138 Men's Doubles
◎Maybe everything will get better in the future, let time take care of it.◎
Qin Xiaoba still had a glimmer of hope before he went to find the coach.
Then I saw the schedule changes posted at the gate. I felt completely hopeless when I saw that Caribou and A Shui would play in the mixed doubles, while I would play in the men's doubles with Mori Yu Nan.
"Why are you asking me to play with him? We've never played against each other, not even trained together!" Qin Xiaoba grabbed Gao Xiaofeng's hand and dragged him towards the head coach's office. "Tell Chairman Ren I won't play! I want to play men's singles. Why won't I play?"
"You're looking for death!" Gao Xiaofeng cursed. "Go ask the head coach for a roster. Do you want to be sent back to the provincial team?"
Qin Xiaoba understands Coach Gao's character.
The national team has always been "orders as heavy as mountains", and players have only the right to obey and no right to question.
But there are always unexpected events. Qin Xiaoba felt that if there was anyone in the team who could change the coaching staff's mind, it would be only one person.
Thinking of this, Qin Xiaoba ran to the playground.
/
"One, two, three, four, one, two, three—four! Stop!"
Maomao was shouting slogans in front, and the girls followed one by one behind, then stopped next to the football net and lined up to do cool-down exercises.
The heat of summer was still lingering in Beijing in September, and I was sticky all over after running three laps.
After finishing the last set, we are ready to disband.
The women's team players rushed back to the area where their personal belongings were stored, chatting and laughing as they sorted their things.
The content of the conversation was also very simple, basically about training content, physical strain, going back to see the team doctor to see how to recover, and so on.
Ah Shui suddenly tugged at Zhu Qi's arm and pointed toward the southwest stairs: "Coming."
Zhu Qi didn't even raise his head, listening to the "thump thump thump" sound of footsteps running towards him, and finally stopping behind him.
Seeing Qin Xiaoba's expression, Ah Shui thought he was here to quarrel, but Qin Xiaoba opened his mouth and said with a bitter face: "Sister, I don't want to cooperate with him."
"The list has been submitted. You have to join even if you don't want to." Zhu Qi still didn't look up and continued to pack the things in his hands.
"I can't fight him at all, and he won't cooperate with me." Qin Xiaoba was anxious and circled around Zhu Qi.
A Shui originally thought that the scene of Qin Xiaoba and Mori Yunan playing men's doubles would be very interesting, and there was a high probability that these two would really "fight" each other, but now he feels that the coaching staff's arrangement is a bit too frivolous.
After all, the goal is to win gold in the World Cup.
These two people have never even trained together in doubles, let alone played together in a training match.
Weren't they eliminated in the first round of the World Cup?
"There's still two weeks, maybe two weeks, until the World Championship. That's plenty." Zhu Qi looked at Qin Xiaoba with a serious expression. "His level would be top-notch even for the national team. You can't deny it. If the men's doubles don't play well, it's your fault. You didn't cooperate with him. The national team has never been eliminated in the first round. If your men's doubles team can't even make it out of the first round, he'll still be the captain of the Hong Kong team when he returns, but it's hard to say whether you can still maintain your position as a regular in the first team."
Qin Xiaoba instantly wilted, and said through gritted teeth, "I'll fight."
In fact, there was another reason why Zhu Qi suggested that Qin Xiaoba and Mori Yunan play men's doubles.
Mori Yunan is good at mid-range and long-range shots, while Qin Xiaoba and Zhu Qi have similar playing styles, both of them are fast attackers close to the table.
Although both of them are right-handed, Qin Xiaoba has also practiced jumping stance since he was a child, and his agile steps can make up for the problem of overlapping steps.
After watching the match between Song Linzhou and Mori Yunan, Zhu Qi found that Mori Yunan had excellent wrist strength and a very high success rate in forehand change of direction shots at the far table, which could make up for Qin Xiaoba's weak attack at the far table.
Qin Xiaoba is slow to warm up in the game and usually doesn't get started until the third game or later, which just makes up for Sen Yunan's weakness in the late game.
In the first half, Sen Yunan led Qin Xiaoba, and in the second half, Qin Xiaoba led Sen Yunan.
