I Wasn't Born a Champion - Chapter 11

“Hey, Yuan-zi.”

After the test match ended and the trainees returned to their respective dormitories, Zhou Yu’ang took advantage of the gap while Su Yu went to take a shower to quietly mutter with Jiang Yuan, “Why do you say our little ancestor always feels that his own talent isn’t good enough?”

Jiang Yuan cast a silent glance at Zhou Yu’ang, ignoring him.

In fact, all the way back, he was also pondering the same question, but had no way to answer it. The only explanation was due to Xiao Yu’s own physical reasons, but if it were because of this, he also didn’t know how he could comfort Xiao Yu anymore.

In the bathroom, while Su Yu turned on the hot water to rinse himself, he also appeared a bit annoyed.

He knew that both Zhou Yu’ang and Jiang Yuan were wondering why he would be so resistant to their praises, but he could not explain his rebirth, nor could he explain that he was not receiving start-related technical training for the first time.

In today’s opening test, all the advantages he obtained were merely related to these technical things. These techniques did not originate from his talent, but because he had once ‘false-started’ in a future that no one knew about.

This wasn’t being a genius; this was everyone standing on the 100-meter starting line, while he had already stealthily run 10 meters first.

By the time Su Yu finished showering and came out, right when Jiang Yuan wanted to say something, he saw that Su Yu again hadn’t wiped his hair dry. Thus his old-mother soul ignited in another second, pressing Su Yu onto a chair, and grabbing a dry towel to begin lecturing him.

“I’ve told you already, after taking a shower don’t forget to wipe your hair dry first. Ang-zi and I aren’t lacking these few minutes of time.”

Su Yu, whose head was covered under the large, soft dry towel, gave a muffled response of “Mm.”

Jiang Yuan let out a helpless sigh. He knew his family’s little ancestor had purposely come out with wet hair this time, probably guessing that he wanted to say something to him, so he used action to shift the topic.

Fine then, if you won’t talk about it, then we won’t talk about it.

After all, he was someone who had absolutely no solution against Xiao Yu since childhood.

Only after wiping Su Yu’s hair until it was refreshing and half-dry did he release this awkward little kitten from beneath the large towel.

What Zhou Yu’ang saw when he finished showering and came out was precisely Su Yu’s silent and tight-lipped appearance. Right when he wanted to open his mouth, he was stopped by Jiang Yuan with a look.

This big fellow therefore scratched his head in distress, and quickly figured it out again—forget it, the little ancestor had poor health in the past, so it was also very normal to have insufficient cognition of his own talent. Not looking too far ahead, after this summer camp ends, their little ancestor should be able to have some cognition of his own talent… right?

On the second day of the opening test, the morning training was still the same as usual, but when the morning training officially began, the on-site coaches changed from the two individuals Pei Dingshan and Wang Pengfei to a total of nine assistant coaches covering events including sprint, hurdles, high jump, and long jump.

Every trainee who arrived on the scene was called by name one by one, and according to the previous day’s opening test results, was assigned to different groups.

When Su Yu arrived at the training field together with Jiang Yuan and Zhou Yu’ang, Pei Dingshan directly called the two individuals to his side, but Jiang Yuan instead received simultaneous name-calls from both the long jump and high jump groups.

“Jiang Yuan, right? You wait a moment. Coach Liu said it, you will be personally led by him, and will follow along to train over at the youth team in a bit.”

Jiang Yuan froze for a moment, and by reflex was just about to refuse when he was stopped by Su Yu.

“Brother, you go.”

Su Yu tightened his little face and looked toward him in a muffled voice, carrying a grand posture of ‘if you dare not to go, I will break off friendships with you.’

Jiang Yuan began to waver a bit. His original purpose in coming to the summer camp was precisely wanting to follow along to take care of Su Yu nearby. If they were all training at the exclusive training field of the summer camp, that wouldn’t matter, but the meaning now was to have him go to the youth team to train together. In that case, they wouldn’t be on the same field, and if some situations arose over here with Xiao Yu, he would also have no way to observe it at the first moment.

