The Sweetness of the Seventies
Chapter 1054 - 1023: The Relationship Between Big Fish and Small Fish

Chapter 1054: Chapter 1023: The Relationship Between Big Fish and Small Fish

Hearing He Tiantian’s words, Xie Feifei nodded and said, "Yeah, thanks Sister He for the guidance. I’m willing to be the eternal runner-up in front of Sister He, as long as my speed doesn’t lag too far behind hers."

Not only during regular training but also in the occasional competitions, He Tiantian’s freestyle and breaststroke results always led the way by a wide margin, while Xie Feifei and the other two had always hovered around second and third place.

Although Jiao Lihong performed well, she seemed somewhat lacking in front of He Tiantian.

"Then let’s all pursue greater speed together," He Tiantian said, then walked off to train.

Xie Feifei, Xi Rongrong, and Liu Yihua had now set He Tiantian as the target they strived to surpass.

With this target, the three of them had made significant improvements, creating a virtuous cycle.

However, under Coach Wang’s tutelage, not only did Jiao Lihong perform well, but the other team members were also strong, which placed Jiao Lihong in constant danger, often causing trouble for those team members in private.

Out of fear of Director Jiao, the others were too angry to speak out.

The selection for the World Championships was approaching, and not just anyone could participate, especially in such a world-class competition.

Within the national team, multi-tiered selection was necessary.

He Tiantian’s results were outstanding, and, unsurprisingly, she qualified for the competition with excellent marks.

Xie Feifei also did well, and Xi Rongrong and Liu Yihua’s results were fine as well, earning them their spots.

Seeing their results, other coaches were quite astonished.

Within just two short months, the athletes under Zhu Zhitao had all seen massive improvements.

Many coaches complained to Coach Wu, which annoyed him greatly, yet he had to deal with each case to maintain internal cohesion.

In private, Coach Wu called Zhu Zhitao for a discussion to inquire about the details.

"Xiao Zhu, you’ve done quite well. The first time leading four people and their results have all improved significantly. Among all the coaches, you’re the only one whose entire group can participate in the World Championships. Well done, keep it up," Coach Wu said, pouring Zhu Zhitao a cup of tea in person.

Zhu Zhitao quickly accepted it, smiling and saying, "Thanks for giving me the opportunity, Coach. The team members have also been very impressive."

"Can you talk about the reasons behind these significant improvements?" Coach Wu asked. He was eager to know because if it was feasible, he hoped to spread it across the whole team for everyone to learn from.

Coach Wu, being the head coach, didn’t mind whose team performed well as any success was credited to him, so he wasn’t concerned about these matters.

Zhu Zhitao always believed in fair competition and wasn’t worried about sharing details with Coach Wu, knowing that competition brought pressure and motivation.

"Heh, there actually is a trick," Zhu Zhitao said with pride.

"Let’s hear it," Coach Wu replied happily, pleased that Zhu Zhitao was willing to share his insights openly, demonstrating the makings of a great leader.

Zhu Zhitao nodded and said, "Actually, it’s quite simple. It comes from a little story. When transporting fish, putting a few predatory fish that eat smaller fish into the tank forces the little fish to unleash their potential and keep moving to stay alive. This method reduces the death rate of fresh fish during transportation."

Coach Wu was taken aback, then quickly understood and said, "Not bad, not bad at all, it makes a lot of sense. He Tiantian is the big fish, and the other three are the small fish. You had them target He Tiantian, creating a positive cycle."

"Yes," Zhu Zhitao nodded, "that’s what she did, and the effects are pretty good. Teacher He is indeed intelligent. Her experience as a former teacher really shows, as the three girls below her are particularly obedient to her. Moreover, she has assured that if she maintains her condition, she will retire after the ’88 Olympics. This way, the three younger athletes will still be young and will have many more opportunities later on. Therefore, while He Tiantian is around, they train even harder, and they’ve also understood the importance of fair competition, which is why their performance has improved so much."

Upon hearing this, Coach Wu nodded and said, "Not bad, it makes a lot of sense. But while everyone understands this in theory, internal relations aren’t easy to handle. Ah, it’s tough. Xiaozhu, you need to exert yourself, strive for your athletes to achieve more."

"Yes, Coach, I will do my best," Zhu Zhitao nodded. This wasn’t just to repay Coach Wu for his confidence in him but also for his own future prospects.

He was already married and had his own family now, so he had to work hard to provide.

He couldn’t slack off just because his wife was wealthy.

Even if he didn’t earn much, he needed to earn honors so that he could hold his head up in front of his wife and make her proud to introduce him to others.

Time flew, and the World Championships were held in Madrid, Spain.

He Tiantian was about to depart.

"Grandma Wang, Yingjie, the household is in your hands," He Tiantian said. "I will return after the competition is over."

"You rarely go out, so you might as well enjoy it for a few days," Huo Yingjie said with a smile. He liked having He Tiantian by his side but also knew that the outside world was vast; she needed to be allowed to see and explore it.

Following the national team was a very good opportunity.

Otherwise, because of his situation, He Tiantian barely had any opportunities to go abroad, almost none at all.

He Tiantian thought for a moment and said, "Grandma, father, mother, brother will be going to Europe, and we estimate that we will meet up there."

"Mhm, you should spend more time with them; after all, your maternal family is abroad, and it’s rare to see them," Grandma Wang replied. "Don’t worry about the children at home."

"The summer holiday is in half a month; otherwise, I really wanted to bring them along," He Tiantian said somewhat reluctantly, as she wouldn’t see her children for almost twenty days.

Huo Yingjie gave a wry smile; he dared not let the children go abroad.

Because of him, Country H had developed many internationally advanced military materials, and other hostile forces were aware of it. If they couldn’t get to him, perhaps they would target his family again, like that time.

"All right, the kids will be on holiday soon, and you’ll be coming back shortly thereafter. When that happens, we’ll take them on a trip within the country," Huo Yingjie said, making arrangements.

"Mhm," He Tiantian agreed, then said goodbye to the children.

The children were sad to hear that they couldn’t go to watch their mother compete.

"Mom will definitely take lots of photos for you," He Tiantian said. "I’ll take many, many pictures and buy you clothes and toys, sound good?"

The children were very sensible, and even Huo Xiaosan was particularly well-behaved today, hugging He Tiantian’s neck tightly and saying in a milky voice, "Mommy, bring me back something delicious."

"Okay, I’ll bring something for all of you," He Tiantian replied happily, kissing Huo Xiaosan.

She went to kiss Huo Ruimin and Huo Ruihua, but these two little guys had grown up and were starting to resist He Tiantian’s affectionate kisses.

This made He Tiantian feel a bit down, but she knew this was a necessary phase in a child’s growth.