The two people's status just happens to complement each other.
Zhu Qi feels that judging from the current men's doubles combinations of these foreign players, this pairing is more suitable than Song Linzhou and Caribou, and has a higher winning rate.
but……
The prerequisite is that both people are willing to cooperate with each other.
/
When Qin Xiaoba came to find Zhu Qi, another seeded player in men's doubles also went to find Ren Xinhua very unhappily.
Mori Yunan knew that the national team had a rule that after the roster was submitted to the General Administration of Sports, players were not allowed to ask the coach for a spot without permission.
But he is not a member of the national team.
He is just an international student who came here as a "diplomat".
Ren Xinhua's expression remained calm as he looked at Sen Yunan calmly, "Before I answer why you arranged the men's doubles this way, please answer me a question first. Why do you want to play mixed doubles with Zhu Qi?"
Mori Yunan was stunned, and suddenly all the words he wanted to say were stuck in his throat.
Only a few players knew that Mori Yunan wanted to play mixed doubles with Zhu Qi.
Perhaps it was a discussion among several players, heard by the coaches, and then conveyed to Ren Xinhua.
But Sen Yunan was indeed stumped by the question of the elder in front of him who looked to be nearly sixty years old.
Her eyes are very sharp and insightful.
It's easy to see through a child's heart.
Mori Yunan didn't want to lie, so he simply answered, "I admire her playing style and skills, as well as her thinking that's ahead of all the current players. I want to learn from her when we play doubles together."
Ren Xinhua stood up, very satisfied with Sen Yunan's answer, and said with a smile: "Then I can understand that you don't want to play men's doubles with Qin Shang because you feel that you can't learn anything from Qin Shang, and you don't appreciate Qin Shang's playing style and skills."
"Yes." Mori Yunan answered decisively.
Mori Yunan's mother is from Zhugang. She often lived with her grandfather in Zhugang since she was a child. After joining the Chaojing team, she rarely went back.
After successfully trying out in Zhuhai, Mori Yunan completely changed his nationality to Zhuhai, which had not yet been unified at the time.
He received a Western gentleman education from a young age, wearing a bow tie and a small suit, using a knife and fork, eating pasta, and drinking coffee.
Although Zhuhai and Hong Kong have now returned to China, many older generations of Zhuhai and Hong Kong people still do not recognize their Chinese identity.
They believe that Zhuhai is Zhuhai and the mainland is the mainland.
When he first came to the national team, Mori Yunan was actually a little uncomfortable with the environment and the economic gap. Especially after seeing the current situation of the men's team, he had the idea that "the national team is just so-so."
Sen Qiaobei told him that the national team has its own charm, and if he can stay in the national team for two years, it will bring about huge changes in his skills and thinking.
Huang Jiajia was very happy in the national team, but Mori Yunan felt that it was boring.
He wants to return to the Hong Kong team.
Ren Xinhua was not in a hurry and asked again: "Then what do you think is the chance of you and Qin Xiaoba winning in men's doubles?"
Mori Yunan answered more firmly: "Zero."
"But Zhu Qi thinks that you and Qin Shang have a higher chance of winning as a men's doubles team. She thinks that you two may be able to beat all the external men's doubles teams and win the men's doubles championship of this World Championship Cup." Ren Xinhua said with a smile.
“…” Mori Yunan.
In fact, Zhu Qi didn’t think that the two of them could win the championship, he just thought that the two of them were a better match.
What Ren Xinhua said really caught Sen Yunan off guard.
If Mori Yunan agrees with Zhu Qi's forward-thinking, he should follow Zhu Qi's suggestion and play men's doubles with Qin Xiaoba.
Seeing that Sen Yunan was silent, Ren Xinhua smiled even more kindly. "I've been wondering recently why the women's team's overall strength improved so much after Zhu Qi came, but the men's team didn't? After you and Song Linzhou finished playing, I watched Zhu Qi's match against Jamie at the Moscow World Games again, and suddenly I understood. Zhu Qi has planted a seed in many people's hearts."
Ren Xinhua pointed at Sen Yunan's heart.
"After years of hard work, this seed has grown into a towering tree, its roots tangled and intertwined, connecting everyone's hearts."
