Wang Chuqin quite liked the city of Macau. The towering shop signs and tangled power lines lining the streets gave it the retro feel of a classic Hong Kong film. With its Gothic-style architecture, colorful outer walls, towering palm trees visible at every turn, and bustling crowds, it possessed a romantic charm that felt simultaneously exotic and vibrantly down-to-earth.
A little over a year ago, during their months-long closed training camp there, the members of the Chinese National Table Tennis Team had spent most of their time confined to the hotel, barely getting a chance to experience Macau's unique local flavor. To help the players relieve the stress and tension they had carried since the Tokyo Olympics and the World Table Tennis Championships, the coaching staff accepted an event invitation from the organizers to interact with fans in front of Macau's iconic landmark, the Ruins of St. Paul's.
Seeing Shasha standing next to another male teammate for photos and interacting with others, Wang Chuqin wore an expression of profound grievance. Why was it fine for Shasha to take pictures with anyone else, while he merely posted a mixed doubles photo and got slapped with a penalty review to write? Why was Shasha smiling so happily anyway? What was so funny? And why was Shasha playing mixed doubles with someone else and interacting with the fans? Shouldn't it have been him? They had just won the mixed doubles championship! Why wasn't Shasha talking to him? He had been looking…
Chapter 126