When I had decided to leave my coaching position, I once woke up and inexplicably walked to St. Mary's Stadium, bought a ticket and watched a match.
Although this didn't change my decision to leave the football team, I still remember the joy that victory brought me.
For me, I just hope that when you suddenly look back, you can also have beautiful memories like I do.
The students are all wonderful - you've taught them very well.
As for me.
Please rest assured, that video you left in the email - I'm the only one who has seen it. So I hope when you watch this video of mine, there's no one around either, otherwise I'd be embarrassed."
Wang Fa remained gentle and calm throughout, only showing an inadvertent smile when saying those last words.
It seemed there were many things left unsaid, yet he resolutely stood up and turned off the camera.
The screen went completely dark, and the theater lights came on.
Lin Wanxing stared blankly ahead.
Then, as if remembering something, she gripped her phone tightly and stood up.
Just as she couldn't wait to leave, a beam of light once again projected onto the screen.
A faxed letter slowly appeared.
Lin Wanxing was completely stunned. It was handwriting and poetry she knew all too well - she had personally copied them onto the last page of a small booklet and given it to a certain beautiful lady.
In an instant, an overwhelming sense of incredulity washed over her. The bright spotlights from the ceiling seemed to illuminate her completely.
Line by line, the poetry appeared,
At the very bottom was a line of completely different handwriting.
Clear and profound.
Of those who knew about this sealed past,
There could only be one person who possessed these verses.
Like a suddenly untangled knot or the final digit of a password being entered.
Lin Wanxing finally broke down in tears.
Chapter 127: Questioning the Heart
The wind was gentle, the sun beautiful, the sky high and clouds light.
Approaching noon, Hongjing No. 8 Middle School's competition bus finally arrived outside Yongchuan Evergrande Stadium.
The stadium was magnificent, surrounded by large parking lots.
Looking up the steps from afar, a huge inflatable banner at the main entrance was clearly visible with white characters on red background: "National Youth League East China Regional Finals."
The accompanying teacher led the spectator students off the bus and organized them for lunch. The competitors needed to enter through the players' dedicated security channel, so they had to temporarily part ways with the audience.
The bus stopped outside the players' entrance.
On this spring noon, the sun was quite powerful, making the bus stuffy and hot.
The students were seeing such a grand occasion for the first time. They looked back at the parking lot, where rows of clearly marked school buses were parked. Students wearing various Yongchuan high school uniforms were disembarking in succession.
The entire scene appeared massive.
Qin Ao loosened his school uniform collar: "All these people came to watch our match?"
Qi Liang: "The finals definitely have organized attendance. Why so surprised? Haven't you been in one before?"
"As if you have!"
"I actually haven't." Qi Liang placed his hands behind his head and closed his eyes.
Qin Ao was left speechless. He checked his phone, inexplicably restless. "Where are Old Fu and Wen dog? Why are they suddenly so close, even taking the high-speed rail together?"
"Boss, are you jealous again?" Lin Lu asked.
Just as Qin Ao was about to respond, he suddenly spotted a familiar figure passing their bus, heading toward the security entrance.
From Hanling Guangming Cinema to Yongchuan Evergrande Stadium - 1 hour and 45 minutes by car.
Not every choice is made with clear reasons.It was mostly impulse.
Lin Wanxing grabbed her phone, informed her manager she was leaving, and rushed out of the cinema.
It wasn’t until she tried to book a ride that she realized her phone had frozen.
She had no choice but to flag down a taxi and restart her phone.
"Yongchuan? That’s quite far," the taxi driver said in surprise.
"Yes," Lin Wanxing replied curtly as she closed the car door.
After this brief exchange, the driver stepped on the accelerator.
The car window was down, and the spring wind surged wildly. Watching the scenery fly past on both sides of the road, Lin Wanxing’s mind remained in turmoil.
Her phone rebooted, a notification chimed, and the screen lit up from darkness.
Staring at the restored phone interface, Lin Wanxing steeled herself and reopened WeChat.
At the security checkpoint entrance of Yongchuan Evergrande Stadium, Qin Ao felt a sudden tightness in his chest.
Through the bus window, he unexpectedly caught sight of Xiang Zi’s face—the kind of face that made him want to punch it.
