My Jinx of a Partner

The year of the Rio Olympics, table tennis took the world by storm.

Eighteen-year-old Lu Youzi began attracting more and more attention. Outsiders admired her looks and physique, while insiders saw her promising future.

In short, audiences loved watching her, and the media loved filming her.

Before the World Table Tennis Championships in Düsseldorf, a reporter sought her out to ask whether she would be following the men's matches and who she thought would win.

Lu Youzi was resting by the sidelines. She looked up and grinned at the camera. "Of course I'm rooting for my longtime mixed doubles partner! Go, Little Chubby!"

That year, her longtime mixed doubles partner battled Ma Long through seven grueling games, only to miss out on the Saint-Bride Cup after losing the deciding game 10:12.

After the Tokyo Olympics, table tennis reached even greater heights of popularity. Every player was assigned a live interview, and no one got out of it.

People are nosy by nature. During his interview, the reporter asked Fan Zhendong if there was a female teammate he was rooting for at the upcoming World Table Tennis Championships in Houston.

Fan Zhendong spread the love, praising every one of his female teammates, then concluded that whoever won would deserve a celebration.

Unfortunately, this reporter wasn't so easy to fob off and insisted that he give a definite answer.

"I... I'm especially looking forward to my longtime mixed doubles partner."

As it turned out, Lu Youzi landed in the same quarter of the draw as that year's Gigeist Cup winner and was eliminated in the round of 16.

After that, fans affectionately dubbed Fan Zhendong and Lu Youzi each other's jinxed longtime doubles partners.

Purpose: Bringing two powerhouses together.