Hongjing No. 8 Middle School, at the school gate.
The minibus driver hadn’t turned on the air conditioning to save fuel.
As Lin Wanxing stepped into the vehicle, the students who had been playing on their phones or chatting all turned to look at her simultaneously.
Lin Wanxing said, “We can’t get in touch with Wen Chengye. Let’s head to the venue first.”
After speaking, she turned and patted the driver’s seatback. “Driver, let’s go.”
The vehicle started moving, and hot wind from the street rushed into the cabin, rustling the shadows of the trees lining the road.
Lin Wanxing took a seat next to Chen Jianghe, where there was an empty spot.
The teenager’s lips were pressed tightly together. He was carrying a large black backpack today, which likely held his football kit and protective gear for the match.
Every student coming to compete was carrying a similar bag.
Silence filled the cabin for a while, broken only by the roar of the engine.
“Students, shall we discuss something?” Lin Wanxing straightened up, having recovered from the exhaustion of her earlier frantic run.
“What is there to discuss, teacher? Should we just get off and disband right here?” a student retorted irritably.
“How about discussing tactical arrangements for playing 10 against 11 in Wen Chengye’s absence?”
“Teacher, have you been watching too many nonsensical cartoons?”
“Teacher, have you ever even watched a single football match?”
Lin Wanxing looked shocked. “Of course I have! When I was in elementary school, the national team made it to the World Cup, and the school organized a group viewing for us.”
“Wow, you really are ancient.”
The students bantered back and forth, and though they were teasing, the atmosphere finally livened up.
“Talking about this now is pointless. We should discuss what to do,” Fu Xinshu’s voice cut in.
“What brilliant ideas do you have, Lord Fu?” Qi Liang said.
“When we registered, there was a minimum number requirement. According to the rules, our football team has two substitutes.”
Lin Wanxing’s eyes lit up. “Where are the substitutes?”
“They’re not professionally trained football players. They were just added to meet the registration quota. But we can ask Teacher Qian.”
Lin Wanxing nodded and immediately dialed Teacher Qian’s number.
After Lin Wanxing briefly explained the situation, even the usually mild-mannered Teacher Qian raised his voice, a hint of anger detectable in his tone.
Lin Wanxing cut off Teacher Qian’s impending reprimand of Wen Chengye and said, “Right now, we just want to ask you—can the substitute members of our football team play?”
The hot wind rustled noisily, lifting the window curtains on both sides.
After listening quietly for a moment, Lin Wanxing said in surprise, “A player not on the roster can play?”
“Theoretically, no, of course not. But who’s going to check in a competition like this? Don’t worry, it’s just one match—to make up the numbers and look good in front of the leadership,” Teacher Qian said.
After hanging up, the previously chattering students fell silent abruptly, waiting for her answer.
“Teacher Qian said the two substitute students on the roster are with him at the provincial track and field meet and can’t make it.”
The students didn’t say anything, but their eyes couldn’t hide their disappointment.
“However,” Lin Wanxing paused, “Teacher Qian said there are some athletic students at school who aren’t competing and could come over to make up the numbers. He mentioned they’ve played football before and asked if we want them.”
The students exchanged glances, and it looked like some were about to say something discouraging.But Fu Xinshu’s firm voice rang out: “Yes.” That was his answer.
Teacher Qian acted quickly, soon sending him the address. They made another round near the school, and the minibus waited a few minutes at the entrance of the new residential area. A sturdy boy ran out of the neighborhood.
The boy’s name was Chen Weidong, a sports student at the school who trained in hurdles.
The students all knew each other. After Chen Weidong boarded, the last empty seat was filled.
The minibus drove onto the overpass and headed out of the city.
After more than half an hour on the road, they arrived in the suburbs.
The minibus stopped at the entrance of Hongjing Mingzhu Club.
Lin Wanxing had looked up the place before coming. It was the location of Hongjing Mingzhu’s second-tier football league club, which made it one of the designated venues for the South China division of the National Youth League.
On both sides of the road were vast fields of golden rice, ripe in September.
Although the boys had been sluggish when boarding, they disembarked with full energy.
Lin Wanxing was the last to step off the minibus and found the students blocking the front of the vehicle, standing motionless.
“What’s wrong?” she asked, then froze in place as well.
Facing them was a large, tall white coach bus with the words "Anning Experimental Middle School" painted on its side. The golden school emblem gleamed brilliantly under the sunlight.
