Love is as simple as badminton.

Chapter 23 The Spear of the Republic

"Meow meow."

Nobita's shout brought the three of them back to reality.

The kitten, its large, cotton-candy-like tail held high, darted into the warehouse, deliberately avoiding the sports field.

She stopped in front of a cat cage, stretched out her little pink paw, and expertly pulled up the latch to open the cage door.

"Mimi~"

The two white kittens in the cage opened their sleepy eyes.

Da Xiong skillfully lay down and fed the two kittens milk.

At this moment, the eldest, who had finished eating first, tried to sneak out; Da Xiong was not in a hurry. After feeding the second one, he slowly walked out of the cage, picked up the eldest, and carried it back. Then, he closed the cage door with the same ease.

Lin Xiang and Shi Yuqi blinked, both looking on with curiosity.

What a smart baby!

Last year, in order to facilitate more refined management, the Pet Association split into three independent clubs: "Good Old Home" which manages the school cats, "Paw Patrol" which manages the school dogs, and "Hsiang University Ecological Association" which manages its small animals.

This is the logistics warehouse and care center of the Good Old Age Home.

Seeing that there was a lot of usable space, I impulsively laid out a court, but I haven't figured out how to use it yet.

Since you have a need for it, this will come in handy.

Grandpa Wang squinted his eyes and waved his palm-leaf fan leisurely, exuding the air of a behind-the-scenes big shot.

Shi Yuqi opened her small mouth, a vague guess forming in her mind: "So you are...?"

"Wang Tianmao, the husband of Li Huiqing, the dormitory manager of Building 3, Haihua Garden, and also the advisor of the Haomao Family."

He rubbed his bald head, which was as smooth as a braised egg, and chuckled.

"Actually, I'm not the dorm manager. I just often visit my partner's place, so you guys mistake me for the dorm manager."

Shi Yuqi's face lit up with sudden realization: "Yueyue mentioned Teacher Wang to me a couple of times, so it's you!"

"Keep a low profile, keep a low profile."

Wang Tianmao had the calm demeanor of a hermit, but the corners of his mouth couldn't help but turn up.

"What did she say about me?"

"Uh, do you really want to hear it?"

"Please feel free to speak."

"She said that Teacher Wang is unreliable and elusive, and even though he has become the president of the club, she has never seen you many times."

"..."

Wang Tianmao squatted down to pet the cat, trying to hide his embarrassment.

Lin Xiang's mind was elsewhere: he noticed several old photos hanging on the wall behind the cardboard box, the contents of which unexpectedly matched some scenes deep in his memory, and the more he looked at them, the more familiar they became.

"Teacher Wang, may I come over and take a look?"

"Okay, but be careful not to bump or knock anything over."

So Lin Xiang approached the photo frame—the photo showed a spirited young man in an award ceremony uniform, smiling at the camera and gently biting the World Championship gold medal, the highest honor in badminton, with his teeth.

Although the photo is now blurry and faded, Lin Xiang would never mistake the outline of that gold medal.

At this moment, the boy in the photo overlaps with the old man in front of him. Their eyes, piercing through decades of time, still burn with undiminished ambition.

"You are Wang Tianmao, the champion of the third World Badminton Championships, known as the 'Spear of the Republic'?"

Lin Xiang's eyes were filled with shock.

"The Spear of the Republic? It's been a long time since anyone called me that."

Wang Tianmao leisurely waved his palm-leaf fan, nodding up and down, but his expression was clearly smug.

"You're missing a prefix: the first Asian to win gold at the World Championships. Remember to add it next time!"

Shi Yuqi covered her mouth, unable to speak.

The World Badminton Championships were originally held every two years, but from the tenth edition onwards, it was changed to three times every four years, and it is not held during the Olympics. To date, it has been held more than thirty times.

Fans in the new century rarely pay attention to the conflicts of the past, but the charm of legends can always transcend time and space.

