches are not here on Sundays, and the players study on their own in the training hall, so there is no need for roll call. Those who want to go out for medical treatment can take advantage of this day to go.
In fact, the coaches have a day off every Sunday and don’t need to stay in the management center, but Xu Dong and Chang Hongxia are from other places and have no house in Chaojing, so they have been living in the coaching room.
But after working for a long time, everyone gets bored. Xu Dong and Chang Hongxia are also the ones who like to lie down in the coaching room as much as possible.
If you tell others...
Ah Shui saw He Qianlu coming to the management center again this time and smiled: "You said——"
"I don't know, I'm not clear, and I don't understand." Zhu Qi covered his ears and didn't want to listen.
"No, you must listen!" Ah Shui grabbed Zhu Qi's hand and forcibly pried it off. "If Coach Xu really can't coach anymore because of marriage and having children, then you won't have a head coach. What are you going to do, Riyad?"
This is very important! Very important!
Although Zhu Qi is now training in an orderly manner, there is still a difference between having a head coach and not having one.
The head coach should always accompany the training to get to know the players better, and when directing operations, he should be able to analyze and give tactical commands based on the characteristics of the players and opponents.
If the coach is changed, it will definitely take some time for the two to get used to each other, and the guidance during the game may not be recognized by Zhu Qi.
Zhu Qi is very strict with himself and also with his coaches.
That’s right, in the entire national table tennis team, Zhu Qi may be the only player who dares to make demands on his supervisor.
Zhu Qi certainly knew this, and she felt depressed when she thought about it.
Why does getting married and having children have no effect on men, but not on women?
She naturally also knew that Coach Xu's family was under great pressure. If Coach Xu had someone he liked and wanted to start a family in the future, this would also be considered force majeure.
But Zhu Qi doesn't know which one Coach Xu will choose in the future, whether it is the one he likes or the one he is forced to choose due to pressure from his family.
"Well, why don't you join Sister Xia's group? Sister Xia likes you anyway, and we can practice together every day. Sister Xia doesn't have to worry about these problems. She said she belongs to... Oh, DINK! No, the non-marriage group!"
"Don't think about it. This is not something we can interfere with." Zhu Qi put down the cake paper plate in his hand and looked at Xu Dong and He Qianlu standing in the crowd.
The two men stood one in the north and one in the south, with a crowd of people between them, but Zhu Qi saw them stealing glances at each other back and forth.
“…” Zhu Qi.
How is it like being a thief?
/
There are more and more competitions now, and the badminton team often goes out.
As the number of games increases, many players' bodies begin to collapse and various problems arise.
The number of team doctors is limited, and many of the team's equipment is not so complete, so many players have reported that they want to go out for medical treatment.
The coach couldn't possibly refuse, but if they went out in groups of two or three, it would not be good if the team was always incomplete, and the coaches felt it was difficult to call out names.
Later, the head coach of the badminton team discussed with Ren Xinhua and decided that everyone could go out freely on Sundays when there was no training.
After hearing the news, the uncle and his family were very happy and asked Zhu Qi on the phone: "If the players' families want to go over and see, can they also choose this day to go?"
Zhu Qi said, "Yes, but you have to go back to the dormitory before 11pm because we have to take roll call."
The two foreigners, Lulu and Caribou, were also very happy.
The fully closed training of the national table tennis team is really difficult for them. It is really great to be able to go out and move freely one day a week.
Zhu Qi also decided to pick a Sunday to meet with his future franchisees to discuss future expansion plans.
The other party took it very seriously and booked a hotel within the Fourth Ring Road near Beijing.
When he arrived at the place, Zhu Qi didn't expect that Song Linzhou was also there.
On the contract form, Party B’s name also included Song Linzhou’s.
It was only at this time that Zhu Qi realized that this guy was also his franchisee. The Chaojing basketball shop was bought by Song Linzhou's father in his name, and he also asked the coach of the Chaojing team to invest in it to sell Zhu Qi's basketball rackets.
very good.
Partners become partners.
After agreeing on the cost price and profit sharing, Zhu Qi made one final request: "We must have a unified pricing structure, no price promotions allowed. And we must raise prices based on my store's price."
Coach Chao Jing nodded with a smile: "No problem."
He Qianlu sat nearby, helping Zhu Qi collect contracts and plan the production and shipping of the bats after his return. Seeing Zhu Qi discussing business with others so professionally and clearly, He Qianlu was particularly pleased.
After talking about business, we prepared to eat.
Fortunately, there is no drinking culture nowadays, so Zhu Qi just eats and eats. As she eats, she thinks, what a pity Ah Shui didn't come, she likes roast goose the most... This braised duck is also good, and the braised tiger skin chicken feet are also very tender...
