Ping Pong Episode 8 Recap
> Ping Pong Recap
Yu Kenan, still full of confidence, faced the women's First team in a continuous battle, quickly winning four rounds and leaving them disheartened. Their last hope was their ace player, Zhang Caiwei, the woman Yu Kenan had coincidentally met while jogging. Yu Kenan, brimming with arrogance, underestimated them, believing they could only get lucky on the first two shots. He suggested playing five shots instead of a best-of-five format.
Zhang Caiwei, radiating a natural self-assurance that was more restrained than Yu Kenan's brashness, insisted on following the rules by flipping a coin for the serve. Despite Yu Kenan's eagerness to finish quickly, the match concluded with a 3-2 defeat for him. Yu Kenan was furious about losing to a woman, instinctively making excuses that he hadn't played his best and demanding another round. Mr. Teng immediately intervened, ordering him to stop embarrassing himself and pack his bags.
Through this defeat, Yu Kenan realized how far he was from becoming a world champion, and his training hours extended significantly. He felt too ashamed to return to the men's team after such a loss. Mr. Teng, with a hint of sarcasm, suggested he might be kept by the women's team since they needed strong competitors, leaving Yu Kenan speechless. Meanwhile, members of the unique style team moved into the national team dormitories.
Because Yu Kenan was assigned a double room, Liu Shi took his previous bed and became Xu Tan's new roommate. Liu Shi excitedly told Xu Tan how he had admired Yu Kenan since childhood, envisioning him as a star and dreaming of playing against him in the city. He was thrilled to now see Yu Kenan every day. The other special team members were assigned to a single large room, where their lack of discipline quickly showed.
They were noisy, playing loud music and shouting, creating a chaotic "wet market" atmosphere, much to the annoyance of their neighbors, who demanded quiet. The unique style team officially joined the national team, but their purpose was to serve as training partners, a "whetstone" or "human ladder" requiring a spirit of self-sacrifice. Each member's playing style mirrored that of top international players, allowing the national team to familiarize themselves with potential future opponents.
Mr. Lei, their assigned coach, meticulously analyzed each player: Shi Chang He with his seven serves, Ma Yi's power-driven European-like style, Zhu Ge's rapid footwork reminiscent of Korea's Park Ji-min, and Liu Shi's chopping technique, which, though similar to Mr. Lei's, lacked the same court coverage and attacking power. Mr. Lei stressed the importance of thoroughly understanding their individual issues before addressing them.
Mr. Teng, aiming to temper Yu Kenan's arrogance, assigned him to train with the national football team, providing him with full gear. Yu Kenan, completely unfamiliar with team dynamics, exposed his individualistic tendencies, struggling to cooperate with his teammates. This new challenge, akin to being a novice, quickly frustrated him. However, his strong desire to play Zhang Caiwei again motivated him to persevere. The unique style team members proved to be a handful for Mr. Lei.
Liu Shi was caught eating sweet steamed buns in the audio-visual room, a restricted area where food was forbidden, a clear breach of national team rules. Following this, Mr. Lei gathered the entire unique style team, emphasizing their critical role as sacrificial training partners who enable the national team players to "fight for the gold medal and bring glory to the country" in world championships. He then sent them to train immediately.
One day, Ma Yi, suffering from back pain, suggested cupping. Liu Shi, remembering Ma Chuan's small earthen jars used for cooking soup, took one from Ma Chuan's room and asked Zhu Ge for a lighter to perform the cupping. Ma Chuan, returning with fresh ingredients to cook soup, was enraged to find his cherished jar being used for cupping. He furiously snatched and smashed it.
Realizing their mistake, Liu Shi and his teammates decided to apologize by treating Ma Chuan and everyone from his dorm, room 811, to dinner, also buying a new set of earthen jars as a peace offering. Yu Kenan, however, declined the invitation, and Xu Tan was unable to attend due to extra training from Mr. Lei, who wanted him to improve his first three strokes. Zhang Chen and the other roommates from room 811 attended the dinner.
Captain Shi Chang He, representing the unique style team, started by taking three penalty drinks as an apology for the jar incident, and the atmosphere initially became cordial as everyone ate and drank. But as Ma Chuan consumed more alcohol, his words grew sharp. He publicly ridiculed the unique style team, asserting that their "long pips" and "chop shot" styles were "outdated" and that they were merely "training partners" because they "were not cut out for it."
These blunt, dismissive remarks deeply wounded the pride of the unique style team members. A heated argument erupted, escalating into a full-blown brawl between the two teams under the influence of alcohol. The next day, Zheng Hao, the coach, was furious about the unauthorized drinking and the resulting fight. He punished the Second team players with fifteen laps of running after training.
However, the unique style team received a more severe penalty: all their independent training sessions were canceled, and they were forbidden from using the ping-pong tables outside of regular training hours. This disparity in punishment ignited a deep sense of injustice and frustration among the unique style team members, who felt unfairly targeted. Despite their anger, they were afraid to openly defy the national team. Liu Shi, however, quietly suggested he had a plan. Meanwhile, Mr. Teng observed Yu Kenan's improving cooperation and performance in football training and informed the football team's coach that Yu Kenan's specialized training would officially begin the following day.
