Side stories (2) from the print book
1.
After their wedding, Yun Duo and Tang Yi-Bai moved into their love nest — that villa not too far from the training base. Originally, the newlywed couple were hoping that the Tang parents would move in as well since it was just too cold and lonely for such a large house to only be occupied by two people. However, Daddy Tang and Madam Lu were both still working, so the couple would only drop by over the weekends to reunite with their son and daughter-in-law. Later on, Tang Yi-Bai and Yun Duo hired a middle-aged couple. The wife worked as a babysitter for them, while the husband was a driver. And so, the household became livelier.
Before meeting Tang Yi-Bai, Yun Duo had imagined what her married life would be like. Aside from the idealistic romanticism of a young girl, she had also been a little worried by some realistic concerns. For example, conflicts with her mother-in-law...
After marriage, Yun Duo found that she really had nothing to worry about in that respect.
This was because her mother-in-law was just too special. She was clear-minded and wise, composed and powerful. In the face of any problems, she would always be able to catch hold of the key issue and find a solution, never ever wasting any time on unnecessary histrionics. Things like holding grudges and bickering were trivialities in her eyes.
Let alone clashing with her daughter-in-law, she had never quarrelled with Daddy Tang after so many years of marriage.
Of course, Daddy Tang also played a part in this. If Mummy Lu was at all unhappy, just a cold smile from her was enough to weaken his legs instantly, and so there was never any need for an argument...
With such a mother-in-law, Yun Duo had given up on any resistance early on. She wisely decided that she should just be meekly obedient.
However, there were also times when her mother-in-law was wilful.
Two days before Mother's Day, when Tang Yi-Bai returned home from training, his parents just so happened to be around as well. He asked his mother, "Mum, what would you like for Mother's Day?"
Madam Lu looked at Tang Yi-Bai and Yun Duo in turn, and then she said, "I want a grandchild." As she said this, she blinked meaningfully at Yun Duo, unconcealed anticipation in her gaze.
Heavens, mother-in-law! Why are you acting cute like this now?! So scary! Yun Duo's hands flew to her chest in shock. Mother-in-law, you are an aloof ice queen... acting cute really doesn't suit you! Please change back immediately!
Sadly, her mother-in-law did not revert back to her usual form — rather, Daddy Tang also pitched in happily: "I also want a grandson! A granddaughter is fine too. I'm not picky."
Once one got to a certain age, they tended to have no resistance to young children. The two elders were indirectly urging them to have kids right now.
With regards to having children, the young couple had their own concerns. Yun Duo felt that she was just starting along her career path, and her work was going swimmingly well at the moment. If she decided to stay home and raise children now, then she would have to at least take a year or two off... she didn't want to have to face the problem of children so early. Tang Yi-Bai actually really looked forward to the crystallization of love between him and Yun Duo, but... he hadn't retired yet, so most of his time every day was spent on training. He had too little time to spend with his family right now — if they added a child into the mix, he would not have enough time to spend with them and that would make him ashamed to call himself a father.
So, they might as well wait a couple of years before having a baby.
When Daddy Tang and Madam Lu saw how determined they were, although the older couple felt rather regretful about it, they still respected the decision of the younger couple.
Tang Yi-Bai and Yun Duo's daily routine after marriage basically went like this: In the mornings, before she even opened her eyes, he had already left. At night, if they had time, the two of them would eat dinner together at the canteen of the training base, and then Yun Duo would watch Tang Yi-Bai train before they would go home together. If they didn't have time, then they would only see each other about an hour before bed time.
They had very few opportunities to date like a normal couple — eating a meal together at the canteen was pretty much a date for them. For this, Tang Yi-Bai would always feel a little guilty. He did not have time to spend with Yun Duo, to cajole her and love her... instead, Yun Duo had to accommodate him.
And she did so without complaint.
Tang Yi-Bai borrowed the words of the netizens here: I must have really saved the galazy in my last life to have been able to marry a woman like this.
He did not say this out loud, only thinking it in his heart. His guilt and regret slowly evolved into gentleness and consideration. He became exceptionally meek towards Yun Duo, listening to whatever she had to say.
Yun Duo was rather baffled by this. It was said that men would change after marriage. Well, it was true that her Tang Yi-Bai had changed, but he had changed in an unexpected way... he had become more obedient than before they got married...
Yun Duo couldn't understand it, so she deliberately asked him, "Tang Yi-Bai, have you done something to wrong me?"
Tang Yi-Bai asked in return, "What kind of things would count as wronging you?"
"You should know."
He raised an eyebrow, peach blossoms fluttering up at the corners of his eyes, "Oh, well, last night, I did do that to you..."
"Not that!" Yun Duo interrupted him with a red face. "I'm asking you why you've become so obedient?"
He pursed his lips and smiled airily. "That's my family's style."
Well...there really was no way to rebut that. -_-#
2.
Shortly after the wedding, Tang Yi-Bai participated in the Champions Tournament that year. There were 5 months left to the Olympic Games — as the final opportunity to train and adjust before the Olympic Games, the Champions Tournament attracted a great deal of attention from all parties involved. Besides that, the battle power of Tang Yi-Bai's massive fanbase was rather terrifying. They lined up outside the ticketing window very early, quickly snapping up all the tickets to the event.
In the 100-metre freestyle, Tang Yi-Bai unsurprisingly won first place, but the media response to this was lukewarm.
He no longer only belonged to China, he also belonged to the world stage. Like Qi Rui-Feng, he was already peerless within the country. For athletes at their level, this level of competition was just a check-up to check on their current condition, to see if there has been any improvement or worsening in their condition.
Tang Yi-Bai's check-up this time was unsatisfactory.
48.02 seconds. This was his time in the finals, which also happens to be his best time this year. Moreover, this number was also the best time he had recorded ever since the last World Championships ended.
The deeper the love, the greater the expectation. The media and the public all had very high hopes for Tang Yi-Bai. Many people felt that Tang Yi-Bai should have easily finished the race under 48 seconds. He was a world champion. He had the ability and power. If he could not do this, then he was moving backwards.
After the Champions Tournament, Director Liu asked Yun Duo to write a special commentary on the outlook for the swimming events in the Olympic Games this year. Yi-Bai had great faith in Tang Yi-Bai — she forecasted that Tang Yi-Bai would become the champion of the Olympic Games this year. And then, when the editorial department held a meeting to review the articles, her article was unanimously rejected.
Director Liu advised Yun Duo earnestly, "Young lady, dreams are dreams, reality is reality. You can't conflate the two."
Yun Duo was unconvinced. "I think I'm being realistic. Tang Yi-Bai was the champion in the World Championships last year."
"But he hasn't been performing well ever since then. That is also a fact."
Yun Duo wanted to argue the point further, but Director Liu asked her, "Have you asked him about it?"
Taken aback, she asked after a beat, "About what?"
"About why he hasn't been performing well recently."
Yun Duo shook her head. "No."
Director Liu smiled meaningfully. "It looks like you don't really believe in him that much either."
Yun Duo was silent.
3.
In early April, Yun Duo's class monitor from university organised a reunion. Apart from 2 classmates in City-B who just could not make time for it, the rest of the class was there. Yun Duo had some last-minute things to attend to, so she arrived a little later than the others.
The group had reserved a private room on the second floor of a hotel. Yun Duo headed upstairs then made a trip to the restroom first. She was still inside the restroom when she received a message from Chen Si-Qi asking her why she wasn't there yet.
Yun Duo was about to explain when she suddenly heard voices coming from outside the door, and the conversation involved her name.
She very easily identified the voices as belonging to two girls from their class, An Mei-Na and Zheng Lan-Lan. After all, they had been classmates for 4 years and were familiar enough with each other.
An Mei-Na: "Why isn't Yun Duo here yet?"
Zheng Lan-Lan giggled and said, her tone rather flippant, "The lady is now a famous figure, you know. Of course she must put on some airs and come fashionably late."
An Mei-Na laughed. "4 years in university... I really did not expect that she would do better than the rest of us."
Zheng Lan-Lan snickered and said, "If not for Tang Yi-Bai, wouldn't she still be stuck at the small news agency trying to work her way up? How well could she have done? Oh, for women, once they manage to hook onto a good man, their lives are turned around."
"She at least had the skills to latch onto to Tang Yi-Bai."
"Hehe, that's true. Have you forgotten what happened between her and our campus heartthrob? Say, what do you think all these high-quality men see in her?"
"Who knows? She's pretty, I guess."
"Pretty? I think you're prettier."
An Mei-Na laughed. "Stop joking. How can I compare against her?"
"Actually...did you know? For men, it's not the main thing whether or not a woman is pretty. What's most important is that the woman knows how to flirt and be coy, and is sexy and coquettish enough."
When Zheng Lan-Lan finished saying all this, the two girls chortled. Their laughter was filled with malice.
Yun Duo was frowning outside the partition from what she heard. She did not recall ever offending these two, so why were they so against her now?
As their laughter petered out, Zheng Lan-Lan added, "Honestly, Tang Yi-Bai may not actually like Yun Duo that much."
An Mei-Na: "Why do you say that?"
Zheng Lan-Lan: "Haven't you seen their Weibo? Yun Duo is forever flaunting her love and affection — it's really cheesy and sickening — but Tang Yi-Bai hardly ever responds to her. It's like she's being given the cold shoulder again and again{热脸贴人家冷屁股: Literally, "Sticking one's hot face up against another's cold butt." The Chinese turn of phrase here doesn't have a direct English counterpart, but I felt that the literal translation should be shared just for the fun value. :p}... super awkward."
An Mei-Na seemed enlightened. "So that's how it is. Maybe Tang Yi-Bai finds it cheap that she's being so forward. Men, you know."
"Which is why, they won't last very long together."
Yun Duo could only facepalm. She really, really felt like telling Zheng Lan-Lan that what she saw as "Yun Duo flaunting her love and affection on Weibo" was actually Tang Yi-Bai flirting around with Yun Duo's account... Meanwhile, Yun Duo was using Tang Yi-Bai's account, but that account was being scrutinised by so many eyes that of course Yun Duo would not simply play around with it. Every day, Yun Duo would only post proper updates on Tang Yi-Bai's training and races, and perhaps the occasional chicken-soup-for-the-soul musing.
Forget it. If she revealed the truth, who knows what other problems would be stirred up? Just let Zheng Lan-Lan think whatever would make her happy...
Yun Duo really wanted to leave so she could disengage from this conversation, but the two girls seem to have found a groove and were happily chattering away, as if they were planning to settle down and grow roots.
An Mei-Na asked Zheng Lan-Lan, "Do you think Tang Yi-Bai will be able to become champion this year at the Olympics?"
Zheng Lan-Lan laughed airily, a faint trace of disdain in her laughter. She replied, "It's not that I want to curse Tang Yi-Bai... but have you ever heard of an Asian becoming the freestyle champion in the Olympic Games?"