Sen Yunan didn't say anything, and didn't even know how he walked out of Ren Xinhua's office.
Ren Xinhua knew that he hadn't figured it out, so he called someone alone and asked Sen Qiaobei to come over.
/
When Sen Qiaobei heard that his younger brother was going to play men's doubles with the main players of the men's team, he was quite happy.
But later, when Sen Qiaobei heard Ren Xinhua say that Sen Yunan didn't want to fight, he was not so happy.
Because of the interview relationship he had built with the national team over the years, Sen Qiaobei was almost like a freelance reporter for the national team, coming and going freely. The security guard recognized his face and let him in.
But Sen Qiaobei was not here on business this time, but to chat with his younger brother.
The two brothers found an empty pond and sat for a while.
"Do you know? What have I seen in Zhugang over the years? What have I seen in Chaojing? Outside, there are already high-rise buildings and sports cars everywhere. But here..." Sen Yunan looked at the distant horizon, the endless deep sky, and it was also faintly gray.
This era.
Zhuhai and Hong Kong far surpass the mainland in terms of economic freedom, internationalization level and per capita wealth.
While Zhuhai and Hong Kong are frantically transforming into advanced pillar industries such as finance, real estate, trade and logistics, the mainland is still worrying about manufacturing.
Mori Yunan murmured, "...It's a far cry. Every aspect is at least eighty years behind the outside world. Everything is so hypocritical and empty. Just like the players and coaches here, it's hard to rely on slogans and calls every day without improving their salaries."
Sen Qiaobei grabbed a ball from nowhere and tossed it back and forth, throwing it high and catching it, then throwing it high again and catching it again. He joked, "But I don't think so. I've been around the national table tennis team since I graduated. Even though they seem so carefree now, they're incredibly tough when facing a strong opponent. They're people who will fight for their lives. Otherwise, why would the Chinese team win so many gold medals?"
"Only the women's team has more gold medals." When Mori Yunan said this, he became even more confused.
With Zhu Qi's current level, major clubs around the world are vying for him, and his annual salary is more than three times that offered by the national team.
But Sen Yunan was shocked when Huang Jiajia said that Zhu Qi's current annual salary was almost the same as A Shui and Maomao.
This is a grand slam.
He is also the youngest Grand Slam winner in history at the age of 21.
The golden period will last at least five years.
As long as the country is in your hands, the country will exist.
The economic space for marketing behind it is enormous.
If Mori Yunan could now obtain one of the honors that Zhu Qi has received, he might also ask the Hong Kong team to improve his treatment.
But Zhu Qi was actually willing to stay in the national team...
"Because she has a say here." Sen Qiaobei's words answered the question that Sen Yunan had been thinking about for two years but couldn't figure out.
The elder brother looked at his younger brother and spoke earnestly.
"Zhu Qi shares the same beliefs as the national team and has the greatest say given by the coaching staff. She can propose changes to the men's team's match roster, arrange training sessions for all players, and arrange for anyone to practice with her. The coaching staff also gives her the utmost trust, letting her play any games she wants without worrying about anything, and supporting the entire team. If she were placed in the Hong Kong team or an overseas team, do you think that would be possible?"
Mori Yunan retorted: "But the treatment is incomparable to that of the national team."
"From what I've learned, foreign clubs are plagued by match-fixing, exhibition games, and intra-team bullying. There have even been cases where athletes from a particular sport were disbanded due to a lack of investors, their lifelong struggles vanishing into thin air. When capital enters the sports arena, the blood and sweat of athletes becomes the ink that prints the money for the capitalists. By then, you won't be able to tell why you're actually playing, and you won't even see the people who truly worked hard for the sport on the podium, but rather a group of manufactured stars."
Mori Yunan didn't respond.
"Many foreigners say that the Chinese are poor and arrogant, but I think this is a compliment. Although China is poor now, it holds the power of speech and does not care about the attitude of any other country. It can overturn the table whenever it wants. When a person has no backbone, no matter how much money he is given, his inner world will be empty. As for what you said, I believe this country will have it in the future. I don't think it will take 80 years. I have confidence in the people and things of this country. When that time comes, you will know that the greatest nation in the world is the Chinese nation." Sen Qiaobei pressed his brother's shoulder. "As for this men's doubles competition, I suggest you give it a try. I want to see you stand on the podium as a Chinese."
