Chapter 193: Stadium Showdown

Tianhe Stadium.

The men’s long jump final had just wrapped up that morning, and now the award ceremony was in full swing.

The on-site host was announcing the new national champion, a lanky guy who didn’t look like much, drawing waves of applause.

Section 12 of the stands.

In a large patch of oddly empty seats, only two girls were sitting.

Huang Qianqian and Wu Feifei sat side by side, each holding a pair of cheering balloon sticks, their faces lit up with excitement.

Xu Chen had been taken by Teacher Chen Ming to meet Coach Cheng Hong and hadn’t returned yet.

Fang Jun had just taken a call and hurried off.

Director Feng Siliang desperately wanted to stay and attend to the daughter of the big leader’s family, but he had to head down to check on the City TV Station’s reporters and camera crew.

Meanwhile, Wu Feifei was giving off a cool vibe, clearly not thrilled about having Director Feng around.

Sensing the mood, Director Feng left, but not before buying some drinks and snacks and setting them out in front of Wu Feifei and Huang Qianqian.

Huang Qianqian sipped her drink and said with a smile:

“He’s a little leader after all, bending over backward for you, and you’re not even giving him the time of day?”

Wu Feifei: “I’m not being rude or anything. What more does he want?

There are plenty of people trying to butter me up—it’s just exhausting to think about…”

In a sudden burst, Huang Qianqian jumped up:

“Look! It’s Bing Ge!”

Wu Feifei leaned forward and stood up: “Where?”

Huang Qianqian bounced on her toes, pointing toward the track area ahead.

Four or five female athletes in light blue sportswear were jogging slowly along the inside of the track to warm up.

That light blue outfit was the Provincial Team’s uniform.

Bringing up the rear of those four or five girls was the tall, short-haired Xie Bingran, looking sharp and intense.

From this far away, you could barely make out their faces.

But Huang Qianqian was already buzzing with excitement, on the verge of squealing.

“Bing Ge is so cool! I’m totally smitten!”

Wu Feifei rolled her eyes, thinking Huang Qianqian was over the top.

Yet she glanced down at Bing Ge running and murmured:

“She looks so tall…

Yeah, pretty cool…”

Wu Feifei watched Xie Bingran from afar and recalled the “legends” about Bing Ge she’d heard yesterday.

She couldn’t help thinking that being friends with Bing Ge would be great.

Hanging out with other girls could be tiring sometimes, full of jealousy and comparisons that just got annoying.

Wu Feifei and Huang Qianqian were already super close besties, but even they had little spats now and then.

Maybe being friends with someone like Bing Ge wouldn’t come with all that drama.

Huang Qianqian suddenly froze:

“Hey, Bing Ge’s looking at us!”

Wu Feifei was watching Bing Ge too and noticed Xie Bingran glancing toward Section 12.

But she quickly turned with the other athletes and jogged away.

…

Fang Jun had come back, with two people trailing him.

One was the cheerful Xu Zhiquan, and the other was the lean and tense Yang Congxin.

They’d taken this trip to Guangdong Province as a chance to swing by Pengcheng first and visit a local power battery supplier.

They’d driven over from Pengcheng early that morning.

Xu Zhiquan had been out drinking with the supplier’s people the night before and hadn’t gotten to bed until late, but he was up at the crack of dawn today.

Besides coming to watch Xie Bingran’s competition, Old Xu had also caught a glimpse of the majestic sunrise along the highway from Pengcheng to Yangcheng.

…

As soon as the three reached the stands area, Fang Jun introduced them.

“This is Xu Chen’s classmate, Huang Qianqian.

And this is Huang Qianqian’s friend, Wu Feifei…

They’re all here to watch Xie Bingran compete. They bumped into each other at the airport yesterday.”

“This is Xu Chen’s father, President Xu Zhiquan.”

Wu Feifei and Huang Qianqian stood up politely and said, “Hello, Uncle Xu!”

Xu Zhiquan beamed warmly:

“Did you two young ladies come all by yourselves? That’s brave and smart!

Well, you can stick with us for the next couple of days—it’s safer that way.”

Wu Feifei: “Thank you so much, Uncle Xu!”

Xu Zhiquan chuckled: “I’m just an old man; you probably don’t want to chat with me much.

Anyway, if you need anything these next few days, just tell Xu Chen—he can handle it! Even if you’re short on pocket money, ask him!”

