Qin Qiechu was quite off-key, and Lin Wanxing didn’t even know what era it was that she could still use “off-key” as an adjective.

But this didn’t mean that everything Qin Qiechu said was nonsense. On the contrary, the young man’s words largely represented his true inner thoughts.

On one hand, Qin Qiechu probably did genuinely like their grassroots school football team and was amazed they had advanced to the group stage.

Everyone loves underdogs and miracle upsets—a significant part of competitive sports’ charm lies precisely in this.

But on the other hand, he was proud and indeed looked down on them.

Someone like Qin Qiechu would have started his football journey from childhood.

He was naturally gifted, with outstanding achievements, and had likely been specially trained by the Yongchuan Hengda Club from a very young age. With strong individual abilities and a good personality, his future was bright—possibly a future national team player. Calling him heaven’s pride wouldn’t be an exaggeration.

Although Lin Wanxing understood clearly that Qin Qiechu had every right to look down on them, she still felt regret about it.

Lin Wanxing and Wang Fa lagged, walking side by side back to the locker room.

She tried several times to say something, but seeing Wang Fa with his hands in his pockets and his calm expression, she couldn’t bring herself to ask anything.

They reached the locker room door.

A loud “bang” from inside the room broke their contemplation.

Lin Wanxing hurriedly tried to push the door open, but Wang Fa was a step faster.

The locker room was filled with the post-match stench of sweat. With no windows open, the room was like a powder keg that had exploded—basketball hoops knocked over, towels scattered all over the floor.

Qin Ao, eyes wide with anger, gripped Wen Chengye’s collar. It seemed the earlier noise had come from Qin young master kicking over the dirty laundry basket in his fury.

Usually, at times like this, Fu Xinshu would stand between Qin Ao and others, but this time he didn’t. Probably because even someone as good-tempered as Fu Xinshu was annoyed by Wen Chengye’s behavior on the defensive line today.

Lin Wanxing couldn’t understand how the locker room had turned into an exploding powder keg during her brief absence.

Although, well, ever since Wen Chengye had arrived, Qin Ao had indeed wanted to explode every day, but the number of times he’d acted on it wasn’t many.

But this time was different. If she and Wang Fa hadn’t arrived just in time, Wen Chengye would have received a solid beating.

Faced with the raging Qin Ao, Wen Chengye himself remained calm.

He leisurely raised his eyebrows, his cold gaze sweeping over her and Wang Fa, then tilted his head back, raised his chin, and said to Qin Ao, “Go ahead and hit me, why did you stop?”

Fu Xinshu finally reacted, shouting, “Don’t be impulsive, Qin Ao.”

Yu Ming also responded, “Boss, Wen the dog is a bad piece of work. Don’t you remember he set us up before? If you hit him, who knows what trouble he’ll cause.”

“Indeed, calling the police isn’t out of the question,” Qi Liang coldly added as he wiped the sweat from his head with a towel.

The words “calling the police” genuinely scared Qin Ao.

“Fuck!” Qin Ao was furious but also reluctant to release his grip on Wen Chengye’s collar. “Then what do we do? Fuck, he deliberately kicked wildly on the field, even those idiots on the other side could see it.”

“What can we do? Why not try punching him? Maybe after one punch, he’ll suddenly wake up and leave his beastly ways?” Qi Liang sincerely suggested.

Qin Ao’s fist, still clutching Wen Chengye’s collar, finally released.

Lin Wanxing sighed slightly, and Wen Chengye’s gaze happened to slowly turn toward her.

“Control your dog,” Wen Chengye said to her.

“You should understand by now that I’m not the type of teacher who controls students,” Lin Wanxing replied, taking a bottle of mineral water and casually unscrewing it to take a sip. “If you provoke him and he wants to hit you, then let him hit you. You deserve it, and he’ll bear the consequences.”

“Hehe.” Wen Chengye appeared bored. His skin tone was a pale white, different from the other students, clearly showing that the ninety minutes of running had exhausted his last bit of energy.

A drop of sweat condensed on the tip of his nose. He picked up a towel and continued wiping sweat from his head, saying nothing more.

“You think you’re funny? Do you find it amusing to kick wildly on the field? Just leave already. I don’t know what use a waste like you is,” Qin Ao’s anger flared up again as he yelled.

When boys argued, they always resorted to those same repetitive crude insults.

Unlike the suppressed atmosphere after losing the previous match, this time the enemy was Wen Chengye, and they didn’t need to save face for each other.

“Well, I don’t understand either why someone would beg me to come,” Wen Chengye said.

“We don’t need you now. Can you leave?”

“No problem.” Wen Chengye stood up, took his backpack from the locker, and was about to leave without looking back.

Fu Xinshu quickly grabbed him.

Wen Chengye’s gaze was cold.

In this situation, even Fu Xinshu seemed unwilling to bow his head and plead.

“Coach.” The players finally unified their gaze, looking at the young man who had been standing at the door with his arms folded.

On the football field, only the most authoritative person’s words could judge right from wrong.

