Chapter 249: Regretful People
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Weidong Chu looked at his colleagues celebrating at the end of the track, then pinched himself in the arm hard. When he felt the pain, he murmured, "We really won!"
Before, Weidong Chu had been grasping at straws when he had accepted Dai Li's suggestions and decided to let the athletes practice for the relay race specifically. After all, the sprinters' individual ability on the team hadn't been good enough for them to achieve a great performance in the National Games.
After the "reporting" fiasco, it had become harder to build a team, especially after Dai Li had been given a bunch of average athletes. Weidong Chu hadn't had any confidence in the relay team.
Winning first place had really impressed Weidong Chu. He had never thought they would win a gold medal. But now that they had already won first place, Weidong Chu couldn't believe it. It felt like a dream.
A relay race gold medal. They won first place! Weidong Chu couldn't help feeling excited.
Even though an individual medal was equivalent to a group medal, the value of a group medal meant more. A group gold medal was a group achievement, and could be bragged about in your resume. In comparison, individual achievements were not that great when put on a resume.
In the official summary, especially the report you wrote to your boss, you could write about how great the group was, and how wonderful your scores were. However, the same words couldn't be used to describe an individual, even if the person you were referring to had won a dozen Olympic gold medals.
There weren't many group events in track and field. The 4x100m relay race was obviously one of the most popular events that attracted an audience. Weidong Chu was already picturing the scene where he was being awarded by his boss.
The National Games were, after all, the Olympics for the personnel system. For those who were in leadership positions like Weidong Chu, this medal represented his outstanding achievement, and could even be his opportunity for a brighter future.
It's a sure thing! Now that we've got the gold medal, our track and field team will be having a good time next year! Wedong Chu looked at Dai Li as he thought this to himself.
"All the credit goes to Dai Li! He really made a great achievement, and we should award him when we go back!"
Thinking about awards, Weidong Chu frowned. He couldn't think of anything to award Dai Li with.
"It should be enough letting him be the leader of the sprint team! But he will not stay on the team for long. He'll probably go back to the national team soon. This team leader title won't mean a lot to him, so he probably won't take it seriously."
"What about another bonus? The bonus of this National Games isn't too much, but the welfare is good. Even though we gave Dai Li 8,000 yuan, it isn't enough. 8,000 yuan is not a lot of money right now."
Weidong Chu put his face in his hands: "We can't offer him a position or give him money, so what should we do? It's a tough job!"
The next second, Weidong Chu suddenly remembered something. He hesitated for a few seconds, then made up his mind.
"Well, let Dai Li have the opportunity to go to the USA! This is a unique opportunity, even for a coach on the national team!"
…
In the dining hall of the Hanbei track and field team, the athletes gathered together and looked at the television hanging on the wall. The national 4x100m relay race was live on the TV.
When they race started, the athletes sitting in the dining hall were so excited that they couldn't help yelling and shouting. Although they were millions of meters away from the track, they still shouted as loud as possible as if they were in the stadium.
"Dong Qian, hold on! You have to hold on!"
When Jun Xie and Sijie Yang were about to catch Dong Qian, everyone was nervous.
"We won! Dong Qian was the first one to cross the finish line! We won!"
Shouting and applause suddenly broke out at that moment. The sound of celebrating lasted for more than one minute, but the athletes didn't leave. They were still staring at the screen, looking forward to the upcoming awarding ceremony.
"They're coming out!"
As can be seen on the screen, all the 12 winners walked to the podium in three groups.
"Look at Jialiang Zhang, he looks lost. Is this his first time being on the stage? He looks terrified."
"Yihao Wu is waving at us!"
"He's waving at the camera, not us!"
"I am sure he is waving at us. Yihao Wu knows that we are watching him on TV."
"Look at Dong Qian. He is so happy that his front teeth are going to fall out from smiling so much."
"Why are Shen's eyes red? Did he just cry?"
"He definitely cried. Kenan Shen is 30 years old; how could he not cry standing on the winning stage of the National Games? If I were him I would cry too."
"Now that Shen got a gold medal, he won't have any regrets when he retires."
"Absolutely. Getting a gold medal in the National Games and retiring with glory. The bureau will offer him a decent job for sure. Maybe if the boss is happy he will offer him a really nice position, and he won't have to worry about his retirement."
"Yihao Wu, too. I figure he will be the key target of training in our team when he comes back."
"Of course, that's for sure."
"I say Wenqiang Wang is the luckiest since he's just a substitute. He never took part in the big competitions, but he is on the list of names for the relay team. Wenqiang Wang will be sharing the credit later."
"That's right. Lucky Wenqiang Wang. Hey, would I get the gold medal for the relay team if I they switched me with him?" someone joked.
"What if I had signed up when the relay team was recruiting. I might be the one standing on the stage reaping the rewards now!" Someone looked regretful.
When Kun Shen heard all the discussion, he felt even worse.
"Ah, if I know they could get the gold medal earlier, I would have joined the relay team. How could I let this marvelous opportunity pass?"
Kun Shen looked regretful. If there was a time machine, he definitely would have joined the relay team. Tingshan Chen and Yueyang Zhu also felt a sense of regret. Actually, they had already regretted everything when the relay team had made it to the final, and that was why they had tried to frame Dai Li.
But back then they didn't think the relay team would have won first place. They had only thought they were fighting to attend the National Games.
When they saw their four teammates standing in the middle of the stage wearing gold medals around their necks, they felt nothing but regret and sorrow.
"When the relay team was being assembled, they wanted us to be on the team! If we hadn't 'reported' them and just listened to what they had said, we would be standing on the stage right now on TV." Yueyang Zhu sighed, lowering his head. "I think I missed the best shot I had in my entire life! And I am the one who gave it away to other people…"
Not far away, Guodong Li touched Baojun Sha's shoulder tenderly.
"Baojun Sha, I think we made a mistake! We shouldn't have competed against Dai Li. It is all our fault."