Chapter Summaries

Tang Yuanyuan won the Women's Singles final after Wang Yu lost her composure, and Wang Chao and Fan Xiaodong began the Men's Singles final. Wang Chao surged ahead before Fan Xiaodong found his rhythm, leaving the match poised for a real contest.

• Tang Yuanyuan recovered from three games down to defeat Wang Yu and claim the Swedish Open Women's Singles title.
• Ye Hongye appeared on Brother Da Ma's livestream and ate a can of tuna he claimed was canned herring to dodge his lost bet.
• Wang Chao opened the Men's Singles final with a short-game attack and varied serves, racing to an 8:0 lead over Fan Xiaodong.
• Fan Xiaodong began countering Wang Chao's short game with powerful attacks and cut the score to 8:2.
• The Swedish spectators realized Fan Xiaodong had been a slow starter, while Qin Huachang pointed out to Sun Tianlong that Fan Xiaodong also had microscopic control.

Fan Xiaodong revealed his exceptional touch by repeatedly suppressing Wang Chao in short-game exchanges, then continued to challenge him in an increasingly long rally. Qin Huachang realized Fan Xiaodong had already been concealing his short-game ability against Hook, but was bewildered that he was now showing it openly.

• Fan Xiaodong’s short-game wins over Wang Chao convinced spectators that he was among the world’s very best in touch.
• At 8:2, Wang Chao served short backspin, and Fan Xiaodong returned short to invite another exchange.
• Wang Chao and Fan Xiaodong traded precise short returns for an unprecedented rally, while spectators counted the exchanges and waited for a mistake.
• Qin Huachang watched from the hospital and wondered why the match had become a direct contest of short-game skill.
• Qin Huachang recalled that Fan Xiaodong had deliberately avoided short exchanges against Hook, hiding his touch except for one brief moment when he forced a flaw and attacked.

Fan Xiaodong’s hidden short-game touch briefly put Wang Chao under pressure, but a grueling exchange left Fan shaken and he lost the first game 11:2. In the second game, Fan abandoned short-ball battles and attacked aggressively, while Wang Chao relied on a planned, defensive counter-looping strategy.

• Fan Xiaodong used his concealed Microscopic Precision touch to build an 8:2 lead, then tried to beat Wang Chao in an extended short-ball exchange.
• After twenty-seven exchanges, Fan’s return popped up and Wang Chao flicked it away, leaving Fan too drained and dejected to resist as he lost the game 11:2.
• During the break, Fan and Wang Chao both sat with their heads lowered and eyes closed while adjusting their breathing.
• Fan returned to the second game with a steadier mindset, pushing Wang Chao’s short backspin serves deep instead of seeking short-ball battles.
• When Fan attacked Wang Chao’s chop with a heavy backhand twist, Wang Chao stepped back and chose to counter-loop rather than risk a block over the table.
• Fan unleashed repeated explosive forehand loops, while Wang Chao returned them with controlled, consistent loops as he held to his defensive plan.

Fan Xiaodong attacked relentlessly in the second game, but Wang Chao’s defense held firm and he won 11–7. Qin Huachang and Sun Tianlong discussed Wang Chao’s weakness, and Fan Xiaodong entered the third game with one final tactic from his teacher.

• Fan Xiaodong and Wang Chao traded fierce topspin rallies as Fan pressed his attack against Wang’s defense.
• Qin Huachang stopped watching the livestream, and Sun Tianlong reasoned that his teacher still had a plan because he believed Fan had a chance to win.
• Qin Huachang identified power as Wang Chao’s weakness against Fan Xiaodong, while European fans continued debating how to defeat Wang.
• Fan Xiaodong smashed two balls during the second game, but Wang Chao won 11–7 after resisting his attacks.
• Fan Xiaodong stayed composed during the break and prepared to use the final method Qin Huachang had taught him in the third game.

Fan Xiaodong changed tactics in the third game, using precise placement to restrain Wang Chao before springing a surprise attack. He took the opening point with a powerful drive, putting the score at 1:0.

• Fan Xiaodong served long and used controlled body shots to force Wang Chao to move, but Wang Chao stayed close to the table and returned the ball from a confined stance.
• Ye Hongye explained on Brother Da Ma's livestream that Fan Xiaodong's movement had not disrupted his balance, while Brother Da Ma played along for the viewers and gifts.
• Fan Xiaodong broke the stalemate by unleashing an explosive loop, but Wang Chao stepped back and guided the attack back across the table.
• Wang Chao turned sideways and looped a heavy topspin ball, and Fan Xiaodong predicted its direction and drove it past him for the first point, making the score 1:0.

