Chapter 4: Is Chinese Shooting Weak? No Matter—I Will Step Up!

The opening ceremony concluded.

That evening, everyone settled into the Olympic Village.

It must be said, the food in Paris was truly terrible.

Every member of the Chinese team was silently suffering!

The meals were bland and tasteless, with a monotonous variety.

Many found it extremely hard to adapt.

After all, in the City of Romance, aside from salads, snails were the most common delicacy.

And the preparation methods hardly went beyond steaming or frying!

But for Wang Xiaoming, it didn’t matter what he ate.

When he was on missions in the rainforest, even eating raw snake meat was a delicacy!

Though he could eat anything, the food in Paris was undeniably lacking.

Not only that, the opening ceremony itself was met with widespread disdain!

The scenes were so unbearable to watch that people couldn’t help but feel sickened.

There was even an Olympic version of the infamous “Burning Winter” spectacle!

“What on earth was that? It’s an eyesore!” Captain Zhao An said, looking at everyone.

Others burst out laughing: “Captain, you don’t understand. This is the unique Parisian style of relaxation—that’s called art!”

Despite the opening ceremony’s shock value, it actually brought Wang Xiaoming closer to some of his teammates.

“Looks like you’re all not used to the food. Tomorrow, I’ll get you something better to eat,” Wang Xiaoming promised.

“I’m telling you, Xiaoming, what good can you find here? It’s all French food—salads, snails—I feel like throwing up! I just want some Beggar’s Chicken! I’m done with this lousy fried chicken!” one teammate grumbled.

Wang Xiaoming gave a reassuring smile: “Maybe no Beggar’s Chicken, but I can get other things. Wait for good news tomorrow!”

Everyone was puzzled by Wang Xiaoming’s words but didn’t dwell on it.

The conversation soon turned to more serious matters.

“Hey, do you all have confidence in the shooting competition?”

No one responded; they just glanced at the TV.

Captain Zhao An continued, “If I bring home a gold medal, my family genealogy will have to be rewritten!”

“You’re strong, Captain. Good luck this time; you might get gold. As for us... forget it!” a few teammates quickly tried to comfort him.

But Zhao An shook his head: “I’ve seen several strong opponents this time; I’m afraid…”

Though he didn’t say it outright, the meaning was clear.

The room filled with a heavy atmosphere.

It felt as if everyone’s confidence had been shattered in that moment.

Seeing this, Wang Xiaoming immediately stood up: “It doesn’t matter; I’ll step up!”

In an instant, everyone looked at each other.

Then laughter erupted.

Zhao An laughed and said to Wang Xiaoming, “Xiaoming, to be honest, I initially had some issues with you!”

“But after getting to know you, I find you’re not bad at all!”

“However, your mistake is aiming too high! This time, just focus on gaining experience!”

Wang Xiaoming shrugged and said nothing further.

...

Soon, it was time for the air rifle shooting competition.

For China, shooting has always been a weak event.

Not to mention table tennis, even diving and gymnastics outshine it.

So shooting has long been a sore spot.

Though it’s not a major event, that only makes it more frustrating.

Such a large country, yet no medals in shooting?

Who could tolerate that?

Every Olympic Games, the broadcasts are among the most watched.

And the most famous athletes, those with the best chances of gold, are widely recognized.

But when the camera turned to Wang Xiaoming, except for students from Linjiang University, everyone else wondered:

Who exactly is this person?

No one had heard of him before.

People immediately started guessing boldly.

“He’s just here to polish his resume; there are too many like him!”

“Exactly, obviously some rich kid!”

“Forget it, looks like he’s on the shooting team anyway, which isn’t a popular event.”

“Yeah, no one expects much. Let him polish his image if he wants!”

No one held any real expectations for Wang Xiaoming.

“Brother Ming! Brother Ming!” Wang Xiaoming, watching his teammates prepare, suddenly heard calls from above.

Looking up, he immediately saw a familiar figure.

“Fatty, what are you doing here?”

“Brother Ming, didn’t I say I’d come to watch the Olympics during summer break?”

“Oh, then watch my performance later!” Wang Xiaoming replied.

“Damn, Brother Ming, you’re amazing! You just quietly showed up at the Olympics? You’ve been hiding well!”

Wang Xiaoming waved his hand: “Hiding? This is just my side job, making money!”

Fatty clearly didn’t believe it, but by then the competition was about to start.

Helpless, he had no choice but to fall silent—he couldn’t disturb his Brother Ming!

Back in his seat, Fatty’s father became curious: “Is he your classmate?”

“Yeah! Isn’t he awesome?”

“I’ve never heard of this guy on the national team before.”

“I just found out today that Brother Ming is an Olympic athlete!” Fatty said excitedly. “He’s definitely going to win gold!”

Clearly, Fatty was full of hope for Wang Xiaoming.

After he spoke, a spectator from Sakura Nation nearby scoffed and turned to Fatty.

“That guy? Gold medal? Your strongest shooter is Captain Zhao An, and even he’s no match for us!”

“Just a nobody like him? This gold will definitely go to us from Sakura!”

Hearing the Sakura fan’s taunts, Fatty immediately got angry.

“What are you barking about! Dare to bet?”

“Whoever doesn’t dare is a little dog. How much?”

“Five thousand! No, ten thousand! RMB, not your little yen!” Fatty’s temper flared.

This wasn’t just about his Brother Ming’s reputation—it was about national pride!

“Bet accepted!” The Sakura fan was equally bold, and the wager was made.

Afterwards, Fatty’s father shook his head: “A Wei, you’re too impulsive! This is obviously a losing bet!”

“A businessman who lets himself get provoked like this isn’t qualified!”

Fatty objected: “Dad, you said it yourself, businessmen don’t pass up guaranteed deals!”

His father sighed: “Do you really think your classmate can win gold?”

“Absolutely!” For some reason, Fatty had an innate faith in Wang Xiaoming.

His father sneered: “If he wins, I’ll add another ten thousand to your allowance!”

“Thanks for your generosity, Dad!”

Meanwhile, Wang Xiaoming was unaware of any of this.

He was busy with checks alongside others.

Physical exams, urine tests, and the like.

The air rifle shooting event was about to begin.

Suddenly, the entire arena erupted in a roar of excitement!