Ping Pong Episode 20 Recap
> Ping Pong Recap
Unable to reach Yu Kenan, Zhang Caiwei sought out Teng Biao to inquire if he had heard from him. She did not know that Yu Kenan was in a rural area with no signal, making communication difficult. Zhang Caiwei seemed worried that Yu Kenan might break up with her and wanted a definite answer, explaining she had some questions she wanted to ask him clearly in person.
Teng Biao suggested that Yu Kenan was likely too preoccupied cursing him to contact anyone and probed Zhang Caiwei, asking if Yu Kenan hadn't contacted her either. Zhang Caiwei clarified that she wasn't being clingy but simply wanted to know when Yu Kenan would return to speak with him directly. Teng Biao offered to convey her message if Yu Kenan got in touch.
Seizing the opportunity, Teng Biao advised Zhang Caiwei that it would be best to resolve the matter with Yu Kenan as soon as possible, emphasizing that for young people, while being serious about relationships is good, one should not be overly rigid and "when it's time, let it go." Zhang Caiwei questioned if Yu Kenan had discussed breaking up with him, which Teng Biao denied.
He elaborated that he and Mr. Wang agreed their priority should be achieving the best results in their careers, not getting distracted by personal relationships. Zhang Caiwei thanked him and departed. At the boxing gym, a boxer took a CD that Lei Lei had given Xu Tan, finding the music enjoyable and refusing to return it immediately.
Another boxer then seized the CD, taunted Xu Tan about it being a gift from a "young lady," and tossed it to the ground when Xu Tan attempted to reclaim it. This act completely enraged Xu Tan, who declared his intent to fight them. The assistant coach, Da Zhi, intervened, directing them to settle their dispute in the ring.
As Xu Tan fought, Da Zhi guided him, emphasizing the importance of understanding his motivation for fighting rather than just throwing punches, and maintaining a stable rhythm and stance. After some intense fighting, Da Zhi instructed Xu Tan that if anyone threatened him again, he should punch them back as Da Zhi demonstrated.
Da Zhi then congratulated Xu Tan, stating he was now "qualified" and explaining that Mr. Fu had sent him there not to learn boxing but to develop the "bloodthirsty" spirit he lacked despite his ping pong skills. Da Zhi urged Xu Tan to remember this feeling and always rise again, no matter how many times he was knocked down in a game.
Da Zhi then revealed himself as the assistant coach, explaining that he was specifically instructed to "pick on" Xu Tan because as a non-professional boxer, Xu Tan needed an opponent who could control their strength to avoid serious injury, unlike his subordinates. The CD was returned, repaired, and the boxer who had damaged it apologized, even offering to take another beating if it wasn't fixed. Xu Tan, now resolute, had clearly absorbed the lesson.
Yu Kenan's "special training" in the countryside concluded, and Teng Biao arrived to bring him back to the team. Before reaching the house, Teng Biao noticed some village girls playing ping pong and spontaneously joined them. One of the girls, upon learning he was Yu Kenan's coach, playfully called him a "bad guy," claiming Yu Kenan had spoken ill of him. Teng Biao then found Yu Kenan in the pigsty, addressing a pig named "Teng Biao."
Yu Kenan was comically apologizing to the pig for past treatment, encouraging it to learn from other players like Liu Shi, Ma Chuan (referred to as "Xiao Pang"), and Fu Jingchun (referred to as "Ah Chun"), but humorously excluding Xu Tan. He spoke of building a shed for the pig. Teng Biao, amused by the conversation, then formally met the old lady, introducing himself as Yu Kenan's coach from the national team and expressing gratitude for her care, offering gifts.
The little girl once again called Teng Biao a "bad guy." Later, the girl tearfully asked Yu Kenan if he was leaving. Yu Kenan comforted her, asking her to look after her grandmother and the "piglet," to study hard and be good. He sealed their promise with a pinky swear, "Never break a pinky promise. Or else, you'll become a piglet."
On the drive back, Teng Biao teased Yu Kenan, noting how the little girl was "more grateful" than him for picking wild fruits before his departure. Yu Kenan, visibly emotional, declared to Teng Biao that he would take responsibility for the girl's school fees.
Teng Biao questioned his ability to do so given his current situation, to which Yu Kenan tearfully vowed to become "Asian Champion and World Champion" to fulfill his promise, now driven by a sense of responsibility rather than bravado. Back at the Training Bureau of the State Sports General Administration, the coaches, led by Mr. Fu, were searching for a doubles partner for Ye Zhen Xin for the upcoming World Ping-Pong Tournament through sparring sessions.
Players took turns attempting to pair with Ye Zhen Xin. Zheng Hao earnestly hoped Fu Jingchun would seize this opportunity. However, during Fu Jingchun's turn, it was observed that he played too tightly, seemingly nervous, and his performance was deemed unfavorable, with constant mutual interference between him and Ye Zhen Xin due to his singles play habits. When Xia Ke stepped up, his impressive skill immediately stood out.
