196 Extras (12)
◎【Two in One】Love comes from nowhere, but it is deep and lasting.◎
"You, what's wrong with you..." Zhu Qi felt that his voice sounded strange and even trembled a little.
Maybe it was too shocking.
Zhu Qi really didn't expect this.
A living person came from afar.
In fact, when he was putting on the rubber just now, Zhu Qi was a little dazed when he heard the badminton team calling his name outside.
I used to be used to going out to compete with everyone.
Although I came with the Chinese team this time, I am the only one playing table tennis, so I feel a little lonely.
Although I came to play the game this time for the fun of table tennis.
But in reality, as long as you are in a competition, it is impossible to completely ignore the joy of winning or losing.
Zhu Qi has high expectations for himself.
Where there are demands, there is pressure.
It's just a matter of how much pressure there is.
Perhaps because he had been fighting with his teammates for so long, Zhu Qi had forgotten the hardships he had experienced when he was fighting alone.
Now I am suddenly back to the time when I was a lone general, and I am still a little uncomfortable.
When I thought about having to find a sparring partner soon, the thought just flashed through my mind for a second: “It would be nice to have someone with me at this time.”
But - some people will appear when you need them.
Perhaps because Zhu Qi was watching, Song Linzhou scratched his wet hair and smiled shyly, "Well, I told Chairman Ren that I don't have any training tasks in December and the men's team also needs to improve their scores, so I... My room is next door, and I've already put my luggage there. I'm..."
He pointed to the room to Zhu Qi's right and felt the rain running down his cheek.
He knew Zhu Qi was a mysophobe, so he didn't stand in the room.
The wind from inside was very warm when it came out, dispelling much of the chill he had felt along the way.
When Song Linzhou went to find Ren Xinhua, he thought he would explain to Ren Xinhua why he also wanted to go to New Delhi and Yokohama, but he didn't expect that as soon as he opened his mouth, he just said that he felt that the Chinese team could not send only one person, otherwise they would not be able to find anyone to practice with.
He had actually packed his luggage and booked a plane ticket yesterday, just waiting for Zhu Qi to go and follow him if he really did.
As a result, Ren Xinhua nodded directly, then gave some precautions and let Song Linzhou set off.
On the way here, Song Linzhou realized that Ren Xinhua actually knew everything.
After all, these are the children who grew up under Ren Xinhua’s watch. How could she not understand them?
Children always grow up.
Fly further afield.
Grown-up people know what they want and what they are pursuing.
Song Linzhou actually wanted to change his clothes before coming to see Zhu Qi, but he just saw people from the badminton team downstairs saying that Zhu Qi was feeling a little unwell and was lying upstairs due to motion sickness, so he came over directly.
As soon as he opened the door, he saw that Zhu Qi was in good spirits, so he felt relieved.
Zhu Qi was also shocked.
She even thought that Qin Xiaoba might be following behind, but when she looked outside, she saw no one except a suitcase at the door of the next house.
Did Song Linzhou come here alone?
Flying from Beijing to New Delhi?
well.
Oops.
I feel a little confused.
"Um...wait for me. I'll go clean up and then go to the training hall and I'll be your sparring partner."
"I have a dry towel here." Zhu Qi suddenly said.
Song Linzhou thought he had misheard, and before he could react, Zhu Qi pulled him into the house.
But Zhu Qi was also careful and did not close the door.
Otherwise, if a man and a woman were alone in the same room, it would be hard to explain what was going on even after twenty years.
Zhu Qi took out a towel she brought with her. She liked the smell of this kind of personal items that had been exposed to the sun, so whether it was her clothes, bedding or towel, they all had a refreshing feeling.
Song Linzhou only used it to wipe his face, then sat down obediently on the stool by the door: "Anyway, two people are always more convenient than one. You still have to go to Japan, and you can't go to two stops without a sparring partner."
Moreover, there is no rule in the International Table Tennis Federation that off-court coaching cannot be provided by teammates.
There are separate competitions for the men's and women's teams.
One morning and one afternoon.
It just so happens that two people can guide each other.
But Zhu Qi took a look at the golf bag on Song Linzhou's back that had been soaked by the rain, and reached out to unzip the bag.
The ball box is full of water stains.
The glue between the rubber of the racket and the racket was soaked by the rain, and the rubber was loosely stuck to the racket.
Both of these bats are unusable.
Song Linzhou had a lot of things on his mind when he came here, and he didn't notice when his golf bag was exposed to the rain. He took a look at the condition of the racket and was still thinking about whether he should go to the hotel to borrow a hair dryer and try to dry it. Maybe it won't have much impact.
As a result, Zhu Qi took out his spare board and handed it to Song Linzhou.