/
Qin Xiaoba and Sen Yunan both agreed to play men's doubles.
Ren Xinhua arranged Zhu Qi and Daxiong to supervise from the side, probably because he thought that a bloodline suppressor and a male team captain could restrain this artillery barrel a little.
After the news came out, both the men's and women's teams watched the two people's daily training routine for a while with an attitude of watching the show.
But surprisingly, it was not as chaotic, noisy, or confrontational as imagined.
Ah Shui thought that maybe it was because Zhu Qi was watching from the side that the two of them couldn't quarrel.
But Zhu Qi left for a while to practice her own women's singles, and the two of them continued to train quietly.
Although it was men's doubles, there seemed to be thousands of mountains and rivers between the two of them.
Not to mention tactical communication, there wasn't even eye contact.
Daxiong thinks this is not a good idea. How can we play the game without communication?
"Baobao, what do you think we should do?" Daxiong stood outside the barrier, watching Song Linzhou and Caribu serving as sparring partners for Qin Xiaoba and Sen Yunan in men's doubles, and felt worried.
After practicing for three days.
Qin Xiaoba and Sen Yunan had no way to fight against Song Linzhou and Caribou.
Song Linzhou and Caribou were as easy to play against as playing against robots. In one training match, they even beat Qin and Sen 11:0.
Cat came over to get a towel and just happened to hear what Big Bear said. He comforted her, "That's great. Not arguing is already a big concession. Understanding can only be cultivated through practice..."
Just as Maomao finished speaking, Mori Yunan suddenly shouted, "Why are you hitting the ball like that?!"
Song Linzhou hit a forehand triangle shot, Qin Xiaoba picked it up and was smashed by Caribou, and Sen Yunan failed to catch it.
"I don't understand." Qin Xiaoba replied.
"Why do you hit the ball like that?"
"What's wrong with my ball?"
"Why pick on them?"
"If I don't pick up the short ball, should I just play it long?"
“…” Zhu Qi, Maomao.
Big Bear was furious: "If you two feel it's hard to connect, just go up on stage. Once one of you finishes, leave and make room for the other! You're both experienced doubles players, why is it so hard to connect?"
Zhu Qi coldly scolded, "You think it would be nice for the Chinese and Hong Kong teams to be eliminated in the first round of the World Cup! Just keep practicing like this! The rosters have already been submitted! The entire national team will be embarrassed along with you!"
Qin Xiaoba gritted his teeth and had to go back to the table to continue pulling the ball.
After watching for a while, Ah Shui joked, "To be honest, this is the first time I've seen Lao Qin play basketball so quietly."
The fourth day of training was still the same. Shi Ge came over to take a look and said, "Thank God for making it through the first round."
The competition is less than a week away.
The coaching staff felt that Ren Xinhua's arrangement was a bit of a joke, treating the World Championship Men's Doubles as a training match.
What if the gold throne is taken by a foreign men's doubles player? How will we explain this to the General Administration of Sports?
But Ren Xinhua ignored him and called Zhu Qi over. After explaining a few things to him, he handed over the men's doubles to Zhu Qi and Daxiong.
The first thing Zhu Qi did after leaving the head coach's office was to grab Qin Xiaoba's ear and say, "You know what? He gets up at 7 a.m. every morning to practice his serve against the wall. And then after 11 p.m. roll call, he still does push-ups and horizontal bar workouts in the dorm. I think you're in trouble this time. Just based on that attitude, if the men's doubles don't perform well, the coaching staff will definitely blame you."
Qin Xiaoba's eyes widened. "What's the big deal? I'll get up at this time tomorrow too! No matter who I team up with, even if I'm fighting two, I can still get the men's doubles team to the semifinals! Just wait and see the competition!"
Da Xiong walked over to Mori Yunan on the other side, handed her a bottle of water, and pretended to sigh, "Xiao Ba is a foul-mouthed person, but he has a good heart. Seeing how hard you guys are training, he said that starting tomorrow he'll get up at 6:30 every day to practice intensively. Even if it means he's playing one against two, he'll get the men's doubles team into the finals."