“What do you need me to do?” Wang Fa asked instead.

“We lost,” Fu Xinshu said.

“Yes, we lost,” Wang Fa replied calmly.

Fu Xinshu opened his mouth but couldn’t continue.

“The coach means, Fu Xinshu, you didn’t think we could win, did you?” At times like this, only Qi Liang could speak with a sarcastic tone. “We couldn’t have won anyway. What’s the point of you all furiously cursing at Wen the dog?”

Qin Ao immediately retorted, “Qi Liang, you’re a good dog for your Brother Wen.”

“At least I’m a good dog, which puts me ahead of you, a mad dog,” Qi Liang sneered.

Yu Ming chimed in, “Qi Liang, how can you not tell good from bad anymore?”

As the two-sided confrontation was about to turn into a multi-sided brawl, Fu Xinshu looked like his head was splitting in pain. “I’m begging you all, stop arguing, okay?!”

He raised his voice unusually high, shouting.

The locker room instantly fell silent. The boys were all startled, and no one dared to speak.

Although only Qin Ao had explicitly told Wen Chengye to “leave,” the others more or less all believed that Wen Chengye’s joining had affected them negatively, and Qin Ao was just the one who spoke out.

But did they want Wen Chengye to leave?

Everyone knew that, for now, he was their only choice.

With this feeling of having no other option but to continue working together, after a long argument, the boys could only sit down again in the classroom.

In this situation, Wang Fa became the person upon whom they placed their hopes to solve the players’ problems.

Lin Wanxing sat at a desk, together with the students.

The lights in the classroom were turned off. It was already very late, and the projector screen was playing the students’ afternoon match against Yongchuan Hengda.

Early winter nights were usually cool, and they should have dressed warmly and closed the windows, but now, even with the classroom windows and main door wide open, it was hard to dispel the frustrating emotions inside.

Everyone needed to catch more breeze to calm down.

The match video played without sound.

In the dim space, only thumb-sized figures could be seen on the projection screen.

The grass was a yellowish-green color, the stadium seats a brownish-red from wind and sun exposure, and the dark-skinned boys ran desperately, chasing the football under the blue sky.

One failed to pass after another, one defense line torn apart and penetrated after another.

The opposing players were spirited, while the students’ figures were hunched and exhausted.

Though the specific expressions couldn’t be seen clearly, the two teams’ players created a stark contrast on the field.

Football was painful.

At least at this moment, that’s how it felt.

Everyone in the classroom felt this way, except for Wang Fa.

Wang Fa’s pausing and analysis of the game was no different from last time, perhaps no different from thousands of other times when he explained to his other young players.

He would often pause to let the students think about what to do next, what running or passing routes they would choose if they could do it again.

At these times, he always appeared very patient.

But the students were always impatient.

Once Wang Fa paused, they would start arguing about why mistakes were made and whose fault it was that they conceded goals.

“What do you think the problem is?” Qin Ao was exasperated. “Even an idiot knows someone wasn’t playing properly. Who do you think that person is?”

“Qin Ao.” Back in the classroom, Fu Xinshu had calmed down and stopped him. “Wen Chengye has just rejoined us. We’ve only been coordinating for a few days, and our opponent was Yongchuan Hengda. Normally, we lose. What’s important is to find problems in our defeat so we can improve.”

“Are you deaf or what?” Qin Ao was also exasperated. “I’ll say it directly—replace him, and the problem is solved!”

Qin Ao’s finger pointed at Wen Chengye’s back, and young Wen happened to turn around.

Wen Chengye’s cold, hard gaze fixed on Qin Ao’s finger, yet his lips curled into a smile as he said, “Fine.”

Qi Liang was also amused and directly attacked Wen Chengye, “You are Qin Ao’s dog, so obedient? He tells you to leave and you go ‘woof’ and leave?”

The students once again erupted into a chaotic argument, continuing their disputes about the match, going back and forth, endlessly.

And when the students argued and chattered endlessly, Wang Fa stood there, paused the video, watched them, and said nothing.

The cold-toned light from the projector fell on his face.

It looked soft and bright.

The entire process of reviewing the match took much longer than expected because of the students’ arguments.

By the time Lin Wanxing and Wang Fa saw them off and returned to their rooms to shower, it was already midnight.

The winter air was ice-cold and clear, and the stars in the night sky were particularly brilliant and bright.

Wang Fa, holding a towel and wearing loose pajamas that he only wore after showering, had put on a thick coat and was sitting at the rooftop dining table, roughly drying himself.

The electric heater was on, emitting an orange-red light.

Lin Wanxing sat down across from him.

After an exhausting day, they sat on the peaceful rooftop. The wind was a bit cool, and all around were the vegetables and fruits planted by the students. Lin Wanxing rested her head on the table, not wanting to say a word.

Wang Fa put down his towel, glanced at her, and asked as usual, “What would you like to drink?”

Before the match, she had also sat with Wang Fa like this, drinking hot chocolate.

At that time, Wang Fa had already foreseen the students’ defeat today, but Lin Wanxing hadn’t expected they would lose so badly.

