As usual, Lin Wanxing hopped onto the bleachers and sat down beside Wang Fa.
The students tossed their backpacks aside and began simple warm-up exercises on the field, accompanied by the warm evening breeze.
Due to the senior high school mock exams, very few students had shown up, making the vast field appear particularly sparse. Even the usually enthusiastic participant, Chen Jianghe, was absent. Yet their coach didn’t question the incomplete turnout.
Lin Wanxing always had a feeling that although Wang Fa seemed approachable and even humorous at times, there was often an aloofness about him that kept others at a distance.
After a moment of thought, she decided to break the ice with small talk: "Are you settling in okay at the place?"
"Nothing to complain about."
"Then I have a question."
"Go ahead."
"If you’re considering coaching elsewhere, why did you rent a place here?" She hinted at Director Liu’s visit yesterday to recruit for Yongchuan Evergrande Club.
"Makes sense." Wang Fa replied lightly with just three words.
"What do you mean by 'makes sense'?" Lin Wanxing was puzzled.
"You make a valid point. After all, choosing to rent here implies I intend to stay. But..."
He drew out the word "but," and Lin Wanxing waited for what seemed like ages without hearing the rest of the sentence.
She glanced at him, but the young man was looking straight ahead, as if he had completely forgotten what he was just saying.
Lin Wanxing felt stymied, realizing he had no intention of elaborating. She supposed this counted as one of his playful quirks.
The weather was still hot, and sitting by the field for a while had already brought a light sweat to her skin.
"I got a call. This Sunday, we have another chance at a match." Leaning back in her seat, she followed Wang Fa’s gaze toward the boys on the field.
This was news she hadn’t yet shared with the students.
"Congratulations." He said it calmly, his tone giving nothing away.
"No need for formalities—we’re all familiar with each other by now." Lin Wanxing smiled. "So, could we ask for your guidance again this Sunday?"
"I have plans this Sunday."
As he spoke, Wang Fa adjusted his cap brim, appearing uninterested in what was happening on the field.
Lin Wanxing was taken aback, unsure whether he was making an excuse or stating a fact.
From the start, after all, Wang Fa had never committed to being their team’s coach. This hastily assembled team seemed fragile—it might disband right after Sunday’s match, making serious coaching seem unnecessary.
With that thought, she fell silent.
Not far away, the students seemed to have finished their warm-up. The four of them walked over, chatting and laughing. Further off, Fu Xinshu and Chen Jianghe appeared on the track. They must have just finished their exams, backpacks slung over their shoulders, jogging toward the bleachers.
As the boys approached, they brought with them a wave of vibrant energy.
Perhaps because the atmosphere on the bleachers was unusually quiet or because she hadn’t immediately mustered a smile, Feng Suo instinctively asked as they stepped up, "What were you guys talking about, Teacher?"
Lin Wanxing didn’t reply right away, still weighing her words, when the young man beside her spoke first: "Your teacher just told me you have a match this Sunday."
The students erupted instantly, their loud voices filling the air.
"Seriously? For real?"
"We actually get another shot?"
"Why didn’t you tell us sooner after getting the call?"Lin Wanxing couldn’t exactly explain that she wanted to confirm their "coach" was free first before saying anything, so she could only tell the students, "Of course, I’ll wait until everyone is here to make the announcement—it’s more formal that way."
She glanced at the young man, not quite understanding why he would bring up the matter so casually after deciding not to show up over the weekend.
Fu Xinshu and Chen Jianghe walked up the bleachers, and after the loudmouthed Feng Suo broadcasted the news, Xiao Fu immediately straightened up and said seriously, "Then we need to prepare even more earnestly for the match."
After speaking, he turned to Wang Fa: "Coach, we’ll be counting on you."
Xiao Fu’s request carried an unsophisticated, almost awkward sincerity.
"I’m not putting in much effort. I was just telling your teacher that I have to go out on Sunday and won’t be at the match." Once the students had quieted down a bit, the young man spoke bluntly.
Hearing the refusal again, Lin Wanxing had already accepted it calmly, but the students were clearly more agitated.
"Why?"
"Do you really have something to do, or do you just not want to go?"
Their questions came rapid-fire, tinged with the disbelief and frustration of youth.
Yet their coach remained composed, with no intention of placating them.
"Coach, may I ask why?" Fu Xinshu’s brow furrowed slightly, but as always, he was the calmest and the one most determined to press further.
"I have something to do. I’ll be going out." Wang Fa lifted his head slightly as he answered.
"Don’t tell me Director Liu invited you to Yongchuan Evergrande this weekend?" Qin Ao suddenly raised an eyebrow, his tone sharp.
"Unfortunately, that’s exactly it."
Lin Wanxing’s heart sank. Though she had guessed it might be something like this, hearing the young man tell the students so casually felt different.
"Damn, I knew it." Qin Ao threw up his hands. Given his usual temper, he would’ve stormed off, but this time, his feet seemed glued to the ground. After a moment, he forced out the words, "Can’t you tell Director Liu you have something on Sunday and reschedule?"
For a kid like Qin Ao, pleading like this was rare.
But their coach remained unmoved. "I have no plans to change my schedule."
"Is it because so few people showed up today? Do you think we don’t really want to play seriously and that it’s not worth your time?" Chen Jianghe suddenly thought of something.
"That’s a bit direct… but unfortunately, no, I haven’t thought that. My future work plans are my future work plans, and your match is your match. There’s no necessary connection between the two." Wang Fa answered with certainty.
Lin Wanxing was taken aback, feeling the tone sounded somewhat familiar.
People can only be responsible for themselves—that was probably what he meant.
"Did you teach him that?"
Suddenly, Qin Ao’s angry gaze swept over to her.
Lin Wanxing snapped to attention and raised her hand abruptly. "Wrongly accused! It wasn’t me!"
"But Coach, didn’t you say yesterday that we should bring our brains to training?" At that moment, Yu Ming’s voice chimed in, sounding slightly aggrieved.
"Yes, which is why I’m sitting here."
Finally, Lin Wanxing could detect a hint of resignation in the young man’s voice.
The fading glow of the sunset softened the corners of his lips and brows.
Lin Wanxing thought to herself, Wang Fa probably really had no intention of coaching a high school team.Faced with a group of seventeen- or eighteen-year-olds, still naive and inexperienced, anyone would soften their heart—even she herself seemed to be no exception.
"Will you teach us something, but not come on Sunday because you have other matters?"
"Yes," the young man replied.
"What about us then?" The students exchanged glances, and upon hearing this, they seemed to perk up a little.
"What are we practicing today?"
"I want to watch you play an intra-squad scrimmage," the coach said.
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