[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-i-m-in-a-small-county-and-you-say-i-m-a-big-shot":3,"chapter-i-m-in-a-small-county-and-you-say-i-m-a-big-shot-i-m-in-a-small-county-and-you-say-i-m-a-big-shot-chapter-28":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","I'm in a Small County, and You Say I'm a Big Shot?",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2297439,4494,"Chapter 28","i-m-in-a-small-county-and-you-say-i-m-a-big-shot-chapter-28",28,"\u003Cp>The next day, a new car drove home.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No one commented when Fang Qingye drove to work; Nansin County, located in central Jiangsu, wasn’t as wealthy as southern Jiangsu, but still better than other places—among the youth, buying a new car after starting work wasn’t unusual.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But after two days of driving, Fang Qingye no longer wanted to drive to work—mainly because the unit had too few parking spots; arriving late meant hunting for a space on the street, which was a hassle, far less convenient than riding his scooter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That afternoon after work, as he rode his scooter out the unit’s main gate, his phone rang in his pocket; he pulled it out and saw it was Liu Dong calling, so he answered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ye Zi, free tonight? Want to play badminton?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Qingye was surprised: “You’re free tonight? No overtime?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since Liu Dong had been temporarily assigned to the County Party Committee’s Propaganda Department, he rarely went out with them anymore—either going to the countryside or working overtime every day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How can I work overtime every single day? Even a donkey in the production team needs a few days’ rest,” Liu Dong replied over the phone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, Fang Qingye teased: “My dad told me the production team’s donkeys were quite precious—though they could work hard, you couldn’t overwork them; usually only six to eight hours a day, and you had to manage them well, feed them good fodder...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re saying I’m worse than a donkey?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Qingye burst out laughing: “Just joking—I’m free tonight, but why the sudden interest in badminton? You’re no match for me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s why I want to learn from you—seven-thirty tonight, the county sports center badminton hall.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“OK!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Actually, Fang Qingye preferred going to Yikangyuan Sports and Leisure Center, four kilometers southeast of the county, beside Longyou Lake—it offered many activities: fishing, tennis, badminton, a tourism pavilion, tea arts and board games, plus accommodation and dining, far better facilities than the sports center, though more expensive—35 yuan per hour for court rental, versus 15 yuan at the sports center.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But since Liu Dong suggested the sports center, Fang Qingye said nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After dinner, Fang Qingye rested a bit, checked the time, then slung his badminton bag—containing rackets, sportswear, and shoes—and headed downstairs to ride his scooter straight to the sports center.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The county sports center was on the east side of town, near Nansin No. 2 High School, with a standard 400-meter track and various sports venues beside it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Qingye parked his scooter outside the sports center, carried his bag into the badminton hall, where quite a few people were playing; six courts were mostly full, leaving only one open—he saw Liu Dong waving at him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Dong was of average height, under 1.75 meters, wore glasses and looked scholarly, even now in sportswear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His skin was unusually pale, almost like a girl’s.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His own skin was darker, but he didn’t care.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Qingye first went to the locker room to change into a red-and-yellow sport shirt and shorts, along with a pair of Yonex sports shoes; his racket was also Yonex—this entire set of equipment was bought during his senior year of college and brought back after graduation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Carrying his bag to the court, he stretched his limbs, and the two began playing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Badminton was Fang Qingye’s strongest sport, thanks to his mother—Zhang Meili.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When young, Zhang Meili loved badminton; reportedly, she once represented the county in a municipal amateur badminton tournament and won an award.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Qingye learned badminton from his mother as a child; in middle school, he even trained for a while under a coach from the sports school to compete in the municipal middle school games, winning a silver medal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After entering high school, heavy studies caused him to neglect it; in college, he picked it up again, joined the school’s badminton club, and though he couldn’t match professionals, his amateur level was quite high.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In contrast, Liu Dong clearly had no professional training—his grip, ready stance, court positioning, and serving were all flawed, not to mention his chaotic footwork and incorrect shots.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But since they were just friends having fun, Fang Qingye didn’t show off his skills or attempt powerful smashes; sometimes he even fed the ball to avoid making Liu Dong chase after every shot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Liu Dong seemed displeased.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hey, Ye Zi, why’s your level dropped? Put some power into it!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fuck...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without a word, Fang Qingye seized his chance and launched several clean, powerful smashes, sending Liu Dong scrambling in all directions, looking utterly flustered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He couldn’t return a single one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Dong didn’t get angry; he wiped sweat from his forehead and laughed: “Impressive! Ye Zi, can you teach me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Teach you? Your level’s too low—you can’t even serve properly, and now you want me to teach you powerful smashes?!” Fang Qingye spoke plainly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then I’ll start from the basics—serving!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Qingye was surprised: “Why now? I remember in middle school I offered to teach you, and you refused—now you want to learn?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, really—I’ll treat you to barbecue after this.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Alright, if you’re serious, start with the basics—come here,” Fang Qingye said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Liu Dong stepped over, they stood side by side; Fang Qingye looked at his grip and said:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your grip is wrong—this is how you do it: forehand grip, hold the racket with your left hand so the face is perpendicular to the ground, open your right hand, place your thumb’s base against the inner side of the racket frame, and press your little finger’s fleshy part against the racket handle...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Qingye taught patiently; Liu Dong listened intently, then began practicing exactly as instructed; the two hours passed quickly—except for the first fifteen minutes of play, the rest was spent teaching Liu Dong the most basic movements.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Grip, serving, footwork...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After finishing, they went to the shower room, bathed, changed into clean clothes, packed up, and left the badminton hall; nearby, at a Pangwa Barbecue restaurant, they ordered skewers, drank beer, and chatted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ye Zi, are you free tomorrow night? Teach me again,” Liu Dong said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Qingye had just raised his beer cup; he set it down and stared at him: “Something’s off.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s off?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why the sudden obsession with badminton? No more overtime?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re saying I’m just an overtime machine... Look, I don’t know any sports—don’t I need to learn one?” Liu Dong took a sip of beer and replied.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Come on, you’re pretty good at table tennis.” Fang Qingye countered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Table tennis is outdated.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Nonsense—table tennis is China’s national sport, how’s it outdated? There’s another reason!” Fang Qingye didn’t believe him, then suddenly realized: “You’ve got a girlfriend, haven’t you? She likes badminton?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Liu Dong chuckled twice but said nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Qingye pressed him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s true! What’s her name? Which unit does she work for? You don’t need to hide from your buddy—spill it!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unexpectedly, Liu Dong said: “I’ll tell you the truth—I don’t have a girlfriend. It’s our department head, Director Wang, who likes badminton.”\u003C\u002Fp>",1170,"2026-06-20T05:58:40.725Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","94a935e05088ad5202e81260e643687e810a566b02bfb4787402c349c1e962bf","i-m-in-a-small-county-and-you-say-i-m-a-big-shot-chapter-29","i-m-in-a-small-county-and-you-say-i-m-a-big-shot-chapter-27",215,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fi-m-in-a-small-county-and-you-say-i-m-a-big-shot-cover.jpg"]