188 Extra (4)
◎The national team must establish a system of rules and regulations that ensure equality for all.◎
"...This is a humanistic consideration. After all, an athlete's professional career occupies their entire teenage years. If even dating isn't allowed, many players won't be able to stay on the national team. Your table tennis team is fine, after all, you've performed well in two consecutive World Games and are the favorites of the General Administration of Sports. But our badminton team is a bit inferior, and the treatment isn't as good as yours in every aspect. During the Moscow cycle, over 20 first-team sparring partners quit, some leaving within six months because they felt they couldn't perform well and weren't allowed to date, so they had no choice but to leave the team. Actually, these sparring partners could be managed with a little more laxity, and staying on the national team would be a good opportunity for Dangdang."
"...So our team feels that relationships are allowed, but they must be reported first. The coach will then determine whether the player is in good condition and can keep up with subsequent competitions and training before making the final decision on whether to approve the relationship."
"Besides, if this player can miss games and training because of a relationship, he can also do so for other things. A truly self-disciplined player won't let their performance be affected in any way. This is also a form of survival of the fittest, allowing players with greater self-control to rise to the top."
The Sunshine Combination of the badminton team sat opposite Zhu Qi and analyzed with Zhu Qi the badminton team's views on "in-team romance" word by word.
Zhu Qi asked curiously, "Does that mean the badminton team coach tacitly approves of relationships? Is it okay to have a relationship within the team?"
"Intra-team romance isn't completely open yet, but it's allowed for players who are about to retire. They're almost retired, so they can't just be treated like kids on the national team, right? There's a different way to manage each player, so there's one way to manage those with strong self-discipline and another way to manage those with less."
Zhu Qi began to feel troubled.
She manages the team and always treats everyone equally.
Whether it is a Grand Slam winner, a world champion, or a young player who has just joined the team, there is a set of standards.
But what the Sunshine Group said seems to make sense.
It's just like forehand players and backhand players.
It depends on the individual, and we can no longer use rote learning. The training plan must be formulated according to the athlete's strengths and weaknesses.
And sometimes Zhu Qi thought that although he had no interest in things like dating and getting married, it didn't mean that others didn't need it.
It is normal for some people to be attracted to each other and naturally get married.
She just had never dealt with this kind of thing before, so she came to learn from the badminton team.
Zhao Yuguang knew Zhu Qi had won many honors in the table tennis team and was now the captain of the women's team. He must have been under a lot of pressure managing the players. He consoled her, "Actually, I think times have changed. We can't judge people with the same old perspective. Besides, the players on the national team are all adults. They understand a lot of things. Don't treat the mention of 'love' like a flood or a beast. Blocking it won't work. We need to channel it."
This sentence makes a lot of sense.
Zhu Qi nodded.
Thoughtful.
The coaching staff's discussion hadn't yet concluded; to be more precise, they were divided. Ren Xinhua was now on the brink of retirement and had begun the process of training a successor. This might be Ren Xinhua's last chance to reform the team's rules, so she was being extremely cautious.
After three meetings and discussions, the calls for "relaxing policies" began to overwhelm the calls for "severe crackdowns and strict enforcement."
Ren Xinhua knows that her decision is also very important to the future direction of the national table tennis team, but she is also very clear that if she does not finalize the new policy, it will be the next head coach who will "reform" it.
Ren Xinhua has devoted himself to China's table tennis career for nearly forty years. He considers that from when he was an athlete to now as a coach of the national team, he has done his best to achieve perfection in both competitions and any other job.
According to her personality, she will not leave "difficult problems" to the next head coach.
But this matter is also a big trouble. Ren Xinhua feels that it should be handled with caution, or... pick a "typical" example to warn others.
After thinking it over, Ren Xinhua opened the door of his office, walked to the edge of the corridor on the second floor and looked at the group of children who were training on the first floor.
After thinking about it, she had an idea in her mind.
Just call Zhu Qi and Maomao over.
/
When Ren Xinhua called Zhu Qi and Maomao over, he didn't actually say anything. He mainly wanted to ask for their opinions on the issue of "in-team romance".
Maomao continued, "I think the national team could be expanded. Previously, the team only recruited two classes of second-team players each year, with a maximum of three players each time. We could expand the team by two players each time. This way, the competition would be even greater. Ambitious players might not care about other things when they see everyone around them training day and night. And players like Mori Yuminami also represent that the round-robin tournament at the national youth training camp doesn't necessarily mean the top three players are the best. Some players with accumulated experience could be given a chance."