"He started learning at the age of six, joined the provincial team at the age of ten, and won the championship in the three major competitions at the age of fifteen. He is really the 'Wu Qu Star' sent from the sky as described in the newspapers." Coach Chaojing looked at Zhu Qi with red eyes, and it seemed that he really wanted to recruit Zhu Qi to the Chaojing team.
Over the years, Zhu Qi has received so much praise of this kind that he has become accustomed to it.
But He Qianlu is different. After all, he was the one who brought Zhu Qi up in the provincial team, and he was also the one who helped him win the first world championship. At this moment, when others praise Zhu Qi, it is equivalent to praising him.
"This kid is truly a natural at table tennis, and he practiced very hard when he was little. One year he had a fever of 38 degrees Celsius, and his face was red, but he still insisted on practicing."
At that time, He Qianlu knew that this child would definitely turn the entire table tennis world upside down in the future.
This is indeed the case.
Coach Chaojing felt that it was unlikely to get Zhu Qi away from the Bayi team, but it might be possible to get Coach He Qianlu to the Chaojing team.
"Our Chaojing team offers good treatment, would you consider it..."
"Your Chaojing team is still in need of a coach? Stop joking..." He Qianlu took a sip of wine and laughed.
Song Linzhou sat next to Zhu Qi. Although he didn't say much, he always agreed with the two adults when they discussed various sports events, the growth of players from the foreign association, and their respective coaching jobs in the two provincial teams.
After all, He Qianlu was a national player before and almost won the Grand Slam. At the beginning, when they were talking about Zhu Qi, He Qianlu could still control himself. Later, for some reason, the topic turned to the time when He Qianlu was a player. He Qianlu drank a few more glasses when he reminisced about the past.
Zhu Qi knew that He Qianlu had always been in a state of panic and felt that he was too painful to be forced to retire.
This incident has never passed He Qianlu's mind, and until now it has always been the reason why He Qianlu doesn't want to return to Chaojing.
Song Linzhou suddenly nudged Zhu Qi with his elbow and asked, "Has Coach Da He drunk too much?"
Zhu Qi put down his chopsticks, looked up at He Qianlu opposite him, and found that there were four or five empty beer bottles at his feet. He thought to himself, Oh no, I didn't pay attention and he really drank too much.
In the past, He Qianlu often took her out to eat, and Zhu Qi knew his drinking capacity.
"Okay, stop drinking." Zhu Qi stopped He Qianlu from opening another beer bottle with the opener, "If you drink too much, go back by yourself later."
"You, after all these years, haven't acted like a kid anymore. You were so 'mature' when you were little, and now that you've grown up, you're still so 'long-winded'. How could I possibly drink too much? I..."
He Qianlu's mouth began to drift, and the concentration of carbon dioxide in the room increased.
Song Linzhou stood up and wanted to go outside to ask the waiter for some milk and hot tea to sober up. When Song Linzhou just left, Zhu Qi threatened He Qianlu in a low voice: "If you drink again, I will call Coach Xu over."
He Qianlu's hand holding the bottle of wine trembled a little. Seeing Zhu Qi's eyes widened, his face turned redder, like a big fool who was caught in a premature love affair by the teacher: "You, you know everything?!"
“?” Zhu Qi.
/
As the saying goes, truth comes out when drunk.
He Qianlu himself is not good at lying. After being together for such a long time, they basically say whatever they want.
Zhu Qi didn't ask a few questions before He Qianlu told him everything.
Zhu Qi thought this matter was reasonable, but also beyond his expectations.
He and Coach Xu reunited much earlier than Zhu Qi had imagined.
It turned out that the clues started after the Tokyo World Games, when Gao Xiaofeng retired and got married, some of his former teammates went to congratulate him, and He Qianlu and Xu Dong were also there.
Zhu Qi thought about it carefully. Qin Xiaoba seemed to have told her about this matter at that time. She also asked He Qianlu if he went to Gao Xiaofeng's wedding. He Qianlu denied it. Although Zhu Qi was very suspicious, she did not ask any more questions.
I guess it started at that time.
If twenty years old is a chance heart-throb during ignorance, then holding hands in your thirties means that after seeing the whole world, you feel that it is better to stay by your side.
After leaving the national team, He Qianlu joined the Jianghuai Provincial Team. Zhu Qi also knew that He Qianlu had a concern in Chaojing.
During his time in the Jianghuai Provincial Team, He Qianlu only did three things every day: eating, working, and practicing Zhu Qi.
After practicing Zhu Qi, I started practicing Xiao Lingdang, which was a seamless transition.
At first Xu Dong refused because he was working as a coach for the national team and had no time and didn't want to talk.
Later I found out that it was because I hadn’t met the right one.
He Qianlu didn't elaborate on how the two got back together. Zhu Qi gathered from the drunk's fragmentary conversation that it was likely that they initially discussed game issues, and later on, how the coach should instruct the players...
No one took the initiative to break that line.
By the time they both realized what was happening, it had already become like this.