Fan Xiaodong tried to contain Wang Chao with defense, but Wang Chao unleashed a full-table attacking display that began to overwhelm him. The rally continued with Fan Xiaodong defending, while he started to doubt Qin Huachang’s belief that he could withstand Wang Chao’s offense.

• Fan Xiaodong resumed serving long and drew Wang Chao into another cautious rally, then broke their deadlock by sending the ball wide to Wang Chao’s backhand corner.
• Wang Chao stepped around and launched a full-power forehand loop, choosing to attack despite Fan Xiaodong’s defensive strategy.
• Fan Xiaodong returned Wang Chao’s first attacks with steady defense, while Wang Chao varied his shots and placements across the table.
• Wang Chao sustained a sequence of varied attacks that drew amazement from the crowd and put increasing pressure on Fan Xiaodong.
• Fan Xiaodong recalled Qin Huachang’s preparations and began to fear that his defense could not withstand Wang Chao’s offensive power.

Wang Chao overwhelmed Fan Xiaodong to win the Swedish Open, then returned to the national training base and began preparing for Olympic mixed doubles. The chapter ended with the women’s team still weighing its mixed-doubles candidates and Wang Wendong hoping Wang Yu would win the internal assessment.

• Wang Chao broke through Fan Xiaodong’s defense, won the final 4:0, and claimed another Swedish Open gold medal.
• Wang Chao met Qiu Yinong at the training base and guessed that Lu Feiyang had been sent to raise pigs.
• Fan Xiaofan told Wang Chao that Wu Li had gone home, leaving Spade Q short-handed, while Wang Chao explained that national-team training and upcoming mixed-doubles tournaments would keep him away.
• Wang Chao joined the women’s table tennis training area to try provisional mixed-doubles pairings as Wang Wendong planned an internal round robin to choose a partner.

Wang Chao trained with many potential mixed doubles partners while the coaching staff struggled to develop a strategy and choose his teammate. He learned that rumors had turned the selection process into a joke about the women’s team choosing consorts for him, while Wang Wendong’s preferred players fell in the rankings.

• Wang Chao focused on mixed doubles training and accepted that practicing with different partners maintained his table tennis skills, though the constant pairings exhausted him.
• The coaching staff used Wang Chao’s rotating partnerships to test mixed doubles tactics, which they considered especially important because the Olympic event gave other countries a chance to challenge China.
• Qiu Yinong told Wang Chao that someone had asked him to pass along a message, and Wang Chao guessed that coaches were seeking his opinion on choosing a partner.
• Qiu Yinong explained that Wang Wendong’s favored players had performed poorly in the women’s team assessment, leaving him without a plausible reason to appoint one of them.
• Qiu Yinong said Wang Chao could name a partner and Wang Wendong would readily approve, while revealing that rumors about the women’s team choosing consorts for Wang Chao had spread through the national team.

Wang Chao refused to influence the women's team’s mixed doubles selection and waited as its internal round-robin continued. After Lu Feiyang and Sun Tianlong returned, Sun delivered Qin Huachang’s comprehensive mixed doubles manuscript, leaving Wang Chao to recognize both its brilliance and the weight of Qin’s farewell gesture.

• Wang Chao warned Qiu Yinong not to reveal any preference in the women's team selection, and Qiu realized he should stay out of the coaches’ maneuvering.
• The women's team began a second internal round-robin after Wang Wendong rejected the first round’s results.
• Lu Feiyang returned from raising pigs and told Wang Chao he had decided to follow Qiu Yinong as his coach.
• Sun Tianlong delivered Qin Huachang’s research manuscript to Wang Chao and urged him to do his best.
• Wang Chao read Qin Huachang’s argument that mixed doubles should be upward-compatible and recognized the manuscript as an exceptional, seemingly final explanation of Qin’s ideas.

Wang Chao learned why Qin Huachang had retired and saw Tang Yuanyuan selected as his mixed doubles partner as China prepared for the new event. As rival associations assembled pairs and Hook agreed to join the Jiangcheng University Team, Wang Chao’s mixed doubles campaign and Hook’s move to China took shape.

