Chapter 221: Deadbeat

Li Xian knew quite a bit about Chinese athletes and teams. However, due to his age, his knowledge was mostly about the later generation, such as Ding Junhui, Ma Long, Zhang Jike, Liu Xiang, and Yao Ming.

But when he was younger, Li Xian and Zhu Jing watched TV, and there were two sports events that they couldn't miss. One was the Chinese women's volleyball team, and the other was women's athletics—even though by then, the women's volleyball team had declined, and the track and field team often didn't achieve great results.

Every time they saw the results of these competitions, both of them would sigh in unison—when could they be great again?

Li Xian remembered that sigh very clearly.

The glory of the women's volleyball team lasted a long time. In Li Xian's memory, throughout the mid to late 1980s, under the leadership of Yuan Weimin, the Chinese women's volleyball team was unstoppable. The Iron Hammer Lang Ping was like a living Mulan in China at that time, with unprecedented glory.

The Ma Family Army, on the other hand, was a source of confusion for many.

Later, with the development of the internet, Li Xian researched this unique track and field team and found that the Ma Family Army was active only from 1993 to 1995. However, his main impression of the Ma Family Army was not due to their results but rather due to the almost continuous replay of skits on variety channels.

What stood out most to him was the skit "Playing Poker" by Huang Hong and Hou Yuewen.

In the skit, Huang Hong took out Ma Renjun's business card, which was countered by a press card from Hou Yuewen.

The line was: "Wait a minute, reporter, check on your doping issue."

In the skit, Ma Renjun, sitting at the Spring Festival Gala, had a grim expression.

At that time, wherever the Ma Family Army went, gold medals were won and records were broken.

To put it in perspective: it's like someone earning 800 yuan a month suddenly becoming someone earning 8 million a month. You'd think that their windfall wouldn't last long, but they kept earning 8 million every month, making you gape in astonishment.

Thus, the Western world was very concerned about the Ma Family Army's use of banned substances. The controversy was big, but no clear conclusions were drawn.

In the skit, Huang Hong then stood up on stage with a look of indignation, as if his wife had been molested. The next line was: "Take it away, just mentioning this makes me angry. Foreigners win a championship and there's no talk of doping, but when we Chinese win gold medals, it's all about doping? Tell them, it's not that the Ma Family Army used doping; it's that the Ma Family Army gave 1.2 billion Chinese people and even overseas Chinese a dose of doping. Sooner or later, China will be at the forefront of the world like the Ma Family Army!"

At this point in the skit, there was thunderous applause from the audience. However, the Ma Family Army members, who were clapping with everyone, had somewhat stiff expressions.

In the following two years, many members of the Ma Family Army, including Wang Junxia, left, and the entire track and field team collapsed. Some said it was due to the doping scandal, others said it was due to unequal distribution of benefits and Ma Renjun's harsh treatment of team members.

The Ma Family Army quickly declined, but even to the end, there was no clear conclusion about the doping issue.

It can be said that the Ma Family Army's glory was short-lived and was always overshadowed by the cloud of doping.

However, one undeniable fact is that at that time, top track and field athletes were concentrated in African countries like Kenya and Ethiopia, second-tier athletes were in Europe and the U.S., and third-tier athletes were in Asia. With China having almost no advantage in middle and long-distance running, the emergence of the Ma Family Army undoubtedly ignited the confidence and pride of the Chinese people.

And the time to ignite this passion was coming in August.

For Li Xian, that was enough.

Doping?

Haha, athletes from all countries in the 90s were all dirty in one way or another, so no one should throw stones.

Therefore, no further consideration.

Yan Shilin received Li Xian's order and, ignoring the darkening outside, picked up the big mobile phone Li Xian had provided and dialed the number of Sun Guoyi from the Bingcheng City Investment Promotion Office.

Upon learning that Yan Shilin had visited the provincial track and field team and was particularly concerned about the training environment and health of the female track and field athletes, many of whom were of similar age but mostly from rural areas, and had the idea of further contact with the team and offering a sponsorship, Sun Guoyi was immediately invigorated.

"Ms. Yan, I'll arrange for the leaders and responsible persons of the provincial track and field team to come over tomorrow and discuss with you in person!"

"And those athletes," Yan Shilin reminded.

"Of course! Of course!" Sun Guoyi agreed repeatedly and hung up the phone.

In fact, the lack of funds for the Sports Bureau had been a long-standing issue. The situation was similar across regions; the sports selection system was quite large, but the investment in the field had always been pitifully low.

Several large sports venues were built in the 1950s and 60s, and after decades, many of these venues could no longer be patched up. At the Shenyang Provincial Sports Center, the basketball and badminton teams don't train on rainy days—because the gym leaks, with heavy rain outside causing localized torrential rain inside.

So this time, using foreign donations to raise funds was a task handed down from above by the Sports Bureau, which was equally financially strained, to various regions.

Although local areas were reluctant, they had to support it.

Not long after Yan Shilin made the call, she received a phone call from a leader at the Sports Bureau. The call lasted more than twenty minutes. After a whole day of running around, Yan Shilin could barely keep her eyes open by the end. After the leader expressed more thanks and claimed that they were already booking tickets to bring the women's track and field team over the next morning, Yan Shilin put down the big mobile phone and fell asleep on the sofa.

The Zhengtai Hotel rented by Li Xian was not a good place. The main reason for staying here was the convenience of being right downstairs from Hengyuan's office.

The room didn't even have air conditioning.

Seeing Yan Shilin's flushed face curled up on the sofa, perhaps due to the long walk, her slender and rounded feet were slightly reddened.

Li Xian found it hard to look away.

Hearing the gentle snoring on the sofa, he went over.

In her sleep, Yan Shilin's brows were slightly furrowed, and her eyelashes trembled a bit.

Slap!

In the next second, her face was slapped lightly.

"What's this about!"

Yan Shilin sprang up from the sofa with a start, her voice somewhat dazed.

Rather than dissatisfaction, it sounded more like a pout.

"Didn't I tell you to pay attention to your attire?" Li Xian frowned.

"Look at this, a big hole, what does it look like? This doesn't fit your persona; the Shanghai Huakao brand is too low-class. In the future, buy Wacoal's. Got it?"

Looking at the egg-sized hole in her socks, Yan Shilin looked absent-minded.

"It's too late, I'm tired today, so I'm too lazy to drive you. Just sleep here." Li Xian glanced at the clock and said to Yan Shilin, who was getting up from the sofa while biting her lip.

"Ah!" Hearing this, Yan Shilin's cheeks flushed slightly. "Then, how should I sleep? I'll go take a shower first, okay?"

Li Xian waved his hand, "Do as you please."

Saying this, he picked up his clothes and bag, left the room, and added, "I'll book another room."

Watching the door gently close, Yan Shilin widened her eyes!

"Damn you! Deadbeat!"

On the sofa, there was a flurry of wild thrashing.