Chapter 1: Swimming Goggles and Tea Eggs

The cloud knew he was joking; in such a grand occasion, how could they possibly allow a small fry like her to conduct an interview alone

Almost all the reporters were focused on Qi Ruifeng, who was in lane 4. As soon as he appeared, the fans did not stop shouting and screaming, "Qi Ruifeng! Champion! Qi Ruifeng! Champion!"

Truly deserving of the title of Olympic champion, the clouds are once again filled with admiration

Several athletes prepared themselves, like bowstrings drawn taut. With the sound of the starting gun, they swiftly plunged into the water, slicing through the surface like swordfish, advancing with the waves.

After entering October, the weather in City Z has been rather poor, with continuous light rain, damp and chilly, as if the entire city has fallen into a gray and hazy Impressionist painting; people's moods also seem to be drenched by the rain, feeling both wet and heavy

He had just lifted his foot to leave when Yun Duo finally regained the normal wavelength of her brain. She quickly looked up at him and blurted out, "How do you feel about your performance?" Although the words had escaped her lips, her emotions were still lingering in the awkwardness of that previous moment.

The clouds do not particularly appreciate the charm of swimming. The most profound impression this competition left on her was: fast, too fast.

The cloud remained immersed in embarrassment. She lowered her head, unwilling to speak any further

The cloud chuckled softly, tied a knot in the plastic bag, and casually tossed it into the spacious pocket of its jacket

The duration of swimming competitions is quite short, yet to go to such great lengths and show unwavering support without considering cost-effectiveness must indicate true fandom

She has already forgotten what she wanted to ask, her mind is completely blank

As other athletes passed by, Yun Duo thought to herself that since she had nothing to do, she might as well stop one at random to conduct an interview. Just as she was about to speak, she suddenly realized that her eyes seemed to have been dazzled.

Such inclement weather persisted until the day the clouds arrived in City Z. After that day, the sky suddenly cleared, and the sun, which had not been seen for ten days, hung high in the sky. The sunlight was golden and crisp, enveloping everything and instantly transforming the city into a bright oil painting

For the first time in her life, Yunduo observed a man's abdomen from such a close distance. She felt a wave of panic and shyly averted her gaze, just in time to catch a glimpse of the faintly visible V-line at the edge of his black swim trunks

However, unexpectedly, he did not react with displeasure; he simply replied earnestly, "My name is Tang Yibai"

Of course, in the eyes of the fans, Qi Ruifeng from their family would undoubtedly excel in the 100-meter freestyle event.

Swimming has not been a widely followed sport in China for a long time, and the market value of a swimming champion from the World Championships is far lower than that of an ordinary national football player, even though the latter may not have achieved anything significant in his field

He did not respond, but instead smiled gently. When he smiled, his eyes became even more vivid, sparkling with brightness, with slightly upturned corners that resembled a dandy enticing respectable women. However, his gaze was also very pure, so pure that it made one feel embarrassed to think otherwise

The gentle yet resolute gaze made the clouds inexplicably feel guilty again, "That... um, what is the next training objective?" Finally, she posed another question. She felt that the questions she was asking were lacking in substance, despising herself!

Cough. She felt a subtle warmth rising on her face.

Under his clean and sincere gaze, Yun Duo felt a bit shy and lowered her head. Her eyes fell upon his chest, where transparent and glistening droplets of water were slowly flowing down his broad and firm pectoral muscles. Instinctively, Yun Duo's gaze followed the movement of the droplets as they gradually descended. The droplets glided over his taut abdominal muscles, his fair skin enveloping the solid and well-proportioned texture, which was neat and beautiful like white chocolate, yet contained a vigorous strength.

It is alright, I have not been interviewed for a long time either

The cloud stood still for a long time, maintaining a gesture of surrender like a sculpture. When Teacher Sun approached, all the athletes had already left. Teacher Sun patted the cloud on the shoulder and offered her some words of comfort. The cloud lifted her head, scanning the surroundings in confusion, and finally her gaze settled on the large electronic screen, which still displayed the results of the recent match.

This somewhat awkward situation was not broken until last year's Olympic Games. It was during that Olympic Games that the Chinese prodigy Qi Ruifeng emerged, winning one gold and two silver medals in swimming, and breaking a world record, which brought great pride to China

She did not want to casually accept things from others, but when she saw his gaze, clear and sincere, devoid of the usual arrogance of a giver, for a moment, she found herself unable to utter the words of refusal. She had no choice but to grit her teeth and accept the swimming goggles, saying, "Thank you... you are the first person I have formally interviewed, and I would like to give you something as a memento."

Then she heard his laughter, a slow and deep sound that gently tapped on the eardrum, extremely pleasant and comfortable. However, Yun Duo had no heart to appreciate such sweetness; she only wanted to die.

To interview him, one can only wait until the conclusion of the finals

Unfortunately, this Olympic champion, being quite high-profile, left the athlete's corridor immediately after the preliminary and semi-final matches, citing a desire not to be affected by media interviews in relation to the subsequent competitions

This is quite an impolite question. After answering several times, it turns out the other party has no idea who you are, which is truly hurtful. After asking this question, Yunduo regretted it.

