Chapter 22: The Reason She Must Win
The morning in Lingyue City was livelier than in Chuanhai. Before the sky had even shed its dark curtain, vendors pushing breakfast carts were already patrolling the streets. Lu Li woke up early, his stomach aching with hunger. Only then did he remember that he had only eaten a piece of bread the day before. He patted his head, which throbbed from the sound of snoring, and groggily rinsed his mouth, washed his face, and carefully counted his cash. He counted three times, confirming he had exactly 872 yuan.
The landlady woke up even earlier. Before Lu Li left, he saw the fierce landlady washing clothes outside. Dirty water flowed down the slate into the narrow alley, adding a touch of down-to-earth atmosphere to the world. Seeing Lu Li, the landlady looked a little unhappy. She grumbled, “Young man, find a real job soon, don’t spend your whole life hanging around in a place like this…”
He left the alley and found a hole-in-the-wall restaurant near the gymnasium, ordering a bowl of Dry Noodles. If there was one thing poverty could destroy, it was one’s self-confidence. Lu Li was used to frequenting these inconspicuous small shops. He always felt a sense of cowardice when facing those high-end shops. Some people heal their whole lives with their childhood, while others need their whole lives to heal from it.
The Dry Noodles were delicious, and the couple who ran the shop were busy, business booming.
Perhaps because there weren’t enough seats, a young woman came in from outside and sat directly across from Lu Li, starting to unpack disposable chopsticks. Lu Li slurped his noodles and looked up at the woman, his expression suddenly changing. It was He Ping. It was indeed He Ping, the one who had spoken boldly in the interview.
Her appearance was extremely ordinary, her hair cut short, even messy. If one had to pick out a characteristic, it would probably be her perpetually expressionless face.
“Anything I can help you with?” He Ping’s expression didn’t change at all. She didn’t even move her lips when she spoke, the sound coming directly from her throat.
“Are you He Ping?”
“Yes.”
She admitted it calmly, took the noodles the owner handed her, and ate them nonchalantly. It wasn’t surprising. This place was close to the gymnasium, and it was normal for athletes to come and go.
Lu Li suddenly felt a surge of curiosity. He wanted to know how the woman who had beaten his sister so badly had trained.
“You’re so good at table tennis, you must have been practicing since you were a child.”
He Ping paused.
“I’m not that famous, am I?”
She was right. Neither she nor Zou Yameng was anything more than a high school reserve player. They might be well-known in the college circle, but in the entire sports world, they were just a drop in the ocean. If Lu Li hadn’t specifically searched for the Six-Province Tournament, he wouldn’t even know who she was.
“My sister also plays table tennis. She said you are very good.”
“Twelve years.”
“What?” Only then did Lu Li realize that she was answering his previous question. This woman’s train of thought was really jumpy.
Twelve years of playing? That meant she had been trained as an athlete since birth. No wonder Sister Yameng was no match for her. Compared to a professional player, Sister Yameng was just an amateur who had started halfway.
Twelve years. How many twelve years were there in a lifetime?
“You must love table tennis very much.” He sighed. Compared to He Ping, his sister’s determination and talent were insignificant. He even remembered that his sister’s motivation for picking up a table tennis racket was to teach the arrogant kids in the low-rent district a lesson. Before that, Sister Yameng didn’t even understand the rules of table tennis.
“I don’t.”
He Ping poured in a little vinegar and added some chili to the noodle soup.
“I don’t like table tennis,” she repeated.
This answer stunned Lu Li. He looked at the expressionless He Ping in astonishment. The dominant player of the Six-Province Tournament, the hottest candidate for the championship, an athlete who had been training for twelve years, actually said she didn’t like table tennis?
He didn’t ask why, but nodded woodenly.
“But I have a reason to win.”
He Ping ate her noodles quickly. After paying the bill, her eyes swept over the noisy crowd and landed on Lu Li.
“If your sister meets me, I won’t go easy on her.”
“That’s what she wants too.”
“Okay.” He Ping nodded coolly and turned to leave. She was just an ordinary person eating at a cheap noodle restaurant, just an ordinary person with ordinary looks, but He Ping’s back made Lu Li feel a sense of awe and sharpness, like a sword that had not been unsheathed for ten years. Perhaps she was the kind of person described as “a hidden dragon in the shallows.”
Lu Li smiled self-deprecatingly. When he saw He Ping, a malicious thought arose in his heart. He thought: If only He Ping couldn’t play tomorrow, then his sister would win by default, wouldn’t she?
He finally understood An Baili’s feelings a little. He was degrading his own dignity, but for his sister’s sake, he was actually seriously considering the possibility.
After breakfast, Lu Li entered the gymnasium, found the table tennis area, and sat down in an empty seat. Today was the first day of the official Six-Province Tournament, but it was only the preliminary round. At ten o’clock in the morning, he saw Sister Yameng on the court. Someone in the audience held up a sign that read “Go Zou Yameng!” It seemed that his sister had quite a few fans.
Her opponent was a thin and skinny girl, whose skills were average. She was quickly defeated under Zou Yameng’s fierce attack. Lu Li noticed that his sister’s playing style had changed, becoming more aggressive and radical. In the next few matches, she rode this momentum and defeated three players in a row, drawing cheers from the audience.
However, there was no smile on Zou Yameng’s face. She walked out of the competition area with a straight face.
He Ping’s match was in the afternoon. Her playing style was very steady, solid, and impeccable. In all the matches on the first day, only He Ping shut out her opponent. The girls who played against her burst into tears on the spot.
She was incredibly strong. Even a layman like Lu Li could see that He Ping’s level was terrifyingly high. Participating in the Six-Province Tournament was like bullying children for her. Someone online said that He Ping from the Jindong women’s team could even compete with the main players of the provincial men’s team. With another year of training, she could enter the national team and compete in the world championships.
Considering her age, He Ping might not be the youngest genius in Shenzhou, but she was definitely the most promising one to compete for the world’s top spot. Her mentality, technique, reaction, and stamina were all impeccable, without any flaws, as if she was born for this sport.
At five o’clock in the afternoon, the first day of the tournament ended. Lu Li sent a message to Sister Yameng in his rented room, mostly words of concern and greetings. He didn’t mention that he had also come to Lingyue City. His sister didn’t reply. It wasn’t until nightfall that Zou Yameng finally replied with a sentence:
“Li Zi, I will definitely win!”
Looking at the line of small words on the screen, Lu Li’s eyes felt inexplicably moist. He Ping said she had a reason to win. Wasn’t it the same for Sister Yameng?
Just as Lu Li was about to turn off his phone, a strange call came in. He answered the call with confusion.
“Hello?”
“Hello…” It was a timid girl’s voice. “Lu Li, where are you? Why aren’t you in class?”
It was Silly Goose. Her tone was like a lost little girl who couldn’t find her parents. Lu Li was stunned for a moment, then couldn’t help but smile. This was his first genuine smile in days. The physical and mental exhaustion seemed to be swept away by the girl’s words. Some people just had this kind of magic. They had their own emotional magic that could influence the mood of those around them.
“You’ve got the wrong number,” Lu Li said gruffly on purpose.
The panicked voice of Silly Goose came from the other end of the phone, “Sorry, wrong number.” She quickly hung up the phone, then called back after a while.
“Lu Li, how could you!” This time it was the class monitor’s reprimand. Hearing her naive voice, he could imagine her standing with her hands on her hips – this was how she looked when she was lecturing them during class meetings.
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Li Zi means Little pear
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