From late autumn to the onset of winter, it felt like it happened overnight.
A cold front swept southward, making the indoors chilly in the mornings and tempting everyone to linger under their blankets. When stepping out the door, the wind that greeted them spoke of winter’s biting cold.
On the second day of official training, Wen Chengye still showed up on time.
According to other students, the car that usually picked him up and dropped him off had parked at the entrance of Wutong New Village that morning.
In Yuan Yuan Cram School classes, Wen Chengye continued to slack off. During daily football training, everyone remained fiercely competitive.
Lin Wanxing thought it would be nice if Wen Chengye’s integration process could be as straightforward as the cold front.
In response, Wang Fa sneezed, zipped up his jacket, and remarked that winter required taking care of one’s health, as strong winds easily led to colds and fevers.
Though Lin Wanxing also hoped the team could have a few more days of practice.
But match schedules wouldn’t adjust according to the team’s adjustment progress.
Five days after Wen Chengye joined, the match arrived like a winter gale sweeping across the plains—swift and roaring.
Their next opponent was none other than the current group stage titan, Yongchuan Evergrande Football Club.
After that day’s training, the latest round of group stage results came in.
Yongchuan Evergrande Football Club had crushed Yuzhou Silver Elephant 9-0 in the second round of the group stage.
Qin Ao eagerly opened the WeChat public account and was met with this staggering scoreline.
After dinner, everyone sat in the classroom, anxiously calculating the points.
Fu Xinshu, who had been responsible for tracking the match results, picked up a piece of chalk and wrote a summary of the first two rounds on the blackboard used for pre-match meetings.
Round 1:
Hongjing No. 8 Middle School 2:0 Yu Zhou Silver Elephant
Yongchuan Evergrande 7:0 Shen Cheng Hai Bo
Points:
Yongchuan Evergrande 3
Hongjing No. 8 Middle School 3
Yu Zhou Silver Elephant 0
Shen Cheng Hai Bo 0
Round 2:
Shen Cheng Hai Bo 5:0 Hongjing No. 8 Middle School
Yongchuan Evergrande 9:0 Yu Zhou Silver Elephant
Points:
Yongchuan Evergrande 6
Shen Cheng Hai Bo 3
Hongjing No. 8 Middle School 3
Yu Zhou Silver Elephant 0
The students sat at their desks. Judging by the standings, they still had 3 points, which was much better than Yu Zhou Silver Elephant at the bottom.
Yet everyone wore solemn expressions; no one looked relaxed or cheerful.
Fu Xinshu took charge of explaining the group situation. "Yongchuan Evergrande is too strong. They won their first two rounds with huge margins—7-0 and 9-0. I checked the match reports; they basically achieved those scores in just the first half. In the second half, they substituted three key players and played very casually. In any case, based on the points, they’ve already secured first place in the group."
He glanced at the coach sitting below, as if seeking encouragement, then continued, "The third round of the group stage is crucial. We’ll face Yongchuan Evergrande, while Shen Cheng Hai Bo and Yu Zhou Silver Elephant will battle it out. If Yu Zhou Silver Elephant loses again, they’ll be in an extremely disadvantageous position in the fight for a spot in the knockout stage."
"What does it matter how Yu Zhou Silver Elephant and Shen Cheng Hai Bo play? The key is how we deal with Yongchuan Evergrande!" Qin Ao interrupted Fu Xinshu.
"We can’t win anyway, so what can we do?" Qi Liang yawned as he spoke.
"How would you know without even playing?" Qin Ao raised his voice, trying to rally everyone.
The classroom fell silent, with no one responding.
"Is everyone so spineless?" Qin Ao exclaimed, finally turning to Chen Jianghe. "Haven’t you always wanted to join Yongchuan Evergrande’s youth training? Just beat them this time, and it’s settled!"Chen Jianghe’s expression was icy. “None of your damn business.”
