The Hongjing Eighth Middle School Grade 12 Second Semester Motivation Assembly and First Semester Awards Ceremony officially began at 9:00 AM on Friday.

All Grade 12 students gathered in the auditorium. Lin Wanxing and the football team students were also notified that they needed to attend.

The students had just finished their baseline exams and were a bit anxious about coming to school for a meeting. Lin Wanxing had everyone gather early in the sports equipment room and distributed the exam papers from the previous two days.

Having focused on academics recently, the students’ results were certainly surprising. But rather than the scores on the papers, they were already more accustomed to caring about the test papers themselves, so they immediately began discussing the questions in the sports equipment room.

They had many questions and were eager to resolve them immediately. Lin Wanxing helped them sort through their weak knowledge points. Only when the ceremony was about to begin did the group realize they still had a meeting to attend?

“Damn! We’re going to be late!”

With a shout from Qin Ao, the students rushed out like madmen.

The football team’s speed was beyond Lin Wanxing’s capability. She could only close the sports equipment room door and follow behind leisurely.

On the campus, willows sprouted new buds, and a spring breeze swept over the school buildings. Fu Xinshu’s foot seemed to be almost healed; he could completely keep up with his teammates’ running.

When Lin Wanxing entered the auditorium, the host was already in position on the stage.

The football team students waved to her from the back row. There was an empty seat in the corner, reserved for her.

The general process of Grade 12 assemblies was similar.

The host announced the opening, followed by the principal’s speech and then student representatives’ speeches.

After that, the Grade 12 head teacher presented a quality analysis of the student’s first-semester exam results. Combining this with the college entrance exam format, he encouraged students to clarify their goals and be practical.

Looking forward from the last row, the small auditorium was packed. In no time, the temperature rose sharply. Add to that the teacher’s overly “professional” speech content and students from front to back began to doze off.

Until the awards ceremony began.

“Next, we will commend some students who have achieved excellent results in various subject competitions during the first semester of Grade 12, bringing honor to our school.”

The academic affairs director began to read out the list of students and their awards one by one.

“The Hongjing Eighth Middle School track and field team achieved excellent results in the Provincial Winter Sports Meet. More notably, student Chen Weidong won a silver medal in the high school boys’ 400-meter hurdles, breaking our school’s zero-medal record in hurdle events.”

The three words “Chen Weidong” made all the football team students look up simultaneously.

Students with outstanding performances in the provincial sports meet lined up to receive their awards on stage. Chen Weidong walked at the end of the line. He wore the school uniform and was tall, looking somewhat more robust than when he was on the football team.

Under the auditorium lights, the silver medal on his chest was quite eye-catching.

All the football team students, some sitting, some leaning, quietly watched the distant stage.

The principal presented school certificates to each award-winning athlete once more. Everyone lined up for a group photo, and the entire audience applauded.

Lin Wanxing applauded while looking toward her students.

In the dim space of the back seats, the boys’ faces were calm, and no one made any movement.

The awards ceremony had nothing to do with most students, so some secretly played with their phones.

After students went on stage for provincial and municipal “three good student” awards came the school’s internal awards.

The academic affairs director continued: “Among them, Wen Chengye from Class 1, Grade 12, and Liu Rushui from Class 2, Grade 12, have made significant progress in their studies during the first semester of Grade 12. They tell us through practical action that no matter what your initial foundation is, as long as you study hard, you can reap rewards. We will present them with the ‘Most Rapid Progress Award.'”

Almost as if someone had pressed a button.

All the football team students looked up “swoosh” toward the auditorium stage.

Grade 12, Class 1 was in the front position of the tiered classroom.

Wen Chengye stood up, students in the same row made way for him, and there was also some slight movement from boys and girls in the rows behind.

Wen Chengye was indeed eye-catching.

His skin was naturally fair. Today he wore the school uniform with a white shirt underneath. Standing on stage, he looked like a naturally good student. Lin Wanxing thought that perhaps only three people in the room knew how Wen Chengye’s “Most Rapid Progress Award” had come about.

The principal smiled as he presented awards to the two students. Wen Chengye bowed in acknowledgment, and the principal gently patted Wen Chengye’s shoulder.

When he looked up again, Wen Chengye’s gaze was like lacquer, staring distantly at a certain spot in the back row.

Lin Wanxing turned her head.

She saw Qin Ao sitting sprawled in his chair, raising his hand to flash a middle finger at Wen Chengye.

That evening, in the small classroom at 17 Wutong Road.

Lin Wanxing returned home from work and unusually noticed that the entire corridor was quiet.

The classroom projector was finally playing match recordings again.

In recent days, Wang Fa had not been without training arrangements. However, he hadn’t once reviewed matches with the students or analyzed strategies. If the students were sheep leisurely strolling on the prairie, then the border collie that had been managing the flock seemed to have been lying on the grass sunbathing lately.

Lin Wanxing had seen the border collie working seriously before, so she always felt that he was doing this deliberately, or rather, he was waiting for something.

Opening the door, the projector on the small classroom wall was silently playing the match.

In the room, the students were all looking up, seriously watching the match. Each of them had paper and pen on their desks, but at a glance, Lin Wanxing saw that no one was writing anything.

After intense review and exam preparation, it was still reasonable to give some attention to the upcoming matches. However, the recording being played on the projector was the part the students were most unwilling to watch repeatedly.

Wang Fa wasn’t standing in front of the screen leading the review but was leaning at the back of the classroom, gazing distantly at the little lambs in the match video.

