The IF Line: I Belong in the Olympics

**Translation:** Yingying is a "second-generation elite." His grandfather was the founding emperor of the Yu Dynasty, his father a feudal prince, and his maternal grandfather a wealthy maritime merchant (and pirate) leader. While other parents adhered to feudal ideologies, breeding chaos and thorns in their children's hearts with oppressive inner-household dynamics, Yingying's beautiful mother planted flowers of love in his heart instead. "You can be whoever you want to be. You’re not a copy of your parents—you are yourself. Mom just wants you to have a happy, free life." He also has an incredibly fun childhood sweetheart, though the latter insists on addressing his mother with odd titles like "Officer Lü" or "Auntie Cop." This childhood friend often brings him novel and fascinating things. From a young age, he respected Yingying, protected him, lit a thousand candles when his grandfather passed away, and sat with him on the steps to whisper their yearnings to distant stars. Yingying adores him. They are the best partners, confidants, and lovers. Though every time his mother or childhood sweetheart tries to reveal history, their voices vanish, Yingying knows—they are from the future. --- *The Chronicles of Yu* records Emperor Shizong Qin Zhan as a peerless genius, equally adept in both civil and martial arts. When he inherited the throne, the Northern Meng occupied all lands north of the Yangtze River, and the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan-Yun were entirely lost. During his reign, Shizong led numerous military campaigns, not just reclaiming lost territories but expanding the empire's borders north to Siberia and south to Baiyue. His iron-fisted tactics kept nomadic invaders at bay for fifty years. His governance was equally unparalleled, excelling in both land and maritime affairs. Despite waging several major wars, the economy and livelihoods remained stable and prosperous. The treasury overflowed, public happiness soared, and he was famed as the pinnacle of beauty—historical texts describe him as "Shizong's radiance unmatched in this world." Through sheer force of will, he single-handedly extended the crumbling Yu Dynasty’s lifespan by a century amidst internal strife and external threats. Yet he died young at only twenty-seven, becoming the idealized beloved eternally cherished by historians and future generations. --- Now, Lü Xiaoxuan —Shizong’s birth mother, a police officer accidentally stranded centuries in the past—faces her greatest challenge: How can she escape her scheming ex-husband, who abandoned her to remarry in the fight for the throne, and raise her pampered, picky, and frail son in an era with staggering child mortality? This is a problem far more dire than the lack of Wi-Fi. **Friendly Reminders:** 1. This is a slow-burn child-rearing novel set in an alternate universe. It features a single narrative thread with ensemble elements, plot-heavy in the first half, and romance only develops in adulthood (with the childhood sweetheart as the CP). 2. The setting is a mid-level wuxia world. The protagonist, Yingying, has maxed-out combat stats and is a strategic genius excelling in both arts and warfare. 3. Officer Lü, a plainclothes officer after military service, is Yingying’s mother and the most pivotal figure in his life. While her character shines, the story remains centered on the protagonist. 4. Time travelers cannot vocalize historical spoilers. 5. The story follows Yingying from adorable child to undefeated war god, culminating in his ascension to the throne.

Qin Chunxiao lives in a world with a soulmate setting, in a novel titled *The Tycoon's Young Master is a Top Star*. The book chronicles the emotional entanglement between the wealthy young master and his ex-husband, the actor Bai Ming. There’s no money-making cheat or shortcut to wealth. Qin Chunxiao, whose hometown’s housing price is over 40,000 per square meter, remains expressionless: *What’s the point of knowing this plot? It doesn’t earn me money.* As a nameless extra in the story, Qin Chunxiao stays far from the original plot, diligently striving on the volleyball court. His goals: make it to the men’s national volleyball team before 2024 to see the world at the Paris Olympics, and save enough for a down payment by age 30 to move his family out of their cramped, rundown rental. Years later, he finally reaches the top level. As a national team member, he flies abroad with equally talented teammates for a match—only for the plane to disintegrate mid-air. The first piece of wreckage aimed at him is blocked by a kind-hearted passenger beside him. The moment that passenger dies, Qin Chunxiao’s world loses color. The second piece of wreckage sends him off as well. When he opens his eyes again, he finds himself back seven years earlier, in his third year of junior high, holding *Three Years of Entrance Exams, Four Years of Practice*. Staring at the test papers, he’s torn between sorrow and joy. Sorrow—because he has to retake the high school and college entrance exams. Joy—because this time, his volleyball dreams might soar even higher. Qin Chunxiao wants to become the world’s best volleyball libero. What is a libero? The one lying on the ground while others celebrate a win. The human iron tower holding up the first line of defense. The guardian who, despite being the shortest on the team, radiates unstoppable presence, leaving the opponent’s ace spiker helpless. The warrior who never gives up until the ball hits the floor. Before crisis strikes, I stop it. After it arrives, I crush it.

Zhang Suqiang has traveled through time. His family is a century away, his body has inexplicably gained weight, his body fat exceeds the standard, his health is at risk, his family has cut ties with him, and without a source of income, he is about to run out of food! In despair, Zhang Suqiang picks up a pen, hoping to save his stomach by writing novels. Oh, and he also needs to lose weight—being too fat leads to fatty liver and the three highs. If he wants to live long enough to see his family again, he must at least survive until the next century! At this moment, the Winter Olympics are still two or three years away. If his father were here, he could rely on his astronaut-level fitness and former figure skating champion skills to compete for another Olympic gold. But Zhang Suqiang, who retired at sixteen due to body development issues, with a highest jump difficulty of only a 3A, can only write novels to fill his stomach. Wait… does anyone even land 3A jumps at this time? No Chinese athlete has yet appeared on the Olympic stage. If he could make this miracle happen a little sooner, even the laziest person would surely fight for it. And Zhang Suqiang is no slacker. --- The inspiration for this story comes from the 1908 London Olympics, when a Tianjin publication introduced the history of the Olympic Games and posed three questions: 1. When will China send a single athlete to the Olympics? 2. When will China send a full team to the Olympics? 3. When will China host an Olympic Games? Fiction is a vessel for dreams. In this fantasy tale, the author hopes to weave a story of pursuing these dreams around these three questions.