Ai Fukuhara's story is like a movie without a script, from a little girl to a table tennis player and then a mother, her life trajectory always surprises people. Some say she is a genius girl, others say she is too impulsive, but who can truly understand one's choices.
At that time, Ai Fukuhara didn't know what table tennis was, but her mother put the racket in her hand. Her small hands couldn't hold the racket, but she just liked the feeling of playing, and she could play for a whole day without getting tired.
Everyone at home said she was born to play ball. After daily training, she would go home and pester her mother to practice with her. The aunt next door would say how persistent this child is, while other children were playing with toys, she was sweating on the table.
At the age of four, she was spotted by the Japanese Table Tennis Association and became the youngest representative player in Miyagi Prefecture. The coach said he had never seen such a young child play so well. Her seriousness when playing made people forget that she was still a little girl who loved to cry.
When she was six years old, her mother brought her to China for training. At that time, she couldn't speak Chinese, but the table is a universal language in the world. She started a new life in a foreign country like this.
The training of Chinese coaches is particularly strict. Sometimes an action has to be practiced hundreds of times. The little girl often gets so tired that she can't straighten her back, but she has never said a word that she doesn't want to practice.
Life in China taught her to be strong. Although she cried because she missed home, she still appeared on the training ground on time the next day. The coach said she was the most stubborn little girl he had ever seen.
After returning to Japan, she smoothly entered the national team and began her career as a professional player. At that time, she didn't know what the future would bring, she only knew to play every ball well.
Jiang Hongjie was initially just her opponent in her eyes. They met many times on the court, but they were just nodding acquaintances. No one expected so many things to happen later.
The injury in 2014 forced her to temporarily leave the court. She spent her days lying at home looking at the ceiling. That period was particularly difficult for her, feeling that life had suddenly lost direction.
Jiang Hongjie began to appear frequently in her life, bringing all kinds of tonics to see her, chatting with her to relieve boredom, and slowly she found that this man was actually very careful.
Love came particularly suddenly. By the time she realized it, she had already fallen in love. The two began dating, eating out and watching movies together, living the life of an ordinary couple.
The wedding was grand, held in Taiwan and Tokyo respectively. She looked particularly beautiful in her wedding dress, and everyone said she was the happiest bride.
After marriage, she quickly had children. As a first-time mother, she was at a loss, but still felt particularly happy, watching the little life grow slowly in her arms.
Cultural differences gradually emerged in daily life. She thought children should be independent, while he thought they should be managed more strictly. The two often argued over educational issues.
The turmoil in 2021 completely shattered the surface calm. The media photographed her dating another man, and when the news came out, public opinion was in an uproar, and everyone was blaming her.
After the divorce, she lost custody of the children, which was a heavy blow to her. She began to become a bit radical and did some irrational things.
Taking away the children put her in a legal dilemma, and the police got involved in the investigation. She hid in Japan, not daring to show her face, and lived in fear and anxiety every day.
Finally, under the coordination of the lawyer, she finally reached an agreement with Jiang Hongjie for joint custody, and this farce finally came to a relatively satisfactory end.
Now she starts doing some sports commentary work. Although she no longer plays, she still can't leave this circle. When talking about the ball, she is still full of passion.
She also often participates in some public welfare activities, teaching children to play ball. Looking at the children playing ball, she will think of her own childhood experiences.
Life goes on, she begins to learn to accept everything that happened in the past, no longer entangled in right and wrong, but focuses on how to make herself better.
Friends say she has matured a lot compared to before, no longer so impulsive, and will think more about the consequences before doing things. This is probably growth.