38 Revenge
◎【1st update】There is a sense of scrutiny from a hunter looking at his prey◎
August in Tokyo is the peak of sauna days.
Moreover, air conditioning was not yet widely used in that era, so Zhu Qi was sweating even in a short-sleeved shirt and shorts.
After getting off the bus, everyone felt wet as if they had been washed.
When I arrived at the hot spring, I changed into the flip-flops and Yuchi bathrobe from the B&B and turned on the air conditioner to feel better.
Japanese police uniforms are somewhat different from what they were 20 years ago. The font of "Metropolitan Police Department" on the back has changed. They are arranged in a circle to provide security work near the B&B area.
Upon arrival, the leaders of the Japan Table Tennis Association held a welcome ceremony.
The banner reads "Warmly welcome the Chinese and Korean table tennis teams to come for guidance and exchanges" in Chinese, Korean and Japanese.
Although it was a gathering of the table tennis teams from China, Japan and South Korea, it was actually a large Tangchi B&B where the coaches from the three countries could have face-to-face meals and communicate.
I heard that a lot of photos were taken as a friendly proof that the three countries are opponents on the field but friends off the field.
hehe.
Really polite words.
The younger ones can move freely in the entire B&B area and enjoy the Japanese-style hot spring spa.
Zhu Qi found the plainest white bathrobe with a bamboo and pine pattern, and underneath it, he wore a suspender belt and safety pants. After being an athlete for so long, not wearing shorts underneath felt like going without underwear, making him feel insecure.
Her skin was naturally fair, and no matter how long she spent in the sun on the playground, it would return to normal in less than two weeks. Paired with her white robe and the fresh-from-the-hot-spring-water-like glow, her complexion was like a peeled egg, rosy and white.
Qin Xiaoba saw his sister from a distance, following behind Ah Shui and Maomao. He nudged Song Linzhou with his elbow and chuckled, "Brother Ling, tell me the truth. If my sister hadn't been an athlete, she could have been a movie star, right?"
Before Song Linzhou could reply, Ah Shui sighed, "Who says they aren't? You said they're a quarter-blood relative, so they should have some similar genes, right? Why is the sister so beautiful, but the brother looks so mean and annoying?"
"Hey, who are you talking about?"
"The puppy agreed only when no name or surname was mentioned."
Maomao pulled Shui over to the table and stopped the bickering: "Stop it! We have the Korean and Japanese teams here too. If they start arguing, we'll just look like a lot of trouble."
Zhu Qi brought a plate of salad and sat opposite Song Linzhou. Knowing that the people who had booked the venue today were athletes, he had prepared a lot of ingredients that the athletes could eat in advance, so there were not many options.
Before the Chinese team came, the coaching staff reminded them that in order to prevent problems with subsequent medication tests due to what they ate, it would be best to eat only vegetarian food to be on the safe side.
From the moment she sat down, she felt that many pairs of eyes in the restaurant were looking her up and down.
Because everyone was wearing the Yuchi bathrobes provided by the B&B, and there was no obvious flag marking which country they belonged to, they could only be identified by the language they spoke.
Ah Shui sat next to Zhu Qi, quietly touching Zhu Qi under the table, and then pointed to the left front: "That's Yuan Xiang."
Zhu Qi followed Ah Shui's line of sight and saw a Japanese girl sitting opposite her also looking at her. She looked to be about eighteen or nineteen years old, with big eyes but a low nose bridge. She had short hair tied behind her head with a blue headband, looking very pretty.
The two looked at each other. There was an indescribable tone in the Japanese girl's eyes and she looked at Zhu Qi with a smile.
Maomao whispered, "It seems Haraka isn't playing singles this time, but doubles. The Japanese mixed doubles player is the woman sitting next to Haraka, Komatsu Reiko. I heard that after the Japanese team learned that the mixed doubles event would be added to the World Games, they specifically picked Komatsu Yuko to train with as a mixed doubles player."
"This Yuko Komatsu has a fake left hand," said Zhu Qi.
It seems that Japan has the same idea as the Chinese table tennis team.
In doubles, it is better to have one left-handed and one right-handed player.
