6 Wang Chuqin

2018.

That year seemed somehow different, as if it held particular significance.

If you asked the members of the national table tennis team, each would have a different answer.

Nan Zhou Duan: “Not much seems different—except there are more competitions to attend.”

Yingsha Sun: “Of course it’s a better year than before, especially the relationship between her and her dear Zhou Zhou—it’s getting better and better! (happy)”

Manyu Wang: “Still just hanging out every day with Sasa and Zhou Zhou, eating, drinking, playing ball—it’s a year of progress, I guess!”

Yidi Wang: “What’s so great about it? Has the cafeteria food improved? If so, I’d better eat more!”

Jingkun Liang: “Yeah, I agree with Yidi! The cafeteria food tastes better now!”

Zhendong Fan: “Really? Are there more dishes? Could they make a deluxe version of the egg-stuffed pancake? (craving)”

Other brothers and sisters from the men’s and women’s teams: “It’s just another year of witnessing that ‘weird character’ keep improving. How did the time pass so fast—from being able to suppress her to being completely overwhelmed? (life’s hopeless face)”

Chuqin Wang: “Of course it’s a crucial year! One worth writing down in the little notebook! Because it’s the first year I’m partnering with Nan Zhou Duan for mixed doubles!”

Speaking of which, one cannot ignore Nan Zhou Duan’s status on the national team now.

It’s been over a year since Nan Zhou joined the team. Besides impressing everyone with her skills, she’s no longer just a core player; she holds multiple roles, such as:

“Hey, Nan Zhou’s great niece, come join us in the men’s team practice today! Every time I play with you, I gain new insights. It’s really great!” said Xu Xin with a sigh of admiration, with Ma Long nodding in agreement beside him.

And:

“Nan Zhou, this week you’ll keep training with Ma Long and Ding Ning and the others, alright? They have competitions coming up. Analyze their play and their opponents’. I believe the championship will be ours again!” said Coach Liu Guoliang, entrusting her with great responsibility.

And:

“Zhou Zhou, what are we eating today?” asked her lunch buddies Manyu Wang, Yidi Wang, Chen Meng, and others.

Finally:

“Zhou Zhou~ how about learning a different dance today?” This was from the dance enthusiast Yingsha Sun, who accidentally discovered Nan Zhou could dance and was determined to learn various dances from her.

To prevent Yingsha from spreading her discovery to the entire team, Nan Zhou agreed to teach her dance despite the painful process—since Yingsha always forgot the previous move after learning a new one, and her attempts often looked awkward. But that didn’t dampen Yingsha’s passion for dance.

During those dormitory lessons, Nan Zhou started to reflect—actually, it’s not a big deal that everyone knows she can dance, right?

Of course, after everyone found out, Nan Zhou regretted it—ignorance might have been bliss. How come the women’s team has such passion for dancing? Now that there’s one dancer, they all pounce on her relentlessly.

But that’s a story for another time.

The main point now is that the coaches called Nan Zhou and Chuqin Wang to try out mixed doubles together and see how they worked as a pair.

Nan Zhou didn’t think much of it—after all, in daily practice she had paired with nearly all the main players, men and women alike; it was just a matter of switching partners.

For Chuqin Wang, however, it was a huge joy that stunned him. Could it be that his daily prayers were finally answered?

In the past year, he barely had any chance to get close to Nan Zhou—at most, a nod or a greeting. Was this the turning point?

The coaching staff had discussed this at length. Chuqin’s youthful feelings were quite obvious; the coaches could see through his adolescent thoughts at a glance. But they couldn’t keep separating them forever.

Especially since Chuqin was one of the more talented and hardworking young players on the team, and a key focus for future development. The mixed doubles team hadn’t achieved outstanding results yet, so more combinations needed to be tested.

Meanwhile, the coaches had thoroughly studied Nan Zhou. On one hand, she was mature and likely had no romantic distractions at the moment; even if she did, her career would come first, so they trusted her.

On the other hand, unlike many other top singles players in the team’s history—who often excel individually but struggle in doubles because of strong personal styles and a tendency to treat every shot like singles—Nan Zhou had essentially figured out the main players’ styles. From prior doubles training, it was clear she understood how to cooperate and adapt to different partners flexibly. Hence, the coaches privately nicknamed her “the strongest support.”

Pairing her with Chuqin might just bring out extraordinary performance in this somewhat scheming young man, achieving their goals.

From the moment they learned they would team up for competition, Nan Zhou and Chuqin started spending nearly every day together, arriving and leaving in tandem.

This allowed Nan Zhou to gradually get to know Chuqin better. Before, her impression of him was limited to a male teammate who always smiled at her and was quite skilled.

Through daily practice, their tacit understanding grew. Now, almost at a gesture from Nan Zhou, Chuqin would know exactly what she meant.

Another day’s training ended.

“Big Head, let’s go eat!” Nan Zhou’s nickname for Chuqin had replaced his full name. To him, this signified growing closeness; otherwise, hearing her call his full name always felt distant.

“Sure! I wonder what’s for dinner in the cafeteria tonight?” Chuqin said while packing up.

“I don’t know, but it’s probably the same old stuff,” Nan Zhou puckered her lips. The cafeteria food was getting worse and worse—truly torturous for her.

Chuqin tidied his things quickly and naturally took over packing Nan Zhou’s racket and gear. Somehow, from an unknown day, he began packing both their things after training sessions without either of them finding it strange.

Just then, Yingsha Sun and Manyu Wang, who had finished training and were coming to find Nan Zhou, spotted the scene. They exchanged a glance—there was gossip to be had! They had never seen Nan Zhou so close to a male peer before. Even though she had partnered with many players, she always maintained a polite distance, only getting somewhat close to a few senior male teammates.

Now, Yingsha no longer felt the initial wariness toward Chuqin. She had accepted the reality—Nan Zhou was beautiful, talented, and kind, and the number of boys pursuing her would only grow, especially after she became famous.

So weighing the pros and cons, and based on the women’s team’s observations, Chuqin seemed alright—not a threat to watch closely. Most importantly, they had subtly inquired with Nan Zhou herself, who had no current romantic interests. So, it could only be described as unrequited love on one side.

Yet watching the scene today, it seemed someone was quietly boiling a frog: first, silently scaring off other suitors, then gradually distancing the remaining ones by growing closer, and finally, gently easing Nan Zhou into acceptance and, ultimately, winning her over.

Though trying not to care, Yingsha and Manyu felt a little jealous seeing this—it was as if their close friend was being taken away from them. After all, the three of them had spent almost every day playing and eating together.

Especially Yingsha, who was practically like a conjoined twin with Nan Zhou. Tonight, she absolutely had to ask Nan Zhou if she was still her best friend!

Yingsha clenched her tiny fist, determined.

In the end, the plan for the two to dine alone was ruined—Nan Zhou’s girlfriends arrived, so Chuqin had to tag along, turning it into a dinner for four.