Make-up chapter for 16th Sep.
It was pretty common for an athlete/coach to request to review the match footage after the competition results were announced in the arena. It was occasionally possible to exploit other players’ mistakes and turn the tables.
Alexander, however, was not questioning rationally, but was openly framing!
Li Cheng was a straight shooter. When splashed with dirty water by Alexander like this, he couldn’t stand it and sneered repeatedly: “Look, just watch the replay. Don’t watch it only once, watch it eight hundred times. I didn’t foul, okay, I didn’t foul!”
In addition to the video recorders by the pool and the overhead video camera, underwater cameras were deployed in the competition to record the athletes’ movements in several directions.
The head referee quickly played back the underwater footage of the contest in front of many deputy referees from the organizing committee, as well as coaches and players from both sides. He slowed down the tape tens of times, watching Li Cheng’s actions frame by frame as he turned around after touching the wall.
Li Cheng felt totally disgusted by this behavior.
He’d never seen a swimming competition slow-motion footage played frame by frame like this before. They appeared to be more concerned with getting a handle on Li Cheng than with getting to the bottom of the situation.
Li Cheng laughed grimly. He wanted to ask these Australians, should he find a magnifying glass for them if they couldn’t see clearly despite slowing down so much?
The tumble turn video lasted less than a second, yet it was replayed for several minutes. The referee first just observed Li Cheng’s turning movement. When he realized he couldn’t grab the handle, he cut the film to the portion of the baton handover. It was unfortunate that Li Cheng’s moves were impeccable, with no flaws from start to finish.
The more they looked, the brighter Li Cheng’s expression became.
The more they looked, the stiffer Alexander’s expression became.
The referee finally remarked in a serious tone, after sifting through the match video multiple times, that there was no problem with Li Cheng’s game and that the Chinese team deserved the championship.
The referee said “sorry” a couple of times, and Li Cheng lifted his eyebrows and chin, staring provocatively at Alexander.
“No…impossible!” When he heard the outcome, Alexander exclaimed, “How could this bunch of Asians swim so fast! And he’s just an omega, he—”
His coach abruptly smacked him on the shoulder and signaled for him to stop talking right away. The coach spoke softly: “Are you insane, Alexander? There’s a camera right next to you. Shut up if you can’t control what you say!”
The referee cast an unnoticed severe look at the master and apprentice duo. As an Australian, he naturally hoped that his country’s players would dominate the competition. As a result, after Alexander reported Li Cheng’s cheating, he easily trusted the one-sided statement regarding the opposite side.
How could he imagine it was all Alexander’s slander? Li Cheng’s movements and awareness were flawless, and he was clearly the best among his peers. He would undoubtedly compete in higher-level Olympics and World Championships in the future. They were stupid to insult such a promising Chinese player in vain…
Li Cheng had a fiery disposition and was never one to suffer humiliation. He was wronged, so the people who wronged him should naturally apologize to him.
Furthermore, he requested that not only Alexander apologize to him, but also that the Australian swimming team and the Australian organizing committee apologize to the Chinese swimming team!
When the Australians heard his request, their expressions changed dramatically: “After all, this is a disagreement between two athletes. It is unnecessary to exaggerate the situation, isn’t it?”
It was natural for Coach Yu to want to protect Li Cheng: “What if the situation is reversed? If our players slander your players, will you also apologize lightly and settle the problem?”
The Chinese had always placed a high priority on harmony. The organizing committee had no idea that they would meet a participant with so much individuality and a coach who was so protective of her players in this competition.
The Australian Organizing Committee, of course, refused to apologize. The two parties had been debating for a long time, and it appeared that no resolution would be reached in a short period of time.
“Leave this to me, Li Cheng.” Coach Yu turned to face Li Cheng, “You just finished the game, and you must be exhausted right now. Return to the lounge and relax. Remember that you have three teammates waiting for you, their captain.”
Li Cheng was indeed exhausted. He desperately needed to rest and didn’t want to debate with these jerks any longer. He nodded and turned to leave—”accidentally” hitting Alexander on the shoulder as he left.
Alexander: “You…”
Li Cheng ignored him completely, reaching out to brush off the non-existent dust on his shoulders, as if Alexander were something filthy.
Alexander was already red-faced with rage at this time.
… …
The three team members surrounded Li Cheng as soon as he returned to the lounge.
They could see what was going on at the referee’s bench through the picture on the huge screen in the lounge.
“Captain Li, what’s the matter?”
“What happened?”
“The Australian team won’t play tricks again, right?”
“The captain of the Australian team appears shifty-eyed and to be full of evil tricks.”
Ol Jtfcu vfajlifv ktja tjv agjcrqlgfv lc j ofk kbgvr, ktlmt fcgjufv tlr mbwgjvfr. Snfgsbcf kjr rb oeglber atja atfs megrfv mbcrajcais. Ktfs kbeiv tjnf tegglfv bea ab afjmt Cifzjcvfg jc ecobgufaajyif ifrrbc lo la tjvc’a yffc obg Ol Jtfcu’r lcafgnfcalbc.