In fact, this confidence is not blind, as evidenced by the results that followed, with Qi Ruifeng ranking first in both the preliminary and semi-final rounds.

and it is too noisy

Satisfied," he answered simply, quietly gazing at the clouds, waiting for her next question

A fair hand reached over and took her tea egg. The pleasant laughter continued, "Thank you," he paused, glancing at the media pass on her chest, "Yun Duo"

Speaking of which, Qi Ruifeng excels in long-distance swimming, and his Olympic gold medal comes from the 1500 meters freestyle. As for why he decided to register for the 100 meters this time, it is probably just to challenge himself.

Teacher Sun asked her again, "Is this your first formal interview? Are you nervous?"

"Alright." He readily agreed

Hello? He slightly tilted his head, as if to draw her attention.

Look at how successful you are! Teacher Sun shook his head and said, Next time there is such a situation, I will let you go on a visit alone

The reporters did not dare to complain and obediently waited in the media area. As the final was about to begin, Teacher Sun had already prepared for a while to take Yun Duo to secure an interview position. He was concerned that Yun Duo would not be able to run fast with her large backpack, so he took the initiative to carry the bag on his own shoulder.

He has already removed his swim cap and goggles, and at this moment, water droplets still cling to his face. Perhaps due to spending a lot of time in the water, his skin is particularly fair. His face is not large, and his nose is elegantly prominent. He has striking eyebrows and slightly upturned eyes, with a pair of eyes that shine like stars, currently focused intently on the clouds, making her feel a bit shy.

Yun Duo wanted to rummage through her backpack, only to remember that it was being carried by Teacher Sun. A sense of foreboding crept into her heart. ... She had no choice but to search her pockets thoroughly, becoming increasingly embarrassed, as they were completely empty ... . ... In the end, she could only pull out a tea egg from her jacket pocket. A humble, tea egg.

"Keep it up. You are the first person to interview me in these past few years," he paused, as if suddenly recalling something, his expression momentarily lost in thought. Then he reached out and handed me something, "This is a keepsake for you, please accept it."

From the moment the athletes entered the water, the cheers in the venue reached a new level, and the clouds seemed to buzz in response, leaving one in a daze for quite some time

What a foolish question to ask! Her performance today was truly disappointing

"What a hospitable city!" Cloud couldn't help but exclaim. She was carrying a large backpack, holding a camera that hung from her chest with one hand, and with the other hand, she was carrying a tea egg wrapped in a plastic bag. The tea egg was leftover from her breakfast, and she couldn't bear to waste food, so she kept holding onto it.

In addition, various panels were being shaken, with messages of encouragement and love written and drawn on them. The atmosphere here resembles that of a celebrity reception.

Such excellent results have naturally sparked a wave of enthusiasm for swimming across the nation

Yun Duo carefully sensed her current feelings and then replied, "I am not nervous at all, after all, I have you looking out for me!"

That is his swimming goggles. Yun Duo thought to herself, he is probably comforting her in this way, and so her heart warmed, easing her tense emotions considerably. ... However ... ... this gentleman is quite generous, isn't he ... ...

Teacher Sun was certainly very anxious, as the athletes had come ashore and Qi Ruifeng was walking towards this direction; if not now, then when?

It is not surprising that these devoted fans are so high-profile, as today's competition features Qi Ruifeng participating in the men's 100-meter freestyle preliminaries, semifinals, and finals

The reporters rushed over in a swarm, without exception, all targeting Qi Ruifeng. Recently, Qi Ruifeng has been a hot topic, with news of his girlfriend being exposed and conflicts with his coach. The reporters looked at him with an intense hunger in their eyes

One hundred meters of freestyle swimming, all completed within one minute, the sound of ringing in the ears still lingers, and Teacher Sun is already patting her shoulder, "Duoduo, get ready!"

This statement is somewhat strange, and the clouds are not worth delving into. She scratched her head and asked, "May I ask what your name is?"

The cloud, having reacted a beat too slowly, could only helplessly watch from the periphery; she could no longer find Teacher Sun

"Hmm, are you satisfied with your results?" Taking a couple of deep breaths, Yun Duo felt her mood calm down significantly

This person, um, is just too handsome...

Indeed, it is a grand occasion. The annual National Swimming Championships are currently being held in the swimming pool ahead.

First place, Tang Yibai, time 48.52 seconds

Indeed, as an Olympic champion, Yunduo remarked, even the true fans are of a higher caliber than those of others.

When the clouds arrived, the swimming pool was already filled to capacity, demonstrating the high enthusiasm of the people. In the west stand, a large group of people was waving flags and shouting loudly, with the slogan on the flags reading: Qi Ruifeng, go for it!

The clouds stretched their necks to watch the athletes enter. The athletes, each exuberant, walked in while shedding their clothes. Broad shoulders, defined abs, and long legs are the standard features of these swimmers. Although she had seen it several times, she was still dazzled by the sight.

Walking alongside her is a short middle-aged man, whom Yunbi refers to as "Teacher Sun." After graduating from university this summer, she began working at the "Sports Weekly," where Teacher Sun has been mentoring her. She has just completed her probationary period.

Teacher Sun turned his head to glance at her and smiled. He was a person who loved to laugh and treated others with great kindness. Teacher Sun teased her, "Yun Duo, what kind of decorum is it to bring a tea egg to the swimming pool?"

Not bad

The cloud buried its head low, with a sorrowful face directed at the tea egg

The cloud felt ashamed of her utterly unqualified questions. The little confidence she had left had completely vanished, and she felt like a soldier fully equipped for battle, only to be defeated before even engaging in combat. It was truly unbearable! Helpless, she could only blush and say, "I’m sorry, this is my first interview."