Ping Pong Episode 18 Recap
> Ping Pong Recap
Zhang Caiwei and Yu Kenan, now in a relationship, met for a date. Zhang Caiwei mentioned her teammate Xiao Jun, who had moved to Singapore to train. She pondered whether Xiao Jun's situation, lacking the ideal conditions, made her decision to train abroad a retreat or a way out. Yu Kenan countered, implying that some players might lack the strength but still seek opportunities abroad, seeing it as a retreat rather than a path forward.
He highlighted Zhang Caiwei's fortune to remain on the national team with the best coaches and systematic plans to win championships, encouraging her to focus on the upcoming Olympics and win a gold medal, as he had yet to see her receive an award. Their closeness was soon noticed by teammates Ma Chuan and Liu Shi, who gossiped about the couple as they returned to their dorms.
Their conversation was overheard by Coach Teng Biao, who, upon inquiring, received only nervous evasions from the two players. Teng Biao later witnessed Yu Kenan and Zhang Caiwei together himself. After Zhang Caiwei left, Teng Biao sternly reminded Yu Kenan that accumulating three late marks for training could result in being sent back to the provincial team, and that outright striking was a severe breach.
He emphasized that in the national team, career and romance rarely advanced in tandem, urging Yu Kenan not to jeopardize his future for fleeting pleasure. Yu Kenan, defiant yet resigned, agreed to accept any punishment. Meanwhile, Zhang Caiwei’s coach, Wang, also addressed her relationship with Yu Kenan, showing her documents related to the Beijing Olympics. He reminded her that the Beijing Olympics represented her final opportunity for a championship title in her career.
He expressed his concern that sacrificing her career for an uncertain relationship would be a great pity, given her years of hard work. Although Zhang Caiwei promised that their relationship would not interfere with her training or performance, Coach Wang dismissed her assurances as hollow, reiterating that only her actions could truly demonstrate her commitment. He assured her he would secure opportunities for her, but the outcome would ultimately rest on her own shoulders.
In the aftermath of the relegation match, which had left Xu Tan disheartened, Coach Lei Cheng spent an evening drinking with him. Lei Cheng reminisced about their first meeting in Liaoning when Xu Tan was a persistent ten-year-old, following him everywhere to convince his parents to let him play. He gently probed if Xu Tan found their current provincial team less comfortable than the Beijing team.
Lei Cheng also shared his wisdom, telling Xu Tan that he was now an adult who needed to make his own decisions and bear his own responsibilities, as he wouldn't always have someone to help him. That night, Lei Cheng kept his decision to leave the national team to himself, secretly bidding Xu Tan farewell in his heart, knowing that revealing it would only cause more distress.
The next morning, Xu Tan woke up with a terrible hangover, only to learn from his roommate that Lei Cheng had resigned. Rushing to find his mentor, Xu Tan tearfully apologized, blaming himself for Lei Cheng's departure. However, Lei Cheng reassured him that his decision was not due to Xu Tan's performance.
He explained that if he continued to stay, he wouldn't be able to provide significant help in improving Xu Tan's skills, considering it "retiring at the height of his career" and taking advantage of the opportunity to spend time with his daughter Lei Lei as she prepared for her college entrance exam. As they parted ways, Lei Cheng imparted a final piece of advice: "Don't admit defeat," a motto for both of them to live by.
Later, Lei Lei approached Xu Tan, expressing her gratitude for him "returning her dad to her." Xu Tan then went to Fu Chuanzhi’s office, proactively accepting any punishment. Coach Teng Biao, also present, voiced his frustration that Lei Cheng's departure meant the burden of the team now fell on him.
He also suggested that the match-throwing punishment seemed overly harsh, believing Yu Kenan bore the primary responsibility, while Xu Tan, usually an obedient and disciplined player, would not have acted that way unless pushed to the limit. Fu Chuanzhi, however, revealed his intention to use this as an opportunity to truly test and train Xu Tan, adding that if Xu Tan didn't feel the urgency now, he would give up on him.
He then redirected Teng Biao's concern, reminding him to focus on his own disciple, Yu Kenan, who was now taking over from Xia Ke. Yu Kenan's punishment involved being sent to a remote village to take care of pigs. He traveled there by an electric tricycle, observing the once-muddy roads that were now paved. Upon arrival, a helper brought him to Old Madam Wang's house, where the little girl initially mistook him for "Brother Xia."
The helper then informed Old Madam Wang that Yu Kenan would be replacing Xia Ke, another national table tennis player. Yu Kenan immediately found the small, simple house "too rustic." On his first day, while cleaning the smelly pigsty, the little girl startled him by feeding the pigs, causing him to slip and get pig manure on his hand. To his dismay, there was no running water.
The little girl kindly offered him a towel and a small amount of their precious water from a basin, urging him to use it sparingly. Frustrated, Yu Kenan felt he couldn't endure another moment there and tried to call for help, but his phone had no signal.
He climbed upstairs to find a signal, eventually calling his father, who only lectured him about his poor performance and the shame he brought to the family, causing Yu Kenan to hang up in anger. The next morning, Yu Kenan was repulsed by the hard steamed buns and other simple food on the table. With no water in the house, he went to the village provision store to buy mineral water to wash his clothes and some biscuits.
The shop owner, observing Yu Kenan's free spending on mineral water, inquired if he was Old Madam Wang's city relative, noting the resemblance to the previous young man. He then suggested Yu Kenan help pay for the meat Old Madam Wang had bought on credit, explaining that the old lady and her granddaughter struggled to even afford meat. When Yu Kenan returned, Old Madam Wang and her granddaughter were back.
The little girl, worried that Yu Kenan hadn't eaten all day and fearing he wouldn't like their food, had gone to the mountain to pick wild fruit for him, scratching her arm in the process. Witnessing this act of kindness, Yu Kenan's negative emotions softened. He inspected her small wound and exchanged his newly bought biscuits for her wild fruit.
They then sat together, shucking corn, and Yu Kenan told her that only champions were as fast as he was at shucking corn. The little girl then reminded him to add a spoonful of mold removing powder to the pig feed. Meanwhile, Xu Tan was assigned to the boxing gym. The boxing coach, initially dismissive of Xu Tan's small physique, joked about him being there for yoga.
Xu Tan was designated as a "training partner" and general assistant, responsible for chores like collecting dirty clothes. During his first attempt to hit a heavy bag, his technique was mocked. The coach then made him spar with a boxer named Da Zhi, who initially hesitated, fearing he might injure Xu Tan. However, Xu Tan was quickly knocked out.
The coach criticized Xu Tan’s lack of power and poor footwork, instructing him to focus on practicing his footwork on the rope ladder. He also implied that ping-pong players lacked strength, jokingly attributing the loss of an Olympic gold medal to their supposed weakness. Xu Tan, though bruised, vowed to get stronger and "teach him a lesson." Xu Tan diligently cleaned the gym and continued his physical training, using boxing exercises to improve his balance and fitness.
He slept in a small compartment in the second hall, warned by a staff member about past burglaries. One night, someone bumped into him in the dark, which he briefly mistook for a hooligan. Despite the challenging environment and the initial setbacks, Xu Tan showed remarkable perseverance in his training.