"But he managed to become the champion in the World Championships last year. That was also making history. The man is quite good."
"Well, not necessarily. He was obviously performing beyond his normal capabilities last year. The next few months after that, people kept saying that he was in a slump, when in fact, it's all just a misunderstanding! Because that's his true capabilities. His skill is limited. He won't be able to perform at that standard a second time. Which is why I think that his win at the World Championships last year was just a flash in the pan."
"Really?"
"Mhm. Objectively, there is a clear gap between the bodies of Asians and Europeans, so we can't really blame Tang Yi-Bai. Let alone becoming champion, getting into the top 3 will be difficult for him. To be honest, so what if he has won a gold at the World Championships? Look at how full of herself that certain someone from our class has gotten. Her nose is so high it's almost piercing the heavens."
After that, they continued to present all sorts of evidence, trying to prove that "Tang Yi-Bai's skill level is just like that, so it is impossible for him to become an Olympic champion".
Yun Duo was rather angry, but she controlled herself so that she would not rush out to argue reason with them.
After the girls left, she made sure she had calmed down inside the restroom before exiting.
The atmosphere was lively within the private room. Despite having graduated less than 3 years ago, the students were all already well-versed in social niceties and networking pleasantries, so the scene was one filled with harmonious politeness. When Yun Duo entered the room, the enthusiasm of the crowd took her by surprise. Even An Mei-Na and Zheng Lan-Lan greeted her enthusiastically, their smiles bright and radiant, making Yun Duo almost wonder if all that had occurred at the restroom earlier was just an illusion.
Chen Si-Qi patted the chair beside her and said to Yun Duo with a smile, "Hurry over here and sit down."
Yun Duo saw that Zheng Lan-Lan was sitting on the other side of the chair. She walked over and said expressionlessly, "Chen Si-Qi, let's trade seats."
Zheng Lan-Lan's smile froze on her face.
Yun Duo did not spare any thought for Zheng Lan-Lan's feelings, and although Chen Si-Qi was baffled by the odd request, she could sense something strange about the situation, so she cooperatively traded seats with Yun Duo.
A class reunion was generally nothing more than an excuse to eat and drink and catch up with one another, with perhaps some boasting and showing off thrown into the mix. Yun Duo was feeling a little down and did not really want to actively participate. She ate quietly, giving only simple brief replies to anyone who asked her a direct question. If no one talked to her, she merely stared off into space.
Still, she was a major star today — all of her classmates were extremely, extremely curious about her and her famous athlete husband, so there were plenty of questions thrown her way.
As soon as Tang Yi-Bai was done with his training for the day, he immediately sent Yun Duo a text message: How's the reunion?
Yun Duo: Tiring.
Tang Yi-Bai raised a brow at this. It was just a meal together. How could that be tiring? He replied: I'll come find you.
Yun Duo: It's fine.
Tang Yi-Bai: I'm worried.
Yun Duo: About what?
Tang Yi-Bai: Take a guess.
Yun Duo: ...
She would not be able to guess it, but he wasn't planning to tell her anyway. A class reunion was the easiest breeding ground for ambiguous feelings to spark. Of course his Duoduo would be fine, but what if those men who were single decided to push forwards anyway... that would be a hassle too.
Tang Yi-Bai arrived close to the end of the gathering. His arrival caused a new round of cheers to break out around the table. Yun Duo's classmates all considered themselves to be part of the bride's entourage, so when they saw him here now, they all began cajoling him to drink, telling him that he wasn't allowed to take Yun Duo home without downing a glass. Tang Yi-Bai did not hesitate, immediately raising a glass filled with beer to drink, but Yun Duo stopped him.
Yun Duo: "Don't drink."
He smiled and said, "Okay." And then he put down the glass.
Someone laughed and teased, "Oh wow, flaunting your lovey-doveyness in our faces, eh?"
Another person grasped at their chest dramatically. "I can't take it anymore. This single-puppy has taken a fatal hit. Please call an ambulance for me."
Someone even insinuated slyly, "So obedient. Are you even a man?"
Tang Yi-Bai was unconcerned, replying with a grin, "In our household, she has the final say for all the little things."
A few of Yun Duo's classmates shuffled closer, wanting to take a picture with Tang Yi-Bai, Zheng Lan-Lan and An Mei-Na at the fore of the group. Tang Yi-Bai's attention was on Yun Duo. He saw that she wasn't looking very well, so he did not want to spare time to take photos one by one with everyone. Thus, he suggested, "Why don't we take a group photo?"
After the group photo was taken, An Mei-Na and the others were still unwilling to let him go, fussing over him for his autograph. Zheng Lan-Lan giggled beside Tang Yi-Bai and said, "We're all your fans here. Just waiting for you to go become champion at the Olympics! Good luck!"
Tang Yi-Bai smiled politely in return. "Thank you."
Yun Duo finally snorted. Watching him surrounded by her peers, she decided to ruin the mood. She grabbed her bag and shoved it into his arms. "Let's go."
Tang Yi-Bai looked at her with knitted brows. What in the world made her so unhappy?
Zheng Lan-Lan looked at Tang Yi-Bai then looked at Yun Duo, and then she stuck out her tongue guilelessly and commented in an odd tone, "Yun Duo, you're so bossy."
Yun Duo ignored her, walking straight out of the private room.
Tang Yi-Bai quickly hurried after her.
4.
Yun Duo walked at the front with Tang Yi-Bai trailing after her. Due to the difference in leg length, no matter how fast she walked, he could keep up with her at a measured pace.
He called out to her softly from behind her, "Duoduo? What's wrong, Duoduo?"
She remained silent with her head bowed.
Tang Yi-Bai suddenly came to a stop and put more force into his tone. "Duoduo."
Yun Duo took another few steps before turning to look at him. She saw him with his brow furrowed, and the corners of his lips were taut with tension. It looked like he was mad. She felt a little sad and a little at a loss. She opened her arms slightly and said in a small voice, "Tang Yi-Bai, hug me."
At that instant, Tang Yi-Bai's heart melted into a gooey puddle. He rushed over in three large steps and enfolded her in his embrace.
She leaned into his arms and mumbled, "Tang Yi-Bai, don't be mad."
Tang Yi-Bai kissed the top of her head and said softly, "I'm not mad. I just want to know which bastard bullied you."
"Hmm, it's nothing much really. Those two girls who were so warm and friendly with you just now were actually saying bad things about us behind our backs."
"That's outrageous. What did they say?"
Yun Duo sighed. Honestly, others' covert remarks in the background were not enough to make her angry, even if she stumbled across it inadvertently. What made her feel so bad was that Zheng Lan-Lan had unwittingly hit the deep-seated worry she had kept so carefully hidden away at the bottom of her heart.
She raised her head to look at him. "Tang Yi-Bai, I want to ask you something."
"What?"
"You...you've been in a slump ever since the World Championships last year. Why?"
Tang Yi-Bai chuckled. "Finally willing to ask? I thought you'd be able to hold out for longer."
"Cough." Yun Duo turned away, a little embarrassed.
Still holding her by the waist, his other hand pinched her cheeks and he said, "Honestly, my condition at the World Championships last year was already abnormal. I overextended myself a little during the competition, so I've been reconditioning myself ever since then, till now. I've been slowly recovering and regaining my optimum condition."
Yun Duo was a little skeptical. "That's what you said to the media. Trying to fool me?"
He said innocently, "I've been telling the media the truth."
But no one would believe him...
She hesitated, then said, "But some people said you were performing beyond your limits, that it was just a one-hit wonder."
Tang Yi-Bai laughed. "What I'm about to say might be a little idealistic... for some things, whatever you believe will turn into reality."
Yun Duo stared into his clear and bright eyes, and slowly, she relaxed, bit by bit. Finally, she said, "So many people are doubting you, distrusting you. How can you still be so calm?"
"For me, as long as there is one person in this world who still believes in me, that would be enough."
Yun Duo dove into his arms, deeply moved. "Boo hoo hoo, Tang Yi-Bai, I believe in you. I believe in you with all of my heart!"
The two of them walked hand-in-hand under the city nightscape. Tang Yi-Bai called out again, "Duoduo."
"Hm?"
"Call me 'hubby'."
Yun Duo bowed her head and pretended she had not heard him, but her face had begun to turn red. The two were already legally married, but she was still shy to call him 'hubby'.
Tang Yi-Bai shook his head. "Never mind."
Huh? Giving up so easily?
He explained, "This isn't the right place."
She tilted her head to stare at him oddly.
His lips curved into a mischievous smirk. "When we get home, I have plenty of ways to make you cry out 'hubby'."
"..." Forget it, she'd better pretend she heard nothing after all. -_-#
She turned red up to her earlobes. Seeing this, Tang Yi-Bai chuckled. His laughter was deep, as pure as the moonlight on the white sands of the beach, yet filled with suggestive intent, stirring up heat just from the sound of it.
Yun Duo felt like she must be an idiot to be moved by him for even a moment...
5.
In the blink of an eye, it was already the end of May. Within just a few days of returning from the highlands, Tang Yi-Bai would have go for external training again to Australia in June. Coach Wu gave a sincere suggestion to Tang Yi-Bai: It would be best if he could be celibate for the next two months and put all of his strength and attention into training n order to prepare himself fully for the Olympics.
Tang Yi-Bai disagreed. He could accept decreasing the frequency, but to abstain completely for two months... unacceptable.
However, when Coach Wu asked Matron Yuan to pass on this suggestion to Yun Duo, Yun Duo raised both hands and feet in favour of it. She would agree to anything that could help Tang Yi-Bai improve his condition and increase his performance.
Tang Yi-Bai could only cry to himself.
The night before heading off to Australia, Tang Yi-Bai went after Yun Duo with the mentality of 'I won't be able to eat for a very long time after this so I need to eat a lot more this time'. The night was rather intense, until they even ran out of condoms. -_-#
When he arrived in Australia, Tang Yi-Bai temporarily vanished from the eye of the local media. Of course, due to the impending Olympic Games, the discussion and interest surrounding well-known athletes remained high, especially for Tang Yi-Bai who came with a naturally large fan base to begin with. Even though he wasn't in the country, his legend still carried on in China.
In Australia, Tang Yi-Bai once again encountered his old rival Bayard. He has had two friendly races with Bayard thus far, with one win and one loss. Both times, Tang Yi-Bai's time was within 48 seconds. As these were both private races, there was no media coverage on it within China. Yun Duo did not report these races either, half out of personal interest. She knew how quickly the Chinese people could get worked up and end up forcing a seedling to sprout before its time. If they found out that Tang Yi-Bai's condition was steadily improving, so much so that he could now easily finish a race under 48 seconds, then they would definitely turn around and place great expectations on Tang Yi-Bai's shoulders. The greater the anticipation, the greater the pressure — this was not a good thing for athletes.
It wasn't like there was no news regarding Tang Yi-Bai over this period of time, but all of the news was basically from the official channels. The reporters had no opportunity to interview Tang Yi-Bai himself.
