A Valiant Life

“Little Boss, you’re so awesome,” Elder Liang, the shop owner, said after reading the news.

Lin Fan waved his hand. “That’s not awesome. I don’t even know what to call it.”

Elder Zhang chuckled, “It shows that Little Boss’ scallion pancakes have mesmerized a lot of people. If it was in a gourmet food competition, Little Boss’ scallion pancake would be second to none.”

“Haha…”

Lin Fan smiled and shook his head. This matter didn’t affect him much. It was only talked about by a lot of people online and it was on the trending list for a while. He really was extremely capable of making it into the trending list.

However, it wasn’t the top result on the trending list. The most searched topic was the world championships. Everyone was discussing who would snatch the first spot.

Hu Fei Yun, who had been a world champion in the past, had already passed his prime. However, in the sea of professionals in this competition, there were a lot of people that believed he could win.

There were several world champions and he most likely couldn’t win the first place but he was probably capable of a top-three finish.

Of course, there was Seidel. They firmly believed that the champion would be the Jamaican competitor.

At 2 pm in the afternoon.

Lin Fan and the others gathered and prepared to leave for their destination.

Outside the venue.

“Master Lin, are you guys here yet?” Chu Yuan asked through the phone.

“We’re here. We’re standing beside the statue,” Lin Fan mentioned about the famous and unique statue.

Chu Yuan looked towards that direction. “Stay there and don’t move. I’ll be right there.”

After a short while.

“Master Lin…” Chu Yuan yelled as he waved his hand.

Lin Fan looked over as he heard his name. Then, he smiled at Chu Yuan.

Chu Yuan was a little anxious. “Master Lin, let’s go in now. I’ll bring you guys around. We might even be able to see the athletes.”

Fraud Tian waved his hand. “I’m not going. I’m too tired. I’ll just watch from the stands.”

Wu You Lan also waved her hand. “I’m not going too. I’m too tired.”

Lin Fan smiled after hearing that they didn’t want to go. “Alright, then I’ll go with you. They can watch from the stands.”

Chu Yuan nodded. “Master Lin, there are a lot of spectators this time. This is a commercial competition. It’s gathered the champions from around the world to have a common competition. It’s something that’s never happened before.”

Fraud Tian and the rest went in from another side and Lin Fan walked in with Chu Yuan.

There were a lot of spectators and most of them were locals.

Chu Yuan led the way. “Who knows who will clinch the first place this time? Our country is decent at track & field. But since Seidel emerged, it became rare for others to clinch the top prize. Hopefully, we can get a top-three finish this time.”

Lin Fan asked curiously, “You’re not even a sports reporter, why do you have to come here?”

Chu Yuan chuckled, “I’m holding various positions. I’d usually come for interviews whenever there’s a sports event. The impact of this event is huge. A lot of people are watching it and from what I heard, there are more than ten reporting companies here too.”

Lin Fan nodded. They were reaching soon. Since Chu Yuan was a reporter and he had an official work pass, Lin Fan was allowed into the venue as a reporter too.

“Look, that’s the Jamaican athlete. He’s been smashing the world records. He’s at his peak now and nobody can match up to him. His world records have always been broken by himself only,” Chu Yuan said as he pointed at the black man in front.

“His legs are so Long,” Lin Fan said.

Chu Yuan nodded. “Yeah, all the athletes have long legs. It gives them an advantage. It’s as if the Jamaicans are born for this. Ever since the Jamaican government decided to keep their local talents, track & field has been dominated by them.”

“In recent years, Jamaica has been dominating in track & field. Nobody can match up to them, it’s like our country’s table tennis.”

Lin Fan nodded. Then, he looked at the other athletes. They went into the resting area with their coaches.

Then, Chu Yuan pointed in front. “Look, that’s Hu Fei Yun, the best in our country. He was formidable at his peak. However, although he’s our nation’s best, it’s been difficult for him to enter the top-three in the world competitions.”

Lin Fan smiled. “Why do I feel like you know a lot about this?”

Chu Yuan smiled embarrassedly after being praised by Master Lin. “I’m a reporter. I have to have some knowledge. If I don’t even recognize the person I’m interviewing, that would be embarrassing.”

“Master Lin, come with me. I’m going to interview the athletes. They’ve all been the best at some point in their lives. They’ve been looking forward to this event,” Chu Yuan said excitedly.

Lin Fan didn’t have anything to do and so, he followed Chu Yuan. There were a lot of reporters that were interviewing the athletes and Chu Yuan didn’t really stand a chance. He just stood there and took pictures. In the end, the coaches asked the reporters to get out so that the athletes could prepare themselves for the event.

Chu Yuan was in a good mood after seeing all the athletes. Then, he kept his camera.

“Your bag is huge. What did you bring?” Lin Fan asked.

Chu Yuan opened his bag. “This is a video recorder. It was difficult to get permission to record anything here but I managed to get it. Furthermore, this event is broadcasted everywhere. It’ll be on most television channels and broadcasting platforms. Even the China Central Television Sports channel will be showing this.”

Lin Fan gasped, “That’s impressive.”

Chu Yuan smiled. “Yeah, my luck is pretty good. There are only a few reporters that can film here and I’m one of them. I have to carry this huge video recorder to film the athletes later. Although it will be tiring, it’s going to be worth it.”

Then, Chu Yuan looked at his phone. “There are about twenty minutes to the start of the event. I must film this grand occasion. Look at the video cameras around us. They are able to film all angles and corners. Especially that one over there, it’s going to be floating around and it’ll be able to film everything.”

Lin Fan smiled. “Looks like the trip here has been worth it.”

“Of course. It’s difficult to get the tickets here but I managed to snatch a few of them. The stands are all filled up. Most of them are here to support our local athletes.”

In the distance, they saw a sea of spectators wearing red and there was a banner behind them. They were all discussing among themselves.

“I wonder who’s going to be the champion this time.”

“I believe Hu Fei Yun can be the champion.”

“I think it’s impossible. It’s probably going to be Seidel.”

“We have to show our support when the event starts later.”

“That’s right. We can lose the competition but our support must be top-notch.”

After a short while.

“Master Lin, could you help me hold the video recorder? I’m going to the toilet and I’ll be back soon,” Chu Yuan said.

“Alright.” Lin Fan nodded. He placed the video recorder on his shoulder. The weight was manageable.

Chu Yuan saw that Lin Fan was a little curious. Then, he smiled. “Master Lin, press this button to switch it on.”

Lin Fan nodded. Then, Chu Yuan ran towards the toilet.

He stood there and looked around.

“We are here…!” Fraud Tian and the rest of them shouted from the stands.

Lin Fan waved to them.

Time passed by quickly.

Lin Fan was a little nervous as Chu Yuan wasn’t back yet.

Then, a staff came over. “Don’t stand on the track. Go to the stands.”

Lin Fan wanted to refute but then, he just kept quiet. He had been thinking about something else. In the end, he just smirked and carried the video recorder.

“Master Lin, I’m here. Come and fetch me!” Chu Yuan shouted as he was being blocked by a group of staff at the tunnel.

Lin Fan smiled when he saw Chu Yuan. Then, he just walked away with the video camera.

“Master, stop playing. Come and fetch me!” Chu Yuan shouted. “I’m really a reporter, please let me in.”

The staff replied, “The competition is about to start. You can’t enter.”

Ugh…

Chu Yuan was stunned beyond words. How did things end up like this?

It was just a mere stomach ache and now I’m late for the event.

And what’s Master Lin trying to do? He can’t be playing around here…