“This time, their roster includes three National Youth Team members. Fang Sulun scored a spectacular bicycle kick in the penalty area against Japan last time—he’s arrogant, but his technique is incredibly refined. And Qin Qiechu? Don’t even get me started. I was scrolling through Douhu earlier, and everyone says he’s being groomed as the future backbone of the national team’s defense.” Zheng Feiyang sighed.
“If none of you have any confidence, maybe we should just forfeit,” Qin Ao said with a hint of temper, finally turning to Wang Fa. “Coach, what do you think?”
Comrade Wang Fa, suddenly put on the spot, remarked, “Everyone’s analysis is quite good.”
“That’s not what we’re asking for!”
“Then what should I say?” Wang Fa asked.
“About our next-round opponents, Yongchuan Evergrande! Haven’t you been giving us targeted training? Isn’t anything possible?”
When Qin Ao asked this question, the other students in the classroom looked up. Though they tried to hide it, their eyes still held a glimmer of hope.
They wanted Wang Fa to say something that would give them confidence for the upcoming match—and that included Wen Chengye.
Wang Fa said, “Don’t worry about the match against Yongchuan Evergrande.”
The students’ eyes brightened even more.
Wang Fa continued, “They will definitely defeat all their opponents and advance as the group leader.”
The students were stunned. “Including us?”
“Of course, including us,” Wang Fa said.
At first, the students found it hard to believe.
Wang Fa was exceptionally confident, as if the unbeatable team were their own.
Theoretically, hearing their coach say such things should have made them disheartened and discouraged.
But for some reason, perhaps it was the coach’s calm and relaxed demeanor that stirred a strange emotion within them.
“Then why should we even play this match if we’re bound to lose?” A cold, calm voice came from the corner of the classroom.
The question came from Wen Chengye.
The other students habitually glared at him with disdain, sneering in his direction.
But this time, even Qin Ao didn’t retort.
The students turned back, all looking at Wang Fa, waiting for the coach’s answer.
Back when they first faced Green View International, the students had already considered giving up.
At that time, Lin Wanxing had asked Wang Fa to shift the students’ focus—away from simply winning or losing and toward practicing specific skills, gaining a sense of growth in their abilities.
They had persisted slowly but steadily and had done quite well.
But a formidable opponent remained formidable.
You keep your eyes on the ground, climbing with all your might, only to look up and realize the mountain is still towering above you.
In that moment, who hasn’t thought of giving up?
On a cold winter night, only a small window in the classroom was open.
Outside, pedestrians walked along the neighborhood path, and a stray cat, startled, darted into the bushes.
Wang Fa randomly pointed to a student and asked, “What’s your favorite football team?”
It happened to be Lin Lu who was chosen. He said, “Of course, it’s our Hongjing No. 8 Middle School team!”
Lin Lu’s answer amused even Wang Fa. “Let’s temporarily exclude our Hongjing No. 8 Middle School team. Which other team do you like?”
“Inter Milan!”
“If you had the chance to play a match against Inter Milan, would you give up that opportunity just because you’re destined to lose?”"Then I’d definitely beg for a match! But what kind of rotten fish and shrimps is Yongchuan Evergrande? How can they compare to my Inter Milan?" Lin Lu immediately snapped.
Wang Fa: "The Yongchuan Evergrande youth team, of course, isn’t as strong and desirable as Inter Milan, but it’s the toughest opponent we can face right now."
The students’ restless emotions settled once again.
They seemed to grasp some of Wang Fa’s meaning, but not entirely.
"To see how strong they are and where they outmatch us?" Qin Ao suddenly began to understand.
"Watching other strong teams play and actually stepping onto the field ourselves must feel completely different, right?" Lin Wanxing said.
Yu Ming suddenly got fired up too: "Exactly, we’ve got to be awesome to make it to the Group Stage. Playing against future National team players—others don’t even get the chance."
Lin Wanxing nodded: "Right, even if we end up crying after the match, that’s a problem for later."
