Haishi, a villa in the suburbs.
Hou Wenjie came to the familiar house number, pushed open the ajar door, and walked into a sea of flowers.
On both sides of the gravel road, there are countless flower pots stacked on top of each other. The flowers are colorful and in full bloom. When they fall into the eyes, they are as beautiful as the richest oil paintings.
He didn't care to look at the flowers, so he walked straight to the gate. The door was also ajar, and he heard faint noises from inside, as if someone was waiting for his arrival.
Hou Wenjie pushed the door in with anxiety. He has been selected for the national team for many years, but his performance has always been tepid. Seeing that he is getting older and older, he is already a veteran in his 30s and has no chance to make a difference in the World Championships.
Seeing that the national marathon competition is becoming more and more popular day by day, and the prize money is getting higher and higher day by day, and then looking at the pitiful salary of the team, I can't help but feel excited.
However, as a professional athlete registered by the Athletics Association, he is restricted by the training and competition plan and cannot participate as he wishes.
The national team's monthly training tasks are very heavy. If you sneak away to participate in a marathon and affect the state of the game, it will definitely be a violation and will be severely dealt with.
After thinking about it, looking at the balance in his salary card, and with the encouragement of his wife, he finally submitted his retirement application to his leader.
As long as he gets approval, he can be removed from the Athletic Association and start looking for money in various marathons as an 'amateur'.
However, as soon as the application was submitted, I received a call from Coach Shi, saying that he wanted to have a good talk with him.
Coach Shi was considered his noble man. He was directly promoted to the national team because of his performance in the provincial team. Although he was not directly responsible for his training later, he was always amiable and treated him like a loving father.
"Hey, how are we going to tell Coach Shi about this later?"
"He thinks so highly of me, but I deserted the army and wanted to retire to make money. I really feel sorry for his cultivation."
Hou Wenjie glanced at the figure sitting upright on the sofa and looked at the white hair on his temples, and he couldn't help but feel guilty in his heart.
Coach Shi raised his head and showed a surprised smile: "Wenjie, you came early. That's right. You kid has always been punctual. Come, sit down and talk slowly."
Hou Wenjie sat down on the sofa next to him, his whole body stretched straight, his head lowered and not daring to look at him.
Coach Shi smiled and patted his shoulder, poured a cup of hot tea from the teapot on the table, and pushed it over.
"Don't be nervous, you kid. Why are you so reserved every time you come here? I told you to relax and treat it as if you were at home."
However, he is also used to Hou Wenjie's behavior. It is normal for a poor boy who came from a mountain village in Guizhou Province to be unable to let go when he comes to a first-tier big city.
At that moment, he poured himself a cup of tea, took a sip, and spoke slowly.
"I heard you want to retire? Have you even filed a report?"
Hou Wenjie was shocked. Sure enough, Coach Shi called him here just for this matter.
Could it be that he wanted to persuade himself to withdraw his application? This was absolutely not possible. There was no turning back. Besides, he had already made an agreement with his family and even signed up for the recent Yangcheng Marathon.
He whispered in a low voice: "Yes, coach, my parents are old and in poor health. I plan to go back and fulfill my filial piety for a while until my parents get better."
"I know I'm sorry for your cultivation and love, and I'm really ashamed..."
Coach Shi waved his hand, took out a piece of paper from behind and placed it on the coffee table.
"Wenjie, you did the right thing. When you reach 30, you should really make more plans for your parents, your wife and children."
"I very much support your decision. This matter has been approved by the higher authorities. I have obtained the documents for you."
"Huh?" Hou Wenjie looked up in shock, and all the excuses he had prepared were suddenly useless.
He quickly picked up the document and looked at it. The red seal on his name was extremely eye-catching. It was indeed an official document approving his retirement.
He was instantly overjoyed: "Coach, thank you."
Now I don’t have to worry about delaying the marathon in two weeks, and I can still focus on training during this time.
Thinking of this, a smile suddenly appeared on his face.
Coach Shi looked at him with interest and asked in a very friendly tone: "Wenjie, what are your plans after retirement?"
"Since your parents are not in good health, you have an elder and a younger one, and your wife has to take care of the children and is not working, there must be a lot of financial pressure. If you need any help, just let me know."
Hou Wenjie suddenly showed a grateful expression: "Thank you, coach. The financial pressure is really great. I may go back to my hometown to take care of my parents first, and then see if there are any suitable jobs in the county."