Ol Jtfcu: “Scbeut jigfjvs! Pucbgf atf ktlaf bgjcueajc. Ofa’r qijc ktfgf kf’ii ub ab mfifygjaf abcluta.”
A team member raised his hand: “Captain, you should answer the phone first. Your phone kept ringing just now.”
Because the competitors were not allowed to carry their phones during the tournament, Li Cheng had locked his phone and other items in the lounge closet.
When he calculated the time difference, he discovered it was only seven o’clock in the morning in China time, and he was puzzled who had called him so early.
Li Cheng hastily opened the closet door and checked his phone. He had dozens of missed calls! These calls were all made by Xiao Yiheng, without exception.
Li Cheng reasoned that Xiao Yiheng had seen the live broadcast and noticed the Australian squad causing him problems. He was too concerned with himself, so he inundated him with calls.
Hehehe, it feels so good to be worried about. After all, I’m a family man~
Li Cheng was about to call Xiao Yiheng when Xiao Yiheng’s phone number flashed on the screen again.
A teammate asked curiously: “Captain Li, who’s calling eh?”
Li Cheng: “Hehehe, it’s your sister-in-law.”
The teammates promptly heckled, “Handsfree, handsfree, handsfree! Let us say hello to our sister-in-law.”
There was never any specific rule that they couldn’t fall in love, yet everyone dated secretly. They were afraid that if the coach found out, they would break up the pair under the excuse that “love influences the state of the game.” But now that the competition was over and Li Cheng had won two championships, if he didn’t take advantage of the opportunity to make public displays of affection, when was he meant to flaunt?
Li Cheng cast a glance at his three teammates: “OK! Then you remain silent. Your sister-in-law is shy. Don’t greet him as soon as he starts talking. He’ll be embarrassed.”
The three teammates nodded obediently. They were quite curious about who Li Cheng often talked about. Li-ge was so sassy, he had to have found a petite and cute omega girl, right?
Li Cheng had no notion they had misidentified Xiao Yiheng’s gender. He cleared his throat, pressed the hands-free button, and answered the phone in front of everyone—
“Hello, Xiao Yiheng?” Li Cheng greeted him sweetly. “Did you see the live stream? Don’t worry about me; the situation has been resolved! The Australian team…”
“ChengCheng,” Xiao Yiheng cut in anxiously, “has your coach left the referee area?”
Li Cheng was taken aback: “Huh? No, not yet. What’s the matter…”
Xiao Yiheng’s words came out in a rush: “Find your coach right now and tell her that the Australian team fouled by using the butterfly stroke twice after turning around during the breaststroke leg!!! They are the ones who should be disqualified for foul play!!!”
Li Cheng was dumbfounded.
Not only was Li Cheng dumbfounded, but so were his three teammates who were eavesdropping at the corner. They didn’t even have time to be astonished when they discovered that “the sister-in-law in Captain Li’s mouth was actually a male alpha.”
Li Cheng: “What?! Are you sure? Are you…are you sure it’s the butterfly stroke?”
“Sure! I’m quite sure!” Xiao Yiheng said solemnly, “ChengCheng, after getting together with you, I studied the different swimming strokes in order to learn how to swim. I researched the differences between the styles as well as all the rules of the competition. The overhead camera showed the entire swimming pool during the live stream. Despite the fact that the camera cut through at that point, I’m confident that the female athlete used the butterfly stroke twice!”
Of the four strokes, breaststroke was the only swimming style that did not rely on arm power as a propelling force, instead relying on the outward turning of both legs to propel the water ahead. As a result, the forward pace of breaststroke was significantly slower than that of other strokes, and it did not appear as intense.
FINA stipulated that breaststroke swimmers might utilize the butterfly stroke every time they set out and turned around in order to boost the appreciation of the breaststroke competition—the movements of the butterfly stroke were likened to “a mermaid swaying its tail.” It was nothing like the motion of a breaststroker diverging both legs. Even a layman couldn’t misread it.
A deputy referee stood on the shore and watched the swimmer in the lane every time he or she flip turned. If the Australian female athlete had fouled as she turned around, why didn’t the deputy referee in that lane call it and disqualify the Australian team?
Was it an oversight, or…
Li Cheng didn’t think about it anymore.
The teammates next to him instantly sought the Internet for a live feed of the match. They discovered, as Xiao Yiheng stated, that the Australian female athlete utilized the butterfly stroke twice in violation of the rules when she hit the wall and turned around!
Despite the fact that the camera lens was cut away shortly after, the overhead camera captured the entire scene.
Li Cheng was unable to contain his joy, gushing over the phone: “Xiao Yiheng, you are so awesome, I love you to death!” He didn’t waste time to say goodbye to Xiao Yiheng, and instantly strode forward, flying into the stadium.
According to the rules, players were not permitted to re-enter the arena once they had exited it. Security stopped Li Cheng as soon as he ran to the side of the arena.
Li Cheng hopped nervously, but they couldn’t comprehend each other’s language. They argued for a long time without communicating, neither of them understanding what the other was saying.
