Chapter 237: Beg for Membership
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
During the homestretch of the National Games, the food in the cafeteria was more luxurious than usual.
Today's dishes were very appetizing to Dai Li. The meat dishes were diversified and not too greasy; more importantly, the dishes were lightly flavored, which was consistent with Dai Li's low salt diet. He couldn't help but go back for a second round.
Dai Li placed his cell phone on the table. As he enjoyed his dishes with gusto, he started to watch a hit TV series on the cell phone. Two figures appeared in front of Dai Li and sat opposite him.
The two of them introduced themselves.
"Hello, Coach Li, I'm Chao Zhang."
"I'm Xinhua Zhao."
Dai Li looked up at them. "Hello, I know you're both on the sprint team."
Both of them nodded. Dai Li stopped talking and continued to enjoy the TV show and his dishes.
One never goes to the temple for nothing. Dai Li had vaguely figured out their purpose for visiting. Dai Li ate his meals in the cafeteria every day; no one had ever come to him. Now that the internal test meet had just finished, the two athletes' visit was a reminder to Dai Li of their purpose.
However, Dai Li still pretended not to know why they had come. He didn't ask a question or say a word, just ignored the two athletes directly.
Chao Zhang and Xinhua Zhao made eye contact embarrassedly. At last, Xinhua Zhao started to say, "Coach Li, I'd like to ask you about something."
"What's that?" Dai Li looked up at him.
"Does the relay team still need more people?" Xinhua Zhao continued.
"What makes you ask that? Do you want to join the relay team?" Dai Li asked straightforwardly.
Xinhua Zhao and Chao Zhang's faces were soon beaming with delight, and both of them nodded. "Yes, we want to join the relay team."
Dai Li pressed the pause button on his cell phone, and said, "The registration for the relay team ended more than a month ago. If you want to join the relay team, you have to wait until next time and not miss the registration time again. However, I can't guarantee I'll still be the coach of the relay team next time."
Xinhua Zhao and Chao Zhang were quite embarrassed, but they didn't give up.
Xinhua said pleadingly, "Coach Li, could you make an exception for us and let us join the relay team, please?"
"Nothing can be accomplished without norms or standards. Since the registration time had been specified, the registration has to be performed according to specifications. I guess you've participated in a lot of meets, right? Can athletes still sign up through "exceptions" over a month after the end of the meet's registration?" Dai Li said unreservedly.
"This isn't an official meet," Xinhua Zhao murmured.
"The principles are the same!" Dai Li retorted.
"Coach Li, please just make an exception for us this one time. Both of us like the relay race very much," Chao Zhang said.
Dai Li curled his lip disdainfully. "Since you like the relay race, why didn't you sign up a month ago?"
Dai Li's question caused the two athletes to be dumbfounded immediately.
Xinhua Zhao and Chao Zhang had pinned their hopes on the relay race because they had lost their opportunity to participate in individual events at the National Games. One month ago, the test meet hadn't yet been held, and they still stood a chance to go to the National Games, so naturally, they didn't sign up for the relay team. It was assumed that Dai Li and the two athletes had a tacit understanding of this issue, but Dai Li didn't want these two athletes at all, so he didn't save face for them during the conversation.
Xinhua Zhao was quite angry at Dai Li's rude rejection. He held back his anger and said, "Coach Li, actually, you may also benefit from us being onboard."
"Oh? What benefits? Just tell me," Dai Li asked with interest.
"Both of us are good sprinters, or at least, we're stronger than the current members of the relay team. We're faster than Jialiang Zhang, Yihao Wu, Kenan Shen, and Dong Qian. With us, the results of the relay team will surely improve," Xinhua Zhao said.
Dai Li smiled like he didn't believe a sales pitch from a lousy salesperson. If Xinhua Zhao had said that to him a month ago, Dai Li would have believed him. Now, one month had passed, and the athletes of the relay team had made remarkable progress. Dai Li believed that the current members of the relay team wouldn't lose to Xinhua Zhao, even in individual events.
Dai Li put down his chopsticks and wiped his mouth with a napkin, then said, "I'm quite satisfied with the current level of the relay team. I think they'll be capable of getting through the qualification round after another two months' training, or even less than two months. Okay, I'm full, you two take your time and enjoy the food."
After finishing his words, Dai Li picked up his plate and left without even looking back. Behind him, Xinhua Zhao and Chao Zhang sat there, looking at each other in consternation.
"What should we do? Coach Li refused us." Chao Zhang was very disappointed.
Xinhua Zhao was staring at Dai Li, who was leaving the canteen, malevolently.
"Humph, without athletes like us, he's only dreaming of making it through the qualification round of the National Games with those who are old and weak. In two months, he'll be a joke among the team," Xinhua Zhao said.
...
One month later, another internal test meet was held in the track and field team, and another group of athletes had bad achievements were knocked out again.
Dai Li became popular again. Now, Dai Li was just like the captain in a game. With the label of "captain," he was surrounded by a crowd of players who were begging for him to help them accumulate experience.
Quite a few athletes who were knocked out in the internal test meet hoped to join the relay team, including a very competent athlete on the sprint team, but Dai Li rejected all of them,
Dai Li's decision was a little bit unexpected. The five athletes selected by Dai Li were not competent ones. Ordinarily, Dai Li should welcome the entry of competent athletes with open arms, just like a powerful athlete joining a team was celebrated. However, Dai Li refused everyone who wanted to join the relay team.
A lot of people thought Dai Li was sticking to his principles, while other people thought Dai Li was making an example out of the relay to threaten them. Still others thought Dai Li was a blockhead.
Until the list of athletes going to the National Games was finally determined, Dai Li's lineup for the relay team remained unchanged without any addition or reduction.
The five members of the relay team were, of course, overjoyed. On grounds of their strength, they wouldn't have the chance to participate in the National Games. On the track and field team, a lot of competent athletes had been knocked out, but they could participate in the National Games if they competed in the relay race.
Actually, they hadn't realized that they had made remarkable progress after three months' training, which not only included the relay race. Even their performances in the 100m and 200m sprint were enhanced significantly.
A lot of athletes who had been knocked out in the test meet were envious of the members of the relay team. The feeling of helplessly looking at athletes inferior to them getting on a bus heading to the National Games as onlookers really sucked!
I just don't believe you can enter the official event at the National Games with a team of weaklings!
This Dai Li is too arrogant. When you have to face the music, you will regret rejecting my entry.
From the windows of the dormitory building, many resentful eyes were looking at the receding bus, and Dai Li was constantly cursed in the minds of those resentful losers.