As their bus passed by the one from Hongjing No. 8 Middle School, Xiang Zi was equally startled.
As if sensing something, he looked up.
Qin Ao immediately raised his fist and shook it at him.
At the same time, Wen Chengye and Fu Xinshu appeared outside the checkpoint.
"What are you doing here?" Wen Chengye asked, unusually agitated. He quickened his pace, grabbed Xiang Zi by the collar, and shoved him hard.
Xiang Zi’s back slammed against the bus, causing the entire vehicle to shudder.
Fu Xinshu had never seen Wen Chengye like this and was completely stunned.
But this was the entrance pathway, and there were other staff around. As onlookers turned to stare, Fu Xinshu rushed over and grabbed Wen Chengye. "The match is about to start. Calm down!"
Wen Chengye’s expression was cold and arrogant, his grip like an iron clamp, unmoving.
"Do you know who this asshole is?" Wen Chengye sneered. "Let me introduce you. This is Xiang Zi. The bastard who framed our teacher."
Hearing the name, Fu Xinshu immediately understood. He glared at Xiang Zi, his anger boiling over.
"I’m here with my research team today," Xiang Zi said, his expression shifting uneasily. "There are people everywhere. I suggest you show some respect."
"Do you deserve it?" Wen Chengye’s voice was icy cold.
Qin Ao and the other students also got off the bus.
Everyone gathered menacingly, surrounding the hypocritical doctoral student.
Faced with this situation, Xiang Zi tightened his grip on his phone, his attitude turning timid. "Don’t do anything rash. I’ll call the police."
Not far away, stadium security began approaching them.
Fu Xinshu snapped back to reality.
No matter how despicable Xiang Zi was, for the sake of the bigger picture, they couldn’t cause a scene here.
Steadying himself, he said to Wen Chengye, "Let him go."
"What did you say?" Wen Chengye turned his head.
His eyes were pitch-black, filled with a ruthless, unrestrained ferocity.
"We’re about to play a match. We can’t have any violent conflicts before the game. And even if you beat him to death right here, it won’t solve anything," Fu Xinshu said calmly.
Wen Chengye’s first reaction was disbelief, and then Fu Xinshu saw profound disappointment in his eyes.
Wen Chengye remarked with near-sarcasm, "All you care about is the match?"
"This is the result of all our hard work," Fu Xinshu said earnestly.
On the Han-Yong Expressway, low, rolling hills stretched along both sides of the road.
In the flatlands between the valleys, vast stretches of golden rapeseed flowers shimmered like scattered gold.
The sunlight was exceptionally bright, the road smooth and soft, as if the entire surroundings were bathed in a clear, radiant light.Lin Wanxing leaned her head against the car window, carefully reading through the students’ messages one by one.
No wonder her phone was lagging—they truly shared everything with her, whether big or small.
From major things like training schedules, weekly study plans, and daily homework, to minor matters like withering palm plants and failed strawberry cultivation attempts. Whatever they experienced, they would send her photos or videos.
The fried skewer shop she often visited had introduced a new plum-flavored dipping sauce; the stray cat she liked had been fed until its fur gleamed.
The earlier videos had expired, but Lin Wanxing still stared at the preview images for a long time.
Her originally chaotic and complicated mood was completely soothed by each message.
This was indeed a beautiful memory—life was warm and interesting, and the students had the ability to live and study independently. After looking for a while, she even found herself unconsciously thinking that going to watch a match seemed like a genuinely good idea.
Finally finishing Lin Lu’s messages, Lin Wanxing exited the chat and tapped on Fu Xinshu’s profile picture.
The hum of the engine filled the car compartment. The last message read:
"Teacher, I really don’t know what the right thing to do is."
Outside, the sun was bright, but the interior of the building suddenly grew several shades darker.
"Team captain, please sign in here."
After the staff member spoke, Fu Xinshu lowered his head, signed the form, and followed them into the stadium.
A yellow dividing line was painted on the gray-white walls, with terrazzo tiles underfoot and old-fashioned fluorescent light tubes overhead.
As they walked through the long corridor, Fu Xinshu suddenly recalled a scene from his childhood.
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