However, there was one special piece of news. This news was posted by a fan and could not be verified. This fan claimed to have met Tang Yi-Bai on the beach while on holiday with a friend in Australia. The two of them wanted Tang Yi-Bai to take a picture with them and to get his autograph. The fan's friend thrust out her buxom chest proudly, asking Tang Yi-Bai to sign on her swimsuit, only for Tang Yi-Bai to reply, "My wife will break my legs."
To this, the netizens comments were pretty much "Hahahahaha". Ever since then, the netizens gave Yun Duo a new title — Master Duo.
Before this, she had always just been 'Sister Duo' in their eyes.
Yun Duo asked Tang Yi-Bai about this and found out that this had really happened.
Her response: Honestly. Am I that violent? ╮(╯_╰)╭
Tang Yi-Bai: No, my wife is the sweetest!
Yun Duo: That's more like it. If I break your legs, you won't be able to swim anymore.
Tang Yi-Bai: Darling, you really care about me. Muacks~
Yun Duo: At most, I'll just snip off your dick or something.
Tang Yi-Bai: ..........................
Yun Duo: Don't worry, even after cutting it off, your swimming won't be affected.
Tang Yi-Bai: Honey! My loyalty towards you is witnessed by the sun and the moon!
Yun Duo: I know. (*^__^*)
Tang Yi-Bai: If you castrate me, you will ultimately be the victim. What shall I use to service you?
Yun Duo: -_-
Tang Yi-Bai: Muacks.
Take your muacks and stuff it...
Taking the opportunity during break to flirt and tease Yun Duo was one of Tang Yi-Bai's greatest pleasures during his dry and monotonous training.
6.
When Tang Yi-Bai returned from his external training, Yun Duo went to the airport to pick him up. When Tang Yi-Bai saw her, he looked her over from top to bottom and then suddenly smiled and said, "Why does it feels like you've become even more beautiful?"
"Flatterer."
"It's true." His expression was very serious, and then he found a justification for himself. "It must be because I haven't seen you in so long. I missed you."
He was so solemn in his declaration that Yun Duo could not help laughing. "Let's go, my handsome man."
Coach Wu and Yun Duo both suggested that Tang Yi-Bai temporarily move back to live at the training base, and thus was the decision happily made...
The Olympic Games were around the corner, and Yun Duo was busy all day, everyday. She and Tang Yi-Bai once again reverted to the state where 'a casual meal together at the canteen counts as a date because there was too little time to spend together'.
One time, she went to visit the Tang parents. Daddy Tang prepared a feast, and Yun Duo polished off two and a half bowls of rice before grudgingly stopping. Both her parents-in-law stared at her in astonishment.
Yun Duo became embarrassed. "That... I've been very busy lately, it's quite tiring, so... I've been eating a bit more."
Daddy Tang nodded. "I can see that. Come, eat. Don't be shy."
Madam Lu said, "Yun Duo, I think you've gained weight."
"Ah, really?" Yun Duo put down her bowl and chopsticks, patting her face anxiously.
Madam Lu laughed and said, "I'm not saying your face is rounder. It's just an overall feeling that you're a little plumper. You can try weighing yourself to see."
Madam Lu was someone who monitored her appearance, so there was an electronic scale in the house. After the meal, Yun Duo stood up on the electronic scale and was instantly dumbfounded. She said incredulously, "I- I've gained 6kg?"
"See, I told you."
Daddy Tang said, "Well, that's not necessarily true. You ate at least 3kg worth of food tonight, right?"
Yun Duo: "..." Although she knew that was meant to comfort her, why didn't she feel comforted at all?! /(tot)/~~
The next day, Yun Duo specially went looking for Tang Yi-Bai to have dinner together. During the meal, she hardened her resolve and only ordered half of the amount she had been eating recently.
Tang Yi-Bai frowned and asked, "Is that enough?"
"...It is."
As they were eating, Xiang Yang-Yang and the others also came by, and Yun Duo asked them, "Do you all think I have become fatter recently?"
The group looked at Yun Duo then nodded emphatically in unison.
... She just knew it was obvious! She was rather depressed. "Why didn't you all warn me?" Letting me grow so fat!
Ming Tian raised his hand. "Reporting! Big bro Yi-Bai wouldn't let us."
Yun Duo looked at Tang Yi-Bai. "Why?"
Tang Yi-Bai asked, "If you knew you were growing fatter, what would you do?"
"Diet."
He shrugged. There was the answer. He did not want her to go on a diet. His wife was round and fleshy, looking oh so delectable, but he hadn't had a chance to even touch her yet like this. He absolutely could not let her just slim down now...
Yun Duo finally made a difficult decision. "No. I still want to lose weight."
"Don't do it yet. Consider it a wish of mine."
"What wish?"
The corners of Tang Yi-Bai's lips quirked upwards and he blinked at her meaningfully. "I'll tell you after dinner."
When they were alone after dinner, Tang Yi-Bai divulged his "wish", leaving Yun Duo with a flaming red face.
7.
Unknowingly, the Olympic Games arrived.
This time, the Olympic Games would be held in Melbourne, Australia, and the swimming events would run from August 2nd to August 9th.
The men's 100-metre freestyle would forever be the most highly anticipated solo race among the swimming events. In addition to the popular candidates from the World Championships last year, there was an up-and-coming newcomer in contention for the gold medal this year — the 18-year old swimmer Pegrus from Canada. Although he was a newcomer, he was first in the world rankings with his time in this year's qualifying race, far better than Tang Yi-Bai's 6th place ranking. (Tang Yi-Bai's time used in the ranking was taken from his results in the Champions Tournament this year.)
Although Tang Yi-Bai only ranked in 6th, considering the fact that the fellow had the 'precedent' of achieving a great reversal, there were still a considerable number of people betting on Tang Yi-Bai becoming champion. His odds were only second the Sanger, who was 2nd on the rankings. The world number one, Pegrus, was further behind instead.
Therefore, there was a significant group of people overseas who were optimistic about Tang Yi-Bai's chances to win gold. In contrast, the Chinese media and public were generally lacking confidence in him. A domestic poll regarding the predicted outcomes of the 100-metre freestyle showed that there was only 15.3% who believed Tang Yi-Bai could win the gold.
After the preliminaries and the semi-finals, Tang Yi-Bai successfully qualified for the finals with the overall ranking of 3rd. His semi-finals time was 47.82 seconds, an improvement of 0.2 semi-finals on his Champions Tournament results, much to the surprise of those who had doubted him in China. Without even having to look at the finals, just this time alone was already enough to prove these people wrong.
Yun Duo shook her head, marvelling. Tsk, tsk, tsk, haven't you all already been smacked in the face once? People, when will you learn...? Shocked now? Hahaha! ~\(≧▽≦)/~
Ahead of Tang Yi-Bai were Pegrus and Sanger respectively. Pegrus was truly on a roll, coming in first place in the semi-finals with 47.67 seconds. Meanwhile, Sanger was performing at his usual standard, coming in at 47.70 seconds, only slightly behind Pegrus. The gap between Tang Yi-Bai and them was rather wide.
Coach Wu knew Tang Yi-Bai's true capabilities, so after the semi-finals, he said to Tang Yi-Bai, "You are in good form right now. If you harness it well, you'll be able to compete against Sanger. Pegrus' momentum is too strong. You and Sanger might not be able to beat him, so just do your best. But you also need to be wary of Bayard and Arbussy."
Tang Yi-Bai thought for a moment, then said, "I've seen all the videos of his races, even for this race."
Coach Wu was unable to follow. "Whose?"
"Pegrus."
"You..."
"Coach Wu, have you seen them?"
Coach Wu rolled his eyes. "Of course."
"Then let me tell you my thoughts. Pegrus is a swimmer who is very fierce in the first half, almost invincible. He can swiftly widen the gap between himself and his opponents, establishing a great lead in the first half of the race. This way, in the second half, his opponents will have a very hard time chasing up to him to overtake him. At the same time, due to the large gap, opponents will lose their fighting spirit when they feel that it is impossible to catch up. See here. The second and third place of his group in the semi-finals both did slightly worse than their previous times... because they already lost hope halfway through."
Coach Wu stared at him with a dark gaze. "So?"
"So, to beat Pegrus, the best plan would be to put controlled effort into the first half to maintain the gap within a reasonable distance. That way, there will still be the chance to overtake him in the second half."
"Wait, hold on, you're saying that... you're aiming for Pegrus?"
"Coach Wu, I want to be champion."
It was a good thing for young people to have dreams and ambition, but after listening to his analysis, Coach Wu just felt rather fearful. He asked Tang Yi-Bai, "In order to fight it out with Pegrus, you plan to abandon your usual style? Pushing in the first half? Then what about the second half? Can you guarantee you will be able to overtake him in the second half?"
"I can't guarantee it 100%, but I've trained in this style before too and run through it."
"I'm not worried about you not becoming champion. I'm worried that you haven't used this style before ever in a competition. The risk is too high. In the end, you might not even make it onto the pedestal at all."
"Coach Wu," Tang Yi-Bai suddenly turned grave. "I want the gold medal. The silver medal means nothing to me."
"You..." Coach Wu shook his finger at him. "So arrogant!"
Coach Wu reported Tang Yi-Bai's opinion back to the team management. Frankly, how an athlete chooses to compete was not something the leaders could control. Typically, the coach would coordinate things to try and give full respect to the athlete's wishes. Coach Wu reported the situation to the team heads, primarily as a precautionary measure — doing things his way may net them a gold medal, but it was also possible that he may not even get bronze...
Regardless, no one could sway Tang Yi-Bai's determination. Coach Wu was already well familiar with Tang Yi-Bai's tenacity.
For this competition, Daddy Tang and Madam Lu were also in attendance, to watch their son's most important race live. Madam Lu claimed that the competition just so happened to fall on one of her day offs, so she might as well come watch his race since she had nothing else better to do. In truth, Tang Yi-Bai knew that his mother had purposefully taken leave to come.
Before the race, Daddy Tang was rather nervous. Madam Lu was also a little concerned, but of course none of it showed on her face. Yun Duo was also anxious. She was so anxious that she could only try to distract herself by throwing herself into her work. On the day of the finals, Coach Wu specially arranged for the family to meet up for a moment. Tang Yi-Bai looked at the three solemn people before him who looked like they were about to head into battle, and he found himself both touched and amused.
At 7:30pm local time on the 5th of August, the finals for the Olympics men's 100-metre freestyle kicked off. From the moment the athletes entered the venue, the cheers and applause from the audience never stopped. When Tang Yi-Bai appeared, Daddy Tang shook the China flag in his hands and shouted: "Doudou! Good luck! Doudou! Good luck!"
Madam Lu pulled him back, embarrassed. "Do you want everyone to know his nickname is Doudou?!"
"Cough, right, right... Tang Yi-Bai! Good luck! Tang Yi-Bai! Good luck!"
