16 THE BEST PARTNER

There was a meeting between the management team and the athletes today.

Time flew by so fast, and in a few days, they had to head to Korea for their next tournament. Today's meeting discussed matters related to the tournament.

The meeting was held in a large meeting room in one of the hotels in the city. The athletes sat in the available seats, while the management team sat in several chairs at the front of the large room.

In addition to athletes and staff, coaches were also present in the room. They also sat at the front of the room.

The head of the management team, Lu Mei, was the one who was speaking into the microphone now.

"The next Korea Open will be an important starting point for us. We only won one title at the last China Open not too long ago, and that's a bad achievement for us. We have to bounce back from failure and try our best to win more titles at the Korea Open."

Lin Zhu, sitting in the second row along with the other athletes, listened to the words seriously.

If it was his old self, who was so proud of himself and didn't care about small talk like this, he would surely choose to think about naughty things instead of listening to a lecture given by the boss of the national team.

But, Lin Zhu had promised himself to be a better athlete, and he tried his best to absorb even the smallest thing coming from his seniors. In his heart, he promised himself to do his best just like what the lady just said.

"The Korea Open will also be a starting point for our newest men's doubles team," Lu Mei spoke again as she glanced at Lin Zhu and Ye Quan, who were sitting side by side. "Our country has a good reputation in the men's doubles sector, so please try your best to maintain the good reputation."

Lin Zhu slightly peeked at Ye Quan, who looked so calm sitting on his left side.

He didn't want to sit side by side with the toad-like athlete, but he didn't have any other choice because his coach asked them to sit together. Lin Zhu didn't want to cause a ruckus and chose to comply with the order.

They haven't talked even for a bit since earlier. Ye Quan arrived at the venue just a few seconds before the meeting started, so they didn't even have time to greet each other.

But had they ever greeted each other before? Even if they had all the time in the world, perhaps they would still not greet each other and continue to treat each other as strangers. It was given.

The meeting continued with some coaches taking turns speaking, and it was Coach Cheng's turn to speak. Lin Zhu was a bit worried when he saw his coach start his speech.

"The men's doubles sector may experience a drought after Ah Shui and Ah Zhen retire next month, but my hopes are high for our new pair. Ah Quan and Ah Zhu have the potential to be a good team in the future, and please do your best at the Korea Open."

Lin Zhu gulped nervously. He could feel another pressure on his shoulders. On top of that, he could also feel everyone's gazes on him and Ye Quan right now. Lin Zhu had never felt this nervous before, and perhaps that wasn't a good sign for him.

The meeting officially ended after an hour. Lin Zhu wanted to go home right away, but his previous coach suddenly approached him while smirking evilly at him.

"How have you been, my little prodigy? Are you enjoying your training in the men's doubles team?"

Lin Zhu felt uncomfortable with the previous coach even after the coach kicked him out of the men's singles team. He could feel Coach Su looking down on him from then on. Just by looking into his eyes, he could see that the coach was questioning his abilities.

"We have been practicing well in the men's doubles team, Coach Su."

Lin Zhu's body flinched when another familiar voice greeted his sense of hearing. He looked up to his side and found Ye Quan was the one who just answered the coach's question.

Ye Quan's body was so tall that he looked like he was towering over both him and the bald coach, and his overbearing aura didn't make him feel any better.

But wait. Why did Ye Quan suddenly answer the coach's questions for him? As far as he remembered, Ye Quan had left his side early to talk to some other athletes. Since when did the senior athlete return to answering the coach's questions? And, did Ye Quan just help Lin Zhu answer the coach's question?

That was such a weird thought, and Lin Zhu immediately brushed off the crazy thought by shaking his head.

'Don't be stupid, Ah-Zhu! This toad was just acting like a gentleman in front of the coach!' He inwardly scolded himself.

The next thing he heard was a sound of a crisp laugh, and he turned his head to another side to find Coach Su laughing at them.

"My dear Ah Quan is always working hard, right?" The coach questioned the taller athlete. "Did our little prodigy trouble you in the men's doubles team, Ah Quan?"

Lin Zhu clenched his fist secretly upon hearing Coach Su's question. It was obvious that the coach favored Ye Quan over him, but was it necessary to look down on him? Why didn't he just take Ye Quan back to the men's singles team instead of slandering him like this?

Lin Zhu had never hated Coach Su before, but now the hatred started manifesting in his heart.

He was about to lose control and was going to shout in the coach's face, but suddenly his arm was being held by someone. When he looked up, he found Ye Quan smirking at the coach.

"Ah Zhu has been helping me a lot, Coach. He's the best partner for me."