The Table Tennis World Cup's July

The dinner table fell into a brief silence.

He Jingping's words about feeling indebted to the country weren't just empty talk.

Table tennis, as the national sport, had brought immense honor to Huaguo. Consequently, everyone involved in the sport valued national honor far more than those in other professions.

If Luo Jiu truly was a promising talent with the potential for a Grand Slam, and if He Jingping had indeed ruined his career, ultimately causing Huaguo to lose a gold medal in a major tournament, then He Jingping would genuinely be blamed by the entire nation.

One had to ask, besides table tennis, what other sport faced nationwide criticism even after achieving a world runner-up position?

Wang Mou, a player who came in second place twice in the Olympics in his previous life, was the most typical example.

After a long pause, Wang Chao finally spoke, "So you're unwilling to take on disciples yourself because you're afraid of ruining another promising talent?"

He Jingping grunted, seemingly losing interest in continuing the conversation.

Wang Chao, however, pressed on, "Then does Luo Jiu hate you?"

"He doesn't hate me," He Jingping said with a wry smile. "He's called me many times, asking me to come back and coach him. He even apologized, saying he didn't work hard enough and failed to meet my expectations… He's a good kid, but how can I face him again?"

Most people in the cafeteria had already left by this point. Only a few "real chefs" remained, responsible for the cleanup, chatting idly in the distance. They occasionally glanced over, clearly waiting for their table to finish so they could clean up and rest.

The three of them quickly made their exit. Once outside, He Jingping still asked, unwilling to give up, "Wang Chao, you really don't want to see Old Qin?"

"I do, but I don't want to travel that far," Wang Chao replied with a smile, half-jokingly. "Why don't you take advantage of your proximity and just take me on?"

He Jingping was both tempted and worried. After a long hesitation, he ultimately rejected the offer in a joking manner, "I'll take you as my disciple the day Luo Jiu defeats Sun Tianlong."

Wang Chao also smiled, extending a hand. "Senior, you must keep your word. I'll be waiting for that day."

He Jingping burst into laughter. The melancholy brought on by recalling past events had finally dissipated somewhat. He also extended his hand, striking Wang Chao's palm in a pact.

Jiang Shan, standing nearby, chuckled, assuming they were just joking around. He didn't believe for a moment that Luo Jiu could defeat the Dragon Team.

That man was like a god!

That evening, Wang Chao uncharacteristically didn't ask Li Shaoqin for extra practice. He lay on his dorm bed, playing on his phone.

"Jiang Shan, do you know where I can find videos of all of Luo Jiu's past matches?"

Jiang Shan couldn't help but sigh, "Brother Chao, you're not cherishing this chance to soar to the heavens, even daring to refuse Qin Huachang… What's the point of watching Luo Jiu's videos now? Luo Jiu can't even beat Qin Huachang's disciple, so what's so good about his videos?"

Despite his words, he still helpfully provided Wang Chao with a website address called "Silver Ball Flying," which was reportedly the largest professional table tennis forum in Huaguo.

The dorm fell silent as Wang Chao began watching the videos intently. Two hours later, Jiang Shan suddenly exclaimed with belated realization, "Brother Chao, you don't actually think Luo Jiu can beat the Dragon Team, do you?"

He then pondered a deeper question, "I really don't understand, Brother, why do you want to be He Jingping's disciple so badly?"

Wang Chao offered no explanation.

He didn't actually need anyone to teach him.

He himself was the best coach.

He Jingping and Qin Huachang were the same to him; they represented a faction, a backing.

Huaguo, much like Huaxia in his previous life, was fundamentally a society built on personal connections. Many aspects required connections, face, and background.

In this life, he had no power or influence. His mother worked odd jobs daily, and his father was non-existent. If he didn't want to be bogged down by trivial matters, he needed to find a powerful backer.

If he were He Jingping's disciple, would Jiang Long dare to be so arrogant in front of him?

It was beneficial to have a strong patron...

Moreover, He Jingping seemed like a decent person. By giving him the title of a cheap master, he could also bring him some glory in the future when he achieved his Grand Slam.

Wouldn't the disciple's success elevate the master?

That's why he needed to watch Luo Jiu's match videos.

He didn't think he could necessarily pinpoint Luo Jiu's problems, nor did he believe he was so formidable that he could guarantee Luo Jiu would defeat Sun Tianlong.

But, what if he succeeded?

The next two days passed uneventfully. Then, Wang Chao suddenly noticed that something was amiss.

First, the head coach of the Xingcheng City Table Tennis Team, from the neighboring Xiangnan Province, paid a personal visit. He wasn't there to play a friendly match with the Jiangcheng City Team or for a study tour; he had come specifically to see Wang Chao.

"I happened to watch one of your matches online, likely from the 'Evening Sports News' on [Date]. After watching it, I was deeply impressed."

