One day in 1989, in an ordinary home in Beijing, a little girl fell to the ground, and her parents happily named her "Chunlei". Zeng Chunlei's family is not wealthy, but it is warm and reassuring.
In the early summer of 1998, in front of the TV at home, 9-year-old Xiao Chunlei was staring intently at the screen, and the tenacious struggle of the women's volleyball elite was being staged in front of her. They sweat and weave victory with their muscles and speed, and their graceful postures are the traces of countless high-intensity exercises.
The little girl fell in love with it - she fantasized that one day she could become such a shining star in the women's volleyball arena.
In this way, Xiao Chunlei's volleyball road began. She taught herself the basic movements and tried to match the advantages of her tall body. Later, a coach recognized her talent and introduced her to the professional team for training.
At first, the mother was worried about the possibility of hitting her Xi grades, but after her daughter's repeated promises, she gave in and supported her. So, Chunlei ran between school and training at two points and one line, trying to live up to her youth.
Those sweats have long been firmly connected to her dreams in the future.
After entering the sports school, Chunlei ushered in the first blow. She knew she had to work harder and that she needed to work harder, so even in the bitter cold, she was the only one who showed up in the empty stadium every day.
However, the results of the selection were still not encouraging: she was repeatedly eliminated, and watched her teammates leave her again and again.
"My ball sense is obviously better than theirs, why am I always eliminated?" Chunlei was puzzled and sad. She asked her coach with red eyes, who reassured her that she was still young and that if she kept trying, she would have a chance.
Chunlei wiped away her tears and nodded. She will not be discouraged, she will only make herself stronger.
So, she began "hellish" training. I got up at five o'clock in the morning every morning and ran to the venue, even if my limbs were sore, I gritted my teeth and persevered until the last moment; It was only at 11 o'clock at night that I returned to the dormitory with my tired body.
However, sweat and tears did not bring the desired result - Chunlei was once again defeated.
"How much more can I afford to be disappointed?" Chunlei asked herself desperately. She couldn't sleep all night and even wanted to quit the team. At this moment, her father's words resolved her hesitation.
"You've come so far that you've given up on your dreams?" This reminder rekindled the flame of hope for her. So, Chunlei continued to endure loneliness and pain, just for that glimmer of light in her heart.
Finally, when everyone lost faith in her, Chunlei ushered in a turnaround - she was finally given the opportunity to further train as an affirmation of perseverance and perseverance.
This is her first step forward.
After years of hard work, in 2009, the 20-year-old Chunlei was finally selected for the national team as she wished, becoming a women's volleyball elite who guards the national honor.
This is a moment she has dreamed of day and night since she was 9 years old - to be able to walk side by side with her idols and bloom with them in the arena of youth and glory.
As soon as she entered the national team, Chunlei regarded herself as a new force that inherited the bloody nature of the "iron-clad women's volleyball team". In every training session, she desperately serves and catches the ball, just hoping to win glory for the country.
The hard work quickly paid off: at London 2012, Chunlei was selected for the national team and made her first appearance at the top level of the country.
Although the Chinese team finished fifth in the end and did not make any achievements, this became the driving force to push Chunlei to a higher level. She vowed to win honor for her country.
With excellent strength and patriotic passion, Chunlei soon became the absolute main force of the national team. In 2015, she captained the team at the World Cup, leading the young players to victory.
For a time, the light of Chunlei soaring was eye-catching - she was known as the leader of the new generation of women's volleyball team, and she had a more vibrant future.
However, as fate would have it, the Tokyo Olympics in 2020 were postponed due to the epidemic, and in 2021, Chunlei, who was in the middle of her career, was unable to participate due to the worsening pain.
Missing the opportunity of the second Olympic Games, Chunlei could not hide her disappointment. But looking back, she has achieved a lot of glory – which is enough to dilute the regrets in her heart and draw a perfect end to a glorious national team career that has worked hard.
Chunlei thought that she would never be separated from volleyball, a dream that has been with her for most of her life. Until one day, a smiling boy walked into her world, giving her the idea of starting a family.
The boy's name is Sun Shengjie, and the acquaintance of the two is purely fateful arrangement. Somerset was quite fascinated by the women's volleyball team's energetic "battle 력", and it happened that one day, he crossed paths with Chunlei on social platforms.
came and went, and the two sparked a spark of love. Somerset accompanies her in every match, and Chunlei also finds stability in him. In this way, the two parallel lines, which originally seemed to be incomparable, began to converge and finally intersected.
In 2020, when the Tokyo Olympics were approaching, the two registered their marriage and composed a love song for life. Although for Chunlei, this may mean goodbye to her beloved volleyball, love gives her courage - she decides to give birth to a new life for the sake of a harmonious family.
So, when everyone was expecting her to be ashamed in Tokyo and lead the team to create glory again, Chunlei finally announced her retirement from the national team.
It is true that leaving the arena with which she had witnessed honor and disgrace, Chunlei had mixed feelings in her heart. But looking back, she has achieved numerous honors in the top competitions and delivered a satisfactory answer.
At this moment, stay at the peak and pursue the next peak, or choose to join hands with your beloved to return home, Chunlei's life is complete. When she caressed the hope of the newborn in her pregnant belly, all relief followed—the life of hard work had come to a perfect end.