He still wanted to explain something further, but Zhou Yu’ang on the side also patted his shoulder to advise him, “Heheh, Yuan-zi, Coach Liu is this among our provincial team’s high jump and long jump coaches!”

Zhou Yu’ang gestured a big thumb, raising a smiling face as he said, “Aren’t you just worried about our little ancestor? Rest assured about this, your little ancestor is my little ancestor. Toward our 303’s little ancestor, I will certainly be a hundred times attentive, so just comfortably hand the little ancestor over to me to look after!”

Jiang Yuan: “…”

Although he was a bit moved, to be honest, handing him over to this guy Zhou Yu’ang to take care of truly didn’t make him feel all that reassured.

Jiang Yuan looked at the persistence on Su Yu’s face, and remembered again his worry when Pei Dingshan selected Su Yu and Zhou Yu’ang away two days ago, finally nodding his head in the end.

“Okay.”

While the three individuals were speaking, Pei Dingshan was watching from the side through the entire process. After Jiang Yuan finished bidding farewell reluctantly with his family’s little ancestor, Pei Dingshan raised his eyes and said, “Finished chatting?”

Then he looked toward Jiang Yuan, “It is now 8:25, and 5 minutes later the youth team’s training will begin. It’s time for you to leave.”

Jiang Yuan gave a start upon hearing this. Lacking the time to explain more to Su Yu and Zhou Yu’ang, he waved his hand toward the two, and in accordance with the instructions of the assistant coaches of the high jump and long jump groups, walked at a fast pace toward the youth team’s training venue.

After Su Yu saw Jiang Yuan off, right when he wanted to go to the side to assemble like usual, he heard a voice behind his ear saying, “Where are you going.”

Su Yu turned his head upon hearing the sound, seeing Pei Dingshan’s eyes looking at him.

He pursed his mouth and responded, “Assemble.”

Pei Dingshan cast a deep glance at him, and cast another glance at Zhou Yu’ang on the side, “You two, wait here.”

He pointed to the position beside himself.

Su Yu knit his brow slightly, but did not object, standing at Pei Dingshan’s side together with Zhou Yu’ang.

Only after all the trainees were entirely in place and the grouping ended did Wang Pengfei step out, announcing together with another newly arrived assistant coach to the trainees of the sprint group that the two of them were the responsible coaches of the sprint group during the subsequent summer camp period.

Seeing up to here, only then did Su Yu tilt his head in puzzle.

Only now did Pei Dingshan turn his body around and cast a glance at the two of them, saying to the two, “You two, follow me.”

This walk led them right to another training field. Although the environment of this training venue lacked any differences compared to the summer camp’s training venue, tight against the outdoor venue not far away there was precisely an indoor training venue. The training equipment and props placed on the indoor and outdoor venues were also obviously much more numerous than those of the summer camp’s venue, yet the number of people currently training inside was much fewer than the hundred-odd people of the summer camp.

The point was, as soon as Su Yu raised his head, he saw Jiang Yuan in the distance.

Su Yu: “…”

Zhou Yu’ang: “Pfft.”

Zhou Yu’ang truly couldn’t restrain himself and laughed out loud. He gave a hehe sound and said, “Little ancestor, you say if Yuan-zi saw the two of us also coming over here to train at this moment, what kind of thoughts would he have?”

Jiang Yuan not far away: “…”

Thanks for the invite, feel somewhat foolish from my own reluctant farewell.

When Jiang Yuan saw Su Yu and Zhou Yu’ang appear on the youth group’s field, he first froze, and then the thought that popped out inside his brain was ‘sure enough, as expected.’

As a coach whom the S Provincial team had painstakingly dug up, how would the team let him lead ordinary summer camp trainees for a whole entire month? These past few days, Pei Dingshan should have been screening for good prospects. Since the good prospects had already been unearthed, it indeed was time to officially begin training.

On the other end, the dozen or so members of the provincial youth team were currently being led in training by another coach. Upon seeing Pei Dingshan bringing Su Yu and Zhou Yu’ang along to the training field together, quite a lot of people became curious.

“Are these those two, Su Yu and Zhou Yu’ang?”