When Li Cheng noticed that the coach and interpreter were going to depart the referee’s stand, Li Cheng couldn’t care about anything else, and immediately shouted: “Coach!!! Don’t leave!!!”
The sharp-eared coach stopped at once.
She looked back and saw Li Cheng was jumping like a little monkey while two burly and rigid security guards barred his way. He was jumping and yelling—
“Coach, I didn’t foul! It was them who fouled! The Australian team fouled!! They used the butterfly stroke twice in the breaststroke leg. I’d like to see the match video recording again!!!”
… …
China’s CCTV Sports Channel.
In the studio, the host was video conferencing with two commentators to conduct post-match analysis of the mixed 4×100 medley relay, which had just finished a half-hour earlier.
“The Chinese swimming team won another gold medal in this competition.” The male commentator nodded as he stated, “The four young players are all excellent! However, this time, contestant Li Cheng encountered challenges from the Australian side. We can see through the live broadcast following the game that the Australian team reported that contestant Li Cheng cheated when turning around, but the referee reviewed the video and concluded that Li Cheng’s movements were very clean and there was no suspicion of cheating.”
The female commentator was a retired swimmer who was deeply moved when discussing such things: “In fact, this type of denunciation on the field is very common. Anyway, it’s simply to nitpick. If it fails, then apologize verbally. If it succeeds, you can get rid of a rival. Contestant Li Cheng won cleanly this time. He deserves the championship.”
The male commentator: “As far as I know, some countries—I won’t name them—behave even more despicably. They will deliberately send two players to the competition. One athlete is in charge of the medal, while the other is responsible for making small moves on the field. If they can encumber a few people, they will encumber a few people.”
The more the two commentators spoke, the more indignant they became. The host was ready to join their conversation when she abruptly stopped moving and reflexively grabbed the headphone with one hand, nodding frequently while listening.
“I apologize for the disruption.” When the host raised her head, her face shone with the light of spring. She had a big smile on her face as she gazed at the camera. “We just got great news: the referee discovered through playback that the Australian breaststroke athlete fouled by performing the butterfly stroke twice when she turned around! This was a violation of the game’s rules, and the referee disqualified them, stripping them of their medals!”
—That meant, the Chinese team was the lone victor in that match!
There was complete stillness in the studio as soon as this was spoken. The female commentator burst out laughing the next second.
“Hahaha…cough, cough, forgive me, my nose was a little itchy just now and I sneezed.” The female commentator suppressed her laughter, “What is this called? Too smart for one’s own good?”
The male commentator quickly replayed the match video to watch the few seconds of the breaststroker turning around.
“It’s true…” The male analyst was surprised, “…Although the overhead camera shot is not particularly clear, the Australian athlete did use the butterfly stroke twice when diving underwater. Her movements were too subtle, and the camera lens cut out too quickly. To be honest, I didn’t even notice her petty maneuver during the commentary.”
The female commentator agreed: “Indeed! The person who discovered this problem has incredible powers of observation.”
Xiao Yiheng, who was seated in front of the live news channel and holding the phone, laughed quietly.
Even though he couldn’t make it to the scene to cheer on Li Cheng, he…he still made some small contributions, right?
… …
Over at the stadium, the impassioning national anthem played, and the national flag fluttered.
Li Cheng and his three teammates stepped onto the podium together, holding hands.
“The gold medalists in the mixed 4x100m medley relay—the Chinese swimming team!” The final result was announced to the stadium audience in different languages by the host. When the national anthem played, the four young Chinese athletes on the podium straightened their chests in unison, solemnly looking at the swaying national flag.
What did it mean to “gain glory for the country”?
When they won the gold medal through sweat and tears, when they put everything on the line and went all-out to win, and when the red flag flapped in the wind over the international stadium—this was to bring honor to the country.
That team medal was extremely difficult to obtain. They had swum with all their might to attain the best outcomes, but they were inexplicably framed, and the Jedi counterattacked once again… Each step was excruciatingly painful.
However, they deserved that medal, and no one could take it away from them.
It was such a pity that the Australian swimming team did not attend the award ceremony—Li Cheng was unable to witness Alexander’s deflated scowling face with his own eyes. His delight at winning the championship had been reduced by one point!
Following the ceremony, Li Cheng, as captain, was present at the post-match press conference with Coach Yu.
During the press conference, some reporters highlighted how the “Australian team slandered Li Cheng for a foul, but it turned out that they were the ones who fouled.”
“Some people are arguing that the Chinese swimming team was able to achieve this championship because of the Australian team’s faults, therefore it was convenient for China—What does captain Li think?” remarked one of the reporters aggressively. He had an Australian national emblem pinned on his chest.
The other individual was plainly there with malicious intent. Coach Yu frowned and was ready to respond when Li Cheng grabbed the microphone, and inquired, “Some people remarked? Who said it, exactly?”
The Australian reporter stared blankly, somewhat speechless: “There are a lot of people on social networking sites discussing this topic, and the audience at the scene is also talking about it.”
