Chapter 108: A Hundred Boats Compete, a Thousand Sails Advance

December 29th.
1:00 p.m.
Lusso, Lu Jinrong, Guan Zhaoyue, and Shen Yingying arrived in Fengtian by plane.
Approaching the end of the year, the northeastern city had grown quite cold.
Having competed in the capital before, the coach and athletes wore their thickest clothes, yet Guan Zhaoyue and Shen Yingying were somewhat lightly dressed. Upon stepping off the plane, the pervasive biting wind chilled them to the bone; only after getting into a taxi did they begin to feel some warmth.

“From the south, huh?” the taxi driver asked.
“From Pengcheng,” Lu Jinrong replied. “Fengtian is really cold.”
“Everyone says that. I even picked up a fool at the airport wearing baggy pants—his snot froze before our eyes,” the driver said cheerfully.
Guan Zhaoyue, whose nose was already running, paused for a moment.

...

In the taxi, Lu Jinrong and Guan Zhaoyue discussed the prize money for the indoor track and field invitational.
“Fengtian is the last stop. If Lusso can win the 200 meters again, that would make four consecutive championships and a total prize of 100,000 yuan,” Lu Jinrong said. “Each other individual event winner gets 20,000 yuan, so that adds up to 160,000.”

That was no small sum.
In China, that was quite substantial, though still incomparable to the fifty taels of gold awarded at the International Association of Athletics Federation Golden Grand Prix.

“But Lusso’s opponents this time aren’t easy,” Guan Zhaoyue said. “Tian Zhen in the 60 meters, Xiao Qiang in the 400 meters, and especially Pan Kai in the 200 meters.”

Pan Kai competing in the indoor 200 meters?
This news surprised both Lusso and Lu Jinrong.
“I didn’t see Pan Kai on the official list,” Lu Jinrong said.
“Maybe... he changed his mind midway?” Guan Zhaoyue wondered. “I heard it from a reporter at the Sports Daily—they just interviewed Li Yan in the capital.”

So Pan Kai had originally planned to run the indoor 200 meters but then changed his mind?
Not coming after all.

Looking out the window, Lusso felt uncertain whether to relax or feel regretful.
Snow was rare in the south, but Fengtian’s streets were blanketed in pristine white. It was a city wrapped in ice and snow, shimmering with crystalline beauty.

“Lusso, you’re running the indoor 60, 200, and 400 meters, right?” Shen Yingying, seated in the front, turned to ask him.
“Yes,” Lusso nodded.
“Are you aiming for the championship in all of them?” Shen Yingying pressed on.
“Of course,” Guan Zhaoyue answered for Lusso. “Which athlete doesn’t compete for first place?”

“Are you confident about the 400 meters?” Lu Jinrong asked, since he hadn’t seen Lusso train much for that distance recently. Lusso had barely practiced competition pace lately.

“About fifty-fifty. Xiao Qiang taught me a useful energy distribution method last time. I tried it myself a few times and feel I have a chance to beat him,” Lusso said. “I probably won’t have time to compete in indoor meets next year. Not winning the 400 meters would feel like a regret.”

“Good lad, ambitious!” Guan Zhaoyue said.

Lu Jinrong thought Lusso was a bit cocky, but since he was one of their own, a little arrogance was fine—as long as it wasn’t prideful. What mattered was that Lusso respected his opponents, which Lu Jinrong knew he did.

“You’re confident in the 60 and 200 meters, but the 400’s tougher,” Lu Jinrong said. “Xiao Qiang is very strong at 400.”

“The 60 meters isn’t easy either. Zhang Zhen sent me a photo,” Lusso told Lu Jinrong. “His indoor 60-meter time is 6.50 seconds.”

Indeed, Zhang Zhen had imitated Lusso’s habit of sending boastful photos. Through Tian Shiwei, the photo was forwarded to Lusso.
It clearly showed the timer above Zhang Zhen’s head displaying “6.50 seconds.”

“6.50 seconds?” Lu Jinrong was astonished. “Impossible. He ran 6.58 seconds at the capital meet. He improved by nearly a tenth of a second?”

A tenth of a second was a huge leap in a 60-meter indoor sprint, especially from a time as fast as 6.58 seconds.

“I also improved from 6.60 to 6.52 at the Quancheng meet,” Lusso said.

Hmm... fair point. Lu Jinrong nodded but then shook his head. Were young sprinters really this fierce now? Lusso was already exceptional, and now Zhang Zhen wouldn’t let him have the spotlight alone?

“The domestic sprint scene is entering an era where a hundred boats race and a thousand sails advance—truly exhilarating!” Guan Zhaoyue mused.

...

As the final stop of the indoor track invitational, the Fengtian meet attracted considerable attention.

Besides senior officials from the General Administration attending the event, reporters from various newspapers nationwide were present, especially those from Liaoning Province’s media outlets, who conducted interviews at the hotel where coaches and athletes stayed.

Upon arriving at the hotel, Lusso was promptly approached by a Liaoning provincial newspaper reporter. The reporter, fond of this handsome athlete, took many photos and asked numerous questions.

“I’m competing in the indoor 60, 200, and 400 meters, and naturally, my goal is to excel,” Lusso explained his plans.

Currently, Lusso and Lu Jinrong sat in the hotel café, being interviewed by the provincial newspaper reporter, while Guan Zhaoyue and Shen Yingying visited their fellow athletes.

“Who do you think poses the greatest competition in these events?” the reporter asked.

“Zhang Zhen from Hubei Province in the 60 meters, Xiao Qiang from Liaoning in the 400 meters, and as for the 200 meters... I have no rivals,” Lusso answered confidently.

“But I heard Pan Kai would be competing in the 200 meters. If you really faced Pan Kai, who’s considered the nation’s top sprinter, would you feel pressured?” the reporter questioned.

Lusso was about to reply when suddenly, a commotion erupted at the hotel entrance.
Several reporters rushed over there.

The reporter interviewing Lusso asked her assistant, “What’s happening over there?”
The assistant whispered something in her ear. Her eyes immediately brightened. She stood and said to Lusso, “Thank you very much for your time. We hope you achieve excellent results in this competition.”

With that, she shook hands with Lusso and Lu Jinrong, then hurried toward the hotel entrance.

Who could it be? Lusso and Lu Jinrong stood and looked toward the crowd.

They saw a young man and a middle-aged man.
The young man was short—somewhat diminutive compared to the generally tall stature common in the northeast. He was handsome, his expression radiating a confident, gleaming pride.

...

Zhang Zhen.

Lusso recognized the familiar young man amidst the crowd.
Alongside him was Dong Zijian.

The two had just entered the hotel and were immediately swarmed by reporters, clearly caught off guard.

...

“Just Zhang Zhen?” Lu Jinrong glanced over and murmured to himself after confirming. “Pan Kai really didn’t come.”

“Li Yan didn’t come either,” Lusso sat back down.

Lu Jinrong went to take a look around and returned to say, “Everyone thought Pan Kai was coming, which is why the crowd gathered. When they saw it was only Zhang Zhen, they were a bit disappointed.”

“Zhang Zhen must be furious,” Lusso chuckled.