In any case, if someone else had uttered that "I," Lin Wanxing would have definitely considered them arrogant.
But Wang Fa was different.
Wang Fa's responses were always straightforward, matter-of-fact summaries.
Lin Wanxing looked at the person across the dining table and softly repeated his answer: "You."
Having come this far, she understood Wang Fa's importance better than anyone.
If it weren't for Wang Fa, they would probably still be that team that got utterly crushed by Anning Experimental.
But now, hearing Wang Fa himself lay out these issues so clearly was still somewhat hard to accept.
Lin Wanxing thought for a moment and asked, "You're the key variable—are you so certain we can't win next time? Is it because... something's wrong with 'you'?"
Wang Fa showed no displeasure at the implied offense. He gently picked up his glass and clinked it against hers.
The rims collided with a soft "ding."
Wang Fa said, "Although soccer is a game of luck, skill is the fundamental factor that determines victory. There's a clear gap in ability between a high school team and a professional youth squad."
Lin Wanxing gazed at the two glasses of sparkling water on the wooden table.
Wang Fa's glass was almost empty after the large sip he had just taken, leaving only layered mint leaves and lemon slices at the bottom.
Her glass, however, was still full, carbonated bubbles rising, green mint leaves swaying inside.
Lin Wanxing looked up and asked him, "What about 'you' then?"
Wang Fa picked up the soda can on the table and refilled his glass: "Me, or rather, the training and tactics I provide. At best, they're just like this—they might fill the glass temporarily, but after a few more sips, it'll be empty again."
Wang Fa's sleeves were rolled up halfway, revealing pale, strong forearms.
Lin Wanxing suddenly looked up: "But we won before? Your tactics were effective."
"Previous tactics were based on the premise that our opponents underestimated us. Because we were weak, they tended to let their guard down, giving us opportunities to counterattack. But now, will Shen Cheng Hai Bo's players and coaches look at our record and still underestimate us the same way?"
The logic Wang Fa explained was actually quite simple.
Previously, opponents had underestimated them, but now the situation had changed. They had already secured one win in the Group Stage—no one would look down on them anymore.
Because they had become a team capable of putting up a fight, they had lost the advantage of being underestimated.
That was probably the gist of it.
But Lin Wanxing found herself speechless.
Wang Fa retrieved his water glass, fingers tracing the cool surface.
Lin Wanxing said, "But I feel like the students have been training hard and seriously all along. You can bridge many gaps between us and the professional teams. We should still have a chance, right? If skill truly decides everything before the match even begins, then all those inspiring sports stories wouldn't make sense."
"What do you think makes an inspiring sports story?" Wang Fa looked up and countered, "The weak defeating the strong, pushing limits, turning the impossible into possible?"
Lin Wanxing nodded firmly: "Pretty much."
"Yet I believe that decades of grueling training, executing matches with refined skill, focus, precision, and meticulousness—that's what true inspiration is."
Wang Fa sat at the simplest wooden table on the rooftop, yellowed lighting outlining his profile.
Lin Wanxing watched him.
Sometimes she felt that it was Wang Fa's own experiences that had stripped him of aspirations and dreams.Yet at times, she felt that Wang Fa’s continued presence among them was itself a testament to his unwavering dedication and passion.
Lin Wanxing remained silent for a long time.
Finally, she downed her sparkling water in one go, slumped over the table, and gave up entirely: “So, what do we do then? Just wait to lose?!”
“What’s the issue?” Wang Fa seemed surprised. “Hasn’t Teacher Lin always believed that the outcome isn’t that important?”
“Are you mocking me? Don’t start acting like Qi Liang!” Lin Wanxing traced patterns on the table with her damp fingers, emphasizing seriously, “I’ve never thought winning or losing was unimportant. It’s just that football itself matters more than the result on the field.”
“That’s good. You can observe a different kind of match next and see what such football truly is,” Wang Fa said.
——
At the end of October, Hongjing No. 8 Middle School hosted Shen Cheng Hai Bo at home.
The weather had turned cooler, but the midday sun still baked the pitch, causing steam to rise.
The players of Shen Cheng Hai Bo and Hongjing No. 8 Middle School lined up on the field.
