Stringy Wind in the Ear - Chap 79
The scorching sun made people dizzy, but Li Xun could not feel the light at all.
When he met An Zhiyu’s smiling eyes, he felt nauseous, disgusted, and angry. The thresholds of these emotions were maxed out, and he felt physically uncomfortable. He wanted to go over and hit him, or even quit and leave.
He wants to tell people all over the world that he doesn’t want to compete with them, and neither does the Chinese team.
He paused for two seconds, and then his reason suppressed the impulse.
It would be easy to just leave, but the South Korean team will win the championship again, and the Chinese team will probably be accused of retreating at the last minute.
Li Xun stopped looking at them. He hooked Yu Shenwei and Song Yang’s shoulders and pulled them into his arms, with the three heads huddled together.
“Don’t be anxious, keep calm! The more anxious we are, the happier they are. They made mistakes in their second set just now, which shows that they are also nervous. They are more afraid of losing this game than we are!”
The winner must be more afraid of losing than anyone else.
In the second round, the Chinese team went first again. Song Yang stood on the shooting line, raised the bow, and aimed at the target. The shouts from the people around him gradually faded away as if they were afraid of disturbing him.
His heart was beating fast, but his mind gradually went blank, and somehow the last night at the base appeared before his eyes.
The coach stood only a few centimeters away from the bull’s eye and yelled loudly: “Don’t worry about anything! Hit with all your might!”
Song Yang squinted his eyes under the scorching sun.
“Ten rings!” The commentator was beaming with joy, almost jumping up from his chair with excitement, “This is Song Yang’s second ten rings in the final! It seems that the sudden incident just now did not affect his performance at all.”
The guest commentator also smiled: “There is no problem with the skills of our young player. Let’s see our second player take the field…”
Yu Shenwei raised his bow and released an arrow.
Soon, the commentator’s jubilant voice came from the speakers: “Oh! Another ten rings! The two young players of the Chinese team played very steadily in this round!”
Song Jingshan’s tense nerves relaxed a little, and he stroked his heart, which was almost 200 miles per hour: “Not bad, not bad. I didn’t embarrass the national team.”
Li Huiying’s phone had never left the TV during the whole process. When she saw Li Xun coming on stage, she raised her eyebrows and urged, “Old Li, what are you hesitating about! It’s your son’s turn!”
“I’m coming!–”
On the screen, Li Xun’s third arrow flew out and hit the yellow zone steadily. It was a perfect ten-ring with no flaws in 360 degrees. The audience in front of the TV and on the scene went wild at the same time.
“Ten rings!” the commentator exclaimed, his saliva flying. “The three athletes of the Chinese team adapted to the wind and withstood the pressure. They all got full rings! This is an amazing result!”
The guest commentator said: “The first three arrows are so important to the athletes. This is like giving them a reassurance. The next three arrows will not be easy for the Korean team.”
The full ring was undoubtedly the biggest blow to the Korean team’s self-confidence. They scored 28 rings in the next three arrows. This result was average and could not be considered a poor performance, but it could be felt that they were nervous.
At the end of the second round, the South Korean team failed to recover the two lost points. The total score was 58 to 56, and the Chinese team won two points.
In this way, the points of both sides are tied, and there are two rounds of games left. In fact, whoever gets the two points in the next round first will have a greater chance of winning, because the further it goes, the more anxious the athletes will be, and there are many athletes who perform poorly in major competitions.
Since the Chinese team won the points in the previous round, the Korean team would play first in the third round. The sun was dazzling and the sweat on An Zhiyu’s face had already hung down to his neck. The coach behind him was muttering something, while his teammates stood calmly aside.
An Zhiyu’s first arrow hit a nine-ring, which was obviously not the result he expected. He turned around without saying a word and did not high-five his teammates. The same was true for his second shot.
After noticing this phenomenon, Wang Nanfeng approached the team members and said, “Their emotions are not as high as in the first round. Don’t worry. What is coming will eventually come. Once they make a mistake, it is our chance to attack. Make good use of every arrow in your hand.”
The commentator in the live broadcast room took a drink of water to moisten his throat while the Korean team was shooting arrows: “I don’t know if it was affected by the wind, but the Korean team obviously didn’t perform at their best this round, and all three of them scored nine rings.”
“Song Yang, the Chinese team’s No. 1 player, is on the court.”
“He got a nine-ring, but it was very close to the bull’s eye, so there’s nothing wrong with his condition.”
“Our young player seemed to be in a relaxed mood and gave the captain a high five.”