“Oh!” Li Cheng exclaimed, shrugging his shoulders proudly, “So it’s the audience that’s debating it? I believe the competition rules and regulations, as well as the referee and records, have the final say in the subject of ‘Who is the champion?’—does the audience feel the Australian team is the champion? I’m sorry, but what they say doesn’t matter.”
The reporter couldn’t speak because he was too embarrassed. To divert attention, he bowed his head and hurriedly scribbled a sequence of sentences in his notebook. Li Cheng speculated, I reckon tonight’s Australian tabloids will once again portray me as the omega who considers everyone else to be beneath him.
But it did not matter.
Li “double champion” Cheng did not fucking care.
… …
Following the press briefing, Li Cheng’s phone continued to ring, and Youyou was the first to call.
She squealed over the phone, saying that her most, most, most dearest gege had won the world championship and she could now flaunt properly in front of her classmates!
She also expressed her hope that her brother would allow her to touch the gold medal when he returned.
When Li Cheng inquired, he was forthright and direct, “Is simply touching sufficient? Do you want your gege to come and get you from school with the gold medal?”
Youyou’s shouts nearly destroyed the phone microphone when she heard this!
Li Cheng received congratulatory calls from Coach Wu, the Huacheng No. 1 High School swimming team’s little brothers, Hu-ge and the little tigers after receiving the call from Youyou.
When Li Cheng completed answering numerous calls, his phone became hot and eventually shut down without power.
The pitiful formal boyfriend Xiao Yiheng didn’t reach Li Cheng until late in the evening.
Li Cheng had a rosy face and was laughing foolishly on the phone screen. He sat cross-legged on the dormitory bed, his two medals dangling from his chest. The two medals smacked together whenever he moved.
“ChengCheng, have you been drinking?” Xiao Yiheng inquired, looking at his reddened ear tips and neck.
“Hehehe,” Li Cheng stretched out two fingers, which were about one centimeter apart, “Just a little drink during the dinner party. I didn’t drink much~” He was foolishly brave, “Who is Li-ge, eh? He doesn’t pass out with a thousand cups, he doesn’t become intoxicated with a hundred jars~~”
The athletes’ dining hall did not serve liquor, but those with the necessary social connections were inevitably able to “smuggle” some in.
The liquor they drank that night was supplied by a female team member after she exchanged the hot pot base ingredients she had brought with her with another athlete.
Moutai was clear and pure, yet it had a high alcohol content. Li Cheng was the competition’s big hero, and he was constantly toasted by the players. Li Cheng believed he had a high tolerance for alcohol and did not deny any toasts. As a result, his entire body appeared to be saturated with alcohol at the time.
When he hiccupped, the entire dormitory smelled like fermented oranges.
He was like a small nesting animal, holding the two gold medals in his arms and rubbing them over and over while giggling.
When Xiao Yiheng called, Li Cheng had nearly wiped away a layer of the gold medals.
Despite Li Cheng’s insistence that he hadn’t drank too much, Xiao Yiheng realized he was intoxicated when he looked at him giggling so hard that his eyes squinted.
Not to add how lovely the inebriated Li Cheng was. His face was flushed, and his blond hair was strewn across his brow, making his piercing eyes appear wide and cute.
Perhaps Li Cheng was just loosely clad with a bathrobe over his body because the room was too hot. The lapels of his robe were carelessly open, revealing his taut and gorgeous muscles. His chest was adorned with two golden medals. The two medals shook slightly as he moved, brushing against the dark red points that stuck out on his chest.
Obviously, it was Li Cheng who drank, but Xiao Yiheng believed he was also inebriated.
Li Cheng insisted that he wasn’t drunk and asked Xiao Yiheng to test him.
Xiao Yiheng could only coax him: “What is one plus one?”
Li Cheng: “Do you think I am a fool? One plus one equals two, two plus two equals four, four plus four equals eight… Can’t you test me with something a little more difficult?”
Xiao Yiheng: “Then tell me, what is the square root of eight?”
Li Cheng: “…”
Li Cheng was embarrassed: “It doesn’t need to be so difficult, right.”
Xiao Yiheng burst out laughing.
He inquired: “By the way, after the result of the match was announced, Alexander didn’t bother you again, did he?”
“Don’t worry, he didn’t!” Li Cheng cracked a joke, “You should’ve seen it. When the referee indicated that the Australian team’s gold medal would be revoked, wow, the entire team’s expression was altered with the stroke of a single brush! Especially their coach. His eyes were bulging out, which was really scary. The foul was committed by the breaststroke player, and Alexander looked like he was going to kill her! The female athlete will probably suffer nightmares tonight.”
Alexander was a narrow-minded person. It was truly awful for all of the Australian swimming team members to be comrades with this type of guy.
Li Cheng said: “Actually, I hope Alexander commits another offense – so that I have a legitimate excuse to beat him!”
To be honest, if Xiao Yiheng were around, he would want to teach Alexander a lesson as well… But how could a mere beating soothe his anger when faced with that type of trash? He would do everything he could to get him kicked off the swimming team and barred from entering the pool for the rest of his life.
