Chapter 61: Coach Also Needs Massage
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
"Alright, done!" Dai Li said as he wiped the sweat off his forehead.
"Thanks, coach Li." The athlete who had just enjoyed the massage stood up and shook his arms, looking very satisfied.
"Go have a meal. The cafeteria’s dishes are getting cold." Dai Li turned around and said, "I’ll go wash my hands. Who’s next?"
"It’s me, coach Li. It’s my turn!" somebody rushed immediately.
"Get away. It’s me who’s first! Coach Li, it’s me!" Another person rushed and sat right in front of Dai Li.
Dai Li smiled helplessly. He was used to this already. And there were still 7-8 people in the line.
"Don’t hurry, take your time. Or maybe you can go eat first and come back later?" Li asked.
"No, we are not leaving. What if you leave? Then we have no idea where to go to find you," someone said.
"I’m not leaving. I’ll wait for you," Li said immediately.
"How could we make coach Li wait for us. We’ve been training all day. It’s also a good chance for us to rest, get massaged, and then go get a meal. This way, we’ll hold the chopsticks more stable," somebody said.
Dai Li smiled but said nothing. He focused on the relaxing massage.
They were all walking empirical value to Dai Li. Even though the athletes on the weightlifting team were on different levels, the number was great. If Dai Li could massage all of them, he could gain 70-80 points. If he included the training during the daytime, he could gain more than 100 points every day. It would not be long before he upgraded to the middle level for a sophomore coach.
He began realizing that it was such a good decision he had made to come to the weightlifting team. Although there were also many athletes in the sports university, the athletes in the university were on a different level than the students from the provincial sports team. The latter was more professional and had a greater general ability, which meant more empirical value for Dai Li.
At the same time, Dai Li’s ranking in the athletes was soaring. This special sport meant that the training load was very heavy on athletes, and tested their endurance all the time. With Li’s massage, it was like providing people who were walking in the desert with a full bottle of water. Whenever they were thirsty, they would chug a big mouthful of water and give themselves new hope. Helping someone in need was definitely better than helping someone who was not looking for help. And now, Dai Li was the one who helped athletes who were in need. He never said no to athletes who came for a massage.
Li was doing this just for the empirical value. He was eager to upgrade. However, in the perspective of the athletes, they thought that Li was really selfless to devote his eating and resting time to give massages to everyone. People like him with a very grand moral principle had not been here for almost fifty years.
…
The main coach iof n the weightlifting team, Guangming Song, had a meeting in the provincial sports bureau. It was 30 minutes past the clock-out time. When he passed the gate of the training department, he happened to see Cao coming out of the building and whistling.
It’s Dongshan Cao! The training should have been over half an hour ago. He must have trained overtime if he is only getting out now. He’s quite nice, very talented and hardworking. The only thing is he needs to be successful is time. Guangming Song looked very happy. He was proud of Cao, and asked him, "Cao, did you train overtime? Why did you end so late?"
"Ah, good evening, coach Song." Cao hesitated and said embarrassedly, "No, I didn’t."
"You didn’t? Then why did you come out so late? Why did you stay in the building instead of having your meal and going back to get some rest?" Guangming Song asked.
"I asked coach Li for a massage, which took some time." Cao said.
"Massage? Coach Li? Which coach is that?" Song asked.
"The new coach, Dai Li, who joined last month. His massage techniques are really good. All the fatigue goes away after his massage. Everybody goes to him after training is finished now," Cao said.
The newbie Li? Is he that capable? Song frowned and decided to see for himself.
He walked into the weightlifting training room and was shocked by what he saw. More than ten athletes were standing in a line that looked more managed than the lines in the cafeteria. And at the front of the line, Dai Li was massaging the arm of an athlete.
These people quit their meals just to stand in line and wait for his massage? Don’t they feel hungry after an entire day of training? Did Dai Li cast a spell on them or something? Song found it so unbelievable that he just stood there and observed. The athlete who was enjoying the massage had a very peaceful and joyful expression on his face, as if he was enjoying a spring breeze.
It’s nothing but a massage. They don’t have to be like this! What a short-sighted bunch of people! Song despised the athlete. However, his concerns didn’t go away.
"Coach Song is here!" Everybody looked at him because he had a very high reputation on the team. Even the athlete who was enjoying Li’s massage stood up.
"Li, you are massaging these athletes?" Song put his hands behind his back and walked like a boss.
Li nodded. "Yes. I’ll just play games if I go back to my dormitory. I’d rather stay here and give massages to everyone since I have nothing to do."
"There are a lot of people waiting in line," Song said with a smile, looking at the others.
"They are just being very nice to me." Li smiled shyly and asked carefully, "Coach Song, I think you are also tired after a long day. Maybe I could give you a massage, too?"
I was waiting for that. I’ll see what tricks you are using to confuse them! Song smiled after thinking about it and said, "Sure. Please!"
The athlete who was sitting on the massage chair stood up right away and gave the chair to Song. Song sat on the chair and said, "I had a long meeting in the provincial bureau, and now my shoulders are aching. I sat for a long time today. Li, could you please massage my shoulders?"
"No problem." Dai Li stretched out his hands and began giving another one of his relaxing massages.