Lin Wanxing was holding a can of cola that Wang Fa had just messaged her to bring after work. She handed the cola over, and with a “tsssk” sound, Wang Fa opened the can with one hand.

Hearing the sound, Qin Ao immediately turned his head. But seeing it was Wang Fa drinking the cola, the boy held back whatever he was about to say.

“Coach,” Chen Jianghe spoke up instead.

“Hmm?” The match continued on the projector. With the remote control and laser pointer in his hand, Wang Fa took a sip of cola and responded lightly.

“Why exactly are you making us watch this match?” Zheng Feiyang straightforwardly asked.

“Was I not clear enough earlier?” Wang Fa was quite leisurely and calm. “I want to hear everyone’s views on the deployment of a 10-player team.”

On the screen, the misty field scene progressed.

A Yuzhou Silver Elephant winger carried the ball, inserting from the flank, and chipped the ball into the center of the penalty area. Zheng Feiyang was covering in the middle. Wen Chengye hadn’t defended the far post; he chose to move forward, running out of the penalty area.

That was their first conceded goal in their recent match against Yuzhou Silver Elephant.

The football was relayed to the far post. Because Wen Chengye was out of position in defense, the ball was easily shot into the goal by the Yuzhou Silver Elephant forward.

“Damn it.”

Qin Ao watched coldly from beginning to end and cursed at the end.

Wang Fa pressed the pause button.

All the students turned their heads.

Wang Fa took a sip of cola and asked, “Any thoughts?”

“Coach, do you have to disgust us with that Wen dog? What thoughts could there be? Isn’t it just his defensive problem?” Zheng Feiyang said through gritted teeth.

Wang Fa didn’t answer. He put down the cola and extended his hand.

Lin Wanxing took out a roll of red marking tape from her pocket and placed it in his hand. This was also something Wang Fa had just asked her to buy.

Wang Fa walked to the projection screen, casually tore off a piece of tape, covered Wen Chengye’s figure with it, and then asked those below: “Does that look more comfortable?”

The players twisted their mouths but said nothing.

“Coach, I always feel like you’re implying something,” Chen Jianghe said.

“The ones with many thoughts about this match are you, not me,” Wang Fa was very direct. “Please focus your attention on answering my question. After removing Wen Chengye, how should this ball be handled?”

The students looked up at the projection screen.

The coach’s actions were casual, but his attitude was serious and rigorous enough, so the students unconsciously began to observe.

In Lin Wanxing’s view, Wen Chengye’s silhouette reflected on the bright red tape appeared exceptionally glaring.

Like the students, she wasn’t clear about what the coach was trying to say. She only knew that she had to be sufficiently focused on this match.

“It seems…” Another key player in the frame finally spoke up, “I must win this header.” Zheng Feiyang said.

Hearing this, Qin Ao immediately interjected: “Old Zheng, don’t rush to take the blame. This ball is Wen Chengye’s problem, what does it have to do with you?”

All the students looked at the frozen projection.

At this point, the Yuzhou Silver Elephant center forward was competing with Zheng Feiyang for the first landing point, while their other forward had quietly inserted into a space in the penalty area, without being offside. This meant the Yuzhou Silver Elephant forward could at any time receive the center forward’s headed relay and then face goalkeeper Feng Suo directly.

With Wen Chengye erased from the picture, this defensive problem indeed became simple and clear.

Zheng Feiyang had to win the header.

Everyone around quieted down, seemingly accepting this answer.

“And then?” Wang Fa’s voice sounded amid the dark contemplation.

The students looked toward their coach.

“After Zheng Feiyang wins this header, what next?” Wang Fa asked.

The students felt confused.

If there were only 10 players on the field, being able to win the header and defend would be challenging enough. Did there need to be an “and then”?

Fu Xinshu: “Coach, do you mean counterattack?”

Wang Fa handed the laser pointer to him, indicating that he should continue with the matched image.

Fu Xinshu played in midfield and had a better understanding of initiating counterattacks. He began to observe the entire field image.

Wang Fa’s paused frame was very tricky.

In it, two Yuzhou Silver Elephant fullbacks had already pushed forward, and one center back had also moved up, leaving only the other center back wearing the number 3 jersey in the backfield. In other words, Yuzhou had most of their strength on the flanks and in the middle, with only two players able to defend in time.

In contrast, for Hongjing Eighth Middle School, Chen Jianghe was at the top of the center circle arc, and Qin Ao had already started to fall back. Which meant…

“If Zheng Feiyang wins the first landing point and can head the ball to the arc area, there are no players from either side there—it’s a space!”

As Fu Xinshu said this, he suddenly looked at the screen. There, the red tape Wang Fa had just applied was particularly eye-catching, like a freshly cut wound.

The arrow pointed to where Wen Chengye was moving toward the space Fu Xinshu had identified.

The hum of the old projector overheating sounded in this space, and Fu Xinshu’s face turned completely white in the light and shadow.

No one in the classroom spoke.

The first to move was still Wang Fa.

He pressed the play button, and the match video finally continued to roll forward.

Qin Ao recovered from his shock. Seeing Fu Xinshu’s pale face, he took a deep breath and said, “Coach, what you’re trying to say is that we can’t completely attribute the loss of the match to Wen Chengye; he had his ideas?”

“I think, for your last two matches, it’s better to think less about ‘whose problem it is’ and focus your limited energy on the field itself. For example, think carefully about how to continue playing with a 10-man formation.” He paused.

Lin Wanxing sat at the back of the classroom and saw Wang Fa glance at her, saying, “Continue watching the match carefully, write down your thoughts, and submit them to me.”