Make-up chapter for 16th Sep.
It was pretty common for an athlete/coach to request to review the match footage after the competition results were announced in the arena. It was occasionally possible to exploit other players’ mistakes and turn the tables.
Alexander, however, was not questioning rationally, but was openly framing!
Li Cheng was a straight shooter. When splashed with dirty water by Alexander like this, he couldn’t stand it and sneered repeatedly: “Look, just watch the replay. Don’t watch it only once, watch it eight hundred times. I didn’t foul, okay, I didn’t foul!”
In addition to the video recorders by the pool and the overhead video camera, underwater cameras were deployed in the competition to record the athletes’ movements in several directions.
The head referee quickly played back the underwater footage of the contest in front of many deputy referees from the organizing committee, as well as coaches and players from both sides. He slowed down the tape tens of times, watching Li Cheng’s actions frame by frame as he turned around after touching the wall.
Li Cheng felt totally disgusted by this behavior.
He’d never seen a swimming competition slow-motion footage played frame by frame like this before. They appeared to be more concerned with getting a handle on Li Cheng than with getting to the bottom of the situation.
Li Cheng laughed grimly. He wanted to ask these Australians, should he find a magnifying glass for them if they couldn’t see clearly despite slowing down so much?
The tumble turn video lasted less than a second, yet it was replayed for several minutes. The referee first just observed Li Cheng’s turning movement. When he realized he couldn’t grab the handle, he cut the film to the portion of the baton handover. It was unfortunate that Li Cheng’s moves were impeccable, with no flaws from start to finish.
The more they looked, the brighter Li Cheng’s expression became.
The more they looked, the stiffer Alexander’s expression became.
The referee finally remarked in a serious tone, after sifting through the match video multiple times, that there was no problem with Li Cheng’s game and that the Chinese team deserved the championship.
The referee said “sorry” a couple of times, and Li Cheng lifted his eyebrows and chin, staring provocatively at Alexander.
“No…impossible!” When he heard the outcome, Alexander exclaimed, “How could this bunch of Asians swim so fast! And he’s just an omega, he—”
His coach abruptly smacked him on the shoulder and signaled for him to stop talking right away. The coach spoke softly: “Are you insane, Alexander? There’s a camera right next to you. Shut up if you can’t control what you say!”
The referee cast an unnoticed severe look at the master and apprentice duo. As an Australian, he naturally hoped that his country’s players would dominate the competition. As a result, after Alexander reported Li Cheng’s cheating, he easily trusted the one-sided statement regarding the opposite side.
How could he imagine it was all Alexander’s slander? Li Cheng’s movements and awareness were flawless, and he was clearly the best among his peers. He would undoubtedly compete in higher-level Olympics and World Championships in the future. They were stupid to insult such a promising Chinese player in vain…
Li Cheng had a fiery disposition and was never one to suffer humiliation. He was wronged, so the people who wronged him should naturally apologize to him.
Furthermore, he requested that not only Alexander apologize to him, but also that the Australian swimming team and the Australian organizing committee apologize to the Chinese swimming team!
When the Australians heard his request, their expressions changed dramatically: “After all, this is a disagreement between two athletes. It is unnecessary to exaggerate the situation, isn’t it?”
It was natural for Coach Yu to want to protect Li Cheng: “What if the situation is reversed? If our players slander your players, will you also apologize lightly and settle the problem?”
The Chinese had always placed a high priority on harmony. The organizing committee had no idea that they would meet a participant with so much individuality and a coach who was so protective of her players in this competition.
The Australian Organizing Committee, of course, refused to apologize. The two parties had been debating for a long time, and it appeared that no resolution would be reached in a short period of time.
“Leave this to me, Li Cheng.” Coach Yu turned to face Li Cheng, “You just finished the game, and you must be exhausted right now. Return to the lounge and relax. Remember that you have three teammates waiting for you, their captain.”
Li Cheng was indeed exhausted. He desperately needed to rest and didn’t want to debate with these jerks any longer. He nodded and turned to leave—”accidentally” hitting Alexander on the shoulder as he left.
Alexander: “You…”
Li Cheng ignored him completely, reaching out to brush off the non-existent dust on his shoulders, as if Alexander were something filthy.
Alexander was already red-faced with rage at this time.
… …
The three team members surrounded Li Cheng as soon as he returned to the lounge.
They could see what was going on at the referee’s bench through the picture on the huge screen in the lounge.
“Captain Li, what’s the matter?”
“What happened?”
“The Australian team won’t play tricks again, right?”
“The captain of the Australian team appears shifty-eyed and to be full of evil tricks.”
Ol Jtfcu vfajlifv ktja tjv agjcrqlgfv lc j ofk kbgvr, ktlmt fcgjufv tlr mbwgjvfr. Snfgsbcf kjr rb oeglber atja atfs megrfv mbcrajcais. Ktfs kbeiv tjnf tegglfv bea ab afjmt Cifzjcvfg jc ecobgufaajyif ifrrbc lo la tjvc’a yffc obg Ol Jtfcu’r lcafgnfcalbc.
