The Youth Super League is fully named the National Youth Football Super League.

It is jointly participated in by youth teams from clubs in the Chinese Super League, China League One, China League Two, football schools, amateur football clubs, member association teams of the National Football Association, and campus football teams.

The league is divided into two stages: the qualifiers and the main competition.

During the qualifier stage, matches are held in the form of regional competitions. According to geographical location, they are divided into six regions: “Northeast Region,” “North China Region,” “East China Region,” “Central China Region,” “South China Region,” and “Western Region.”

Hongjing City is in the East China Region, and Hongjing Eighth School is a “National Youth Campus Football Featured School,” part of the showcase for campus football development achievements. This is also why the leadership required them to participate in the competition.

The above was what Lin Wanxing found on the official website.

The competition was formal, but since all the major clubs would send their youth teams to participate, for ordinary high schools without much “background,” participating in the qualifiers was indeed an “extra” role.

That’s why Teacher Qian and Group Leader Zhao believed that for a competition where victory wasn’t necessary, simply bringing a group of boys to appear on time was an easy task, which is why they assigned it to her.

At noon on Thursday, convened by Teacher Qian, Lin Wanxing would meet the entire Eighth School football team for the first time.

The meeting place was an ordinary multi-purpose classroom.

In the midday of September, the temperature was still over thirty degrees.

Lin Wanxing arrived ten minutes early.

The classroom appeared to be rarely used, with thick curtains covering both sides, making the air inside stuffy.

She turned on the electric fan and pulled back the curtains.

At this moment, there was a knock at the door.

A slender boy wearing a school uniform stood at the doorway.

The boy’s left hand was still half-raised against the door, not completely lowered. His school uniform sleeve was pulled back quite far, allowing Lin Wanxing to see the boy’s slender wrist.

His sleeve cuff was washed to a whitish color with fraying edges. He was too thin, with pale skin and protruding ulnar joints, giving the impression that he would break if bent.

“Teacher.”

The boy called out, his voice gentle and calm.

Lin Wanxing shifted her gaze from the boy’s wrist joint. “Hello, did Teacher Qian ask you to come?”

The boy nodded.

“Find a seat wherever you like,” Lin Wanxing said.

The boy looked like an extremely gentle and quiet good child. He even brought a pencil, eraser, and a test paper.

Not only did he knock and announce himself, but he also slightly bowed to her in greeting before finding a seat. He was completely different from Chen Jianghe or Qin Ao.

While opening the remaining windows, Lin Wanxing casually asked, “Are you also on the school football team? What’s your name?”

“Fu Xinshu.”

Lin Wanxing paused. “That’s a nice name.”

Fu Xinshu shook his head without making a sound.

“Are you also on the football team? What position do you play?”

“I used to play midfield.”

“Used to… What about now?”

“I haven’t played football for a long time now.”

“Oh. Do you have confidence in Sunday’s match? You have a few days left; why don’t you all get together and practice?”

Lin Wanxing chatted a bit but noticed that Fu Xinshu just gazed at her calmly, listening to everything she said before shaking his head again.

His movements were slow, carrying a kind of caution that didn’t match his age.

After shaking his head, he leaned back in his chair, and crossed his legs, displaying an attitude that suggested no amount of scolding would have any effect on him.

Qin Ao’s eyes blazed with fire, his fists clenched tightly as if he might explode at any moment.

Seeing that he was genuinely angry, Lin Wanxing spoke up at the right time. “Qin Ao, come sit over here.”

The boy clenched his fists, unwilling to turn around.

“Qin Ao,” Fu Xinshu’s peaceful voice sounded at this moment.

His voice was a bit hoarse, yet carried an unquestionable quality.

What surprised Lin Wanxing was that although Qin Ao moved slowly and reluctantly, he still lowered his fists. He turned around very unwillingly and found a seat near Fu Xinshu.

Teacher Qian was angry but couldn’t be bothered to reprimand them.

Several more students arrived at the door one after another, easing the previously tense atmosphere.

After Chen Jianghe was the last to take his seat, the entire 11-person team was finally complete.

“Look at you all, lazy and disorganized. What kind of appearance is this?” Teacher Qian stood at the podium, took a sip of tea to calm his anger, and said, “I called you here to inform you that on Sunday, there’s a Youth Super League qualifier. Your match time is 1:00 p.m. against Anning Experimental Middle School.”

“How do we still have matches to play?” Qin Ao drawled, raising his hand to ask.

“Surprisingly, the waste knows his place,” Qi Liang sneered, muttering.

“Anning Experimental is so strong; we definitely can’t beat them,” Lin Lu’s eyes brightened, and he immediately changed his tone. “Why don’t we just forfeit again!”

“Am I here to discuss this with you?” Teacher Qian stuck out his big belly. “Your task is to go play this match. If you don’t go, don’t expect to pass Physical Education this semester.”

Teacher Qian believed such a threat carried weight. Ignoring the protests from the students below, he cut to the chase. “This is Teacher Lin beside me. She’s responsible for taking you to the venue on Sunday. Follow her arrangements.”

Lin Wanxing’s shoulder was heavily patted, and before she could react, she was pushed to the center of the podium.

Below the podium, some students sat properly, while others lounged with their legs crossed.

But every student was looking at her.

The classroom suddenly fell silent.

Only the sound of Teacher Qian’s footsteps leaving the classroom echoed.

Lin Wanxing took a breath.

“Listen well to Teacher Lin.”

Teacher Qian turned back at the doorway and said this final sentence.