Coach Shi pondered and said: "Wenjie, although you have not achieved much in the past few years, you are still a member of the national team and you are somewhat famous. It would be a pity to retire like this. I wonder if you have any plans to perform in the future. The residual heat?"
Without waiting for Hou Wenjie to answer, he continued on his own: "The national marathon competition has been so prosperous in recent years, and the prize money is so high. Don't tell me that you are not tempted at all?"
The smile on Hou Wenjie's face stopped, and he suddenly became a little stammered: "This, this, is still a bit moving, tempting."
"That's right, private marathons are so popular, whoever is not interested is a fool." Coach Shi slapped his thigh suddenly and said.
"Wenjie, if you, a professional, run a marathon, you will definitely defeat a bunch of amateurs. Are you interested in winning the championship? The prize money is more than 200,000 yuan, which should be enough for you to live in your hometown for a year."
"Not just one year, three to five years is enough." Hou Wenjie said in his heart, and then he was shocked.
Did Coach Shi guess that he was going to be a bounty hunter? As expected of the old fox, this matter cannot be hidden from him.
So he nodded, showing a look of expectation and regret, and said.
"It would be great if I could win the championship, but unfortunately I am not strong enough and I know what I know. There are a bunch of specially invited black Filipinos, many of whom are running for the World Championships. I can't outrun them at all. Winning the championship can only be a dream."
Coach Shi looked at him with a smile: "What if I can let you win the championship?"
Hou Wenjie's face suddenly changed: "Coach, you can't do this. I know you have great hands and eyes, but if you are caught cheating, you will be suspended. If it is serious, my life will be over."
Coach Shi's smile froze and he said angrily: "Who the hell told you to cheat? I haven't cheated to that point yet, and I can't possibly make fun of your future."
Hou Wenjie rolled his eyes and said with a look of embarrassment: "Then the only way is to take banned drugs. What if the drug test is positive and I get caught? The risk is still very high."
"Coach, I know you do it for my own good, but we can't just be quick, we have to take a long-term view."
The smile on Coach Shi's face disappeared and he said with a straight face: "Wenjie, are you doubting my IQ? How could I let you do such a thing."
Hou Wenjie waved his hand quickly: "I don't dare, I don't dare. Could you please explain it carefully?"
Coach Shi coughed slightly and looked serious.
"That's right, Sanqing has developed a new drug that is suitable for anemic athletes. It can greatly enhance the oxygen transport capacity in the body in the short term. The effect is remarkable. It can be metabolized within two hours of injection and excreted through lung breathing. It is colorless, odorless and traceless. .”
"This drug is still in the laboratory stage and will not be put on the market, so it will not be included in the banned drug list. It is a completely legal drug. Only I have the connections to get it."
"Currently I am studying some long-distance runners with symptoms of anemia and want to help them achieve better results."
"Of course, it is best to have the strength of a professional athlete, but at the same time be able to focus on the name of an amateur, freely participate in competitions, and with the blessing of drugs, there is no problem in receiving championship bonuses."
Having said this, he looked over with a smile.
"Wenjie, I also think you are a good youngster, and you grew up in my hands. Your family conditions are average, so I can find you a path with rich rewards."
"Of course, whether it works or not depends on your own wishes. If you don't want to, it's okay. Just help me keep the secret."
Hou Wenjie was surprised and happy when he heard this.
He has no doubt about Coach Shi's ability. Since the other party can bring up this matter, he must be sure of it.
Suddenly, in a flash of lightning in his mind, he thought of Xue Shen, who came to the national team for training a month ago, and he suddenly realized.
"Xue Shen is also from Sanqing. It turns out that he has been using this drug for a long time to achieve such good results. Not only did he win a million-dollar award, he also became an Olympic champion."
Just thinking about these two achievements made him feel thirsty and an evil fire kept coming out of his heart.
"Xue Shen is an amateur. If he can do it, there is no way I can't do it."
"I've been running marathons for 20 years, but I haven't won a single championship, and I haven't even received a cent in prize money. Why!"
Gradually, Hou Wenjie's eyes became determined, and he said solemnly: "Coach, I confess, I am actually a little anemic, so my performance has been getting worse recently, and my body cannot support long-term exercise. This is also the reason for my retirement. "
"If you want to help me, of course I will. From now on, my life will be yours."
"I have always been yours, before and even more so in the future."
