After Dong Yunfei won the first match, he said to the cara, "Thank you, Coach Li." At that mont, the audience in Hua Country did not quite understand the role Li Tongyun had played, and might have thought Dong Yunfei was just being polite.
However, when Zhang Weili and Yan Xiaonan both expressed their gratitude by saying "Thank you, Coach Li" during the second match, Li Tongyun’s significance was suddenly viewed differently, and many people began to appreciate the role of this coach.
In the end, when Wu Li ntioned that Li Tongyun had guessed the opponent’s setup in advance and again thanked Li Tongyun, she instantly beca the focus of the evening!
"No wonder Wu Li said before the match that he wasn’t the protagonist tonight."
"This coach really has sothing, beautifully played tonight!"
"5:0, I could never have dread that the Hua Country Team could achieve such a result, and against the Russia Team no less!"
"One has to admit, tonight’s tactics were truly formidable."
"Coach Li is aweso!"
...
The evaluations of Li Tongyun online were also very high, and netizens did not skimp on their praise after a major victory.
"Hua Country Team’s big win," "Li Tongyun," "The protagonist of the night"—within half an hour after the match, these three phrases had successively trended online, and Li Tongyun had truly beco a sensation.
"This must have been arranged by Wu Li in advance!"
Inside a room, a middle-aged female furiously threw her phone onto the bed while reading the comnts online.
She was Wang Kehan’s agent, and she was the one who had instigated the previous online storm.
She had already prepared to publicly battle Wu Li online, having even contacted internet trolls in advance, but a press conference from Wu Li, with only his statent "No comnt," had thwarted all her preparations.
Then, the Hua Country Team unexpectedly advanced to the quarterfinals, striking another heavy blow to Wang Kehan’s agent, making her feel as though she had lost sothing much more valuable while picking up sothing trivial. Until tonight, when Li Tongyun suddenly beca popular, which made her feel very uneasy.
The agent paced back and forth in the room, increasingly anxious, and couldn’t help but pick up the phone to call Wang Kehan.
"Hello, where are you now?"
"...Wait, I’ll call you back in a bit," Wang Kehan’s voice was noisy.
"Alright, call back as soon as possible!"
The agent hung up and anxiously awaited in the room.
Half an hour later, Wang Kehan finally returned the call.
"Hello, why did it take you so long to call, are you trying to kill with anxiety?" the agent asked discontentedly.
"I was with them on the way back to the Martial Arts Hall, how could I call you from the car?" replied Wang Kehan, similarly frustrated.
"Ok, let’s not talk about that, the situation isn’t great right now. Have you seen the online comnts?" asked the agent.
Wang Kehan replied, "I have."
The agent asked, "This was all arranged by Wu Li in advance, wasn’t it?"
"How would I know?" answered Wang Kehan.
The agent frowned, "You’re with them every day, how could you not know?"
Wang Kehan replied irritably, "Right now, in the team, I’m like air, nobody even notices , how would I know?"
The agent was silent for a mont, then spoke, "Kehan, this is my fault, I misjudged the situation, I apologize, I’m sorry!"
Wang Kehan had a lot of pent-up frustration, but having collaborated with the agent for so many years, hearing this made it hard for her to speak harshly. "Talking about this now isn’t helpful, let’s think about what to do."
The agent suggested, "I think you might need to initiate talks with Wu Li and Li Tongyun."
Upon hearing this, Wang Kehan imdiately resisted, "How can I go talk to them?"
The agent advised, "Swallow your pride, try to let this blow over."
Wang Kehan rejected outright, "Impossible! After all this, how can I possibly swallow my pride?"
The agent softened her tone, "Kehan, the situation is different now. Initially, the reason Wu Li did not disclose your public defiance was probably to avoid embarrassing Li Tongyun. But tonight, Li Tongyun has thoroughly proven herself, and everyone has seen her abilities and achievents as a coach. If Wu Li brings up the past now, Li Tongyun won’t be affected, but you will."
Wang Kehan was silent for a mont, her voice hoarse, "The problem is, if I apologize, will Wu Li really let this go? You know how they insulted him online back then, and so are still using it against him, how could he possibly forgive ?"
The agent replied, "Look, Wu Li definitely wants to use tonight’s event to turn around the past sentint and clear his na, we can’t stop him, but we can negotiate how it’s handled. We admit our mistake proactively, and Wu Li doesn’t need to be too absolute in his response. Even though you’ll have a stain, you’ll also gain publicity, and we could even spin this to our advantage.
"Look at those traffic-heavy celebrities, how many of them don’t have controversial aspects? The so-called cycle of scandal and popularity is what boosts their fa. If we handle this correctly, it might even turn out to be a good thing!"
Wang Kehan frowned, "Why would Wu Li cooperate with us?"