Both teams consisted of teenagers around seventeen or eighteen, with similar heights. Perhaps their winning streak had filled them with confidence, as the Hongjing No. 8 Middle School students appeared spirited and energetic, while the Shen Cheng Hai Bo players seemed much calmer.
But as Wang Fa had said, years of rigorous training were the truest reflection of skill.
Lin Wanxing sat in the rest area, observing the opposing team.
If described in the exaggerated terms of some novels, the young players of Shen Cheng Hai Bo were like graceful little beasts on the prairie.
They had grown up on this land, their muscles gleaming under the sunlight, running with ease and composure. It was as if, at any moment, they might leap up and take down their prey.
In fact, just as Wang Fa had said.
The mental preparation of Shen Cheng Hai Bo’s young players was far more thorough than that of Yuzhou Silver Elephant.
Unlike Yuzhou Silver Elephant, from the very start of the match, Shen Cheng Hai Bo’s attacks showed no signs of impatience.
They repeatedly launched attacks from the midfield, spreading the play to the wings. They didn’t force their way to the byline; when met with resistance, they quickly passed the ball back to the midfield, resetting their offensive buildup.
Even Lin Wanxing could tell that Shen Cheng Hai Bo’s players were exceptionally patient.
They maintained possession, constantly circulating the ball, and refrained from crossing unless a clear opportunity arose, as if wary of Hongjing No. 8 Middle School’s pressing.
Football, or most competitive sports, is like this—when one side appears cautious, the other naturally grows more aggressive.
The players of Hongjing No. 8 Middle School, riding high on their winning streak, were brimming with confidence.
As if unable to tolerate the slow, methodical pace of the game, the Hongjing No. 8 Middle School players, led by Lin Lu, began pressing aggressively in the attacking third.
But the Shen Cheng Hai Bo players remained cautious.
While attacking, they didn’t overcommit forward, instead maintaining sufficient defensive cover in their own half. This made it difficult for Hongjing No. 8 Middle School to mount effective counterattacks, even when they managed to win the ball.
In the 17th minute, Lin Lu found himself in possession but noticed that Fu Xinshu was closely marked by two opposing players.
He had no choice but to launch a long pass toward his team’s two forwards. However, such passes required exceptional ball control and were easily intercepted.
Qin Ao felt the same way. Occasionally, when he got the ball, he looked around and found problems everywhere.Whether it was Fu Xinshu or Chen Jianghe, or even Lin Lu making a forward run on the wing, the passing lanes between him and all his teammates were consistently blocked by Shen Cheng Hai Bo players.
Clearly, Shen Cheng Hai Bo had thoroughly studied their gameplay patterns.
Their coach had accurately identified the key figures in No. 8 Middle School’s counterattacks.
Although Qin Ao wasn’t the initiator of the counterattacks, he was the crucial link during transitions between defense and offense. Whether Lin Lu or Fu Xinshu started a counterattack, the ball would inevitably be passed to him.
From there, Qin Ao would distribute the ball to Chen Jianghe, spread it out wide, or even combine with Chen Jianghe’s forward runs.
It was through Qin Ao’s rapid movement and distribution that the counterattacks of these four players became a cohesive unit.
This was the very "Tactic One" they had always prided themselves on.
But now, whenever Lin Lu or Fu Xinshu attempted to pass the ball to Qin Ao, an opposing player would immediately appear by his side.
Even the slightest delay allowed the other Shen Cheng Hai Bo players, who had been on the attack, to swiftly fall back and defend.
With all their passing lanes cut off, Hongjing No. 8 Middle School’s once-proud rapid counterattacks were completely stifled.
Previously, the players of Hongjing No. 8 Middle School were accustomed to being under pressure. After all, in every match, their goal had been relentlessly bombarded by the opposition.
But now, with the opponents suddenly changing tactics—neither pressing high nor attacking aggressively—the students found themselves struggling.
Their earlier victory over Yuzhou Silver Elephant had filled the Hongjing No. 8 Middle School players with confidence. They began to believe that the gap between them and professional youth teams wasn’t as vast as they had thought, leading them to adopt a different mindset on the field.
They were no longer solely focused on defensive vigilance. Instead, while defending, they actively sought opportunities to intercept the ball and launch counterattacks.
37 minutes.
Shen Cheng Hai Bo launched a new offensive.
A cross from their number 11 on the wing soared toward the penalty area of No. 8 Middle School.
