Chapter 279: Racing Hearts in Osaka

Xu Chen woke up early.

He stirred with the dawn, his mind buzzing with uncontainable excitement and tension.

Over the past couple of days, all the news he’d heard and seen had stirred up his usually calm and confident demeanor, filling him with restless energy.

It wasn’t that he doubted Bing Ge; it was just that today’s race, through a string of lucky breaks, had become incredibly significant.

A 100-meter hurdles race—over in just a dozen seconds or so.

Yet those brief seconds had sparked massive buzz and attention.

And in that short time, they might decide several key things for the future.

…

Xu Chen played it cool, acting relaxed as he enjoyed a buffet breakfast at the hotel.

The Asia Osaka Hotel sat right next to Nagai Stadium; if you left the windows open during the day, you could hear the cheers and excitement spilling out from inside.

It felt like the air for miles around the stadium was charged with tension.

Xu Chen dug into a bowl of udon noodles and grabbed some fried shrimp tempura on the side.

It wasn’t a top-tier luxury hotel, but the breakfast was decent enough…

As he savored the food and started to unwind, a staff member turned on the nearby TV, blasting news about the East Asia Youth Games.

Xu Chen sighed in resignation, finished his udon in big bites, and headed downstairs.

…

Under the ocean-influenced autumn sky, massive, fluffy white clouds drifted against the deep blue.

Xu Chen wore quick-dry athletic gear and walked toward Nagai Stadium.

Osaka, Japan’s second-largest city, brimmed with wealth and modernity.

Cars on the road were mostly Toyotas, Hondas, and Nissans, with plenty of those quirky K-Cars unique to the Japanese market.

The occasional ‘luxury’ ride was a Lexus or two; Xu Chen didn’t spot a single BMW or Mercedes the whole way.

It was like this nation had a collective obsession with order—the streets were full of spotless cars, their paint gleaming as if polished to a mirror shine.

…

At Nagai Stadium, Xu Chen followed Coach Cheng Hong’s instructions and went straight to the east gate.

Walking around the stadium, he saw plenty of local folks heading in, waving supportive flags.

They looked quiet and reserved, their expressions serious and composed, not saying a word.

This took Xu Chen a bit to get used to.

Back home, audiences at various sports events were full of excited chatter and joy, but here in Japan, even outside, everyone seemed subdued and restrained.

Near the east gate of the stadium, he spotted the person he was meeting from afar.

Xu Chen smiled and hurried over:

“Hello, Coach Liu, I’m Xu Chen.”

Standing before him was a young woman, an assistant coach for the national team named Liu Shengnan.

Since Coach Cheng Hong couldn’t come out, she’d arranged for Liu Shengnan to handle it.

Like Cheng Hong, coaches like Liu Shengnan were often former athletes themselves.

After retiring, they stayed on as assistants, and you could still see the athletic build in their posture.

Liu Shengnan greeted Xu Chen with a smile and handed him three tickets.

She turned and pointed:

“Go through this gate for security; it’ll get you to your seats faster once inside.”

Xu Chen said, “Thanks so much, Coach Liu!”

Liu Shengnan gave a polite smile and then turned to leave.

…

Xu Chen checked the time; he still had plenty.

He needed to wait here a bit for Wu Feifei and Nie Fei.

Wu Feifei had bought her own ticket for the stands, but the one she got from public channels was way in the back.

Xu Chen had arranged for a better one for her, same as his and Nie Fei’s—prime seats reserved by Coach Cheng Hong.

…

A moment later, Wu Feifei appeared in the distance.

She wore a red baseball cap to shield her eyes from the bright sun.

Xu Chen smiled and handed her a ticket; she took it casually:

“Thanks!”

Xu Chen said, “You can go ahead in; I still need to wait for someone.”

Wu Feifei replied, “I’ll stick with you… Who are you waiting for?”

Xu Chen answered, “A client from the other side; I’m connecting them for some business talks about Bing Ge’s endorsements.”

Wu Feifei let out a soft sigh, looking a bit deflated:

“My dad called me out on it, and he was right…”

“We’re both eighteen, but you’ve already started a company, handled projects, and made a bunch of money.”

Xu Chen responded:

“We can’t compare like that. Your dad’s a big leader, and you’re a girl—you don’t need to hustle like I do!”

Wu Feifei sighed again:

“Bing Ge’s a girl too, and she’s already a national champion…”

…

Wu Feifei glanced around and suddenly said:

“Hey, that’s a CCTV reporter!”

Xu Chen turned to look; a three-person interview team was hurrying inside.

They all had press badges; the young woman in front was likely the reporter, with the two guys behind carrying big bags of camera and sound gear…

Those black bags had the bold CCTV logo on them.

Wu Feifei added:

“I saw online discussions yesterday; originally, CCTV wasn’t sending anyone for this race.