Madam Lu looked at her dashing son in the arena and listened to the excited cheers from the crowd around her, and suddenly, she found herself swept up in the mood...
Tang Yi-Bai stood up on the starting block.
Yun Duo clenched her fists, unconsciously holding her breath — no, it might be more accurate to say that she was so nervous she had forgotten to breathe. This was an unprecedented race. It not only carried the dreams of Tang Yi-Bai — it also carried the dreams and countless yearnings and expectations of generations of Chinese people. No matter if they were pessimistic about his odds or had little trust in him, that did not change the fact that there remained that vague layer of hope at the bottom of the Chinese people's hearts. It was the innate sense of honour and pride of humankind.
Furthermore, at this moment, he had the strength to fight!
Yun Duo was holding her breath out of nerves, Qian Xu-Dong's hands trembled around his grip on his camera, Teacher Sun's teeth were gritted, his expression the most solemn it has ever been... there could be no bias in news reporting, but journalists were human with their own homelands.
Take your mark —
Go!
The swimmers were all world-class athletes — their entrance into the water was swift and smooth. Within the blink of an eye, they had all dove into the water like a swarm of flying fish. Based on the computer's technical stats, Tang Yi-Bai was the second to depart, gaining a slight advantage with his entrance into the water. Not bad, not bad.
The first in the water was actually Bayard.
This wasn't completely unexpected. Bayard's strength has always been his reaction time.
However, his lead was as short-lived as a falling star — as soon as it appeared, his opponents were already coming up fast behind him. Pegrus, Tang Yi-Bai, Sanger, Arbussy... in an instant, his 1st place position had dropped to 5th!
After the race, some media agencies conducted an analysis on Bayard's unsatisfactory performance. Many believed that Bayard's drop in performance was due to a strategic error. At the World Championship last year, he pushed himself hard in the first half of the race, leaving him with a lack of stamina in the latter half, which overall caused him to lose the gold medal. Thus, Bayard had adjusted his strategy this year, hoping to shore up his strength in the first half for a full-scale acceleration in the second half.
Unfortunately, the situation had changed; things were different now. Who could have predicted that this time, the top athletes would all choose to attack from the very start?!
Frankly, Sanger, Arbussy, and Tang Yi-Bai were all part of the same general category — the type who had exceptional skills at catching up and overtaking from behind in the second half of the race. However, today, all three of them had sensed the threat posed by Pegrus and had unanimously changed their tactics, putting forward their best so they would not be left an insurmountable distance behind by this powerful new contender.
And so, the current situation in the pool ended up with Pegrus in the lead, followed closely by Sanger, Tang Yi-Bai and Arbussy, all three whom were pretty much neck and neck with each other.
Yun Duo was at the edge of her seat watching all this unfold.
She understood Tang Yi-Bai all too well — in comparison with these other top athletes, Tang Yi-Bai's endurance was not particularly outstanding. His trump card had always been his acceleration in the second half of a race, but now he had pushed himself to swim at a pace matching Sanger's from the start, what would he do in the latter half of the race? Would he still have the strength to charge forwards?
With these thoughts in her mind, she could not help but worry even as she was moved by his efforts.
The first half was over very quickly. Although Pegrus had kept the lead all the way, his lead was not overly large. After the turn, Tang Yi-Bai was a little behind, as expected.
Yun Duo's heart was almost at the back of her throat.
At this time, a significant change presented itself in the arena. The three swimmers behind Pegrus exerted themselves, sending water splashing as they charged forwards like three unstoppable great white sharks, launching their primary attack towards their goal line. Pegrus sensed the threat and accepted the challenge head on!
It was like a fight to the death — no holds barred, only one could survive, may the best man win!
Yun Duo's heart clenched once again in suspense and she muttered under her breath subconsciously, "Come on, come on, come on, come on..."
In the battle, Arbussy was the first to get left behind. Although he had been glorious in the past, he was no longer at his peak.
Tang Yi-Bai and Sanger continued to chase after Pegrus alongside each other. However, Yun Duo could sense that their momentum wasn't as fierce as compared to previous races. After all, the energy they had expended in the first half was considerable — no one was a tireless superhero.
Even so, the distance between them and Pegrus was visibly narrowing.
— Tang Yi-Bai and Sanger were not superheroes, but neither was Pegrus!
In the water, Sanger and Tang Yi-Bai were in the lanes to the left and to the right of Pegrus respectively. Sanger and Pegrus were both breathing monolaterally to their right, while Tang Yi-Bai was breathing to the left. In other words, Sanger could only see Pegrus under the water, while Pegrus could only see Tang Yi-Bai, and Tang Yi-Bai could only see Pegrus.
After the race, there was some analysis that being able to 'see' and 'not see' among the swimmers had influence on the final results.
At this moment though, Sanger watched as Pegrus tried his best to keep his lead, Pegrus watched as Tang Yi-Bai tried hard to catch up and steal the lead, and while Tang Yi-Bai could see Pegrus, his eyes were unseeing.
Some people have said that Tang Yi-Bai's greatest strength is his ability to accelerate and overtake in the second half of a race, but that wasn't quite true. Tang Yi-Bai's greatest strength was his purity of focus. In a race, he could completely immerse himself in the battle between him and the water, undistracted by anything else. Even with his rivals and opponents right before him, he could ignore them completely and focus on moving forwards.
This absolute concentration was the catalyst for unleashing the hidden physical potential of the human body.
Many times, victory or defeat was simply a matter of a split second of thought.
As Tang Yi-Bai was charging forwards, the three frontrunners were all surging forwards as well. The distances between them was almost imperceptible to the naked eye. Yun Duo's heart was suspended high in her throat — she was so nervous that she was holding her breath, not even daring to blink even as her brain seemed to cry out for oxygen. Her eyes were pinned on the race within the pool, up until the point where the three swimmers touched the wall almost simultaneously.
Her gaze then swung towards the large screen.
Tang Yi-Bai, 47.56 seconds.
Sanger, 47.59 seconds.
Pegrus, 47.60 seconds.
The champions, China!
8.
After Tang Yi-Bai got out of the pool, he rested for a moment by the side before going forward to accept interviews from the media. He could not wait to see his wife; he wanted to see how ecstatic she was now that he had become champion.
Under normal circumstances, no matter how many reporters surrounded him, Tang Yi-Bai would be able to spot Yun Duo immediately.
But this time, that was not the case.
He was rather puzzled. When he saw Qian Xu-Dong, he asked, "Excuse me, where's Yun Duo?"
Qian Xu-Dong replied expressionlessly, "She could not stop crying so she's ducked away to hide."
Tang Yi-Bai smiled, soft and gentle.
Teacher Sun looked at Tang Yi-Bai, seeming like he wanted to say something but hesitated. Then, when he received a warning look from Qian Xu-Dong, he let it go.
After the interview, Tang Yi-Bai went looking for Yun Duo but was unable to find her anywhere. He found it strange that she was so elusive, but then started thinking about how he could tease her over this. But even by the time the awards ceremony was about to start, he still had not seen her.
A trace of worry surfaced in his mind. Duoduo loves him and she must be very eager to share his victory with him, so why was she still hiding?
He asked several Chinese reporters he met, but everyone hemmed and hawed, only speaking around the topic.
Tang Yi-Bai was beginning to feel rather anxious. He found Coach Wu. "Coach Wu, you must know where my wife has gone."
"This..."
"What happened to her?!"
"Head to the press conference first. I'll tell you after the conference."
Tang Yi-Bai refused to budge. "Tell me now, then I'll go to the press conference."
Coach Wu felt rather resigned at this point. He always found it impossible to deal with a stubborn Tang Yi-Bai who had dug his heels in. Thus, he could only reply, "It's like this... Yun Duo suddenly fainted at the end of the race..."
Tang Yi-Bai felt his brain go blank, filled with an overwhelming 'buzz', as if struck by a heavy blow. His body swayed slightly. Coach Wu saw how his face turned white so drastically, and rushed to assure him, "But don't worry! She has already been sent to the hospital. Your parents are with her."
Tang Yi-Bai reached out to him with a trembling hand. "Coach Wu, lend me your handphone."
He looked quite scary at the moment. Coach Wu felt that if he did not relinquish his phone, he might be killed on the spot, so he obediently offered it up.
The phone changed hands and Tang Yi-Bai called his mother.
Madam Lu: "Hello, Doudou?"
"Mum, how's Duoduo?"
"We're already at the hospital. Don't worry."
"How is she now?"
"She's still unconscious. They'll be doing a thorough examination soon."
"Where are you all?"
"At the hospital."
"Which hospital?"
Madam Lu hesitated for a moment before swiftly reporting the address of the hospital.
Tang Yi-Bai immediately ran towards the door with the phone in his hands. Coach Wu quickly chased him. "Hey, hey, hey, the press conference is about to start! Come back here right now!"
"I'm not in the mood."
"You...you brat! Are you rebelling?!"
Tang Yi-Bai hailed a taxi outside. Inside the car, Coach Wu called him on Matron Yuan's phone to continue yelling at him. "Tang Yi-Bai, you're really too much! So arrogant now that you're an Olympic champion?! Do you know what are the consequences of missing the press conference? The organising committee can recall your gold medal in minutes, you know? !"
"Coach Wu, Duoduo fainted."
His voice was wavering, and Coach Wu suddenly understood. Tang Yi-Bai was afraid. The young man had always been calm and steady, so Coach Wu had once believed that fear was beyond him. But now, he was afraid.
Coach Wu sighed softly. "Okay. Go. I'll help you explain things with the press conference... don't worry, she's probably just overworked."
Tang Yi-Bai made a soft sound in acknowledgement.
But he still could not control his worry. His nerves were tense, braced against hearing any bad news. His mind was also playing clips of TV drama, scaring him even further the more he thought about it, until he was a complete mess.
When he got to the hospital, he ran towards Yun Duo's hospital room and found his parents standing outside it.
Daddy Tang and Madam Lu looked at him with grim faces, and Tang Yi-Bai felt his heart turn cold.
"What-what happened?" His face was white and his voice was thin.
Madam Lu gave a long sigh and shook her head. "I'll let Yun Duo tell you."
Tang Yi-Bai was so frightened he wasn't seeing straight, and his steps were weak as he entered the hospital room. Daddy Tang and Madam Lu watched their son go in, then they crowded up to the room's window to look inside.
Yun Duo was seated in the hospital bed with an IV drip in her arm. When she saw Tang Yi-Bai coming into the room, her eyes lit up.
Tang Yi-Bai approached her slowly. He had never noticed before that speaking required such effort. "Duoduo, what happened?"
Yun Duo pursed her lips, then said somewhat bashfully, "Tang Yi-Bai, I'm pregnant."
Tears began to fall from Tang Yi-Bai's eyes.
