Chapter 123: The loser crawls on the ground and barks like a dog—do you dare?

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In the distance, Noda Hiro spotted someone.

If he had been an ordinary person, Noda might have glanced at him once and then looked away.

But this man was different.

The moment Noda saw him, he could not help feeling intensely jealous.

He simply could not understand it.

They were both men, so how could this fellow possibly be so handsome?

That was right. Although Noda Hiro was an excellent table-tennis player, his appearance was utterly unremarkable.

For as long as he could remember, Noda had envied handsome men.

He envied how effortlessly they could attract women.

Therefore, whenever he made friends, the first thing Noda looked at was a man’s face.

If the other man was ugly, Noda was willing to befriend him and treat him like a brother.

But if someone was more handsome than he was, Noda immediately found him intolerable and would go out of his way to make things difficult for him.

And so, the instant he saw that man, Noda grew sour with jealousy.

The fellow must have had plastic surgery—but even so, it was still unacceptable!

With that thought, Noda Hiro walked toward him.

When he reached Bai Qingming, Noda spoke a string of words in Japanese.

After hearing him, Bai Qingming could not help feeling puzzled.

What on earth was this guy saying?

Before long, an interpreter came over and said, “He’s asking whether you’re a professional athlete here.”

Bai Qingming shook his head.

“I’m not.”

Although Bai Qingming denied it, Noda Hiro did not believe him—or rather, he simply refused to believe him.

At that moment, Noda was desperate to attract attention and prove himself in front of the media. Bai Qingming was clearly an excellent target.

Since the man had appeared here, even if he was not a professional athlete, he must have some connection to the place.

Whether Bai Qingming really was a professional athlete was irrelevant. As long as he could play against him, that was enough.

Thinking this, Noda spoke again.

“My name is Noda Hiro. I came here hoping to play a friendly match against China’s professional athletes.”

The interpreter relayed his words to Bai Qingming, leaving him even more confused.

“What the hell does that have to do with me?”

“Mr. Noda means that everyone else here is unavailable, so he would like to play a game with you first to warm up.”

The interpreter conveyed Noda’s meaning.

At the same time—

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Bai Qingming also noticed the reporters nearby, carrying cameras and microphones.

In an instant, he understood what was happening.

He immediately waved his hands.

“How could I? I’m not a professional athlete. Tell him to find someone else.”

What a joke. Bai Qingming could not casually agree to something like this.

He was just an ordinary passerby. Besides, television personnel were broadcasting the event live. That made it even more impossible.

Several staff members also stepped forward, saying that such a match would violate the rules.

Everyone assumed the matter would end there.

But at that moment, Noda Hiro spoke again.

“What did he say?”

Bai Qingming turned to the interpreter.

“Mr. Noda says that if you’re too afraid to play him, then forget it. You wouldn’t be his opponent anyway.”

Upon hearing this, Bai Qingming froze.

But that was not all. The interpreter continued relaying Noda’s words.

“Mr. Noda also says that the defining trait of Chinese people is their cowardice. Your so-called national sport is nothing but empty boasting. The reason none of your athletes have shown up is that they are afraid to play him. Otherwise, not one of them would stand a chance.”

As he translated, the interpreter actually wore a smile.

Bai Qingming was instantly enraged.

Suppressing the urge to rush forward and beat Noda Hiro senseless, he patiently asked the interpreter, “Aren’t you Chinese?”

“Of course not. I was born in China, but I took Japanese citizenship long ago.”

The man answered smugly.

At that very moment, tens of thousands of people watching the broadcast on television and online grew furious.

“What era are we living in? How dare those Japanese bastards still act so arrogantly?”

“And that interpreter—what is he, a dog? Groveling at the feet of the Japanese?”

“If our ancestors heard him say that, they would be so furious they’d crawl out of their graves.”

“Sorry, everyone. My dog slipped its leash and ran out here barking nonsense. Please excuse him.”

“Commander! Where’s your Italian cannon? Get the damn thing up here!”

For a time, everyone was arguing and cursing. Some even declared that they could barely keep their forty-meter blades under control.

If they had not been separated by a screen, Noda Hiro, the Japanese professional athlete, and his interpreter would probably have been drowned in spit.

Even the cameramen and reporters at the scene were barely restraining themselves from attacking them.

Meanwhile, Bai Qingming made a decision.

“Did you just say that Chinese people are all timid cowards? That table tennis is nothing but empty hype?”

He lowered his voice and stared hard at Noda Hiro.

“I was telling the truth.”

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Noda Hiro looked completely unconcerned.

“Apologize!” Bai Qingming said heavily.

“Even Chinese people have taken Japanese citizenship. Why should I apologize?”

Noda pointed at the interpreter beside him as he replied.

Then he changed tack and spoke again.

“However, if you’re willing to play me—and you can actually beat me—I’ll admit that what I said was wrong. Chinese people are not timid cowards, and table tennis really is China’s national sport. But if you lose, you must admit in front of everyone that I was right.”

When he finished, a sinister smile appeared on Noda’s face.

The people who had come with him immediately understood what he was trying to do.

Although Noda Hiro was an outstanding table-tennis player, his character was deeply questionable.

Every time he won a match, he made a point of mocking his opponent.

He had insulted the Chinese people and then insulted Chinese table tennis solely to provoke Bai Qingming into playing him.

With the match being broadcast live, if Bai Qingming refused, every Chinese person watching would ridicule him.

But if Bai Qingming accepted, that would be even better.

In Noda’s mind, he was not only the greatest table-tennis player in Japan, but the greatest in the entire world.

There was no way he could lose.

Once Bai Qingming was defeated, he would have to repeat Noda’s words in front of everyone.

Making a Chinese person say those things with his own mouth would be a devastating humiliation. Just imagining it amused Noda.

After hearing Noda’s proposal, Bai Qingming smiled as well.

“An apology is mandatory, but I don’t think that’s enough.”

“Not enough?”

Everyone present was stunned. No one understood what Bai Qingming meant.

Bai Qingming nodded.

There was no such thing as a bargain that good.

After insulting Chinese people and Chinese table tennis, did Noda really think he could simply apologize and walk away?

No matter how one looked at it, Noda would lose nothing.

Why should he get off so easily?

The next second, Bai Qingming looked at Noda Hiro and said seriously, “I’ll play you. The loser has to get down on the floor and bark like a dog. Do you dare?”