Arrogance and Prejudice

The day after the assessment, the entire base was filled with a relaxed and leisurely atmosphere.

Wang Chao jogged lazily around the table where Jiang Shan was practicing, watching the game and making small movements to loosen his stiff body.

He had no training tasks today, and Li Shaoqin had already disappeared somewhere.

Around nine o'clock, Wang Chao received a temporary notification: Luo Zhihong wanted to see him.

"It's not me looking for you, it's Coach Jiang Long from the provincial team."

In the office, Luo Zhihong closed the door and pulled Wang Chao aside, whispering instructions: "Coach Jiang Long is here for special recruitment. If he takes a liking to you, you'll have the chance to go to our Hubei Provincial Team's training base for two weeks of intensive closed training this winter. If you perform well during the special training, you might even get a direct spot into the provincial team before the promotion-relegation matches next July."

He rambled on for quite a while, finally saying, "In short, you must be humble and polite when you meet him. Don't be as disrespectful as you are with me. Coach Jiang Long is different from me; he values rules very highly. Don't offend him."

Wang Chao nodded in agreement and soon entered another office, where he saw the stern middle-aged man he had seen a few times on the court.

"You're here?" Jiang Long, true to his unsmiling reputation, sat upright behind the large desk, adopting the posture of a leader meeting a subordinate. He merely nodded slightly at Wang Chao and said curtly, "Sit."

Wang Chao sat down on the sofa nearby. While he didn't slouch back, he also didn't perch precariously on the edge. He showed Jiang Long normal respect and proactively asked, "Did you need something from me?"

Jiang Long remained silent, his gaze fixed intently on the laptop screen in front of him.

From Wang Chao's perspective, he could only see the hard shell of the laptop's back, but the sound emanating from the screen indicated it was the recording of his match against Wu Li from yesterday.

Jiang Long didn't speak, and neither did Wang Chao. Unknowingly, five minutes passed. After one game concluded, Jiang Long paused the recording, his gaze falling on Wang Chao. He frowned slightly and said, "I heard you were supposed to be a high school student taking the exam this year?"

Wang Chao grunted.

"Amateur players have many hidden issues; their fundamentals are not solid, and they are also older. Of course, these are not problems. As long as you are obedient in the future and train diligently, re-establish a solid foundation, and perfect your posture, you will have a future."

Jiang Long appeared reserved. He paused, then asked, "How were your grades?"

Wang Chao didn't hide anything. "In the last mock exam, I estimated around three hundred."

"Oh..." Jiang Long's tone was pregnant with meaning, and his gaze towards Wang Chao held a hint of arrogance. He smiled and said, "So, that means the path of academics is closed to you. Table tennis is your chosen second path, right?"

Wang Chao remained silent.

He knew Jiang Long probably meant no harm, but why did he have to use a tone that implied he had caught him out?

"Then you must put in even more effort. Those amateur playing styles and flashy, empty techniques from before – you need to discard what should be discarded and change what needs to be changed. Professional players cannot tolerate such messy things."

Jiang Long thought for a moment and casually said, "For example, your shot... yes, this one... your posture is too ugly, and your power generation is unscientific. Don't use it again in the future, or I'll be embarrassed to tell others that you were recommended by me."

Wang Chao glanced at the screen Jiang Long had turned towards him and saw his own unsightly whirlwind loop.

In Jiang Long's opinion, he was being quite generous to Wang Chao. He had only recommended promising talents from sports schools for the past decade. This was the first time he had decided to recommend an amateur master.

His words clearly indicated his intention to recommend Wang Chao for special training. How much goodwill was that?

Next, the other party would naturally stand up and express their gratitude; that was the rule.

If he could also visit his hotel at the base in the evening and offer some "local specialties," that would show even more understanding of the rules.

Coaches and players were like teachers and students; respecting teachers and valuing their teachings was a matter of course.

But what he didn't expect was that Wang Chao not only didn't stand but also looked somewhat puzzled and asked, "This shot... where is the power generation unscientific?"

