My Mr. Mermaid

Untitled Part 41

Chapter 41 by ryuxenji

After boarding the plane, Qi Rui-Feng was still nattering on about Yun Duo. It was clear to see how much the words 'dominates the world forever and ever' had captured his heart. He asked Tang Yi-Bai, "Say, do you think Yun Duo has a crush on me?"

"Impossible." Tang Yi-Bai gave a decisive shake of his head, his tone as hard and cold as iron.

Qi Rui-Feng did not believe him. "Why not? She's a fan of mine. What's so impossible about a fan having a crush on their idol?"

Tang Yi-Bai was expressionless as he explained, "You're taller than her by over 30 cm. If she wants to kiss you, she won't be able to even if she jumps. So it's impossible between the two of you."

This argument was very convincing. Qi Rui-Feng nodded seriously. "True. Then I don't have to take the trouble to reject her... Matron Yuan doesn't want me to date right now."

Matron Yuan did not allow Qi Rui-Feng to date — this was something Tang Yi-Bai knew as well. The reason was none other than fear that he would be distracted and let that affect his performance during competitions. In fact, many coaches would either expressly or secretly forbid the successful athletes in their care from dating. The golden years of an athlete's career was just too short — finding a girlfriend can wait till one is 30 years old, but missing out on a gold medal will be a regret of a lifetime. Even though Qi Rui-Feng had already won an Olympic gold medal, who would ever complain over having one too many medals? Moreover, in terms of the present situation of the organisation of sports within the country, a gold medal was not just a personal matter of the athlete but something which concerned the efforts and expectations of a lot of people.

Also, taking Qi Rui-Feng's low IQ and EQ levels into consideration, it was impossible to tell what drama might result from him dating around. Hence, Matron Yuan had him under a strict ban against dating.

In contrast to these cruel and inhumane coaches, Coach Wu Yong was rather different. After all, he paid regular attention to Tang Yi-Bai's social emotional life, periodically asking "Is this your girlfriend?" "Is that your girlfriend?" "Young man, why haven't you dated yet?" — a whole range of meaningless questions.

In truth, behind these questions lurked Coach Wu's deep concern.

Professional athletes were a young demographic, a very restless group. They had no time to date, but this did not mean they did not want to date. After all, they had never been short of testosterone — they might even have more than the average male. For instance, at just 17 years old, Qi Rui-Feng had already been lured away by female fans for sex (though he was rescued by his coach). And then there was Ming Tian — that little fellow had already learned how to banter and flirt with the ladies of the artistic swimming team at such a young age. And so on. It could be said that a restless and eager athlete was a normal athlete.

But Tang Yi-Bai was not like that. Whether in terms of appearance or body figure, Tang Yi-Bai was the athlete with the highest aesthetic value among the members of the swimming team. No one else could compare. He was the 'team grass' of the swimming team, and as a 'team flower' had never been decided among the female members of the team, Tang Yi-Bai was simultaneously also the team flower. Such a handsome chap, and with such a nice personality and high EQ... Thus, even during his three-year ban, the ladies had still chased after him, lining up as if they were waiting to taste some fine dumplings. Even the serving maids in the canteen liked him — as for the cooking boys, they looked at him like he was their archenemy. A person like this, yet he never pursued the fairer sex, seeming to have no desires, living like an old monk.

"Abstaining from women" — such an esteemed state of being in the past, but with the proliferation of BL culture in the world today, the phrase was a little terrifying. Coach Wu's mind could not help but run wild with the possibility. Taking a step back, even if Tang Yi-Bai wasn't bent, repressing his own human nature like that would easily make him twisted eventually ...