43. Malone

The conclusion of the World Table Tennis Championships was filled with a deep sense of regret for Ma Long. This marked the third consecutive time he had lost to Wang Hao at the World Championships, dealing an immensely frustrating blow to him.

Especially since this tournament was tied to the men's singles quota for the London Olympics, every athlete desperately wanted to secure that spot, and Ma Long was no exception.

During this period, Duan Nanzhou was caught up in interviews and reporting for her broadcasting station, leaving her with little time to closely follow Ma Long's matches. After all, his competition schedule throughout the year was simply too packed.

Initially, Duan Nanzhou had no inkling that anything was amiss. Whenever Ma Long contacted her, his tone remained completely normal, and Duan Nanzhou, overwhelmed with work, failed to notice any abnormalities.

It wasn't until a few days later, when things finally quieted down, that Duan Nanzhou checked the results of the tournament. As a former athlete, she was intimately familiar and well-versed in these competitions, fully grasping the weight of this World Table Tennis Championships.

Therefore, the tournament's outcome meant that her beloved Xiao Ma had missed out on next year's Olympic men's singles berth.

Duan Nanzhou's first reaction was to call her boyfriend, but the line went unanswered. However, having just finished the tournament, he wouldn't be rushing straight back into intense training, which naturally made Duan Nanzhou quite anxious.

She ended up reaching out to Xu Xin and a few others to inquire about him, only to learn that he had spent the entire day sleeping in his dorm, with his phone on silent and completely unheard. Confirmed to be resting in his dorm, Duan Nanzhou finally set her mind at ease, planning to visit her boyfriend at the General Administration of Sport after finishing work.

Before the end of her shift, however, Ma Long's call came through. It turned out Xu Xin had physically shaken him awake, telling him his girlfriend was searching for him all over the world.

"Hello, Longlong? Are you awake? I was just planning to come see you after work..."

"Zhouzhou, what's wrong? Xu Xin said you've been looking all over for me." Ma Long's voice still retained the hoarseness of deep, sudden sleep.

"I was worried because I couldn't reach you! But I've been way too busy these past few days to keep up with your matches. I'm failing as a girlfriend..." Duan Nanzhou's voice carried a hint of remorse. Her Xiao Ma was sensitive; he probably hadn't wanted to burden her and cause mutual distress, choosing instead to bear it all alone.

"Zhouzhou? It's fine, why are you saying things like that..." Ma Long was still somewhat bewildered, completely clueless as to why his girlfriend suddenly sounded like this. Since she wasn't a professional table tennis player—though she was a sports journalist—Ma Long had never expected her to possess deep insight into table tennis tournaments, so his thoughts hadn't drifted in that direction.

"Of course I watched the World Championships! Did you really think you could keep it from me? Did our Longlong secretly cry into his pillow? This has me really worried, you know."

"No, I didn't..." Ma Long realized what this was about, his voice dropping gloomily.

"It's alright, you still have countless tomorrows ahead of you..." Duan Nanzhou launched into a relentless stream of glowing praise, showering him with compliments until Ma Long felt thoroughly embarrassed.

"Babe! Stop talking!" Ma Long's voice was laced with profound shyness; the way his girlfriend was praising him was simply too absurd.

"Fine, fine, I'll save the rest for next time then~" Duan Nanzhou remarked, implying she hadn't even unleashed her full potential yet—she would continue next time!

"Yeah..." Ma Long had been forcing himself to keep his spirits up these past few days. The consecutive defeats had truly plunged him into a slump, causing him to harbor self-doubt.

"Longlong, I'm coming over to your training hall this weekend to keep you company!"

"Aren't you busy this weekend?" Ma Long was naturally thrilled by the prospect of his girlfriend's visit, but he also knew how swamped her work was at the end of the year. He couldn't help wondering if she was carving out time solely to comfort him.

"No matter how busy I am, nothing is more important than my Longlong!" Duan Nanzhou teased playfully, though she quickly added, "Besides, my efficiency at work is extremely high." This served to reassure him that her visit wouldn't disrupt her professional responsibilities. Duan Nanzhou had always known that Ma Long feared becoming a burden to her career; otherwise, he would feel deeply guilty, as she was already the one traveling constantly to support him. If her work suffered because of it, Ma Long would only blame himself for encroaching upon her life and personal growth.