The bus door opened, and students filed out in an orderly manner. They all wore matching blue-and-white school uniforms and carried black sports backpacks, appearing well-trained.
The lead teacher, dressed in a suit, immediately directed the driver to open the luggage compartment. Several teachers pulled out the students’ gear baskets and a few cardboard boxes. Judging by the packaging, they contained their own sports drinks and nutritional supplements.
The team even had a school doctor with a first-aid kit.
It turned out they weren’t the only school hoping to familiarize themselves with the venue early.
And so, the two groups stood facing each other across a narrow pathway, neither side speaking.
Lin Wanxing craned her neck to look for a moment, then patted Qin Ao—the only one wearing a football kit—in front of her and said, “Move aside.”
“What are you doing?” Qin Ao was startled but stepped aside to make way.
“Just saying hello.” Lin Wanxing stuffed her hands in her pockets and walked over to the lead teacher from Anning Experimental Middle School.
In truth, the Anning Experimental teacher had noticed them earlier, but as they were opponents and he was busy with preparations, he hadn’t paid them any mind.
Now that she had taken the initiative to greet him, the lead teacher felt somewhat embarrassed.
Lin Wanxing introduced herself, exchanged a few pleasantries with the lead teacher, shook hands, swapped WeChat contacts, and finally strolled back to her students with her hands in her pockets.
The boys stood there dumbfounded.
Qin Ao whispered, “What did you go over there for?”
“Friendly communication, to showcase the quality and standards of our school’s teaching staff.”
“You’re insane.” Qin Ao was speechless.
Lin Wanxing laughed.
—
Hongjing Mingzhu Club was located in the suburbs.
But when she actually saw the competition venue, Lin Wanxing couldn’t bring herself to laugh anymore.
The pitch was surrounded by a green wire fence. At the entrance, the organizers had set up a small canopy to serve as the registration area. A large banner reading "National Youth Football League U19 Qualifiers" hung on the fence directly opposite the entrance. Below it stood a long row of advertisement boards, all provided by the same sponsor.
The scorching sun beat down, shining directly overhead.
That was all the shelter available around the pitch.
Lin Wanxing shielded her eyes from the blazing sunlight. “Why isn’t there even a single stand?”
“It’s normal for training grounds not to have stands.”The boys, on the other hand, took it all in stride.
By the time she snapped out of her thoughts, the students had already occupied a section of the rubber track by the field on their own initiative.
They maintained a friendly distance of about 50 meters from the Anning Experimental team, keeping to themselves without interfering with each other.
Lin Wanxing first went to the registration desk of the organizing committee to check in.
She ended up standing next to the team leader from Anning Experimental again.
Since she had an "unofficial member" in her team, Lin Wanxing was still a bit nervous.
Perhaps because the weather was too hot, or maybe because the match was truly inconsequential, the staff didn’t thoroughly verify the students.
And so, Chen Weidong—or rather, the student now known as "Wen Chengye"—smoothly passed the inspection.
Sports bags were scattered all over the ground. By the time Lin Wanxing returned to the boys, they were either sitting or lying down, already complaining about being hungry.
Not far away, the students from Anning Experimental had all changed into their school’s uniform jerseys and were standing in a line on the field.
Their coach stood in front of the team, seemingly giving a pep talk.
The wind rustled softly, and waves of heat swept across the grass. In the distance, mountains and fields stretched endlessly.
The organizing committee brought them boxed meals, while the Anning Experimental students had already started running laps around the field.
The disciplined, powerful sound of their footsteps echoed constantly in their ears.
Lin Wanxing sat cross-legged at the edge of the scorching grass, opened her boxed meal, and picked up her chopsticks.
As the team ran farther away, the only sounds left in her ears were the faint, crisp noises of the kids chewing their food.
No one spoke.
Lin Wanxing poked Lin Lu’s lunchbox from a distance: "Aren’t you going to eat the fried pork cutlet?"
"I am!" Lin Lu hurriedly shielded his lunchbox.
Lin Wanxing laughed happily and immediately transferred her pork cutlet into Lin Lu’s box. "Great! Consider it a reward. No need to thank me."
But before Lin Lu could react, Yu Ming had already snatched the pork cutlet with his chopsticks and dropped it into his own box.
Lin Lu was left speechless.
In an instant, the commotion erupted again with shouts of "My pork cutlet!" and "I already took a bite!"
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