On The Grounds That She's The Champion

"A single cigarette? Don't you know that drinking and smoking are harmful to your body? You're an athlete, and twenty-one years old this year. The only way you can get into the national team is if you join the provincial team and perform exceptionally well in it. Otherwise, you're going to have to leave the field! Xinnuo, I've always been your coach. You know very well of the high hopes I have for you!" Wu Xing replied in a huff.

He Xinnuo did not rebut any of his words as she butted out the cigarette in frustration. "I'll get into the provincial team for sure! Look, haven't I come for training super early today?"

Wu Xing's face was sunken. "Do you know that our club will only have three spots for selection this year? The men's team has already taken on two of those spots, leaving only a single one for the female side."

"What did you say!" He Xinnuo was so alarmed that her eyes were left wide-open. "Why is there only a single spot left? It wasn't this way in the previous years!"

"Things have changed this year. You and Shi Guang are both from the school's swimming team, but she is from the City Team, and had even taken the champion's place for the College Games. Who do you think that spot will go to?" Wu Xing asked in a high voice.

"Your meaning is that… there's no place for me! I don't even get a chance to participate in it at all!" He Xinnuo was starting to get flustered now as her brows knitted tightly together while she clenched her teeth. "Shi Guang, SHI GUANG! Why is it always her? On what grounds… ON WHAT GROUNDS?"

He Xinnuo's anger was tantamount to a thunderstorm.

Wu Xing replied curtly, "On the grounds that she got a single champion's place."

"WOW? CHAMPION'S PLACE? BIG F*CK?"

"That's right! She IS a big f*ck for getting the champion's place! Everyone only remembers the champion! You, as a third place, aside, even the runner-up has been clean forgotten by everyone else!"

Her expression changed starkly as her teeth ground against one another, unable to swallow this ball of anger no matter what. After a good, long time, she asked quietly, "Coach, say… what if everyone knows that she didn't get the champion's place with her own efforts?"

That little seed named envy that was in her heart had now blossomed fully into a heaven piercing tree.

Wu Xing was stunned. "You're thinking of…?"

"If I didn't recall wrongly, she was a little under the weather in the past few days before the College Games. If she had the flu, she must have taken flu medicine. And, most flu medicines would contain some stimulants in them…"

He Xinnuo's lips slowly curled upward into a vicious smile. "If I were to spill the beans about this on the internet claiming that she used doping for the competition, not only would her champion's title be taken away from her, she would even be banned from future competitions."

Wu Xing thought about it for a moment before shaking his head. "That won't do. Right now, the boss is trying hard to fight for an additional spot for the female team. Rather than thinking about all of this, you might as well spend your time training. If you work as hard as Shi Guang, coupled with my coaching, you will definitely be able to surpass her."

'Work as hard as Shi Guang…'

This single phrase angered He Xinnuo to no ends.

She spat out curtly, "Since you place such high regards on Shi Guang, why don't you go on and teach her then? Even if you want to, she might not even let you teach her right now!

Enraged over it, Wu Xing's face was flushed tomato red.

On the other side, the moment those words left her mouth, He Xinnuo instantly regretted it.

She looked over at Wu Xing with her eyes brimming with tears as she replied with a quivering voice, "I only spoke of such nonsense in a fit of anger. I'm sorry, coach! I truly do not know what else to do right now. You're the only one I have left, coach…"

Wu Xing could not help but sigh out, "Forget it! I know that you were only speaking out in anger as well. Train well! I refuse to believe that Shi Guang would be able to get so lucky time and again. At times, the higher the expectations everyone has on someone, the heavier the fall is for them!"

Extending his hand, he patted He Xinnuo on the back in a consoling manner.

She immediately leaned onto his shoulder and behaved in a frail and weak manner. However, her face was filled with cold spite as she clenched her fist tightly, digging her nails into her palm.

Grinding her teeth, she was literally screaming out in her heart, 'Shi Guang!!!'