Just So

Things in this world are never all that extraordinary. When a distant dream becomes a hope, it's already not far from coming true...

[Retired Legend Who Says One Thing and Means Another VS Obscure, Daydreaming Young Woman Writer]

"Maybe this will be the last competition of my life, but that five-starred red flag rising in the distance reminds me that I've never walked this road alone..." In tribute to all the Olympic athletes who bring glory to our country.

*

Qincheng. Cheng Zhi was holed up in her bedroom, furiously typing away, when her father burst through the door. "Everyone else is going to work or school. What about you? You're as fat as a pig, and you lie around at home all day!"

"Oh, so I'm supposed to live according to other people's opinions, like you?" Cheng Zhi said without looking back. "I can't do that. I have to do what I love!"

Her father was beside himself with anger. Spittle flew as he snapped, "Hah, writing that garbage of yours? If you think you've grown wings, then get the hell out of my house!"

Cheng Zhi didn't reply.

Ignoring her silence, her father pointed at her and went on and on. "What good is the few pennies you earn? You don't even have a proper job, so don't talk to me about dreams!"

Cheng Zhi still said nothing.

Her father was at a loss, as if all his punches were landing on cotton. He could only give himself an out, speaking in a tone that brooked no argument. "That's enough. No more arguing. I'm not letting you sit around at home. Before you go study abroad, you can at least lose some weight!"

And so, against her will, Cheng Zhi was sent to the Qincheng Sports Center.

*

At the Tokyo Olympics, Huo Sheng was the top-ranked contender, yet he suffered a stunning upset in the men's singles round of 16, losing 1-4 to Japan's young player Hayata Hina and missing out on the quarterfinals.

But he was already twenty-six that year.

The whole internet was full of criticism. Bai Qiao, his head coach, said nothing, only telling him to take a break.

He didn't know whether the national team was about to give up on him. He didn't know whether this was the last time he'd represent China at the Olympics...

After returning to his hometown of Qincheng, he spent his days drinking himself into oblivion at a little tavern. Then his senior teammate, Chu Suining, found him. "Is this really the Huo Sheng I know?"

Huo Sheng downed a mouthful of liquor and mumbled, "Maybe I'm not anymore."

Chu Suining said, "Get a grip and look around. This is Qincheng! It's our home! This is where we started, at the Qincheng Sports Center, and worked our way up to the national team, one step at a time. Have you forgotten all that?"

Huo Sheng's eyes were unfocused. He pretended to be drunk and said nothing.

Chu Suining said, "Fine. Even if you truly don't care about anything anymore, at least go back and take a look."

He'd already decided to try any desperate measure he could think of. Keeping a casual expression, he said, "As it happens, my dad's college classmate is a huge table tennis fan. He asked us to find a reliable coach for his daughter at the Qincheng Sports Center. Someone to teach her table tennis. I think you'd be perfect."

Huo Sheng: "..."

"Just do your senior a favor. It'll help you clear your head. Not saying anything? I'll take that as a yes." Chu Suining finished speaking and hurried off as if afraid Huo Sheng might change his mind.

Early the next morning, Huo Sheng showed up at the Qincheng Sports Center as promised.

*

Qincheng Sports Center.

Bored, Cheng Zhi pulled her iPad out of her bag and started working on that day's word count. A while later, her neck began to ache, so she got down on her knees and kept typing.

Just then, a fair hand with long, distinct knuckles appeared above the screen.

Cheng Zhi: "Who are you?"

Huo Sheng: "Your coach!"

Cheng Zhi: "That pickup line is outdated, handsome."

In an instant, the whole training hall burst into laughter.

"That's our Brother Huo for you! He's getting on in years, but someone still calls him handsome! Hahaha!"

"I never thought I'd see the day! There's actually someone in this world who doesn't know you, Junior! Hahaha!"

"God Huo, pfft, God Huo, I swear I don't mean to laugh, I just, I just can't help it, pfft, hahaha!"

Huo Sheng's face was practically covered in black lines. Without a word, he silently cursed the ancestors of the senior teammate who'd tricked him into coming here, all the way back eighteen generations.

Cheng Zhi stood there with question marks all over her head, quietly trying to make sense of everyone's reactions. She knew she could be a bit of a jokester, but she'd only used a tenth of her full power just now.

Was that really so bad? Before she'd even managed to drive off the actual coach, she'd already upset this pretty boy? She hadn't meant to drag an innocent bystander into it!

What she didn't know was that she was probably the only person left in the world who didn't know Huo Sheng...

Theme: A fiery passion for China's national sport, carrying the spirit of the nation forward