Lin Lu tracked the ball’s trajectory and began moving toward its landing spot.
Normally during defense, when Lin Lu focused on the ball, Chen Weidong would provide cover by marking the opposing attacker.
This time, however, Chen Weidong was also looking up at the ball, his gaze shifting toward their own half as he searched for a chance to intercept and counter.
The next moment, Chen Weidong collided heavily with a Shen Cheng Hai Bo defender.
His head throbbed with pain as he crashed solidly to the ground.
Seizing this undefended gap, the Shen Cheng Hai Bo striker instantly received the cross inside the penalty area!
Zheng Feiyang rushed to challenge, but with so much space open in the box, a one-on-one between a striker and a defender offered little resistance.
The Shen Cheng Hai Bo striker easily evaded Zheng Feiyang’s tackle and decisively took his shot.
The ball was too close to the goal, and its speed was overwhelming.
Despite goalkeeper Feng Suo having made several brilliant saves earlier, against this close-range strike, he could only helplessly dive.
The ball grazed Feng Suo’s fingertips, shot into the net, and was finally halted by the mesh.
Goal.
"Foul! Isn’t that a foul?" Qin Ao rushed to Chen Weidong’s side, hopping up and down as he shouted at the referee.
The referee placed the whistle in his mouth, blew it to signal the goal, and simultaneously raised one arm horizontally toward the center circle, indicating the goal stood.
Qin Ao yelled a few more times, but the referee paid him no attention.
On the grass, Chen Weidong stirred slightly. Qin Ao quickly crouched down beside him. "You okay? Are you hurt?"
Chen Weidong clutched his head and remained silent.
Lin Wanxing, deeply worried, ran to the edge of the field but could only watch from a distance.
"What’s wrong, Chen Weidong?"“Does it hurt? Where does it hurt?” Fu Xinshu also ran over.
But Chen Weidong remained unresponsive for a long time.
Just as the referee was stepping forward, Chen Weidong suddenly rolled onto his back. His arm draped over his eyes, and he said in a long, weak voice, “I’m fine.”
“Damn, you scared me to death. Don’t play dead.” Qin Ao immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
“Can you stand up? Do you feel nauseous or want to vomit?” Fu Xinshu extended a hand.
Chen Weidong took his hand, sat on the ground for a while longer, and finally stood up slowly and weakly.
Qin Ao was visibly annoyed by this dawdling attitude, but out of consideration for his teammate’s recent collision and injury, he only said, “Hurry up! No one’s criticizing your defense just now. Let’s be more proactive and focus on getting that goal back as soon as possible!”
But the harsh reality soon made Qin Ao realize that in the face of a true disparity in skill, a positive attitude could only make the loss slightly more bearable…
After the score became 1-0, the pressure instantly shifted to Hongjing No. 8 Middle School.
As the match progressed, the players’ emotions shifted from unease to frustration.
Their ball control and defensive organization also began to fall apart.
After scoring, Shen Cheng Hai Bo abandoned their earlier cautious approach, and their attacks became effortless and fluid.
They maintained possession, constantly passing and moving to stretch the play, draining the energy of Hongjing No. 8 Middle School’s players.
The Hongjing No. 8 Middle School players, eager to turn things around, began abandoning their defensive duties in the penalty area, opting instead to press aggressively in the midfield.
But when they instinctively pushed forward to attack, their own penalty area became as barren as a harvested wheat field, wide open and exposed.
Shen Cheng Hai Bo’s long passes targeted the space behind them, and they scored almost without any resistance.
When they conceded the second goal, the Hongjing No. 8 Middle School players still had the will to fight hard. But after the third goal, they gradually began to feel powerless and hopeless.
The first half ended with the score at 3-0.
At the start of the second half, the Hongjing No. 8 Middle School players appeared exhausted from their earlier pressing and the psychological pressure.
In the 3rd and 15th minutes of the second half, Shen Cheng Hai Bo capitalized on a set piece and a forceful breakthrough, sealing the score at 5-0.
At the same time, Shen Cheng Hai Bo announced substitutions, bringing on three players from the bench in succession.
This was perhaps the clearest verdict on the match.
With the outcome decided, it was time to give more players a chance to gain experience.
—
In the locker room at Hongjing Mingzhu Club, the air was heavy and stifling.
