28 Wang Chuqin

Time flies, and another year has passed in the blink of an eye.

Throughout this year, the members of the national table tennis team traveled to various locations to compete, all in preparation for the upcoming Olympic Games. Because table tennis surged in popularity during this time, the team was followed by crowds of fans wherever they went to prepare for matches. Everyone gradually transitioned from feeling uncomfortable to facing it with composure.

Among them, Wang Chuqin initially rose to become the top fan-attractor during the Asian Games, winning over a multitude of fans with his good looks, humor, and skill, particularly among female fans who were both drawn to his appearance and admired his strength.

Duan Nanzhou, on the other hand, had always attracted a vast following due to her top-tier looks and skill. However, as people dug deeper into her past and achievements, more fans shifted toward admiring her pure talent. After all, she is the only person in the history of the national table tennis team capable of holding so many roles while being that formidable. Thus, her fanbase mostly consisted of "career-focused fans" who loved watching her dominate the court.

The base of fans shared by the two also grew significantly after the Asian Games. They were constantly dedicated to hunting for evidence of a romance or sweet moments between the two, though most held a supportive attitude, simply hoping to see them reach the pinnacle together.

Speaking of which, there were still many netizens throughout the year who were skeptical of the two being together or insisted they were merely teammates. However, as the team traveled to new locations for competitions, seeing Wang Chuqin and Duan Nanzhou arrive or leave together became a constant. Many who previously refused to acknowledge the truth were beginning to believe it in their hearts.

Every time they were seen—sometimes with teammates or coaches nearby, and other times alone—they appeared to keep a professional distance, yet whenever Duan Nanzhou walked ahead, Wang Chuqin would follow a few steps behind. Netizens jokingly dubbed this "Sister Duan leading her little brother to a fight."

When Wang Chuqin saw these comments, he was full of question marks. It was clearly a girlfriend leading her boyfriend into battle, wasn't it? What was wrong with these netizens' eyes?

Once or twice could be called a coincidence, but since it happened every time, everyone began to tacitly accept that they were an unannounced couple. Since they were currently pushing forward in their careers, most people offered their blessings.

The trip to Paris was highly anticipated by all. The members of the national table tennis team's Paris squad were, without question, Duan Nanzhou, Sun Yingsha, Chen Meng, and Wang Manyu for the women's team; for the men's team, it was undoubtedly Fan Zhendong and Wang Chuqin, followed by Lin Gaoyuan and Liang Jingkun.

And so, the eight-member core team set off for Paris.

As they traveled, Duan Nanzhou squeezed her boyfriend’s hand. Feeling the sweat in his palm, she knew he was somewhat nervous. After all, this was his first time participating in the Olympics as a full-fledged core player. The memory of the previous Olympics, where he was criticized while serving as a P-card holder, remained fresh in his mind, so the pressure was immense.

Seeing her boyfriend pretend that everything was fine, Duan Nanzhou had no words of comfort. Being an athlete meant facing such overwhelming pressure, and most of the time, one had to digest it alone. All she could do was hold his hand and offer him some strength.

Wang Chuqin was indeed nervous. He wanted to prove himself, especially at a major event like the Olympics. He craved the gold, and the pressure was undeniably heavy. Moreover, with a girlfriend as strong as her, he was torn between admiring her and fearing that his own abilities might lag behind, making him unworthy of her. But mostly, he used it to motivate himself to keep pace.

At the Paris Olympics, Duan Nanzhou and Wang Chuqin were the undisputed mixed doubles pair. After a year of competition, their partnership had become the best in the world, giving the coaching staff no reason to split them up.

Once the highly anticipated matches began, things didn't seem as nerve-wracking or difficult as imagined. Once the games started, the two were in their element, sailing through smoothly.

From the start of the schedule, the mixed doubles matches showed that Wang Chuqin was in surprisingly good form, and their coordination was more tacit than ever. Their opponents were all aware of their status as a couple. By now, there were basically no international players who didn't know that Duan Nanzhou and Wang Chuqin were dating, as the two were far too high-profile and made no effort to hide it.

Most opponents faced with the young couple were reluctant to play, as it felt like physical and mental torture—not only were they being crushed by sheer skill, but they also had to endure the sight of the couple’s public displays of affection.

Regarding this, Duan Nanzhou and Wang Chuqin felt very innocent. They were just competing normally! Where was the public display of affection? This was complete slander! Slander!

Everyone else: The atmosphere is just too intense; it’s so sweet that it’s painful for us single folks.

The mixed doubles matches progressed, and aside from a tense encounter with the Japanese team, they secured victories without much suspense. Because both were in such unexpectedly good form, the coaches and spectators went from being worried to indifferent, feeling certain that the two were destined for gold.

On the court, although Wang Chuqin felt the matches were going smoothly, he knew not to let his guard down until the very last moment. He remained focused throughout. During breaks, he would tirelessly output tactical advice to Duan Nanzhou and the coach, leaving them with little room to get a word in, forced simply to listen.

