My Dad's Name Is Luo Zhihong

It turned out the real fun was yet to come.

For the tenth point, Wang Chao served again. This time, he sent a no-spin, baseline long ball. The ball popped up high, went long, and it was like a naked beautiful young woman provocatively approaching a burly man, every pore on her body screaming the same thing: "Come on, come on, smash me, smash me to death!"

How cheap...

Li Shaoqin couldn't take it anymore. He didn't believe Wang Chao could pull off another powerful spike like a volleyball player.

"I'll smash it!"

He unleashed another explosive smash with twelve points of force. The ball didn't fly high, but it was incredibly fast and spun violently. In the blink of an eye, it flew over five meters away.

Wang Chao had already retreated and was waiting. But the ball was too low for him to loop. Plus, his strength still hadn't developed. So, he simply sank his paddle, placed it below and to the side of the ball, and with a spin, sent it flying back along a smooth trajectory.

It wasn't a standard side cut. The ball speed wasn't fast, but horizontally, it traveled almost in a straight line, with curvature only in the left and right directions.

Its height was lower than the net, but that didn't matter. It flew outside the net, skirted around the side of the net, and then curved in an extremely tight arc, just barely "climbing" onto the table from the side.

Li Shaoqin tried to return it, but the ball was too low. Even if he tried to slip a thin paddle into the gap between the ball and the table, he couldn't. In the end, the edge of his paddle awkwardly brushed the table surface with a "bang," sending it sliding away. The ball, meanwhile, grazed the outer edge of Li Shaoqin's arm and flew out.

The paddle and the ball landed almost simultaneously, making two sounds that couldn't be distinguished.

10:0, Wang Chao continued to score.

"Wow!!!"

Luo Xiaoyu's exclamation was exaggerated.

She was still an amateur, so she didn't understand the significance of that shot. She just felt it was a ball that shouldn't have stayed on the table but somehow did.

If she had to use a football analogy for its arc and effect, it would be like a long-distance free kick that bypassed all the opposing players with a massive curve, finally going into the net between the outstretched arms of the opposing goalkeeper.

In the world of table tennis, such a shot is called a "super ball." If hit in a major competition, it would almost certainly make it into the "top ten plays" compilation.

This is because such a shot isn't achieved through sheer practice alone. It requires unparalleled touch, a unique talent exclusive to the player, something that can become a player's distinct signature.

Li Shaoqin didn't pick up his paddle. He stood there blankly. After a few seconds, he suddenly ran in front of Luo Xiaoyu and shouted at the camera, "I'm a pig! I'm a pig! I, Li Shaoqin, am a pig! Happy now?"

After saying that, he lowered his head, avoiding everyone's gaze, and ran away like a gust of wind.

Luo Xiaoyu was stunned for a long time before realizing what had happened. Then, she was overjoyed. In that instant, she had mentally drafted a two-thousand-word news report, complete with explosive details, a twist, and technical analysis – a surefire front-page headline.

Of course, to write a good report, she needed to get some professional terminology from Wang Chao.

So, she smiled and sidled up to Wang Chao, extending a fair, tender hand. "Hello, master."

Wang Chao didn't reach out, looking at her calmly.

Luo Xiaoyu wasn't upset. She asked again, "What's your name?"

Wang Chao still didn't speak.

"Did you just use a legendary hidden technique? Like the secret transmissions of the great sects?"

Wang Chao didn't speak.

"Are all table tennis players this quiet?"

Wang Chao didn't speak.

"Hey, what's the big deal? You won a match, so what? Do you know that accepting my interview can get you on TV? It'll be good for your career development." Luo Xiaoyu winked at Wang Chao. "How about it, consider it? Maybe you'll even gain some beautiful fans."

Wang Chao couldn't hold back anymore.

He sighed.

"First, little sister, you need to understand one thing: if you're going to be a paparazzi, you need to act like one."

"Second, remember this: when you go out to work, you should be taking photos stealthily, not openly. You need to do your research and understand the situation before you come, not come in clueless."

"Third, after watching the match, you should write your report immediately to beat the deadline, not come pestering athletes."

