This Omega is Sweet and WildCh84 - Li Cheng: “Coach, why did you give my place to someone else?”

Bonus chapter(2/3).

The World Youth Games roster was reported to superiors layer by layer before finally being authorized by the head of the training center. It was quickly returned to the teams. O hXfC

Before the official announcement of the list, hundreds of team members were summoned to the training center plaza to attend a concluding general meeting. The leaders of the Sports Bureau took the stage to give a speech, the speeches in their hand three pages long.

“…In this year’s World Youth Games, we will strive to increase the total number of medals while ensuring that we maintain the dominance we held in former years’ sport events. For the newly added event this year, strive to win the first gold medal!…”

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On stage, the head of the Sports Bureau gave an impassioned speech while offstage, the athletes started getting drowsy…

The cold wind was howling making everyone huddle in their down jackets, shivering and yawning. Sure enough, no matter when, a leader’s speech was extremely boring. QYLvru

After the director’s long and dull speech, the coaches of various sports events led their athletes back to the training hall.

The original relaxed atmosphere dissipated instantly. Everyone knew that the main event was about to begin at this point.

Dozens of athletes from the swimming team lined up in two rows on the bank, the girls on the left and the boys on the right. Everyone’s eyes were focused on the thin folder in the coach’s hand.

Four assistant coaches stood behind the coach, all with solemn expressions on their faces.

Coach Yu took the lead in saying, “I think you should all know the significance of this list. What I hold in my hand are the 32 names shortlisted after the final competition. The remaining 48 people will leave the training base tomorrow and return to your respective schools.”

“I know that other teams will choose a more moderate way to announce the list of players. For example, the diving team next door. Their assistant coaches will privately notify the unsuccessful athletes to pack their bags and leave quietly. But I won’t be like this—” Coach Yu’s eyes were as sharp as a knife, passing over every player in front of her, “—the arena is like a battlefield, and winning and losing is often decided within 0.01 seconds. It is not that those who are eliminated are not good enough, but that the people who stayed are better than you!”

The team was silent.

Only 32 players out of 80 players were chosen. That meant the odds of elimination was nearly two-third! After more than a month of rigorous training, all the athletes who had survived until then, naturally had hopes and dreams of setting foot on the international arena and touching the distant trophy. gLZv7s

Who would be willing to be eliminated? Who would be willing to be replaced? Who would want to be the “not good enough” one?

Everyone was holding their breath. Even Li Cheng, who was full of confidence, couldn’t help but stand up straight at this point, his scorching gaze resting on the list in the coach’s hands.

Although Zhou Jian reminded him that coach Yu and X City Sports Academy had a relationship and might have “hacked” into his quota, Li Cheng’s results were solid. How could he be “hacked” so easily?

In the trials, he won first place with a clear advantage in both the 200m and 100m races. He found it difficult to believe that the coach would pretend not to see his results! BgEkpC

He waited confidently, waiting to hear his name…

Coach Yu didn’t talk any more nonsense. She opened the folder and read the final list. According to regulations, the same player could only register for two events at most. In the final list, there were players who participated in two events as well as players who participated in only one event.

The order of announcement was—the women’s team first, then the men’s team, backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly, and finally freestyle. As a result, the men’s freestyle list was bound to appear at the end.

As the names were announced one by one, it was natural that some athletes were happy while some were sad. Vw1Rqd

When the last name of the women’s team was announced, the girls who were not selected all shed tears. They didn’t cry because they didn’t want to provoke others’ sympathy. They simply grit their teeth and bowed their heads but their trembling shoulders revealed their inner pain. Seeing tears in the eyes of the teammates beside them, the eyes of the other selected female players also turned red.

Coach Yu didn’t give them time to digest the results. She quickly flipped the document page and read the list of the men’s team.

Story translated by Chrysanthemum Garden.

Backstroke, breaststroke, butterfly stroke… Li Cheng had never before felt time fly so slowly. Those unfamiliar or familiar names fell gently in his ears, and excited or frustrated faces appeared in front of his eyes… Li Cheng put his hands behind his back and clenched them into fists.

Finally, finally they reached the last list. jRNkJr

The finalists for men’s freestyle were about to be announced!!

“Men’s freestyle 1500m, Shouti High School, Zhou Jian.

Men’s freestyle 800m, Shouti High School, Zhou Jian.”