"You’re the one who’ll cry!"
"It’s just one match!"
"Who knows, we might even win!"
The boys chattered back and forth, their fighting spirit suddenly soaring.
—
On the evening before the match, the students wrapped up their day of studying, training, and daily life.
They were heading to the venue tomorrow, and the organizing committee was providing lunch, so they only prepared some simple dinner ingredients, cooked them, and stored them in the freezer.
After tidying up the rooftop garden, the students wanted to say something before leaving.
There was probably some unease and uncertainty—even with their spirits lifted, facing a formidable opponent inevitably brought nerves.
But in the end, they just picked up their trash bags and left, huddled together.
After the students had gone, Lin Wanxing finally had some free time to herself to do other things.
The wind on the rooftop was chilly.
But the students had rebuilt the shed and set up an electric heater, making it just bearable to sit outside.
Bubble water was long undrinkable, and Wang Fa had switched to making various flavors of hot drinks.
Today’s theme was hot chocolate.
Comrade Wang Fa knew the key to a good cup of hot chocolate was to squeeze a swirl of whipped cream on top no matter what—or, if that wasn’t possible, a few marshmallows would do.
Lin Wanxing sat at the wooden table on the rooftop and opened her laptop.
In the top left corner of the desktop was the match schedule.
After tomorrow’s game against Yongchuan Evergrande, they would have a break due to the cold weather and the approaching Spring Festival. The next round of away matches wouldn’t resume until March next year.
As usual, she summarized the students’ recent daily lives, added some photos, and saved them in an email as a brief update after Wen Chengye joined the team.
But when she attached the photos and tried to write a few lines about the team since Wen Chengye’s arrival, she suddenly found herself at a loss for words.
Should she write about the students arguing every day?
Or that the football training sessions often felt more like a rugby team’s rough-and-tumble style?
Or perhaps phrase it more gently—that even though Wen Chengye often seemed out of sync with the others, just being able to stand on the field and train with the team was significant progress?
That she was really looking forward to tomorrow’s match?
Lin Wanxing typed a few lines, then deleted them.
She felt that these emails should carry some deeper meaning now—a report to those who had been quietly helping the students all along. Writing something superficial felt worse than writing nothing at all.Just then, a cup of hot chocolate was placed beside her hand, piled high with whipped cream, almond flakes, and marshmallows, looking incredibly tempting.
Lin Wanxing looked up with a smile as Wang Fa, holding another hot drink, sat down opposite her.
“What are you writing?” Wang Fa asked.
“Oh, just some baby observation notes.”
Lin Wanxing took a sip of the hot chocolate, the marshmallows melting softly in her mouth. Propping her chin in her hand, she gazed at the coach across the table.
Wang Fa also took a sip, a bit of brown foam sticking to his lips. His handsome face looked completely relaxed.
“What’s wrong?” Wang Fa asked. “Writer’s block?”
“Mm, I don’t know what to write for the summary,” Lin Wanxing said.
Wang Fa: “Every match presents an opportunity to win. As long as we can unite as a team and give our all in the game, there’s always a chance.”
Lin Wanxing was stunned, doubting her own ears: “Did someone switch bodies with you? Weren’t you the one who said before that we couldn’t beat Yongchuan Evergrande?”
“Just making up a few lines in case you couldn’t think of anything,” Wang Fa said.
Lin Wanxing immediately deflated, slumping halfway onto the table: “Sigh…”
Wang Fa found her expression amusing: “If a few random words from me could decide the outcome of a match, then Teacher Lin probably couldn’t afford me anyway.”
“What are you talking about? I couldn’t afford you to begin with!” Lin Wanxing declared with righteous indignation.
Wang Fa took another sip of hot chocolate and said nothing.
In the quiet winter night, the steam from the drink blurred his features.
“I guess… I’m just a bit conflicted inside,” Lin Wanxing began slowly, struggling to articulate her feelings. “Even though we tell the students that facing strong opponents and experiencing their strength is already a result of our efforts and a great achievement in itself… there’s always that little thought, isn’t there?”