Previous: Side stories (1) from the print book
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After their wedding, Yun Duo and Tang Yi-Bai moved into their love nest — that villa not too far from the training base. Originally, the newlywed couple were hoping that the Tang parents would move in as well since it was just too cold and lonely for such a large house to only be occupied by two people. However, Daddy Tang and Madam Lu were both still working, so the couple would only drop by over the weekends to reunite with their son and daughter-in-law. Later on, Tang Yi-Bai and Yun Duo hired a middle-aged couple. The wife worked as a babysitter for them, while the husband was a driver. And so, the household became livelier.
Before meeting Tang Yi-Bai, Yun Duo had imagined what her married life would be like. Aside from the idealistic romanticism of a young girl, she had also been a little worried by some realistic concerns. For example, conflicts with her mother-in-law...
After marriage, Yun Duo found that she really had nothing to worry about in that respect.
This was because her mother-in-law was just too special. She was clear-minded and wise, composed and powerful. In the face of any problems, she would always be able to catch hold of the key issue and find a solution, never ever wasting any time on unnecessary histrionics. Things like holding grudges and bickering were trivialities in her eyes.
Let alone clashing with her daughter-in-law, she had never quarrelled with Daddy Tang after so many years of marriage.
Of course, Daddy Tang also played a part in this. If Mummy Lu was at all unhappy, just a cold smile from her was enough to weaken his legs instantly, and so there was never any need for an argument...
With such a mother-in-law, Yun Duo had given up on any resistance early on. She wisely decided that she should just be meekly obedient.
However, there were also times when her mother-in-law was wilful.
Two days before Mother's Day, when Tang Yi-Bai returned home from training, his parents just so happened to be around as well. He asked his mother, "Mum, what would you like for Mother's Day?"
Madam Lu looked at Tang Yi-Bai and Yun Duo in turn, and then she said, "I want a grandchild." As she said this, she blinked meaningfully at Yun Duo, unconcealed anticipation in her gaze.
Heavens, mother-in-law! Why are you acting cute like this now?! So scary! Yun Duo's hands flew to her chest in shock. Mother-in-law, you are an aloof ice queen... acting cute really doesn't suit you! Please change back immediately!
Sadly, her mother-in-law did not revert back to her usual form — rather, Daddy Tang also pitched in happily: "I also want a grandson! A granddaughter is fine too. I'm not picky."
Once one got to a certain age, they tended to have no resistance to young children. The two elders were indirectly urging them to have kids right now.
With regards to having children, the young couple had their own concerns. Yun Duo felt that she was just starting along her career path, and her work was going swimmingly well at the moment. If she decided to stay home and raise children now, then she would have to at least take a year or two off... she didn't want to have to face the problem of children so early. Tang Yi-Bai actually really looked forward to the crystallization of love between him and Yun Duo, but... he hadn't retired yet, so most of his time every day was spent on training. He had too little time to spend with his family right now — if they added a child into the mix, he would not have enough time to spend with them and that would make him ashamed to call himself a father.
So, they might as well wait a couple of years before having a baby.
When Daddy Tang and Madam Lu saw how determined they were, although the older couple felt rather regretful about it, they still respected the decision of the younger couple.
Tang Yi-Bai and Yun Duo's daily routine after marriage basically went like this: In the mornings, before she even opened her eyes, he had already left. At night, if they had time, the two of them would eat dinner together at the canteen of the training base, and then Yun Duo would watch Tang Yi-Bai train before they would go home together. If they didn't have time, then they would only see each other about an hour before bed time.
They had very few opportunities to date like a normal couple — eating a meal together at the canteen was pretty much a date for them. For this, Tang Yi-Bai would always feel a little guilty. He did not have time to spend with Yun Duo, to cajole her and love her... instead, Yun Duo had to accommodate him.
And she did so without complaint.
Tang Yi-Bai borrowed the words of the netizens here: I must have really saved the galazy in my last life to have been able to marry a woman like this.
He did not say this out loud, only thinking it in his heart. His guilt and regret slowly evolved into gentleness and consideration. He became exceptionally meek towards Yun Duo, listening to whatever she had to say.
Yun Duo was rather baffled by this. It was said that men would change after marriage. Well, it was true that her Tang Yi-Bai had changed, but he had changed in an unexpected way... he had become more obedient than before they got married...
Yun Duo couldn't understand it, so she deliberately asked him, "Tang Yi-Bai, have you done something to wrong me?"
Tang Yi-Bai asked in return, "What kind of things would count as wronging you?"
"You should know."
He raised an eyebrow, peach blossoms fluttering up at the corners of his eyes, "Oh, well, last night, I did do that to you..."
"Not that!" Yun Duo interrupted him with a red face. "I'm asking you why you've become so obedient?"
He pursed his lips and smiled airily. "That's my family's style."
Well...there really was no way to rebut that. -_-#
2.
Shortly after the wedding, Tang Yi-Bai participated in the Champions Tournament that year. There were 5 months left to the Olympic Games — as the final opportunity to train and adjust before the Olympic Games, the Champions Tournament attracted a great deal of attention from all parties involved. Besides that, the battle power of Tang Yi-Bai's massive fanbase was rather terrifying. They lined up outside the ticketing window very early, quickly snapping up all the tickets to the event.
In the 100-metre freestyle, Tang Yi-Bai unsurprisingly won first place, but the media response to this was lukewarm.
He no longer only belonged to China, he also belonged to the world stage. Like Qi Rui-Feng, he was already peerless within the country. For athletes at their level, this level of competition was just a check-up to check on their current condition, to see if there has been any improvement or worsening in their condition.
Tang Yi-Bai's check-up this time was unsatisfactory.
48.02 seconds. This was his time in the finals, which also happens to be his best time this year. Moreover, this number was also the best time he had recorded ever since the last World Championships ended.
The deeper the love, the greater the expectation. The media and the public all had very high hopes for Tang Yi-Bai. Many people felt that Tang Yi-Bai should have easily finished the race under 48 seconds. He was a world champion. He had the ability and power. If he could not do this, then he was moving backwards.
After the Champions Tournament, Director Liu asked Yun Duo to write a special commentary on the outlook for the swimming events in the Olympic Games this year. Yi-Bai had great faith in Tang Yi-Bai — she forecasted that Tang Yi-Bai would become the champion of the Olympic Games this year. And then, when the editorial department held a meeting to review the articles, her article was unanimously rejected.
Director Liu advised Yun Duo earnestly, "Young lady, dreams are dreams, reality is reality. You can't conflate the two."
Yun Duo was unconvinced. "I think I'm being realistic. Tang Yi-Bai was the champion in the World Championships last year."
"But he hasn't been performing well ever since then. That is also a fact."
Yun Duo wanted to argue the point further, but Director Liu asked her, "Have you asked him about it?"
Taken aback, she asked after a beat, "About what?"
"About why he hasn't been performing well recently."
Yun Duo shook her head. "No."
Director Liu smiled meaningfully. "It looks like you don't really believe in him that much either."
Yun Duo was silent.
3.
In early April, Yun Duo's class monitor from university organised a reunion. Apart from 2 classmates in City-B who just could not make time for it, the rest of the class was there. Yun Duo had some last-minute things to attend to, so she arrived a little later than the others.
The group had reserved a private room on the second floor of a hotel. Yun Duo headed upstairs then made a trip to the restroom first. She was still inside the restroom when she received a message from Chen Si-Qi asking her why she wasn't there yet.
Yun Duo was about to explain when she suddenly heard voices coming from outside the door, and the conversation involved her name.
She very easily identified the voices as belonging to two girls from their class, An Mei-Na and Zheng Lan-Lan. After all, they had been classmates for 4 years and were familiar enough with each other.
An Mei-Na: "Why isn't Yun Duo here yet?"
Zheng Lan-Lan giggled and said, her tone rather flippant, "The lady is now a famous figure, you know. Of course she must put on some airs and come fashionably late."
An Mei-Na laughed. "4 years in university... I really did not expect that she would do better than the rest of us."
Zheng Lan-Lan snickered and said, "If not for Tang Yi-Bai, wouldn't she still be stuck at the small news agency trying to work her way up? How well could she have done? Oh, for women, once they manage to hook onto a good man, their lives are turned around."
"She at least had the skills to latch onto to Tang Yi-Bai."
"Hehe, that's true. Have you forgotten what happened between her and our campus heartthrob? Say, what do you think all these high-quality men see in her?"
"Who knows? She's pretty, I guess."
"Pretty? I think you're prettier."
An Mei-Na laughed. "Stop joking. How can I compare against her?"
"Actually...did you know? For men, it's not the main thing whether or not a woman is pretty. What's most important is that the woman knows how to flirt and be coy, and is sexy and coquettish enough."
When Zheng Lan-Lan finished saying all this, the two girls chortled. Their laughter was filled with malice.
Yun Duo was frowning outside the partition from what she heard. She did not recall ever offending these two, so why were they so against her now?
As their laughter petered out, Zheng Lan-Lan added, "Honestly, Tang Yi-Bai may not actually like Yun Duo that much."
An Mei-Na: "Why do you say that?"
Zheng Lan-Lan: "Haven't you seen their Weibo? Yun Duo is forever flaunting her love and affection — it's really cheesy and sickening — but Tang Yi-Bai hardly ever responds to her. It's like she's being given the cold shoulder again and again{热脸贴人家冷屁股: Literally, "Sticking one's hot face up against another's cold butt." The Chinese turn of phrase here doesn't have a direct English counterpart, but I felt that the literal translation should be shared just for the fun value. :p}... super awkward."
An Mei-Na seemed enlightened. "So that's how it is. Maybe Tang Yi-Bai finds it cheap that she's being so forward. Men, you know."
"Which is why, they won't last very long together."
Yun Duo could only facepalm. She really, really felt like telling Zheng Lan-Lan that what she saw as "Yun Duo flaunting her love and affection on Weibo" was actually Tang Yi-Bai flirting around with Yun Duo's account... Meanwhile, Yun Duo was using Tang Yi-Bai's account, but that account was being scrutinised by so many eyes that of course Yun Duo would not simply play around with it. Every day, Yun Duo would only post proper updates on Tang Yi-Bai's training and races, and perhaps the occasional chicken-soup-for-the-soul musing.
Forget it. If she revealed the truth, who knows what other problems would be stirred up? Just let Zheng Lan-Lan think whatever would make her happy...
Yun Duo really wanted to leave so she could disengage from this conversation, but the two girls seem to have found a groove and were happily chattering away, as if they were planning to settle down and grow roots.
An Mei-Na asked Zheng Lan-Lan, "Do you think Tang Yi-Bai will be able to become champion this year at the Olympics?"
Zheng Lan-Lan laughed airily, a faint trace of disdain in her laughter. She replied, "It's not that I want to curse Tang Yi-Bai... but have you ever heard of an Asian becoming the freestyle champion in the Olympic Games?"
"But he managed to become the champion in the World Championships last year. That was also making history. The man is quite good."
