Section 19: A Complete Mismatch

Sima did not take the initiative to seek out Tu Jianguo; instead, he continued to "train blindly" with the track and field team. Tu Jianguo observed this with growing displeasure. Was it really so difficult to swallow one’s pride and ask for help? How naive! He decided to teach Sima a lesson by ignoring him completely, treating him as if he were invisible. In stark contrast, Zuo Lin had successfully gained Coach Tu’s favor and received his personal guidance. It had to be said that Tu Jianguo was quite skilled; he spotted Zuo Lin’s minor technical flaws at a glance and corrected them hands-on. Zuo Lin experienced a sudden breakthrough, his times in the 100-meter and 200-meter sprints improving steadily, leaving him both triumphant and relieved.

Without proper guidance, Sima made no progress, and his attitude became increasingly perfunctory. After being late or leaving early a few times, he eventually stopped showing up altogether. When Tu Jianguo mentioned this to Xu Zegang, the team captain, Xu replied that Sima was training alongside Li Xiazhi, seemingly pursuing her. To have a male 100-meter runner tagging along behind a female 100-meter hurdler was, in Tu’s eyes, absurd. He scoffed, waiting to see the inevitable failure.

The academic counselor, Zhang Chengxi, was concerned about Zuo Lin and Sima and began to notice irregularities. The track team’s afternoon training was fixed from 4:30 PM to 6:30 PM. Theoretically, absences should be minimal, yet Sima requested leave almost every afternoon to act independently of Zuo Lin. Since the official stamps on the leave slips were valid, Zhang assumed Sima was receiving "private tutoring" from Coach Tu, determined to force his way onto the team. By coincidence, Zhang ran into Coach Tu on campus and asked about their training. The coach praised Zuo Lin effusively but remained silent regarding Sima. Zhang felt a sinking sensation in his heart; he didn't mention the leave slips but instead asked the coach to keep an eye on both students.

Back in his office, Zhang felt anxious. After much deliberation, he concluded that as Sima’s counselor, he had a duty to intervene. Instead of questioning Sima directly, he approached the team captain, Xu Zegang. Xu didn't reveal the truth, merely advising him not to make a scene and to wait until after the assessment. Since even Xu was covering for him, Zhang figured Sima couldn't be doing anything too wrong, so he decided to wait and see. While Zhang practiced "wait and see," Zuo Lin let it slip that Sima was chasing Li Xiazhi from the Chinese department, spending every afternoon at the North Beijing Sports University training with her, fawning over her like a sycophant.

Rumors of Sima being a "sycophant" spread rapidly. Even the Chinese department heard about the overreaching student pursuing their "hurdling goddess." Outraged, they flooded the campus bulletin board with critical posts. Zhang Chengxi faced immense pressure. Even the department head had heard the rumors and summoned Zhang to warn him: tell Sima to straighten out his attitude—the department approved his leave for track training, not for chasing girls. The reprimand was stern, so Zhang called Sima in and told him to rein it in. He argued that romance was trivial, that he shouldn't cause such a stir, and that he should return to Coach Tu’s training and stop acting entitled. Sima remained calm. Without mentioning Li Xiazhi, he explained his predicament: Coach Tu was being unfair, lavishing attention on Zuo Lin while neglecting him entirely. Suspecting there might be a hidden agenda, he asked Zhang to speak with the coach to ensure fair treatment.

Sima’s composure unnerved Zhang; the student didn't act like a typical freshman—he was sophisticated, calculating, and resourceful. Feeling that Coach Tu bore some responsibility, Zhang decided to visit him to resolve the issue privately. Thus, Zhang unwittingly became a pawn. He tactfully relayed Sima’s concerns, but Tu Jianguo flew into a rage. His face turned crimson as he slammed the desk and berated Sima, labeling him lazy and unfocused. He declared that even if Sima were a full team member, let alone a substitute, he would never train under his watch! News travels fast, and since Tu’s office door was open and his voice was booming, many members of the track team overheard the outburst. They concluded that Sima had studied himself into stupidity by complaining to a counselor, and they viewed Zhang as a naive fool for trying to plead Sima’s case.

After being blasted by Tu Jianguo, Zhang fled the office in humiliation. Feeling wronged, he turned to Xu Zegang for advice. Xu remained calm, telling him to "keep his cool" and to come observe the track team’s assessment at four o'clock the next day. With Zuo Lin, Sima, and Li Xiazhi all participating, the truth would be decided by their results.

The next day was Saturday. Zhang was too restless to sit still after lunch and arrived at the track early. The lanes had been cleared, and starting blocks and electronic timers were already installed. Soon, a large crowd gathered: the head coach, professional coaches, assistants, captains, team doctors, and administrators, along with many students from the Chinese and English departments, all waiting to witness the "highly anticipated" assessment.

Aware that his reputation was at stake, Coach Tu took the assessment seriously. He pulled Zuo Lin aside, supervised his warm-up, and repeatedly coached him on technical points, treating it like a formal competition. Sima and Li Xiazhi remained together, preparing as if no one else existed. Lu Youyou stood by, looking relaxed, as if everything were under control. And indeed, it was. At that same time the previous afternoon, on the synthetic track at North Beijing Sports University, Sima had easily clocked under 11 seconds in the 100-meter dash from start to finish. It was the performance of a first-class athlete, enough to silence any critic. A Coach Zhao from the sports university had been present and, in Li Xiazhi’s words, "his eyes had popped out." Afterward, he asked Lu Youyou if Sima could transfer to their sports academy, calling it a disgraceful waste to have such talent studying English at North Beijing Foreign Studies University. Lu Youyou had naturally refused. Coach Zhao then suggested a joint training program, similar to Li Xiazhi’s. Lu had hesitated, promising to consider it. She knew the reality of their own track team better than anyone; by leveraging the professional resources of the sports university, she might be able to push Sima to a higher podium.

The same scene was about to play out once more. For the men’s 100-meter assessment, Sima took lane 4, Zuo Lin lane 5, and Yang She lane 6. The three athletes, wearing spikes, stepped onto the track and stood before their starting blocks.

Yang She was a second-class athlete, Tu Jianguo’s favorite pupil, and a "star" of the school team. He was there to pace the race and provide a benchmark. Ordinarily, such a task could be handled by anyone, but after careful thought, Tu had chosen Yang, privately instructing him to control the pace and guide Zuo Lin. Yang understood the coach’s intent and was happy to help. Zuo Lin was sociable and well-liked by the athletes. As for Sima, Yang had heard he was busy chasing Li Xiazhi and skipping training—a man like that didn't deserve to be on the team.