Chapter 38: Provincial Team Bi... Big Pot? (First update~)

"Hello, Brother Tao." Three days before the team selection trials, someone returned to the training grounds, causing quite a stir.

Zhou Bing seemed somewhat "afraid" of this person, deliberately avoiding eye contact. When Su Shen glanced over, he immediately realized that this man was, in all likelihood, Zhou Bing's older brother, Zhou Tao. The resemblance between their features made it clear that they shared both parents.

"Your brother is back; aren't you going to say hello?" Su Shen asked Zhou Bing.

"Why bother? I'll just get lectured again. Every time we meet, it’s nothing but criticism. It's so annoying." Hearing this, Su Shen immediately understood the dynamic between the two brothers. It was likely that the older brother was so talented that, once the younger brother stepped onto the same path, he was constantly struggling to keep up with his brother's shadow.

"Avoiding him won't help; you have to face him eventually," Su Shen comforted him. Just then, the man called Zhou Tao noticed them. He frowned and strode over, exuding an imposing air.

Without a second's hesitation, he demanded, "Bing, what is going on with you! Why did you suddenly leave Coach Gou’s group? Do you even want to train anymore?"

Good grief, he didn't care at all that they were in public—a true older brother indeed.

This approach clearly made Zhou Bing feel discouraged. Before the latter could even offer a defense, Zhou Tao continued, "What’s the point of explaining? I don't want to hear it. Go back with me right now, immediately. I’m taking you over to apologize." As he spoke, he muttered to himself, "You really don't let me have a moment of peace. What am I supposed to say? Why can't you just show some ambition?"

Su Shen wanted to intervene, but this was a family matter, and he knew better than to meddle. Besides, Zhou Bing himself wasn't resisting. If the person involved wouldn't stand up for himself, no one else could help him.

Suddenly, Zhou Bing stiffened, planting his feet to stop being dragged along. He whispered, "Brother, I don't want to go back. I'm doing just fine staying with Coach Ning..."

"What did you say? You don't want to go back?" Zhou Tao’s eyes widened, looking as if he were ready to kill. "Coach Gou is the one who brought me into the provincial team! And you're telling me you aren't going back? I’ve already looked into your current coach; there are only three people in that group, and one of them is a girl. Do you think it’s comfortable here because there’s less competitive pressure?"

"Let me tell you, there’s no future following a coach like that. You only have a future with an experienced head coach like Coach Gou." Then, pointing at Su Shen, who had arrived with Zhou Bing, he added, "Look at their head coach’s personnel selection—they just picked someone of this height? They don't even understand the basic optimal range for the sport! What kind of great skill could they possibly have? Hurry up and come with me, don't be so stubborn!"

Typical patriarchal behavior.

Zhou Bing shot Su Shen a look of "weak, pathetic, and helpless." Su Shen knew he couldn't stay on the sidelines any longer. Besides, hearing those words, he was starting to get annoyed.

Leaving aside the fact that Zhou Bing had already stated he didn't want to return... Ning Debao was one of his mentors. Whether in his memories or the present, she had always been nothing but supportive of him. While Zhou Tao could lecture his own brother, and the fact that Su Shen’s physique was outside the optimal range for sprinting was a commonly accepted truth, speaking about Ning Debao in such a way made Su Shen’s opinion of him plummet to the bottom.

In his past life, by the time Su Shen joined the provincial team, Zhou Tao had already been sidelined by injuries. Truth be told, if he hadn't become friends with Zhou Bing, he wouldn't even have a strong impression of Zhou Tao as a provincial team member. But right now, Zhou Tao was in his prime, and having returned to the municipal sports school, his sense of superiority was off the charts.

"Excuse me, Brother Tao, Zhou Bing has already said he doesn't want to go. It’s a new era now; we should respect the individual's wishes," Su Shen said. But the expressions on everyone’s faces as they looked at Su Shen were essentially, "What are you doing?" and "Are you trying to get yourself killed?" It was clear that Zhou Tao was one of the most "formidable" figures in the school, with high prestige and popularity.

"I’m talking to my brother; what does it have to do with you?" Zhou Tao probably didn't have malicious intent; he was just accustomed to his patriarchal role, and as one of the top athletes in the school, he naturally had some arrogance.

"I certainly wouldn't interfere if you were just talking to your brother, but what you just said about me and my coach is wrong, and that I have to address," Su Shen replied. "It’s not right for us to be spoken to like that by someone we don't even know."

"You're quite gutsy, kid. I'm in a bad mood today, so don't provoke me." Although Zhou Tao was tall and had just turned eighteen, in that era, even national-level sprinters possessed a "matchstick" physique. Since Zhou Tao was barely over eighteen and hadn't undergone specialized strength and resistance training, how much muscle could he really have?

Look at Zhang Peimeng, who was 186–187 cm tall but weighed only 78 kg, or the "Spectacled Sprinter" Hu Kai, who was around 182–183 cm and weighed only 80 kg. Based on the physiques of these national-level athletes, Zhou Tao, at eighteen years and one month old, likely weighed no more than 70 kg. Su Shen, currently around 66 kg, had a distribution that made his arms look at least twice as thick as Zhou Tao's.

"I don't think I'm a kid."

Su Shen rolled up his short sleeves. His stance was intimidating, and even Zhou Tao was momentarily speechless upon seeing Su Shen’s muscular arms. Men are naturally more sensitive to signs of wildness and strength than women, and with this display, Su Shen made it clear that Zhou Tao should talk to him properly and stop looking down on people.

"Are you a weightlifter?" Zhou Tao wasn't stupid; he wanted to gauge the situation first. If this were a powerhouse from the weightlifting team, he’d be better off backing down. For ordinary people without professional combat training, even among athletes, raw strength remained the most advantageous hard metric.