Mori Yunan frowned. Half past six? So early? The last sentence also irritated him.
Do you think so little of him? And he made it to the finals with two matches?
Who wants him to take it?
the next day.
When Qin Xiaoba arrived at the training hall at 6:30, he found that Sen Yunan had already finished warming up.
“…” Qin Xiaoba.
OK, OK.
So curly, right?
Day 3.
Qin Xiaoba got up early, finished washing up at 6:20, and rushed to the training hall with his basketball bag.
Looking at the closed door, Qin Xiaoba was very proud. However, when he was about to look for the key in the mailbox next to him, he found that Sen Yunan also came over with a golf bag.
The two met each other and exchanged silent glances.
The others didn't get up until 7:30. During this hour, there were only Qin Xiaoba and Sen Yunan in the entire training hall.
The venue was so spacious and huge that even the sound of breathing echoed.
Qin Xiaoba couldn't stand it anymore, and waved the racket towards Sen Yunan: "Practice?"
"Let's practice." Mori Yunan took out the racket.
The two of them stood in the corners on both sides of the table and started to bring the billiard ball closer.
After the ball flew up, both of them became more clear-headed.
They all had a lot of anger in their stomachs, but they didn't want to team up with the other side in men's doubles, so they had to go ahead with it anyway. Now they were venting all their anger.
The two men started arguing again, and played a one-hour training match with no one watching and no coach as referee.
When Zhu Qi arrived at the training hall at 7:30, the two were already panting and sweating profusely. They were lying on the ground and couldn't even get up. They were not only absent from the morning run, but also had fifty yuan deducted from their salary.
"How many games did you play?" Zhu Qi looked at the balls scattered on the ground.
Looking around, there are at least seventy or eighty of them, if not more than a hundred.
A large white patch piled up in all directions.
Mori Yunan was quite concerned about his personal image and was leaning against the corner of the table, breathing heavily.
Qin Xiaoba lay on the ground in a "big" shape without any scruples. When he stood up, the same sweat mark appeared on the floor mat.
Qin Xiaoba waved his hand towards Zhu Qi, meaning "I'm tired, I can't speak, and I can't remember how many games there are."
No one knew who won or lost in that one-hour 1v1 match that day.
Even Qin Xiaoba and Sen Yunan couldn't remember how many points and balls they had scored.
But Qin Xiaoba's progress in just a few days surprised Sen Yunan.
The problem of Qin Xiaoba's long-range ball that Zhu Qi mentioned before was made up by Qin Xiaoba with a half-volley ball in less than half a month.
When Chang Hongxia was an athlete, she once told Maomao that if you want to understand someone, you should play a game of ball with them.
Qin Xiaoba felt that although this kid had an arrogant temper, his ball was indeed hard and difficult to chew.
In the past, everyone in the team had a good relationship with Qin Xiaoba. There were some people who were better than Qin Xiaoba, but Qin Xiaoba thought that it didn’t matter since they were all family members.
Time is running out.
Qin Xiaoba and Sen Yunan had no time to fight against each other anymore. They couldn't really be eliminated in the first round.
Just keep practicing.
Song Linzhou and Caribou began to find sparring difficult.
Zhu Qi watched Qin Xiaoba and Sen Yunan start to give each other space, exchange the ball, fill the gaps... and then he felt relieved when he saw them able to play a few equally matched passes with Song Linzhou and Caribou.
"You're really smart." Maomao marveled at Zhu Qi's coaching talent. "But aren't you worried that the two of them won't be able to work together before going on the court?"
"I've thought about it, but I don't think it's likely," Zhu Qi shrugged. "These two aren't rookies from the provincial team; they're experienced players who've competed in major competitions. If they can't even control themselves a little bit, they should just return to the local team."
Qin Xiaoba, who was playing basketball, shuddered when he heard his sister say this lightly.
He knew that Zhu Qi always did what he said.
If he doesn't play well, Zhu Qi can really make a suggestion to the national team and send himself back to the Bayi team to reflect on himself.