Twenty minutes had passed since the match ended.
After the game against Shen Cheng Hai Bo, the students of Hongjing No. 8 Middle School did not linger on the field.
They returned quickly and silently to their locker room, draping the towels they had brought over their heads as if to immerse themselves in their own worlds, avoiding any interaction.
The air was thick with the smell of sweat accumulated after intense exertion. The dim, quiet space was filled only with the students’ heavy, labored breathing.
Lin Wanxing wanted the students to dry off quickly and change their clothes, worried they might catch a cold.
But no matter how many times she called out, no one responded.
Finally, she could only look to Wang Fa for help.
“Dry off, change your clothes, and let’s go back.”
Wang Fa’s voice cut through the silence, calm and firm.
Finally, there was a bit of movement in the locker room.Boys tend to respond better to direct instructions. Led by Fu Xinshu, everyone began mechanically drying their hair, but their movements were sluggish, as if all their energy had been drained. It reminded Lin Wanxing of wilted, dehydrated cabbage left in the fridge for a week—limp and lifeless.
Qin Ao lay on the bench with a towel over his head, mechanically moving it up and down.
Wang Fa sat at the other end of the bench. "If we head back now, we can still make it for the post-match analysis. Any later, and we’ll have to wait until tomorrow," he said.
Seizing the opportunity, Lin Wanxing chimed in, "Actually, from a psychological standpoint, I can’t tell you 'not to feel upset,' because the word 'not' itself emphasizes and hints at 'being upset.' But—"
"Teacher, can you please be quiet?" Qin Ao immediately shouted, sitting up abruptly and furiously rubbing his hair to express his irritation.
"Yeah, yeah, Teacher is so noisy," Lin Lu added.
"Women age faster if they talk too much," Chen Jianghe remarked.
Lin Wanxing hadn’t expected her nonsensical chatter to be more effective than Wang Fa’s words.
After letting the students vent for a bit, they no longer looked as stagnant and utterly defeated as before.
By the time they changed clothes and walked to the bus, they were already chattering and arguing loudly.
One moment, they were criticizing how a pass shouldn’t have been made that way; the next, they were pointing out flaws in the defense.
Perhaps this was the significance of Wang Fa’s suggestion to hold a post-match analysis.
After the loss, the students quickly redirected their focus back to the game itself.
Although as Lin Wanxing listened along the way, it mostly sounded like they were just shifting blame onto one another.
Still, at least they had regained some of their usual restless energy.
The bus stopped at the school gate as usual.
Having played a full day of matches and argued all the way back, the students were visibly exhausted by the second half of the journey. Half were awake, while the other half were already fast asleep.
The awake students headed straight to No. 17 Wutong Road, while Lin Wanxing and Wang Fa took turns waking the sleeping ones.
She asked whether they wanted to go home first or come along to No. 17 Wutong Road. The answers were surprisingly unanimous.
"Of course, we’re going straight to the analysis!"
When Lin Wanxing got off the bus, she noticed Chen Weidong hadn’t left yet—he had been waiting for her under a tree by the roadside.
Lin Lu and Zheng Feiyang stumbled off the bus, looking drowsy. The two boys rubbed their eyes groggily and instinctively started walking toward them.
But Wang Fa patted them on the back, signaling for them to follow him first.
Autumn had stripped the plane trees bare, leaving a scattering of withered leaves on the ground.
Chen Weidong looked weary. Lin Wanxing asked first, "Is your head still bothering you?"
Chen Weidong looked at her, hesitating as if he wanted to say something.
"Let me take you to the hospital," Lin Wanxing said, pulling her student along and pulling out her phone to hail a ride.
"No need, Teacher, I’m really fine," Chen Weidong quickly stopped her, even jumping a couple of times to prove it.
"You should still get checked," Lin Wanxing insisted.
"Really, it’s not necessary, Teacher! I just want to go home and rest!" Chen Weidong’s voice suddenly rose, clearly agitated. After a moment, he added, "I’m just really tired today and don’t feel like joining the analysis."
The boy’s lips were chapped, and he was covered in dirt.
Lin Wanxing’s heart softened, and she didn’t press further. "Then go home and rest properly. If you feel unwell, tell your parents right away and call me."
She repeated her instructions.