"I'll be waiting for you, Zhouzhou."

...

Weekend.

When Duan Nanzhou arrived at the training hall once again, she found her boyfriend already deep into strenuous practice.

Duan Nanzhou did not interrupt him, opting instead to observe quietly from the sidelines. Truth be told, this was the first time she had ever watched her boyfriend train and play with such undivided attention.

Because Duan Nanzhou had played extensively in the past and had even served as a coach for a long period, she generally held little interest in watching such sessions nowadays.

Although her prior visits as a journalist required her to observe and record the team's practices, she had mostly just skimmed through them—gathering a general understanding or focusing purely from an interviewing perspective, rather than evaluating their training through the eyes of an athlete or coach.

She used to be relatively familiar with Ma Long's training and playing style, but the current Ma Long had not yet evolved into the legendary hexagonal warrior. As Duan Nanzhou analyzed her boyfriend's training session this time, she realized that he still possessed numerous flaws, and his tactical approach lacked a certain maturity.

As she watched, her mind began calculating and planning. Once again assuming her former persona as a coach, she started formulating a step-by-step analysis and suggestions for improvement and adjustment.

"Nanzhou, watching so intently today?" Liu Guoliang appeared by her side at some point, watching with her for a moment before offering a teasing remark.

He was well aware that Duan Nanzhou had never paid this much attention during previous visits; she usually spent her time zoning out or discussing interview topics. Such intense concentration was a rare sight indeed.

"Yes, Coach Liu. How come you aren't coaching our Ma Long?" Duan Nanzhou glanced at Liu Guoliang and asked with a smile.

Liu Guoliang had originally intended to check in on Ma Long, only to be struck by the couple's affectionate display, prompting him to roll his eyes at the young lovers.

"What do you mean I'm not coaching? I coach every single day! Just look at whether these boys actually listen to me!"

"Who would dare not listen to you?" Duan Nanzhou watched Liu Guoliang utter blatant falsehoods with a straight face. Nobody in the national table tennis team was foolish enough not to fear him. "Could it be that you also came to check if Ma Long has been affected by the loss?"

"Indeed. Ma Long is one of our core development projects! I have to keep an eye on his mindset. I'm afraid this kid won't be able to shake it off and will get trapped inside the shadow of the World Championships!" Despite their age gap, Liu Guoliang always found speaking with Duan Nanzhou remarkably effortless and relaxing. For reasons unknown, he treated her naturally, much like a peer and a friend.

He spoke to Duan Nanzhou with a casual candor and teasing tone he never used with any other members of the national table tennis team.

"Of course! Just look at how extraordinary our Ma Long is! Shouldn't he be your primary focus for development?" Duan Nanzhou replied with a smile, completely ignoring Liu Guoliang's eye-roll.

"Fine, fine, you certainly have thick skin!"

With that, Liu Guoliang walked straight over to coach Ma Long, promptly pushing him until he was utterly exhausted. Duan Nanzhou strongly suspected he was exacting revenge on her by deliberately putting Ma Long through such a grueling workout.

Over the next few days, Duan Nanzhou continued to accompany her boyfriend to training. However, when she continued to clock in alongside him during the weekdays, Ma Long finally sensed something was wrong.

"Zhouzhou? Aren't you supposed to be working?" Ma Long asked, deeply puzzled, before a sudden realization hit him. "Don't tell me this is because of the World Championships? I've been fine for days! You mustn't let this affect your life!"

Ma Long strongly suspected that his girlfriend was worried about his lingering unhappiness and poor morale following the tournament, and had thus taken special leave solely to stay by his side.

"It's the end of the year, I've cleared out all my recent tasks, and I figured I might as well use up my paid vacation. I don't have anything else to do anyway, so I'm coming to keep you company every day. What, aren't you welcoming me?"

Hearing the playful threat woven into the end of her sentence, Ma Long quickly replied:

"How could that be! I wish I could see you every single day!"

"Good!"

