Lin Wanxing’s knowledge of soccer probably remained at the level of themed advertisements posted in streets and alleys during the World Cup or European Cup.

The school bulletin board would post announcements about watching matches together, and occasionally when passing small bars, she could hear sudden cheers erupting inside when a goal was scored. These trivial details of life constructed her entire impression of soccer.

Beyond that, the last complete match she had watched indeed dated back to her elementary school days.

Lin Wanxing sat under a tent set up at the edge of the field. Her students had just gone to the restroom to change into their sports jerseys and cleats.

The boys weren’t wearing the school’s uniform jerseys.

Some wore red with green, others were dressed entirely in black. Lin Lu in particular wore a pair of multicolored beach shorts.

Only a handful were seriously wearing Hongjing No. 8 Middle School’s uniform player jerseys.

Eleven students stood before her, and compared to Anning Experimental, they looked like a ragtag army.

Perhaps for this reason, the boys tugged at their clothes and pulled at their pants, avoiding her gaze.

Nevertheless, the boys were tall with long legs, appearing vibrant and energetic in the sunlight.

Lin Wanxing looked them over and couldn’t help smiling — “You all look quite handsome!”

“Right, teacher! I think so too!” Lin Lu happily jumped up and shook his beach shorts.

“Won’t they restrict your movement?”

“Not at all! My mom found these beach shorts for me, the loosest ones at home.”

“Good!”

Led by Fu Xinshu, the boys began to continue their adaptive training on the field. Lin Wanxing didn’t understand these things.

She only knew that spectator chairs, microphones, and flags were gradually being set up around the venue, making it livelier than the empty field they had arrived at earlier.

In the distance, two electric sightseeing carts approached. Besides the drivers, most passengers were middle-aged men in suits, presumably the officials coming to watch the match today.

The electric carts stopped at the edge of the field, and staff who had been inside came out to greet them.

Lin Wanxing looked in that direction and suddenly froze.

What surprised her wasn’t that officials were coming to watch the match under the scorching sun, but that not far from the entrance, a young man was leisurely strolling along the wire fence outside the field.

The young man wore a baseball cap pulled low, a plain black T-shirt without any prints, and athletic pants, revealing only a handsome profile.

Lin Wanxing thought he looked familiar but couldn’t be certain.

She stared at the young man for a while, watching as he circled halfway around the field outside and stopped at an open spot to her right and behind her. Then, as if having found the right position, he simply sat cross-legged on the grass outside the field.

The cap brim lifted slightly, revealing the young man’s refined face with bright, penetrating eyes and a playful smile at the corner of his lips, as if saying “How much longer are you going to stare?”

Lin Wanxing was stunned, now she was certain.

The officials took their seats, and the competition flags were unfurled.

Perhaps because the match time was approaching, or maybe because the scorching heat made her mouth dry.

Lin Wanxing gradually felt a trace of nervousness.

She didn’t look back at the young man on the grass behind her anymore, because her students had begun to line up.

The boys stood somewhat crookedly, but they were all tall and standing close together. She had to tilt her head slightly upward to see each of their faces.

Lin Wanxing felt she should say something to liven up the atmosphere, but the loudspeakers at the edge of the field suddenly blasted the athlete’s march at an ear-splitting volume, and she suddenly couldn’t say anything.

Qin Ao smiled — “Teacher, are you nervous?”

Lin Wanxing — “How could I be nervous!”

The students chuckled, their faces showing knowing smiles.

“Don’t worry, we’re just going to run around a bit, then lose the game. A simple performance,” Qin Ao even patted her shoulder, offering such comfort.

The staff began to call for teams to line up and enter the field. The students turned and walked toward the field.

“Wait,” Lin Wanxing suddenly remembered what she wanted to do earlier.

The students turned back, and she lowered her hand, beckoning them — “Let’s do a cheer!”

The students looked at her with “Are you crazy” expressions.

“If we’re performing, let’s go all out. Quick, quick!” Lin Wanxing insisted.

The first hand to cover her hand was Fu Xinshu’s.

Gradually, more and more hands pressed on her hand, becoming increasingly heavy.

Finally, everyone gathered around.

“Go, team!” Lin Wanxing shouted.

The simple opening ceremony officially began, with students from the two schools standing on either side.