Guest commentator: “In fact, in team competitions, regardless of whether the athletes perform well or not, encouragement from teammates is very important. High-fives and hugs can also help release tension. The Korean team seems to be the opposite of us in this regard. Their players rarely interact with each other.”
The commentator joked: “It’s like a team put together at random. You fight yours, I fight mine, and I’ve hardly ever seen them talk to each other.”
“This may also be a habit for them to keep calm and think.”
The third round ended and the score was displayed on a large screen in the distance.
CHINA: Set pts 3
KOREA: Set pts 3
The two teams are tied in total points and each gets one point. So there are three possibilities for them: China wins the championship, South Korea wins the championship, or a fifth round of tiebreaks is held.
The commentator clasped his fingers together and spoke in a rare serious tone: “It’s hard to predict the result. This is the first time I feel so nervous.”
“This is the first time that our Chinese men’s archery team has been so close to a medal. I think the athletes must be more nervous than us at this moment.”
On the field, Song Yang held the bow in one hand and placed the other hand on Li Xun’s shoulder. After An Zhiyu hit a ten-ring, his fingertips unconsciously clenched a little.
Li Xun also frowned. His attention was all on his opponent and he was unaware of the pain in his shoulder.
Finally, the Korean team’s second player came on the court. The audience held up flags and shouted at the top of their voices, and many people stood up.
Everyone’s attention was focused on the big screen.
The arrow hit the yellow zone and the referee announced the score: “Nine.”
The Chinese team collectively breathed a sigh of relief. As long as they didn’t get a full ring, they would have a chance to fight back.
After three arrows, the South Korean team scored 28 rings, a mediocre result.
The commentator analyzed: “In fact, we can also feel that the performance of the Korean team’s second and third shots today was not outstanding, and most of them were nine rings.”
“This shows that the performance of the Chinese players in the previous two rounds actually brought them a lot of pressure. The Korean team rarely lost points in the first two rounds.”
The 120-second countdown came on, Song Yang walked towards the shooting line and drew an arrow.
A man wearing sunglasses in the back row of the audience started to lead the rhythm with great enthusiasm: “Ten rings! Ten rings! Ten rings!——”
The Korean audience sitting opposite cursed in unison: “Miss! Miss!”
The audience seats were very close to the venue, and the shouts were as deafening as the roar of mountains and the sea. Song Yang raised his bow and faced the target. His mind was empty, and only repetitive prayers remained.
Ten rings, ten rings, ten rings…
It must be ten rings.
This round might very well be the deciding one, so he would not allow himself to make even the slightest mistake.
Song Yang plucked the string confidently, but just before he let go, a strong gust of wind blew past his ears, and his heart skipped a beat.
Although he reacted in time and twisted the arrow to the side to adjust the angle before it left the string, the arrow head still hit the red zone.
“Oh——!” The commentator held his head uncontrollably, and was so shocked by the result that he couldn’t comment on it in a single word.
Song Yang looked at the results on the screen in disbelief, as if a bucket of cold water had been poured over him from head to toe, and his scalp went numb.
This was his first seven rings in the competition, and it was a terrible mistake in the final.
This score means that even if his teammates scored full rings, they would not be able to catch up with the South Korean team’s results.
They are far behind.
The Korean audience seemed to have been injected with stimulants and shouted even louder in unison, mocking him for his poor performance and mocking China for having lost hope.
Because of his achievement, the Chinese audiences were speechless, frozen in time, and some even started wiping away tears.
Song Yang’s face was pale. When he came off the stage, his breathing was shaking, his lips were shaking, his fingers were shaking, and every cell in his body was trembling with fear.
He dragged down his teammates and caused great harm to the Chinese team. He was unworthy of the trust and training of the national team, and he was unworthy of the team uniform he wore.
For the first time, the thought popped into my mind: “I wish I hadn’t participated in this competition.”
He didn’t realize when Yu Shenwei came on stage, nor did he realize what the audience was shouting. He just stood there, with the leaves rustling in the wind.
In a trance, I felt someone hugged me and held me in his arms.
At the moment when Song Yang was about to break down, Li Xun rubbed the back of his head with his palm, and his lips were almost touching his forehead, and he whispered: “It’s okay, don’t worry, we still have five arrows, and there is still a chance. I am here, it’s okay…”
Several words were repeated incoherently several times. This was the first time that Song Yang truly felt Li Xun’s nervousness.
