News Interview
Ever since the Dubai prince's party, Zhang Guan had developed an inexplicable fear of alcohol. Despite He Yiming's persistent attempts to get him to drink, Zhang Guan only took a few sips. Later, He Yiming's driver took Zhang Guan back to the Tiantan Apartments. According to the schedule, he had a meeting at three in the afternoon with a famous producer from CCTV to discuss his participation in the performance of 'The Same Song.'
The grand concert of 'The Same Song' on September 2nd would be the first formal meeting between the Olympic champions and the domestic audience. CCTV hoped that all the Olympic champions and some renowned coaches would attend, preferably to sing a song. To that end, CCTV had invited several well-known singers who could pair up with the athletes, ensuring that even if the athletes sang poorly, the professional singers could cover for them.
Flying Man Liu was known to be a karaoke king and naturally would perform a song; the two champions of the women's tennis doubles, who also enjoyed karaoke, would also perform; and the entire women's volleyball team would participate in a group song. Group singing was lenient enough that even if a few athletes just moved their mouths without actually singing, it wouldn't matter. Other Olympic champions who were not good at singing were arranged to participate in the group chorus.
Zhang Guan initially planned to only participate in the chorus. However, as the most dazzling star of this Olympic Games, the CCTV producer strongly urged him to perform a solo, even suggesting that he could pre-record his part and lip-sync during the performance if necessary.
Zhang Guan glanced at the list of songs provided by the producer, which included songs like 'Believe in Yourself' and 'True Hero.' While these songs were appropriate, Zhang Guan felt they were not quite his style. Although he was familiar with these songs, his perspective, being more than a decade ahead, made him reluctant to perform them.
"These songs don't seem to suit me," Zhang Guan prepared to decline CCTV's request, preferring to blend in with the group performance and be an unnoticed part of the chorus.
Realizing Zhang Guan's intention to refuse, the producer quickly handed him another list and said, "Why don't you take a look at this? It's a list of invited singers. You can pick any of them to pair with, and let the singer take the lead."
Zhang Guan examined the list closely and found the name of the famous rock singer Wang Feng.
"So, Wang Feng will be here too!" Zhang Guan said softly.
"Yes, why not do a duet with Wang Feng?" The producer suggested, "Wang Feng released a new album a few months ago, and his song 'Fly Higher' was well received on our program. Since you're a sprinter, why not sing this song with him?"
"'Fly Higher'? That sounds good, but I can't hit those high notes," Zhang Guan said with a smile. He liked Wang Feng's songs, which were inspiring and uplifting.
Seeing Zhang Guan agree, the producer breathed a sigh of relief and said, "No problem if you can't hit the high notes; Wang Feng is here, and his vocal skills are the best among the singers on my list! Plus, there will be a rehearsal tomorrow morning. If it turns out you can't sing it well, you can record your part in the studio, and we can edit it. During the performance, you just need to mouth the words without actually singing."
Later in the afternoon, Zhang Guan and Flying Man Liu headed to the CCTV building to record the 'News Lounge' program.
This was the second time Flying Man Liu participated in this program. Before the Olympics, he had already been on the show, so he was familiar with the show's host, who was known for his eloquence.
Though it was Zhang Guan's first time, he had watched the show on TV several times and knew that the host was a wise person with an engaging interview style.
Initially, the guests and the host used to sit on stools, but now the program had switched to red sofas, making the setting more comfortable and relaxed.
In the studio, the host faced the camera and said, "Hello, viewers, welcome to 'News Lounge.' I'm not very sensitive to numbers, but there are two numbers that I will remember for the rest of my life: 12.91 seconds and 9.77 seconds. 12.91 seconds is the time when Flying Man Liu tied the world record at the Athens Olympics; 9.77 seconds is the new world record set by Zhang Guan at the Athens Olympics. So, naturally, our guests today are Flying Man Liu and Zhang Guan!"
The director switched to a wide shot, capturing all three of them on camera.
Turning to Flying Man Liu, the host asked, "Forty days ago, you were on this show. At that time, we celebrated your birthday and mentioned your best time of 13.06 seconds, which was written on the cake. Did you ever imagine that you would surpass that in this Olympics?"
"I didn't think so at the time. I estimated that if I could just match the 13.06 seconds, that should be enough for a gold medal. I never thought I could break the 13-second barrier," Flying Man Liu paused, then continued, "But when I watched Zhang Guan win and break the world record on TV, I thought to myself, I want to break the 13-second barrier too!"
