Chapter Forty: The Gold Medal

Now, a gold medal, not particularly heavy, was hung around Rousseau’s neck. Rousseau suspected it might only be gold-plated...

Then the graceful hostess pressed a bouquet of fresh flowers into his hands.

Countless reporters’ cameras turned toward Rousseau.

The cheers grew even louder.

In this moment, Rousseau was the center of the entire Galactic Stadium.

His heart, however, had already calmed. He had the time and energy to observe his surroundings.

He noticed, on the podium a step lower and a head shorter than him, Tian Shiwei was fiddling with his own silver medal, his face full of regret.

“You actually performed very well,” Rousseau said, patting Tian Shiwei on the shoulder.

Indeed, Rousseau had only managed to win by 0.01 seconds after successfully anticipating the start and daring to use the ‘double burst’ technique. Tian Shiwei’s true ability in the 100-meter event was truly astonishing.

“Don’t get cocky!” Tian Shiwei snapped, swatting Rousseau’s hand away. “The gold medal was supposed to be mine! You were just lucky!”

“Luck is also part of success,” Rousseau replied with a cheerful smile. The victor’s words are always right; now his heart was boundlessly generous.

“And you trained more than I did.” Tian Shiwei gazed at Rousseau and admitted, “You really did work harder than me, I have to acknowledge that.”

It seemed Tian Shiwei realized that perhaps the extra training he once thought unnecessary, the early mornings and late nights, were what had put Rousseau on the champion’s podium.

What a remarkable and profound realization… Seeing the clarity and determination in Tian Shiwei’s eyes, Rousseau felt that perhaps the competition between them was only just beginning.

...

After the award ceremony.

Rousseau gave an interview to Pengcheng Television.

For the first time, being the focal point before the camera, Rousseau couldn’t help but feel nervous, so viewers saw a young man who was utterly serious, without the slightest hint of a smile.

The female reporter asked, “With today’s achievement, who would you like to thank?”

“First, I have to thank my coach and my teammates—they’ve given me a lot of support. And most importantly, I want to thank my little sister. If I hadn’t been thinking of her all this time, I wouldn’t be standing on the podium today...”

A standard, modest answer.

But when the interview ended, Rousseau was so nervous he was sweating.

The provincial TV reporter watched the beads of sweat glimmering on Rousseau’s dark skin beneath the sunlight, imagining that before her stood a healthy, beautiful black panther. She couldn’t help but smile at the sight of something so pleasing.

“Could I have your autograph?” The reporter produced a small notebook.

“Is this… part of the interview?” Rousseau glanced at the camera.

“No, it’s purely a personal request. I believe your autograph will be worth a lot someday—consider this an early investment.” The reporter smiled.

Only then did Rousseau notice how lovely she was when she smiled—her eyes curved, her teeth small and white, her whole appearance delicate and petite, like a sparrow that could dance on the palm of one’s hand.

As he studied her face and met her bright gaze, Rousseau felt his cheeks flush. Luckily, his complexion concealed it, so he bowed his head and wrote his name in the notebook she handed him.

“Please write, ‘To Ai Bing,’” the reporter said.

When Rousseau finished, the reporter named Ai Bing wrote a string of numbers on the second page, tore it out, slipped it into his hand, and made a ‘call me’ gesture before leaving.

Staring at her retreating figure, Rousseau held the slip of paper, dazed for a moment.

Until a voice sounded beside his ear: “Well, still savoring the moment, are you?”

Rousseau turned in surprise and saw Tian Shiwei. More importantly, standing next to Tian Shiwei was Juno.

“Ah, Juno, what are you doing here? Is your event over?” Rousseau exclaimed.

“Not yet. I heard you broke the record, so I came to congratulate you, but then—” Juno mimicked Ai Bing’s earlier gesture, grinning at Rousseau without a word.

“Call me!” Tian Shiwei snickered.

Rousseau’s face turned bright red; this time, not even his dark skin could hide it.

Juno had just come to congratulate him, then returned to prepare for the women’s high jump final, which was about to begin. Having already broken the provincial games record, Juno was expected to easily take the gold medal.

Tian Shiwei also had to prepare for the 200-meter final. Yes, he’d made the final in that event as well. Though his advantage wasn’t as great as in the 100 meters, he still had a chance to medal.

An hour later, Rousseau heard the news that Juno had won the women’s high jump gold at the provincial games.

Three hours later, Rousseau learned that Tian Shiwei had taken silver in the men’s 200-meter sprint.

Today, the provincial sprint team had claimed one gold and two silvers—a bountiful harvest.

On the return bus, Coach Lu Jinrong’s excitement was obvious, but there was no room for relaxation yet, as the 4x100 meter relay still awaited.

Although the Pengcheng provincial team had secured both gold and silver in the 100 meters—meaning the two fastest sprinters in the province were on their team—the 4x100 required not only speed, but also teamwork, so they couldn’t slack off.

Since there were fewer teams in the relay, the heats would be tomorrow and the final the day after; the outcome would be decided in two days. Any celebration could wait until then.

Coach Lu Jinrong had long since decided on his relay lineup, and today’s 100-meter results left no doubt.

On the return bus, Lu Jinrong announced the 4x100 team: Rousseau on first leg, Shen Peng second, Xu Taiming third, and Tian Shiwei as anchor.

It was an arrangement no one could question.

Rousseau was fast and excelled at starts and mental games, but his baton passing needed work, so he was assigned the first leg, which only required handing off the baton. Tian Shiwei, also fast and skilled at exchanges, would run the crucial anchor leg.

Previously, with Tian Shiwei as the team’s ‘thigh’—their ace—everyone fantasized about being carried to victory. Now, with Rousseau as a second ‘thigh,’ the team was poised to soar.

Rousseau noticed that, after announcing the lineup, Coach Lu Jinrong gave Lin Lishuo a pat on the shoulder as he passed, as if to express something...

Yes, by ability, Lin Lishuo should have run third, so why had Xu Taiming been chosen instead?

Rousseau shook his head, pulling his attention away from the coach and teammates, and gazed out the window at the deepening night. The light illuminated his face, reflected in the glass, and revealed a new notification in his status bar:

‘For breaking the Nanyue Provincial Games 100-meter sprint record, you have gained the skill: Acceleration.’

‘For winning your first official race and defeating Tian Shiwei, you have earned two attribute points to allocate.’

Ah, that’s fair. Winning the race and beating Tian Shiwei were counted separately.

Rousseau looked happily at his new skill and the two unassigned attribute points.