The Sweetness of the Seventies
Chapter 1035 - 104

Chapter 1035: 104

Hearing this, Zhu Zhitao’s face soured as he sighed, "Coach Wu, Teacher He only treats swimming as a hobby, without any intention of pursuing it professionally. I’ve talked to her before, told her that I couldn’t handle the rigorous training. After all, she has a husband, children, she can’t leave her family behind."

"Ah?" Coach Wu was taken aback, "If that’s the case, then indeed, it could be tricky."

"Yes, I’m very hesitant," Zhu Zhitao said. "I’m worried it’ll all be for nothing, a waste of time."

Hearing this, Coach Wu chuckled and said, "Even if she can’t become an athlete under our wing, don’t be so discouraged. Just for the score alone, I must see for myself what kind of person can swim this fast."

The two continued to drink and discuss He Tiantian’s physical condition, which further amazed Coach Wu.

The next morning, Coach Wu personally went to the competition venue with a pair of binoculars hanging around his neck. He wanted to observe every single movement of He Tiantian closely.

Huo Yingjie and the children, along with Qi Xiaoyan and others, also came at this critical moment.

Today, Jiang Wenwen had tied red bands atop the children’s heads, embroidered with black-threaded slogans like "Champion" and "Victory".

The small horns were tooted by the children, buzzing aloud.

Coach Wu turned his head and looked, finding it amusing.

If there were always so many swimming enthusiasts, their swimming career would surely achieve better results.

The time for the competition was approaching, and everyone was waiting.

He Tiantian was ready, standing at her lane, waiting for the signal from the starting gun.

A gunshot sounded.

Eight people leaped almost simultaneously, but their dives varied in speed.

"Beautiful," praised Coach Wu, his attention fixed on He Tiantian. He noticed instantly that she was the first to dive in, and those slender legs were very powerful.

Her movements were standard, and her speed was fast.

Worried he wouldn’t be able to see clearly, Coach Wu picked up the binoculars to observe carefully, not missing any movement, especially Tiantian’s turns, which were clean and sharp, bursting with power, making her speed even faster.

The other finalists were not slow, but compared to He Tiantian, they were somewhat behind.

Some even thought He Tiantian was a professional athlete who had come just for fun.

The cheering from both sides grew alongside He Tiantian’s movements.

One hundred meters, two hundred meters, four hundred meters freestyle, and one hundred meters, two hundred meters breaststroke, butterfly—He Tiantian took first place in them all.

Even those brass-coated medals, she won several.

He Tiantian didn’t care about her ranking; she just really enjoyed the process of competing.

Once it was over, she packed up her things and went out for a big meal with her family.

Coach Wu went straight to Zhu Zhitao and said, "Zhu Zhitao, do you know where He Tiantian lives? I’d like to personally invite her to join our swim team."

Considering He Tiantian’s situation was different from the professional athletes in the team, they couldn’t be presumptuous; they had to treat her with sincerity.

He was now inviting, not summoning.

Coach Wu was determined to get his priorities straight, chiefly to persuade He Tiantian to join the swimming team.

Starting now, by participating in next month’s national professional swimming competition and securing good results, she could qualify for the World Championships, which would then present the opportunity to compete in the ’88 Olympics.

Zhu Zhitao nodded and said, "Hmm, she definitely is a talent, it would be a real shame if I didn’t try to recruit her."

"Exactly, we must give it a try no matter what." Coach Wu said with a smile, resolute in not letting go of such a great opportunity.

Afterwards, Coach Wu and Zhu Zhitao talked further, learning more about He Tiantian.

Knowing yourself as well as your opponent is the key to victory in every battle.

Huo Yingjie specially tidied a room, placing a bookshelf and displaying all of He Tiantian’s medals on it.

"Isn’t this too much trouble?" said He Tiantian with a wry smile, "These worthless things can just be put away somewhere."

"How could that be?" Huo Yingjie retorted, "These are the results of your hard work and effort, I want to preserve them for you. By the way, today I saw someone who looked like a coach observing you. If all goes as expected, I reckon it won’t be long before someone comes to our house looking to recruit you into the sports team."

"What? So soon?" exclaimed He Tiantian in surprise, "I haven’t even prepared myself."

"What is there to prepare for?" Huo Yingjie said with a laugh, "I only have one question for you, do you like swimming, do you like competing?"

He Tiantian nodded and responded, "Yes, I do!"

"That’s great then, if you like it, just go for it," Huo Yingjie said with a smile, "The kids at home are grown up, you should think about what you like to do and then go do it, without worrying too much about us."

He Tiantian thought for a moment and said, "Okay, I’ve got it. If someone really comes looking for me, I will discuss my conditions with them. If they don’t agree to my terms, then I won’t go."

The resolve He Tiantian showed was likely because she wanted to come home every day, which shouldn’t be difficult to achieve.

However, if it came down to a concentrated training program, she would probably have to act in unison with the team.

Indeed, He Tiantian and Huo Yingjie didn’t have to wait too long.

Coach Wu, accompanied by Zhu Zhitao, personally came to make a visit.

As a local of Yanjing, Coach Wu could tell from the Huo Family’s spacious residence that He Tiantian was from a distinguished household, and knew to be even more courteous when speaking later.

Lu Wanxia served some tea and then tiptoed out of the room.

He Tiantian sat on one side of the sofa while Coach Wu and Zhu Zhitao took their seats on the other.

"Teacher He, this is our swim team’s Coach Wu. Coach, this is He Tiantian I’ve talked about, Teacher He," Zhu Zhitao introduced, familiar with both parties, so he had to be the one to make introductions at that moment.

"Hello, Coach Wu," said He Tiantian, "I’m very pleased to meet you.

A generic, polite greeting.

Coach Wu smiled and said, "I am also very pleased to meet you. From the information provided by Xiao Zhu and from the competition I personally witnessed, I can affirm that you are a talent. I would like to offer you a special position on our sports team, and I am wondering if you would be interested?"

He Tiantian gave a smile, her husband’s guess was right on the mark, and fortunately, the couple had already discussed it beforehand, so they were not caught off guard.

"I really enjoy swimming and the process of competing," said He Tiantian cheerfully, "I just want to clarify in advance that I am already thirty years old, and even with training, although I might reach the Olympic standard, I will be thirty-two by the ’88 Olympics. That’s considered quite old for the swimming team."

"As long as you swim fast, nothing else matters," said Coach Wu, "We want to achieve top results and are willing to employ exceptional people without strict adherence to standard protocols."