Ping Pong Episode 44 (Ending) Recap
> Ping Pong Recap
After Xu Tan secured the world championship, he found himself on the training field with Song Min. Song Min congratulated him on his victory, his tone laced with sarcasm, stating he admired Xu Tan's ability to defeat Yu Kenan, but implied Xu Tan achieved this by any means necessary. Xu Tan only smiled faintly and continued to casually hit the ping-pong ball in his hand. Xu Tan then purchased a large house in Beijing, bringing his parents from their hometown.
His father, overjoyed by the spacious new home, proudly declared that their current prosperity was due to his insistence on Xu Tan pursuing ping-pong, which had also funded his successful surgery and cleared their family debts. When Xu Tan asked his mother if she was unhappy, she reassured him, expressing her deep pride from the bottom of her heart, explaining that her past strong opposition was only out of worry and concern for him.
The national team began intensive Olympic preparations, with Mr Fu (Fu Chuanzhi) demanding full cooperation. Xu Tan apologized for concealing his knee injury (ligament rupture), but Mr Fu revealed that Mr Fang had already informed him. Mr Fu then inquired about Xu Tan's plans post-championship. Xu Tan expressed his strong desire to compete in the Rio Olympic Games. Mr Fu acknowledged the fierce competition from Germany and Japan, emphasizing Xu Tan's indispensability, especially for the team event.
However, participating meant postponing his knee surgery. Mr Fu had arranged for a specialized foreign rehabilitation team to strengthen Xu Tan's knee muscles, a treatment with successful precedents that, while not a complete cure, would enable him to compete in better condition, requiring immense effort. Xu Tan, knowing this was likely his first and last chance to compete in the Olympics as he was nearing thirty, declared such difficulties insignificant, promising not to jeopardize the national team.
Mr Fu warned him that any relapse would lead to his replacement. He then assigned Xu Tan and Song Min to train for the doubles event, and when Xu Tan asked about Yu Kenan, Mr Fu stated the team had its own arrangements. Xu Tan received a phone call from Liu Shi, who excitedly invited him to be a best man at his wedding to Yuan Ran.
Liu Shi also mentioned he had invited Yu Kenan, but he hadn't picked up the phone yet, jokingly threatening to cut ties with both of them if they didn't attend. On the wedding day, Xu Tan and Yu Kenan accompanied a nervous Liu Shi to pick up the bride. The bridesmaids presented challenges: first, a series of questions about Yuan Ran and Liu Shi.
Xu Tan and Yu Kenan expertly answered them, with Yu Kenan notably recalling Yuan Ran's favorite anime character, "Mitsui," and Liu Shi's first love, "Little Fairy." Next, they were tasked with hitting a ping-pong ball onto four "happiness" characters pasted on a window using a single paddle. This challenge was designed to test their tacit understanding, specifically if they would instinctively choose the same target. They accomplished it flawlessly, showcasing their inherent teamwork.
Inside, Liu Shi emotionally declared to Yuan Ran, "I'm actually not good with words. And I have no idea what to say now. But I'll use my whole life to prove that I love you." During the wedding ceremony, Yuan Ran gave a heartfelt speech to Liu Shi. She recounted his past remark about being "born from a stone" and parentless, acknowledging the underlying pain despite his laughter.
She expressed wishes to travel back in time to grow up with him, erase his sad memories, or, as a superman, find his mother. Lamenting her inability to do these things, she promised him her entire life, vowing to be his friend, lover, and family, and to provide him with a happy home. Later at the reception, Qin Zhen approached Mr Fu (Fu Chuanzhi), raising his glass and calling him "Master," signaling their long-awaited reconciliation.
The plot also revealed that Qin Zhen and Sister Liu had finally become a couple. While with Liu Shi at the reception, Xu Tan and Yu Kenan reflected on their shared past. Flashbacks showed a younger Xu Tan telling Yu Kenan he found him "quite nice," despite others' harsh descriptions. Yu Kenan, then fiercely competitive, had retorted that he "didn't come here to make friends."
