They carried their bags, wore professional gear, and brought their own football. Lin Wanxing even spotted the students' good friend, Coach Xiao Sun, in the crowd.
Since his last trial training session with the team, Coach Xiao Sun had gradually gotten to know a group of football-loving companions. They sometimes arranged to play together. This time, however, their opponents wore matching team uniforms and their equipment looked highly professional.
After watching for a while, the students pulled Coach Xiao Sun aside and asked, "Who are they?"
"They're from Yonghua Software next door!" Coach Xiao Sun, dressed in a bright blue tight-fitting shirt today, proudly showed off his newly purchased cleats as he spoke.
"What's that, programmers?" Qin Ao exclaimed in disbelief. "Since when do coders know how to play football?"
"Looking down on them?" Coach Xiao Sun retorted. "They're the champions of our city's corporate cup!"
Hearing this, the students' gazes toward the Yonghua Software programmers filled with respect.
It was still early, and the students had nothing else to do, so they instinctively sat down by the pitch to watch the kickoff.
Over the past few days, aside from playing their own matches, they had only watched games on TV. This immersive experience of watching a live match felt entirely new to them.
Coach Xiao Sun, with his robust physique, played as a defensive midfielder, bulldozing through the field like a human tank. Once he secured his position, he stood firm as a mountain.
The Yonghua Software programmers often collided with him and ended up on the ground, as the physical intensity between the two sides was on completely different levels.
The students watching from the sidelines gasped in awe, fully engrossed in the game.
In informal matches without referees, players simply got up, dusted themselves off, and continued playing.
Though they lacked physical prowess, the Yonghua Software programmers displayed decent footwork and had developed strong teamwork over time. Before long, they managed to score a goal.
Naturally, the students supported Coach Xiao Sun and immediately began shouting encouragement from the sidelines.
Coach Xiao Sun responded with a determined fist pump.
The atmosphere quickly heated up.
About ten minutes later, Coach Xiao Sun's team seized an opportunity, delivering a cross into the penalty area where their striker scored, leveling the match at 1:1.
As the sun set and the game intensified, the students found themselves completely captivated.
A gentle evening breeze swept across the grass. Someone suddenly asked, "When we grow up and start working, will we still play football like this?"
The fading sunset tinged the tips of the grass with a faint orange glow, while darkness gradually enveloped the rest of the field. No one answered.
Chapter 100: The Assembly
The Hongjing No. 8 Middle School Senior Year Sailing Mobilization Assembly and the First Semester Awards Ceremony officially commenced at 9:00 AM on Friday.
All senior year students gathered in the auditorium. Lin Wanxing and the football team members were also notified to attend.
Having just finished their placement exams, the students felt uneasy about having to come to school for another meeting. Lin Wanxing had them gather early in the sports equipment room, where she distributed the exam papers from a couple of days prior.
After focusing intensely on their studies recently, the students' results were bound to be impressive. Yet, rather than fixating on their scores, they had grown accustomed to analyzing the exams themselves. They immediately began discussing the questions in the equipment room.
They had many questions and were eager to resolve them right away. Lin Wanxing helped them identify their weak areas. It wasn't until the ceremony was about to start that the group realized they still had to attend.
"Damn! We're going to be late!" Qin Ao shouted.
In a frenzy, the students bolted out the door.The football team's pace was something Lin Wanxing couldn't match. She could only close the door to the sports equipment room and follow slowly behind.
On campus, willow trees sprouted new buds, and the spring breeze brushed past the school buildings. Fu Xinshu's foot seemed almost fully recovered, as he could easily keep up with his teammates' running pace.
When Lin Wanxing stepped into the auditorium, the host was already in position on the stage.
The football team students waved to her from the back row, where a corner seat had been saved for her.
The general flow of the senior year assembly was familiar.
After the host announced the opening and the principal gave a speech, it was the student representative's turn to speak.
Next, the head teacher of the senior year cohort analyzed the quality of the students' exam results from the first semester of their final year. Combining this with the college entrance exam trends, the teacher encouraged the students to set clear goals and stay grounded.
Looking from the back row toward the front, the small auditorium was packed. In no time, the temperature soared, and the teacher's speech became too "technical," causing students from front to back to grow drowsy.
Until the awards ceremony began.
"Next, we will commend some students who have achieved outstanding results in various academic competitions during the first semester of their senior year, bringing honor to our school."
The academic director began reading out the list of students and their awards one by one.
"The Hongjing No. 8 Middle School track and field team achieved excellent results in the provincial winter sports meet. It is especially worth mentioning that Chen Weidong won the silver medal in the men's 400-meter hurdles event, breaking our school's zero-medal record in hurdling."
The name "Chen Weidong" made all the football team students look up simultaneously.
The students who had excelled in the provincial sports meet lined up to receive their awards on stage, with Chen Weidong at the end of the line. Dressed in his school uniform, he appeared tall and even more robust than when he was with the football team.
Under the auditorium lights, the silver medal on his chest was particularly striking.
All the football team students, whether sitting or leaning, watched the distant stage quietly.
The principal presented each award-winning athlete with a school certificate, and the group lined up for a photo as the entire audience applauded.
Lin Wanxing clapped while observing her students.
In the dimly lit space of the back rows, the boys' faces were calm, and no one made a move.
