Wang Chao's triumphant return stirred undercurrents within Chinese table tennis. After all, his achievements this time had been too astonishing and were bound to have a tremendous impact on Cai Guodong's player evaluations.
Yet on the surface, everything remained tranquil. When the main contingent returning from Germany arrived back at the base, only the elderly gatekeeper and the auntie sweeping the square were there to welcome them.
This unflappable calm in the face of honor and disgrace was truly one of a kind in the world.
Afterward, all training proceeded as usual. The men's team remained calm and uneventful, while the women's team kicked up quite a fuss.
The cause was that Wang Wendong had asked Tang Yuanyuan to give a public speech about her experiences training mixed doubles, competing overseas, and winning consecutive titles.
He had probably wanted to inspire the girls' patriotic passion and further reinforce the theme of "winning glory for the country," which Chinese table tennis had upheld for decades.
However, Tang Yuanyuan was not one for overthinking. In front of everyone, she said, "Mixed doubles? It's actually pretty simple. You just play however Wang Chao tells you to play."
"Training? Of course he calls the shots there too. Whatever he tells me to practice, I practice. However he tells me to return the ball, that's how I return it. He's trained me to the point where I can barely play singles anymore. The moment I see the ball, my head is full of doubles patterns—rules he laid down one by one. I remember them all clearly. As long as you don't break his rules during a match, he won't scold you."
"So if you want me to sum up the secret to winning, there are only two words: listen up. Listen up, and listen up