The two conditions for an offside call:
I. Positional condition: A player is closer to the opponent's goal line than the ball, meaning they are in an offside position. The following exceptions apply:
The player is in their own half of the field.
At least two opposing players are closer to the opponent's goal line than them.
II. Timing condition: ...
Twelve hours had passed since the end of that match.
Lin Wanxing lay on the hard bunk in her dorm, holding her phone and inexplicably scrolling through soccer rules, unable to fall asleep.
Outside the window came the typical insect chirps of late summer and early autumn, and the wind was cool in the evening.
The light from her phone illuminated a small area of the upper bunk board. Though she had been lying down for a long time, she could still seemingly hear the sounds from the soccer field in her ears.
At the end of that match, they had drawn 2-2 with Anning Experimental High School.
In the high school preliminary rounds, there was no such thing as a penalty shootout, so the game concluded with Chen Jianghe's one-on-one shot after a long sprint down half the field.
The final whistle and the bewildered faces of the Anning Experimental students were deeply imprinted in Lin Wanxing's mind.
Her students, however, reminded her of a short video she had once seen. In it, the owner brought out a bowl of milk, and her students were like happy puppies plunging headfirst into it. Milk splashed everywhere as the puppies wagged their tails joyfully.
Her students believed that drawing with Anning Experimental was nothing short of a miracle. The entire way back, they excitedly shouted and yelled at the top of their lungs in the minibus.
The "coach" she had temporarily brought in left right after the match. Although Lin Wanxing had suggested going out for a meal together, the other party wasn't interested. Still, they managed to exchange WeChat contacts (with no extra payment involved).
Lin Wanxing sat in the very back of the minibus, the sweet wind brushing over the rice fields outside the window.
Listening to the boys' hoarse yet excited voices, she felt that they probably still really loved playing soccer.
Later that day, Lin Wanxing treated all the students to a meal at KFC.
She and her students sat on either side of the longest table in the KFC, surrounded by an array of fried chicken and snacks covering the tabletop. The golden fragments looked enticing under the lights.
At first, the students buried themselves in eating. They drank Coke while enthusiastically discussing the details of the match, as if they remembered every moment vividly.
Coke, fried chicken, and happy boys—this combination easily evoked a sense of happiness.
Sitting in the restaurant, Lin Wanxing thought that if they could keep winning, it might actually be a good thing.
But gradually, perhaps because people tend to get sleepy after eating, or because exhaustion set in once things quieted down, everyone stopped talking much.
Lin Wanxing finished the Coke in her cup.
Suddenly, she heard a student ask, "Since we tied this time, will there be another match?"
The sounds of talking and chewing faded, leaving only the sound of carbon dioxide bubbles fizzing and popping in the paper cups.
Thinking of this, Lin Wanxing switched her phone browser page and checked the tournament rules on the league's official website.
In response to the student's final question, she could only say that, theoretically and realistically, they did have a chance for a playoff match.
But the specific schedule would depend on the arrangements by the organizing committee.
At the end of that day, Lin Wanxing paid the minibus driver a little extra to drop each student off right at their doorstep.
When they parted, the silence and confusion brought on by exhaustion washed away the initial excitement the students had felt after the match.
The students got into the minibus in small groups, but Fu Xinshu didn't, because the place where he worked part-time was right downstairs from the KFC where they had eaten.
So after seeing the other students off, Lin Wanxing and Xiao Fu sat for a while on a bench in the square.
Fu Xinshu was quiet at first. In fact, Lin Wanxing could tell that even though they had drawn the match, Xiao Fu seemed as heavy-hearted as if they had lost.
Lin Wanxing poured the remaining Coke from the family bucket into a paper cup and shared half with Fu Xinshu.
The moment Xiao Fu took the paper cup, he said, "Teacher, I didn't receive anything."
Lin Wanxing took a gulp of Coke and didn't speak.
Fu Xinshu seemed a bit nervous. "I lied to Qin Ao, Chen Jianghe, and you. Later, I searched my school desk, backpack, everything—I didn't find anything."
Lin Wanxing looked at her student. Fu Xinshu's eyes were bloodshot, whether from exhaustion or something else.
"It's okay," she said.
The young man was truly heartbroken. Grass clippings that hadn't been brushed off clung to his arm, and there were bruises from today's falls—some blue, some purple.
Fu Xinshu started talking, and Lin Wanxing listened quietly.
He said that he had initially thought someone wanted to help him, using this method to get them to play soccer together, so he had lied to Qin Ao and Chen Jianghe.
Because he had played soccer since he was young, his studies had always lagged behind. Now, working at the barbershop as an apprentice was so that if he couldn't get into college, he would still have a skill.
Back then, he thought that if someone was helping him, he would treat it as their final match. If they lost, he would give up. But now that they had drawn, he saw hope again and really wanted to go further with everyone.
He also said that he was sure their current draw was already a miracle, but in the past, Anning Experimental wouldn't have been their match at all. If they could have systematic soccer training, they would definitely play better than they do now.
He admitted that he really wanted to train. If they achieved good results in the league, he might still have a chance to keep playing soccer. But soccer is a game of 11 people, and not all his classmates should have to accompany him. Many of their families still believed the college entrance exam was more important.
Lin Wanxing just kept listening.
Listening to the young man's worries, his aspirations, and his despair.
"Teacher, in this lifetime, I don't have many chances left."
That was what Fu Xinshu finally said.
Moonlight streamed into the room along the window frame. Lin Wanxing lay in bed, her phone screen dimming as she reminisced, but she was completely unable to sleep.
She simply turned over, got up, sat at the desk, turned on her computer, and logged into the school's academic affairs office website.
—
Hongjing No. 8 Middle School's draw with Anning Experimental was an extremely insignificant piece of news.
Even within the Hongjing No. 8 Middle School sports department, it didn't cause much of a stir.
Lin Wanxing reported the match result to Teacher Qian via WeChat. It wasn't until the end of the Monday sports department meeting that Teacher Qian mentioned it.
The sports department teachers expressed surprise at the score and acknowledged her work, but beyond that, there was no further discussion.
Lin Wanxing couldn't help but bring up the possibility of a playoff match to the teachers.
And then, she paused and advocated for her students: "I think our school's football team really has a lot of potential. If we organize them for professional training, we might even make it into the Youth Super League main tournament, achieve better results, and bring honor to the school."
After she finished speaking, the sports department teachers looked at each other, as if wondering how she could have such an idea.
"Teacher Lin's work enthusiasm is commendable."
"The results achieved so far are clear for all to see."
"But these students are all in their third year of high school. Our PE classes are borrowed by other subject teachers whenever they want—how could the students find time to train?"
"Even if the students could squeeze out the time, their parents wouldn't agree to us causing such a disruption."
"Better to avoid unnecessary trouble."
Lin Wanxing: "But we still have the playoff match. We should at least give it a try."
As she said this, there was a knock on the sports office door.
After Group Leader Zhao's "Come in," Teacher Xu peeked inside.
"Teacher Lin," Teacher Xu said to her, a bit awkwardly.
"Looking for me?" Lin Wanxing pointed at herself.
"Yes, our homeroom teacher, Teacher Wang, wants you to come over now. Lin Lu's mother and two other students' mothers are at the school and want to see you..."
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