The Head Coach's Troubles

Wang Chao had already won fourteen straight matches, with only his final two opponents left: Tian Ye and Jiang Shan.

This was actually Wang Bin's doing. He knew neither of them could beat Wang Chao, so he wanted to drain Wang Chao's stamina first, then let the two of them take a shot at him.

Unfortunately, even though Wang Chao looked utterly exhausted by now, he still had not reached the point of total collapse.

Wang Bin glanced at the distant table, where Jiang Shan and Tian Ye were facing off. They had reached the fifth game, with Jiang Shan temporarily leading 3–1.

"Wait a little longer. Once they're done, it'll be your turn."

After thinking it over, Wang Bin added, "Tian Ye first, then Jiang Shan."

He still refused to give up. He wanted to save the strongest for last and see Wang Chao's limits.

But Wang Chao got up from the floor and shook his head. "Coach, I'm not playing anymore."

Wang Bin froze.

"I'm forfeiting the last two matches."

Wang Chao explained, "I think my body's already overloaded. If I keep playing, I'm afraid I'll strain a muscle. That would affect my performance in the promotion-relegation matches."

"But you..."

"I checked the scoreboard earlier. Even if I forfeit the final two matches, I should still be safely in the top three, so..."

Wang Chao smiled. "It's just an internal selection, after all. Making the top three is enough. Who takes first place doesn't really matter, right?"

Wang Bin: ...

I understand the logic, but is it really this hard for me to see you lose just one match?

"Bro, why did you forfeit? I think you still had some strength left."

In the middle of the night, Jiang Shan tossed and turned in bed, unable to sleep. He suddenly kicked hard at the upper bunk. "Did you deliberately avoid playing me?"

Wang Chao asked in return, "What do you think?"

"I think you did." Jiang Shan said smugly, "You know I'm different from them. You can still beat them when you're not in top condition, but you don't stand a chance against me. You were scared I'd crush you, so you decided not to embarrass yourself, right?"

Wang Chao smiled. "Very smart."

There had not actually been that much deeper meaning behind his voluntary forfeiture that day.

What he had told Wang Bin was exactly what he thought.

It was just an ordinary fight for promotion-relegation slots. Why make it so passionate and dramatic?

Being ranked first within a mere reserve team did not hold much appeal for him.

As for whether he could beat Jiang Shan or not.

Heh.

All he could say was that giving the little brat a bit more confidence was not necessarily a bad thing. After all, their first sparring session had scared the kid badly.

As roommates, he still had to give him the proper face.

But Jiang Shan sighed. "After this promotion-relegation round, I guess another batch of people will leave."

Wang Chao did not understand.

"Actually, most people know they won't make the main roster. So a lot of them never planned to compete in promotion-relegation matches in the first place. They mainly came here to improve their skills."

"And then?" Wang Chao asked.

"Then... they can go out and make money. With a professional player certificate issued by the city team, at the very least they can become PE teachers. Better ones can go to specialized sports schools, and the best of the best can play in the Table Tennis First Division."

Wang Chao was stunned.

The Table Tennis First Division was probably the biggest difference between China and his previous world, as well as a blank area he had always been curious about but never understood.

"How much can you make playing in the Table Tennis First Division?" Wang Chao asked curiously.

"A lot. As long as you sign a contract, even reserve players make over ten thousand a month. If you get to play in matches, your income is tied to your results. The more you win, the higher your salary and bonuses." Though Jiang Shan was young, he knew these things inside out.

"How are the bonuses calculated?" Wang Chao asked practically.

"I heard most of them pay per match. Once you win, they give you the money directly."

Jiang Shan chuckled. "If I weren't too young to be allowed into professional leagues, I'd want to play in the Table Tennis First Division too."

Talking about making money got him fired up. He added, "But we're not in a hurry yet. The most important thing is to make the main roster first. Once we go to the Table Tennis First Division after that, the price will be completely different."

Wang Chao nodded silently, suddenly remembering his mother Wang Mei's rough hands and the delighted look on her face when she learned he could receive a five-thousand-yuan subsidy.