Jiang Long was taken aback, and his brow immediately furrowed. "Wang Chao, you haven't undergone professional training, and you don't understand many fundamental theories. Is this the time for you to ask such questions? You should be more humble and just listen obediently. As a provincial coach, would I lie to you?"

Wang Chao still didn't comply. He remained silent for a few seconds and said, "How about... we find a table, and I demonstrate it again? You can take another look?"

"Wang Chao!" Jiang Long's anger flared up inexplicably in a very short time. "Who understands more, you or me?"

Wang Chao was somewhat speechless.

Table tennis coaches generally had short tempers.

This was because, like any other field, table tennis had industry-specific knowledge barriers. When these coaches talked to laypeople, they often spoke until they were hoarse, but the other party couldn't understand and would retort with a string of nonsensical theories, making them angry and raising their blood pressure.

This was the legendary "bronze teaching a king how to play a game."

Over time, the coaches' tempers grew. Knowing that many theories couldn't be explained to outsiders, they simply stopped explaining. If someone initiated a topic, they would immediately lash out with an scolding, using their authority to suppress them.

Few people in sports were gentle and refined. This was because the players were fiery and mischievous, and if you weren't fierce enough, you couldn't control those little monkeys.

But all of this had a prerequisite: you had to be right yourself to have the right to get angry.

Jiang Long happened to have a problem in this regard.

He said the whirlwind loop was unscientific, but in fact, in another world, the whirlwind loop was already a globally recognized technique. Although the movement was indeed a bit ugly, it was effective.

What's more, Jiang Long could never have dreamed that the young man before him harbored the soul of a world-class coach within his body.

How could Wang Chao be intimidated by a coach of Jiang Long's caliber?

The office fell silent, the atmosphere becoming somewhat oppressive. Jiang Long leaned back, hiding behind the large desk, only his low voice drifting out: "Young player, if you're so unwilling to take advice, then I'll have to reconsider this recommendation spot."

Wang Chao remained very calm, showing no disrespect. He stood up, bowed slightly, and said, "Regardless, as a professional player, I am grateful for your recognition and hope to have this opportunity."

A faint snort came from behind the desk, followed by Jiang Long weakly waving his hand. "You can go out now... Oh, help me call Jiang Shan over."

Wang Chao left the office and turned to Luo Zhihong's office. First, he asked Luo Zhihong to help notify Jiang Shan, then he recounted his conversation with Jiang Long in detail.

Luo Zhihong was frustrated.

"Didn't I tell you to be more humble? Why didn't you listen? He's a proud person; you should have just gone along with him." Luo Zhihong sighed and lamented, "Do you know that he's not the only coach responsible for grassroots recruitment in the provincial team? The spots he has are limited, and each team can only recommend a maximum of two people. Wu Li already took one, and the other... the other..."

He didn't finish his sentence, but Wang Chao understood.

The other spot, Luo Zhihong had definitely recommended himself, but he messed it up. Jiang Long deliberately let Wang Chao call Jiang Shan over, the meaning was very clear: the second spot goes to Jiang Shan.

"So, why did you choose me and not Jiang Shan?" Wang Chao asked.

"Is this what you should be considering right now!"

Luo Zhihong was frustrated, wanting to flick Wang Chao's forehead, but ultimately considering that his familiarity with Wang Chao hadn't reached that point, he dejectedly put his arm down and explained, "Jiang Shan is still young, and his skills aren't up to par yet. He only got seventh place in this round robin. He can still make it in another two years, but you're already eighteen."

Eighteen years old, truly not young anymore...

China's table tennis scene was full of geniuses, a galaxy of stars. Luo Zhihong remembered very clearly that in the past twenty years, almost every table tennis player who grew into a great master had already made a name for themselves on the world stage before the age of eighteen.

The only exception was Sun Tianlong, currently ranked number one in the world; he was a late bloomer.

But how could a legendary figure like "Dragon Team," who had remained dominant for so long, a "six-sided warrior" acknowledged by the Sakura Country's table tennis community, be used as a general reference?

Therefore, Luo Zhihong was truly anxious, wishing he could send Wang Chao to the provincial team as early as next July.

Thanks to "Book Friend 007" and "Purple Xiao Tian Miao" for the monthly tickets.