The announcement of this name was expected. Everyone looked at Zhou Jian with admiration in their eyes. Li Cheng also clapped with the crowd and congratulated him in a low voice. vcS5RY

We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.

Zhou Jian turned to him, and instead of saying “thank you”, he said “Tongxi“.

Ol Jtfcu xcfk ktja atlr “Kbcuzl” wfjca.

Ktf cfza jccbecmfwfca kjr obg atf 400w fnfca, jcv atf mbjmtlcu rajoo rfifmafv j qijsfg ogbw atf Rbgatfjra Ugbnlcmf.

Pwwfvljafis joafgkjgvr kfgf Ol Jtfcu’r ibcu-jkjlafv 200w jcv 100w wjlc fnfcar— wyOU4a

“—Zfc’r 200w ogffrasif, Lejmtfcu Rb. 1 Llut Vmtbbi, Ol Jtfcu.”

Ol Jtfcu ygfjatfv j rlut bo gfilfo ktfc tf tfjgv tlr cjwf. Ktf tfjga raemx lc tlr atgbja olcjiis ofii vbkc. Lf rtbbx tlr olra jcv qecmtfv lc atf jlg, tlr ojmf oeii bo mbcolvfcmf.

Look! As expected Zhou Jian’s fears were groundless. Dirty tricks or no dirty tricks. As long as Li Cheng swam well enough, how could Coach Yu abandon Li Cheng and choose X City Sports Academy players?

“—Men’s 100m freestyle, X City Sports Academy, Dai Yujing.” d0d4GH

In the very next second, the cruel reality hit hard like a heavy punch on Li Cheng’s heart.

Li Cheng was stunned.

His brain was blank and a huge hole seemed to have been punched through his chest. His happiness and pride disappeared in a flash, leaving behind only an endless pit.

What did he hear? 6Gb2Xf

Just what did he hear?

He had actually failed the selection for the 100m? His main event?! After getting first place in the trials, HE. Unexpectedly. Failed. In. The. Selection!!!

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And the person who replaced him was none other than that cutlass spirit from X city!!

A smile hung at the corner of Li Cheng’s mouth just a second before, and now the blood in his entire body was frozen. He stood there, expressionless. He could feel everyone’s eyes on him and hear a few scattered comments around him, as though everyone was pointing at him. qRw7Gr

Zhou Jian looked at him worriedly, and asked in a low voice: “Li Cheng, are you okay?”

Li Cheng’s voice was dry and hoarse: “I’m not at all okay.”

As for the other protagonist of this “civet cat for prince“, he was standing on the spot with joy, accepting congratulations from the people around him.

The men’s team was full of restlessness, but Coach Yu, who was standing at the forefront of the team, pretended that she didn’t hear it. She only slightly raised her eyes and glanced at the people who were talking about it. Df6Xmd

An assistant coach stepped in to maintain order and keep everyone quiet.

Li Cheng stood among the crowd, his fists clenched as he clutched his pants tightly.

Why… Just why?! Both 200m and 100m were his main events. Why should he give up one of them to make room for someone else?

The names of all the finalists were announced. Coach Yu looked up from the folder, the deep wrinkles on her face seemed to be carved out. QnMZNf

“Well, the list of athletes for all individual events has been announced.” Her tone did not have any ups and downs, just like a lifeless robot. “Those of you who are not in the final list I read just now can leave.”

The instant her voice fell, a hand was suddenly raised in the crowd. It stretched straight into the air, making it impossible to ignore it.

Everyone looked at that hand.

— The owner of the hand was Li Cheng. 2ABybM

The omega boy’s arm was raised straight, his red eyes fixed unswervingly on Coach Yu.

“Coach,” he exclaimed loudly, completely disregarding the people around him, “I have a doubt about the result and want to discuss it!”

Zhou Jian suddenly pulled him, whispering, “Li Cheng, calm down. Don’t be impulsive!”

The team rules were strict, and the first thing was to respect the coach and never contradict them. The relationship between the instructor and the trainees was like that of a general and his soldiers. The soldiers could not disobey the command of the general under any circumstances. DKr3kx

Zhou Jian knew that Li Cheng must have complaints about the results of the final selection, but he never anticipated that this hedgehog-like boy would dare to mention this matter in front of everyone.

“…” Coach Yu looked at Li Cheng calmly, spitting out a single word: “Oh?”