Officials’ speeches, the School Football Office speeches, athlete representative speeches, referee representative speeches — the booming voices resonated across the field.

The students stood straight. Before the match, they had been joking about this being next year’s “exhibition match.”

But standing on the green field, everyone’s face was tense, appearing nervous and serious.

After the ceremony, the field was immediately cleared.

The referee tossed a coin into the air. Fu Xinshu, as captain, chose sides, and the players took their positions on opposite sides of the center circle.

A crisp whistle cut through the field. Anning Experimental kicked off first, and the match officially began.

Lin Wanxing found it difficult to use many professional terms, but she could tell that after Anning Experimental’s players kicked off, their running became exceptionally active.

Most of their players immediately pressed past the halfway line, constantly making forward runs to create large gaps. The ball was continuously passed, making dull “thump thump” sounds that echoed across the field.

Just sitting on the sideline, Lin Wanxing could feel the pressure brought by the rapid running and attacking.

Like a fierce storm, relentless.

Her students began running back and forth, trying to stop the attack, but always just barely missing the ball.

The repeated failures to intercept brought some frustration, or rather, it felt like punching into cotton and being unable to exert force.

Five minutes passed, and even Lin Wanxing could see that the students on the field seemed to have slowed their running pace.

Fu Xinshu, wearing the captain’s armband, desperately waved his arms, as if directing everyone from a distance to concentrate on defensive play.

Chen Jianghe glanced at Fu Xinshu.

Just then, Anning Experimental suddenly accelerated. The ball flashed across the turf like lightning, tearing through Hongjing No. 8’s defensive line.

Anning Experimental’s forward made a run, smoothly controlled the ball, and raised his right foot high, whipping it toward the ball like a long lash.

With a thump, the ball flew toward the upper right corner of the goal.

Time seemed to slow in that instant.

The goalkeeper leaped high but fell heavily. The ball crashed into the net and softly dropped.

The referee’s sharp whistle pierced the air.

A goal was scored.

It was that simple, even too simple.

“Awesome!”

“Goal!”

“Holy crap!”

Anning Experimental’s coaching bench erupted in cheers, and the substitute players were elated.

The players on the field hugged each other in celebration, and the officials watching from the sidelines also broke into applause.

In an instant, the green field that had only known the silent sound of passing balls suddenly became noisy.

Those sounds arose around her, carried by the hot wind, brushing against her face.

Very glamorous, yet inconsequential.

Lin Wanxing kept watching her students.

There was a moment of bewilderment on the students’ faces. The goal came too quickly and suddenly; no one could have prepared in advance.

There was disappointment on their faces.

But soon, Qin Ao twisted his mouth, and Qi Liang instantly resumed his indifferent expression. Chen Jianghe silently walked into the net and retrieved the ball.

Lin Lu shrugged at her as if to say, “See, we really can’t beat them.”

Everyone walked toward the center circle, appearing somewhat calm.

It seemed like an expected goal, and they shouldn’t have too much of a reaction.

After one team scores, the other team restarts with a kickoff.

The players again stood near the center circle. Fu Xinshu patted each person’s shoulder.

It was too far away, so Lin Wanxing couldn’t hear what he was saying, but it looked like he was encouraging the team members.

But Lin Wanxing thought this might not have much effect.

The rest of the match seemed somewhat prolonged.

Under Fu Xinshu’s command, the students seemed to be trying to slow down Anning Experimental’s attacking rhythm through defense.

The ball moved back and forth in their half. The black and white ball rolled across the green turf, and the players on the field slowed their running pace even more.

The officials watching from the sidelines began to leave one after another as if the match had entered garbage time.

Lin Wanxing sat at the sideline, feeling a bit anxious, but there was nothing she could do.

However, fifteen minutes passed.

Anning Experimental made several sudden accelerations, attempting to press and steal the ball. Lin Wanxing’s heart rose to her throat, but the possession was always firmly protected under her students’ feet.

It was a difficult feeling to describe, as if she thought she didn’t care about winning or losing, yet still wanted to try again, to persist a little longer.

Fu Xinshu ran frantically, constantly directing the ball’s movement.

The boys’ faces turned red from long periods of running, each looking as if they had been pulled out of water, completely drenched in sweat.