The agent explained, "That’s why you need to talk, speak kindly, see what his terms are, we can negotiate anything!"
Wang Kehan was at a loss for words, "What can we offer? He doesn’t lack money or popularity."
Agent: "So it’s going to depend on your negotiation skills. As a young woman, you should lower your stance a bit, shed so tears during the conversation, and tell him how incredibly difficult it is for you. How could he, as a grown man, ruthlessly cut you off?"
Wang Kehan: "..."
The agent understood Wang Kehan’s resistance and continued, "Kehan, let put it straight, this situation isn’t easy to handle. Rember how badly Wu Li was vilified before? If tables turn now, those who vilified him are definitely going to target you, along with his fans; it’ll be a total online backlash! Although the martial arts circle is different from the entertainnt industry, an athlete who lacks audience appeal is dood to never rise to fa or command a high price. You probably understand this better than I do."
"Kehan, go talk to Wu Li, ask him to show so rcy. Don’t burn the bridges, feel free to put forth any conditions. I’ll also try my best here, reach out through other connections to relay ssages, and let’s try to mitigate this crisis."
Wang Kehan held her phone silently for a long ti before finally struggling to speak, "I’ll try."
Agent: "Good, rember to keep a low profile, be pitiable, cry if you need to!"
Wang Kehan: "...understood."
After hanging up, the agent wasted no ti, contacting other people desperately trying to broker peace with Wu Li.
...
Qi City, Liu Xiaochuan clutched his phone and cursed loudly, "What the hell kind of joke is this? You have the nerve to see now? Where were you when you were causing trouble? I fucking regret ever introducing you to Wu Li, get lost!"
"Coach Liu, please let explain..."
The voice of Wang Kehan’s agent ca through the phone, but Liu Xiaochuan had no interest in listening, abruptly ended the call, and blocked her number.
"What’s up, did sothing happen with Wang Kehan’s side?" asked the woman beside him, Liu Xiaochuan’s wife.
Liu Xiaochuan glowered, "It’s Wang Kehan’s agent, hoping I’d beg Wu Li for rcy on her behalf."
His wife looked surprised, "She had the nerve to approach you?"
Liu Xiaochuan snorted, "These people have no sha. I really regret introducing them to Wu Li!"
His wife responded, "It’s not your fault. Who would’ve guessed they’d stir up such trouble?"
Liu Xiaochuan sighed, "It’s my fault for being short-sighted, got swayed by so benefits without much thought, plus Wang Kehan really did have the skills, so I talked to Wu Li for her."
His wife’s expression shifted as she probed, "Didn’t they offer anything this ti?"
Liu Xiaochuan shot his wife a look, "What are you thinking? No matter the benefit, I shouldn’t agree! Because of the online situation, my relationship with Wu Li has beco sowhat awkward. If I try to intercede again, it’ll completely ruin our friendship."
His wife suggested, "But if the offered benefit is substantial enough, just saying a word wouldn’t hurt."
Liu Xiaochuan retorted, "You don’t understand! What could an agent offer? Wu Li isn’t just a star now, he’s a businessman, a big boss! My relationship with him is worth more than any benefit."
His wife nodded, "That’s true."
...
anwhile, at the Bo Yuan Martial Arts Hall in New York.
After a fierce internal battle, Wang Kehan finally decided to swallow her pride and apologize to Wu Li.
Knock, knock, knock! Wang Kehan rapped on Wu Li’s door.
Wu Li opened the door, surprised to see Wang Kehan, "What is it?"
Wang Kehan awkwardly asked, "Captain, may I co in to talk?"
Wu Li frowned slightly, didn’t let her in, but stepped out instead, "Co with ."
He led Wang Kehan down to the Martial Arts Hall on the first floor and sat in the rest area, "What is it? Speak."
Wang Kehan looked around; it was 11 PM, and the Martial Arts Hall was empty.
"Captain, I’m here to apologize," Wang Kehan looked at Wu Li, "Because of my issues, there have been many misunderstandings about you online, and I am truly sorry."
After speaking, she stood up and bowed deeply to Wu Li.
Wu Li watched her, unmoved, "Scared?"
Wang Kehan’s eyes flashed with panic, "Wha, what scared?"
Wu Li: "Now, everyone online is saying Coach Li is capable, so you got scared."
Wang Kehan, not expecting Wu Li to be so direct, found herself unable to finish her previously prepared words, "I, I had so misunderstandings about Coach Li before...."
Wu Li didn’t let her finish, waving his hand, "You don’t need to explain anything to , we all know what happened before."
With that, he stood up, looked at Wang Kehan, "The situation now is simple, your opponent stands before you, just one punch away from a knockout, would you hold back?"
Wang Kehan was stunned, speechless, Wu Li’s words were as aggressive and uncompromising as his fighting style!
"That’s all."
Wu Li finished speaking and turned to leave.
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