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Li Cheng argued strongly for justice: “In this special training for more than a month, my 100m performance has improved by half a second. In the final trials, I was also the first to hit the wall! Why is the 100m freestyle place not mine?!”

The team members were silent first but what followed was a hubbub of discussions. Everyone was actually very curious. With Li Cheng’s ability, he should’ve easily gotten the places for the two events. Why did Coach Yu assign someone else for the 100m race? yIBqw0

Almost everyone had heard about the matter regarding “X city Sports Academy has recommendations in the quota”, and the current situation just confirmed the authenticity of this matter.

The X city contestant who was discussed blushed. He was being questioned in public. Naturally, he had to argue for himself: “Li Cheng, what do you mean by this? Do you think you’re the only good athlete? You do have outstanding results, but my average score is worse than yours by only 0.05 seconds! Moreover, I’ve participated in the World Games in junior high school. I have experience in international competitions, but you’ve only participated in provincial competitions at the highest level!”

What he said was indeed a fact. If he insisted on justifying the matter from the experience point of view, his reason was also tenable.

But Li Cheng sneered: “Since you have experience and you are a veteran, how many medals did you win last year?” lsLui7

Dai Yujing was speechless. The World Youth Games were held every four years. The last time he participated in the competition, he was still in the third year of junior high school. The internal competition was not fierce at that time. He followed his teammates to participate in the competition, and then… won fourth place.

Despite his low ranking, he came in fourth place! The fourth-place finish was only a smidgeon poorer than the third-place finish, but it was this minuscule differential that cost him the medal. He had been choking on this result for four years and hoped to erase this disgrace in the next Youth Games. He expressed his determination to win in private with Coach Yu, and finally got the chance to return to the Games.

Coach Yu listened to their quarrel calmly, and asked, “Li Cheng, are you questioning my quota allocation?”

Li Cheng was like a little beast that had run into trouble. Even though he was aware that the road ahead was dangerous, he still kept moving forward. He faced the coach aggressively, refusing to yield: “You just said that the arena is like a battlefield. Whether you win or lose, everything is based on the results. Are my results not good enough?” uOBtXv

“Of course your results are good enough.” Coach Yu nodded, “You are the one with the greatest potential among the student-athletes I’ve mentored.”

“Since my grades are good enough, why did you assign the 100m freestyle place to the X city Sports Academy?”

He was so stupid and upright that he didn’t even think about the consequences of saying this sentence. He knew that he was questioning the coach and challenging her authority in front of everyone. This was a serious violation of the team rules. If he continued to criticize, he would probably be expelled from the team!

If he had been smart, he would have endured it silently, and kept at least one place in the Games—but then he wouldn’t be Li Cheng. l3b7kA

Li Cheng hoped that the swimming pool he loved would always be clean and its water would always remain clear. He idealized in this way, but could idealization be considered a mistake?

Zhou Jian looked at him anxiously and tried to speak a few times, but finally gave up… Because Zhou Jian found that compared with Li Cheng, he was too cowardly. He pondered, If our positions were swapped and I encountered a dilemma like Li Cheng, would I dare to question the coach in front of everyone?

No, he dared not. If he was “hacked” out of his place, he would adopt a more “smooth and evasive” method. He would tell his personal trainer about the incident, and let the personal trainer “discuss” with Coach Yu through private contact.

—He didn’t have the courage to face the situation head-on like Li Cheng. Sv9wnW

Surprisingly, Coach Yu’s expression did not show any sign of anger or humiliation in the face of Li Cheng’s blunt questioning.

“Since it has come to this point, I’ll speak frankly and discuss it with you,” Coach Yu looked around all the players with her hands behind her back. Her voice did not fluctuate at all as she continued, “The matter about me you talk about in private? I’ve known about it for a long time now. But I always thought those rumors were too absurd and needed no explanation at all. But now it seems that if I don’t explain it clearly, I’m afraid you little rascals will only use your melon seed sized big brains to think about nonsense! —Li Cheng, have you heard that the coach of X city Sports Academy and I have a mentor-apprentice relationship, so I allot a place for them every time? So you think I snatched the place that should belong to you and gave it to Dai Yujing? ”

Story translated by Chrysanthemum Garden.

Li Cheng: “…Yes.”

Contrary to expectations, it was Dai Yujing who yelled: “What the fuck? What is this matter????” Nu4V9l

Not only was he shocked, but even his fellow schoolmates were surprised. Their expressions did not seem to be fake, but rather like they really heard it for the first time.