But with the buzz heating up over the last day or two, they probably decided to send a team.”

A large group in red clothes walked by.

They made quite the spectacle, standing out in the crowd.

Xu Chen grinned: “That’s the fans who came from Saitama to Osaka!”

Wu Feifei said, “That’s great—someone to cheer for Bing Ge.”

She looked up: “Looks like they’re carrying a drum at the back!”

Xu Chen checked and saw two guys hauling a massive red drum.

“Fan support like this is seriously impressive.”

…

A short wait later.

Xu Chen’s phone buzzed; he glanced at it:

“Hang tight; I’ll go grab the person.”

Wu Feifei said, “I’ll come with you.”

And with that, she followed.

They headed over and met Nie Fei.

Today, ‘Fei Jie’ wasn’t in her usual sharp business suit and heels; she wore light gray casual clothes and sneakers.

“Fei Jie!” Xu Chen greeted her warmly; after all, she was the key client.

Nie Fei smiled just right, extending her hand to shake Xu Chen’s:

“Sorry for the delay; traffic was a mess.”

Xu Chen chuckled and introduced Wu Feifei as a classmate and friend who’d come to watch Xie Bingran’s race.

As the daughter of a prominent figure, Wu Feifei handled the introduction with ease, shaking hands with the poised Nie Fei without a hint of awkwardness.

“Let’s head in!”

Xu Chen led the way toward the entrance security.

While waiting in line, Xu Chen said to Nie Fei:

“From the Sports Administration, there are two leaders handling business resources today—one’s Li Yue, who I know, and the other’s Director Li’s superior, whom I haven’t met yet.

I’ve already coordinated; we’ll watch the race first.

Afterward, we’ll meet them in a lounge to chat.”

Nie Fei nodded and asked:

“Any chance for lunch with the leaders?”

Xu Chen replied, “I checked; they’ve got other commitments at noon, so we’ll probably set something up back home.”

Nie Fei nodded: “That’s fine. Let’s just make the connection today.”

She turned to Xu Chen: “What about lunch with you then?”

Xu Chen laughed: “I’d have to bring a couple more people.”

Nie Fei: “No problem.”

Xu Chen added: “Besides Wu Feifei, there’s Xie Bingran…”

Nie Fei paused, then smiled: “That would be an honor!”

The honor, of course, meant dining with Xie Bingran.

Xu Chen had already confirmed Xie Bingran’s schedule with Coach Cheng Hong.

His plan was to introduce Xie Bingran and Nie Fei, laying groundwork for Ran Bing Sports.

…

Up ahead in the security line, some commotion broke out.

Wu Feifei leaned over for a look and whispered:

“Oh… Those fan guys with the big drum just got stopped.”

Xu Chen saw it too—that was exactly what happened.

Not just the drum; stuff like horns and whistles got held up by security too.

The fans were politely trying to talk it out, but the Japanese staff looked unbending.

Wu Feifei murmured, “What a shame.”

The fans ended up going through empty-handed after their gear was confiscated.

Xu Chen said, “Doesn’t matter; as long as they’re here!”

Wu Feifei nodded: “Just seeing dozens of fans who traveled all the way to Osaka for Bing Ge is enough to boost her.”

Nie Fei added, “I saw the fan news this morning—turns out it’s real!”

…

…

Sports stadiums worldwide share a similar layout and feel.

The three entered from the second-floor gate and stepped into the stands through the passageway.

The view opened up wide.

Over the loudspeakers, a male announcer spoke in Japanese.

Wu Feifei listened for a bit and explained:

“They just finished the shot put, and now it’s the awards ceremony…”

“The champion’s from Mongolia, and silver went to our team…”

Nie Fei said, surprised, “You speak Japanese?”

Xu Chen replied, “She’s at Shanghai Foreign Languages University, majoring in Japanese.”

Wu Feifei smiled: “I’m only a freshman, but I had some basics… Plus, Japanese is pretty straightforward to pick up, especially speaking and listening.”

…

The stands weren’t packed, but they filled about three or four sections.

One side had a big cluster of Japanese spectators—easily a few hundred.

They all wore light white tops and waved Japanese flags.

Clearly, they were there to cheer for the seven Japanese athletes.

The other areas had scattered people, probably random attendees.

Xu Chen and his group found their seats in a prime spot on the second level, with a perfect view of the track below.

Looking back, the rows behind held two or three of local Japanese folks.

Parents with kids or groups of friends—clearly not organized.

They settled in; Wu Feifei pointed across the stands:

“Those fan guys are way over there!”

Sure enough, on the opposite side, the group in red waved their flags together.

They were half the stadium away from the track.

Probably due to last-minute tickets and needing to stick together.

Still, that patch of red looked like a mini sea—impressive for away support.