"Got it, Teacher."
Chen Weidong waved and turned to leave.The dinner after the match against Shen Cheng Hai Bo was the most casual meal the students had enjoyed in recent days.
They once again brought out their long-hoarded instant noodles, took a couple of hurried bites, and eagerly gathered to watch the match footage Wang Fa had recorded for them.
All the windows in the Yuan Yuan Cram School classroom were open.
The evening breeze swept through the room, cool and refreshing, dispersing the lingering sweat of the boys and the aroma of braised beef noodles in the air.
The projector played the full match recording, and everyone looked up, watching quietly.
As the key moment of conceding a goal approached, the students held their breaths in anticipation.
Chen Weidong fell to the ground, and the ball was kicked into the net—a scene even Lin Wanxing couldn't bear to watch.
Another long stretch of silence followed.
Although the projector still played the ambient sounds of the match, noisy and chaotic, the students only saw their own bewildered expressions on the field.
Wang Fa pressed pause.
"Damn it," Qin Ao cursed, letting out a frustrated sigh.
The video rewound, and Wang Fa slowed it down, allowing them to observe what had happened just before the goal was conceded.
Qin Ao only noticed Chen Weidong falling and the ball going into the net. He glanced around the classroom and asked, "Where the hell is Chen Weidong?"
"I told him to go back and rest first," Lin Wanxing said.
"He’s not sulking because I said a few words to him, is he? I didn’t even say much to him in the car," Qin Ao grumbled angrily.
"You didn’t say much to him~" Qi Liang’s slow, drawling voice came from the corner...
"Shut the hell up. Do you think you defended well? Isn’t your responsibility for this goal big enough?" Qin Ao immediately snapped back.
Just as the boys were about to start arguing again, Wang Fa’s voice cut in at the right moment: "Let’s watch the next segment."
The match footage continued.
Wang Fa seemed to have the entire game memorized. He quickly fast-forwarded and skipped to a part where the students’ quick counterattack was intercepted.
Then, he replayed that segment.
The classroom fell silent again.
The students’ attention returned to the match.
The clip Wang Fa played was highly representative.
Even from Lin Wanxing’s layman’s perspective, it was clear that Shen Cheng Hai Bo seemed to know their passing routes in advance, always positioning themselves perfectly to intercept.
Then came another goal.
And another. An attack failed.
Similar scenarios repeated multiple times, and the students began to realize the problem.
Wang Fa paused the playback and drew similar tactical diagrams on the blackboard.
"They knew how we were going to pass, right? Is there a traitor?" Yu Ming shouted.
"Traitor, my ass. They’re a professional football club. With our limited tactics, they could figure it out just by watching a couple of times," Qin Ao retorted.
"I was just trying to lighten the mood," Zheng Feiyang said defensively. "With a temper like yours, no wonder Chen Weidong couldn’t take it."
"Damn it," Qin Ao fumed. "What’s wrong with me?"
"You’re too impatient," Qi Liang said.
Qin Ao was the type to explode at the slightest provocation, and it looked like he was about to charge at Qi Liang.
Wang Fa spoke up again: "Shen Cheng Hai Bo was very well-prepared. They clearly understood our general tactical approach and made detailed plans for us before the match. Think of it this way—they really respected us."
"Really?" The students’ eyes suddenly lit up.
"A professional team took us that seriously?"
"Did they even watch our match footage against Yuzhou Silver Elephant?!"
"Definitely," Wang Fa said."That's a bit too 'respectful', isn't it?" Yu Ming exclaimed.
"How embarrassing," Zheng Feiyang continued to lighten the mood.
After a couple of noisy exchanges, the students involuntarily fell silent again.
The tactical diagram Wang Fa had drawn on the blackboard was exceptionally clear—it was the same set of strategies they had been practicing all along. Yet, for a professional football team, these tactics remained relatively basic and straightforward.
The students were bewildered by the problem of their tactics being deciphered, completely at a loss.
“So what should we do?”
“If Shen Cheng Hai Bo knows, then Yongchuan Evergrande must know too, right? This doesn’t feel sustainable.”
“Ugh, don’t even mention Yongchuan Evergrande. Just hearing that name gives me goosebumps!”
“Look how scared you are.”
The students chattered back and forth.
