Conquering

The walk from the stadium back to the dorms was peaceful and quiet. The night was deep, the day's heat had dissipated, and the air felt exceptionally refreshing.

Jiang City's pollution index was light today. Looking up from the ground, the sky seemed shrouded in a layer of mist. Beyond the mist, a hazy crescent moon hung with a few faint stars, like sesame seeds scattered across the sky.

"Who's there?" Jiang Shan suddenly stopped, calling out warily.

Wang Chao and Li Shaoqin halted simultaneously, looking towards the flickering red light not far ahead.

A sturdy figure emerged from the roadside, a cigarette held between his fingers. The intermittent red glow was the burning tip of the cigarette.

"It's me," the person said, his voice a little hoarse. "Tian Zhengguang."

All three of them took a step back in unison.

Tian Zhengguang was well-known in the base.

Not because of how good he was at playing, but because he was very good at fighting.

Legend had it that in his first year on the team, he got into seven fights within a single month. The last one was a brawl, where a group of people ganged up on him.

Tian Zhengguang won all seven fights, an impressive record. Three of his teammates suffered broken bones. Head coach Luo Zhihong was so furious he wanted to send him back immediately. It was only after Tian Qi pleaded earnestly, reportedly even using some under-the-table methods and spending a lot of money, that he was finally saved.

After that, Tian Zhengguang never fought again, but his legend lived on forever in the base.

When such a person appeared on a quiet, secluded path late at night, it was hard not to have some unpleasant associations.

Especially since he and Wang Chao had past grievances; Wang Chao had forcefully snatched his promotion spot.

"Don't be scared, I mean no harm," Tian Zhengguang added. After a few seconds of silence, he spoke with difficulty, stating his purpose: "Wang Chao, I... I want to treat you to a meal."

Wang Chao was bewildered.

"I know it's late, but there should still be places to eat outside the base..." Tian Zhengguang trailed off, feeling a bit guilty himself, and changed his mind. "How about some barbecue?"

In the dim moonlight from the horizon, Wang Chao noticed that Tian Zhengguang's face, hidden in the darkness, looked awkward, even a little anxious, but not fierce at all.

This gave him a vague premonition.

"There's no need for a meal."

Wang Chao tried to soften his voice. "If you have something to say, just say it directly."

The moment became quiet.

Jiang Shan signaled Wang Chao with his eyes, indicating he could turn and run in the opposite direction; they would be safe once they reached the stadium.

But Wang Chao shook his head slightly, signaling him not to rush.

After a long pause, Tian Zhengguang said, "Wang Chao, I'm leaving the team tomorrow."

Jiang Shan quietly tugged at Wang Chao's collar from behind, his meaning clear: He's leaving tomorrow, the coach won't be able to control him anymore, and this is obviously him wanting to beat you up before he goes!

Tian Zhengguang slowly walked over, all the way to Wang Chao. He took out his cigarette case from his pocket and offered it to Wang Chao, pulling out a lighter with his other hand.

Wang Chao shook his head, simultaneously patting Jiang Shan's back gently. He could feel the kid was tense all over.

"I used to hate you a lot. My cousin... Coach Tian Qi, he told me to apologize to you, said you have a bright future, and told me not to make an enemy of you. But I thought, you're going to the national team, and I'll at best be playing in League A. How much interaction could we possibly have? You wouldn't chase me across several provinces, would you?"

As Tian Zhengguang spoke these words, he seemed to relax completely. Before today, he would never have shown any sign of weakness in front of Wang Chao, but today he seemed particularly sentimental.

"This afternoon, your main team was playing a round robin, but we had half a day off because several coaches wanted to watch you and Jiang Shan's match."

Tian Zhengguang didn't mind the dirty ground and sat down next to Wang Chao, stretching his legs. "Long Tao invited me out for a meal, as a farewell dinner."

These words sounded a bit bleak. He was a veteran on the team, having been there for many years, yet when it came time to leave, only Long Tao saw him off.

"Wang Chao, you know, we talked about you... Long Tao said that actually, back at Mingyue Stadium that day, it was my fault. He said you played better than me, that my hatred was unjustified, and that it's wrong to bully ordinary people."