Another memory surfaced of Xu Tan covering for Yu Kenan in a trophy incident, taking the blame himself. A tipsy Liu Shi then exclaimed that he had truly found his "Little Fairy." Yu Kenan responded that their wishes had all come true, with him becoming a Grand Slam winner and Xu Tan having once defeated him (the Grand Slam winner). Xu Tan then proposed a toast to their shared ping-pong days.
During a team meeting, Mr Fu (Fu Chuanzhi) officially announced the national team members for the Rio Olympic Games: Xu Tan, Yu Kenan, and Song Min. He then imposed a strict ban on all commercial activities for the athletes until the Olympics, urging complete focus on preparation. Mr Fang presented data analysis indicating that Xu Tan and Song Min would form a more advantageous doubles partnership.
Based on this, Mr Fu declared the team's decision: Xu Tan and Song Min would compete in the men's team doubles, while Yu Kenan would focus on men's singles. Teng Biao expressed concern that this decision might dishearten Yu Kenan, who had always desired to partner with Xu Tan. Mr Fu, affectionately calling him "Mama Teng" for his excessive fretting, reassured him that Yu Kenan was no longer the hothead from ten years ago and had matured significantly.
Xu Tan and Yu Kenan were later seen playing video games together, their banter indicating a return to their comfortable old dynamic. Yu Kenan complimented Xu Tan's gaming skills, who playfully retorted against being underestimated. Yu Kenan then broached the topic of the doubles decision, acknowledging that Xu Tan and Song Min formed a strong team likely aiming for a gold medal, and that he understood the team's reasoning.
However, he requested Xu Tan to ask Mr Fu to stop trying to "talk sense into him." With a confident declaration, Yu Kenan proclaimed he would "book the gold medal of men's singles." Xu Tan, embracing their renewed friendly rivalry, playfully countered that he was "in charge of all kinds of booking" and adept at "getting rid of all kinds of dissatisfaction," before agreeing to "one more round."
Fu Jingchun visited Mr Zheng (Zheng Hao), who was in the hospital caring for his father, bringing him gifts. Fu Jingchun apologized for his past impulsiveness. Mr Zheng admitted he knew he was the least popular coach among the players. Fu Jingchun shared his previous belief that his sacrifices for ping-pong were unmatched, only to feel abandoned with only injuries.
He found renewed purpose simply by witnessing the sport, feeling alive whenever he saw a ball bounce on the table, realizing ping-pong was connected to his heart and pulse. Mr Zheng reflected, "One day, we will leave ping-pong. But ping-pong won't leave us." Just before the Rio Olympic Games ping-pong finals, a news report confirmed the Chinese men's team, including Xu Tan, Yu Kenan, and Song Min, had reached the finals, having already secured a gold and a silver medal.
The broadcast noted the steady performance of the original Xu Tan and Song Min doubles pair. Privately, Xu Tan reflected during a phone call with a friend, realizing, "Ping-pong is my everything. What I want is not to become some world champion or a Grand Slam winner. I just want to keep playing." His friend, reciprocating, shared his own budding interest in ping-pong and suggested they play together sometime, offering Xu Tan words of encouragement.
Shortly before the match, in a dramatic, last-minute decision, Mr Fu (Fu Chuanzhi) altered the men's doubles lineup, replacing the established Xu Tan and Song Min pair with Xu Tan and Yu Kenan. This unexpected change was immediately broadcast as headline news, completely disorienting the Japanese team, who had no prepared strategy against this duo. However, for Xu Tan and Yu Kenan, the two children born for ping-pong, their decade-long, undeniable synergy meant no prior preparation was needed.
As they stepped into the arena, brimming with confidence and exchanging words of encouragement, with everything from their past playing back like a videotape, the commentator lauded their entry as a moment of triumph for them and for China.