Then... Qin Xiaoba could only fully unleash all his potential and fight harder.
Qin Xiaoba is serious, Sen Yunan cannot lose.
The two of them competed secretly.
Sen Yunan was the first person to arouse Qin Xiaoba's strong desire to win.
For the first time, he felt unwilling to accept the result and wanted to beat this person down.
Even though the two of them are now a men's doubles partner, the content of the competition is similar.
It’s nothing more than snatching points from your opponent when you’re facing him.
After becoming partners, we have to compete with each other to see who scores more points and who can hold the key ball.
All the same!
"Not bad." Shi Ge's face brightened a little. He was delighted to see Qin Xiaoba swung his racket vigorously, each stroke full of vigor, as if he was ready to overthrow his opponent. "Ever since practicing men's doubles, this kid has gained weight and his bones have become stronger. Zhu Qi is truly a talent. She knows Qin Shang will be tempted by this. Judging from what Old Ren said, this girl will probably become our colleague after she retires."
Gao Xiaofeng nodded and said, "Yeah, maybe he'll become our leader."
The two men's team coaches smiled at each other and nodded slightly.
/
night.
The scorching summer night was slightly cooler.
The air conditioner in the training hall is a bit old and can never retain cool air.
Many players would run outside to the pavilion to cool off after playing.
Qin Xiaoba practiced for a whole day and was exhausted. He went to the store to buy a bottle of soda. When he came back, he found Sen Yunan also sitting in the pavilion, staring at the night sky in the distance.
After thinking about it, Qin Xiaoba walked over.
"Here." Qin Xiaoba sat down next to Sen Yunan and handed him the soda. "Although Chinese soda isn't as strong as foreign soda, it's plenty filling. You can drink it."
Sen Yunan glanced at Qin Xiaoba and took the soda: "Is it poisoned?"
"It's a laxative. Do you want to drink it? If not, give it back to me. The price has gone up now, it's fifty cents a bottle! I was fined fifty yuan for not jogging this morning. It hurts."
Mori Yunan curled the corners of his mouth and chuckled.
"What a joke! I know you Hong Kong gentlemen are all rich and wouldn't care about these little things. But my sister and I have been through hard times since we were little. How can a young master like you who was born rich know how to make the most of a penny?"
"Really?" Mori Yunan became slightly interested.
"When my sister and I first started playing table tennis, our family was struggling financially. My mom had been laid off, and my aunt had a heart condition and needed constant medication. The paddle we used was a secondhand one my dad bought from a colleague at school. The handle was so worn out that it cracked, and I couldn't even make the sound when I hit the ball. Later, my uncle sold our laying hens to buy my sister a paddle..."
Back then, there weren't that many competitions, the prize money for the junior division was small, and I had to travel by bus. Not to mention consumables like sponges and rubbers, which were even more scarce. After several round trips, the prize money wouldn't even cover the cost of round-trip tickets and hotel accommodations. To save money, I even rented a local's bicycle and rode for two hours every day to pick up my sister. You wouldn't know, but the soles of my shoes were worn off, so I used the soles of my feet to pedal, and by the time I got home, I had three blisters.
Mori Yunan didn't say anything and just listened quietly.
"...The first time I won a gold medal was when I first joined the Jianghuai Provincial Team. Although it was only a regional men's singles title, I was happier than if I'd won the lottery. The prize money was only fifty yuan, but at the time, it was incredible. I was so excited that I only slept for three hours for two whole days. The moment I opened my eyes, I hugged the gold medal and kissed it." Qin Xiaoba finished laughing, finding his childhood folly amusing. "What are you laughing at? Haven't you ever done something like that?"
Mori Yunan thought about it and realized that he was indeed very happy when he won the gold medal for the first time, but now...
Qin Xiaoba asked another question he was very curious about: "Did you really start practicing horizontal board from scratch? From the swing? The steps? The most basic?"
"Yeah." Mori Yunan nodded.
Qin Xiaoba smacked his lips, his emotions mixed. "No wonder you played so steadily. I thought my sister was exaggerating..."