"Well, not necessarily. He was obviously performing beyond his normal capabilities last year. The next few months after that, people kept saying that he was in a slump, when in fact, it's all just a misunderstanding! Because that's his true capabilities. His skill is limited. He won't be able to perform at that standard a second time. Which is why I think that his win at the World Championships last year was just a flash in the pan."
"Really?"
"Mhm. Objectively, there is a clear gap between the bodies of Asians and Europeans, so we can't really blame Tang Yi-Bai. Let alone becoming champion, getting into the top 3 will be difficult for him. To be honest, so what if he has won a gold at the World Championships? Look at how full of herself that certain someone from our class has gotten. Her nose is so high it's almost piercing the heavens."
After that, they continued to present all sorts of evidence, trying to prove that "Tang Yi-Bai's skill level is just like that, so it is impossible for him to become an Olympic champion".
Yun Duo was rather angry, but she controlled herself so that she would not rush out to argue reason with them.
After the girls left, she made sure she had calmed down inside the restroom before exiting.
The atmosphere was lively within the private room. Despite having graduated less than 3 years ago, the students were all already well-versed in social niceties and networking pleasantries, so the scene was one filled with harmonious politeness. When Yun Duo entered the room, the enthusiasm of the crowd took her by surprise. Even An Mei-Na and Zheng Lan-Lan greeted her enthusiastically, their smiles bright and radiant, making Yun Duo almost wonder if all that had occurred at the restroom earlier was just an illusion.
Chen Si-Qi patted the chair beside her and said to Yun Duo with a smile, "Hurry over here and sit down."
Yun Duo saw that Zheng Lan-Lan was sitting on the other side of the chair. She walked over and said expressionlessly, "Chen Si-Qi, let's trade seats."
Zheng Lan-Lan's smile froze on her face.
Yun Duo did not spare any thought for Zheng Lan-Lan's feelings, and although Chen Si-Qi was baffled by the odd request, she could sense something strange about the situation, so she cooperatively traded seats with Yun Duo.
A class reunion was generally nothing more than an excuse to eat and drink and catch up with one another, with perhaps some boasting and showing off thrown into the mix. Yun Duo was feeling a little down and did not really want to actively participate. She ate quietly, giving only simple brief replies to anyone who asked her a direct question. If no one talked to her, she merely stared off into space.
Still, she was a major star today — all of her classmates were extremely, extremely curious about her and her famous athlete husband, so there were plenty of questions thrown her way.
As soon as Tang Yi-Bai was done with his training for the day, he immediately sent Yun Duo a text message: How's the reunion?
Yun Duo: Tiring.
Tang Yi-Bai raised a brow at this. It was just a meal together. How could that be tiring? He replied: I'll come find you.
Yun Duo: It's fine.
Tang Yi-Bai: I'm worried.
Yun Duo: About what?
Tang Yi-Bai: Take a guess.
Yun Duo: ...
She would not be able to guess it, but he wasn't planning to tell her anyway. A class reunion was the easiest breeding ground for ambiguous feelings to spark. Of course his Duoduo would be fine, but what if those men who were single decided to push forwards anyway... that would be a hassle too.
Tang Yi-Bai arrived close to the end of the gathering. His arrival caused a new round of cheers to break out around the table. Yun Duo's classmates all considered themselves to be part of the bride's entourage, so when they saw him here now, they all began cajoling him to drink, telling him that he wasn't allowed to take Yun Duo home without downing a glass. Tang Yi-Bai did not hesitate, immediately raising a glass filled with beer to drink, but Yun Duo stopped him.
Yun Duo: "Don't drink."
He smiled and said, "Okay." And then he put down the glass.
Someone laughed and teased, "Oh wow, flaunting your lovey-doveyness in our faces, eh?"
Another person grasped at their chest dramatically. "I can't take it anymore. This single-puppy has taken a fatal hit. Please call an ambulance for me."
Someone even insinuated slyly, "So obedient. Are you even a man?"
Tang Yi-Bai was unconcerned, replying with a grin, "In our household, she has the final say for all the little things."
A few of Yun Duo's classmates shuffled closer, wanting to take a picture with Tang Yi-Bai, Zheng Lan-Lan and An Mei-Na at the fore of the group. Tang Yi-Bai's attention was on Yun Duo. He saw that she wasn't looking very well, so he did not want to spare time to take photos one by one with everyone. Thus, he suggested, "Why don't we take a group photo?"
After the group photo was taken, An Mei-Na and the others were still unwilling to let him go, fussing over him for his autograph. Zheng Lan-Lan giggled beside Tang Yi-Bai and said, "We're all your fans here. Just waiting for you to go become champion at the Olympics! Good luck!"
Tang Yi-Bai smiled politely in return. "Thank you."
Yun Duo finally snorted. Watching him surrounded by her peers, she decided to ruin the mood. She grabbed her bag and shoved it into his arms. "Let's go."
Tang Yi-Bai looked at her with knitted brows. What in the world made her so unhappy?
Zheng Lan-Lan looked at Tang Yi-Bai then looked at Yun Duo, and then she stuck out her tongue guilelessly and commented in an odd tone, "Yun Duo, you're so bossy."
Yun Duo ignored her, walking straight out of the private room.
Tang Yi-Bai quickly hurried after her.
4.
Yun Duo walked at the front with Tang Yi-Bai trailing after her. Due to the difference in leg length, no matter how fast she walked, he could keep up with her at a measured pace.
He called out to her softly from behind her, "Duoduo? What's wrong, Duoduo?"
She remained silent with her head bowed.
Tang Yi-Bai suddenly came to a stop and put more force into his tone. "Duoduo."
Yun Duo took another few steps before turning to look at him. She saw him with his brow furrowed, and the corners of his lips were taut with tension. It looked like he was mad. She felt a little sad and a little at a loss. She opened her arms slightly and said in a small voice, "Tang Yi-Bai, hug me."
At that instant, Tang Yi-Bai's heart melted into a gooey puddle. He rushed over in three large steps and enfolded her in his embrace.
She leaned into his arms and mumbled, "Tang Yi-Bai, don't be mad."
Tang Yi-Bai kissed the top of her head and said softly, "I'm not mad. I just want to know which bastard bullied you."
"Hmm, it's nothing much really. Those two girls who were so warm and friendly with you just now were actually saying bad things about us behind our backs."
"That's outrageous. What did they say?"
Yun Duo sighed. Honestly, others' covert remarks in the background were not enough to make her angry, even if she stumbled across it inadvertently. What made her feel so bad was that Zheng Lan-Lan had unwittingly hit the deep-seated worry she had kept so carefully hidden away at the bottom of her heart.
She raised her head to look at him. "Tang Yi-Bai, I want to ask you something."
"What?"
"You...you've been in a slump ever since the World Championships last year. Why?"
Tang Yi-Bai chuckled. "Finally willing to ask? I thought you'd be able to hold out for longer."
"Cough." Yun Duo turned away, a little embarrassed.
Still holding her by the waist, his other hand pinched her cheeks and he said, "Honestly, my condition at the World Championships last year was already abnormal. I overextended myself a little during the competition, so I've been reconditioning myself ever since then, till now. I've been slowly recovering and regaining my optimum condition."
Yun Duo was a little skeptical. "That's what you said to the media. Trying to fool me?"
He said innocently, "I've been telling the media the truth."
But no one would believe him...
She hesitated, then said, "But some people said you were performing beyond your limits, that it was just a one-hit wonder."
Tang Yi-Bai laughed. "What I'm about to say might be a little idealistic... for some things, whatever you believe will turn into reality."
Yun Duo stared into his clear and bright eyes, and slowly, she relaxed, bit by bit. Finally, she said, "So many people are doubting you, distrusting you. How can you still be so calm?"
"For me, as long as there is one person in this world who still believes in me, that would be enough."
Yun Duo dove into his arms, deeply moved. "Boo hoo hoo, Tang Yi-Bai, I believe in you. I believe in you with all of my heart!"
The two of them walked hand-in-hand under the city nightscape. Tang Yi-Bai called out again, "Duoduo."
"Hm?"
"Call me 'hubby'."
Yun Duo bowed her head and pretended she had not heard him, but her face had begun to turn red. The two were already legally married, but she was still shy to call him 'hubby'.
Tang Yi-Bai shook his head. "Never mind."
Huh? Giving up so easily?
He explained, "This isn't the right place."
She tilted her head to stare at him oddly.
His lips curved into a mischievous smirk. "When we get home, I have plenty of ways to make you cry out 'hubby'."
"..." Forget it, she'd better pretend she heard nothing after all. -_-#
She turned red up to her earlobes. Seeing this, Tang Yi-Bai chuckled. His laughter was deep, as pure as the moonlight on the white sands of the beach, yet filled with suggestive intent, stirring up heat just from the sound of it.
Yun Duo felt like she must be an idiot to be moved by him for even a moment...
5.
In the blink of an eye, it was already the end of May. Within just a few days of returning from the highlands, Tang Yi-Bai would have go for external training again to Australia in June. Coach Wu gave a sincere suggestion to Tang Yi-Bai: It would be best if he could be celibate for the next two months and put all of his strength and attention into training n order to prepare himself fully for the Olympics.
Tang Yi-Bai disagreed. He could accept decreasing the frequency, but to abstain completely for two months... unacceptable.
However, when Coach Wu asked Matron Yuan to pass on this suggestion to Yun Duo, Yun Duo raised both hands and feet in favour of it. She would agree to anything that could help Tang Yi-Bai improve his condition and increase his performance.
Tang Yi-Bai could only cry to himself.
The night before heading off to Australia, Tang Yi-Bai went after Yun Duo with the mentality of 'I won't be able to eat for a very long time after this so I need to eat a lot more this time'. The night was rather intense, until they even ran out of condoms. -_-#
When he arrived in Australia, Tang Yi-Bai temporarily vanished from the eye of the local media. Of course, due to the impending Olympic Games, the discussion and interest surrounding well-known athletes remained high, especially for Tang Yi-Bai who came with a naturally large fan base to begin with. Even though he wasn't in the country, his legend still carried on in China.
In Australia, Tang Yi-Bai once again encountered his old rival Bayard. He has had two friendly races with Bayard thus far, with one win and one loss. Both times, Tang Yi-Bai's time was within 48 seconds. As these were both private races, there was no media coverage on it within China. Yun Duo did not report these races either, half out of personal interest. She knew how quickly the Chinese people could get worked up and end up forcing a seedling to sprout before its time. If they found out that Tang Yi-Bai's condition was steadily improving, so much so that he could now easily finish a race under 48 seconds, then they would definitely turn around and place great expectations on Tang Yi-Bai's shoulders. The greater the anticipation, the greater the pressure — this was not a good thing for athletes.
It wasn't like there was no news regarding Tang Yi-Bai over this period of time, but all of the news was basically from the official channels. The reporters had no opportunity to interview Tang Yi-Bai himself.