She yawned, sitting at the table, swinging her legs. “Coach, you’ve been in England for so long. Don’t you have any special talents?”

“What specific special talents is Teacher Lin referring to?”

“I’ve heard England is known for producing alcoholics… I mean, besides brewing tea and making hot chocolate, has the coach ventured into alcoholic drinks?” Lin Wanxing asked.

Wang Fa was somewhat surprised, “Teacher Lin wants to drink alcohol?”

“Do you have any?” Lin Wanxing looked at Wang Fa expectantly.

Now it was Lin Wanxing’s turn to be surprised as Wang Fa got up and walked to his room.

The sound of the refrigerator opening and closing came out, and Lin Wanxing watched him expectantly.

With two “clanks,” cans landed on the table. Lin Wanxing looked at the cans in front of her, then looked up at Wang Fa.

“This?”

“The alcoholic beverage you wanted.”

“How is pineapple beer an alcoholic drink!” Lin Wanxing protested.

Wang Fa very seriously turned the bottle around, pointing to the 1.2% alcohol content on the ingredient list, telling her, “How is it not?”

Lin Wanxing was immediately speechless. She grudgingly took the can, opened it with a “hiss,” and took a big gulp.

The gurgling carbonated bubbles did indeed have a tiny, almost imperceptible hint of alcohol upon entering her mouth, but mostly it tasted like pineapple juice.

“So sweet,” she said, putting down the pineapple beer.

Hearing this, Wang Fa stood up again, went back to his room, and brought out a glass filled with ice cubes.

Probably in response to her request to demonstrate special talents, Wang Fa also went to the vegetable garden planted by the students and picked two mint leaves.

He poured the pineapple beer into the glass, added matching sparkling water, and finally placed two mint leaves on the floating ice cubes on top.

The pale yellow liquid with the crystal-clear ice cubes and green garnish looked quite proper.

The heat from her shower hadn’t fully dissipated, and the heater was also warmly heating. Lin Wanxing picked up the glass and carefully took a sip. Although it was a bit cold, the sweetness was just right.

Wang Fa’s actions were almost like he was comforting her. Lin Wanxing took another sip and said, “Coach’s skills are unbeatable, you could open a shop!”

“Exaggerating,” Wang Fa said. “I didn’t ask you to transfer money.”

Only then did Lin Wanxing feel comfortable taking a big gulp. The very light alcohol and mint flavor filled her mouth, dispelling much of her fatigue and drowsiness.

Wang Fa, as usual, simply pulled the tab open and drank directly from the can.

Lin Wanxing didn’t know when it had started, but she and Wang Fa had developed this habit of drinking something together every night.

Although Wang Fa could be quite amusing when speaking normally, when they sat face to face at night like this, he always appeared especially calm.

And facing such a Wang Fa, she would unknowingly start rambling on her own.

“I still feel very frustrated,” Lin Wanxing said, holding the almost non-alcoholic pineapple beer. “My work has always been to teach children that they should value continuous improvement during the process, and everyone has always done that, but it seems all efforts appear too insignificant in the face of losing a game.”

Though the alcohol content was very low, Lin Wanxing felt a bit drunk.

She had once asked Wang Fa about the team’s stability issue.

Wang Fa’s answer from that time still echoed in her ears: “Anything involving a collective with a common goal will inevitably lead to arguments. Whether it’s difficult to manage depends on only one thing—the team’s results.”

She thought she understood this before.

But it was only when her students had intense arguments because of losing that she truly understood.

Results are always the most important.

She rambled on to Wang Fa about many things, such as how focusing on the process itself and improving skill levels were fundamental principles in both educational psychology and sports psychology, as opposed to focusing on results.

She talked about Dweck’s classic achievement goal theory and Covington’s self-worth theory. Like writing a review, she told Wang Fa about all theories related to personal development.

She said these theories, after categorizing human psychological tendencies, all strived to explain one point: regardless of what one does, only those who focus on themselves and only consider “Am I getting stronger day by day” can achieve better results and gain true happiness.

Thus, success should be defined as achieving process goals and surpassing oneself.

“That’s what we do every day, isn’t it? So many plans and charts, hoping students will focus on the training itself and the improvement of their football abilities. They all complete these tasks conscientiously every day,” Lin Wanxing felt increasingly helpless and confused as she spoke. “But losing—just losing—seems to turn all these into useless things.”

The gap between theory and practice was enormous. It seemed that no matter how much effort she and the students put in, it all couldn’t withstand one crushing defeat on the field. The sense of frustration could instantly destroy many things.

Finally, she half-leaned on the table, looking at Wang Fa, “I’ve been wondering, where does your pain come from?”

The young man pushed the can on the table, pressing the no-longer-so-cold can against her face as an answer.

The cool can, with its damp water, left some moisture on her cheek.

Lin Wanxing leaned on the table, looking up, able to see Wang Fa’s deep, lingering gaze in the moonlight.

“I didn’t understand before, but now I think I know a little,” she said.