Fang Jun kept a straight face, hesitating for a second before saying outright:

“Wu Feifei is the daughter of a high-ranking official.”

Wu Feifei: “…”

Xu Zhiquan paused, then quickly caught on.

He laughed heartily:

“I was just texting with some leaders to update them! What a coincidence!

Your father must be buried in work and doesn’t have much time to hang out with you.

Since we’ve run into you two here, let Xu Chen show you around properly! And Xie Bingran too—you kids are all around the same age, so you’ll have plenty to talk about.”

Wu Feifei: “Thank you, Uncle Xu! Yesterday, Xu Chen already took us around Yangcheng!”

In her mind, though, Wu Feifei noted how perfectly Xu Zhiquan handled the situation.

In real life, she’d seen people try way too hard to win her over, like that Director Feng earlier.

Once they found out her dad was a big leader, they’d switch to this overly fawning act.

It always made her uncomfortable.

They’d act all deferential, no matter their age or status, groveling in front of an eighteen-year-old girl like her.

Most of the time, it just made her want to back away.

But this President Xu, even though his business probably needed support from her dad and the city, still carried himself with the right level of authority as an elder.

He didn’t immediately drop into kiss-up mode.

And putting Xu Chen in charge was a smart, thoughtful move.

After all, they were all peers, so it’d be more relaxed and easy.

Now that she thought about it, yesterday when Xu Chen learned about her background, he hadn’t tried to butter her up either—just kept things light and normal.

Wu Feifei zoned out a bit.

Maybe that’s why he felt different from other guys.

…

Xu Zhiquan glanced around:

“Where’s Xu Chen gotten to?”

Fang Jun: “He’s gone to meet Xie Bingran’s coach.”

Xu Zhiquan nodded: “That’s a good move; he should get to know them.”

He turned back to the field: “What about Ranran? Has she competed yet?”

Huang Qianqian pointed excitedly downward: “She’s over there warming up!”

…

…

On the track, rows of hurdles were already set up.

A few staff members were still doing final checks.

Xie Bingran was jogging with four or five teammates to warm up.

These four or five were all from the Provincial Team, but only Xie Bingran was competing in the upcoming hurdles event.

The others had later events and were just there to keep Bing Ge company during warm-ups.

Xie Bingran’s steps were steady, her fringe swaying gently with each stride.

She knew Xu Chen and the others were in Section 12, so she kept glancing that way, but still hadn’t spotted him.

“Bing Ge…”

A crisp, pleasant voice called out, and a slightly shorter girl approached with a hint of shyness.

It was Bai Miao, one half of the Shanghai Twin Stars, competing with Xie Bingran in the women’s 100-meter final today.

Like Xie Bingran, she’d been recruited into the national athletics team and had trained with her over the past month.

In the preliminary races, Bai Miao’s times had even edged out Xie Bingran’s.

Bai Miao reached Xie Bingran’s side and said softly:

“Can I warm up with you?”

Xie Bingran didn’t break stride, turning with a cool look:

“Oh…”

Bai Miao smiled sweetly: “Thanks, Bing Ge!”

After a lap, Bai Miao turned to Xie Bingran:

“Bing Ge, you’re keeps looking over there—is something up?”

Xie Bingran replied coldly: “Nothing.”

Bai Miao blinked her big eyes and stuck out her tongue, a bit startled.

…

…

Back in Section 12 of the stands.

Director Feng Siliang had returned, his first move to check on the leader’s daughter again.

Xu Zhiquan greeted him with a smile: “Director Feng, you’ve been working hard!”

Feng Siliang stood up with a laugh: “President Xu, you’re the one who’s put in the effort, rushing over from Pengcheng early this morning!”

Xu Zhiquan: “Tiancheng finally has a national-level athlete, and she’s my son’s classmate—how could I miss the competition?”

…

Fang Jun walked over with his phone in hand, his usually blank face now clouded with gloom.

Xu Zhiquan noticed: “Fang, what’s wrong?”

Fang Jun: “Jie just called; she’s stuck in traffic with Li Rui and the others. They might not make it in time for Xie Bingran’s race.”

Director Feng Siliang froze, then looked frantic:

“That won’t do! Without them, the ‘Tiancheng Support Squad’ won’t have the right energy!