"You can use this one. It's a little light, but it's definitely better than your soaked board."
Actually, for athletes.
Even a slight change of one gram in the weight of the racket will have a huge impact.
Zhu Qi's tennis racket branch in Chaojing has very good sales. As a small shareholder, Song Linzhou has always used "Suzaku" tennis rackets.
But fortunately, Song Linzhou is also a fast attack player, so it should be no problem for him to adapt to this light ball racket.
This racket was used by Zhu Qi.
When Song Linzhou held it, he could still feel the marks left by Zhu Qi's fingers on it.
This time, Song Linzhou paid for his own flight, accommodation, and registration fee. He also paid for everything else except food and drink, which he also ate with the badminton team.
I don’t know if the prize money from these two games can be used to make up for the loss.
When the badminton team packed up and set off, they found that there was one more person playing table tennis. Several young players kept looking back and forth between Zhu Qi and Song Linzhou with curious eyes.
Badminton coaches all know what is going on and don’t gossip about their “neighbors’” “family affairs”.
It just so happened that Ren Xinhua also conveyed a message to them through the organizer, that the table tennis team needed to add one more person and buy an extra ticket back home.
Anyway, taking care of one person is also taking care of him, and taking care of two people is also taking care of him.
It doesn't matter.
/
In fact, many competitions are not willing to be held in India for some well-known reasons.
First of all, India does not have a very good impression internationally.
Especially the various rape cases that often make the hot searches, plus some personal hygiene issues.
The source of the Ganges is of very high quality, but what have they done to it?
So fans are reluctant to come, and athletes who come here either have to stay in five-star hotels or bring their own chefs, which is costly.
In addition, it was a small open tournament, there were no big names present, and the tickets were almost not sold out.
When the list came out, Zhu Qi was actually on it.
Several people who went to watch the badminton match also bought tickets to the table tennis hall.
It was sold out in less than half a day.
When the competition started, the organizers knew that the ticket sales were definitely due to Zhu Qi's influence, so they gave Zhu Qi enough face and hung posters of Zhu Qi at the entrance of the stadium and in the huge plaza building nearby.
A group of well-informed reporters also flocked to the scene.
I waited at the door early, hoping to get an exclusive report.
At this time, Zhu Qi suddenly realized that the so-called "celebrity effect" could indeed bring huge capital flows.
Maybe the organizers didn't expect so many fans to come. Some of the benches on the scene didn't even have time to be wiped. Some fans wiped the benches themselves with tissues soaked in water while cursing.
Then, toilet paper, disinfectant and other items were brought in from the surrounding area. There were even some small vendors who pushed their carts to the door to sell them.
Many of the players participating in the competition are young players trained by foreign associations, and they are not actually well-known internationally.
When everyone participates in the competition, it feels like they are traveling.
There were even a few athletes who had not changed into their uniforms before the game started and they were about to enter the field.
Zhu Qi has participated in competitions for a long time, and he finds it interesting to occasionally take part in a relaxing competition like this.
That means I'm not so nervous and I enjoy the process of the game more.
Song Linzhou's game was in the afternoon, and when Zhu Qi started the game, he sat on a folding stool outside the barrier.
The environment in India is indeed not very good in all aspects. In normal larger competitions, at least the chairs will have backrests, or in heavyweight competitions like the three major tournaments, they will even move a sofa to the coaching seat.
But now there is only a rickety little bench.
If I shake it a little, I feel like I'm going to fall off the stool.
Because I brought two sets of clothes when I came. The one I was wearing was sent to the hotel for washing yesterday. The one I was wearing today is actually a sportswear. It looks a little different from the suits worn by the coaches opposite.
Zhu Qi played very smoothly.
It can be said that... it is not difficult at all.
The opponent is an Italian female player, and it seems that she is only at the level of the Chinese team...provincial team?
In China, this kind of small competition is usually for players who have just joined the second team of the national team or young players who have just been promoted to the first team to practice, and their responsible coaches will sign them up.
However, after the world ranking points are changed, many big players will probably participate in these small open tournaments.
When this Italian female player received the ball, there was something wrong with her forehand position, not to mention her backhand.
Zhu Qi couldn't catch the ball with even a little spin, so the two of them just hit a few weak-spin balls back and forth.
When hitting the middle, Zhu Qi simply started to let go, looking for only one position to pass the ball, fearing that the opponent would not be able to receive it.
Because the score was already [10:0], if Zhu Qi scored another point and shaved his head, he would have to write a self-criticism when he returned to the national team.
Even so, the Italian female player on the opposite side was still sweating profusely, as if Zhu Qi was already putting a lot of pressure on her just by standing there.