"Oh, and one last thing: this match wasn't a promotion-relegation match. It was just a regular team practice match. You've got the wrong person to interview."

Luo Xiaoyu was a bit bewildered.

She stared at Wang Chao for a long time and then sighed.

"First of all, kid, stop talking like an old man. I'm older than you. You should call me 'sister,' not 'little sister.'"

"Second, I'm not a paparazzi. I don't do stealth photography, I don't write press releases, and I'm not pestering an athlete. I genuinely want to do an exclusive interview with you."

"Third, let me introduce myself. My name is Luo Xiaoyu, from Jiangcheng City TV Sports Channel. I'm a bona fide intern reporter."

"Oh, and one last thing. My dad is Luo Zhihong."

Wang Chao still didn't accept Luo Xiaoyu's interview request, even though she was Luo Zhihong's daughter.

However, he did end up briefly explaining to Luo Xiaoyu what a backhand loop with a shakehand grip was, what a chopping serve was, and some other common industry terms.

Twenty minutes later, Luo Xiaoyu left with a bounty of a video and three full pages of written notes.

She didn't even glance at her father the entire time.

Luo Zhihong, however, was unaware of the truth. Throughout the entire promotion-relegation match, he maintained a stern and majestic demeanor, not smiling once. This made the other coaches and players a bit uneasy, thinking their head coach was deeply worried about Wu Li's sparring partner issue.

After seeing Luo Xiaoyu off, Wang Chao went to check on the cup of water. It had long since gone cold.

It's not easy to replicate "drinking wine to kill Hua Xiong" after all.

After all, Guan Erye only needed one strike to kill a person, but he had to play at least eleven balls to win a game, and Li Shaoqin talked so much before the match even started.

The final result of the promotion-relegation matches was a bit surprising. Wang Chao and Jiang Shan defeated Gao Ming and Li Fang respectively, successfully getting promoted. However, Tian Ye was defeated by the main player Zhou Bo after a tough six-game battle and failed to advance smoothly.

The tense atmosphere hanging over the main players and substitute players dissipated. Everyone dispersed and practiced freely. Luo Xiaoyu, however, finally felt a pang of conscience after returning to the TV station and remembered to call her dad.

"Dad, I suddenly realized today that your players are so strong."

Old Luo was very pleased and asked, "Then what about me?"

"You... are of course even more amazing." A girl's mouth is always sweet, and even a lie can make people feel happy. "Dad, you were truly magnificent on the court today."

Luo Zhihong was satisfied, feeling that the hardship of maintaining his composure all morning had been rewarded. But it wasn't enough; he wanted to hear more nice things from his dear daughter. "Then tell me, Dad's players, what makes them strong?"

"They're really super strong!" Luo Xiaoyu finally had something to talk about. "I'm truly eye-opening! I used to think table tennis was just two people hitting the ball back and forth, with no excitement. And they hit it so fast that you couldn't even see clearly from a distance. But today I realized that there are so many tricks to just a serve! Like high-toss serves, chopping serves, backhand loops with shakehand grips, long-distance rallies, side cuts. Oh, right, I even saw one of your players hit a super ball!"

Luo Zhihong was a little stunned.

He subconsciously wanted to ask if his daughter had gone to the Jiangcheng City training base or the Imperial Capital national team training base, but then he understood.

His daughter must have done a lot of preparation beforehand, watched many international match videos, and researched a lot of information, which is why she could spout so many professional terms!

This child, while verbally dismissive, had actually put in a lot of hard work.

She deliberately said this, probably just wanting me to see her effort.

Luo Zhihong was greatly comforted and didn't ask further, just nodding repeatedly. "Mm, mm, you're right."

Luo Xiaoyu said, "That player is really strong and hardworking. Everyone else went to watch the matches, but he hid in the corner practicing alone. Ah, it's a pity he talks too little, like a mute. He wouldn't even tell me his name in the end. Dad, do you know who he is?"

Luo Zhihong of course knew!

Who else could it be? Strong, quiet, and hardworking, it had to be the crazy player Wu Li!

Thanks to "Book Friend 20170218173727105" for the monthly ticket.