Table tennis: Swinging the racket billions of times, achieving a grand slam

Chapter 393 It is my greatest honor to have an opponent like you.

The instant the ball hits the ground.

A burst of enthusiastic cheers and applause suddenly erupted at the scene, flooding every corner like a tidal wave.

Chen Jin stood still, his chest heaving violently.

Sweat had already soaked through his jersey.

But his face didn't show the expected excitement or agitation; he just silently clenched his fist.

He then looked up at Xie Mingyang across from him.

Xie Mingyang's expression showed a hint of resentment and helplessness, but more than that, it was calm and relieved.

As a newcomer, he defeated top foreign players such as Tomokazu Harimoto, Junsei Oh, and Hayato Togami during this Asian Cup journey.

In the semifinals, he even defeated Wang Chuqin.

Before the final, Xie Mingyang had already anticipated that beating Chen Jin would be an impossible task.

Therefore, I had already prepared myself mentally.

Although he missed out on the gold medal, this silver medal is still very valuable to Xie Mingyang.

More importantly, his consecutive defeats of top table tennis players such as Tomokazu Harimoto, Jun-Sung Wu, and Chu-Chin Wang boosted his confidence and made him even more determined.

Chen Jin held his racket upside down, a smile on his face, and walked towards Xie Mingyang.

On the other side, Xie Mingyang had also extended his palm.

The two men shed their murderous aura, smiled at each other, and shook hands firmly with a snap.

On the field, the two are opponents.

But off the field, they are friends.

"Congratulations."

Xie Mingyang patted Chen Jin's shoulder lightly, "As expected, I still can't beat you."

"Were you hurt when you fell?"

Chen Jin's tone revealed a hint of concern.

"fine."

Xie Mingyang raised his elbow, nonchalantly, "It's just a little scrape."

"I'm an athlete, not a celebrity, I'm not that delicate."

At this moment.

Suddenly, two coughs were heard, polite yet with a hint of urging.

Turning my head, I saw the referee's assistant stand up and extend his hand, having been waiting for the two of them for a long time.

The two were so engrossed in their conversation that they completely forgot to shake hands with the referee's assistant.

The assistant referee glanced at Chen Jin, then at Xie Mingyang, and smiled politely – “Why don’t you two chat? I’ll go first.”

They left the competition venue and returned backstage.

I changed into a clean jersey.

Shortly after.

Led by the emcee, Chen Jin, Xie Mingyang, and Wang Chuqin returned to the competition venue.

At this point, the table tennis table in the center of the arena had already been removed.

All that's left is the awards podium.

The championship trophy gleamed under the lights.

Chen Jin stood on the highest podium, a gold medal hanging around his neck.

Xie Mingyang was to his right, his silver medal gleaming, equally dazzling.

Only Wang Chuqin did not smile.

Liu Guoliang, dressed in a suit and tie, made a grand finale appearance to present the championship trophy to Chen Jin.

With a broad smile, Liu Guoliang gently stroked Chen Jin's cheek, leaned close to Chen Jin's ear, and whispered a few words.

Then, the trophy was handed to Chen Jin.

Chen Jin took it with both hands, only to find it heavy: "It's a bit heavy."

Next.

The national anthem was played.

Three bright red five-star flags were slowly raised amidst the attention of the world.

The audience sang in unison.

The powerful and stirring singing touched the depths of the soul.

At this moment, all the sweat and pressure transformed into a profound sense of honor.

The phrase "to win glory for the country" is no longer a dry and boring slogan, but a responsibility and pride ingrained in our blood and bones.

……

lounge.

After stretching, the tension that had been building during the competition finally eased completely.

A wave of exhaustion washed over me.

Chen Jin felt sticky with sweat all over his body and was a little uncomfortable: "I'm going to take a shower first."

After saying that, he went straight to the shower room.

Xie Mingyang nodded, watching Chen Jin's retreating figure, and casually sat down on the bench.

I unscrewed the water bottle and took a few sips.

His eyes were somewhat vacant, as if he was reliving the fierce battle of the final.

Looking down, he saw the heavy silver medal hanging on his chest.

A satisfied smile involuntarily crept onto his lips.

Sudden.

The door to the lounge was pushed open.

A head peeked in furtively through the crack in the door.

After glancing around for a moment, his gaze finally settled on Xie Mingyang.

"Hi."

A clear, crisp female voice rang out.

Hear the sound.

Xie Mingyang looked up.

Upon seeing who it was, he frowned.

"Xia Zixi?"

Xie Mingyang blurted out, "What brings you here?"

The person who came was his own sister.

"nonsense!"

Xia Zixi pushed open the door and walked in, "Of course I'm here to watch your match."

"Were you in the audience just now?"

Xie Mingyang's brows furrowed even deeper.

"Ah."

Xia Zixi snatched the water bottle from Xie Mingyang's hand, took a sip without hesitation, and asked, "Is there a problem?"

"No wonder I lost again."

Xie Mingyang's face was gloomy.

"You can't poop, so you blame the latrine, huh?"

As she spoke, Xia Zixi suddenly rushed forward, quickly took off the silver medal from Xie Mingyang's neck, examined it carefully, and immediately grinned, "Not bad."

"Are you a latrine?"

Xie Mingyang glanced at him coldly.

"It doesn't matter."

Xia Zixi casually tossed the silver medal into Xie Mingyang's arms, saying, "Anyway, we're siblings. I'm a latrine, and so are you."

Xie Mingyang: "..."

"correct."

Xia Zixi's tone softened slightly as her gaze swept over Xie Mingyang's elbow. "You didn't hurt yourself, did you? You made a pretty hard save on that last shot."