Coach Shi grabbed his hand and laughed loudly: "Okay, you are indeed someone I value."
"I knew you were definitely a marathon champion."
"Don't worry about the next thing, I will take care of it for you."
"I will be your coach and agent from now on. All games will be arranged by me. Making a million a year is definitely not a dream."
"And I not only want to support your competition, I will also support you and help you become a sports celebrity."
"When you continue to receive bonuses, accumulate high popularity in the marathon circle, and become an Internet celebrity-level 'amateur', you will become a brand, and then earn more income through such channels as opening training camps and brand endorsements. "
Hou Wenjie suddenly burst into tears of gratitude, and even his voice became choked with sobs.
"Coach, you are my precious person. I have been wandering for half my life and finally met you. This is the blessing I gained in my previous life."
"Haha, Wenjie, don't be so polite, we will be a family from now on."
Coach Shi tapped him on the shoulder and explained his plan in detail.
Hou Wenjie was dazzled when he heard this, his heart was extremely excited, and he sighed repeatedly.
"I didn't expect you to think so carefully. You even took care of the anti-doping center. As expected, you are really good at everything and can't find any flaws at all."
"Being able to follow you is the best decision I have ever made in my life."
He suddenly remembered something and his expression suddenly felt awkward.
"Well, I've already signed up for the Yangcheng Marathon in two weeks. I hope it won't affect your plans."
Coach Shi looked at him deeply and said without delving into it, "Since you have signed up, you will train as usual and then compete. I will make other arrangements."
"But let's start with the dirty talk. The bonus you receive will be split 50-50 with the company, and future endorsements and other commercial income will be roughly the same."
"Don't worry, we are in business and have a formal agency contract, which is absolutely legal and legal."
"This share is one of the best in the industry. You are a retired national player after all, so you can have such a high share. If you are an amateur player, it will definitely not be so high."
Hou Wenjie nodded and had no objection to the share. After all, without Coach Shi's medicine and connections, he would not have been able to win the championship. Even if he took medicine himself, he would not be able to pass the drug test.
He finally thought it through. Since Coach Shi and the Anti-Doping Center have joined forces to control this business, it would be too easy to do something about the drug testing.
Even if you don't do anything, just be a little more lenient with your own people and a little stricter with others, you can wipe out a large number of competitors.
Those black players, do you want to say that their bodies are completely normal and there is nothing wrong with them? That's probably not the case.
It's hard to find an excuse no matter what.
As long as an opponent has a positive drug test scandal, it may be difficult to survive in this industry.
It is conceivable that, riding on the momentum of the marathon, his money career is as bright as gold visible to the naked eye.
****
Two weeks later, an international marathon opened grandly in Yangcheng.
Six thirty in the morning, in the hotel room.
Hou Wenjie picked up the syringe, injected 300 ml of Nano Blood 2.0 into the thigh vein, and then came to the nearby competition field.
On the starting line, there were still a dozen black people lined up.
Since he had not won any competition, he could only stand in the crowd of amateur players in Area C, nearly fifty meters away from the black people.
He squinted his eyes and looked ahead. Wherever he looked, there was darkness.
Infinite fighting spirit surged in his heart: "Let you gangsters take a closer look. There are not only Xue Shen in the land of China, but also I, Hou Wenjie, how can I allow you to be arrogant here!"
boom!
When the starting gun sounded, Hou Wenjie was like a runaway horse, running on the track.
He is more experienced than Xue Shen and is more confident in handling this event.
Controlling speed, replenishing physical strength, conserving physical energy, and the final sprint are all done with great skill and ease.
When he sprinted at a speed of 100 meters, he passed a crowd of black skins and was the first to cross the finish line.
The entire media and audience were excited.
Thunderous cheers instantly erupted from the crowd, and countless people rushed over and surrounded him.
"we are the champion!"
"we are the champion!"
"We will fight until the end!"
Hou Wenjie couldn't help but burst into tears when he heard the passionate shouting, and his expression almost lost control.
The belated joy completely overwhelmed him.
It has been 20 years, God knows how long he has endured, and finally he has survived.
Yes, he won.
At the age of 32, as a retired amateur player.
At this moment, Hou Wenjie was extremely grateful to the pharmaceutical company in his heart.
Long live Sanqing!
He sat down on the track, his hands caressing the rough asphalt.
I recited this sentence silently in my mind and repeated it many times.
