Chapter Forty-One: We Are Not So Different (Part One)

After handing the song over to Old Zhang, Wang Lei stopped worrying about it. Since Old Zhang now had the urge to make a comeback, the song could simply be entrusted to him. Once the production was complete, Old Zhang would submit it directly to the Jinghai City National Games Organizing Committee under Wang Lei’s name. After all, Jinghai was right next to the capital.

With the major reforms of the National Games underway, regions everywhere were placing greater emphasis on the event. However, things remained unchanged for Wang Lei's Border Province Youth Basketball Team—they still garnered little attention or popularity, and of course, the leadership never bothered them. Border Province had always been at the bottom of the National Games rankings, and due to insufficient economic development, there was no surplus funding to invest in the Games.

Though the Republic managed its professional athletes with strictness, it also provided solid protection for them. The National Sports Administration enforced rigorous regulations: no province or region was allowed to forcibly conscript athletes for the Games. Teams could only be assembled by invitation. This inevitably affected the Games’ appeal to some extent—star athletes already had plenty of competitions each year and usually chose not to participate, which lowered the star power and public attention. Yet, the National Games were still seen as a hotbed for outstanding young athletes, and many renowned sports figures of the Republic had made their names there.

Wang Lei poured his heart into training his “student army,” focusing on coaching both the players and the coaching staff. Everyone knew what the team’s average age meant, including Wang Lei himself—they all lacked experience. In the early stages, there were countless bumps and stumbles. The coaching team wasn't clear about the training programs, and the players were unsure about their own routines; both sides were fumbling their way forward as if crossing a river by feeling for stones.

Fortunately, the team's core was united. Wang Lei, Xue Yongjiang, and Aili shared the same goal. Although Wang Lei lacked coaching experience, he possessed a fresh understanding and insight into basketball. Xue Yongjiang’s presence compensated for Wang Lei’s shortcomings—where Wang Lei struggled to be stern, Xue Yongjiang played the role of the disciplinarian.

The first week’s training for the university athletes focused mainly on physical conditioning. Wang Lei needed the young men to quickly adapt to this level of intensity, because for the tactics he planned to implement in the future, stamina was absolutely crucial.

The “special” Turgun also continued to receive Wang Lei’s one-on-one coaching—not just extra sessions on the court, but also dietary adjustments. Turgun’s physique looked balanced enough, not especially thin or weak, but in reality, his physical condition was far from ideal. After Aili Maimaiti conducted some tests, it was found that Turgun’s bone density was low and he was somewhat calcium-deficient—a situation closely related to his illness.

Because his illness prevented him from spending much time in sunlight, Turgun had always been in a state of calcium deficiency. Fortunately, he was carefully cared for by his parents and sister since childhood. Even without professional nutrition guidance at home, meat and dairy were never lacking in the Borderlands, so his physical development wasn’t much different from an average person’s. But compared to athletes, he was at a disadvantage.

On Aili Maimaiti’s advice, Wang Lei had Aili procure a good supply of camel milk. According to Aili, while camel milk’s benefits haven’t been thoroughly studied, children from camel-herding families among the border herders were generally sturdier than others.

After the first week of regular physical training, Wang Lei changed the training regimen for the university athletes. No matter which position they played, everyone began intensive dribbling practice.

Turgun also joined in at this stage, but his somewhat “unusual” appearance inevitably drew attention. Even though all the players were university students who understood the nature of Turgun’s illness, human society always tends to set apart those who are different. While they didn’t overtly exclude him, few took the initiative to speak to him.

Of those who did, the tallest player on the team, Cai Aihong, was one. But Cai Aihong didn’t exactly show friendliness—he actually harbored some resentment toward Turgun.

“Hey, kid, what’s your relationship with the coach? Why does he give you special treatment every day?” Cai Aihong’s family was from Lu Province, but after living in the Borderlands for three years, he’d picked up some basic Uyghur.

“I have no special relationship with the coach. He gives me extra practice because I’m not good enough,” answered Turgun, who, not having much contact with outsiders, failed to pick up on the disgruntled undertone in Cai Aihong’s words.

“If you’re not good enough, you shouldn’t be here. Giving you extra sessions is just a waste of resources.”

At this point, even someone slow on the uptake would understand what Cai Aihong meant. Frankly, this was just his personality—blunt and outspoken about what he perceived as unfairness, which was also why he never managed to stand out on his university team. It must be said—his emotional intelligence left something to be desired.

“Come on, Cai, why pick on the kid?” Wang Zhaohui, a teammate from the same university, stepped in to restrain him. Though Zhaohui could be a chatterbox, he was clearly much sharper than Cai Aihong. Since Wang Lei valued Turgun, there must be a reason; by picking on Turgun so directly, Cai was really just challenging Wang Lei.

“Why shouldn’t I? Just because he’s young? He’s a patient—patients belong in hospitals, not wasting time here. He’s wasting not only his time but everyone else’s too.”

“What do you mean? What’s wrong with being ill? You look down on us Uyghurs?” At that moment, some Uyghur players on the team overheard the dispute. Though Turgun was “special,” he was still one of their own, and naturally, they sided with him.

The team looked on the verge of splitting over this trivial matter.

“What are you all doing? Huh? Planning to revolt? Where do you think you are, your family’s bathhouse?” Sensing the tension, Xue Yongjiang tried to use his authority to quell the situation, but the players remained divided.

“Let them be, Old Xue. Let them go on—fight it out, throw punches. If anything happens, I’ll take responsibility. Let’s see, when the blood runs, whether it’s the same color or not.” Wang Lei, however, stopped Xue Yongjiang in his tracks. His words startled not only Xue Yongjiang and the coaching staff, but all the players as well.

No coach had ever encouraged his own players to fight before. Yet Wang Lei’s final words left a deep impression on everyone: after all, they were all flesh and blood, with the same red blood coursing through their veins.