"You haven't experienced it, and you learned the game quickly, so you can't understand the past of someone like me... It's not easy for everyone. I was talented, and you were financially challenged. And I didn't expect your salaries to be so low..."
If even the national team is like this, it is even harder to say about the people at the bottom.
"Money is just a thing outside of one's body." Qin Xiaoba shook his head. "When my sister and I first joined the Bayi team, the old man told me, and my sister also told me, that we should be proud of our country's sports military status. How can honor be measured by money? Although the treatment of the Bayi team is much worse than that of the provincial team, it is easy to straighten your back when you wear that military uniform. Because someone has built an iron bone in our bodies, no matter who we meet, we will not bend. Besides, the economy is not as good as the rich and the poor now, but it is better than the poor. It is much better than when we were young. My sister also said that no matter how much money you make, you can't take it with you when you die, so just enough is enough. Some people eat meat on their knees, and some people drink porridge standing up. Everyone has different choices. At least we can sit down to drink porridge now, and we will definitely be able to sit down to eat meat in the future."
Mori Yunan listened to these words, which were similar to what his brother said during the day, and felt a little touched.
"But..." Qin Xiaoba took a sip of soda and looked at Sen Yunan curiously. "Do you really like my sister?"
"Yeah." Mori Yunan responded softly.
"She probably isn't interested in you."
"Why?"
"You smell like white people, and my sister hates old white people the most. Oh, I'm not insulting you, I'm talking about some of your... personalities. Like your eating habits, your dress, your mannerisms... things like that. My sister really doesn't like Western food. She gets annoyed by the sight of Western food during competitions. She prefers eating big steamed buns and rice. But it's not just you. My sister doesn't seem to be interested in relationships. There was a guy on the men's team who liked her before, and she almost reported him to the coaching staff. My sister only cares about the ball..."
Mori Yunan was not affected by these words.
Because of Zhu Qi's attitude towards him, Mori Yunan also had this feeling.
In fact, Mori Yunan didn't expect any response.
Huang Jiajia had discussed this with him before, and told him, "Oh, this isn't a bad thing. If I knew there was someone who had been following me, supporting me, and working towards my goals, I'd feel a sense of accomplishment."
Mori Yunan also thinks so, and it is enough to let the other party know his feelings.
As for the rest... it's too long ago.
I originally thought that Qin Xiaoba was just a vested interest who followed behind his sister and took advantage of all the training resources.
In this men's doubles match, Mori Yunan didn't think he would be able to actually play on the court at all.
Because according to the personalities of the Hong Kong team players, if the coaching staff insists on arranging them to partner with someone they don't like, they will definitely quit.
Or they just slack off during practice, and don't play well in the competition, just go up and take a look around.
Unexpectedly, Zhu Qi just said "The Chinese team will be eliminated in the first round", and Qin Xiaoba started to practice basketball vigorously. He even took the initiative to team up with himself, a person he did not like, for the sake of victory. This really surprised Mori Yunan.
Why do these slogans work so well for them?
Mori Yunan didn't know.
"Actually, it's not easy for the people of Zhuhai and Hong Kong either, after all, they were colonized for so many years." Mori Yunan suddenly broached the topic, his tone somewhat sad. "From their perspective, they were abducted by human traffickers and bullied for over 150 years. Their thoughts were assimilated, their language was tampered with, and their beliefs were replaced. They've become accustomed to this kind of life, so they don't think returning to China would be any better. Even though they're back home now, their family members don't completely treat them as their own. They always feel like there's a barrier between them. There are still many foreigners left there, and they're stuck in the middle, not knowing what to do. It takes time to adjust to their new identities... But maybe my brother is right. At least here, there's no such thing as high-ranking or low-ranking citizens. Time will tell, and perhaps things will get better in the mainland in the future. We'll just have to wait and see."
The two sat quietly, listening to the wind whistling in their ears.
Thinking about it, I have said some inappropriate things during this period... I don’t know if it’s because the air in Beijing is too dry, but Qin Xiaoba felt that the wind blowing on his face made his face feel hot and painful.
Qin Xiaoba raised his soda and said with the air of "You and Cao are the only heroes in the world," "We are all compatriots."
"We are all compatriots." Mori Yunan touched his shoulder.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