This makes it easier for the opponent to make mistakes, and they make mistakes in serving, which causes them to lose a point.
Zhu Qi: “…”
At the end of the game, the scores were "11:1", "11:3", "11:2", "11:0"... Zhu Qi even won a decisive game in the end.
Zhu Qi was very confused because she was planning to give up the last ball, but the opponent lost the serve... then she had no choice.
The Italian female player pouted, shook hands with Zhu Qi, and ran to the coach with a pouting look on her face.
Song Linzhou's off-court coaching is very dedicated and this is his first time to be an off-court coach. Although he also helped out and chatted a few words off the court when he was on the men's team, he mostly followed the coach's words.
What's more, it is not difficult for Zhu Qi to fight in this kind of battle.
After the entire Riyadh match, Zhu Qi and Song Linzhou both successfully entered the finals.
During the last game, the opponent actually wanted to give up. After all, the level was there and there was no point in struggling.
Overall, Zhu Qi had a lot of fun playing.
Because there is no pressure, it is more relaxing to play.
Since joining the national team, I have rarely played in such games that are not purely for results.
When watching Zhu Qi's games in the past, Song Linzhou was either sitting in the stands or serving as his partner on the court.
This was his first time sitting in the coaching seat and watching Zhu Qi compete.
There is something even more special - the feeling of fighting side by side.
This scene was actually recorded on the screen by all the major cameras throughout the whole process. What’s more important is that since this year’s competition, many recording equipments have been updated. I don’t know who suggested to put a small camera outside the coaching area.
What the ITTF means is that players and coaches are also a bond.
The coaches spend the most time with the players, so some coaches also need to be given opportunities to go abroad.
However, since the camera was placed there, no one expected that it had a recording function.
Although the recording is not very clear, I can still hear about 40 to 50 percent.
Sometimes coaches cannot control their emotions when giving instructions and speak loudly. Their purpose is not to scold the players but to stir up their emotions, which makes the recording even clearer.
In fact, when Zhu Qi played his last match in New Delhi, the kids from the national table tennis team gathered around the TV in the cafeteria to watch the match, and every pair of their eyes was blinking.
The small square TV is the new color screen TV of the national table tennis team, and the clarity is also very high.
When there are two little people standing on the screen, facing each other, for some reason everyone feels like two people relying on each other in a foreign country.
The camera could only record a little of their voices.
Although everyone was very quiet, I couldn't hear what they were saying.
But Qin Xiaoba felt that his sister's attitude towards Song Linzhou seemed to be different. When the two of them were talking, Zhu Qi would always look into Song Linzhou's eyes, and then nod from time to time to give some response.
Every time Zhu Qi turned around and prepared to return to the table, Song Linzhou would clap his hands to encourage him.
Because it is a small game, it is not well-known and only a certain evening slot on the sports channel will rebroadcast the game.
In the end, Zhu Qi naturally won first place.
After the kids from the national table tennis team finished watching, Zhu Qi and Song Linzhou had actually finished their game and packed up their things and were ready to fly to Yokohama, Japan with the badminton team.
In fact, Zhu Qi knew very well why Song Linzhou could follow him.
Even the badminton team noticed it.
Although no one said it explicitly, Zhu Qi knew it in his heart.
Some problems cannot be avoided.
Especially at times like this, whether you accept it or not, you should give an honest answer.
But now Zhu Qi doesn't have the extra time to think about this matter carefully.
If two people are together, they need to have a clear plan for the future.
Where will the future take you? Do you have a clear life goal to achieve?
Then there are some family matters, such as food, clothing, housing and transportation.
In fact, these things were not originally within Zhu Qi's consideration.
Zhu Qi thought that his future life might revolve around the pool table.
but……
In the past, although Zhu Qi had no interest in getting married, he was very interested in raising the next generation.
Sometimes Zhu Qi would also think about it.
If I could have a daughter in the future.
She might be a loving mother that would shock Qin Shang, and she would definitely find a way to send the best things in the world to her, just like making up for her own lost childhood.
But I may also be stricter with my daughter's career planning in the future to realize her personal value... She doesn't have to play table tennis like me, she can also do something she likes and wants to pursue.
And she will definitely support it strongly.
Zhu Qi was sitting on the plane to Yokohama, Japan, with his head in a mess.
The competition in Japan also went very smoothly.
Although the venue is in Yokohama and the environment is much better than New Delhi in all aspects, and there are more players participating, in fact, the level of the players is not the best in each country.
The level is naturally a little higher than that of the New Delhi Open, and there will be no situation where Zhu Qi "shaves the head" in various ways.
But it was not difficult for Zhu Qi.
The Japanese media sighed as they watched Zhu Qi deal with everyone on the table as easily as chopping a watermelon.