• He Jingping told Wang Chao that Qin Huachang had early-stage stomach cancer and heart disease, had undergone successful surgery, and would retire from coaching; Qin had arranged for Sun Tianlong to eventually coach Fan Xiaodong.
• Tang Yuanyuan won the second internal assessment, securing the mixed doubles spot beside Wang Chao despite Wang Wendong’s objections.
• The coaching staff named Xiao Fei and Liu Wen as practice partners, selected Lu Feiyang and Shen Sha and Gao Mingyuan and Wang Yu as reserve pairs, and barred the primary pair from world-tournament singles until they gained a clear advantage.
• The International Table Tennis Federation made mixed doubles mandatory at Open events, prompting associations in Bay Island, Hong Kong, Sakura Country, and Kimchi Country to announce new pairings ahead of the Qatar Open.
• Hook told Wang Chao that he had arranged to join the China Super League after his German contract ended, and Wang Chao recommended the Jiangcheng University Team so Hook could train with Luo Jiu and seek help from He Jingping.

Wang Chao and Tang Yuanyuan began formal mixed doubles training against the veteran world number two pair Xiao Fei and Liu Wen, whose complementary styles made them a formidable test. Wang Chao and Tang Yuanyuan’s incompatible movement and growing arguments left their coaches watching as Tang Yuanyuan admitted she had only humored him during the pairing trial to compete for the spot.

• The coaching staff set Wang Chao and Tang Yuanyuan the goal of beating Xiao Fei and Liu Wen, the seasoned mixed doubles pair who usually ranked first in the world.
• Xiao Fei and Liu Wen exploited their opponents’ poor coordination by sending balls to wide angles, while their established partnership concealed Xiao Fei’s slow recovery and complemented Liu Wen’s speed.
• Tang Yuanyuan refused to yield space at the table, and she and Wang Chao collided, cramped each other’s shots, and shouted over who should move aside.
• Wang Chao recalled that Tang Yuanyuan had seemed to play well with him during the pairing trial and asked why she was acting differently now.
• Tang Yuanyuan told Wang Chao and coaches He Jingping and Ge Miao that she had only humored him before so she could compete for the mixed doubles spot.

Wang Chao and Tang Yuanyuan struggled to develop their mixed-doubles partnership, but a week of coaching improved Tang Yuanyuan and a reversal of their roles helped them challenge Xiao Fei and Liu Wen. As they worried about an upcoming assessment that could affect their Olympic spot, Tang Yuanyuan questioned Wang Chao’s assumption that she had been born unusually strong.

• Tang Yuanyuan knocked Wang Chao onto the floor during training, then helped him up and proposed ducking beneath his arm to avoid collisions.
• Wang Chao coached Tang Yuanyuan for a week, improving her short game and topspin, while their pairing still lost to Xiao Fei and Liu Wen.
• Wang Chao suggested that Tang Yuanyuan attack while he handled setups, and their unusual new coordination put Xiao Fei and Liu Wen under greater pressure.
• Wang Chao and Tang Yuanyuan learned that they would need to prove themselves against the backup pairs before the Qatar Open to protect their Olympic mixed-doubles place.
• After training, Tang Yuanyuan asked Wang Chao who had told him she was born with freakish strength.

Wang Chao trained with Tang Yuanyuan in her family’s ancestral qigong routine while building strength with He Jingping’s medicinal food, and his performance began to improve. With the Qatar Open roster due soon, Cai Guodong and the coaching staff arrived to assess Wang Chao and Tang Yuanyuan.

• Tang Yuanyuan told Wang Chao that her strength came from practicing the Tang family’s ancestral qigong, and Wang Chao concluded that she was a webnovel enthusiast who mistook her natural talent for a martial arts breakthrough.
• Wang Chao accepted Tang Yuanyuan’s invitation to train, learned the awkward animal postures, and continued practicing despite the early starts and soreness.
• He Jingping resumed giving Wang Chao expensive medicinal food, while Wang Chao used the extra training to increase his overall exercise volume.
• Wang Chao’s strength began improving, and he hit several sharp forehand kills against Xiao Fei, though he told Xiao Fei and Liu Wen that his growth—not the training—was responsible.
• Liu Wen, Xiao Fei, and He Jingping humored Tang Yuanyuan by praising her technique, and Tang Yuanyuan proudly believed Wang Chao was a fellow martial arts prodigy.
• With the Qatar Open draw three days away and the roster submission deadline approaching, Cai Guodong arrived with the coaching staff to watch Wang Chao and Tang Yuanyuan.

