"You lost the first quarter by ten points and thought the sky was falling. Then you won the third quarter by eight, and suddenly you thought you were invincible. Think about it with your hands on your hearts: did any of you take those six words to heart?"
"Strategically, look down on the enemy; tactically, take the enemy seriously. Every one of you can manage the first half of that, but what about the second half? Did you feed it to the dogs?"
"What does it mean to look down on the enemy strategically? Every opponent is a paper tiger. That's meant to give you the conviction that you'll win and the confidence to beat your opponents. That's what it means to look down on the enemy strategically."
"To take the enemy seriously tactically means that even when you face the weakest opponent, you mustn't let your guard down. You can act like you look down on them, but in your heart, you have to focus on getting every detail right. Prepare and train seriously before the game, hold yourselves to high standards during it, and try not to make mistakes. Treat an opponent who's far weaker than you as if they were just as good as you—or even better."
"I don't believe no one has ever told you these things. But what did you do? You fed every last word to the dogs!"
At that last sentence, Wang Yi raised his voice by another octave, making every player on the bus jolt.
Even the female teacher who was Team Leader felt a tightness in her chest. She worried that Wang Yi was scolding the students too harshly, putting them under enormous psychological pressure and making them lose confidence.
Principal Zheng sat beside Wang Yi without saying a word, listening