Hongjing No. 8 Middle School, at the school gate.

The minibus driver, wanting to save fuel, hadn’t turned on the air conditioning.

As Lin Wanxing stepped into the cabin, the students who had been playing with their phones and chatting all turned to look at her simultaneously.

Lin Wanxing — “We can’t reach Wen Chengye. Let’s head to the venue first.”

After speaking, she turned and patted the driver’s seat back — “Driver, let’s go.”

The vehicle moved forward, hot wind from the road pouring into the cabin, as the shadows of street trees swayed on both sides.

Lin Wanxing sat down beside Chen Jianghe, where there was still an empty seat.

The young man’s lips were pressed tightly together. Today he carried a large black bag, which likely contained his soccer uniform and protective gear for the match.

Every student who came to participate in the competition carried such a bag.

The cabin remained silent for a while, with only the roar of the engine.

“Students, shall we discuss something?” Lin Wanxing sat up straight, having recovered from her earlier exhaustion from running around.

“Discuss what, teacher? Should we just get off the bus and disband?” a student asked irritably.

“Let’s discuss tactical arrangements for playing 10 against 11, given Wen Chengye’s absence?”

“Teacher, have you been watching too many random cartoons?”

“Teacher, have you ever even watched a soccer match?”

Lin Wanxing was shocked — “Of course I have! When I was in elementary school, the Chinese national team made it to the World Cup, and our school organized us to watch it together.”

“Then you must be old.”

The students bantered back and forth. Though they were teasing her, at least the atmosphere had become lively.

“There’s no use talking about this now. Let’s discuss what we should do,” Fu Xinshu’s voice sounded.

“What brilliant insights does the great Fu have?” Qi Liang asked.

“When we registered, there was a minimum number requirement. According to the rules, our soccer team has two substitutes.”

Lin Wanxing’s eyes brightened — “Where are the substitutes?”

“They aren’t professionally trained soccer players, they were just added to meet the registration numbers. But we can ask Teacher Qian.”

Lin Wanxing nodded and immediately dialed Teacher Qian’s number.

Lin Wanxing briefly explained what had happened. Even the normally mild-mannered Teacher Qian couldn’t help raising his voice. His tone revealed a hint of anger.

Lin Wanxing interrupted Teacher Qian’s words of reproach for Wen Chengye, and instead asked — “Right now I just want to know if our soccer team’s substitute members can play?”

The hot wind rustled, blowing the curtains beside the car windows.

Lin Wanxing listened quietly for a moment, then asked with surprise — “Players not on the official roster can play?”

“Theoretically, of course not, but who’s going to check at this kind of competition? Don’t worry, it’s just one match, to make up the numbers, to look good in front of the leadership,” Teacher Qian said.

Lin Wanxing hung up the phone. The previously noisy students suddenly fell silent, waiting for her answer.

“Teacher Qian says the two substitute students on our roster are with him at a provincial track and field meet, so they can’t come.”

The students didn’t say anything, but couldn’t hide the disappointment in their eyes.

“However,” Lin Wanxing paused, “Teacher Qian says there are sports students at our school who aren’t participating in the competition who could come over to make up the numbers. According to him, they’ve played soccer before. He’s asking if we want them.”

The students looked at each other, and some seemed about to say something discouraging.

But Fu Xinshu’s firm voice rang out — “Yes.” That’s what he said.

Teacher Qian contacted them quickly, soon sending the address. They circled back near the school, and the minibus waited at the entrance of a residential area for a few minutes until a well-built boy ran out.

The boy’s surname was Chen, and his first name was Weidong, a hurdler from the school’s sports program.

The students all knew each other, and when Chen Weidong boarded, the last empty seat was filled.

The minibus drove onto the elevated highway, heading out of the city.

After driving for more than half an hour, they arrived at the outskirts.

The minibus stopped in front of the Hongjing Pearl Club entrance.

Lin Wanxing had researched this place before coming. This was the location of the second-tier football league club under Hongjing Pearl, making it one of the designated venues for the Youth Super League South China Division.

The roads on both sides were lined with farmland, the September rice paddies golden yellow.

Although the boys had been lazy when boarding the bus, they showed great energy getting off.

Lin Wanxing was the last to step off the minibus, only to find the students blocking the way in front, motionless.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, then froze in place herself.

Facing them was a large coach bus, very tall and completely white, with “Anning Experimental Middle School” sprayed in large characters on the side. The golden school emblem gleamed brilliantly in the sunlight.