Wang Chao and Tang Yuanyuan faced Lu Feiyang and Shen Sha in an internal mixed-doubles test that would influence China’s Qatar Open selection. Tang Yuanyuan’s aggressive attacks surprised Lu Feiyang and gave Tang Dynasty Combination an early lead, but the match remained underway after Lu Feiyang and Shen Sha prepared to counter.

• Cai Guodong told the players the test would help determine the strongest mixed-doubles pair, and Wang Chao said his month-long record against Xiao Fei and Liu Wen was one win to nine.
• Cai Guodong started Wang Chao and Tang Yuanyuan against Lu Feiyang and Shen Sha, with Tang Dynasty Combination winning the serve.
• Lu Feiyang placed Wang Chao’s short serve wide, but Tang Yuanyuan circled the table and hit a forehand smash-flick past Shen Sha to take the first point.
• Wang Chao used a Sneak Long Serve, and Tang Yuanyuan smashed Lu Feiyang’s high-arc return to make it 2:0.
• Lu Feiyang served long toward Tang Yuanyuan and warned Shen Sha to prepare for an attack; Tang Yuanyuan looped the ball high to Shen Sha’s side.

Wang Chao and Tang Yuanyuan overwhelmed Lu Feiyang and Shen Sha in a brief mixed-doubles test, revealing that they could turn the match into a men’s-doubles-style attack. Wang Chao warned Xiao Fei and Liu Wen that the Qatar Open would be much harder than they expected, then announced plans to develop a new all-around system with Tang Yuanyuan.

• Tang Yuanyuan blasted Lu Feiyang’s return into Shen Sha’s corner after Wang Chao counter-looped Shen Sha’s powerful forehand, giving their pair a 3:0 lead.
• Wang Chao anticipated Shen Sha’s short push and killed it with a fast flick, making the score 4:0 and prompting Lu Feiyang to question whether Wang was really just support.
• Qiu Yinong and Wang Lu explained that Wang Chao had become a half-support, half-attacking player, and Cai Guodong praised the pair for turning mixed doubles into men’s doubles.
• Cai Guodong sent Xiao Fei and Liu Wen to the Qatar Open after learning that Wang Chao and Tang Yuanyuan still lost 9:1 to Scarlet Gossip Combination.
• Wang Chao warned Xiao Fei and Liu Wen that international mixed-doubles rivals had grown stronger and that Chinese table tennis could lose in Qatar if they underestimated them.
• Wang Chao said he would train with Tang Yuanyuan for two months and develop their Three-All System, which he also called Three-Body.

The Qatar Open exposed vulnerabilities in Chinese table tennis’s new Mixed Doubles event even as Xiao Fei and Liu Wen won its inaugural title and the Scarlet Gossip Combination survived a dramatic final against Ichikawa Mima and Mizutori Hato. Wang Chao watched the match end differently from the Olympic final he remembered, but Chinese table tennis still faced work before pursuing Olympic gold.

• Cai Guodong used the Qatar Open to assess the five mainstays, and Luo Jiu defeated Bai Feng 4:0 in the Men's Singles final.
• Xiao Fei defeated Michel, who had reached the quarterfinals, while Xiao Fei and Liu Wen won the Mixed Doubles title.
• Lin Zijun and Zhen Jing took the first two games against the Scarlet Gossip Combination, but the veterans rallied to win 4:2.
• Zhang Benkuang and Yamano Mia pushed the Scarlet Gossip Combination to a deciding game in the semifinals, exposing the veterans’ vulnerability to extreme speed.
• Ichikawa Mima and Mizutori Hato recovered from a 0:2 deficit to lead the final 3:2, but the Scarlet Gossip Combination won the last two games and took the title.
• Wang Chao watched the final unfold like the Olympic match he remembered, then felt relieved when the Scarlet Gossip Combination avoided the same defeat.

After returning from Qatar, the Scarlet Gossip Combination questioned whether they could contend at the Olympics, then tested themselves against Wang Chao and Tang Yuanyuan in training. Wang Chao agreed to enter the Malaysia Open, seeking to prove he could secure mixed doubles gold and still compete in singles at the Olympics.