The head coach of the Xingcheng City Team was named Mao Qian. True to his name, he spoke with exceptional humility, using self-deprecating terms in every sentence. He warmly shook Wang Chao's hand, "Our Xingcheng City Team desperately needs a genius like you! I, Mao, have always enjoyed nurturing talent! So, may I ask if you've considered switching teams?"

It took Wang Chao a full half-minute to grasp the essence of the situation: this head coach from a neighboring city team was trying to poach him?

No wonder such an important figure would sneakily appear on the small path outside the stadium.

Luo Zhihong arrived quickly and promptly invited Mao Qian into his office. What they discussed remained unknown, but the next day, he summoned Wang Chao to his office and lectured him earnestly. The gist was that one should know how to appreciate where their blessings come from, repay kindness, and that everyone has a responsibility to contribute to their hometown team.

Wang Chao nodded throughout the conversation, maintaining a good attitude, and left the office ten minutes later.

But the matter wasn't over.

Another day passed, and Wang Chao saw unfamiliar faces again in the stadium, more than twenty of them.

These individuals didn't seem to be a single group; they were divided into small clusters of two or three, whispering amongst themselves while constantly observing Wang Chao, who was diligently running laps around the court to build stamina.

Wang Chao felt awkward, but he couldn't use his "whistleblower" tactic because these people were brought in by Luo Zhihong.

He was then called in for another talk, which also gave him a chance to find out what exactly had happened.

These people came from different units. Two were from city teams in other provinces, three were from table tennis clubs in other provinces' League A, and the last one was even more outrageous – a provincial team coach who had traveled all the way from Yunan Province.

It was precisely because a provincial coach had used his influence to pressure them that Luo Zhihong couldn't refuse and had to bring them over to give them a chance to persuade Wang Chao.

Yes, they were all there to poach him.

Back then, they knew that the Jiangcheng City team had a treasure named Wu Li. However, since Wu Li was a homegrown talent nurtured by Jiangcheng City from a young age, no one had considered trying to recruit him.

But Wang Chao was different. He was an amateur player who had joined the team and improved rapidly. He hadn't even spent a full month at the base by now, so how much attachment could he have to the team?

Therefore, everyone came at once.

To Wang Chao, these events were nothing but a farce. Even though one League A club offered him a staggering salary of 500,000 yuan per quarter, he still chose to refuse.

Only after everyone had left did he finally have the chance to ask Luo Zhihong what was going on.

"What else could it be? You've become famous!"

Old Luo couldn't help but sigh, "Wang Chao, you shouldn't underestimate the impact of your two matches. Everyone in the know was terrified by what you displayed in your match against Li Shaoqin. Is a super ball something that's easy to pull off? Is a chopping serve something that's easy to practice? And on top of that, you later played against Wu Li and came up with a strange thing called a whirlwind loop. Whether this thing is strong or not is debatable, but it proves your talent!"

Wang Chao was stunned. "Wasn't my match against Wu Li an internal match?"

Old Luo looked at him as if he were an idiot. "Don't you know that official matches at the city team level must be recorded and archived? As long as they want to watch it, they can definitely see it."

Wang Chao fell silent.

Alright, this was another difference between his past life and this one.

He could only say that the development and standardization of Chinese table tennis were indeed much better than in his previous life.

Overall, China's table tennis coaches were quite open-minded; people like Jiang Long were the exception.

If the match on "Evening Sports News" had only showcased Wang Chao's talent and touch, then his match with Wu Li had demonstrated his resilience, adaptability, precision, and strategic thinking.

Apart from his stamina, which was a major weakness, and some minor issues with specific technical details, Wang Chao was almost the perfect mold in the eyes of all coaches... or rather, the nascent form of it.

That was why commercial clubs had come visiting; they believed Wang Chao's skill level was already sufficient for him to play in official League A matches.

They dared to offer high prices because they were gambling, betting that Wang Chao could rapidly improve his skills while playing in League A, turning a 500,000 yuan investment into a one-million yuan return.

"Moreover, it's already July!" Old Luo added.

Yes, for the table tennis world, July was special.

Not only was it the month of the college entrance examination for students, but it was also the month when city teams and provincial teams played promotion-relegation matches, and it was the off-season for the League A and Super League professional leagues. All the teams were waving their money and recruiting players from all over the world, wanting to achieve better results in the next season.

League A wanted to be promoted to the Super League, the Super League wanted to win the championship, club players wanted to be selected for the national team, and club operators wanted to get more advertising sponsorships.

July in the table tennis world was always bustling, with all sorts of characters emerging.

This year was even more so because the Table Tennis World Cup was also being held in July.

In a few days, the 27th Table Tennis World Cup, being held in Germany, would reach its final match!

All Chinese people were looking forward to Sun Tianlong staging a comeback and returning like a king after his unexpected defeat last year!