Maybe... if I get the chance, I could go make some money in the Table Tennis First Division too?

The head coach of the Jiangcheng City Table Tennis Team, Luo Zhihong, had just passed his fiftieth birthday and had been rather troubled lately.

His daughter, Luo Xiaoyu, was a senior majoring in journalism and was currently interning at Jiangcheng City Television Station.

With college students everywhere these days, she had only managed to get an internship at the city station through her father's connections. She ought to have been grateful.

But Luo Xiaoyu had lofty ambitions and wanted to produce a major, eye-catching news feature.

What was the hottest sport these days?

Of course, football!

So she wanted to do a feature interview with the city football team and hoped Luo Zhihong would help smooth things over for her.

They were both in sports, colleagues in the same circle. Wasn't it just a matter of saying the word?

But Luo Zhihong was unwilling.

He was a rather principled and stubborn man. Getting his daughter an internship at the television station had already violated his principles. And now she wanted him to keep using his position for personal gain? No chance!

Thus, father and daughter had locked horns and gone a week without speaking. Then his wife called.

"Luo Zhihong, do you even care about this family anymore? Count it on your fingers yourself—how many days has it been since you came home? Grass is practically growing in your study!"

Luo Zhihong knew perfectly well that his wife was talking around the issue. In the end, she still felt he had failed to solve their daughter's problem.

Otherwise, it was not as if this was his first day away from home. Ever since taking the position, he had spent years barely staying at home. Why would his wife suddenly pick a fight now?

He might have been stubborn, but he had devoted himself wholeheartedly to the team all these years and always felt guilty toward his wife. So when she blew up, he could only compromise and take the initiative to call his daughter.

"Xiaoyu, I've already arranged a feature report for you."

"Forget about the football team. Your dad doesn't have that much influence. But the table tennis team works too."

"Tomorrow, our city team happens to be holding internal promotion-relegation matches. Do you want to come interview my players?"

Luo Xiaoyu pouted so hard she could have hung an oil bottle from her lips. "Who watches table tennis? Only you people treat it like treasure!"

"What kind of thing is that to say?" Luo Zhihong's voice immediately rose an octave.

"Aren't football and table tennis the same? Nobody can beat either one anyway."

Both meant "nobody can beat them," but the meanings were completely opposite.

No matter which country China's football team faced, China was the one that got beaten.

But no matter which country China's table tennis team faced, the other side was the one that got beaten.

As a coach from the world's number-one table tennis nation, Luo Zhihong had every right to speak with such confidence.

Having temporarily resolved the family conflict and feeling much better, Luo Zhihong walked into his office carrying a teacup. But when he saw the married couple who had already been waiting inside, his face immediately fell.

"Oh, you two? Why are you here again?" Luo Zhihong felt like his head had tripled in size.

"Coach Luo, you have to stand up for our children."

The couple's eyes brimmed with tears. "Every child is raised by parents. We didn't send our two sons here to train so they could be bullied. They've run home three times this month already. Yesterday, they even told us they didn't want to play table tennis anymore and wanted to change careers. How can that be okay?"

Luo Zhihong could only explain patiently, "You've really misunderstood. My players all get along very well. There are no conflicts, and no one is bullying them. They're just upset because they lost their matches."

"Other people's children lose matches too. Why aren't they upset to this extent?"

The couple was not easy to fool. This was already the third time they had brought their children home this month, so their attitude was firm. "We don't understand the things you're saying. We only have one request: don't make our boys be sparring partners for that Wu Li, okay?"

All the words in Luo Zhihong's stomach were blocked by the couple's resolute gazes. After a long silence, he finally sighed helplessly. "Okay! Okay! Fine! I'll get Wu Li a different sparring partner, all right?"

The couple left both anxious and delighted. Luo Zhihong, however, sank into his soft chair and rubbed his temples with his fingers for more than ten minutes before finally letting out a quiet sigh and making a call. "Send Wu Li over."