"Why are you asking for leave?" Ma Long asked.
"I want to go see Shasha," Wang Datou replied.
"You're still going? Didn't she throw away the flowers you bought her last time? Didn't she have you... uh... escorted out of the... hospital?"
Ma Long couldn't bring himself to say: you already got thrown out by security, how do you even have the nerve to run back and subject yourself to being unwelcome?
"It was my fault last time, for forcing her to forgive me." Wang Datou now understood that Shasha's true intention was not to drag him down, but to hope he could live a better life.
"I won't be impulsive this time. I'll listen to everything she says. I want to talk to her again and go apologize to her."
Captain Long shook his head helplessly. Great, judging by all that talk, he thought Wang Datou had finally figured things out, but it turned out his simp and love-brain levels had upgraded yet again.
"If apologies worked, Sun Yingsha would have forgiven you long ago. Datou, you aren't planning to pull some crazy stunt again, are you? I'm telling you, self-harm or threats are completely out of the question..."
"Where is your mind at, Brother Long?" Wang Chuqin gave his good older brother a speechless look. Was he really that childish and immature?
"I just want to go see her... Manyu said yesterday that her condition is very bad. After getting seven nerve-blocking injections half a year ago, combined with the strain on her right wrist, her recovery might be extremely difficult..."
Ma Long fell silent for a moment. Of course he knew about Sun Yingsha getting those injections, but the little girl had made him promise not to tell Datou.
She was afraid it would affect his mindset during matches, afraid he would be distracted by worrying about her when stepping onto the court, and afraid that a lack of full trust in her would cause him the slightest hesitation. In major world tournament matches, even the tiniest mental imbalance could lead to a total rout—especially in mixed doubles, where trust in one's partner heavily impacts tactical execution. She would never allow such a thing to happen.
Ma Long understood the experience of injury and illness better than anyone. He was the one who had made a desperate gamble and received nerve-blocking injections right before the Tokyo Olympics, leaving behind severe sequelae that later forced him to undergo major surgery.
The pain after those injections, the internal pressure of playing through injury, and the gloomy, powerless feeling during the long post-surgery recovery process were truly difficult times to get through.
Yet he had heard from Xiao Yang and Brother Qiu that Sun Yingsha was recovering quite well, and he had assumed the little girl was relatively lucky. He never imagined it was actually this serious.
Could it be that Xiao Yang and the others were also afraid the General Administration of Sport might give up on Sun Yingsha, and thus chose to hide the truth?
"Then go. It's good if you go see her. I'll give you a week off. This is the attending physician from when I was treated there. I'll write him an email to see if he can help."
Ma Long patted Wang Chuqin's shoulder, pulled a string of numbers from his phone, and sent them to him. "Don't lose heart. You have to pull yourself together."
No matter what, as long as he, Ma Long, was at the bureau, he would take good care of these two kids. Whenever Sun Yingsha finished recovering, she would return to the team, and her positions as women's team captain and core player would still belong to her.
He would never give up on any teammate who had fought for the Chinese National Table Tennis Team, shed blood and sweat, and given their all. This was his inner promise as both head coach and their big brother.
Wang Chuqin let out a soft "Mn." "About that CCTV program..."
Ma Long waved his hand with an "I get it" expression. Because Datou and Shasha received too much attention, they had never liked participating in variety shows or similar activities, let alone now when the two of them had fallen out to this extent—how could they possibly be in the mood?
"Chairman Liu seemed to have gone to ask for Sun Yingsha's opinion, and she refused. So I think we should just drop this matter. I'll go talk to the people at CCTV..." Ma Long said.
After all, looking at the planning proposal, most of the protagonists in the first volume were veterans like them, while the focus of the second volume was precisely on current core players like Datou and Shasha.
Furthermore, if CCTV wanted to film this show, the biggest driving force and highlight would likely be this athletic CP who could rival top entertainment celebrities. If the two of them didn't participate, the CCTV production team would feel there was no point.
"No, Brother Long, I'm willing to participate. As for Shasha, I'll go talk to her again. I think she might agree..."
Wang Datou had other ideas in mind. Last night, he had flipped through the sections about them in the program proposal booklet; the volume was substantial, and the preparation period plus filming would likely take a good half year. That would give him the opportunity to see Shasha and spend time alone with her.
Over such a long period of time, any turning point could happen.
He didn't believe that if Shasha faced him every day, she could remain so cold-hearted. He was going to use his results to prove to her that he hadn't made sacrifices, that his heart could hold both competition and her, that he could accompany her while also playing well—and even better.
She was not a shackle, but his natural stimulant and source of strength; he would win the world, and he would win her.
Ma Long hadn't expected him to take this matter so seriously, as he had originally planned to politely decline CCTV's offer. However, seeing the sparkling, bright look in Datou's eyes, the young man knew he must be plotting something.
He didn't expose him. Anyway, as long as it didn't affect the competition—and perhaps this matter could even spark an atmosphere of players actively expressing themselves—it wasn't a bad thing.
"Then go talk to Sun Yingsha. If she doesn't agree, absolutely don't pressure her. Also, you must ask the doctor; if this affects her recovery, that won't do either."
"Don't worry, Brother Long, I know my limits." Wang Chuqin spun the table tennis paddle in his hand.
Shasha would agree, a voice inside him firmly said.