If they were acting… then their acting was awesome.

Coach Yu nodded: “Their coach is indeed a student I mentored.”

This was a clear case of “suicide“! Y1LpVh

However, Coach Yu had yet to finish the second half of her “confession”: “Not only him, but the coach of Shouti High School was also my student.”

Everyone’s gaze instantly “swished” and nailed on Zhou Jian.

The accidentally shot Zhou Jian: “……???”

“It’s not only the two of them who are related to me. The principal of XX Sports School was my captain previously; the director of academic affairs of OO School is my former teammate; the coach of DD School is my former colleague…” She listed the names of many schools in one breath. The students from the named schools belonged to both categories—selected and unsuccessful. Everyone looked stunned. It was clear that none of them had ever heard anything regarding this web of relationships. 3dP0JQ

Coach Yu: “You believe that this circle is quite large because new athletes make their debut every year, and some athletes, sadly, retire. You always see fresh faces when you go out to compete. However, when you reach my age and assume my position, you will discover that this circle is actually very small. Everywhere you look, you’ll see some or another acquaintance—if I have to take “special care” of each acquaintance, I don’t need to be the national team coach. I might as well work as a swimming teacher for babies.”

“…”

“What’s wrong?” Coach Yu frowned and looked at them, “Isn’t my joke funny? Why don’t you guys laugh?”

Everyone: “…” gRilaF

In other words, the outrage produced by the “recommendation” mentioned earlier was all a figment of the imagination?

Thinking about it carefully, X city Sports Academy was well-known for its strong swimming team, and it had trained many champions. It was not impossible for the players to make the competition list based solely on their strength.

However….

Li Cheng was shaken and hesitantly asked: “I’m sorry Coach. I shouldn’t have speculated about your relationship with X city Sports Academy. I’m certain that you were not biased in your selection of candidates, but I still don’t understand. Why did you only give me one spot in the competition?” WIUTCV

Coach Yu gave him a deep look: “When did I say that I only gave you one place to participate in?”

Li Cheng was stunned. “… Huh?”

Chrysanthemum Garden.

Not only did he fail to react, but the other players who were watching the show and eating melons were astounded as well.

Coach Yu was tired of explaining. She was originally someone who only spoke when absolutely required. Aside from the swearing during training, this was the first time she had said so much. AqkRBD

She took the hot water cup from the assistant’s hand, tossed the list into her arms, and gestured with her eyes for the assistant coach to continue reading.

So the assistant coach opened the list obediently, and read it out loud in front of roughly a hundred pairs of eyes.

“—New events this year: Mixed 4x100m medley relay, participating contestants: women’s backstroke, …, men’s breaststroke, …, women’s butterfly, …, men’s freestyle, Huacheng No. 1 High School, Li Cheng.”

Everyone: !!! wEP3o7

Li Cheng: !!!

Li Cheng was stunned by this sudden reversal.

Men’s and women’s medley was a new event that had emerged in recent years. It was rarely seen in international competitions. It came as a complete surprise that mixed medley was added to the schedule in this year’s World Youth Games!

Li Cheng recalled that the head of the Sports Bureau had spoken something about “striving for gold medals in the newly added events” during the general meeting. Was he alluding to swimming’s mixed medley? The first gold medal in each new event was often of extraordinary significance, much beyond the usual. It was akin to getting the “first boss kill” in a game’s instance dungeon. It was an absolute honor. EMOHZt

Li Cheng was not familiar with the women’s team, but the breaststroke player from the men’s team was indeed an elite in the breaststroke style. As for Li Cheng, he had an absolute advantage in the 100m freestyle—no doubt, the combination of these four athletes was the “trump card” selected after careful consideration! Coach Yu’s ambitions were crystal clear. Her sword was pointed at the championship throne!

Because a player could only apply for two events in order to conserve their physical strength, these four players were selected for only one event in the qualifying rounds conducted earlier.

Everyone finally understood what Coach Yu was planning.

However, this incident had not yet reached its “conclusion”. EqwYfB

—The assistant coach cleared her throat and read the last sentence on the list.

“—Captain of the swimming team for this year’s World Youth Games, Huacheng No. 1 High School, Li Cheng!”

The author has something to say:

Yes, a small reversal~~ (PS: Novel has artistic liberty on the content of the Games, don’t take it seriously.) IfkwuU

ChengCheng is so good, of course he should be the leader of everyone!

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