When they fell, they got up; when the ball was intercepted, they won it back.

With 5 minutes left before the end of the match, the score remained firmly locked at 1-0.

Anning Experimental hadn’t found any more opportunities to break through their penalty area.

Lin Wanxing looked back. Outside the wire fence to her side and behind her, the young man wearing the black baseball cap was still sitting there, not having left.

He had a notebook on his lap and a pencil between his fingers. With his cap brim raised and a serious expression, he was attentively watching the match on the field.

Lin Wanxing was slightly surprised.

Just at that moment, the young man also noticed her gaze.

He pointed his pencil tip forward, gesturing toward the field.

Lin Wanxing turned back.

On the field, Anning Experimental’s players began to accelerate into a sprint.

It seemed like a successful interception; the ball was suddenly at their feet.

Hongjing No. 8’s previously maintained defensive formation was torn apart. Lin Lu and Qi Liang began to press forward to win the ball.

Stop, turn, pass.

However, Anning Experimental’s No. 10 player, through a quick combination with a teammate, smoothly threaded the ball through the two-man defensive line, continuing to push forward.

Lin Wanxing sat up straight, becoming more nervous.

At this point, all Anning Experimental players except the goalkeeper were pressing into the opponent’s half.

Hongjing No. 8’s players, who had been passing at a slow pace, were completely mobilized, sprinting after the ball.

There was a loud “thump.”

Everyone looked up toward the sky.

The ball crossed the field from the right side, same position, same person.

Anning Experimental’s No. 17 player, who had scored earlier, jumped up, leaned back, and controlled the ball firmly with a steady chest trap.

Yu Ming, who had tried to intercept, slid in but missed, rolling awkwardly a couple of times.

There was scattered laughter from the spectator seats, but most people held their breath. At this moment, everyone began to notice the movements of Anning Experimental’s No. 10 player.

On the field, No. 10 began to accelerate.

Chen Jianghe and Fu Xinshu began to close in on No. 10, but No. 10 remained calm, not even slowing down.

Anning Experimental’s players began running diagonally, constantly making forward runs, stretching out more space.

Chen Jianghe began to press for the ball.

Just when everyone thought No. 10 was about to pass, he pushed the ball to the right with the outside of his foot, quickly turned, and circled the defending player, using a simple and clean split between man and ball to break into the penalty area.

The penalty area refers to a region 16.5 meters from the inside of the goalposts. This is a very dangerous area.

In this area, the goalkeeper can touch the ball with hands. Any fouls in this area that would normally result in a direct free kick would be judged as a penalty kick.

Anning Experimental’s No. 10 had almost single-handedly torn through the opposing defense line, standing in this dangerous area.

The tense moment was enough to stimulate everyone’s adrenaline.

Hongjing No. 8’s defensive line was in disarray. Everyone began to move toward the penalty area to block, trying to stand in front of Anning Experimental’s forward, blocking No. 10’s passing routes.

In Lin Wanxing’s view, No. 10 lightly chipped the ball up.

Suddenly raising his right leg, his foot swung at the lower back part of the ball. With a “thump,” a volley shot sent the ball rocketing toward Anning Experimental’s goal.

Time seemed to be infinitely slowed down again.

Her students each ran and jumped, trying to block the ball’s forward direction, but the ball passed through the gaps between people.

Goalkeeper Feng Suo was positioned forward, and the ball was headed directly toward the far corner of the goal.

Just then, a red figure cut in from a diagonal angle behind, leaping high.

The ball and the body collided, and the beautiful arc abruptly interrupted.

The black and white soccer ball rolled onto the grass, turning twice in the opposite direction before stopping and landing outside the goal.

“Ah!”

A sigh rose from Anning Experimental’s substitute bench.

Lin Wanxing’s tightly clenched hand slightly relaxed, and she breathed a sigh of relief.

However, almost at the same time, Anning Experimental’s No. 10 suddenly sprang up. He raised his hand high, frantically shouting something at the referee.

All the Anning Experimental players inside and outside the penalty area seemed to realize something and began to pressure the main referee.

Anning Experimental’s substitute bench erupted in commotion, and the coach also rushed to the sideline.

Lin Wanxing looked around, somewhat bewildered, but also seemed to realize that something was about to happen.