The host then turned to Zhang Guan, "9.77 seconds is a new world record. To be honest, when I first heard that number, I was overjoyed and astonished. Then, I felt it was unbelievable and hard to believe. But after verifying it, I was again filled with joy and amazement. My emotions were like a roller coaster that day. You achieved something that we never thought possible before. Did you ever think you could break the world record?"
"Yes," Zhang Guan nodded seriously and continued, "I always believed I could break the world record."
"Why? What gave you such strong confidence?" the host asked.
"In May of last year, I was just an ordinary high school student and had never undergone professional sports training. Two months later, in July, I broke the national record, and two months after that, I broke the Asian record," Zhang Guan paused again, then continued, "It took me two months to go from a novice to a national record holder; two months more to become an Asian record holder; and then I had 11 months to train and prepare for breaking the world record. I didn't find it surprising."
"It sounds almost like a math problem," the host laughed and then asked, "Let me ask you a more current question: How does it feel to be back home? Let's start with Flying Man Liu."
"It feels great to be back in my own country. Even though I'm tired, it's wonderful," Flying Man Liu responded.
"And what about you, Zhang Guan?" the host continued.
"I feel the same as Flying Man Liu, but I must add one thing: my arm is a bit sore because I've been practicing my handwriting lately," Zhang Guan replied.
"Practicing your handwriting? Why? Is it for signing autographs?" the host asked.
Zhang Guan nodded, "My handwriting isn't very good, so I have to practice quickly to make my autographs look decent, otherwise, it would be embarrassing."
The host then said, "Speaking of autographs, I must ask Flying Man Liu about the most important autograph, the one you signed on the camera lens. Was it spontaneous or planned?"
"They asked me to sign it. I hadn't thought of it myself, so I just signed it. Looking back, it seems a bit off; it was too slippery," Flying Man Liu replied.
"That's one detail. Another one is that during the award ceremony, many people thought you were too calm and not excited, but as soon as your name was called, you jumped up. Was that planned?" the host asked.
"Yes, I thought about doing something novel at that moment, like jumping up and wrapping myself in the national flag and taking a turn around," Flying Man Liu explained.
"But Zhang Guan, you seemed very calm during your award ceremony," the host asked Zhang Guan.
"That's right. The award ceremony for Flying Man Liu's final was held two hours after the competition. For me, it was held the next day after the final. By then, the excitement had worn off," Zhang Guan answered.
"But when I watched the footage of your victory, you didn't seem very excited, and there weren't any dramatic celebrations. Many viewers were curious if you are usually a quiet person," the host inquired.
"The final was the last event of the day, and it was a two-race day for me. Two hours before the final, I had beaten Maurice Greene in the semifinals and then went straight to the final. It was quite exhausting. By the time the final ended, it was already midnight in Athens, and I was tired and a bit sleepy," Zhang Guan explained.
"Indeed, two races in two hours is very demanding," the host nodded. "Let's talk about something everyone is interested in: both of you are handsome and people want to find girlfriends for you. I'll start with you, Zhang Guan. Although you're only eighteen, many of your peers in university are already dating."
"Yes, being single isn't great! When it gets cold, I might turn into a sled dog," Zhang Guan joked.
"Haha, our world champion is quite the comedian! Sled dog? That's a new term, and it feels funny," the host then asked Flying Man Liu, "Flying Man Liu, you are over 21 now and still don't have a girlfriend. Could this become a new hurdle for you, just like the ones you jump over in your races?"
"I consider it a part of the process," Flying Man Liu replied thoughtfully.
While the conversation turned to girlfriends, Zhang Guan's mind wandered back to that night and the beautiful face with the enchanting golden hair.
"I wonder where she is now?"
....
After completing a day's training, Maria Sharapova soaked in her bathtub and picked up the latest issue of a sports magazine.
"Top 10 Dark Horses of the Athens Olympics."
The title intrigued Sharapova, and she began reading the article carefully.
"TOP 10: Kirsty Coventry, Zimbabwe's women's 200m backstroke champion..."
Sharapova flipped through the pages, seeing athletes like Italy's Marco Galiazzo winning archery gold, Belarus's Yulia Nestsiarenka winning the women's 100m, the Iraqi football team reaching the semifinals, and the Chinese women's long-distance runner winning the 10,000m gold. Each athlete was accompanied by a photograph.
"TOP 2: China's Tennis Duo Shocks the World. This refers to the women's tennis doubles. I've never heard of these two Chinese players! They certainly haven't participated in any Grand Slams. What a huge upset. I wonder who took the number one spot."
Sharapova turned the page, and the image of an Asian athlete caught her eye—it was Zhang Guan. The headline read, "TOP 1: Miracle! The New World's Fastest Man!"
"Oh my God! It's him!" Sharapova exclaimed.
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