Chapter 471: A Different Kind of Airport Pickup

Chapter 471: A Different Kind of Welcome

An athlete’s competitive cycle is generally measured in four-year terms, and the most important event during that period is undoubtedly the (Summer or Winter) Olympic Games—this is the stage most coveted by all athletes (excluding those in non-Olympic sports and top-tier professional leagues). Another event of great significance is the World Championships.

Both the Olympics and the World Championships are top-tier competitions, the difference being that the Olympics follow a four-year cycle, while the World Championships operate on a two-year cycle.

In addition, there are also intercontinental Olympic Games, continental championships, national games, as well as Masters, Grand Prix, invitationals, cups, and Olympic qualifying tournaments organized by various international sports federations.

This time, Meng Fan was heading to Busan, South Korea, for the International Judo Federation Masters Busan—another world-class event, though the system classified it as an international-level competition (previously, winning the Masters in Huacheng had earned him 3 points instead of 5). Participants were the top 16 judokas in the world rankings (with substitutes for absentees, International Judo Federation recommendations, or local wildcards), making it the highest-level event for the remainder of the year.

Additionally, this Masters also affected world ranking points, which were tied to next year’s World Championships. As for Olympic qualifying tournaments, they had not yet begun.

“Can’t lose any more weight—at least not for now!”

Before leaving the country, after Meng Fan’s physical assessment, Xiao Yunlin was genuinely startled by his weight: 101.5 kilograms, right at the upper limit of the heaviest weight class (over 100 kg). If he lost any more weight, he wouldn’t be able to compete in that class.

Though they had mentally prepared for this, the upcoming competition had already been registered in the heaviest class. Changing weight categories at the last minute would leave insufficient time. In short, if Meng Fan’s weight dropped below 100 kilograms now, he wouldn’t be able to go to Busan.

“Damn it!”

Hu Cunyong, the head coach of the wrestling team, also came to “observe” the assessment. Seeing the weight, he knew he’d have to immediately update Meng Fan’s registration upon return. The heaviest class in wrestling also had a 100-kilogram cutoff. Given Meng Fan’s rate of weight loss, by the time the wrestling competition came around, he’d definitely be under 100 kilograms.

As for weightlifting, with its heaviest class at over 109 kilograms, Dean Zhan had long prepared for a category change—and not just one level down. He anticipated dropping two or three levels at once: from over 109 kg to 109 kg, then to 96 kg (or 102 kg, a non-Olympic class).

Compared to wrestling and judo, the most frustrating situation belonged to Dean Zhan and the weightlifting coaching team. Of course, this weight change also brought the greatest “profit” to the weightlifting team, since wrestling and judo had no world records. Once Meng Fan reduced his weight, breaking world records in any class would be a matter of minutes.

Pain and joy intertwined!

The organizing committee of the International Judo Federation World Judo Masters Busan was also experiencing pain and joy. The participant list for the Masters had long been announced. Since this was Meng Fan’s first international competition after the Olympics, the event had drawn significant attention. At the same time, it marked Meng Fan’s return to South Korean soil after his earlier “visit,” which had sparked numerous and vehement protests.

As for whether the protests were reasonable or effective—well, everyone was used to it. If you tried to reason with them, you’d only seem unreasonable.

If they protested the organizing committee like that, what about Meng Fan himself—the “instigator” who had made South Korea’s martial arts world unable to hold its head high and left its judo and wrestling teams empty-handed at the Olympics?

The response was quite enthusiastic—they came directly to “welcome” him at the airport!

“!”

“!”

“!”

The scene was nothing short of explosive.

Of course, there were no eggs thrown—those were expensive to shout about, and who would waste them on hitting someone?

“Pretty warm welcome!”

Meng Fan chatted cheerfully with the teammates beside him. Hearing his name called out in the “welcome,” he couldn’t tell what followed, but he waved with a bright smile.

Whether it was because Meng Fan’s thick skin made the “welcoming” crowd lose interest, or because his smile was so dazzling and charming that it melted a good portion of them, the commotion gradually died down.

“Huh?”

The airport staff, who had been minding their own business, had planned not to intervene as long as the crowd didn’t charge and cause physical conflict. They pretended not to see or hear anything—after all, they hated Meng Fan too. But slowly, they noticed the crowd’s “enthusiasm” waning, which puzzled them.

Shouldn’t the “enthusiasm” grow as he got closer?

What was going on?

The airport staff came up with a third possibility, one Meng Fan had guessed—were they afraid he’d get close and hit them?

Or maybe Meng Fan’s aura was so powerful that they were intimidated?

That didn’t seem right either!

The staff looked up. Meng Fan was all smiles—there was no intimidating aura. It was almost... damn, why did he look so good when he smiled? No, no, I should hate him. How could I like him just because of his smile? But he’s so handsome—what do I do?

This staff member, who prided himself on having seen countless celebrities in the flesh at the airport, even spoken with them, chatted, and helped with luggage up close, had always thought even the biggest stars were nothing special. Yet now, he found his resolve shaken by an enemy’s smile, filling him with shame and self-reproach—and a tiny flutter of excitement.

If a seasoned man like him felt this way, it was even more so for a large portion of the “welcoming” crowd, especially the women—whether middle-aged or young. The “enthusiasm” began to fade with them first. Several of them, as Meng Fan approached with his smile, opened their mouths to protest but couldn’t close them or make a sound. Their eyes widened; one who had just gotten double eyelid surgery felt a tearing pain but couldn’t bear to close her eyes or look away.

The “welcome” scene fell into a strange atmosphere. There were still some shouting protests, but overall, the noise decreased significantly and kept dropping. When it reached a certain point, the herd mentality silenced everyone instantly, like a noisy classroom where one person stops talking, and then everyone follows.

And so, in silence, they watched Meng Fan and the Chinese judo team pass through the crowd.

“Crack!”

Suddenly, an odd sound broke the quiet. Someone looked up toward the noise and screamed. Then more people looked up, and more screams followed.

Above the terminal, there was a U-shaped decoration. The “crack” came from one side falling off, leaving only the other side dangling. As it swung, it fell off after a couple of shakes.

This U-shaped decoration was not small and appeared to be made of metal. The area where it fell was densely packed with people—right where the “welcoming” crowd stood.

If it came down, hitting two or three people would be very likely.

Worst of all, with the screams, the crowd began to panic!

It might only hit two or three, but the ensuing chaos could lead to a stampede with unknown casualties!

The airport staff had no time to evacuate—too little time, not even for an announcement.

“Holy shit!”

Meng Fan was also startled by the sudden change. He even wondered if his own presence was causing trouble—if he wasn’t mistaken, the sound had come just as he passed beneath the U-shaped decoration.

“Don’t anyone move!”

Forgetting everything else, Meng Fan shouted loudly and dashed toward the spot where the decoration was falling.

His shout was thunderous and carried immense authority. Though the crowd couldn’t understand a word he said, they all froze.

Clang!

The U-shaped decoration hit the ground with a crisp sound.

“Ah!”

Screams erupted again.

Because the decoration had landed right over three people!

“Ah!”

Then, amid the terrified screams, came screams of astonishment.

The U-shaped decoration moved—because someone had caught it as it fell.

That someone was none other than Meng Fan!

“Wow!”

“Wah!”

Two people—a boy and a girl—had been trapped underneath. They instinctively crouched, heads in their hands. When they realized the nightmare they expected hadn’t come, they looked up and saw Meng Fan shielding them like a god. They burst into tears.

Whether from relief at surviving or simply being moved to tears by Meng Fan’s handsomeness, no one could tell.

(End of chapter)