As a seasoned enthusiast, Shi Yuqi naturally knows the story of the "Spear of the Republic": in her first and only appearance at the World Championships, she defeated the top four seeds 2-0 in a row, representing the yellow race and standing at the pinnacle of the world badminton arena.

The story then took a bitter turn: Wang Tianmao unfortunately won silver in the World Championships final the following year, also due to injury.

This was the final match for the Republic's Spear, after which he chose to retire.

However, as a coach, he was still active in the national team and even various provincial teams for a period of time, training many outstanding players and laying the foundation for China's dominance in the world badminton arena.

He gradually faded from public view when he suddenly stopped coaching and attending any commercial events more than a decade ago.

I never expected him to come to Xiangda University! And he's even the advisor for the campus cat club!

Who could have guessed that? Even though Shi Yuqi had heard the name twice before, she still thought it was just a coincidence!

"I know you too, Lin Xiang from Huai City No. 1 Middle School in Shanxi Province."

Wang Tianmao smiled and put down his palm-leaf fan.

"He showed amazing talent and extraordinary self-discipline from a young age, sweeping away countless top players in competitions big and small, but he didn't follow the professional training path like them. Hmm—your former coach, Li Jing, was my teammate in the provincial team."

"So you know Instructor Li."

Lin Xiang paused for a moment, then bowed in greeting.

"So the reason you're willing to provide us with training facilities is actually because..."

"No, don't flatter yourself."

Wang Tianmao laughed heartily and started fanning himself with a palm-leaf fan.

"I have a rather eccentric personality, and I often do inexplicable things for inexplicable reasons."

They offered me very tempting terms to keep me. But what good are ten thousand coins to me if my mind isn't aligned with theirs?

I have a question for you: Did you agree to coach Qiqi because she has a great talent for badminton?

"The senior's talent is just average."

Lin Xiang answered calmly.

"But I admire my senior's passion. Even if she has little talent, I'm willing to practice with her."

Shi Yuqi pursed her lips, feeling both amused and exasperated.

Thank you, but I would be even happier if you could give me a compliment that you don't really mean...

"And you, Qiqi?"

Wang Tianmao then looked at the girl, "Is it because Lin Xiang is strong that you sought his guidance, and even assisted him in his training?"

"No, not really."

Shi Yuqi tilted her head slightly, her voice gentle.

"My junior doesn't look down on me for playing poorly; he always takes my seriousness seriously. I'm very happy practicing with him."

Lin Xiang turned his head and glanced at his senior.

Wang Tianmao smiled and waved his palm-leaf fan: "What happened today is actually the same. I wasn't asked to do this by anyone, nor was I eager to acquire talent; I simply admired your character."

"Okay, we understand."

Lin Xiang bowed again, "Thank you, Teacher Wang, for your willingness to help us."

"It's not so much about helping out. This place needs someone to look after it anyway, and you two young people are much better than an old man like me."

You guys come here to practice your ball skills and check on the cats, and I can sleep in a little longer. It's a win-win situation, haha.

Wang Tianmao waved his hand.

"However, the ceiling is still a bit low, so it's not possible to practice high clears and lobs with extremely high arcs, which is a bit of a limitation."

Lin Xiang nodded: "It's alright, it's enough."

These two techniques are rarely used in actual combat anyway, so we can find an opportunity to practice them intensively at the gym. It shouldn't be a big problem.

A court, plus a height of seven or eight meters, is enough to practice most badminton techniques.

More importantly, although the warehouse is a bit far from Jinghua Garden, it is much closer to Yuehua Garden, so the senior student no longer has to get up early to commute.

pretty good.

"From now on, you can just open the door directly."

Wang Tianmao handed the key to Shi Yuqi, then gave Lin Xiang a meaningful look.

"As for Xiao Xiang, are you free tonight? Let's talk privately. Hmm, this is indeed something Old Li asked me to do."

"……OK."

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