Ren Xinhua knew that this was also a method.
Zhu Qi repeated what the Sunshine Band had said to Ren Xinhua. "After talking with the badminton team today, I felt something they said made a lot of sense. Times have changed. Simply blocking them won't work. We need to address the emotions of these people. Furthermore, those who are easily influenced by external factors will become targets of elimination in the process of survival of the fittest."
Ren Xinhua nodded slightly and said nothing.
In fact, Ren Xinhua called Zhu Qi and Maomao over because he wanted to test them.
Focusing on training is one thing, and Ren Xinhua is already very confident in these two people.
The discipline aspect is also important.
She had to see if Zhu Qi and Maomao had the keen perception to see through things.
So… Ren Xinhua hinted, “Actually, the kids on the team are all really good, and every one of them is very responsible, and they’re all top talent in the industry. It’s normal for them to be attracted to each other, and the more outstanding someone is, the more people will want to follow them. Take Ah Shui and Xiao Ba, for example. They’re the same age and childhood sweethearts. Sometimes when I see them training together, I think they’re a perfect match. If they weren’t on the national team, but at an ordinary university, without the pressure of competition, maybe I would even bring them together…”
Maomao's heart skipped a beat, and he was just about to speak up for A Shui and Qin Xiaoba, explaining that they just had a good relationship.
As a result, when Maomao looked up, he saw Zhu Qi suddenly frowning and his face darkened several shades.
Maomao knew that Ren Xinhua wanted to see how they planned to "vent".
Seeing that the two children didn't say anything, Ren Xinhua suddenly stood up, sighed and turned his back to them.
"I'm old, and my energy is running low. Sometimes I feel like I've burned out my last 'candle'. This flame will have to be passed on sooner or later. You guys... take care of it."
Maomao knew that Ren Xinhua had completely delegated power to them, allowing them to handle the matter fully.
Just as I was about to offer some more suggestions, I heard Zhu Qi grit his teeth and say "Yes!", then turned around and strode out the door.
He looked like he was in a hurry and was looking for a fight.
Maomao thought to himself: It’s over, Qin Xiaoba is in danger.
/
The men's team is training in groups.
The big bear was picking up balls nearby. After he had finally finished picking up a whole basin, he found that a little rabbit had thrown some balls all over the floor.
Qin Xiaoba found a corner to sit in, and with a full heart, he threw the balls in his hand into the distance one by one, as if he could throw away his worries as well.
"You haven't confessed to your sister yet?" Big Bear put the basin aside and clicked his tongue.
"I wanted to say it, but I didn't find the opportunity."
"Opportunities don't come by waiting. If you don't say it now, it will be too late." Song Linzhou had just finished taking a shower, with a towel hanging around his neck, and had not yet started packing his golf bag.
Just as Song Linzhou finished speaking, he heard a burst of footsteps "dong dong dong" running down the stairs, and then rushed to the men's team training ground.
Qin Xiaoba felt something was wrong when he heard the sound. When he looked up, he saw his elder sister's expression as dark as iron, and then he was pulled up from the ground by his elder sister by her hand.
Zhu Qi dragged Qin Xiaoba to the adjacent branch hall.
The people nearby were watching, stretching their necks to watch the fun.
"Go, go, go to training, what are you looking at?" Big Bear waved his hand, making everyone look away.
Qin Xiaoba knew something was wrong the moment he saw Zhu Qi's expression, but he still subconsciously asked back, "What are you doing? Explain it properly. You've torn my clothes! This new uniform is of poor quality to begin with. If it gets torn in two, then…"
Zhu Qi pressed him into a corner and glared at him: "Tell the truth."
"What do you want to tell me?"
"You know it clearly!" Zhu Qi said twice as loudly.
Qin Xiaoba felt a little guilty and lowered his head.
Zhu Qi also felt a black screen in front of her eyes, and knew that Ren Xinhua's hint was right. She had always felt that it was not right for Ah Shui to go to the rooftop every day. In the past two days, whenever she saw Ah Shui and Qin Xiaoba practicing mixed doubles, Qin Xiaoba's condition looked very strange.