• The Scarlet Gossip Combination asked Wang Chao whether they had a chance at Olympic mixed doubles, and he told them their odds were fifty percent.
• Wang Chao and Tang Yuanyuan defeated the Scarlet Gossip Combination 13–11, while Ge Miao observed their progress and He Jingping praised Wang Chao's technical coaching.
• Weng Chunting and Ai Qin arrived in the capital for training, but Cai Guodong kept them from seeing the Scarlet Gossip and Tang Dynasty combinations.
• Cai Guodong asked Wang Chao and Tang Yuanyuan whether they would enter the Malaysia Open, and Wang Chao accepted so he could prove his mixed doubles reliability early.
• Wang Chao explained to He Jingping that Cai Guodong had left him a path to pursue Olympic singles if he demonstrated an overwhelming mixed doubles advantage.

Wang Chao traveled with the Chinese table tennis team to the Malaysia Open, where he entered only mixed doubles with Tang Yuanyuan and boldly predicted Chinese table tennis would win gold. Fan Xiaodong also arrived determined to win gold, setting the stage for a tournament centered on Chinese players’ challenges in singles and mixed doubles.

• Fan Xiaofan called Wang Chao to vent about Spade Q’s losses, and Wang promised he would return to help the team compete for a championship.
• Wang Chao and Tang Yuanyuan traveled with the Chinese team to Malaysia for the Open.
• Most prominent foreign players skipped men’s singles, leaving Chinese contenders and Mizutori Hato among the notable entrants, while newly formed mixed doubles pairs from around the world came to test their approaches.
• Wang Chao told German media that he expected Chinese table tennis to win mixed doubles gold and said the team had sent only one pair because it did not need another.
• Cai Guodong understood that Wang Chao wanted to prove his mixed doubles dominance to secure future singles opportunities, but questioned whether he could crush every opponent.
• Fan Xiaodong told reporters he did not want another silver medal, prompting a European reporter to describe the tournament as a showdown between Chinese table tennis’s rising stars and the rest of the world.

Wang Chao and Tang Yuanyuan swept Zhu Shixian and Xu Xiaoyuan 4–0 in their first mixed doubles match, leaving the table tennis world debating their unusual style. Old Wa recognized that Wang Chao’s masterful technique was the real source of their strength and abandoned his plans to build a Swedish mixed doubles pair.

• Officials placed Wang Chao and Tang Yuanyuan directly into the main draw despite their lack of mixed doubles ranking points, and the pair drew Zhu Shixian and Xu Xiaoyuan in their opening match.
• Wang Chao and Tang Yuanyuan repeatedly attacked the opposing female player, overwhelming Xu Xiaoyuan with their power and Wang Chao’s precise ball control.
• The Tang Dynasty Combination beat Zhu Shixian and Xu Xiaoyuan 4–0, prompting international players and coaches to argue over the pair’s tactics and prospects.
• Old Wa rejected Rohlskov’s claim that Tang Yuanyuan’s strength was the key, identifying Wang Chao’s Grandmaster-level touch and technique as the foundation of the pair’s success.
• Old Wa concluded that Wang Chao had ended Sweden’s hopes of winning Olympic mixed doubles gold and tore up his notes about potential partners for Morad.

Zhang Benkuang and Yamano Mia defeated Germany’s Sissifield and Solga, while Mizutori Hato and Ichikawa Mima showed how much stronger Sakura Country’s leading pair had become. After beating Hong Kong’s Weng Chunting and Ai Qin, Mizutori boldly claimed his pair could win the championship and mocked the Tang Dynasty Combination.

• Zhang Benkuang and Yamano Mia beat Sissifield and Solga 4–1 by dominating the opening shots, ending Europe’s mixed doubles campaign.
• Lin Zijun and Zhen Jing advanced to the quarterfinals, and Mizutori Hato and Ichikawa Mima defeated Weng Chunting and Ai Qin.
• Weng Chunting warned Wang Chao and Tang Yuanyuan that Sakura Country’s pair had improved substantially since the Qatar Open, and Wang Chao agreed.
• Mizutori Hato said Ichikawa Mima and he had completed a super evolution and claimed they had at least an eighty percent chance of beating the Scarlet Gossip Combination.
• Mizutori Hato belittled the Tang Dynasty Combination and said his goal in men’s singles was to reach the final, while Ichikawa Mima remained silent beside him.