Wang Fa listened quietly for a while before asking in return, “So, what do you think our football team’s current issues are, and how should we improve?”
“I don’t know,” Yu Ming said.
“Should we practice a couple more counter-attack systems?” Qin Ao retorted.
“We’re too easily led around by the opponent,” Chen Jianghe said.
“Yeah, it’s like we start with a plan to defend steadily and counter-attack, but the other side is full of seasoned players. They pass the ball around, and we get impatient,” Zheng Feiyang agreed.
“I feel like our stamina still isn’t enough. Once we get impatient, we run around chaotically, and that just wears us out.”
Unconsciously, the boys shifted away from blaming each other and began earnestly discussing the problems they faced during the match.
Fu Xinshu carefully summarized their thoughts.
They had rewatched the lost match many times.
Guided by Comrade Wang Fa, they identified the issues that arose during the game and outlined the areas they wanted to improve.
Wang Fa then explained the key points to focus on in future training sessions.
By the time they finally dispersed, it was already past 10 p.m.
Wang Fa went to take a shower, while Lin Wanxing sat alone at the small table on the rooftop.
Her laptop was open in front of her, and a light bulb extended from the iron railing swayed gently.
The students had all left, leaving the rooftop quiet and still, with a crescent moon hanging overhead.
Lin Wanxing logged into WeChat on her computer and transferred some of the photos she had taken that day from her phone.
Guiding the students through failure was an entirely new experience for her as well.
She flipped through the match photos she had taken—
Before the game, everyone was spirited and lively on the bus.
During the lineup, the boys were full of energy.
Lin Wanxing had even captured a shot of Qi Liang leaping high to clear the ball with a header.
But after the loss, she had stopped taking pictures.
After organizing the photos, she opened her browser and logged into her email.
It was the email address left on the blackboard by the “mysterious person.”
Since it was registered under her name, she had claimed it as her own.
She had never known who was quietly helping the students and had never left a message in the email asking, “Who are you?”
Of course, she had often wanted to ask. But every time she opened the email, she felt that maintaining this mysterious, unspoken understanding was rather nice.
So, in the end, she deleted the drafted inquiry emails and instead used it as a memo to record the students’ daily lives.
Sometimes she jotted down notes about training sessions, occasionally shared photos of the garden, and, likewise, she faithfully recorded what happened during their matches.
She thought that perhaps one day, the mysterious person would log in and see these records in the drafts.
She considered it a one-sided understanding.
——
Sunday, October 24, 201X Weather: Sunny
We lost 0-5 to Shen Cheng Hai Bo in today’s match.
Before the game, our coach had already prepared me, saying we might lose this time.
Well, no—his point was that we couldn’t win.
But I had thought that since we had already beaten Yuzhou Silver Elephant before, we should at least have a fighting chance no matter what.
Turns out, we didn’t.
Even though I had been warned about the outcome in advance,
when failure actually hit, it still hurt deeply.
Now, when I close my eyes, all I see is Chen Weidong collapsing on the grass and the ball being slammed into our goal.
So this is how big the gap is between us and a professional team.
Goal after goal, and the expressions of the opposing players on the field, kept driving that point home.
The coach said it’s because there’s an absolute difference between us and professional players.
But does that mean we can never overcome strong opponents?
In my worldview, winning or losing in football isn’t that important; what matters is football itself.
Whether you find joy in the process, whether you gain something, whether you discover meaning.
But in the face of defeat, what joy, gains, or meaning is there in the so-called process? All it brings is pain.
Before the match, our coach told me to look at football itself, to see what it really is.
He hasn’t figured it out himself, so it’s okay if I haven’t either, right?
But so far, I think the allure of competitive sports lies precisely in this:
The weak overcoming the strong, turning the impossible into possible.
You carry many unanswered questions, pursuing victories that seem unattainable, yet you keep running on this field, running and running.
——
Lin Wanxing finished the email.
The night grew deeper, and the starry sky was serene.
She slowly attached the day’s match photos and Wang Fa’s post-match analysis diagrams from the blackboard to the email, then clicked “Save Draft.”
Wang Fa finished his shower and pushed the door open.
Just then, her phone rang.
Lin Wanxing answered the call.
“Hello, Teacher Lin.”
In the darkness, the hoarse voice of student Chen Weidong came from the other end of the line.
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