Wang Chuqin

Hangzhou.

This time, the Chinese national table tennis team's Asian Games contingent was ready to make a powerful impact. Looking at Hangzhou, which had undergone a complete makeover for the Asian Games, the athletes couldn't help but marvel. It wasn't that they were inexperienced; it was simply that Hangzhou’s extravagance was overwhelming.

Everyone gathered in small groups, debating whether to head out for a stroll. Although they were there to compete, pre-match relaxation was crucial. Duan Nanzhou had just finished making plans with a few teammates from the women's team to explore the city when she received an invitation from her boyfriend:

"Baby, Long-ge and I are going to get haircuts tonight. Do you want to come along?"

"I don't need to. You guys go ahead; I’m going shopping with Shasha and the others."

Duan Nanzhou exchanged a look with Sun Yingsha, and they both nodded firmly. Although Wang Chuqin knew it was unlikely they would go together, he still felt that his girlfriend had abandoned him a bit too quickly—without a shred of hesitation. It was truly heartbreaking!

Ever since they reconciled after their last long "Cold War," Wang Chuqin had become increasingly clingy, evolving from "Wang the Staring Machine" to "Wang the Perpetual Staring Machine." Now, he even had to ask before getting a haircut, even though Duan Nanzhou had just trimmed her own hair before arriving.

Meanwhile, Ma Long, whom Wang Chuqin had enthusiastically invited to the barbershop, suddenly felt like he was nothing more than a backup option.

"Long-ge, let's go!" Sure enough, having been rejected, Wang Chuqin turned straight to Ma Long without the slightest hesitation.

Ma Long thought to himself: *Confirmed. I am just a backup.*

At that moment, neither Duan Nanzhou nor Wang Chuqin could have foreseen the "tragedy" that would unfold a few hours later. Everyone set off in high spirits.

By the time Duan Nanzhou and the women's team returned, happy and full after their shopping and dining trip, they were nearly scolded by a worried Ma Lin. He only let them off after seeing their sincere attitude toward their mistake.

Ma Lin thought: *These girls are so carefree, running out so late before a match. If it had been those boys on the men's team, he would have given them an earful!*

As for those boys on the men's team, they were currently busy mocking the newly "bowl-cut" Wang Chuqin.

"Hahahahahaha..."

The laughter in the men’s dormitory never ceased. Wang Chuqin, however, didn't care about their ridicule at all; he only stared resentfully at his dear Long-ge.

Ma Long, under that gaze, looked everywhere but at Wang Chuqin. He was afraid that if they made eye contact, the notoriously tear-prone Wang Chuqin would start performing a "man's tears" routine for him. But he couldn't be blamed, right? He had simply cut his losses! And it wasn't like *he* was the one who had cut the hair!

Ma Long comforted and convinced himself that he must not fall into the trap of guilt that Wang Chuqin was trying to set for him.

A devastated "Big Head" buried his entire face in his quilt. He couldn't bear to face anyone, especially his "baby." How could he possibly let her see him like this?

Because of this, Duan Nanzhou didn't receive the usual video call from her clingy boyfriend that night. She wondered if Big Head had finally matured, realized the importance of staying focused before a match, and stopped obsessing over romance.

It wasn't until the next day that Duan Nanzhou saw him. Wang Chuqin had been dawdling since he woke up, fussing over his hair in front of the mirror, hoping to make it look at least somewhat decent. Unfortunately, he failed completely.

Finally, urged on by his teammates, he resignedly stepped out of his room, only to be met with the stifled laughter of coaches and staff. Then, the women's team arrived.

Duan Nanzhou hadn't initially noticed her boyfriend, as she was busy wiping down her racket, until Sun Yingsha nudged her with an elbow. She looked up, and her footsteps faltered. It took her a few seconds to regain her composure and continue walking with the team.

Wang Chuqin had been watching her the moment she appeared, unwilling to miss a single expression. He saw his girlfriend's clear shock and bewilderment, followed by her irrepressible urge to laugh, and finally, the way she put on a mask of professional indifference, pretending nothing had happened.

Wang Chuqin thought: *I knew it! I just knew it! I have to file a complaint against that barbershop! And that barber! Blacklist them all!*

Once the coaching staff finished their briefing, the athletes dispersed to practice and check out the venue. Only then could Duan Nanzhou approach Wang Chuqin to get a closer look.

A defeated Wang Chuqin stood there like a wooden statue, letting his girlfriend rotate his face to inspect his new hairstyle from every angle.

"Tou-tou, not bad!" was Duan Nanzhou’s comment after a long observation.

"Baby, I’d believe you if you weren't laughing..." Wang Chuqin looked helplessly at his girlfriend. Could she at least stop smiling while saying that?

"Hahahahahaha..." Duan Nanzhou finally lost it, joining in the chorus of laughter. Who on earth was the "talent" who cut his hair? They had taken a perfectly handsome man and turned him into a bowl-cut dumpling! Truly impressive!

