Who would still play tennis after being reborn?

Chapter 45 What kind of young person is someone who isn't young and impetuous?
The morning qualifiers ended early. At 11 o'clock, Gu Cheng was called by a staff member to have lunch at a five-star hotel near the stadium.

The Chinese food is buffet style, and it costs around 400 to 500 yuan per person.

Gu Cheng didn't know many people. The only person he knew by name, Jiang Bin, sat with the others. He found a relatively secluded corner to sit down, and after trying a few things, he still thought the braised pork knuckle and the steak tasted the best.

Especially the steak, which was pan-fried until crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, completely different from the steak I make at home.

When pan-frying thick-cut steaks at home, they usually end up either overcooked or full of blood inside while the outside remains tough and chewy.

The braised pork knuckle was also good. It had a slight sweetness, and most importantly, the meat was very tender but not greasy at all. It was a perfect dish to eat with rice.

Before long, a small bowl of white rice was gone.

Gu Cheng got up to get the braised pork knuckle, but unfortunately the steak was limited and there was a queue, so he couldn't take more at once.

While Gu Cheng went to get the food, a group of people around the large round tables next to him were whispering among themselves.

"That's Gu Cheng from Ningbo No. 1 High School!"

"That's why he beat Yu Haoyang 6-0, leaving him completely helpless?"

"I heard that he used an outside spin serve and a swallow return in his match against Yu Haoyang. I don't know if it's true or not. Unfortunately, I was playing a match at the time, and by the time I found out, the match on Court 1 had already ended. It's such a pity."

"Wow! He looks so handsome! He's the most handsome student I've ever seen who plays tennis."

"Can you girls stop focusing solely on what someone looks like and start talking about tennis instead?"

"He's good at tennis and handsome too?"

A tall, slender girl held her face in her hands, staring blankly at Gu Cheng's retreating figure.

The boy sitting next to her twitched at the corner of his mouth.

"So what if he's handsome? So what if he's good at basketball? He's still a loner. Humans are social beings. Look at him, since he came in this morning, has he even given us a second glance?"

"They are indeed not easy to get along with, at least that's how I feel. They're even a bit... well, arrogant. But I didn't expect them to have the ability to play professionally instead of playing in the high school tennis tournament."

"Who says it isn't?"

"They can only compete with the rest of us for a spot."

"We're okay, but the men's singles is a complete disaster. They haven't even started their match yet, and when they come to their senses, oh no, they've lost their starting singles spot. Even if they win, they can only be substitutes."

"Actually, being a substitute isn't a big deal. It's not like you can't get a chance to play. But if he becomes a starter, the substitutes really don't have any chance at all. That's really frustrating."

"Anyway, it has nothing to do with us. Let Chen Lin and Jiang Bin worry about it!"

"Those two guys are so frustrated. They played seven or eight rounds of matches and ended up only getting a substitute spot. If I were in their shoes, I would have been cursing by now."

This discussion was originally just a casual chat among acquaintances, but before long, people from the next few tables joined the fray, displaying a united front against those who were not of their kind.

Then, just as they were criticizing each other, the girl who was holding her face and looking at Gu Cheng's back suddenly felt that her view was blocked. She looked up and was about to curse when she saw an angry face, which startled her.

"Coach Zhou... Coach Zhou!"

"You've come to eat too?"

"Didn't you find a seat? I've finished eating, why don't you sit here?"

The girl had a smile on her face, but it looked worse than if she were crying.

Zhou Yuan didn't look at the girl. His cold gaze swept over the others, and his words carried a hint of hostility: "I've realized that arranging for you to come to a buffet was a mistake. You're just bored and have nothing better to do, aren't you?"

"Coach, we..."

"We were just saying it casually..."

Zhou Yuan snorted coldly: "Oh, just saying? Then I'll say something casually too. Those of you who don't have a competition this afternoon, go run fourteen or fifteen laps on the track. It'll help you digest and save you from overeating and getting stomach aches. I'll have to explain it to your respective schools later."

"what?"

Zhou Yuan glared at them.

The group nearly lost their souls, burying their heads in their chests.

Those closest to Zhou Yuan hung their heads, slunk off, and ran out of the restaurant. Before leaving, they kept apologizing: "Coach Zhou, we were wrong. We shouldn't have talked about others behind their backs. We will never do it again."

"Your attitude in admitting your mistake was not bad, but..."

"There's one thing you've said wrong."

Zhou Yuan stared at them: "It's okay to talk about other people, I often talk about others too. Just now, I was talking about you with other coaches, but it's not okay to talk about him."