This was the closest the Chinese team had ever been to a gold medal, but it was ruined by him. Song Yang raised his hands and pressed his eyes hard, trying to hold back tears and humiliation, choking with sobs amid endless laughter: “I’m sorry…”
Even though he knew that there was no point in apologizing at this time, he was like a balloon filled with water at this moment. If he didn’t vent something, he would really collapse.
“sorry.”
Wang Nanfeng raised a finger to him: “You still have one arrow! We still have a chance! Don’t be nervous, no one will blame you! Anyone can make a mistake with that arrow, so quickly control your emotions! You will be fine! Believe in yourself!”
Song Yang sniffed suddenly and made a “hmm” sound. Then, he took deep breaths and adjusted his breathing.
Fortunately, Yu Shenwei and Li Xun’s last two arrows were both ten rings, bringing the total score to the closest.
When he was about to leave the court, Li Xun, in front of everyone, hugged him and encouraged him: “It’s okay, forget about the arrow just now, you can do it, don’t be afraid.”
Song Yang nodded, and Yu Shenwei hugged him: “Come on, come on! Don’t listen to them, just be yourself! It’s okay!”
“Um.”
The commentator’s throat was dry at this time, and he didn’t even bother to drink water. He said with unprecedented tension: “This is the charm of the team competition. The teammates tried their best to make up for the mistakes. Now the score between the two teams is 28 to 27, which is very, very close. The game has reached the most critical moment! Let’s see if our young players of the Chinese team can withstand the high pressure and turn the tide…”
“It’s definitely possible.” The guest commentator’s nails turned white as he gripped the mineral water bottle. “Oh, South Korea’s An Zhiyu scored a nine-ring shot.”
“Now we are fighting Liu Zhengming, who is also a nine-ring player.”
Thousands of miles away, in front of the TV, Li Huiying hugged Song Jingshan tightly, her voice shaking: “What should I do? I don’t dare to watch it.”
Song Jingshan smoothed her hair and said, “It’s okay. If you win, you win. If you lose, you lose.”
Li Huiying was furious: “What do you mean by losing? He is our son! How can we lose to the Koreans!”
“Oh,” Song Jingshan laughed, “Does your sense of honor seem so strong now?”
Li Huiying patted her chest with empathy and calmed down: “How sad he would be if he lost the game.”
Soon, the countdown ended and the TV showed the total score of the South Korean team – 56 rings.
This means that the Chinese team must score full rings with the last three arrows to win the championship.
Wang Nanfeng stretched out his right arm, and Yu Shenwei, Song Yang, and Li Xun also pressed their palms forward one by one, shouting in unison: “Chinese team! Come on!”
The athletes were full of energy and very contagious. The emotions of the audience were aroused and they roared loudly: “Chinese team! Come on! -” as if they wanted to use the sound waves to tell them that there was nothing to be afraid of.
Song Yang got goosebumps from yelling that. Before going on the court, the Korean players applauded for the first time, but it was not out of good intentions.
Song Yang looked over and saw An Zhiyu smiling at him and making a “seven” gesture to remind him of his mistake just now. Park Zairong also raised his little finger to him.
Song Yang’s heartbeat uncontrollably quickened again. He was angry but also realized the most crucial point: the initiative was now in the hands of the Chinese team.
If you get thirty rings you win, if you get twenty-nine rings you have a tiebreaker.
The chances are very high!
If the South Korean team was not really anxious, they would not have provoked them so many times.
Just be yourself and don’t worry about anything else.
He muttered to himself, raised his bow and drew the string. Everyone at the scene slowed down their breathing, tilted their necks, and followed the black carbon arrow with their eyes as it moved from one end of the field to the other.
This time, the flying arrow finally hit the yellow circle as expected. The Korean audience was speechless and red flags fluttered all over the sky.
Song Yang breathed a sigh of relief and left the stage. He was almost exhausted. He high-fived Yu Shenwei and said, “Come on! You’ll be fine!”
“Of course!”
Song Yang’s arrow actually relieved Yu Shenwei a little bit of pressure. There was a Li Xun behind him, so he just needed to maintain 90% and strive for 100%.
More than ten seconds later, the referee announced the score and the audience was excited again!
The commentator shouted in the live broadcast room with saliva flying: “Ten rings! Ten rings! At this historic moment! Yu Shenwei scored another ten rings for the Chinese team!”
The guest commentator couldn’t control his emotions: “Now the initiative is completely in the hands of our players. As long as Li Xun hits another ten rings, our Chinese team will win!”
“Li Xun’s arrow can be said to be the most difficult in the entire game!”