However, there was one special piece of news. This news was posted by a fan and could not be verified. This fan claimed to have met Tang Yi-Bai on the beach while on holiday with a friend in Australia. The two of them wanted Tang Yi-Bai to take a picture with them and to get his autograph. The fan's friend thrust out her buxom chest proudly, asking Tang Yi-Bai to sign on her swimsuit, only for Tang Yi-Bai to reply, "My wife will break my legs."
To this, the netizens comments were pretty much "Hahahahaha". Ever since then, the netizens gave Yun Duo a new title — Master Duo.
Before this, she had always just been 'Sister Duo' in their eyes.
Yun Duo asked Tang Yi-Bai about this and found out that this had really happened.
Her response: Honestly. Am I that violent? ╮(╯_╰)╭
Tang Yi-Bai: No, my wife is the sweetest!
Yun Duo: That's more like it. If I break your legs, you won't be able to swim anymore.
Tang Yi-Bai: Darling, you really care about me. Muacks~
Yun Duo: At most, I'll just snip off your dick or something.
Tang Yi-Bai: ..........................
Yun Duo: Don't worry, even after cutting it off, your swimming won't be affected.
Tang Yi-Bai: Honey! My loyalty towards you is witnessed by the sun and the moon!
Yun Duo: I know. (*^__^*)
Tang Yi-Bai: If you castrate me, you will ultimately be the victim. What shall I use to service you?
Yun Duo: -_-
Tang Yi-Bai: Muacks.
Take your muacks and stuff it...
Taking the opportunity during break to flirt and tease Yun Duo was one of Tang Yi-Bai's greatest pleasures during his dry and monotonous training.
6.
When Tang Yi-Bai returned from his external training, Yun Duo went to the airport to pick him up. When Tang Yi-Bai saw her, he looked her over from top to bottom and then suddenly smiled and said, "Why does it feels like you've become even more beautiful?"
"Flatterer."
"It's true." His expression was very serious, and then he found a justification for himself. "It must be because I haven't seen you in so long. I missed you."
He was so solemn in his declaration that Yun Duo could not help laughing. "Let's go, my handsome man."
Coach Wu and Yun Duo both suggested that Tang Yi-Bai temporarily move back to live at the training base, and thus was the decision happily made...
The Olympic Games were around the corner, and Yun Duo was busy all day, everyday. She and Tang Yi-Bai once again reverted to the state where 'a casual meal together at the canteen counts as a date because there was too little time to spend together'.
One time, she went to visit the Tang parents. Daddy Tang prepared a feast, and Yun Duo polished off two and a half bowls of rice before grudgingly stopping. Both her parents-in-law stared at her in astonishment.
Yun Duo became embarrassed. "That... I've been very busy lately, it's quite tiring, so... I've been eating a bit more."
Daddy Tang nodded. "I can see that. Come, eat. Don't be shy."
Madam Lu said, "Yun Duo, I think you've gained weight."
"Ah, really?" Yun Duo put down her bowl and chopsticks, patting her face anxiously.
Madam Lu laughed and said, "I'm not saying your face is rounder. It's just an overall feeling that you're a little plumper. You can try weighing yourself to see."
Madam Lu was someone who monitored her appearance, so there was an electronic scale in the house. After the meal, Yun Duo stood up on the electronic scale and was instantly dumbfounded. She said incredulously, "I- I've gained 6kg?"
"See, I told you."
Daddy Tang said, "Well, that's not necessarily true. You ate at least 3kg worth of food tonight, right?"
Yun Duo: "..." Although she knew that was meant to comfort her, why didn't she feel comforted at all?! /(tot)/~~
The next day, Yun Duo specially went looking for Tang Yi-Bai to have dinner together. During the meal, she hardened her resolve and only ordered half of the amount she had been eating recently.
Tang Yi-Bai frowned and asked, "Is that enough?"
"...It is."
As they were eating, Xiang Yang-Yang and the others also came by, and Yun Duo asked them, "Do you all think I have become fatter recently?"
The group looked at Yun Duo then nodded emphatically in unison.
... She just knew it was obvious! She was rather depressed. "Why didn't you all warn me?" Letting me grow so fat!
Ming Tian raised his hand. "Reporting! Big bro Yi-Bai wouldn't let us."
Yun Duo looked at Tang Yi-Bai. "Why?"
Tang Yi-Bai asked, "If you knew you were growing fatter, what would you do?"
"Diet."
He shrugged. There was the answer. He did not want her to go on a diet. His wife was round and fleshy, looking oh so delectable, but he hadn't had a chance to even touch her yet like this. He absolutely could not let her just slim down now...
Yun Duo finally made a difficult decision. "No. I still want to lose weight."
"Don't do it yet. Consider it a wish of mine."
"What wish?"
The corners of Tang Yi-Bai's lips quirked upwards and he blinked at her meaningfully. "I'll tell you after dinner."
When they were alone after dinner, Tang Yi-Bai divulged his "wish", leaving Yun Duo with a flaming red face.
7.
Unknowingly, the Olympic Games arrived.
This time, the Olympic Games would be held in Melbourne, Australia, and the swimming events would run from August 2nd to August 9th.
The men's 100-metre freestyle would forever be the most highly anticipated solo race among the swimming events. In addition to the popular candidates from the World Championships last year, there was an up-and-coming newcomer in contention for the gold medal this year — the 18-year old swimmer Pegrus from Canada. Although he was a newcomer, he was first in the world rankings with his time in this year's qualifying race, far better than Tang Yi-Bai's 6th place ranking. (Tang Yi-Bai's time used in the ranking was taken from his results in the Champions Tournament this year.)
Although Tang Yi-Bai only ranked in 6th, considering the fact that the fellow had the 'precedent' of achieving a great reversal, there were still a considerable number of people betting on Tang Yi-Bai becoming champion. His odds were only second the Sanger, who was 2nd on the rankings. The world number one, Pegrus, was further behind instead.
Therefore, there was a significant group of people overseas who were optimistic about Tang Yi-Bai's chances to win gold. In contrast, the Chinese media and public were generally lacking confidence in him. A domestic poll regarding the predicted outcomes of the 100-metre freestyle showed that there was only 15.3% who believed Tang Yi-Bai could win the gold.
After the preliminaries and the semi-finals, Tang Yi-Bai successfully qualified for the finals with the overall ranking of 3rd. His semi-finals time was 47.82 seconds, an improvement of 0.2 semi-finals on his Champions Tournament results, much to the surprise of those who had doubted him in China. Without even having to look at the finals, just this time alone was already enough to prove these people wrong.
Yun Duo shook her head, marvelling. Tsk, tsk, tsk, haven't you all already been smacked in the face once? People, when will you learn...? Shocked now? Hahaha! ~\(≧▽≦)/~
Ahead of Tang Yi-Bai were Pegrus and Sanger respectively. Pegrus was truly on a roll, coming in first place in the semi-finals with 47.67 seconds. Meanwhile, Sanger was performing at his usual standard, coming in at 47.70 seconds, only slightly behind Pegrus. The gap between Tang Yi-Bai and them was rather wide.
Coach Wu knew Tang Yi-Bai's true capabilities, so after the semi-finals, he said to Tang Yi-Bai, "You are in good form right now. If you harness it well, you'll be able to compete against Sanger. Pegrus' momentum is too strong. You and Sanger might not be able to beat him, so just do your best. But you also need to be wary of Bayard and Arbussy."
Tang Yi-Bai thought for a moment, then said, "I've seen all the videos of his races, even for this race."
Coach Wu was unable to follow. "Whose?"
"Pegrus."
"You..."
"Coach Wu, have you seen them?"
Coach Wu rolled his eyes. "Of course."
"Then let me tell you my thoughts. Pegrus is a swimmer who is very fierce in the first half, almost invincible. He can swiftly widen the gap between himself and his opponents, establishing a great lead in the first half of the race. This way, in the second half, his opponents will have a very hard time chasing up to him to overtake him. At the same time, due to the large gap, opponents will lose their fighting spirit when they feel that it is impossible to catch up. See here. The second and third place of his group in the semi-finals both did slightly worse than their previous times... because they already lost hope halfway through."
Coach Wu stared at him with a dark gaze. "So?"
"So, to beat Pegrus, the best plan would be to put controlled effort into the first half to maintain the gap within a reasonable distance. That way, there will still be the chance to overtake him in the second half."
"Wait, hold on, you're saying that... you're aiming for Pegrus?"
"Coach Wu, I want to be champion."
It was a good thing for young people to have dreams and ambition, but after listening to his analysis, Coach Wu just felt rather fearful. He asked Tang Yi-Bai, "In order to fight it out with Pegrus, you plan to abandon your usual style? Pushing in the first half? Then what about the second half? Can you guarantee you will be able to overtake him in the second half?"
"I can't guarantee it 100%, but I've trained in this style before too and run through it."
"I'm not worried about you not becoming champion. I'm worried that you haven't used this style before ever in a competition. The risk is too high. In the end, you might not even make it onto the pedestal at all."
"Coach Wu," Tang Yi-Bai suddenly turned grave. "I want the gold medal. The silver medal means nothing to me."
"You..." Coach Wu shook his finger at him. "So arrogant!"
Coach Wu reported Tang Yi-Bai's opinion back to the team management. Frankly, how an athlete chooses to compete was not something the leaders could control. Typically, the coach would coordinate things to try and give full respect to the athlete's wishes. Coach Wu reported the situation to the team heads, primarily as a precautionary measure — doing things his way may net them a gold medal, but it was also possible that he may not even get bronze...
Regardless, no one could sway Tang Yi-Bai's determination. Coach Wu was already well familiar with Tang Yi-Bai's tenacity.
For this competition, Daddy Tang and Madam Lu were also in attendance, to watch their son's most important race live. Madam Lu claimed that the competition just so happened to fall on one of her day offs, so she might as well come watch his race since she had nothing else better to do. In truth, Tang Yi-Bai knew that his mother had purposefully taken leave to come.
Before the race, Daddy Tang was rather nervous. Madam Lu was also a little concerned, but of course none of it showed on her face. Yun Duo was also anxious. She was so anxious that she could only try to distract herself by throwing herself into her work. On the day of the finals, Coach Wu specially arranged for the family to meet up for a moment. Tang Yi-Bai looked at the three solemn people before him who looked like they were about to head into battle, and he found himself both touched and amused.
At 7:30pm local time on the 5th of August, the finals for the Olympics men's 100-metre freestyle kicked off. From the moment the athletes entered the venue, the cheers and applause from the audience never stopped. When Tang Yi-Bai appeared, Daddy Tang shook the China flag in his hands and shouted: "Doudou! Good luck! Doudou! Good luck!"
Madam Lu pulled him back, embarrassed. "Do you want everyone to know his nickname is Doudou?!"
"Cough, right, right... Tang Yi-Bai! Good luck! Tang Yi-Bai! Good luck!"