Plus, the photographer’s waiting below, ready to capture footage once we’re set…”

Hearing this, Wu Feifei and Huang Qianqian edged closer.

Xu Zhiquan said calmly: “Director Feng, don’t panic yet!”

He turned to Fang Jun with a stern look:

“This is Xu Chen’s project; call him and let him handle it!”

Everyone around was surprised to hear Xu Zhiquan criticize Xu Chen.

Wu Feifei guessed he was just steadying Director Feng first.

After all, Feng was a city official, and if the project flopped, Xu Zhiquan couldn’t cover for his son in front of him.

Better to act like he was holding Xu Chen accountable to keep Feng calm.

Director Feng hesitated, then said:

“Let’s not rush; we’ll talk strategy once Xiao Xu gets here.”

Fang Jun said nothing and dialed Xu Chen.

From Fang Jun’s view, Xu Zhiquan was just showing full faith in his son to fix any mess.

…

A moment later, Xu Chen hurried up.

Fang Jun quickly filled him in, while Director Feng still looked worried.

No wonder Feng was stressed; as the rep from the Publicity Department, if the ‘Tiancheng Support Squad’ footage fell through, he’d have a tough time reporting back to Secretary Xia Gang.

Xu Chen stayed composed and said:

“Director Feng, don’t worry…

Bringing Xie Bingran’s friends and family was mostly to surprise her and cheer her on.

For the promo material, we can still shoot photos and videos of the ‘Tiancheng Support Squad’ once they arrive.

We’ve got folks here already; I’ll have Teacher Chen Ming round up some team members, and we can easily get a group of ten or twenty. No issues with filming!

If needed, we’ll grab the banner and stand right in front of the crowd— it’ll look even more packed. Who’s to say they’re not from Tiancheng…

Bottom line, whether Li Rui and the others make it or not, it won’t affect the squad’s promo at all.

And hey, they’re just stuck in traffic—they might still get here.”

After that, Director Feng finally relaxed:

“Right, right! As long as the footage is good, TV and newspapers will be fine.”

Meaning, as long as the leaders like Secretary Xia Gang saw polished material, a few slip-ups on-site wouldn’t matter.

Xu Chen’s plan ensured the filming would go smoothly.

Xu Zhiquan smiled and sat down nearby.

Wu Feifei and Huang Qianqian exchanged glances, both impressed with Xu Chen.

They weren’t sure of the details, but from Director Feng’s panic, it was clearly a big issue, and Xu Chen had smoothed it over in no time.

Fang Jun thought for a second and added:

“The banners are still with Li Rui’s group…”

Director Feng: “Ah?!”

Fang Jun checked his watch: “If they don’t make it, getting new ones now would be too late.”

Xu Chen patted his backpack: “I’ve got a spare here; it’s a bit smaller, but it’ll work fine for filming!”

Director Feng stared, then grabbed Xu Chen’s hands: “Oh, my dear Xiao Xu! Thank goodness you’re here!”

…

With Director Feng settled, Xu Chen turned to Fang Jun:

“Where are they stuck, and what’s the situation?”

Fang Jun: “They left the train station and hit traffic right away.

They’re jammed up near the Garden Hotel…

I just checked; it’s about five kilometers from here.

The race starts in forty-something minutes, so they might not make it.”

Xu Chen pondered:

“If they’re at the Garden Hotel, tell them to get out and head to Taojin Station for the subway—it’s Line 5 to Line 1, should take about half an hour…”

Fang Jun nodded and stepped aside to a quieter spot to call.

Director Feng breathed easier: “Half an hour on the subway? They could still make it!”

Xu Chen reassured him: “Director Feng, let’s sit and relax for a bit.”

Director Feng nodded: “Xiao Xu, how do you know the subway routes in Yangcheng so well?”

Xu Chen: “Oh, I just did my homework in case of surprises!”

He said that, but inside, he was a little worried.

If Li Rui and the others didn’t show, the surprise for Bing Ge would be less exciting, and guys like Li Rui and Zhao Feng would be disappointed…

Booking them train tickets was a budget call; they were using the Publicity Department’s funds, so they had to keep costs down.

Huang Qianqian suddenly tapped Xu Chen’s shoulder from behind and pointed down:

“Look, Bing Ge…”

Xu Chen turned and couldn’t help but smile warmly.