The Sweetness of the Seventies-Chapter 1213 - 1181: Life, Fury

Summer vacation arrived in the blink of an eye, and the kids didn’t need to go to school anymore.

He Tiantian was considering taking a few days off to take her child on a trip around Yanjing, but Zhu Zhitao and the head coach flatly rejected the idea.

"Teacher He, it’s not that we don’t want to give you time off, but we are in the midst of intensive training. We can’t afford any delay," Coach Wu advised earnestly, "There’s less than two months before the competition. Other athletes are undergoing closed training, while you have already been given the special allowance to go home every day. If you take more leave, on one hand, it will affect your performance, and on the other hand, it will give rise to thoughts among the other team members, affecting the team’s morale."

Hearing Coach Wu’s refusal, He Tiantian knew her holiday plans were dashed.

"Alright then, I won’t take the leave. I’ll focus on training," He Tiantian said, "I will devote myself to preparing for the Olympics. After it’s over, I can retire and have as long a holiday as I want."

Coach Wu felt a twinge of discomfort upon hearing this; the competition hadn’t even started yet, but the thought of retirement was already on her mind.

Ah, indeed, an athlete without ambition is difficult to manage.

"Sure, take it easy then. But in the Olympics, Teacher He, you’ve got to give it your all. Everyone’s eyes are on you now, so don’t let us down," Coach Wu said solemnly, if He Tiantian with her performance can’t win gold, he could hardly see the future hope of the swimming team.

"Okay. I’ll do my best," He Tiantian said, "It’s getting late; I’m going back to training."

Since she couldn’t take leave, she couldn’t waste any time.

"Alright, off you go," Coach Wu said, "I have to remind you, never eat food from outside. Even at home, you should follow our recipes and use the ingredients from our canteen."

He Tiantian thought for a moment about how it could be troublesome and lead to unexpected issues, and said, "How about this: I’ll eat all three meals in the canteen and then not eat anything at home, just drink water."

"And with the water, you need to be careful too," Coach Wu said, "How about this: also bring your drinking water from here."

He Tiantian smiled and said, "Coach, my family drinks spring water from Yuquan Mountain."

"Uh, uh..." Coach Wu paused, then smiled, "Well, that’s certainly quality water. No issues with that."

Not just no issues!

That water is what the country’s top leaders drink!

Coach Wu didn’t even have the privilege to obtain such water. He sure was envious!

But this way was good too, at least he didn’t need to worry about He Tiantian’s drinking water.

Afterward, He Tiantian would still come for meals even on weekends. Occasionally when she couldn’t make it, Wei Yuanyuan or Cui Ying would come to pick up the meals. Thus, in each medical checkup and urine test, He Tiantian always passed without issues.

Although she couldn’t get several consecutive days off, He Tiantian could still bring her child to play around the vicinity on weekends.

Huo Zhekun and Jiang Lifang were also very interested and joined the children on their excursions.

Each outing involved a large group.

Just the Huo Family children alone totaled six, not including the adults. They required two business vans, escorted by numerous security guards and bodyguards.

These days were very lively, and everyone enjoyed themselves tremendously.

Huo Yingjie, other than teaching Huo Ruixiang, Huo Xiaosan, and Huo Ruihua martial arts on weekends, also took them to play basketball, soccer, with family guidance, making the children’s hobbies and lives colorful.

Huo Ruixiang was now fourteen years old; once school started, he would be in the ninth grade. He understood a lot, knowing that his grandparents and parents left to ensure the future of the Huo Family.

Aside from working hard at his studies, he also learned manners and how to conduct himself from his great-grandfather and uncle, doing quite well.

Jiang Lifang was particularly attentive to the children, not only about their studies but also their daily lives, organizing everything neatly and sparing He Tiantian from worry. Fortunately, Huo Yingqi also helped, and they managed to get through this hectic yet fulfilling summer vacation.

As the Olympics approached, Jiao Lihong felt increasingly restless, and Cai Fenfang was also anxious, though she didn’t dare to show it, but just spoke more frequently about He Tiantian around Jiao Lihong.

After finishing a set of training, Jiao Lihong was panting heavily.

Cai Fenfang poured a cup of water and said, "Take a rest and have some water."

Jiao Lihong took the cup, drank a few sips, then sat silently on the side.

"You’ve improved quite a bit, by 0.6 seconds faster than before," Cai Fenfang stated, "You definitely have the chance to win the gold this time. However, I heard from the other side that He Tiantian’s performance is continuously improving, and I can’t catch up."

Upon hearing this, Jiao Lihong threw her cup away and stormed off.

Watching Jiao Lihong’s angry departure, Cai Fenfang prayed, "Please take action soon. If He Tiantian cannot compete, nor can Jiao Lihong, her chances of winning gold would be even greater."

Jiao Lihong, fuming, didn’t stop even upon seeing Coach Wang and just turned to leave.

Coach Wang, somewhat baffled, frowned and asked his assistant, "What’s up with Jiao Lihong recently? She’s very emotionally unstable! With such a state, what good results can she bring to the competition?"

The assistant Xiao Qian hesitated and was uncertain, afraid to speak.

"Hesitant, what’s the matter?" Coach Wang pressed, "Speak up, with the competition close, we need to address the athletes’ mindset properly."

Xiao Qian pondered and said, "I heard it from others, but I’m not sure, so just listen."

"Alright, spill it," Coach Wang demanded, "What’s been happening lately? The big event is coming, others are preparing, and here Jiao Lihong is throwing tantrums and becoming emotional, which will impact her performance. Although her chances for gold aren’t high, she still has a solid shot at silver."

That’s the reason!

Xiao Qian glanced around to make sure no one was listening and whispered, "It’s because of the performance rankings. He Tiantian has been consistently on top of Jiao Lihong, who is proud and also an uncle who is the head of the sports bureau, it’s inevitable she feels uncomfortable."

Upon hearing that, Coach Wang finally realized what was going on, his eyes dark with contemplation.

He too had wanted He Tiantian to represent him, but Coach Wu had arranged for Zhu Zhitao.

The young Zhu Zhitao had no experience but scored such a good athlete, obviously because Coach Wu wanted to cultivate Zhu Zhitao, to elevate him.

If he could coach a world champion, that would be a real qualification. Regardless of how well one does nationally, it’s incomparable to the Olympics, after all, this is about facing the world.

And He Tiantian was likely to win several gold medals and might even break world records!

He could only watch enviously!

At the same time, he was jealous.