In the past, after practicing, he would just sit on the bench and wait for others to pick up the balls on the ground for him. Now he picks up his own balls and runs over to help A Shui pick them up.
Zhu Qi had felt something was a little strange when Qin Xiaoba emptied his own savings to pay back A Shui's family last time.
It’s not that there’s something wrong with Qin Xiaoba being helpful, it’s just that... there’s a saying that goes, for men, where there’s money, there’s love.
Although this man is Zhu Qi's younger brother who grew up with him, the man's moral character is still the same.
Qin Xiaoba knew that he could no longer hide the truth, so he could only confess: "We didn't break any rules. She knew nothing. It was my wishful thinking. I..."
"Don't talk nonsense to me. You know the discipline of the national team, and you know that I am now the captain of the women's team. You also know the price of romance within the team. As my younger brother, not only do you not support my work, but you have also become the biggest obstacle for me to manage the team's atmosphere. You--" Zhu Qi looked at Qin Xiaoba, who was half a head taller than him, and wanted to grab his ears and scold him like he did when he was a child.
But now Qin Xiaoba is 26 years old and no longer a 16-year-old kid.
Zhu Qi had a lot of ideas in mind, but at this moment he suddenly stopped talking.
Because there are so many things I want to say, I don’t know where to start.
With a bang, the door of the annex was pushed open and A Shui came in.
She ran to Zhu Qi, her face flushed: "I, I like him too!"
Zhu Qi looked at his best friend and brother standing opposite him, and felt his vision getting darker and darker.
Qin Xiaoba kept pushing Ah Shui toward the door. Ah Shui squeezed and shoved her way back to stand in front of Zhu Qi. She held Zhu Qi's hand, her eyes slightly red. "I know it's wrong for us to do this, but many things are beyond our control... I, I promise! It won't affect training and the competition. If the team wants to deal with it... no matter what the result is, I, I can accept it!"
Looking at the two people in front of me, there is a sense that they are a pair of star-crossed mandarin ducks.
At this moment, Zhu Qi suddenly witnessed how powerful the old coach was.
Ren Xinhua's tactic of attacking the mind...actually created a difficult problem for himself.
/
Zhu Qi sat alone in Maomao's staff dormitory and hadn't spoken for half an hour.
Ah Shui sat at the table opposite, with his knees together, his hands on top of them, his head lowered, and an expression that looked like he had done something wrong.
She knew she must have disappointed Zhu Qi.
Will she be dealt with by the coaching staff?
Will I be sent back to the provincial team?
If this is the case, then she would be very sorry for the national team's cultivation of her.
But... she didn't want to lie to Zhu Qi.
In fact, A Shui was a little anxious. He was afraid that Qin Xiaoba would have a bad temper and run into the furious Zhu Qi, and the two would start quarreling again like firecrackers encountering fire.
Maomao brought them a glass of water and sat next to Zhu Qi, looking at his pale face. Knowing that Zhu Qi must be in a bad mood after having a fever and encountering this incident, he quickly tried to smooth things over: "Actually, this matter is not that serious. Didn't Xiao Ba and Ah Shui just say that? The two of them just... have a good impression of each other. It hasn't developed to that stage yet, right?"
Maomao looked at A Shui, and A Shui felt dizzy.
To be precise, this was the first time that Qin Xiaoba heard Ah Shui express his attitude towards him, because the previous time - and the only time Qin Xiaoba wanted to confess to Ah Shui - was in Incheon during the SARS period.
At that time, the entire national table tennis team was living in South Korea and had to find their own training grounds.
The coach who led the team there could only apply for a sum of money to rent a venue for the players who were preparing to participate in the competition in Incheon at that time. The players would then take turns every day, being the first to open the door and the last to close the door and leave.
Every time it was Ah Shui's turn, Qin Xiaoba would accompany her back.
An evening in a foreign country.
Qin Xiaoba picked a small daisy from the roadside, rolled it into a flower ring for her, and then half-jokingly put it on A Shui's left ring finger.
Ah Shui asked jokingly, "What for? You can't use this to propose, right?"
Qin Xiaoba answered seriously: "I gave you the betrothal money a long time ago, all my wealth."
Ah Shui cursed: "Bah, I want to return it to you because you didn't want it."
After that, neither of them mentioned the incident again.
But A Shui did not return the flower ring to him. Instead, he put it together with the grass butterfly and hung it on the head of the bed.