[That's right, this is the power of a witch! ]
Happy games always end quickly.
But when all the major competitions were in their final day, Japan experienced its heaviest snowfall.
The place where Zhu Qi lives is actually more like a small courtyard in Japan. He rented a place similar to a B&B on a hill near the stadium. The room also has sliding doors and tatami mats.
The badminton team rented two buses and drove up and down the mountain every day.
When we were about to return to our accommodation after the finals, it suddenly snowed heavily. The bus didn’t dare to come over because the whole mountain was covered in white and we were afraid that the wheels would slip at night.
The badminton team coaches could only ask the gymnasium staff to borrow more than a dozen bicycles, and then ride up the mountain in teams of two.
Song Linzhou rode in front and Zhu Qi sat behind.
When the cold wind of the early morning came with the snow, Zhu Qi suddenly remembered the autumn when he first joined the national team at the age of fifteen...
Zhu Qi had a furry winter hat wrapped around his head and his face buried in a thick scarf.
"Is it cold?"
He asked from the front.
Zhu Qi said, "It's not cold."
"With all this snow, I wonder if my flight back home will be delayed tomorrow." Song Linzhou chatted with her, beginning to worry about whether he could return home normally tomorrow. But then he finally brought up something Zhu Qi had been worried about. "After these two tournaments, the world rankings will be updated in two days."
Zhu Qi is about to return to the world's number one position.
"Yeah." Zhu Qi breathed a sigh of relief, feeling the snowflakes melting along his philtrum. He also felt a cool sensation when he smelled the scent. "The game is endless."
Her words actually have a hint of seeing through the world.
Song Linzhou is actually almost at this age. He knows that after playing in Los Angeles, he will basically semi-retire like Daxiong.
That's why Ren Xinhua agreed to let me go to Riyadh to play against Yokohama...
There are actually many forks in life, and each road has a different track.
As an athlete, your race may be nearing its end, but there is still much more to be discovered.
"You..." Zhu Qi pulled down his scarf to make his voice clearer. "What are you planning to do after you retire?"
"I've never thought about retiring. Sometimes I feel like even if my arm is broken, I'd still like to try my hand at the court."
In fact, many athletes have very long careers.
Foreigners can basically play into their forties without any problem, but it is difficult for them to stand on the podium again.
Many people who don’t follow the competition may not know that prize money is not limited to the top three.
There are also top eight teams, but the money is less.
Coupled with the salary from the national or provincial team, I can basically live a comfortable life.
Some people who do not want to retire but want to earn more money will be hired by many foreign clubs with high salaries and then develop abroad.
But Song Linzhou had no plans to go abroad. He said something meaningful: "Persisting in something is like liking someone. You want to persist until you can no longer persist. Otherwise, you will always feel that you haven't tried your best."
"Crack."
The wheel ran over a small stone.
The whole car shook slightly and then continued to move forward steadily.
Zhu Qi's heartbeat also started to get irregular.
She actually understands everything.
Just pretending not to know.
The sound of the bicycle chain shaking was mixed with the wind and snow. Zhu Qi looked at the pitch-black mountains on both sides and asked a question he had always wanted to know.
"This feeling—when did it start?"
Song Linzhou raised his head slightly, his voice indescribably light and cheerful, as sincere as a young boy.
"Love comes from nowhere, but it's so deep."
Zhu Qi felt even more confused.
She felt that the snow seemed to have stopped, the temperature around her was not so cold, and her face felt a little hot under her hat.
"Look." His voice became clearer.
Zhu Qi was attracted by the voice and looked up.
She thought Song Linzhou was going to say something serious, but he just said something without any context.
“The stars are bright.”
Maybe it was because of the snow that the clouds dispersed.
The starlight Robe flickered as the wheels moved forward bit by bit.
Maybe I was mesmerized by the starlight.
Zhu Qi moved his hand from the edge of the rear seat to the corner of Song Linzhou's clothes, making the bicycle more stable for the two of them.
A person's life is actually very short.
perhaps……
There are many things you can try boldly.
In fact, Zhu Qi did not fall asleep that night. Firstly, he had to pack his things for returning home, and secondly, he had something on his mind.
I woke up the next day to two more pieces of bad news.
One reason is that they didn't know that after a large-scale competition in Japan, a group of people had close contact, which led to more than a dozen people suddenly suffering from high fever that night.
One is...
Song Linzhou was also among them.
【Author’s words】
The extra chapter will be finished very soon!
Ah, I'm about to say goodbye to Bao Bao. Instead, I write slower and slower. I feel like every time I write a paragraph, Bao Bao gets further away from me [bursts into tears]
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