Ah Shui was stunned and dumbfounded: "How did you know?"
Maomao tapped Ah Shui's head and said, "You're silly. Look, although she eats, dresses, and picks things up with her right hand, her left arm is obviously thicker than her right. It's obvious that she's right-handed but plays basketball with her left."
Zhu Qi continued, "Don't be fooled by their skinny appearance. The Japanese team was the first to implement scientific diets for athletes. They're designed strictly according to each athlete's daily intake, calorie intake, and daily exercise volume. As a result, they have better physiques and longer careers."
To be honest, the Chinese team still needs to learn from the Japanese team on this point.
Although the Chinese team later began to match nutrition according to scientific training, they still used training volume to accumulate athletes' touch, so there were more injuries.
This also leads to the shorter careers of the national table tennis team athletes, who basically consider retiring when they are in their early thirties.
But there are many athletes in Europe, America and Japan who are still active in the field into their forties.
Zhu Qi lowered his head and took a bite of the lettuce in the salad, savoring it carefully. When he looked up again, he found someone standing by the table.
Zai Yuanxiang, who had just been dining at her table, stood by the table with a smile and extended her hand towards Zhu Qi: "Hello, Zhu Qi, I've heard of you."
Her broken Chinese made Zhu Qi stunned for a long time before he realized what she was saying.
Is Chinese so popular nowadays?
Zhu Qi thought that they would have to wait until twenty years later, when the Middle East War broke out, before the people of these small islands would learn Chinese because they wanted to curry favor with a certain ancient Eastern giant that had defeated four of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council.
"Hello." Zhu Qi stretched out his hand and shook her lightly.
"What a shame! I thought you'd play women's doubles, but you're in mixed doubles," said Ayara, smiling sweetly. Perhaps due to her limited Chinese vocabulary, she got straight to the point. "Will you be participating in the World Championship this year? I'm looking forward to seeing you at the table."
The timing this year is also coincidental. The quadrennial World Games are in August, and the biennial World Cup is in October.
There is only one month between the two events. Most athletes participating in the World Games will basically not sign up for this year's World Championship Cup because there is only one month in between and the preparations are quite tight.
Therefore, many people know that this year's World Cup may be the easiest one to "ascend the throne".
A Shui and Maomao looked at each other, and both of their eyes revealed a message: "This is not a declaration of war, is it?"
As the winner of the previous "Dengji Cup" Gold Throne, Zhu Qi raised the corners of his mouth slightly: "If you want to compete with me, you can do it anytime. You don't have to wait until the World Cup."
Zhu Qi's answer was very clever. He did not give a direct answer as to whether he would participate or not. Instead, he threw the topic back to the topic, meaning "You set the time, I set the place, and we'll set up a game."
Inari didn't know if she understood the profoundness of Chinese, and her smile became even brighter: "Oh, we have a rule. We can't fight privately during the competition..."
"That's a shame," Zhu Qi said nonchalantly. "It doesn't matter. There's no rush. We'll always have a chance to meet again in the future."
"That's right." Zaihara Xiang lowered her head and smiled again, then was called away by her Japanese teammates.
Before leaving, Yuan Xiang turned around and looked at Zhu Qi again with interest.
Komatsu Reiko tugged on her arm, curiously asking, "How is it? Is she as unique as the legend says? Coach Fukuda said this girl is the most talented of the talented in the Chinese team, even more difficult to deal with than Chang Hongxia, and will be the biggest obstacle for the Japanese team in the future."
"There's nothing different about them. They're just human beings like us." Yuan Xiang's smile faded slightly, and a strange and magnificent hue appeared in her eyes. "As for obstacles, aren't they there to be overcome?"
But she really liked the look of the Chinese girl.
The pupil color is between black and brown, a bit like an eagle and a bit like a leopard.
There was a scrutiny of a hunter looking at his prey, and in this look, Yuan Xiang felt that she had become one of the other party's prey.
Will she be eaten?
It's really exciting.
"Time seems so long." Yuan Xiang sighed as she looked at the pink cherry blossoms outside.