“This one named Zhou Yu’ang I know, very fierce, with a PB at 11.33 seconds—which is a level that can enter the finals even if going to play in the national races of the U-series. Previously I heard he was just taught randomly by the coach of an ordinary middle school track and field team. His talent is awesome as hell.”

“Damn, being taught randomly by the coach of an ordinary middle school track and field team gets you up to 11.33 seconds?”

“But of course? Otherwise would Handsome Pei personally select this Zhou Yu’ang to be under his hands?”

“Hey, but I heard what Handsome Pei thinks more highly of is instead the other one named Su Yu, right? Precisely the one who looks particularly like a squishy mage.”

“Don’t just say ‘looks like’—not only does he look like it, in reality he also is a squishy mage. I heard when he came to participate in the summer camp, his parents also specially pulled strings to come to the team to say to give some special care. His body has been no good since childhood, particularly squishy.”

The members of the youth team looked at each other. They were training all day long, and during their spare time were busy scrolling on phones and playing games, while at other times they still had to take academic remedial classes. A few of them had also just returned from competing in other localities a few days ago, so they truly lacked an understanding regarding the gossip in the team over these two days.

Hearing this, they couldn’t help but ask further, “Real or fake? Being this squishy, then why does Handsome Pei want him?”

“Exactly, he doesn’t even look highly upon those in our youth team, so how could he look highly upon a squishy mage??”

A member who knew the inside scoop said, “Then you all don’t know about this, right? This squishy mage is even more awesome than that Zhou Yu’ang!”

The various members: ???

“It just happened yesterday. Yesterday this squishy mage ran a headwind 14.32 seconds in the 100-meter test.”

Everyone had a blank face: Ah… just this?

Only now did the insider member take a long breath and say, “But because his body is too poor, he has been exempted from physical education exams since childhood, and in the past had never received professional training, only receiving Handsome Pei’s guidance for two days. Before this, it is said that his best result was a result outside of 17.50 seconds by school conventional test hand-timing.”

“Hiss!“

Only now did the various members draw in a breath of cold air—having never received professional training before this, and his result enhanced by more than 3 seconds in one breath over a period of two days?!

“My goodness, if he is given training for a longer period of time, then won’t that be incredible?!”

The insider member was still quite gossipy, saying, “Actually it’s not necessarily so either, one still has to look at how his physical conditions are. Anyway, I heard the coaches of the coaching group still think more highly of Zhou Yu’ang. I think what the coaches of our coaching group say is also quite right.”

The surrounding members looked at each other, until one of the members who was quite tall said seriously, “First don’t care about whether the coaches of the coaching group say it right or not, you all first think about the meaning of Handsome Pei bringing the people to train in our youth group.”

The others: ?

“The U-series national base match is 38 days later. You all should have heard about it, right? The team intends to let the trainees in the top three of each single event over at the summer camp participate in the base match together with us.”

This member swept a glance over everyone, “You all wouldn’t want to lose at that time to newcomers who have been training for less than two months, right?”

The others froze for a moment, “That can’t be, right? Didn’t they say only the trainees in the top three of a single event in the summer camp can participate? I heard yesterday there were several who entered the national third-level standards. Aside from Zhou Yu’ang, there were two others who also ran within 12 seconds, it’s just that they aren’t too stable. Didn’t Su Yu only run to 14.32 seconds yesterday?”

This member spoke again, “Then you think about Su Yu enhancing his result by more than 3 seconds in two days?”

“…Well, from 17 seconds to 14 seconds and from 14 seconds to within 12 seconds are two entirely different matters, right?”

“Exactly! Could it be that Su Yu can truly rush his result into the national front ranks in less than two months? Then could he still be a human??”

The tall member was noncommittal, only saying, “Then let’s just wait and see.”

Everyone looked at each other again, and instantly bounced up, no longer coasting along and gossiping, rushing one after another to begin training hard.

On the other side, Pei Dingshan cast a glance at Su Yu and Zhou Yu’ang before him, saying calmly, “I hope you both can make mental preparations well, and can withstand the subsequent 38 days of training.”

“Now, prepare to begin.”