Ol Jtfcu: “Scbeut jigfjvs! Pucbgf atf ktlaf bgjcueajc. Ofa’r qijc ktfgf kf’ii ub ab mfifygjaf abcluta.”
A team member raised his hand: “Captain, you should answer the phone first. Your phone kept ringing just now.”
Because the competitors were not allowed to carry their phones during the tournament, Li Cheng had locked his phone and other items in the lounge closet.
When he calculated the time difference, he discovered it was only seven o’clock in the morning in China time, and he was puzzled who had called him so early.
Li Cheng hastily opened the closet door and checked his phone. He had dozens of missed calls! These calls were all made by Xiao Yiheng, without exception.
Li Cheng reasoned that Xiao Yiheng had seen the live broadcast and noticed the Australian squad causing him problems. He was too concerned with himself, so he inundated him with calls.
Hehehe, it feels so good to be worried about. After all, I’m a family man~
Li Cheng was about to call Xiao Yiheng when Xiao Yiheng’s phone number flashed on the screen again.
A teammate asked curiously: “Captain Li, who’s calling eh?”
Li Cheng: “Hehehe, it’s your sister-in-law.”
The teammates promptly heckled, “Handsfree, handsfree, handsfree! Let us say hello to our sister-in-law.”
There was never any specific rule that they couldn’t fall in love, yet everyone dated secretly. They were afraid that if the coach found out, they would break up the pair under the excuse that “love influences the state of the game.” But now that the competition was over and Li Cheng had won two championships, if he didn’t take advantage of the opportunity to make public displays of affection, when was he meant to flaunt?
Li Cheng cast a glance at his three teammates: “OK! Then you remain silent. Your sister-in-law is shy. Don’t greet him as soon as he starts talking. He’ll be embarrassed.”
The three teammates nodded obediently. They were quite curious about who Li Cheng often talked about. Li-ge was so sassy, he had to have found a petite and cute omega girl, right?
Li Cheng had no notion they had misidentified Xiao Yiheng’s gender. He cleared his throat, pressed the hands-free button, and answered the phone in front of everyone—
“Hello, Xiao Yiheng?” Li Cheng greeted him sweetly. “Did you see the live stream? Don’t worry about me; the situation has been resolved! The Australian team…”
“ChengCheng,” Xiao Yiheng cut in anxiously, “has your coach left the referee area?”
Li Cheng was taken aback: “Huh? No, not yet. What’s the matter…”
Xiao Yiheng’s words came out in a rush: “Find your coach right now and tell her that the Australian team fouled by using the butterfly stroke twice after turning around during the breaststroke leg!!! They are the ones who should be disqualified for foul play!!!”
Li Cheng was dumbfounded.
Not only was Li Cheng dumbfounded, but so were his three teammates who were eavesdropping at the corner. They didn’t even have time to be astonished when they discovered that “the sister-in-law in Captain Li’s mouth was actually a male alpha.”
Li Cheng: “What?! Are you sure? Are you…are you sure it’s the butterfly stroke?”
“Sure! I’m quite sure!” Xiao Yiheng said solemnly, “ChengCheng, after getting together with you, I studied the different swimming strokes in order to learn how to swim. I researched the differences between the styles as well as all the rules of the competition. The overhead camera showed the entire swimming pool during the live stream. Despite the fact that the camera cut through at that point, I’m confident that the female athlete used the butterfly stroke twice!”
Of the four strokes, breaststroke was the only swimming style that did not rely on arm power as a propelling force, instead relying on the outward turning of both legs to propel the water ahead. As a result, the forward pace of breaststroke was significantly slower than that of other strokes, and it did not appear as intense.
FINA stipulated that breaststroke swimmers might utilize the butterfly stroke every time they set out and turned around in order to boost the appreciation of the breaststroke competition—the movements of the butterfly stroke were likened to “a mermaid swaying its tail.” It was nothing like the motion of a breaststroker diverging both legs. Even a layman couldn’t misread it.
A deputy referee stood on the shore and watched the swimmer in the lane every time he or she flip turned. If the Australian female athlete had fouled as she turned around, why didn’t the deputy referee in that lane call it and disqualify the Australian team?
Was it an oversight, or…
Li Cheng didn’t think about it anymore.
The teammates next to him instantly sought the Internet for a live feed of the match. They discovered, as Xiao Yiheng stated, that the Australian female athlete utilized the butterfly stroke twice in violation of the rules when she hit the wall and turned around!
Despite the fact that the camera lens was cut away shortly after, the overhead camera captured the entire scene.
Li Cheng was unable to contain his joy, gushing over the phone: “Xiao Yiheng, you are so awesome, I love you to death!” He didn’t waste time to say goodbye to Xiao Yiheng, and instantly strode forward, flying into the stadium.
According to the rules, players were not permitted to re-enter the arena once they had exited it. Security stopped Li Cheng as soon as he ran to the side of the arena.
Li Cheng hopped nervously, but they couldn’t comprehend each other’s language. They argued for a long time without communicating, neither of them understanding what the other was saying.