As Zhou Yuan spoke, he pointed to Gu Cheng, who was queuing at the steak counter.

"I can't control what you say about other people. I'm not your parents, and I don't have the time to care about how you behave or what you do. But you can talk about some people, and you can't."

"what?"

The group looked bewildered, and only ran out of the restaurant with blank expressions after Zhou Yuan waved goodbye. The rest of the group, because of the commotion, had lost their appetite.

Besides the fact that they had almost finished eating, the most important thing was that Zhou Yuan was standing there with a stern face, which put a lot of pressure on them. As a result, everyone got up and left.

However, before they had gone far, when they glanced back at Zhou Yuan, they found that his previously angry face had been replaced with a new expression, and he was now smiling as he walked towards Gu Cheng, who was in line.

"Your expression changed so quickly!"

The group looked at each other, and after figuring out the cause and effect, they all saw a hint of helplessness in each other's eyes.

Who told them to be weak?

Weakness is the original sin.

If they had Gu Cheng's abilities, let alone slandering others, they probably wouldn't even need to say a few words to Lao Zhou in front of him, and Lao Zhou would likely laugh and say that they were absolutely right.

That's too realistic.

But... couldn't you have covered it up a little bit?

……

Zhou Yuan, carrying a tray, approached Gu Cheng from behind: "Gu Cheng, do you really like meat?"

"Ah."

Gu Cheng looked back, nodded, and then complained, "The only problem is that the wait for steak is too long."

Zhou Yuan understood immediately and waved to the restaurant manager: "Manager Yuan, the wait for this steak is too long."

"Coach Zhou, what brings you here today?"

Because of his position, Zhou Yuan often arranged for his students or contestants to eat at this hotel, and over time he became acquainted with the hotel's buffet manager.

Upon hearing this, Manager Yuan smiled and said, "Coach Zhou wants steak? No problem. Please go to your seat and wait. I'll arrange for someone to bring it over right away."

"It's not that I want to eat it, it's that he wants to eat it."

Manager Yuan was slightly taken aback, but immediately replied, "Okay, right away."

Zhou Yuan patted Gu Cheng on the shoulder kindly: "Come on, let's sit down over there and talk. The steak will be delivered in a bit."

"Oh."

Gu Cheng followed Zhou Yuan to his seat and sat down.

Zhou Yuan smiled and said, "Where did you stay last night, Gu Cheng? Are you getting used to it? If not, you can stay here, I'll make arrangements for you."

"That's great, the school paid for it."

To be honest, a hotel costing five or six hundred yuan a night is definitely not bad, even in the provincial capital. At that price, it's not much different from a five-star hotel.

"That's fine, that's fine."

Zhou Yuan smiled and said, "I watched the match between Gu Cheng and Hao Yang. I actually recommend that you play professionally. With your strength, you may be able to enter the ATP in one or two years. There is no need to participate in the championship. Of course, if you really want to play, wait until this championship is over."

He was even hoping that Gu Cheng would help him win a championship in the men's singles event.

"Oh, Zhang Ming told me that after the tournament, he would go to the Tennis Association for certification, first play in the Australian Open wildcard tournament to familiarize himself with the professional competition process, and then play in ITF events to accumulate points."

"Who?" Zhou Yuan thought he had misheard.

"Zhang Ming".

Seeing that Zhou Yuan didn't react, Gu Cheng explained, "It's Zhang Ming, who's ranked 147th in the world."

"I know him."

“Since he’s already told you about professional competitions, I won’t go into any more details,” Zhou Yuan said with a slight smile.

He definitely knows more about training than Zhang Ming, but when it comes to understanding professional matches, Zhang Ming is more knowledgeable. After all, Zhang Ming is active in ATP events and has a high world ranking. He is a top domestic professional player who has practical experience in world events, which is something Zhang Ming cannot compare to.

"When you play professionally in the future, you can ask him for advice. If you don't understand something, you can ask me too. Let's add each other's contact information later. You can contact me if you need anything."

"Thank you."

At this moment, Manager Yuan brought over a plate of steak with his men.

Zhou Yuan pushed the steak in front of Gu Cheng: "Eat slowly, there's more."

Manager Yuan looked at Zhou Yuan with eyes full of doting affection.

Zhou Yuan ignored Manager Yuan's strange gaze and simply looked at Gu Cheng like the girl before, growing more and more fond of him the more he looked.

What a wonderful boy!

He's only in his first year of high school, fourteen or fifteen years old. Isn't it normal for him to be a little impetuous?
If you don't attract envy, well, that's what makes a mediocre person!
(End of this chapter)