Wang Chao vaguely understood the true meaning of Tian Zhengguang blocking his path tonight. He also sat down, shoulder to shoulder with Tian Zhengguang, and turned to say, "But if you were the kind of person who was easily persuaded, you wouldn't have ended up in this situation, would you?"

In the darkness, Tian Zhengguang's face was faintly visible, along with a glimmer in his eyes.

"Of course, I'm not afraid of you. Even if you were right and I was wrong, why should I admit it? At most, I'll just avoid you from now on."

Tian Zhengguang let out a soft scoff. "I just couldn't accept it. Everyone said you were stronger than me, everyone said I was wrong, even my cousin didn't back me up. So... after lunch this afternoon, I couldn't resist and secretly came to watch you play."

He paused. "I watched your match against Wu Li."

Jiang Shan let out a long "Oh" at this moment, then suddenly realized he was facing a terrifying individual capable of taking on a group alone. He quickly shut his mouth, shrinking back slightly, leaving Wang Chao to face Tian Zhengguang alone.

In this base, before Wang Chao arrived, there were two Great Demon Kings.

Tian Zhengguang, invincible in fights.

Wu Li, invincible in playing.

But only Tian Zhengguang knew that he wasn't a Great Demon King at all.

He had secretly sought out Wu Li for a practice match. Wu Li hadn't looked down on him for being a substitute player and had seriously played three games with him.

In those three games, Tian Zhengguang only scored a single point in total. After that, he never sought out Wu Li again.

He admitted that he had developed a mental block; he was afraid of Wu Li. Even though he had secured a spot this time and entered the main team, he didn't have the courage to play against Wu Li again.

When his spot was taken, he had acted exceptionally angry. But deep down, that weak soul had quietly breathed a sigh of relief, feeling a rare sense of ease.

Today, he had seen Wang Chao playing with all his might, to the point of looking like he was about to die at the end.

He saw Wang Chao desperately chasing points, stumbling as he ran, never giving up until the very last moment, even nearly defeating Wu Li in the fourth game.

Finally, he saw Wang Chao collapse on the floor, exhausted. Someone tried to help Wang Chao up, but Wang Chao just slid out of their grip like a dead fish.

That was truly…

He was playing with all his might…

At that moment, Tian Zhengguang's entire body trembled. A burning, stinging sensation spread through his chest, as if someone had plunged a steel needle deep into his weak soul.

He truly wasn't afraid of Wang Chao's retaliation.

He wasn't the type to admit fault easily.

He had played two matches against Wang Chao and lost both, but he still insisted he was right.

Only at that moment could he not lie to himself; he felt utterly crushed by Wang Chao.

Not technically.

But mentally.

He walked out of the stadium in a daze, lost and confused. He sat on a roadside stone for a very, very long time, until it was completely dark.

He felt that the original intention behind his training seemed fundamentally flawed.

He enjoyed playing against those weaker than him because winning felt truly joyful.

He had assumed losing must be unhappy.

However, when he saw Wang Chao desperately challenging an opponent he couldn't possibly defeat, only to be crushed in the end, he didn't feel pity for Wang Chao. Instead, he saw Wang Chao smiling, a brilliant smile.

He felt Wang Chao was radiating light!

"So, was I wrong from the very beginning?"

These complex emotions were naturally beyond the ability of a rough person like Tian Zhengguang to express in words.

After he finished speaking, he fell silent, smoking one cigarette after another.

Wang Chao also remained silent, sitting quietly with him, watching him smoke three cigarettes.

Tian Zhengguang reached for his cigarette pack and found it empty. He then stood up, crushed the last cigarette butt firmly under his foot, and casually tossed the crumpled, empty pack into the grass by the roadside.

He turned, stopped, and looked at Wang Chao, saying, "Goodbye then."

"Mm."

Wang Chao nodded. "Have a safe trip."

Tian Zhengguang stepped back, took three steps, and turned to leave. After taking just one step, he suddenly turned his head back and said earnestly, "Wang Chao, I'm sorry."

After saying that, as if he had used up all his courage, he ran off like a shot, his figure disappearing into the darkness, looking somewhat disheveled.