When Li Cheng noticed that the coach and interpreter were going to depart the referee’s stand, Li Cheng couldn’t care about anything else, and immediately shouted: “Coach!!! Don’t leave!!!”
The sharp-eared coach stopped at once.
She looked back and saw Li Cheng was jumping like a little monkey while two burly and rigid security guards barred his way. He was jumping and yelling—
“Coach, I didn’t foul! It was them who fouled! The Australian team fouled!! They used the butterfly stroke twice in the breaststroke leg. I’d like to see the match video recording again!!!”
… …
China’s CCTV Sports Channel.
In the studio, the host was video conferencing with two commentators to conduct post-match analysis of the mixed 4×100 medley relay, which had just finished a half-hour earlier.
“The Chinese swimming team won another gold medal in this competition.” The male commentator nodded as he stated, “The four young players are all excellent! However, this time, contestant Li Cheng encountered challenges from the Australian side. We can see through the live broadcast following the game that the Australian team reported that contestant Li Cheng cheated when turning around, but the referee reviewed the video and concluded that Li Cheng’s movements were very clean and there was no suspicion of cheating.”
The female commentator was a retired swimmer who was deeply moved when discussing such things: “In fact, this type of denunciation on the field is very common. Anyway, it’s simply to nitpick. If it fails, then apologize verbally. If it succeeds, you can get rid of a rival. Contestant Li Cheng won cleanly this time. He deserves the championship.”
The male commentator: “As far as I know, some countries—I won’t name them—behave even more despicably. They will deliberately send two players to the competition. One athlete is in charge of the medal, while the other is responsible for making small moves on the field. If they can encumber a few people, they will encumber a few people.”
The more the two commentators spoke, the more indignant they became. The host was ready to join their conversation when she abruptly stopped moving and reflexively grabbed the headphone with one hand, nodding frequently while listening.
“I apologize for the disruption.” When the host raised her head, her face shone with the light of spring. She had a big smile on her face as she gazed at the camera. “We just got great news: the referee discovered through playback that the Australian breaststroke athlete fouled by performing the butterfly stroke twice when she turned around! This was a violation of the game’s rules, and the referee disqualified them, stripping them of their medals!”
—That meant, the Chinese team was the lone victor in that match!
There was complete stillness in the studio as soon as this was spoken. The female commentator burst out laughing the next second.
“Hahaha…cough, cough, forgive me, my nose was a little itchy just now and I sneezed.” The female commentator suppressed her laughter, “What is this called? Too smart for one’s own good?”
The male commentator quickly replayed the match video to watch the few seconds of the breaststroker turning around.
“It’s true…” The male analyst was surprised, “…Although the overhead camera shot is not particularly clear, the Australian athlete did use the butterfly stroke twice when diving underwater. Her movements were too subtle, and the camera lens cut out too quickly. To be honest, I didn’t even notice her petty maneuver during the commentary.”
The female commentator agreed: “Indeed! The person who discovered this problem has incredible powers of observation.”
Xiao Yiheng, who was seated in front of the live news channel and holding the phone, laughed quietly.
Even though he couldn’t make it to the scene to cheer on Li Cheng, he…he still made some small contributions, right?
… …
Over at the stadium, the impassioning national anthem played, and the national flag fluttered.
Li Cheng and his three teammates stepped onto the podium together, holding hands.
“The gold medalists in the mixed 4x100m medley relay—the Chinese swimming team!” The final result was announced to the stadium audience in different languages by the host. When the national anthem played, the four young Chinese athletes on the podium straightened their chests in unison, solemnly looking at the swaying national flag.
What did it mean to “gain glory for the country”?
When they won the gold medal through sweat and tears, when they put everything on the line and went all-out to win, and when the red flag flapped in the wind over the international stadium—this was to bring honor to the country.
That team medal was extremely difficult to obtain. They had swum with all their might to attain the best outcomes, but they were inexplicably framed, and the Jedi counterattacked once again… Each step was excruciatingly painful.
However, they deserved that medal, and no one could take it away from them.
It was such a pity that the Australian swimming team did not attend the award ceremony—Li Cheng was unable to witness Alexander’s deflated scowling face with his own eyes. His delight at winning the championship had been reduced by one point!
Following the ceremony, Li Cheng, as captain, was present at the post-match press conference with Coach Yu.
During the press conference, some reporters highlighted how the “Australian team slandered Li Cheng for a foul, but it turned out that they were the ones who fouled.”
“Some people are arguing that the Chinese swimming team was able to achieve this championship because of the Australian team’s faults, therefore it was convenient for China—What does captain Li think?” remarked one of the reporters aggressively. He had an Australian national emblem pinned on his chest.
The other individual was plainly there with malicious intent. Coach Yu frowned and was ready to respond when Li Cheng grabbed the microphone, and inquired, “Some people remarked? Who said it, exactly?”
The Australian reporter stared blankly, somewhat speechless: “There are a lot of people on social networking sites discussing this topic, and the audience at the scene is also talking about it.”
