Return to 2002: Freestyle Superstar

Chapter 4 Don't Take the Unusual Path

Tennis makes money, but it also sells money. It is highly entertaining, but there are barriers.

It's a lonely sport, and it's also free and expensive.

The cost of a racquet is not high, but the cost of court and coaching will prohibit many enthusiasts.

In particular, many coaches with mediocre skills will charge expensive training fees, draining your wallet.

Fortunately for Chen Ran, he directly overcame the two major difficulties of venue and coaching.

During the not-so-long journey from the classroom to the school cafeteria, images of himself dominating the four Grand Slam tournaments flashed through Chen Ran's mind from time to time, and he couldn't get rid of it.

Where have we reached now? We are so deep into the drama.

Chen Ran shook his head vigorously and ducked into the cafeteria.

There is a long queue, wearing uniforms. Some people are chatting happily, and there are also three good students holding books. Even the time spent waiting in line should be used.

This is the canteen of junior high school. The scene is familiar and friendly.

While Chen Ran was queuing, he suddenly felt someone tapping his shoulder.

He turned around and saw a somewhat unfamiliar face, but he seemed to have some impression that it should be his classmate.

What surprised Chen Ran even more was that this classmate actually stepped on a football under his feet. In an environment like the school cafeteria, he looked very middle-class.

"Chen Ran, why did you quit the basketball team!" The classmate looked disdainful, "What's the point of studying!"

Chen Ran finally had an impression. This classmate's name was Xu Mengjie, who was considered a well-known problem child in the class.

He doesn't like studying, but he loves football.

A male teacher once tried to take away his football. The boy got so excited that he grabbed the teacher's hair.

From then on, Xu Mengjie brought football to school every day, and the teachers turned a blind eye.

But what impressed Chen Ran the most was that this guy actually handed in a few blank papers during the high school entrance examination, and then his family spent a lot of money to join the echelon of a football club in Imperial City. The price was 10 yuan for three years.

The final result is that the young man full of football dreams came back disgraced three years later.

Chen Ran's reaction to this was that he was sinful. There was no good choice but to choose football in China. Even if he was possessed by a cheat, he would not dare to wade into this muddy water. It was too deep.

If he accidentally clicked on football while sliding his hand in the system options, even if he possessed Messi, he would not be able to stop some shameless guy from suddenly making a sliding tackle in the future.

What's more, can Messi save this national football team?God can't save me!

"It's because of the pressure from my family." Chen Ran replied casually, "I'm about to take the high school entrance exam, and I have no intention of practicing."

"Tch, I'm not afraid of my family!" Xu Mengjie said, kicking the ball a few times from time to time to show off his footwork.

Chen Ran put his hands in his pockets and shrugged: "Okay, I know you are good."

"Hehe..." Xu Mengjie said proudly, "My family has agreed to send me to the Imperial Capital to learn football after I graduate from junior high school."

In the summer of 2002, because of the participation of the Chinese men's football team in the World Cup in Japan and South Korea, the popularity of football in this country reached its highest peak in history.

However, since then, the country's football performance has plummeted from the peak, and it has never hit the bottom, there is no lowest, only lower.

"Okay, I wish you success." Chen Ran nodded.What else could he say?Let go of the need to help others and respect the fate of others.

When the queue reached Chen Ran, he ordered a few dishes at random, grabbed a bowl of rice, and walked to an inconspicuous corner.

What’s the way forward?This is an issue that Chen Ran needs to seriously consider.

With his current situation, taking the high school entrance examination, let alone key high schools, even ordinary high schools were out of reach. Chen Ran could vaguely see that vocational high schools had opened the door to him.

In my previous life, I only went to an ordinary high school. If I could go to a key high school in this life, it would at least make my parents happy. As for whether I would like to go to school in the future, that was another matter.

Thinking about his own system, he had no choice but to take a different approach.

Chen Ran's eyes moved around, observing his classmates, trying to find the familiar figures in his memory.

Jiang Jie, it should be him!
In Chen Ran's sight, there was a boy who was nearly 180cm tall and well built, eating a big meal.

Jiang Jie was his classmate and a member of the school's track and field team. Although his grades were mediocre, he was recognized as a provincial athlete because he had placed in the provincial sports meeting and was recommended to a key high school.

As for which university the other party went to later, he didn't know.

During Chen Ran's middle school days, the school had a clear double-standard attitude towards the track and field and basketball teams.

For example, the annual school sports meeting is organized by the school and is grand and formal. The head teacher will lead the whole class to cheer in the stands; while the same school basketball game is organized by the student union, the head teacher is indifferent and does not say anything. It can also be obstructed in every possible way.

Similarly, the head teacher also had two completely different attitudes towards his participation in the basketball team and Jiang Jie's participation in the track and field team.

Of course, the head teacher also analyzed the pros and cons with Chen Ran. One was a walk-off, and the other was just extra points, and the prerequisite was that he had to advance to the finals, so there was little hope.

It's just that Chen Ran was obsessed at the time, thinking that under his leadership the team had a chance to reach the finals, but the real probability was like Takenori Akagi in "Slam Dunk" who wanted to break into the national team with the help of the No Problem Children's Legion. Just like in a competition, it’s impossible.

"That guy's usual test scores are not as good as mine!" Chen Ran withdrew his gaze, and after a brief summary, he came to the conclusion that if he wanted to go to a key high school, he could only take the special recruitment route.

He wants to get provincial or even higher-level athlete certification.

Chen Ran hurriedly returned to the classroom after finishing his lunch like a wind and a cloud.

My beautiful deskmate was doing the test questions with her head lowered, and with her pair of glasses, she looked very knowledgeable.

Many girls were like this in middle school. They would wear a pair of glasses when going to class or doing homework, but they didn't like wearing glasses in daily life because they thought they would look ugly.

Chen Ran looked at Zhou Jing's serious way of doing the questions, and a thought suddenly flashed in his mind: After graduating from college, such a girl will probably embark on the path of "being a question writer in a small town".

He didn't bother Zhou Jing, took out more than ten yuan of pocket money from his schoolbag, and was about to leave.

"Chen Ran, you are good at math, please help me with this math problem!" Zhou Jing noticed that Chen Ran smiled as brightly as a flower.

Among several subjects, Chen Ran is only better than his classmate, the class cadre, in mathematics. This may be an innate advantage for boys.

But now, he had already forgotten all about mathematics in junior high school. Looking at the expectant eyes of the other party, Chen Ran had no choice but to reply: "Ask someone else, I have something urgent to do!"

Without saying a word, he ran out in a hurry.

Zhou Jing sat in her seat, tilting her little head, looking at the back of her deskmate, and always felt something was different.

……

(End of this chapter)