The coach doors opened, and students filed out. They wore uniform blue and white school clothes, carrying black sports bags, looking well-trained.

The leading teacher was dressed in a suit. As soon as he got off, he directed the driver to open the luggage compartment. Several teachers pulled out baskets of protective gear and several cardboard boxes that, judging by the packaging, contained sports drinks and nutritional supplements.

The team even had a school doctor with a first aid kit.

It turned out they weren’t the only ones wanting to get acquainted with the venue early.

And so, the two groups stood on opposite sides of a narrow passage, neither speaking to the other.

Lin Wanxing looked around for a while, then patted Qin Ao, the only one wearing a soccer uniform, and said — “Let me through.”

“What are you doing?” Qin Ao was startled but moved aside to make way.

“Going to say hello.” Lin Wanxing put her hands in her pockets and walked toward the Anning Experimental Middle School team leader.

The Anning Experimental teacher had noticed them earlier, but since they were opponents and he was busy with preparations, he hadn’t acknowledged them.

Now that she had come to greet him first, the team leader felt a bit embarrassed.

Lin Wanxing introduced herself, chatted briefly with the team leader, shook hands, exchanged WeChat contacts, and finally walked back to her students with her hands in her pockets.

The boys stood dumbfounded.

Qin Ao whispered — “What did you go over there for?”

“Friendly exchange, demonstrating the quality and standards of our school’s teachers.”

“You’re crazy,” Qin Ao said speechlessly.

Lin Wanxing smiled.

Hongjing Pearl Club was in the suburbs.

When they finally saw the competition venue, Lin Wanxing couldn’t smile anymore.

Surrounding the field was a ring of green wire fencing, with a small canopy set up by the organizers at the entrance, serving as a registration area. Opposite the entrance hung a large banner on the wire fence reading “Youth Football Super League U19 Qualifiers.” Below it stood a long advertising board provided by the same sponsor.

The scorching sun blazed down, its rays beating directly upon them.

This was the total of all shelters around the field.

Lin Wanxing shaded her eyes from the intense sunlight — “How is there not even a spectator stand?”

“It’s normal for training fields to not have stands.”

The boys seemed quite accustomed to this.

By the time she came to her senses, the students had already voluntarily occupied a section of the plastic track at the edge of the field.

They maintained a friendly distance of about 50 meters from the Anning Experimental team, neither side encroaching on the other’s territory.

Lin Wanxing went with the students to report to the organizing committee’s registration desk.

She found herself standing beside the Anning Experimental team leader again.

Having an “unofficial person” on the team, Lin Wanxing felt somewhat nervous.

First, they signed a “Participation Pledge,” promising to follow arrangements, compete civilly, and take responsibility for any accidents. Then came another pledge: “Non-participation in Gambling, Match-fixing and Other Violations of Rules, Discipline, and Laws,” guaranteeing they had never participated in sports betting, match-fixing, or other violations, and acknowledging that discovery of such activities would result in disqualification and referral to public security authorities.

The pledges were a formality, and everyone signed quickly. After the students signed, Lin Wanxing also wrote her name in the team leader’s signature box.

Sports bags were scattered on the ground. When Lin Wanxing returned to the boys, the students were either sitting or lying down, starting to complain about being hungry.

Not far away, the Anning Experimental students had all changed into their school’s uniform jerseys and were standing on the field in a line.

Their coach stood in front of the team, apparently giving them a talk.

The wind whispered, heat waves swept across the lawn, and distant mountains and fields stretched endlessly.

The organizing committee brought them boxed meals, while the Anning Experimental students had already begun running laps around the field.

The orderly, powerful footsteps of the Anning Experimental players running laps continuously echoed in their ears.

Lin Wanxing sat cross-legged at the edge of the scorching field, opening her boxed meal and holding her chopsticks.

As the team ran farther away, all she could hear were the sounds of the children chewing their food, the faintest noises audible.

No one spoke.

Lin Wanxing pointed her chopsticks at Lin Lu’s lunch box from a distance — “Aren’t you going to eat your fried pork cutlet?”

“Of course I am!” Lin Lu quickly protected his lunch box.

Lin Wanxing laughed happily, immediately placing her own pork cutlet into Lin Lu’s box — “Great, here’s a reward, no need to thank me.”

Swift as lightning, before Lin Lu could react, Yu Ming had already snatched the cutlet into his lunch box with his chopsticks.

Lin Lu was dumbfounded.

Suddenly, cries of “my pork cutlet” and “I already bit it” once again filled the air with noisy commotion.