Two very different children
On a cold winter day in 1985, a wealthy family in Shanghai gave birth to their beloved daughter, Wu Minxia. And half a year later, in the distant countryside of Shaanxi, Zhang Xiaocheng opened his eyes in an ordinary peasant family.
Although the two babies were born in 1985, they had completely different beginnings in life. Wu Minxia lives in a crowded, noisy and lively big city, while Zhang Xiaocheng lives in a quiet, peaceful and backward area.
The parents of the former attach great importance to education and provide various opportunities for learning Xi, while the parents of the latter are simple and honest and only want to provide food and clothing for their children.
Such two very different environments will naturally raise children with different personalities. Wu Minxia has been very lively and cheerful since she was a child, and likes to try all kinds of new things; Zhang Xiaocheng, on the other hand, is more introverted and steady, and his interest is mainly in books.
It can be said that the trajectory of their lives has been two parallel worlds in Britain from the very beginning.
But the world is unpredictable, these two unrelated children will meet unexpectedly on the glorious Olympic road due to fate......
Wu Minxia: The road of divers
At the age of 7, Wu Minxia entered the first turning point in her life. The parents, who wanted her to learn to dance, finally brought this lively and virtuous little girl to Yuan Lianying, the diving coach of the Shanghai Junior Sports School.
An accidental choice actually decided Wu Minxia's entire fate.
Teacher Yuan immediately saw the advantage of Wu Minxia's physical condition and immediately ordered her to start training. That year, Wu Minxia didn't understand what it meant, she just thought she was learning Xi a new gadget and jumped into the water happily.
The first time I entered the water, I was slapped blue and purple by the pool wall.
However, Wu Minxia, who was young, endured the pain and did not cry. She didn't want her parents to worry about her, so she just gritted her teeth and insisted on it alone. After three years of tortured training, a 10-year-old girl finally had the confidence to melt into the water.
The first time she left her parents to compete abroad, Wu Minxia shed tears due to loneliness and fear, but when she returned home, she excitedly brought back a gift for her father.
At that moment, Wu Minxia probably made up her mind to become a real athlete. For this dream, she not only practiced water skills hard, but also worked hard to maintain her studies, and even took care of all her daily life...... There are so many hardships, maybe she can't tell herself, but that little immature face does shine with a determined light.
Zhang Xiaocheng: Learning Xi make dreams come true
Unlike Wu Minxia, Zhang Xiaocheng does not need to go through any hard training, everything he wants is hidden in the ocean of words and knowledge.
Since the third grade of primary school, Zhang Xiaocheng has been recognized as a little "scholar" in the class. The words in the textbook and the marks on the test papers distinguish him from the children who are playing.
After all, in the village schools of that era, there were only a handful of students who could see above the top.
Zhang Xiaocheng is indeed very smart. He always catches the teacher's point with his eyes lit up. The memory is even more amazing, and if you gently flip through a few pages of notes before the exam, your grades will be at the top.
This made teachers and parents have high hopes for him, and regarded it as a lifeline for getting rid of poverty and becoming rich.
Perhaps because of this expectation and pressure, Zhang Xiaocheng has never slackened off his Xi studies. After studying in middle and high school, his ambition gradually sprouted: to be admitted to college and become an anchor.
For this dream, he chose to host related professional Xi and constantly hone his eloquence.
The temperament of youth shines through the pages of the book, and he will eventually shine brightest on the Olympic stage.
Two-way people take to the Olympic stage
Time flies, youth flies. When Zhang Xiaocheng was admitted to the Communication University of China, Wu Minxia was already an Olympic champion who had returned home.
In the summer of 2004, Wu Minxia and her sister Guo Jingjing stood on the highest podium in Athens, and they hugged each other and cried. At that moment, the first Olympic women's double 3-meter board gold medal in Chinese sports, and the two lovely girls became the focus of attention of the Chinese people for a while.
However, it was not all applause and flowers. Wu Minxia, who has been chasing this gold medal for four years, saw the comment of "relying on Guo Jingjing".
She doesn't care about fame and fortune, she just feels sad to prove herself. This also prompted Wu Minxia to make up her mind to take charge on the new journey.
At the same time, Zhang Xiaocheng also studied Xi professional courses conscientiously in Beijing, and gradually had the demeanor of an announcer. In 2008, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity came upon him - the 29th Beijing Olympic Games recruited volunteers, and there was a shortage of students who knew how to broadcast sports.
Zhang Xiaocheng was overjoyed, which showed that he was only one step away from his dream of being an announcer. Before participating in the interview, he repeatedly practiced Xi pronunciation and musical language, and met the challenge in the best condition.
In the end, Zhang Xiaocheng got his wish and became one of the announcers of this Olympic Games. Not only that, but he was also assigned to the diving competition site to report on the exciting results.
What a dramatic arrangement! He studied Xi day and night in order to broadcast on such a grand occasion; And she trains day and night to achieve such a grand victory.
The wonderful mutual attraction of life makes this pair of strangers from different worlds come together in the most direct way.
Wu Minxia: Continue to climb the peak
The Beijing Olympics brought Wu another gold medal in the women's double 3m springboard, but she knew she was far from satisfied. After that, Wu continued to fight alongside her new partner, facing old and new opponents from all directions.