"It's nothing." Xie Mingyang waved his hand. "Why are you here for no reason?"

"You think I want to come?"

Xia Zixi pursed her lips and shrugged slightly. "The old man sent me."

"When the old man heard that you made it to the Asian Cup finals and that a national flag could be raised, he felt it was a great honor for the country and was overjoyed..."

Hear the words.

Xie Mingyang was stunned for a moment, and a strange warmth welled up in his heart.

But he still stubbornly insisted, "Tch, it's just a silver medal, what's there to be happy about?"

"Just get the gold medal next time."

Xia Zixi spoke as if it were perfectly reasonable.

It seemed that, in her eyes, winning a gold medal was as easy as going downstairs to buy groceries.

"Easier said than done."

Xie Mingyang scoffed, "Do you know how powerful Chen Jin is?"

"Of course I don't know."

Xia Zixi replied confidently, "Isn't it true that only you know how capable he is?"

"I heard that lately, you and Chen Jin have been inseparable, going out together and sleeping in the same bed..."

Seeing her beaming and winking, her eyes brimming with a fiery and excited gossip spirit.

"what?"

Xie Mingyang almost choked, "Who spread this rumor? We're just roommates at most!"

"roommate?"

As if she had received confirmation from the person in question, Xia Zixi became even more excited. "I understand, I understand. A lone man and a lone man in a room... I think Chen Jin is quite submissive."

Xie Mingyang rolled his eyes.

I really don't understand what Xia Zixi is so excited about.

He didn't bother to explain.

But Xia Zixi wouldn't let it go: "Just as the match ended, you two shook hands and whispered in each other's ears for a long time on the field. Was he worried about whether you were injured?"

"Ah."

Xie Mingyang responded with a curt reply.

“Wow—”

Xia Zixi looked excited, cupped her hands to her heart, and her eyes shone like searchlights.

"That's enough, Xia Zixi."

Xie Mingyang said with dissatisfaction.

"I……"

Xia Zixi hadn't finished speaking.

crunch--

The shower door opened with a click.

A surge of heat, mixed with the fresh scent of shower gel, instantly filled the air.

Chen Jin, shirtless, walked out while drying his wet hair: "Old Xie, it's your turn..."

The words have not yet fallen.

That's when they realized there was someone else in the lounge.

And she was a woman.

"I go!"

Chen Jin was stunned for a moment.

Xia Zixi stared intently at Chen Jin's upper body, her drooling gaze resembling that of Zhou Botong when he first met Duan Wangye in "The Eagle Shooting Heroes".

Almost instinctively, he quietly took his finger out of his pocket, turned on the camera without looking, and secretly pointed the camera at Chen Jin.

"!"

Chen Jin was suddenly startled.

He hurriedly grabbed the T-shirt draped over the chair and put it on as quickly as possible.

"Cough cough..."

Xie Mingyang coughed twice, his gaze sharp as a knife, and said fiercely, "Xia Zixi, mind your image."

"Sorry, I couldn't help myself."

Xia Zixi acted as if nothing had happened, quickly pressed the camera button a few times, then put her phone away and greeted Chen Jin generously, "Chen Jin, long time no see."

"You are……"

Chen Jin felt that the face looked familiar, but couldn't quite place it.

"Xia Zixi, Xie Mingyang's older sister."

Xia Zixi introduced herself, "Just call me Sister Xi."

"How about we grab a bite to eat together later?"

Chen Jin quickly replied, "Thank you, but no need. I have to attend a celebration banquet later."

"Row."

Xia Zixi took out her phone. "Let's add each other on WeChat. I'll ask you out again next time."

As she spoke, she winked at Chen Jin.

"Auntie, stop being so flirtatious."

Xie Mingyang couldn't stand it any longer, so he stood up and stood between the two of them, saying, "We're not making an appointment."

"Who should I call 'Auntie'?"

Xia Zixi instantly bristled, hands on her hips, "Xie Mingyang, are you asking for a beating?"

With a cold snort, Xie Mingyang ignored Xia Zixi and turned to Chen Jin, saying, "I'm going out for a bit later."

The implication couldn't be clearer.

"it is good."

Chen Jin felt like he had been granted a pardon. He grabbed his backpack, slung it over his shoulder, and said, "Then I'll be leaving now."

"Goodbye, Sister Xi."

Having said that, he fled in disarray.

Xia Zixi's voice came from behind: "Hey little brother, remember to add me on WeChat. Let's meet up next time."

That evening, the Chinese national table tennis team held a celebration banquet.

Coaches and players gathered together to celebrate their outstanding achievements in this Asian Cup.

Both the men's and women's teams swept all the medals.

Chen Jin and Wang Manyu, the two gold medalists, naturally became the objects of everyone's congratulations.

The celebration banquet is over.

Back to hotel room.

The room was brightly lit.

Xie Mingyang has already returned.

On the bedside table, there was a small bottle of iodine and a few band-aids.

Xie Mingyang's elbow was covered with clean gauze, indicating that the wound had been treated again.

"It's just a small wound, and it's almost scabbed over."

Xie Mingyang said helplessly, "My old man is making a big fuss over nothing and insists on handling it himself."

"Good."

Chen Jin smiled.

“My father also mentioned you.”

"Oh?"

"The old man said that having an opponent like you is both my misfortune and my great fortune."

Xie Mingyang looked at Chen Jin solemnly, "However, I feel that having an opponent like you is a great honor for me."

"For the rest of my life, I only need to think about one thing: how to beat you on the field."

……

(End of this chapter)