Ten rings not only means that the Chinese team defeated the South Korean team, but also broke South Korea’s monopoly in the World Championships.
Li Xun took a deep breath and went on stage, his mind was empty.
At this moment, the Korean audience at the scene once again roared like a rogue: “Miss! Miss!——”
“Do you really think this is Korean territory?!” The older brother wearing sunglasses produced a loudspeaker from nowhere and started to lead the rhythm, “Fuck! Ten rings! Ten rings!——”
The audience’s emotions were also actively aroused.
But does this brother really not know how difficult this arrow is to shoot?
Do you really not know how low the chance of hitting the ten rings with this arrow is?
Everyone knows it.
Li Xun has hit five consecutive ten-ring shots from the beginning to now, and this hit rate is already the limit.
The Ten Rings is a miracle.
But what they can do is to believe in the national team, believe in Li Xun, and believe in the 0.00001% that is not recognized in probability science.
Nothing can stop the Chinese anymore.
The players on the field, the leaders and coaches off the field, and the Chinese audience all stood up, waving flags and shouting at the top of their lungs: “Ten rings! — Ten rings! –”
The roar was like a roaring engine, resounding through the sky.
The sound of the “Ten Rings” successfully covered the entire stadium, dedicated to sports competition; dedicated to sweat and tears; dedicated to the Chinese team in red; and dedicated to the athletes’ most precious youth.
The Korean audience had to cover their ears, and An Zhiyu’s face became more and more embarrassed.
Song Yang was standing closest to Li Xun and could clearly see that his brows were slightly wrinkled under the brim of his hat, and the sweat on his temples condensed into beads and slowly rolled down his temples.
Everyone’s hope rested on Li Xun’s last arrow. One can imagine the pressure he was under.
The camera moves forward. Li Xun’s fingertips clench the bowstring, his jaw is tense, and the sunlight makes his whole body shine, just like the summer when he was nineteen years old.
Song Yang clenched his fists, not knowing where his confidence came from, and said in a dry voice, “You’ll be fine!”
The moment he let go, Li Xun moved his lips and talked to his arrow: “Go!”
The crimson arrow feathers spun rapidly, drawing an arc in the air and colliding with Song Yang’s arrow head.
The final results are updated on the large electronic screen.
CHINA: Set pts 5 WINNER
KOREA: Set pts 3
“Ahhhhhhhhhh!——” The audience exploded completely like a firecracker whose fuse had burned out.
The commentator finally loosened his sweaty palms and spoke quickly: “Ten rings! The Chinese team defeated the Korean team 5-3 and won the championship of the men’s recurve archery team final!”
Amid the overwhelming cheers, Song Yang felt a sour nose and threw himself into Li Xun’s arms: “I was scared to death!” His seven rings almost caused a disaster, and he was still frightened.
“What are you afraid of…” The last arrow consumed all of Li Xun’s energy, but his brain was still in an excited state. When a head came over, he instinctively hooked it and kissed Song Yang hard on the forehead to vent his anger. Then he beamed with joy, “I’ve said it before, with me here, there’s no problem.”
The staff member pushing the camera: “?”
No matter how fast this guy’s hands were, it was too late. The moment of Li Xun kissing Song Yang appeared on the big screen.
It was simply a public execution.
The audience was stunned at first, and then burst into laughter.
Song Yang turned around with an ominous premonition and saw his own enlarged face on the screen. He was so scared that he screamed “Oh my God” and his little face turned red like a monkey’s butt.
They had just won the championship, and nothing else mattered. Wang Nanfeng also raised his hands, hugged his head, and kissed his forehead, followed by Yu Shenwei. When it was Li Xun’s turn, the scene became very funny.
Wang Nanfeng was a little over 1.7 meters tall, and even if he stood on tiptoe he couldn’t reach Li Xun’s forehead. Li Xun bent slightly to reach out, but his face was full of reluctance.
A few minutes later, the staff led them to the stage to receive the awards. The athletes did not have to take the center position, so Song Yang was treated as the group’s favorite and was squeezed into the middle position.
First there was a long congratulatory speech from the organizer, followed by the presentation of medals and souvenirs.
Flashes and shutter sounds alternated, Song Yang was so nervous that his face was stiff with a smile.
Li Xun seemed much more skilled. He held the medal in his left hand and put his right arm around Song Yang’s waist, pulling him towards him.
Song Yang turned his head and looked at him with a look that said “this is not a good idea”.
Li Xun smiled and narrowed his eyes. He leaned close to his ear and said in a voice that only the two of them could hear: “You and the championship are mine.”