At the 2010 Guangzhou Asian Games, Wu Minxia won the gold medals in women's doubles and women's team, which fully confirmed her leadership in the new generation of Chinese diving team. For the next year, she trained with her partner Wang Na to win the women's doubles gold medal at the World Championships in Shanghai.
However, Wu Minxia's ambitions don't stop there. She felt unprecedented confidence in the tacit understanding with her partner, so at the 2011 World Cup, Wu Minxia challenged the solo event for the first time.
Against the top players, no one is optimistic about the rookie. However, Wu Minxia completed six difficult movements with extraordinary concentration and competition experience, and finally won the championship! Since then, she has overcome her inner obstacles and is truly good at individual projects.
At the London 2012 Olympic Games, the expectations of the Chinese sports delegation reached their peak. The team's primary goal is to regain the men's team gold medal that was lost in Beijing. Driven by this nationalist sentiment, Wu Minxia once again brought her new and old partners to become the main force in winning the bid.
In the end, they got their wish, and the Chinese delegation was an unprecedented success.
Zhang Xiaocheng: The road to successful entrepreneurship
While Wu Minxia was still working tirelessly on the training ground, the rural youth she knew, Zhang Xiaocheng, had already fulfilled his dream of becoming a student and becoming an excellent announcer.
However, he was not satisfied.
After graduating from university in 2009, Zhang Xiaocheng joined the CCTV Sports Channel, responsible for the commentary and commentary of various sports events. This job coincided with his profession and interests, and he soon became a well-known "pillar" in Taiwan.
However, after a few years, Zhang Xiaocheng gradually realized that if he wanted to have more room for development, he needed to start his own business.
So, he left the TV station and founded a sports event planning company. With a wealth of industry knowledge and network resources, this company has a thriving business and continuous customers.
More importantly, Zhang Xiaocheng successfully transformed from a migrant worker to a company boss, achieving a real "counterattack" from the economy, which made him feel a sense of achievement.
Inspired by the success of his first venture, Zhang Xiaocheng began to further expand his business layout. In 2017, he founded two more cultural and sports companies, served as president and CEO, and began to get involved in film, television production and other fields.
Zhang Xiaocheng, who has both prestige and wealth, is also known as a "successful person" in the industry. And all this was achieved by his extraordinary diligence and perseverance, without the slightest help from his family background and connections.
Maybe Wu Minxia would have despised this rural boy at the beginning, but fate made people, and he became her future support with his own hands!
Mountain Alliance and Sea Oath: Wu Minxia chooses Zhang Xiaocheng
The relationship between Wu Minxia and Zhang Xiaocheng began with the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Wu Minxia, who was in the center of the Olympic stage at that time, heard Zhang Xiaocheng's melodious broadcast sound from the commentary platform behind her.
After the game, the two had their first contact and understanding, and Wu Minxia left a good impression on this simple and steady rural youth.
In the years that followed, they remained in scattered contact. Wu Minxia is going all out to prepare for the 2012 London Olympics, while Zhang Xiaocheng is also working hard for his dream.
Both of them love their respective careers and rarely talk about relationships or anything else. However, the red thread of fate has been quietly raised, and deep in their hearts, there is a special attraction taking root.
After the London Olympics, Wu Minxia has reached her peak and is gradually feeling tired. She began to think about the greater value of life, and looked around at the hard-working and down-to-earth young man around her. This time, Wu Minxia took the initiative to reveal her heart to Zhang Xiaocheng, and the relationship between the two exploded from ignition.
Zhang Xiaocheng, who was originally shy and introverted, also actively confessed and pursued.
Perhaps, it was this peaceful and simple sincerity that attracted her. Wu Minxia witnessed Zhang Xiaocheng step by step from obscurity to career success, from inner admiration to heartbeat.
At the 2016 Rio Olympics, she announced Zhang Xiaocheng as her boyfriend to express her recognition of this sincere love. After finally retiring, Wu Minxia put down her aura and pride, and chose to intertwine with the dreams of rural boys again.
The road of life is to support each other to move forward. On the surface, they are lovers; In fact, they are companions. The initial difference between each other has made the current similarity and fit.
The dust settles on the story
The story of Wu Minxia and Zhang Xiaocheng is like the fireworks that rose into the sky at the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games, brilliant and short-lived. However, 15 years of chasing and fighting have cast an indelible mark on these two hearts.
In 2017, Wu Minxia officially announced her retirement and tied the knot with Zhang Xiaocheng in winter. In a simple ceremony, she abandoned her social status and aura of honor, and promised her future side by side with her lover.
Today, when the stars are like clouds, such a marriage makes people feel emotional.
After marriage, Wu Minxia did not live in seclusion like Master Ip Man, but followed her husband into the field of culture and sports. With her fame and influence, she became a star activist in Zhang Xiaocheng's company.
In turn, Zhang Xiaocheng's wisdom and courage also made Wu Minxia, who is over 30 years old, glow with a new mental outlook. Together, they created a short-form video software that attracted countless athletes.
It may be difficult for an Olympic champion to put down his body for an ordinary person, or even become a "working boy". However, Wu Minxia proved with sincerity and dedication that worldly success cannot define a flesh-and-blood individual.
Life is not only about what is in front of you, but also about poetry and distance. They each embraced their ideals and walked through the pinnacle of life; They move forward hand in hand and share the fruits of love. A touching love that transcends the boundaries of class and identity is worth pondering for everyone who does not believe in true love.