The scorching sun blazed down, baking the entire pitch.
The steam rising from the grass distorted the view across the field.
With constant probing, pressing, and long passes in the front field, Anning Experimental made more and more turnovers. But as they quickly fell back on defense, Hongjing No. 8 Middle School struggled to make a breakthrough.
Mistakes were relative.
From initially attempting long passes to find the forwards, as time went on, the stamina of the Hongjing No. 8 Middle School students was steadily declining.
Especially the two forwards, who kept making seemingly pointless sprints, were draining their energy rapidly.
69th minute.
Chen Jianghe received a cross from Fu Xinshu.
Chen Jianghe’s positioning was sharp; he faced an empty goal with only the goalkeeper to beat.
It was a golden opportunity.
He controlled the ball, adjusted his position, and took the shot.
But whether due to exhaustion or something else, the ball soared over the goal like an anti-aircraft shell, crashing into the wire fence beside the pitch.
Lin Wanxing’s clenched fist, like Chen Jianghe’s, swung through the air in frustration.
This had been their closest attempt to breach Anning Experimental’s goal so far.
She couldn’t help but glance at the young man beside her.
He showed no intense emotion, nor did he clap or encourage the players like the Anning Experimental coach.
He simply stood by the edge of the green pitch, hands in his pockets, unmoving.
Chen Jianghe shot a look in their direction, his gaze lingering on the young man’s face for a few seconds. Then, wiping the sweat from his face, he returned to his defensive position.
Like a tireless machine.
The ball flew out of play for a goal kick.
The Anning Experimental goalkeeper launched the ball with a powerful kick.
75th minute.
The score remained firmly locked at 0-2.
Lin Wanxing had been standing under the shade for nearly 30 minutes.
Just standing there, she was already drenched in sweat, droplets trickling down her bangs and temples, sometimes blurring her vision as they reached the corners of her eyes.
She found herself stealing glances at the young man beside her from time to time.
Especially as the match entered its later stages, with the students repeatedly trying and failing, she felt a strong urge to say something. But the passing time felt increasingly hopeless. She thought again that this was the nature of competitive sports—sometimes, even giving your all doesn’t guarantee victory.
“Be patient.”
“Okay.”
The exchange was brief.
Yet, inexplicably, the anxiety that had been building in Lin Wanxing’s heart began to ease.
She turned her attention back to the pitch, where a whistle suddenly blew.
A few seconds earlier, Anning Experimental had mishandled the ball, sending it out of play for a throw-in by Hongjing No. 8 Middle School.
Yu Ming stood by the sideline, holding the ball.
Anning Experimental’s midfielders were waving constantly, directing their defensive formation.
Under the relentless long-ball assaults, Anning Experimental had adapted, deliberately marking the two forwards.
Yu Ming raised the ball overhead with both hands, his eyes darting across the field in search of an opening.
On the pitch, Qi Liang suddenly began a short run. Yu Ming, quick-eyed and swift-handed, hurled the ball with force.
Qi Liang received the ball with his back to the attacking direction. But as fate would have it, behind him stood Anning Experimental’s No. 10, the player who had repeatedly broken through his defense before.
This time, however, the roles were reversed.
Qi Liang’s face was expressionless. With the ball at his feet, he shed his usual sarcasm and nonchalance, becoming calm and sharp.Seeing Qi Liang with the ball, another Anning Experimental defender closed in to double-team him. Not far away, Fu Xinshu’s movement off the ball also drew the attention of two Anning Experimental defenders.
It was clear that Anning Experimental’s No. 10 was physically larger than Qi Liang, who was under immense defensive pressure.
Another Anning Experimental defender positioned himself and stretched out a long leg, attempting to poke the ball away from Qi Liang’s feet.
But just as he extended his leg, Qi Liang deftly flicked the ball to the other side. Then, he immediately turned, bypassed Anning Experimental’s No. 10, and without any hesitation, kicked the ball again, lofting it forward.
The ball soared over the heads of the Anning Experimental defenders, landing in a gap created by Fu Xinshu’s earlier run.
Yu Ming appeared at the ball’s landing spot.
Without a moment’s hesitation, Yu Ming pivoted his ankle, leaned back slightly, and with a thud, sent the ball flying toward the front field.
Qin Ao had already begun to sprint.
In Lin Wanxing’s vision, all other colors faded away.
Only vast stretches of green remained, along with Qin Ao’s gray figure as he chased after the ball.
The ball traced an arc across the sky, transforming from a dot into a three-dimensional sphere.
Qin Ao reached the landing spot, his figure sharp and imposing. His studs scraped the grass, kicking up specks of mud.
That position gradually overlapped with the pencil-drawn diagram in the notebook.
Qin Ao shifted his body slightly forward, using his back and side to cushion the ball toward the other direction. He turned, controlled the ball, adjusted his position, and lifted his foot to shoot.
“Thud.”
Another heavy thud echoed in Lin Wanxing’s chest.
Time seemed to stretch infinitely slow.
Beep…
The black-and-white ball traced a curve against the green backdrop.
Every player on the field stared intently at the ball.
Thump…
The ball descended. The goalkeeper turned and scrambled back.
A strong wind swept across the field, rustling the grass.
On the pitch, Qin Ao leaped high as the ball nestled into the net. The referee raised the whistle to his lips.
Students scattered across the field cheered and sprinted toward Qin Ao.
The whistle blew, and the referee signaled a valid goal.
Cheers erupted, finally breaking the silence.
Lin Wanxing stood by the sidelines, bathed in the September afternoon sun.
The warm wind brushed against her face. Everything felt so real, yet dreamlike.
A roaring sound filled her ears. She gently pressed a hand to her chest.
So this is what scoring a goal feels like?
It felt joyful—no, it felt incredibly, incredibly joyful!
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