Ping Pong Episode 4 Recap
> Ping Pong Recap
To address the issue of players slacking off, the Regional Training camp arranged for Liu Da Qiao, a top fitness coach from the national team, to lead their physical training. She was the same captivating woman Xu Tan and others had seen in the cafeteria. On the first day of training, Xu Tan was enticed by He Jin Bao and his friends to skip training, but they were caught by Liu Da Qiao almost immediately.
She sternly assigned them fifty squats and deducted three training points from each of them, warning that repeated offenses would lead to their return to their provincial teams. He Jin Bao's smooth-talking only earned him another fifty squats. Later, Xu Tan recorded his thoughts in his notebook. He reflected that the physical hardship of training was nothing compared to the daily struggle of facing repeated failures, and that pressure had become a habit.
He admitted that some, like Yu Kenan, seemed naturally gifted, while he and his friends lacked such talent. Yet, this training was his only chance, with no room for retreat, so he resolved to work hard and "bite on Yu Kenan," pushing himself to catch up. After intense physical training, the players attended cultural classes. Many students, exhausted, dozed off at their desks. The teacher questioned the students, who mostly drew blanks.
When asked about a mnemonic for trigonometric values, Lu Xiao Bei offered a nonsensical answer. When Xu Tan was called upon after being woken up, he also gave a nonsensical answer, but the teacher praised his sincere attitude and diligent note-taking, contrasting him with others. The teacher emphasized that knowledge is interconnected and important beyond just ping-pong, expressing his desire for curious individuals rather than those who only care about their sport.
During the class, Yu Kenan, irritated by an eraser thrown at him (presumably by Lu Xiao Bei), angrily challenged the teacher, stating he'd rather practice ping-pong than waste time in cultural class. The teacher warned him that a lack of respect would narrow his path, even if he were a world champion, prompting Yu Kenan to storm out.
In the locker room, Lu Xiao Bei and Su Chang openly ridiculed Xu Tan's diary, reading aloud his resolution to "bite on Yu Kenan." This revealed to Xu Tan, who was also present, that Lu Xiao Bei was the one who had read his diary and thrown it in the water. A heated argument erupted, with Lu Xiao Bei calling Xu Tan a "loser." Yu Kenan intervened, defending Xu Tan by calling Lu Xiao Bei a "backstabber."
At that moment, Jia Yu, a former teammate of Yu Kenan from the national team, appeared. Jia Yu provoked Yu Kenan, blaming him for his own departure from the national team. Enraged, Yu Kenan was about to retaliate, but Xu Tan quickly reminded him that another fight would permanently prevent his return to the national team. Yu Kenan, holding back his fury, told Jia Yu he wouldn't fall for his trap again.
Later that night, Yu Kenan found Xu Tan's notebook in the dorm, saw "bite on Yu Kenan" circled, and shook his head with a wry smile. Coach Zheng Hao announced the rules for the upcoming tournament: in 14 days, all training points would be locked. On the final day of training camp, the top three players from the provincial teams would compete against the bottom three players from the Second team in a single-round robin tournament.
The top three overall performers would enter the national Second team, while the rest would be eliminated. Coach Zheng Hao stressed that training intensity would increase, and while points leaders shouldn't relax, those behind still had a chance to overtake them. He also warned against serious misconduct, which would disqualify a player from the tournament. Teng Biao added that the cultural exam that week would also be crucial for scores.
Xu Tan was seen calculating how many more matches he needed to win to qualify for the tournament. As intense training continued, the cultural class saw a surprising increase in attentiveness among the players, now aware that cultural exam scores would contribute to their training points. Xu Tan excelled, ranking first in the cultural exam and earning four bonus points.
To everyone's astonishment, Yu Kenan genuinely congratulated Xu Tan and offered him encouragement, remarking that while cultural scores are good, true skill is shown on the court. Shortly after, Su Chang and Lu Xiao Bei confronted Xu Tan, accusing him of intentionally providing wrong answers. Xu Tan retorted that Lu Xiao Bei had forcibly taken his scratch paper during the exam, copying answers without realizing some questions were missing, leading to all incorrect responses.
Lu Xiao Bei, despite his own fault, blamed Xu Tan. Xu Tan, undeterred by their provocations, told his friends that true victory lay only in superior ping-pong skills. His friends, feeling guilty for their earlier slacking that cost Xu Tan points, pledged to help him prepare to defeat Su Chang and reclaim his lost points. Xu Tan's friends attempted to give him "special training," suggesting unconventional tactics like psychological manipulation during matches by deliberately questioning scores.
Xu Tan rejected these methods, insisting he wanted to defeat Su Chang fairly. His friends also showed him different serve techniques, including one that involved tossing the ball high, which improved its speed. Meanwhile, Teng Biao returned Yu Kenan's national team uniform, urging him to keep it as both a memento and a reminder, and warning him about Jia Yu's presence in the tournament, advising Yu Kenan to control his temper lest others exploit his aggression.
Xu Tan found Lin Hao Zhi struggling to replace his racket's rubber, contemplating quitting. Lin Hao Zhi confided that he felt unsuitable for ping-pong. Xu Tan shared his own past, revealing his childhood asthma and his mother's initial discouragement, but explaining how he found joy in playing his best and discovering his limits, rather than solely focusing on winning titles. Lin Hao Zhi admired Xu Tan's clarity and purpose.
Later, the coaches announced the tournament qualifiers from the provincial teams: Yu Kenan was ranked first, Su Chang second, and Xu Tan was among the top three. It was also announced that Lin Hao Zhi had withdrawn from the training camp early for personal reasons. It was the day before New Year's Eve, and the team was granted a day off, cheering in celebration. However, Xu Tan, despite qualifying for the tournament, was not joyful.
Instead, he immediately went to find Lin Hao Zhi, who was leaving. Xu Tan found him by the sea. Lin Hao Zhi apologized for his sudden departure, explaining that he felt he had reached his limit in ping-pong. He shared how sitting by the sea made him realize there were many other things to explore beyond the confined "island" of table tennis.
Drawing a parallel to Ron giving Harry his magic wand and others following suit in the battle against Voldemort, allowing Harry to gather their beliefs and defeat the dark lord, Lin Hao Zhi entrusted his racket to Xu Tan, asking him to carry it into a world that was no longer accessible to him, hoping Xu Tan would represent him in it.
A veteran Chinese ping-pong coach, Ding Yu Sen, recently back from an overseas tour, delivered an inspiring speech to the trainees. He told them they had already reached the "peak of the pyramid" by making it to the training camp, and should be proud regardless of whether they made the national team. He humorously added that sometimes, not being selected simply meant they were born in highly competitive China.
Later, Xu Tan spoke with Lei Lei on the phone about his progress, only for Lei Coach to appear. Lei Coach took the phone, spoke with Xu Tan's mother, then playfully chided Xu Tan for being aloof with his mother and reminded him of his past indecisiveness about quitting. Despite his gruff exterior, Lei Coach expressed his quiet pride in Xu Tan making it to the tournament. Separately, Yu Kenan sat alone on the stairs, evidently upset.
He ended an angry phone call with his father (Yu Ge), frustrated that his father only seemed to care about his ping-pong scores and not about him personally. Teng Biao approached Yu Kenan, sharing a personal anecdote about his own rebellious youth and his father's tough but loving ways. Teng Biao gently conveyed that all fathers love their sons, though their methods may vary, and urged Yu Kenan to join the others for dinner.