After deliberations, Mr. Fu asked the coaching team if there were any objections, to which there were none. He then officially announced that Ye Zhen Xin and Xia Ke would be the chosen men's doubles team for the World Ping-Pong Tournament. Zheng Hao was clearly disappointed with this outcome. Mr. Fu informed them that he and the coaching team would quickly develop a training plan. Afterward, Mr. Fu summoned Xu Tan.
Upon their return to the national team, Yu Kenan observed Xu Tan's facial injuries, jokingly asking if he had been "beaten up" during his punishment. Xu Tan attributed the marks to cupping, and in turn, teased Yu Kenan about his own hair, also claiming it was due to cupping. Mr. Fu addressed both of them, acknowledging their recent punishments as "worthwhile" and a "rare experience" that should serve as a reminder, then declared the past issues resolved.
He then revealed the team's plan to select another doubles pair from the Second team, with Yu Kenan and Xu Tan being the "first choice." Both players immediately rejected the idea, with Yu Kenan bluntly stating he wouldn't want to pair with Xu Tan, and Xu Tan echoing similar sentiments. Others in the room expressed skepticism, recalling their previous conflicts.
However, Mr. Fu clarified that while the team wouldn't force them, joining the doubles program offered "special treatment": the opportunity to directly advance to the First team if they passed the coaching staff's assessment. He stressed that this decision would significantly impact their path to the First team. Reluctantly, they agreed to shake hands, sealing their partnership. To their surprise, Mr. Fu then produced a pair of toy handcuffs and locked their wrists together.
He instructed Teng Biao to uncuff them only for training and to re-cuff them afterward, stating they would remain bound until they developed a true doubles synergy. Yu Kenan protested, but Mr. Fu warned that the "steel handcuffs" couldn't be broken by force, and any attempt to do so would result in an additional ten days of wearing them.
Yu Kenan pleaded with Teng Biao to release them, but Teng Biao simply advised them to "learn how to get along with each other first." Yu Kenan despairingly questioned how they would manage basic necessities like using the toilet. Later, in their room, Yu Kenan, still fuming, attempted to smash the handcuffs with a hammer, declaring he didn't want to spend another second with Xu Tan, but Xu Tan reminded him of the additional punishment.
They later struggled with showering, as they couldn't remove their clothes while cuffed, though Xu Tan eventually figured out a way to maneuver the shirt off, albeit painfully for Yu Kenan. The next morning, Yu Kenan and Xu Tan, still cuffed together, struggled to coordinate their movements while waking up, leading to their tardiness for training and a punishment of fifty push-ups each.
During their first doubles drill, their lack of coordination was evident as they constantly interfered with each other, unable to even hit the ball effectively, much to the coach's sarcastic amusement. Meanwhile, Ye Zhen Xin and Xia Ke were engaged in a different form of training, resembling meditation, which Xia Ke questioned for its lack of apparent technical or physical benefits. Ye Zhen Xin clarified it was meant "to calm you down."
He then pondered with Xia Ke about the true essence of doubles. While acknowledging their almost flawless technical cooperation, Ye Zhen Xin felt "something is missing." He proposed that the "ultimate level" of doubles involved communicating solely through "just a gaze alone, without speaking or making any gestures," instinctively knowing the partner's next move, even if he didn't yet know how to achieve it.
In another session focused on data analysis, Mr. Fu questioned Yu Kenan about specific offensive hit rates from a previous game, which Yu Kenan admitted he couldn't remember. Mr. Fu chastised him, stressing the importance of recording and analyzing data for practical application, warning that neglecting this could lead to future setbacks. Xu Tan, however, accurately provided the requested percentages.
Later, Liu Shi and Ma Chuan, seeing the opportunity, tried to register as a doubles pair to train with Ye Zhen Xin and Xia Ke. Ma Chuan pointed out his left-handedness as an advantage. However, a coach informed Liu Shi that as a chop player, he was unsuitable for doubles, despite Ma Chuan's left-handedness offering an advantage. This rejection left Liu Shi feeling disheartened, as he had hoped to use doubles to break through his training bottleneck.
Observing this, Qin Zhen approached Leng Yi, inquiring about his rank in the recent Grand Round Robin (ninth place). Qin Zhen pointed out Leng Yi's technical weaknesses, such as his height making him unstable and slow to recover against fast balls. He suggested that rapid improvement and securing international competition spots would be difficult in singles.
Instead, Qin Zhen proposed that Leng Yi form a doubles team with Ma Chuan, leveraging Ma Chuan's left-handedness and Leng Yi's long reach to create an advantageous pairing under the new doubles rules, thereby gaining more competition experience. Leng Yi agreed to the proposal. That night, Qin Zhen, visibly intoxicated after paying his bar tab, stumbled back to the training hall and knocked on Liu Shi's door.
