Jiang Long's Self-Rescue

Jiang Long hadn't been having an easy time lately.

He thought he could suppress the matter of Wang Chao, but he never expected that Wang Chao had actually appeared on television before he even arrived.

Jiangcheng City was the capital of Hubei Province. Although the city team and provincial team were clearly distinct, their base of operations was ultimately in the same city. Therefore, even before Jiang Long arrived, someone from the provincial team had seen footage of Wang Chao playing on "Sports News" and kept it in mind.

As soon as this round robin ended, someone from the provincial team immediately reviewed the match recordings. After watching Wang Chao's game against Wu Li, they reported it to the head coach, Jiang Tiansheng, without delay.

That's right, the provincial team's head coach, Jiang Tiansheng, shared the same surname as Jiang Long. He was Jiang Long's own father, and it was he who had brought Jiang Long, who was originally just a high school sports teacher, into the provincial team.

Jiang Tiansheng was a typical old-school figure, with a tough demeanor and no regard for personal connections. After watching the match and then reviewing the recommended player slots submitted by Jiang Long, he immediately flew into a rage. He called Jiang Long and berated him like a worthless grandson, repeatedly asking only one question: "Why on earth did you choose Jiang Shan and not Wang Chao?"

What could Jiang Long say?

Did he dare to say it was because he didn't let Wang Chao use the whirlwind loop?

He didn't dare.

Because in recent times, the whirlwind loop had gradually gained traction, with many teams researching this technique. Some coaches had already declared that it was indeed a new technique and suggested that junior players incorporate it into their regular training systems.

Jiang Tiansheng finally issued an ultimatum: "If you don't give me an explanation, and give the players an explanation, I will have you removed as coach directly."

Jiang Long had no choice. He couldn't provide an explanation at all because he was completely in the wrong.

He just couldn't understand it; he had been handling things this way for the past few years, so why had he stumbled into a ditch this time?

To save his job, he had no choice but to brace himself and seek help from Luo Zhihong.

"Restart the round robin?" Luo Zhihong raised his voice. "What are you trying to do?"

Jiang Long no longer had the authority and presence he had when he first arrived. Now, he only wanted to preserve the status he had painstakingly earned through seniority. He explained in a conciliatory tone, "Director Luo, I admit, I handled the Wang Chao matter somewhat improperly. I apologize to you, and I'll accept any punishment, alright? But now the old man is trying to take my hat off me. This is a matter of life and death, you have to help me..."

Luo Zhihong felt incredibly smug inside, but on the surface, he maintained a look of grave concern. After pretending to think for a long time, he asked, "How can I help you?"

He didn't like Jiang Long, but he also knew that Jiang Long was, after all, Jiang Tiansheng's biological son. Even if Jiang Tiansheng dealt harshly with Jiang Long, he would definitely reinstate him after a year or so.

Therefore, the relationships that needed to be maintained still had to be maintained.

As long as the promotion and relegation relationship between the city team and the provincial team remained unchanged, he would inevitably be stuck with Jiang Long, this annoying pest.

So, he finally agreed to Jiang Long's plea.

"In addition to the scheduled routine assessments, we will add an extra round of the round robin. This competition will be conducted in secret, with no public announcement of the results and no submission of match videos. We will only secretly send a recording to the provincial team."

"The entire competition process will be the same as last time. Let Wang Chao face Wu Li last, and make sure he loses again."

"Although it might seem a bit contrived, as long as Wang Chao ultimately loses, I can give the old man a superficial explanation and keep my hat."

"Thanks, Director Luo. I'll definitely repay you in the future."

The next morning, Luo Zhihong announced the news of the next round robin, giving the players a day to prepare. The competition would commence on time the following day.

All the players expressed their confusion. This was because each round robin placed a significant physical strain on them, and there had never been a precedent for another round robin within such a short period.

Wang Chao was even more frustrated than the others. He had been overexerted last time and only recovered a few days later. He hadn't even properly resumed training, and now there was another round robin?

It wasn't until he saw Jiang Long appear at the competition venue that he vaguely guessed what had happened.