“Oh!” Li Cheng exclaimed, shrugging his shoulders proudly, “So it’s the audience that’s debating it? I believe the competition rules and regulations, as well as the referee and records, have the final say in the subject of ‘Who is the champion?’—does the audience feel the Australian team is the champion? I’m sorry, but what they say doesn’t matter.”
The reporter couldn’t speak because he was too embarrassed. To divert attention, he bowed his head and hurriedly scribbled a sequence of sentences in his notebook. Li Cheng speculated, I reckon tonight’s Australian tabloids will once again portray me as the omega who considers everyone else to be beneath him.
But it did not matter.
Li “double champion” Cheng did not fucking care.
… …
Following the press briefing, Li Cheng’s phone continued to ring, and Youyou was the first to call.
She squealed over the phone, saying that her most, most, most dearest gege had won the world championship and she could now flaunt properly in front of her classmates!
She also expressed her hope that her brother would allow her to touch the gold medal when he returned.
When Li Cheng inquired, he was forthright and direct, “Is simply touching sufficient? Do you want your gege to come and get you from school with the gold medal?”
Youyou’s shouts nearly destroyed the phone microphone when she heard this!
Li Cheng received congratulatory calls from Coach Wu, the Huacheng No. 1 High School swimming team’s little brothers, Hu-ge and the little tigers after receiving the call from Youyou.
When Li Cheng completed answering numerous calls, his phone became hot and eventually shut down without power.
The pitiful formal boyfriend Xiao Yiheng didn’t reach Li Cheng until late in the evening.
Li Cheng had a rosy face and was laughing foolishly on the phone screen. He sat cross-legged on the dormitory bed, his two medals dangling from his chest. The two medals smacked together whenever he moved.
“ChengCheng, have you been drinking?” Xiao Yiheng inquired, looking at his reddened ear tips and neck.
“Hehehe,” Li Cheng stretched out two fingers, which were about one centimeter apart, “Just a little drink during the dinner party. I didn’t drink much~” He was foolishly brave, “Who is Li-ge, eh? He doesn’t pass out with a thousand cups, he doesn’t become intoxicated with a hundred jars~~”
The athletes’ dining hall did not serve liquor, but those with the necessary social connections were inevitably able to “smuggle” some in.
The liquor they drank that night was supplied by a female team member after she exchanged the hot pot base ingredients she had brought with her with another athlete.
Moutai was clear and pure, yet it had a high alcohol content. Li Cheng was the competition’s big hero, and he was constantly toasted by the players. Li Cheng believed he had a high tolerance for alcohol and did not deny any toasts. As a result, his entire body appeared to be saturated with alcohol at the time.
When he hiccupped, the entire dormitory smelled like fermented oranges.
He was like a small nesting animal, holding the two gold medals in his arms and rubbing them over and over while giggling.
When Xiao Yiheng called, Li Cheng had nearly wiped away a layer of the gold medals.
Despite Li Cheng’s insistence that he hadn’t drank too much, Xiao Yiheng realized he was intoxicated when he looked at him giggling so hard that his eyes squinted.
Not to add how lovely the inebriated Li Cheng was. His face was flushed, and his blond hair was strewn across his brow, making his piercing eyes appear wide and cute.
Perhaps Li Cheng was just loosely clad with a bathrobe over his body because the room was too hot. The lapels of his robe were carelessly open, revealing his taut and gorgeous muscles. His chest was adorned with two golden medals. The two medals shook slightly as he moved, brushing against the dark red points that stuck out on his chest.
Obviously, it was Li Cheng who drank, but Xiao Yiheng believed he was also inebriated.
Li Cheng insisted that he wasn’t drunk and asked Xiao Yiheng to test him.
Xiao Yiheng could only coax him: “What is one plus one?”
Li Cheng: “Do you think I am a fool? One plus one equals two, two plus two equals four, four plus four equals eight… Can’t you test me with something a little more difficult?”
Xiao Yiheng: “Then tell me, what is the square root of eight?”
Li Cheng: “…”
Li Cheng was embarrassed: “It doesn’t need to be so difficult, right.”
Xiao Yiheng burst out laughing.
He inquired: “By the way, after the result of the match was announced, Alexander didn’t bother you again, did he?”
“Don’t worry, he didn’t!” Li Cheng cracked a joke, “You should’ve seen it. When the referee indicated that the Australian team’s gold medal would be revoked, wow, the entire team’s expression was altered with the stroke of a single brush! Especially their coach. His eyes were bulging out, which was really scary. The foul was committed by the breaststroke player, and Alexander looked like he was going to kill her! The female athlete will probably suffer nightmares tonight.”
Alexander was a narrow-minded person. It was truly awful for all of the Australian swimming team members to be comrades with this type of guy.
Li Cheng said: “Actually, I hope Alexander commits another offense – so that I have a legitimate excuse to beat him!”
To be honest, if Xiao Yiheng were around, he would want to teach Alexander a lesson as well… But how could a mere beating soothe his anger when faced with that type of trash? He would do everything he could to get him kicked off the swimming team and barred from entering the pool for the rest of his life.