Looking at his increasingly beautiful girlfriend and then at his own ugly hairstyle, Wang Chuqin felt panicked and miserable. He didn't want to be told he wasn't good enough for his dear girlfriend. Don't think he didn't know that many of the foreign table tennis players liked her! They even talked in private about pursuing her—dream on!

"By the way, why is Long-ge's hair..." After the laughter died down, Duan Nanzhou noticed Ma Long, who looked perfectly normal. Didn't they go to the barbershop together? How could one person get a botched cut while the other stayed handsome?

At the mention of this, Wang Chuqin grew even more resentful: "When Long-ge saw how my hair turned out, he just ran away..."

That was why Ma Long had been avoiding Wang Chuqin’s mournful gaze—because in Wang Chuqin's eyes, he was a "deserter"! They had agreed to get haircuts together; why should he be the only one to endure this suffering?

Ma Long thought: *Big Head, it's not that I didn't want to keep you company, it's just that it looked so ugly! Next time, I promise!* (He was busy painting a pie in the sky.)

"Hahahahahaha..." Duan Nanzhou was laughing so hard she could barely breathe. Ma Long had perfectly illustrated the saying "ginger is spicier when it's old," letting Wang Chuqin be the guinea pig first. It also proved one thing: don't get a haircut in Hangzhou lightly.

"Baby, are you disgusted by how ugly I am?" Wang Chuqin cared deeply about her opinion. After being together for so long, he knew she was a visual-oriented person. Whenever he dressed up or looked particularly good, she would treat him with more affection.

Duan Nanzhou, whose thoughts had been read, couldn't bear to hurt his feelings, so she quickly comforted him: "How could I be? In my eyes, our Tou-tou is the most handsome! Truly!"

Even though he knew it was just a comforting lie, Wang Chuqin couldn't help but let his lips curl upward. Such are the "white lies" of young lovers! Duan Nanzhou ruffled his hair a few more times. Even if it didn't look good, it was still fun to touch.

However, subsequent events proved that Duan Nanzhou *was* actually bothered by his haircut; she had just been humoring him. For instance, when Wang Chuqin wanted to take a selfie together, she wouldn't allow him to show his face with that bowl cut unless he messed it up or hid the hairstyle.

Or, during video calls, she would demand he bring the camera closer to his face, claiming it looked better if she only looked at his features!

Because of this, many on the team teased Wang Chuqin, saying that since his girlfriend didn't want to look at his ugly hair, she might be secretly looking at other handsome men!

Duan Nanzhou, who was currently watching videos of handsome men with her friends Shasha and Eel, thought: *Who? Who is trying to sabotage me?*

However, looking at the wallpaper on her phone—a handsome full-body photo of Wang Chuqin back when he had his messy, layered cut—and then thinking about his current "dumpling" look, she couldn't help but sigh. After all, a boyfriend's hairstyle is a woman's calling card when they are out!

She really hoped his hair would grow out quickly. Otherwise, she wouldn't even want to look at him, because the more she stared, the more he looked like a landlord’s foolish son.

Before Wang Chuqin could wallow in his misery for much longer, the Asian Games table tennis tournament officially began. He didn't realize that the interest in the tournament was incredibly high this time, and he, who had always been known for his looks, became famous for his terrible haircut.

Wang Chuqin thought: *This isn't what I wanted! Everyone should be seeing a handsome me!*

In reality, the audience only saw his "dumpling" hair and various humorous moments. Amidst the "hahaha's," Big Head became a sensation. Furthermore, the number of fans shipping him and Duan Nanzhou skyrocketed during these Games.

Watching the short videos online of people "eating sugar" (shipping) the two of them, Wang Chuqin—the "love-brained" star of the national team—grinned from ear to ear.

*Yes, that's it! Lock him and Zhouzhou together! Don't pair his girlfriend with anyone else!*

The rest of the national team and the coaching staff watched as Wang Chuqin shared video after video with them every day, and they were at their wits' end. This Big Head was too annoying, constantly showing them fan-made "romance" clips to show off his relationship. They really wanted to block him!

Duan Nanzhou: *I’ve already blocked him. Those short videos just kept coming, one after another; it was impossible to keep up!*

Wang Chuqin, having been sent to the "naughty corner," would eventually just hold his phone up next to Duan Nanzhou to make her watch, then share his thoughts afterward.

Duan Nanzhou, who thought she had escaped, felt her silence was deafening.

Meanwhile, a topic appeared in the national team's main group chat: "On how annoying the love-brained Wang Chuqin is."

Once the topic was posted, the complaints in the replies never stopped. Of course, Wang Chuqin was in the group too, but he wasn't embarrassed in the slightest. As the discussion neared its end, he even chimed in:

"You guys should be happy that I'm willing to share them with you!"

This silenced the entire group for a long time, though the private, unseen complaints were undoubtedly countless.