Lin Wanxing looked at Wang Fa with confusion: “We’ve climbed this mountain, but we’re never satisfied with the view from here. We want to go higher, to conquer formidable foes, to turn the impossible into possible.”
“Are you thinking that calmly recognizing the opponent’s strength and telling them the clear outcome of failure is a bit cruel to the students?”
“From a psychological perspective, I believe your approach is completely correct. Having the students focus on the specific gains from the match rather than obsessing over victory or defeat allows them to learn more. But this is football—a game filled with dreams and passion.”
Hearing this, Wang Fa set down his cup and looked at her intently.
Lin Wanxing suddenly remembered that all these things—the dreams and passion—were her own illusions. For Wang Fa, his football wasn’t like that.
“It’s normal for everyone to harbor passionate dreams. Without the challenge of the impossible, football as a sport would be meaningless,” Wang Fa said calmly. “I’m just aware of this team’s current state. And just because it’s impossible now doesn’t mean it will be impossible in the future.”
Lin Wanxing’s eyes suddenly lit up: “Since Wen Chengye joined, it feels like our team argues every day. Is it really possible?”
“Wen Chengye is quite capable. He’s smart and has a solid football foundation. In a way, he’s a better fit for the team than Chen Weidong.”
“But?” Lin Wanxing supplied the transition for him.
“But his excellence is only relative to the level of high school players. It’s not enough to achieve the ‘miracle turnaround’ you’re hoping for.”Wang Fa used a term he recently came across in a fantasy novel and continued, "Secondly, his position is defender - a role that demands discipline and teamwork more than individual skill. His poor relationship with teammates can only make him a ticking time bomb in the defensive line. Compared to Chen Weidong from before, Wen Chengye's current contribution on the field is clearly much weaker. At the very least, a Chen Weidong who's willing to run and follow instructions is more reliable on the pitch than the current Wen Chengye."
"What about the future?" Lin Wanxing asked.
Wang Fa smiled and asked in return, "What future does Teacher Lin mean? Defeating Yongchuan Evergrande, winning the National Youth League championship, or someday playing a match against Inter Milan?"
Lin Wanxing thought for a moment and said, "Well... I want to know if we have any chance of advancing from the Group Stage."
"So that's what you're worried about?" Wang Fa seemed somewhat surprised.
"Of course I'm worried about this! If we keep losing, won't we be eliminated from advancing?"
Lin Wanxing picked up a nearby piece of paper and began calculating points for Wang Fa.
Their third and fifth rounds were both against Yongchuan Evergrande. If those were guaranteed losses, then they'd better win against their fourth-round opponent to have any chance of advancing.
As she spoke, she noticed Wang Fa watching her with some amusement in his eyes.
Lin Wanxing put down the paper and pen on the table, and to hide her embarrassment, she tucked the stray hairs behind her ear.
In that moment, she had transformed into a parent anxiously calculating scores for their child.
Though she always said: Don't worry about results, don't worry about winning or losing, what matters is continuously feeling improvement during matches.
But in reality? Humans are like ouroboros, always caught in self-perpetuating cycles.
We can't help but chase our own tails, spinning in circles right where we stand - even she was no exception.
Lin Wanxing cleared her throat lightly, folded the score calculation paper, and stuffed it into her pocket.
"You saw nothing," she said.
"So Teacher Lin can get anxious too," Wang Fa remarked.
"Is that not allowed?"
"Actually, it's fine," he said.
"What, do you mean advancing is fine?" Lin Wanxing asked in shock.
"That definitely still has some issues. I meant, it's fine that you're worried about advancing." Wang Fa took a sip of hot chocolate, his breath smelling of chocolate.
He appeared completely at ease, as if he had everything under control.
Lin Wanxing always felt that Wang Fa was deliberately teasing her.
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