"I'm a sprinter," Su Shen said. Immediately, someone behind them shouted, "Brother Tao, he’s the one who broke your record for the fastest graduation from the 'Recruit Camp'!"

"It was you?" Zhou Tao found it hard to believe. Given Su Shen’s height and build, he didn't look like a sprinter at all.

Since it had been brought up, there was no point in being modest. Su Shen nodded and said, "Just a little faster than you."

Was that "a little" faster?

When Zhou Tao arrived, he had already heard the news that someone had graduated from the "Recruit Camp" in just three days—five times faster than he had.

"That’s just the 'Recruit Camp,' nothing to brag about. True ability depends on overcoming strong opponents to improve oneself," Zhou Tao said, feeling his pride wounded. As the original record holder, seeing the new one triggered a natural sense of defiance in the young man. Athletes, in particular, possess a more potent "defiance factor" than the average person.

"Brother Tao, he won the championship at the Pearl River Delta Invitational last time, beating the newcomer Yi Xiaoqiang from Hong Kong." Another person stepped in to provide commentary. He meant well, but Zhou Tao felt like hitting him with a club. *You keep undermining me, and you still have the nerve to call me brother?*

"How old are you?" Zhou Tao’s arrogance dimmed slightly now that he saw Su Shen actually had some achievements. Although Yi Xiaoqiang wasn't on his level, the gap wasn't massive. The key was that Yi Xiaoqiang was a year younger than him. Honestly, once they were in their twenties, he wouldn't have much confidence in beating Yi Xiaoqiang. *And this kid, at fifteen, wiped out someone he considered a rival in the provincial team?*

"Fifteen," Su Shen replied, then added, "That win was mostly luck. Yi Xiaoqiang hadn't fully recovered, and the strong headwind affected him too much, so I luckily managed to counter-attack." Su Shen was being completely honest, not bragging at all, but to the others, it sounded like...

*Fake humility! Humblebragging!*

Even if they didn't have the term "humblebrag" back then, that was exactly what they thought. *And if he was affected by the headwind, don't you think you were affected too? Did you sleep with the God of Wind or something?* This sounded much more arrogant than just straight-up boasting.

Zhou Tao looked at Su Shen again and asked, "What’s your time? Have you broken 11 seconds yet?"

"I haven't broken it in an official race yet. Last time, with a 3.3 m/s headwind, I ran an 11.27," Su Shen said truthfully. He hadn't officially broken the 11-second barrier in a race yet. Back then, athletes didn't use wind-correction formulas. Zhou Tao felt that an 11.27 against a 3.3 m/s headwind wasn't too shabby, but he still subconsciously felt that since Su Shen hadn't broken 11 seconds, he was still within the "normal range." After all, such strong headwinds were rare.

"If you can't break 11 seconds, then work harder. That barrier is the basic certification for whether you can become a professional athlete." Zhou Tao assumed the tone of a senior, and after saying this, he prepared to take Zhou Bing away. However, Su Shen spoke up, asking proactively, "Brother Tao, right? What’s your 100-meter time?"

*You asked me, so it’s only polite for me to ask back.*

Zhou Tao didn't want to answer the kid who hadn't even broken 11 seconds, but the sight of Su Shen's muscular arms made him curb his temper and reveal his result: "My personal best is around 10.60+." This revelation drew gasps from the sports school students. To many of them, provincial team members were on a different level, and a time like that meant he was already striving toward the "National Master Athlete" level.

In reality, Zhou Tao was playing a bit of a trick. He had only run a 10.69 once in training, and he knew himself that it had been significantly assisted by a strong tailwind. His average strength was actually around 10.70+. Even in the 2004 provincial team, that was a lower-tier performance.

The key was... he hadn't shown significant improvement for a long time, and the coaching resources in the provincial team were starting to shift toward others. Competitive sports are cruel; if you improve too slowly, people might value your potential at first, but once they decide you lack the ceiling, you’ll be replaced immediately. There was no time to wait for him forever.

His return this time was partly to "gain more honors." If he couldn't stay in the provincial team, he could at least use his reputation to secure a decent coaching job locally and spend his "later years" in peace.

"10.60+?" Su Shen nodded slightly. "That’s not bad. Keep working hard, and becoming a Master Athlete is within reach."

The room went cold. *Who are you to say that with your time?* Even Zhou Tao couldn't hold it back anymore; if not for Su Shen’s sturdy build, he would have started teaching him a lesson right there.

"In your mouth, 10.60+ is just 'not bad'? I suppose you can reach it then?" Zhou Tao said sarcastically. Su Shen replied, "I plan to do it by sixteen. There's no point in waiting until I'm older to break 10.70."

!!!

Zhou Tao: ...

He couldn't take it anymore and was about to explode when Su Shen suddenly said, "Zhou Bing can probably run under 10.90 now. He’s been training quite hard lately, even if he’s been a bit discouraged these past few days."

"What?" Zhou Tao turned to look at his "unpromising" younger brother, forgetting his anger. "Bing, can you really run under 10.90 now?" If that were true, given that his brother had only turned sixteen last month, his performance wouldn't just be comparable to his own at that age—it would be on par.

"Tian, what are you talking about? I haven't done a maximum speed test recently!" Zhou Bing was shocked, clearly not understanding why Su Shen would say that.

"Then let’s do one today," Su Shen said, smiling at Zhou Bing. "I believe you can do it."

"Give it your best, and let your smug brother know that you’re no worse than him."

Su Shen whispered the last sentence so that only Zhou Bing could hear.