Liu Dong had seriously prepared before running, with a textbook-perfect starting stance for the 100 meters.
So when the gunshot sounded, he burst forth with power!
In the blink of an eye, Liu Dong accelerated to his maximum speed, his legs powerfully propelling him forward with a strong sprinting force that sent him shooting along the track like an arrow released from a bow—practically a man who was the wind itself!
Then, he saw Wang Hao surge forward with rocket-like speed, passing him by, exceeding him by two meters, by five meters...
"What the heck?!" Liu Dong’s jaw nearly dropped in shock!
With his current speed, he could possibly break into under ten seconds for the 100 meters, approaching a national record! But how could Wang Hao be so fast?! And with such an amateur starting stance?!
As Liu Dong was doubting life itself, on the other side, Wang Hao was also dumbfounded!
Holy crap, even faster!
No freaking way, I must slow down!
Wang Hao kept screaming in his mind, "Damn it all," but it wasn’t his fault. Anyone hitting sub-ten seconds for the 100 meters at eighty percent effort would probably say the same...
This wasn’t something that could be simply explained by being a little bit fit. He had to slow down! Slow down!
Thinking this, Wang Hao quickly reduced his power by another five percent... Okay, this was good enough, just pull Liu Dong by about two meters or so, right? How hard could it be?
Soon he dashed past the finish line, and the referee blew the whistle at the same time.
"Mr. Wang Hao, 100 meters time, ten seconds one-one! Mr. Liu Dong, 100 meters time, ten seconds three-two!"
It was a new record! Liu Dong’s three-year record was actually broken!
After a brief silence at the venue, it instantly erupted into chaos!
"Ten seconds one-one! My goodness, that’s nearing national-level sprinter performance!"
"So amazing! Directly broke the record held by Liu Dong for three years!"
"Hey, I’ve just realized he’s actually quite handsome too!"
Even the fitness coach Zhang Deming was stunned: "No way, that fast?!" After all, he had retired from the national team, but he had never seen anyone run this damn well!
The bystanders unaware of the truth were buzzing with discussion, and both Feifei and Taozi were also flabbergasted!
What’s going on? Just like that, casually breaking Liu Dong’s record? Ten seconds one-one! With a bit of proper training, this could be Olympic level!
"Jiangjiang! I wasn’t seeing things just now, was I?!" Feifei, clutching Jiang Huanyu’s arm, shook it vigorously: "That’s too incredible! The Master is simply unbeatable!"
What’s this? This guy has done even more badass things; the Bedsheet Hero that went viral over the internet these past few days? That’s him, hehe, you all don’t have a clue, do you? But I do!
Suddenly, Jiangjiang felt incredibly proud, didn’t she?!
While everyone else was shocked, Wang Hao was feeling quite relieved.
Ten seconds flat! Phew, that’s a relief; at least it’s somewhat reasonable. I was scared to death just now...
Wang Hao kept wiping the cold sweat off his forehead!
If he’d run a hundred meters in eight seconds, he definitely would’ve been snatched up by the Non-human Research Center for all sorts of tests. How could he then happily go shopping? How could he go on lovely dates with Ice Princess, smooching away? And how could he go around showing off? What’s the difference between a life without bragging and a salted fish?
"Th-this... what in the world happened just now?!" Liu Dong stuttered as he looked at Wang Hao, shivering as he spoke.
"Ah, that was, well," Wang Hao scratched his head and let out a laugh, quickly changing the subject: "just broke a record, oh well, can’t help it, it’s talent, haha, talent..."
"Right, right, talent," Liu Dong suddenly got excited upon hearing this, his demeanor changing quickly: "Yeah, talent, winning with that isn’t much. I mean, it’s only natural for people with good talent to run a bit faster in the hundred meters. But let’s not compare that; let’s compete in something more technical. Young man, can you play table tennis? Let me, your elder brother, give you a few tips?"
Table tennis? Hmm, that does require good eyesight and quick reactions.
I mean, with you being so passionate, it’d be rude for me to refuse, right?
"Sure," Wang Hao nodded vigorously: "So we’re playing table tennis?"
"Let’s go, let’s go, table tennis it is!" Liu Dong turned on his heel and marched off, determined to regain his honor in table tennis after his setback in the hundred meters.
"Are they going to play table tennis now?" Feifei looked at Jiang Huanyu and whispered: "Master must be pretty amazing, being able to play table tennis. He must be really good, right?"
To be honest, Jiangjiang really couldn’t say for sure; after all, table tennis requires technical skill, especially since Liu Dong had once vaguely mentioned while trying to cozy up to her that he seemed to be an amateur member of the national team. In plain terms, he had acted as a sparring partner for national champions, so his skills definitely weren’t lacking.
"It should be fine," Jiangjiang wasn’t completely sure, but she was optimistic: "Of course, since Master has accepted the challenge, he must be confident!"
So, a large group of people headed over to the table tennis table, gathering around to watch.
"Hey, young man, let’s just say the stuff before was warm-up. Now that we’re playing table tennis, I’ve got to play seriously," Liu Dong brought out a pair of paddles, tossed one to Wang Hao, and said: "Since we’re playing, we’ve got to have some stakes, right?"
"Sure," Wang Hao said as he bounced the paddle in his hand, feeling good about it: "What do you want to bet?"
"Push-ups!" Liu Dong slammed the decision down without hesitation: "Let’s bet on push-ups! Ten for every point!"
"Oh, that’s fine," Wang Hao nodded his agreement at once: "Ten push-ups per point, right?"
"Right! Ten per point!"
Having said this, Liu Dong was almost bursting with joy inside!
This bumpkin, he has no idea what I’m about! Former national table tennis team champion’s practice partner, I might not boast about winning international awards, but crushing average Joes in China is just too easy!
How dare this chap accept! Just watch how you’ll be so tired of push-ups that you’ll puke!
"Betting on push-ups? That’s cool, that’s cool!"
"There’ll be a show to watch when the time comes, I hear it’s ten push-ups per point!"
"Damn, won’t that Wang Hao end up puking from doing push-ups?"
Everyone who frequently comes to Golden Sand knows how badass Liu Dong is at table tennis. When they heard there was a bet, they immediately crowded around.
In fact, sports competitions aren’t that interesting on their own, but they can’t resist a bet! Why else would betting on games be so popular?
As soon as the news spread, a lot of people started placing bets: "Place your bets now! Odds are three to one for Liu Dong winning, and one to three for Wang Hao winning! Anyone playing?"
The crowd responded with enthusiasm, as it was a high-class fitness center, and nearly everyone who could be there was No Shortage of Money: "Yes, yes! I bet on Liu Dong to win, five hundred!" "I bet on Liu Dong, three hundred!" "I bet on Liu Dong, one thousand!"
While people were busily placing their bets, there came a contrarian in the crowd: "I bet on Wang Hao to win, one thousand!"
The surrounding crowd fell silent instantly, turning to look at him.
"Don’t look at me like that, just showing some moral support, you know..." And then he added: "And while we’re at it, let me put down another nine thousand on Liu Dong winning!"