Since the awards ceremony didn't concern most students, some were secretly playing on their phones.
After the students stepped onto the stage for provincial and municipal "Three Good Students" awards, it was time for the school's internal awards.
The academic director continued, "Among them, Wen Chengye from Class 1, Grade 12, and Liu Rushui from Class 2, Grade 12, have shown significant progress in their studies during the first semester of their senior year. They have demonstrated through their actions that no matter where you start, hard work will yield rewards. We will present them with the 'Fastest Progress Award.'"
It was almost as if a switch had been flipped.
All the football team students instantly looked up, their eyes fixed on the auditorium stage.
Class 1, Grade 12, was seated at the very front of the tiered classroom.
Wen Chengye stood up. Students in his row shifted to let him pass, while those in the back rows stirred slightly.
Wen Chengye was indeed eye-catching.
With his naturally fair complexion, dressed in his school uniform and a white shirt underneath, he stood on stage like the epitome of a model student. Lin Wanxing thought that perhaps only three people in the room knew how Wen Chengye's "Fastest Progress Award" had truly come about.The principal smiled as he presented awards to the two students. Wen Chengye bowed slightly, and the principal gently patted his shoulder.
When Wen Chengye looked up again, his gaze was dark as lacquer, fixed intently on a spot in the back row.
Lin Wanxing turned her head.
There, Qin Ao sat sprawled arrogantly in his chair, raising his hand to flash a middle finger at Wen Chengye.
Evening, Small Classroom No. 17 Wutong Road.
Returning home from work, Lin Wanxing noticed the entire hallway was unusually quiet.
The classroom projector was finally playing match footage again.
These past few days, Wang Fa hadn’t been entirely without training plans. Yet he had never once reviewed matches or analyzed strategies with the students. If the students were like sheep leisurely wandering the grasslands, then the border collie usually herding them seemed to have been lounging in the sun lately.
Lin Wanxing had seen the border collie hard at work before, so she couldn’t help feeling he was doing this deliberately—or perhaps waiting for something.
Pushing the door open, she saw the projector silently playing match footage on the classroom wall.
Inside, the students were all looking up, watching the game intently. Each had paper and pens on their desks, but at a glance, Lin Wanxing noticed no one had written anything.
After intense exam preparation, it made sense to shift some attention to upcoming matches. But the footage playing was the part the students least wanted to rewatch.
Wang Fa wasn’t standing at the screen leading the review. Instead, he leaned against the back wall, gazing distantly at the young players on screen.
Lin Wanxing held a can of cola—Wang Fa had just messaged her to bring it after work. She handed it over. With a crisp "psst," Wang Fa opened it one-handed.
Hearing the sound, Qin Ao immediately turned. But seeing it was Wang Fa drinking, the boy swallowed whatever he was about to say.
"Coach." Chen Jianghe spoke instead.
"Hmm?" The match continued on screen. Remote and laser pointer in hand, Wang Fa took a sip of cola and responded mildly.
"Why are you making us watch this match specifically?" Zheng Feiyang blurted out bluntly.
"Was my earlier explanation unclear?" Wang Fa remained leisurely and calm. "I want to hear everyone's thoughts on lineup arrangements with ten players."
On screen, the foggy pitch footage advanced.
A Yuzhou Silver Elephant winger cut inside from the flank, lofting a cross into the central penalty area. Zheng Feiyang shifted to cover the center, but Wen Chengye didn’t mark the back post—he chose to make a forward run, leaving the penalty area.
It was their first conceded goal against Yuzhou Silver Elephant days earlier.
The ball was headed to the back post. With Wen Chengye out of position, the Yuzhou Silver Elephant striker easily slotted it home.
"Fuck."
Qin Ao watched coldly from start to finish, then spat the curse.
Wang Fa hit pause.
The students turned in unison.
Wang Fa took another sip of cola. "Any thoughts?"
"Coach, are you just using Wen Dog to piss us off? What’s there to think about? It’s his defensive error!" Zheng Feiyang said through gritted teeth.
Wang Fa didn’t answer. He set down the cola and extended his hand.
Lin Wanxing pulled a roll of red marking tape from her pocket—another item Wang Fa had asked her to buy—and placed it in his palm.
Wang Fa walked to the projection screen, tore off a strip of tape, and covered Wen Chengye’s figure with it. Then he asked the class, "Feel better now?"The players pursed their lips and remained silent.
"Coach, I feel like there's something more behind your words," Chen Jianghe said.
"The ones with many thoughts about this match are you, not me," Wang Fa replied bluntly. "Please focus on answering my question: how should we handle this play after removing Wen Chengye?"
The students looked up at the projection screen.
Though the coach's movements were casual, his attitude was serious and meticulous enough that the students couldn't help but observe carefully.
In Lin Wanxing's view, Wen Chengye's figure reflected on the bright red adhesive tape appeared particularly glaring.
Like the students, she didn't understand what the coach was trying to say. She only knew that she herself needed to remain fully focused on this match.
"It seems..." another key player in the footage finally spoke up, "I must win this header." Zheng Feiyang said this.
Upon hearing this, Qin Ao immediately interjected: "Old Zheng, don't rush to take the blame. This was Wen Chengye's mistake - what does it have to do with you?"
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