Of course, it paled next to the larger Japanese crowds…

This was their home turf, after all, and just having these fans show up was a big deal.

…

Suddenly, bold, energetic music blared from the speakers.

The announcer’s voice followed in Japanese.

Wu Feifei listened and translated for Xu Chen and Nie Fei:

“They’re introducing the women’s 100-meter hurdles—it’s starting soon…”

A wave of cheers erupted from the stands.

Xu Chen glanced over; it was from the nearby section of Japanese fans in white.

They were on their feet, flags waving high.

Clearly, this crowd was all in for the ‘seven against one’ hurdles event.

On the massive LED screen overhead, the display shifted to player introductions.

Then came even louder roars.

Wu Feifei said, “They’re introducing the Japanese athletes now…”

“Especially Akabane Kaoru—she beat Japan’s top veterans and recently took down that Indian star…”

“She’s the former Asian University Games champion…”

Applause and shouts echoed, underscoring Akabane Kaoru’s popularity.

Xu Chen eyed the screen; she was a pretty young woman, the classic picture of a Showa-era beauty.

It seemed no matter where you went, the world still judged by looks…

…

As expected, the Japanese announcer skipped any special intro for Xie Bingran.

The home advantage came with its perks.

After running through the seven Japanese athletes, the screen just listed the final eight finalists’ names and lanes.

The only ‘foreign’ entrant, Xie Bingran, didn’t even get a mention.

It was like this was purely an internal Japanese showdown.

“That’s so unfair…”

Wu Feifei muttered, clearly annoyed.

From the opposite stands, the Xie Bingran fans stirred with unrest.

…

Right then, a burst of noise hit from the nearby Japanese section.

The white-clad crowd jumped up, cheering wildly.

Xu Chen looked down; the Japanese athletes were entering…

Leading was Akabane Kaoru, with another popular one, Tadashi Taguchi, beside her.

The seven Japanese runners jogged in for warm-ups, waving to the stands.

They wore light white vests, matching the fans’ T-shirts.

…

Suddenly, boos rang out from the stands nearby.

It was a clear jeer, full of hostility.

At the same time, a few red-clad athletes entered.

Xie Bingran led the way.

Bai Miao, Dong Jiajia, and two other girls surrounded her…

Xie Bingran still had on her long-sleeve warm-up top as they started jogging to warm up, the group sticking close.

From the white Japanese sections, the boos kept coming.

Wu Feifei’s face darkened:

“This is too much!”

Nie Fei stayed quiet, but her furrowed brow showed her irritation.

Xu Chen said nothing, his eyes fixed on the silent Xie Bingran as she ran.

She was at the starting line, far off, but he recognized her form and stride instantly.

Nie Fei leaned over, maybe not sure who it was.

Wu Feifei pointed: “The one up front with the short hair and tallest build—that’s Bing Ge…”

As Xie Bingran and her group ran laps, the boos from the stands persisted.

Wu Feifei and Nie Fei exchanged glances, both worried if this negativity would throw off Bing Ge’s focus.

They turned to Xu Chen.

His expression was cold and silent, clearly bothered.

…

Meanwhile, the huge LED screen cycled through shots of the athletes.

From the camera zones, live feeds captured the action.

Akabane Kaoru and Tadashi Taguchi appeared, drawing more cheers as they waved back.

When the camera finally cut to Xie Bingran, the Japanese crowd responded with more hostile noises…

Xu Chen stayed quiet, his face hardening.

He glanced up at the screen.

Xie Bingran jogged steadily, her short bangs swaying with each step.

She kept her head slightly down, eyes locked on the track—cold and determined.

Seeing those eyes, that gaze, Xu Chen leaned back in his seat, feeling a wave of calm.

…

…

Suddenly, rhythmic chants echoed through the stadium.

Looking over, Xu Chen saw the red ‘mini sea’ on the opposite stands rippling with energy.

It was the fans who’d trekked from Saitama to Osaka for Xie Bingran.

Fresh from their team’s defeat in Japan, they had pent-up frustration.

They stared at the track, clapping in unison and chanting “Xie Bingran”…

A name they might not have known just days ago.

…

In one moment, a man in the red group stood up and bellowed to those behind:

” Brothers, what day is it today?!

What the hell are we here for?!

They took our drum, but they can’t silence our roar!

Let’s make some noise…

Fix bayonets!!”

…

The next instant, a loud, unified song burst from that red sea, filling the stadium:

“The wind howls, the horses neigh.

The Yellow River roars!

The Yellow River roars!

…

Amid the mountains,

Anti-Japanese heroes abound!

…

Defend the homeland!

Defend the Yellow River!”

Nie Fei and Wu Feifei froze, stunned, yet oddly thrilled.

Xu Chen chuckled softly and murmured:

“Now that’s the spirit of our fans!”