Their relationship seemed to have remained unchanged, yet it was completely different from before, until Zhu Qi came to demand an explanation.
There were no vows of eternal love, but the moonlight witnessed everything.
After listening to Ah Shui's explanation of what happened in Incheon, Zhu Qi laughed out loud: "Are you crazy? Are you—are you still going to fight in Los Angeles?"
"Fight!" Ah Shui said firmly. "It's just two years, I can wait!"
"It's not a question of whether to wait or not. Do you think Chairman Ren doesn't know? Let me be frank, she is already preparing to use you two as examples!" Zhu Qi couldn't explain how he felt right now.
Ah Shui lowered his head again: "But I don't want to lie."
"..." Zhu Qi let out a long sigh. "Putting aside the discipline of the national team, falling in love is not like playing a game. It's over after the game. There will be a lot of trivial matters, family matters, and daily necessities to deal with in the future. I know Qin Shang too well. He is a man who can't even clearly define what he wants. It's like practicing table tennis. He has practiced for half his life and doesn't even know whether he likes it or not. If I hadn't pulled him back, he might have given up long ago. You have to think it through. Men's emotions are not that long-lasting."
Maomao was a little touched after hearing this. She thought Zhu Qi would sternly order Ah Shui to give up this relationship and stick to the competition.
Zhu Qi could say this, and he doesn't seem like someone who has no understanding of love. He even knows how to analyze things from the perspective of the future.
Since A Shui's parents had divorced, he should be very clear about this kind of thing.
But Ah Shui sniffed and said in a more resolute tone: "I know that men's emotions don't last long, but I know that Lao Qin really likes table tennis."
“…” Zhu Qi.
Three seconds later, Zhu Qi stood up: "Okay, then let's see how much he 'likes' it."
/
Qin Xiaoba was sent back to the Bayi team.
It was a plan formulated by Zhu Qi.
Since the players on the National Second Team are all minors, the management is relatively strict. They are strictly prohibited from dating, and are strictly prohibited from privately possessing mobile phones, Nintendo, magnetic cards and other electronic products. Violators will be sent back to the provincial team.
Players and sparring partners for the national team are prohibited from dating before the age of 22. Players who are over 22 or about to retire need to report to their superiors and can date the opposite sex with the approval of the coaching staff.
The main force and the absolute main force will continue to be strictly controlled, but no more two will be retreated. Whoever is chasing will be pushed back.
When Zhu Qi formulated the third point, Foye and Shi Ge were still puzzled: "Why is it so important who chases who?"
Zhu Qi explained that while it takes two to tango, the person being pursued will be affected to some degree by the feelings. After all, the one who initiates the pursuit bears the primary responsibility. Another benefit is that determining who pursues whom can reveal a person's character.
When Qin Xiaoba was sent back to the Bayi Team, a young couple was caught in the team.
When the Buddha asked who was chasing whom, the male player suddenly fell silent, fearing that he would be pushed back first. Then the female player suddenly disenchanted the male player, and the two of them broke up on their own without the coaching staff having to do anything to separate them.
Ren Xinhua agreed to Zhu Qi's arrangement.
When Qin Xiaoba left the national team, A Shui suddenly understood Xu Dong's feelings at the time.
Chang Hongxia was also puzzled. How could such a thing be passed down?
The Los Angeles World Games will be held the year after next. Withdrawing a key player from the men's team at this time would be a self-defeating move for the national team.
Gao Xiaofeng originally wanted to plead for Qin Xiaoba, but was rejected by Ren Xinhua.
The captain needs to establish his authority, and the new rules also need to establish their authority.
The national team must establish a set of rules and regulations that ensure equality for all.
There has to be a sacrifice.
When Qin Xiaoba left, everyone in the team felt like a sword was hanging over their heads.
The captain... is too ruthless.
There's really no chance at all.
Under normal circumstances, if a 26-year-old player is sent back to the provincial team, it means that he is given up.
But no one expected that after Qin Xiaoba left the national team, he registered for the National Chinese Games under the name of the Bayi Team and won the men's singles gold medal. After being recommended back to the second national team, he passed the end-of-year round-robin tournament for the first and second teams with the first score of the second team.
He fought back in less than half a year.
【Author’s words】
Baobao: These stinky little brothers and sisters can make people so angry [roll eyes].
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