Madam Lu looked at her dashing son in the arena and listened to the excited cheers from the crowd around her, and suddenly, she found herself swept up in the mood...
Tang Yi-Bai stood up on the starting block.
Yun Duo clenched her fists, unconsciously holding her breath — no, it might be more accurate to say that she was so nervous she had forgotten to breathe. This was an unprecedented race. It not only carried the dreams of Tang Yi-Bai — it also carried the dreams and countless yearnings and expectations of generations of Chinese people. No matter if they were pessimistic about his odds or had little trust in him, that did not change the fact that there remained that vague layer of hope at the bottom of the Chinese people's hearts. It was the innate sense of honour and pride of humankind.
Furthermore, at this moment, he had the strength to fight!
Yun Duo was holding her breath out of nerves, Qian Xu-Dong's hands trembled around his grip on his camera, Teacher Sun's teeth were gritted, his expression the most solemn it has ever been... there could be no bias in news reporting, but journalists were human with their own homelands.
Take your mark —
Go!
The swimmers were all world-class athletes — their entrance into the water was swift and smooth. Within the blink of an eye, they had all dove into the water like a swarm of flying fish. Based on the computer's technical stats, Tang Yi-Bai was the second to depart, gaining a slight advantage with his entrance into the water. Not bad, not bad.
The first in the water was actually Bayard.
This wasn't completely unexpected. Bayard's strength has always been his reaction time.
However, his lead was as short-lived as a falling star — as soon as it appeared, his opponents were already coming up fast behind him. Pegrus, Tang Yi-Bai, Sanger, Arbussy... in an instant, his 1st place position had dropped to 5th!
After the race, some media agencies conducted an analysis on Bayard's unsatisfactory performance. Many believed that Bayard's drop in performance was due to a strategic error. At the World Championship last year, he pushed himself hard in the first half of the race, leaving him with a lack of stamina in the latter half, which overall caused him to lose the gold medal. Thus, Bayard had adjusted his strategy this year, hoping to shore up his strength in the first half for a full-scale acceleration in the second half.
Unfortunately, the situation had changed; things were different now. Who could have predicted that this time, the top athletes would all choose to attack from the very start?!
Frankly, Sanger, Arbussy, and Tang Yi-Bai were all part of the same general category — the type who had exceptional skills at catching up and overtaking from behind in the second half of the race. However, today, all three of them had sensed the threat posed by Pegrus and had unanimously changed their tactics, putting forward their best so they would not be left an insurmountable distance behind by this powerful new contender.
And so, the current situation in the pool ended up with Pegrus in the lead, followed closely by Sanger, Tang Yi-Bai and Arbussy, all three whom were pretty much neck and neck with each other.
Yun Duo was at the edge of her seat watching all this unfold.
She understood Tang Yi-Bai all too well — in comparison with these other top athletes, Tang Yi-Bai's endurance was not particularly outstanding. His trump card had always been his acceleration in the second half of a race, but now he had pushed himself to swim at a pace matching Sanger's from the start, what would he do in the latter half of the race? Would he still have the strength to charge forwards?
With these thoughts in her mind, she could not help but worry even as she was moved by his efforts.
The first half was over very quickly. Although Pegrus had kept the lead all the way, his lead was not overly large. After the turn, Tang Yi-Bai was a little behind, as expected.
Yun Duo's heart was almost at the back of her throat.
At this time, a significant change presented itself in the arena. The three swimmers behind Pegrus exerted themselves, sending water splashing as they charged forwards like three unstoppable great white sharks, launching their primary attack towards their goal line. Pegrus sensed the threat and accepted the challenge head on!
It was like a fight to the death — no holds barred, only one could survive, may the best man win!
Yun Duo's heart clenched once again in suspense and she muttered under her breath subconsciously, "Come on, come on, come on, come on..."
In the battle, Arbussy was the first to get left behind. Although he had been glorious in the past, he was no longer at his peak.
Tang Yi-Bai and Sanger continued to chase after Pegrus alongside each other. However, Yun Duo could sense that their momentum wasn't as fierce as compared to previous races. After all, the energy they had expended in the first half was considerable — no one was a tireless superhero.
Even so, the distance between them and Pegrus was visibly narrowing.
— Tang Yi-Bai and Sanger were not superheroes, but neither was Pegrus!
In the water, Sanger and Tang Yi-Bai were in the lanes to the left and to the right of Pegrus respectively. Sanger and Pegrus were both breathing monolaterally to their right, while Tang Yi-Bai was breathing to the left. In other words, Sanger could only see Pegrus under the water, while Pegrus could only see Tang Yi-Bai, and Tang Yi-Bai could only see Pegrus.
After the race, there was some analysis that being able to 'see' and 'not see' among the swimmers had influence on the final results.
At this moment though, Sanger watched as Pegrus tried his best to keep his lead, Pegrus watched as Tang Yi-Bai tried hard to catch up and steal the lead, and while Tang Yi-Bai could see Pegrus, his eyes were unseeing.
Some people have said that Tang Yi-Bai's greatest strength is his ability to accelerate and overtake in the second half of a race, but that wasn't quite true. Tang Yi-Bai's greatest strength was his purity of focus. In a race, he could completely immerse himself in the battle between him and the water, undistracted by anything else. Even with his rivals and opponents right before him, he could ignore them completely and focus on moving forwards.
This absolute concentration was the catalyst for unleashing the hidden physical potential of the human body.
Many times, victory or defeat was simply a matter of a split second of thought.
As Tang Yi-Bai was charging forwards, the three frontrunners were all surging forwards as well. The distances between them was almost imperceptible to the naked eye. Yun Duo's heart was suspended high in her throat — she was so nervous that she was holding her breath, not even daring to blink even as her brain seemed to cry out for oxygen. Her eyes were pinned on the race within the pool, up until the point where the three swimmers touched the wall almost simultaneously.
Her gaze then swung towards the large screen.
Tang Yi-Bai, 47.56 seconds.
Sanger, 47.59 seconds.
Pegrus, 47.60 seconds.
The champions, China!
8.
After Tang Yi-Bai got out of the pool, he rested for a moment by the side before going forward to accept interviews from the media. He could not wait to see his wife; he wanted to see how ecstatic she was now that he had become champion.
Under normal circumstances, no matter how many reporters surrounded him, Tang Yi-Bai would be able to spot Yun Duo immediately.
But this time, that was not the case.
He was rather puzzled. When he saw Qian Xu-Dong, he asked, "Excuse me, where's Yun Duo?"
Qian Xu-Dong replied expressionlessly, "She could not stop crying so she's ducked away to hide."
Tang Yi-Bai smiled, soft and gentle.
Teacher Sun looked at Tang Yi-Bai, seeming like he wanted to say something but hesitated. Then, when he received a warning look from Qian Xu-Dong, he let it go.
After the interview, Tang Yi-Bai went looking for Yun Duo but was unable to find her anywhere. He found it strange that she was so elusive, but then started thinking about how he could tease her over this. But even by the time the awards ceremony was about to start, he still had not seen her.
A trace of worry surfaced in his mind. Duoduo loves him and she must be very eager to share his victory with him, so why was she still hiding?
He asked several Chinese reporters he met, but everyone hemmed and hawed, only speaking around the topic.
Tang Yi-Bai was beginning to feel rather anxious. He found Coach Wu. "Coach Wu, you must know where my wife has gone."
"This..."
"What happened to her?!"
"Head to the press conference first. I'll tell you after the conference."
Tang Yi-Bai refused to budge. "Tell me now, then I'll go to the press conference."
Coach Wu felt rather resigned at this point. He always found it impossible to deal with a stubborn Tang Yi-Bai who had dug his heels in. Thus, he could only reply, "It's like this... Yun Duo suddenly fainted at the end of the race..."
Tang Yi-Bai felt his brain go blank, filled with an overwhelming 'buzz', as if struck by a heavy blow. His body swayed slightly. Coach Wu saw how his face turned white so drastically, and rushed to assure him, "But don't worry! She has already been sent to the hospital. Your parents are with her."
Tang Yi-Bai reached out to him with a trembling hand. "Coach Wu, lend me your handphone."
He looked quite scary at the moment. Coach Wu felt that if he did not relinquish his phone, he might be killed on the spot, so he obediently offered it up.
The phone changed hands and Tang Yi-Bai called his mother.
Madam Lu: "Hello, Doudou?"
"Mum, how's Duoduo?"
"We're already at the hospital. Don't worry."
"How is she now?"
"She's still unconscious. They'll be doing a thorough examination soon."
"Where are you all?"
"At the hospital."
"Which hospital?"
Madam Lu hesitated for a moment before swiftly reporting the address of the hospital.
Tang Yi-Bai immediately ran towards the door with the phone in his hands. Coach Wu quickly chased him. "Hey, hey, hey, the press conference is about to start! Come back here right now!"
"I'm not in the mood."
"You...you brat! Are you rebelling?!"
Tang Yi-Bai hailed a taxi outside. Inside the car, Coach Wu called him on Matron Yuan's phone to continue yelling at him. "Tang Yi-Bai, you're really too much! So arrogant now that you're an Olympic champion?! Do you know what are the consequences of missing the press conference? The organising committee can recall your gold medal in minutes, you know? !"
"Coach Wu, Duoduo fainted."
His voice was wavering, and Coach Wu suddenly understood. Tang Yi-Bai was afraid. The young man had always been calm and steady, so Coach Wu had once believed that fear was beyond him. But now, he was afraid.
Coach Wu sighed softly. "Okay. Go. I'll help you explain things with the press conference... don't worry, she's probably just overworked."
Tang Yi-Bai made a soft sound in acknowledgement.
But he still could not control his worry. His nerves were tense, braced against hearing any bad news. His mind was also playing clips of TV drama, scaring him even further the more he thought about it, until he was a complete mess.
When he got to the hospital, he ran towards Yun Duo's hospital room and found his parents standing outside it.
Daddy Tang and Madam Lu looked at him with grim faces, and Tang Yi-Bai felt his heart turn cold.
"What-what happened?" His face was white and his voice was thin.
Madam Lu gave a long sigh and shook her head. "I'll let Yun Duo tell you."
Tang Yi-Bai was so frightened he wasn't seeing straight, and his steps were weak as he entered the hospital room. Daddy Tang and Madam Lu watched their son go in, then they crowded up to the room's window to look inside.
Yun Duo was seated in the hospital bed with an IV drip in her arm. When she saw Tang Yi-Bai coming into the room, her eyes lit up.
Tang Yi-Bai approached her slowly. He had never noticed before that speaking required such effort. "Duoduo, what happened?"
Yun Duo pursed her lips, then said somewhat bashfully, "Tang Yi-Bai, I'm pregnant."
Tears began to fall from Tang Yi-Bai's eyes.
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Heheheheheh
ReplyDeleteOh my! So much happiness in one day! Thank you so much for translating this!
ReplyDeleteTang Yi Bai really got a nasty scare!