Chapter Nine: Criticism and Praise

Ordinary daily training continued, and Ma Dongmei remained as earnest as ever. Since childhood, she had always understood her own position—she was not particularly clever, and as a child she had even struggled with coordination. Often, it was Wang Lei, several years her senior, who took care of her. This was one of the main reasons why Ma Dongmei could now devote herself so wholeheartedly to caring for Wang Lei for two years, no matter the cost.

Because she was clear about her own limitations, Ma Dongmei devoted herself to volleyball with unmatched determination. The rough calluses on her forearms and the two slightly deformed thumbs bore witness to her efforts. Even though Fu Sansheng’s training regimen was enough to break most people, Ma Dongmei always completed it with meticulous attention.

These past few days, Ma Dongmei had been frequently distracted during training—a rare occurrence. Yet the smile that appeared on her face when she drifted off suggested that something good had happened.

Fu Sansheng kept a close eye on his prized pupil. He firmly believed Ma Dongmei had the highest potential out of everyone at the training center—her physical gifts coupled with her unwavering focus all but guaranteed her future achievements.

He noticed Ma Dongmei’s recent changes and did not want mundane affairs to interfere with her training or competitions.

“Looks like I need to have a word with this silly girl,” he thought to himself.

Ma Dongmei had indeed been in high spirits these days. Although her time with Wang Lei each day was short, she could clearly sense the profound transformation in him. Wang Lei was not only changing his lifestyle and himself, but had also gone out and bought a mobile phone.

For the past two years, Ma Dongmei had felt tormented every time she returned home, seeing Wang Lei in a depressed and lifeless state. But now, when she came home, there were fresh fruits and all kinds of freshly squeezed juices. Wang Lei had even found an athlete’s recipe online and begun studying it.

An overwhelming sense of happiness enveloped Ma Dongmei, causing her to absentmindedly drift during training.

After a day’s practice, Ma Dongmei intended to slip away while “Old Fu Yan” wasn’t looking, but Fu Sansheng clearly had something to say to her and stopped her.

“You haven’t been focusing lately, Dongmei. You need to concentrate all your energy on training. Don’t let your personal life interfere with your career.”

Despite his nickname “Old Fu Yan” and the moniker “Human Hairdryer,” Fu Sansheng was not nearly as irascible as people might think.

“I’m sorry, Coach. It won’t happen again. I’ll be more careful in the future.”

“No need to be nervous. I’m not blaming you. Your usual dedication in training is your strength—keep it up. Don’t let certain things in life disrupt you. You’re young; focus on your career, and one day you’ll realize it is your true foundation.”

“Old Fu Yan” now spoke like a wise confidant, which surprised Ma Dongmei somewhat, though she inwardly disagreed with his perspective. In her mind, Wang Lei was her true support for the future. Hmph, they had no idea just how remarkable her Lei-ge was; even if he couldn’t become an athlete, he could be a writer or a musician. These days, her mind was filled with the stories Wang Lei had told her and the songs he had sung.

“I know about your boyfriend, and I don’t object to what you’re doing. So long as you maintain your form and devote yourself as much as possible to training, your personal life is none of my business. Take care of yourself, and you’ll find that, to some extent, it will benefit both you and your boyfriend.”

Fu Sansheng was indeed aware of Ma Dongmei’s situation. In his view, a twenty-year-old girl caring for her disabled boyfriend for two years was unimaginable in his homeland, which spoke volumes about Ma Dongmei’s resolve. Fu Sansheng believed this determination was essential for any top athlete.

Ma Dongmei had just received what was not quite a scolding from Fu Sansheng, while Wang Lei, on his end, was about to receive what was not quite praise from Li Weihong.

After receiving Li Weihong’s private message, Wang Lei began pondering how to respond to her criticisms. Buying a phone, making the call—his only plan was to muddle through until he could once again gain recognition, in whatever field.

But to Wang Lei’s surprise, Li Weihong on the other end of the line was also planning to drag things out.

Li Weihong never intended to drive Wang Lei away from Ma Dongmei directly. The matter was not something that could be handled delicately, and any exposure would cause a public uproar and potentially jeopardize her daughter’s future. She knew her daughter well; Ma Dongmei was a bold and cheerful girl, but once she set her mind to something, she rarely changed it. Li Weihong saw this as both a strength and a weakness.

Since she couldn’t quietly remove Wang Lei, all Li Weihong could do was wait it out, hoping Wang Lei would give up first or make a mistake. In her mind, Wang Lei’s act of posting on Xunbo was already a sign of impending error. In this era of information, all kinds of people populate the internet, and she expected Wang Lei would soon be scolded by countless strangers.

During the call, Li Weihong started with a round of compliments for Wang Lei. She was adept at such polite formalities. Amidst her praise, she subtly mentioned the need for Wang Lei and Ma Dongmei to take care of themselves, and avoid prematurely engaging in any “research” of the human body.

Since both sides shared the same intention, the conversation ended in a “harmonious” manner. Wang Lei expressed his respect for Li Weihong—he had to, as she was Ma Dongmei’s mother.

Li Weihong delivered her not-quite-praise to Wang Lei.

Relieved, Wang Lei posted the ending of “Charlotte’s Troubles” on Xunbo. Though his daily updates were short, over several days he had attracted quite a bit of attention. Just as his and Ma Dongmei’s experiences had been varied these past days, so too were the responses online—some critical, some approving.

Ma Dongmei’s fans left plenty of “encouragement” and “jealousy” in Wang Lei’s comment section. Though their numbers were few, for Wang Lei’s “zombie account,” dormant for over two years, these comments filled most of the page. There were also messages praising the stories Wang Lei had shared.

Wang Lei’s writing was not flamboyant, but it possessed a certain tranquility—a tranquility that matched his current state of mind.