Chapter 38.1 Will To Survive
According to the rules for the team event at the 'New Star Olympics', the two winning teams would be awarded the gold and silver medals based on their finishing times, while the two losing teams would compete for the bronze based on their times.
Only if the two teams had the exact same time would they have to compete in another round.
Both Team Red and Team Blue finished ahead of Team Yellow.
Therefore, Team Blue naturally took the gold medal.
And because Team Yellow had won against Green, the former somehow ended up taking the silver medal, so Team Red could only begrudgingly settle for bronze.
Team Red was practically furious.
They had chosen Team Blue in the first place precisely because it was the safest option. They had figured that even if they performed poorly, they could at least secure a silver medal. Who would have thought this plan would completely backfire?
Team Blue's victory had taken everyone completely by surprise.
Not just the spectators and the other athletes. Even Team Blue themselves hadn't quite processed it.
“We... won?”
“Yes, we won! Wuu wuu wuu...”
“Mom, I actually won a championship in a sports competition! Mom, did you see me?!”
The members of Team Blue were crying and laughing at the same time, covered in sweat and mud from head to toe. They didn't care in the slightest, supporting one another as they made their way toward the podium.
Team Red and Team Yellow had already taken their positions.
Thanks to that silver medal, Team Yellow had successfully overtaken Team Green and secured second place, and they were already more than satisfied.
When Team Blue came over, they shook hands with each of them one by one. Tang Yuxia even ran to hug Jiang Tao.
“Jiang Jiang, you were amazing!”
Jiang Tao patted her hair. “You were amazing too!”
【wuuwuuwuu Jiang Jiang is sooooo sweet 😭 my Jiang×Tang ship is FED】
【team yellow is so cute lmao, they be like: omg we snagged a bargain!】
【Team Yellow’s sportsmanship is honestly pretty good. Win or lose, they’re still so gentlemanly. Team Red, on the other hand, looks like they really can’t take a loss.】
【Can’t really blame Team Red either tho. Who could’ve expected Team Blue to go absolutely insane at the end lol】
【well they picked blue themselves lol. always gotta pick on the weak one, so getting overtaken serves them right】
The members of Team Red were all wearing expressions of unwillingness, but that was simply how sports worked. A loss was a loss, and a win was a win.
All they could do was watch as the members of Team Blue stepped onto the highest podium they had dreamed of reaching.
Yet when everyone from Team Blue crowded onto the championship podium, they all tacitly left the center spot to Jiang Tao.
The guest presenting the awards this time was Ling Shuangwei.
She walked out with a beaming smile.
After presenting the awards to the three teams, Ling Shuangwei raised the microphone and said, “My task this time isn’t just to present the metals. There’s also something important I need to announce.
“And that is the spokesperson for HONOUR Sports for the coming year.”
All the athletes began to stir.
Quite a few of them had gotten the inside scoop ahead of time, but no one knew who Ling Shuangwei had taken a liking to after watching the competitions over the past few days.
The girl beside Su Yingxue whispered, “Yingxue, after the figure skating event that day, Director Ling even came looking for you. Wasn’t she asking you about the spokesperson position?”
Su Yingxue pressed her lips together, looking a little embarrassed. “No. Director Ling just wanted to chat with me. She asked what I thought about HONOUR’s philosophy and things like that...”
“Then it definitely is you!” The girl looked at her enviously. “HONOUR is a top sports brand in China. To be chosen as their spokesperson, that’s so impressive!”
Su Yingxue’s cheeks turned slightly red. “Director Ling hasn’t announced anything yet. Don’t go making things up.”
“I’m not making anything up! It’s definitely you!”
Those around them also cast envious glances at Su Yingxue.
Although Su Yingxue pretended to be modest on the surface, she had already decided in her heart that the spokesperson would be her. After all, she had inside information from Ji Qing. Among the candidates HONOUR Sports had been considering, she was the best in terms of both image and athletic performance.
Moreover, Director Ling had only approached her for a private conversation. She had long since memorized HONOUR's philosophy by heart, and judging from Director Ling's satisfied expression that day, everything had gone perfectly.
This spokesperson position was hers for sure.
She looked at Jiang Tao, who was surrounded by Team Blue, and sneered inwardly. So what if she had won the championship? The real grand prize belongs to me!
Under everyone's watchful eyes, Ling Shuangwei smiled and announced, “The spokesperson for HONOUR Sports for the coming year is...”
With a smile on her face, Su Yingxue elegantly stepped forward.
“Jiang Tao!”
“!!!”
Su Yingxue stumbled and nearly fell off the podium.
Everyone turned to look at Jiang Tao in unison.
Jiang Tao pointed at herself. “Me?”
Ling Shuangwei nodded. “A lot of people know that the spirit of HONOUR is to work hard, stay determined, and never give up. But there are plenty of people who talk about it, and far fewer who actually put it into practice.
“But you showed me what that spirit truly means. With Team Blue at such an obvious disadvantage, you never once thought about giving up. Not only did you work hard to gain an advantage for yourself, you also inspired the entire team and ultimately pulled off this incredibly surprising comeback.
“I don’t think there’s anyone more suitable to be our spokesperson than you!”
Her words felt like a slap across Su Yingxue’s face.
She almost wanted to find a hole to crawl into. If it weren’t for the filming cameras, she would have fled the scene immediately.
But hardly anyone was paying attention to her. Everyone was busy congratulating Jiang Tao.
Especially Team Blue. If they hadn't been intimidated by Jiang Tao, they probably would have picked her up and tossed her into the air.
【ohhh so that’s the honour spirit! instead of just using some big-name celeb for traffic, they actually picked an artist who fits their brand values. kinda liking them now ngl. if they’re this careful about choosing a spokesperson, their quality must be solid】
【It’s true!! HONOUR’s quality is actually really good, and their designs are super fresh too. totally holds up against the big foreign brands】
【aren’t all the athletes wearing HONOUR for this competition? i think they look pretty good. and Jiang Tao looks so light on her feet when she runs, makes the shoes look comfy af】
【i’ve always bought the big foreign brands, but HONOUR actually got me this time. gonna buy a pair and see how they are】
【i was gonna buy new sneakers anyway, just placed my order!】
After announcing the spokesperson, Ling Shuangwei returned backstage to rest. Her assistant said in shock, “Shuangwei jie, the marketing department just sent a message. Our sales have already gone up by 10%! The model Jiang Tao is wearing is completely sold out, and there are also many requests for a men’s version...”
Ling Shuangwei: “!!!”
She had previously thought Jiang Tao's ability to drive sales was limited to food. She never expected her influence to be just as impressive when it came to sports brands.
They had absolutely made the right choice with this spokesperson!
At that moment, back on the podium, Yiyi was interviewing Jiang Tao.
“Jiang Tao, what do you think was the key to your comeback and winning the championship?”
Everyone quieted down and turned to look at Jiang Tao.
Even the dejected members of Team Red were no exception. They wanted to see exactly what secret weapon Team Blue had used to defeat them.
Jiang Tao thought about it for a moment before slowly saying, “Probably... the will to survive?
“Whether it’s a person or an animal, you always have the most potential when you’re running for your life.”
Everyone on Team Blue nodded with lingering fear.
Everyone else: “???”
What the heck?