Just like when I was in the national team and had a relationship without telling the coaches.
Zhu Qi was not a child after all, and he had long noticed that these two people were still doing this and that, so he did not react too much after knowing it.
They are all adults, and it is not my turn as a junior to worry about them.
But Zhu Qi was actually somewhat happy. As for whether her future head coach would leave his job due to family reasons, she had not thought about it. Zhu Qi only knew that these two people were excellent people.
These two played a crucial role in Zhu Qi's career: one won her the most important first World Cup, the other her first Grand Slam. As coaches, they were incredibly dedicated.
So looking at the drunk He Qianlu, even though He Qianlu claimed that he could go back to the hotel, Zhu Qi still called Xu Dong over.
When Xu Dong received Zhu Qi's call, he thought that something had happened to Zhu Qi outside. However, when he heard that Zhu Qi was asked to pick up He Qianlu, Xu Dong suddenly became embarrassed and said "OK, OK" several times before hanging up the phone.
Zhu Qi was also speechless. There was nothing to be embarrassed about. After all, the visitors were all from the north and were not open-minded at all.
When Xu Dong came over, Zhu Qi didn't bring up the awkward topic for both of them, but just said that he and Song Linzhou would go back first.
Xu Dong knew that Zhu Qi was not a gossipy person. One of the reasons why she had not told anyone in the national team was that her premature love affair with He Qianlu had caused a lot of uproar in the national team, and the final result was not very good.
If I tell everyone, will it influence some young players to follow suit?
Coach Chao Jing went back first. Zhu Qi and Song Linzhou stood on the street, waiting for a taxi to come and stop.
Xu Dong and He Qianlu sat on the bench in the back. When the east wind blew, He Qianlu sobered up a lot, as if he knew that he had let the cat out of the bag. He sat obediently on the bench without saying a word.
Xu Dong glared at him, took off the scarf from his neck and threw it to him.
When Song Linzhou saw this scene, he couldn't help but turned his head away and looked at the empty street while holding back his smile.
Zhu Qi said: "I think sometimes people put shackles on themselves."
Zhu Qi, who can completely break away from his original family and is not bound by any so-called blood ties, is fully qualified to say this.
Now that He Qianlu and Xu Dong are no longer players, they have the right to choose their own future lives.
Xu Dong sighed softly and reached out to touch Zhu Qi's head: "Actually, I still want to take you to Riyadh, and then..."
"For players, changing coaches mid-season will definitely have some impact, but I've always been one of those with a strong ability to adapt. But for other players, it might not be the same."
Zhu Qi's words were very direct.
Xu Dong should not only consider Zhu Qi. After all, in addition to Zhu Qi, Xu Dong has some other players under his command.
Since we have just finished the Moscow match and there are still more than three years before the Riyadh match, if we change the coach at this time, there may still be time for adjustment.
If we really wait until Riyadh to change it, it will be very troublesome.
Xu Dong thought for a moment and said, "I understand. I'll find some time to think about my future career plan and how to minimize the impact on the national team."
after.
Song Linzhou stopped a taxi, and Zhu Qi asked Xu Dong and He Qianlu to get in first and let them go back first.
"It's hard to get a taxi here. Let's walk a little further. There's an intersection across the street where the traffic is heavier." Song Linzhou suggested.
Zhu Qi nodded, and the two of them walked side by side in the cold wind and along the dim light of the afternoon, heading towards the other side.
There are no taxi-hailing apps now, so people have to rely on luck to wait for a taxi on the street.
"Normally, as a player, you want the right coach to guide you." Song Linzhou looked sideways at Zhu Qi and sighed. "When the former chairman changed my coach and asked Coach Gao to coach me, it took me a long time to adapt. Coach Xu has been with you for so long. If the coach is changed, you..."
"We're changing your coach because your previous one wasn't up to par. Although I'm reluctant to let Coach Xu go, I think her future is important. If she can stabilize her own situation first, she might be able to return to the national team earlier. She might even be able to make it to the Riyadh match. The sooner we decide, the better."
Song Linzhou's eyes curved into a beautiful arc, and he smiled and said, "If I were Coach Xu, I would definitely be moved to hear these words."
"If you can grasp the future, don't let it go easily. Otherwise, you don't know if there will be another opportunity like this next time."
A cold wind blew across the street, mixed with the chill of the first melting snow.
Zhu Qi shrank his neck and looked at the two shadows, one tall and one short, at his feet.
Shadows swayed on the ground.
It looks like two streams of water, but they are clearly separated in the middle, as if separated by thousands of mountains and rivers.
"Then... have you ever thought about your future..." Song Linzhou suddenly looked at Zhu Qi seriously.
They both knew what this "future" referred to. Zhu Qi was not stupid. After all, he had lived two lifetimes and knew a thing or two about these unhealthy love affairs.
Her answer was direct.
"My future is right next to the table, and it won't waver."
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