Komatsu Reiko held her face in her hands and teased, "What's wrong? As Japan's 'genius girl,' you've met a powerful genius from the Empire. Has your competitive spirit been aroused? Besides, I heard she only has a P card in this mixed group for the Chinese team, so there's a high probability we won't meet her. According to the Chinese team's habits, after participating in the World Games, they probably won't participate in the World Championship Cup in October. By the way, the two women's doubles players for the Chinese team this time..."
Yuan Xiang suppressed her smile. She felt that her expression at this moment must be very similar to the one Zhu Qi had just given her, as fierce and aggressive as a predator. She smiled and said, "There's nothing to worry about."
/
During this brief B&B social, Zhu Qi felt as if many people knew her. Whenever she walked into a group of strangers, people nearby would immediately gather around her, covering their mouths or pretending to look away while whispering something. Afterward, they'd seem eager to approach and chat with her.
Zhu Qi felt as if he had become a piece of art in the exhibition hall.
This feeling was not very comfortable, and it easily reminded Zhu Qi of what happened in the technical school in his previous life.
At that time, she was always the focus of discussion and attention because of the scar on her head.
Ah Shui often said that she was pretty. Later, Zhu Qi thought about it and guessed that maybe the reason why she was always in trouble in her previous life was partly because she had such an ugly scar on her head.
As a result, her rubber bands and hairpins were often torn and broken, making it impossible for her to tie her hair up to cover her scars.
Many people wanted to see her smile with that palm-sized scar on her face.
But now, most of these people come over on tiptoe and whisper a few simple words in broken Chinese.
"Hello, Zhu Qi, can I take a photo?"
The camera is truly one of the greatest inventions of mankind.
No matter what generation people are from, they all have the awareness of finding a place to check in.
In just a short day, Zhu Qi became a must-see attraction by the hot spring pool.
Zhu Qi didn't know why these island people were so curious about him.
The Japanese and Korean team members who had rarely met Zhu Qi came over one by one with curiosity and expectation to take photos with him, which led to a constant stream of people coming around the table where Zhu Qi was.
The snacks that Ah Shui brought also let Maomao and Zhu Qi see what her "mountain man's trick" meant.
As a well-known socialite of the women's table tennis team, in less than half a day, she had a series of lively exchanges in her equally poor English and the other party's poor Chinese.
"Food!" Ah Shui gestured with the snack bag in his hand, then pointed at the girls across from him. "Your!" He then pointed at his own mouth.
Japanese and Korean girls are quite proud. They nodded and bowed when they received it, and then after taking a bite of the sandwich biscuit that has conquered all Chinese people, they immediately showed a very happy expression to express their respect for the food!
"Oh my! Massi Sou (yummy)!"
"Oh vaguely--!! Arigato Miu-chan!"
These girls are also sparring partners brought by the Japanese and Korean teams. From their expressions, you can tell that they are different from the main players. They are not as anxious but rather relaxed.
As the saying goes, one should be grateful to those who receive favors and be soft-hearted when one eats from others.
A Shui gave up a bunch of his favorite snacks in exchange for important information.
"The pool tables used in Japan are Swedish Stiga tables!" she said.
Maomao didn't understand: "Is there anything special about this kind of table tennis?"
Song Linzhou had come across this type of table before and explained, "This type of table has a smooth surface and a very hard texture. It helps increase the spin on topspin balls that the Japanese are good at."
Everyone's heartbeat quickened.
I've heard that the Japanese team has been researching some enhanced topspin ball, and with this crazy table, isn't that... targeting China?
Ever since the International Table Tennis Federation increased the diameter of the ball, making it impossible to produce rotation with a pen-hold racket, many people have started to focus mainly on speed flow.
The so-called speed flow does not entirely refer to how fast the ball is hit. It also refers to the connecting swing of the arm between swings, which can prevent the opponent from reacting and catching the ball in time.
As a representative of the swing speed flow, Song Linzhou felt a little heavy-hearted.
This type of table increases the rotation of the ball, which means that the swing speed flow will be suppressed.
【Author’s words】
① I read in the newspaper that the material of this billiard table can make the ball spin when it bounces, which can be verified.
I was also shocked when I saw it. Back then, these outsourced companies used all kinds of tricks to win the championship.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