Fine, let's just play.

The matches that day were intense, but there weren't many surprises. Wang Chao played nine matches in the morning. His first opponent was Zhou Bo again, his second opponent was Li Shaoqin again, and his sixth opponent was Xiao Jian again. Everything was exactly the same as in the previous round robin matchups.

This further confirmed his suspicion that Jiang Long was behind it.

However, sometimes the helplessness of a small figure lies in the fact that even when you know you're being manipulated, you can't break free.

Wang Chao tried his best to conserve his stamina, resolving matches as quickly as possible. But even in the theoretically most perfect scenario, even if he won every match 4-0 and every game 11-0, he would still have to play 396 balls.

Moreover, he wasn't that strong right now.

Because his body hadn't recovered properly, the stamina he consumed throughout the morning was even greater than last time.

During lunch, the head chef, He Jingping, proactively brought him a plate of spicy and fragrant dry-fried beef. He smiled and said, "Eating beef builds strength. Eat more, and try to defeat Wu Li this afternoon."

Wang Chao was certain that He Jingping had heard something through some channel, but since He Jingping clearly didn't want to say anything, he couldn't ask. He channeled his pent-up frustration into his appetite, finishing the entire plate of beef. As he left, he also grabbed a few bananas.

The afternoon matches were even more intense, and Wang Chao's battles became increasingly difficult. He played five matches in three hours. By the time he reached Liu Heng, he was completely exhausted and couldn't win 4-0. Instead, like last time, he ultimately ended the match 4-2.

The time was now 5:17 PM.

All other players' matches had concluded. Everything unfolded as if it had been planned. All the players and coaches gathered around, waiting to witness Wang Chao vs. Wu Li once more.

In reality, both Li Shaoqin and Jiang Shan had improved their rankings, but it was clear that no one was paying attention to these matters.

Jiang Long mingled with the coaching staff, his expression solemn, his heart filled with anxiety, yet unable to hide a hint of joy.

He had watched Wang Chao's entire day of matches and was certain that Wang Chao was currently at the point of physical exhaustion.

If nothing unexpected happened, he wouldn't have to worry about being stripped of his coaching title.

Wang Chao ate a banana, drank some water, and with a wet towel that could be wrung out draped over his shoulder, he slowly walked to the table and looked at the scorekeeper.

He was waiting for the coin toss to decide who would serve first.

But no one could have predicted that Wu Li would speak up at this moment.

He said, "Wait a moment."

The scoring referee looked at him.

"I'm not feeling well today, I can't play anymore. Can I concede?" Wu Li said.

The scoring referee's eyes widened, he couldn't believe his ears.

Was that really Wu Li speaking?

Everyone in this base knew that Wu Li never gave up. Even if he truly couldn't win, he would fight with all his might until the very last point.

The year before last, the ITTF World Tour China Open was held in Jiangcheng City, and many national players gathered there. Because He Jingping was working as a cook there, five of the main players from the national team visited the base. At that time, Wu Li asked them for advice, hoping to play a match with each of them.

The five main players readily agreed.

Wu Li lost miserably. All five matches ended with a large score of 4:0, and in the smaller games, he didn't score more than five points in any of them. Especially in the match against Sun Tianlong, the score was a uniform 11:1 for all four games.

The reason it wasn't 11:0 was because the Dragon Team was magnanimous and upheld the tradition of the national table tennis team: not to completely crush their opponents.

Even the spectators that day were at their wit's end. Luo Zhihong even stopped the match a few times midway, asking Wu Li if he wanted to continue, fearing that these freaks from the national team would give the promising young talent from their base psychological trauma.

Only Wu Li himself, after the match, acted as if nothing had happened. He ate, he drank, and the next day he could still make his practice partners cry. His condition and mindset were not affected at all.

It was precisely after that incident that everyone truly recognized Wu Li's strength.

He wasn't like a machine; he was a machine through and through. Once on the table, he had no human emotions.

But what was going on today?

Wu Li was voluntarily admitting defeat?

The referee hadn't spoken, but an angry voice from the sidelines rang out: "I won't allow you to concede!"

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