"But don't you find it boring watching me play ball every day? Why don't you find something else to do around here?" Knowing firsthand how tedious repetitive drills could be, Ma Long didn't want to trap his girlfriend into watching him play all day while he couldn't entertain her. Even finding some amusing pastime within the General Administration grounds would be better than nothing.

"Not boring at all. I'm busy analyzing your game!"

"Really?" Ma Long asked, astonished. His girlfriend was analyzing his play? Could she possibly have some unique analytical perspective from a journalist's standpoint?

"I'm exceptional at playing table tennis too, you know!" Duan Nanzhou boasted playfully.

Catching her proud little expression, Ma Long smiled affectionately. Although he believed her words, he never imagined that the greatness he envisioned and the greatness she possessed existed on entirely different dimensions.

"Our Zhouzhou is naturally the greatest! Well, how about you practice a bit this afternoon? You can hit with me, or ask Xiao Zao or Ding Ning to keep you company for a while?" Ma Long wasn't sure if his girlfriend preferred his company or that of her good friends.

"No need, I'll just mess around by myself."

"Alright."

Inside the training hall that afternoon.

Duan Nanzhou found a quiet corner, holding the racket her boyfriend had given her. It felt like a long-lost sensation.

Though it had indeed been a long time since she last played, and while she had only treated it as a casual recreational activity in this lifetime, holding a racket again brought a surreal sense of traveling through time. She tested the tension and grip in her hands.

Hmm, Duan Nanzhou concluded that she was simply a natural-born talent. Although she hadn't undergone continuous professional training in this life, the moment she held the racket, that familiar touch came rushing back. After casually rallying against the wall for a bit, she realized that while she couldn't match her previous life's peak, it was still remarkably good. She truly was a genius!

"Hey Nanzhou! Practicing as well?" Xu Xin wore thick-rimmed myopia glasses, yet managed to spot Duan Nanzhou practicing in the corner at a glance. Truly living up to his reputation as the legally blind master of the national table tennis team.

"What? What is it?" Duan Nanzhou never stood on ceremony with Xu Xin; their conversations usually consisted of mutual banter and teasing.

"Where's Ma Long? How come he isn't hitting with you?" Xu Xin looked left and right, failing to spot Ma Long, which struck him as strange since Ma Long and Duan Nanzhou were usually inseparable.

"He probably got dragged away by Coach Liu!" Duan Nanzhou had just seen Liu Guoliang call Ma Long over for a chat. "So, what do you want?"

"Hitting alone is so boring. I'll come play with you for a bit!" Xu Xin said excitedly, though his hidden motives remained unknown.

"Sure!" Duan Nanzhou readily agreed, as she happened to be looking for a sparring partner anyway.

"How's your game? You aren't a complete beginner, are you?" Xu Xin needed to gauge her level so he wouldn't accidentally go too hard and have Ma Long come after him for bullying her.

"Not bad at all. Just play normally!" Duan Nanzhou replied with a beaming smile.

"So arrogant!" Xu Xin hadn't expected such a response from her, and joked, "Then let me test your skills!"

"You serve first!" Fearing that Duan Nanzhou might not even be able to return his serve, Xu Xin thoughtfully offered.

"Deal!" Duan Nanzhou kept her smiling expression, which made Xu Xin feel a slight twinge of doubt. Was she actually skilled, or had Ma Long been coaching her at home?

Their exchange quickly drew the attention of the nearby athletes, who all stopped to watch from the sidelines. This spectator crowd included Wang Hao, Qiu Yike, and Ma Linyu, along with her good friends Liu Shiwen and Ding Ning who had been summoned to cheer her on, as well as Ma Long and Liu Guoliang, who had just finished their conversation and walked back.

"Oh, what's all this excitement? Shouldn't you all be training?" Liu Guoliang's first sentence was delivered with a teasing smile, but his second sentence instantly shifted into a stern, intimidating glare.

"We're just watching Nanzhou and Xu Xin play a game, we'll get right back to training after!" Wang Hao explained.

"Well then, I suppose it's worth a look!" Since that was the case, Liu Guoliang grew rather interested as well, drawing an even larger circle of onlookers.

"Such a massive audience?" Duan Nanzhou was left speechless. Was her playing table tennis really worthy of a gallery? In that case, she had no choice but to show off a little. Xu Xin, I'm sorry!