The Sweetness of the Seventies
Chapter 1052 - 1021 "Colluding in Disgrace

Chapter 1052: Chapter 1021 "Colluding in Disgrace

Time flew by, and the day He Tiantian was to report to the national team had arrived.

In the national team, He Tiantian encountered several familiar faces.

This time, the Yanjing Sports Bureau had performed well, and several promising seedlings were picked by the national team.

When Xie Feifei saw He Tiantian, she immediately waved her over to sit next to her.

The athletes’ meeting was about to start soon, and because Xie Feifei didn’t get along well with Jiao Lihong and Cai Fenfang, she sat a bit apart from them. Feeling too lonely alone, she had been saving a seat for He Tiantian, and the two of them sat together.

"You arrived quite early," He Tiantian smiled, "How much longer until the meeting starts?"

This was He Tiantian’s first time attending this meeting, and she took it very seriously, so she had come over as soon as she was notified.

"Just a few more minutes, you arrived just in time," Xie Feifei said, "Your performance was very good, I reckon they will mention you for commendation."

"Hehe," He Tiantian chuckled, "We’ll need to try even harder in the future."

"By the way, Sister He, I remembered what you told me last time. I thought it over when I went back, and I feel I should read more. After I retire, I’m going to take the university entrance exam," Xie Feifei stated. Without a family background, she had to rely on her own efforts by getting either a diploma or a professional degree to secure a good job and get by.

He Tiantian thought for a moment and said, "You’re coming of age soon, think carefully about your future and make thoughtful decisions. If you run into any difficulties, you can come find me."

"Mhmm, thank you, Sister He." Xie Feifei was very grateful and envious of He Tiantian, but she didn’t feel jealous of her.

Sister He performed well because of her talent and hard work; there was nothing to be jealous about. Those efforts she could match, but talent was inherent.

Given this, rather than being jealous, it was better to admire and befriend her.

Not far off, Jiao Lihong and Cai Fenfang were sitting together.

"Lihong, the old lady is here," Cai Fenfang nudged Jiao Lihong, who was looking towards the male athletes, to draw her attention.

The old lady?

Had He Tiantian arrived?

Jiao Lihong turned around, following Cai Fenfang’s gaze, and looked towards He Tiantian.

Today, He Tiantian was dressed in a light blue dress with white, dainty high-heeled sandals. Her hair cascaded over her shoulders, glossy and smooth.

Around her neck hung a platinum necklace, and on her wrist, a chic small diamond watch that glittered with He Tiantian’s movements.

As for the previous results, every time He Tiantian and Jiao Lihong competed together, He Tiantian was always first, and Jiao Lihong was second.

This deeply frustrated Jiao Lihong.

Without He Tiantian, she would be the champion, the champion!

Her results were even better than the Olympic champion’s from 1984; she could potentially secure the championship at the 1988 Olympics.

But with He Tiantian around, it felt like a huge mountain was looming over her head.

"So she’s here, and now I have to greet her," Jiao Lihong said irritably, "Don’t mention that old lady in front of me again; just seeing her annoys me."

Cai Fenfang chuckled and replied, "Okay, I won’t mention her again. But look, she seems to be getting along well with Xie Feifei. Maybe, while we aren’t talking about them, they might be talking about us."

Jiao Lihong glanced again and indeed saw Xie Feifei and He Tiantian, who were whispering and chatting animatedly.

In fact, He Tiantian and Xie Feifei were discussing which university and what major would suit Xie Feifei best; they hadn’t mentioned Jiao Lihong at all.

"Hmph!" Jiao Lihong scoffed, "Colluding in mischief."

"Yes, from now on, let’s just ignore them and see what happens," Cai Fenfang laughed. "Once you’re on the national team, it will still be your uncle calling the shots. He will give you more resources, and as long as we do our part, we can definitely surpass that He Tiantian."

Jiao Lihong nodded and said, "Naturally, I’ve been assigned to Coach Wang, my uncle said he’s the best swimming coach in the country. As for He Tiantian, haha, she’s still under Zhu Zhitao."

"Exactly, Zhu Zhitao isn’t capable, and he lacks experience, He Tiantian’s performance won’t improve," Cai Fenfang said, agreeing with this view in her heart.

Cai Fenfang was also pleased as, through her connection with Jiao Lihong, she had been assigned to an experienced butterfly stroke coach. She felt very confident about future training and competitions.

The older generation of athletes, some had already retired, and others were improving slowly, so Coach Wu was preparing to focus his main energy on the new athletes.

This meeting was to kick off the campaign for the newcomers.

The time had arrived, and everyone had gradually gathered.

Director Jiao and Coach Wu were sitting at the front on the main stage.

Afterward, there was Director Jiao’s "lofty and vague" speech, followed by some inspiring words from Coach Wu to encourage everyone.

Then, the athletes who had participated in the Olympics were asked to share their feelings and experiences at the time.

Regarding the speeches above, those by the leaders, He Tiantian simply ignored them; it didn’t matter whether she listened or not, but she paid close attention to what the athletes said.

This was all experience, which might help her in the future.

After the old athletes finished speaking, a representative of the new members of the national team went up to speak.

Originally, Coach Wu wanted He Tiantian to speak for the female athletes, but Director Jiao decided on Jiao Lihong.

Thinking about their relationship, Coach Wu also felt relieved.

As long as it didn’t affect the training and competition, Coach Wu was willing to turn a blind eye to such nepotism.

After all, he was only responsible for training, the rest was up to Director Jiao to coordinate with the seniors. If their relationship wasn’t good, it would also affect his work.

When Jiao Lihong went up to speak, Xie Feifei was taken aback, looked at He Tiantian, and awkwardly smiled, saying, "Sister He, I’m sorry, I heard earlier it was you, I didn’t expect them to change it."

"Haha, it doesn’t matter. I’m past the age of liking the limelight," He Tiantian smiled. "Let her go, it really doesn’t matter to me. I just like swimming, not giving speeches. If I liked speaking on stage, I would have continued being a teacher."

"Haha," Xie Feifei nodded. "Sister He, you really have a great sense of humor."

On the stage, Jiao Lihong was spirited, a bit nervous, but more excited.

Her speech, obviously well-prepared, had been rehearsed several times beforehand.

However, when she inadvertently looked up at the athletes below, her gaze unconsciously drifted towards He Tiantian.

She noticed He Tiantian was not looking this way, nor listening attentively, seemingly whispering with Xie Feifei.

This was disrespectful to her.

It was too much.

Jiao Lihong’s focus was disturbed, and she misspoke a couple of lines.

"Cough, cough!" Director Jiao coughed twice, reminding his niece not to get distracted.

This was a great opportunity that shouldn’t be wasted.

Performing well now could lead to a job at the sports bureau seamlessly. Leaving a bad impression could have consequences.

Jiao Lihong quickly refocused and continued her speech.

Finally, after finishing, she stood up and bowed to everyone.