The audience found this hilarious:
"I can see the speechlessness on the coach's face. He must be wondering who the coach actually is."
"Big Head (Wang): Passionately outputting. Sister Duan: Indifferently zoning out. Coach: My role as a lightbulb."
"Big Head: Blah blah blah, did you understand? Sister Duan: So tired, why does he talk so much?"
"It feels like Big Head is high on adrenaline, while Sister Duan remains her usual cool self."
"I can tell, Big Head really cares about this mixed doubles gold. It’s the witness to his love."
"Can we get an official announcement if they win gold? The CP fans really can't take this anymore."

However, the athletes were oblivious to the online buzz; their entire focus was on the match at hand.

When the final set ended, the cheers of the crowd told Wang Chuqin that they had won. For a moment, he was stunned, feeling a bit dazed. They had actually done it. Although he had never doubted their strength, matches are full of accidents, and only in this moment of victory did it feel like true success.

By the time the medal ceremony arrived, Wang Chuqin seemed to finally come to his senses, after which he couldn't help but stare at Duan Nanzhou, his eyes filled with nothing but her.

As they stood on the podium, the cheers of the stadium and the blessings of those around them erupted. All the glory belonged to them. With the teasing and well-wishes ringing in his ears, Wang Chuqin finally transformed from "Staring Wang" to "Hugging Wang." The force of his embrace startled Duan Nanzhou for a moment, but she soon regained her composure and hugged him back.

The audience watching was equally thrilled, feeling that every move they made was brimming with a romantic atmosphere. This was truly meeting at the pinnacle. However, the official announcement everyone was waiting for still didn't come. People knew it was likely just their own wishful thinking, as active athletes would never do something so direct.

Although they knew it was unlikely, there was still a hint of regret and disappointment, but seeing them stand at the top was enough.

Just as people were preparing to discuss whether they could win gold in the upcoming matches, the two made a move after the ceremony that left everyone—those present and those watching online—gasping.

Because the podium was quite high, Wang Chuqin stepped down first, then reached out to take Duan Nanzhou’s hand to help her down. Up to this point, the audience and netizens could still interpret it as the friendship of partners.

But after Duan Nanzhou stepped down, Wang Chuqin did not let go. He simply held her hand and walked off the court, leaving behind a stadium full of gasps and cheers.

The two made a graceful exit, leaving behind a flurry of discussion, shock, and a stunned, helpless coaching staff.

Liu Guoliang, Ma Lin, and Wang Hao could never have imagined that this young couple would do something so significant so quietly. They just walked away, hand in hand, but did they realize what they left behind?

Though the coaches were surprised, they also felt it was within expectations. After all, Wang Chuqin was so high-profile; it was no small feat that he had held back until today to give a clearer signal of their relationship. However, they hadn't expected Duan Nanzhou to be so cooperative. She had always been a rational, career-focused person, and it was unexpected that she would accompany her boyfriend in indirectly announcing their relationship to the world.

However, the two left too quickly. The journalists, still in shock, couldn't catch them, so they had to corner the coaches, thrusting microphones into their faces.

The coaching staff, who had been a few steps behind and couldn't escape: This kid can get away with holding hands! But they would definitely settle the score for leaving them behind to face these interviews!

The two who left behind a stadium in chaos returned to rest. Wang Chuqin, having completed his "great mission," claimed it wasn't planned—it was just a natural gesture, and he hadn't expected his girlfriend not to let go, so he just kept holding on! (A tsundere expression).

Duan Nanzhou smiled on the side. She certainly knew what not letting go meant, but she didn't mind. This was a happy ending for everyone, after all.

The other members of the national team were a step behind in getting the news, but when they found out, they shared the same shocked expressions. They hadn't expected the couple to really be so open.

Nevertheless, the entire national team maintained their principle: do not respond, do not admit, and do not deny. Whenever asked, they would simply change the subject or offer a smile without speaking, letting the outside world speculate.

Having accomplished their "great mission," Wang Chuqin and Duan Nanzhou received gossip from teammates and warnings from the coaching staff that evening. There were still men's singles, women's singles, and team events to go, and they needed to let the matter cool down; otherwise, if they performed poorly in subsequent matches, they would be viciously attacked.

The young couple, having been high-profile in the mixed doubles, kept an extremely low profile for the rest of the tournament. They quietly prepared for their individual matches, and even if they were photographed together, they were always with teammates and maintained a respectful distance.

This sequence of events left netizens itching for more.

"What is going on? What is actually going on! It feels like being given a treat and then hit with a stick!"
"After being so intimate, they are avoiding suspicion again. Are they together or not?"
"I just want to know if they are officially a couple, is that so much to ask? Am I a terrible person for wanting to know?"
"It's the netizens who are suffering after they did that big thing!"
"I guess there are still matches left. I'm looking forward to a post-tournament reunion. Real couples are the best!"
"The CP I follow is too good at dangling us. I thought it was the start of something sweet, but then it was just gone."
"Can someone just push their heads together and make them kiss? Kiss on the podium!"
"I don't care, I don't care, they must be a real couple. Look at how natural that hand-holding was!"