New Mission

Dongchuan Middle School was not a boarding school, but many students still stayed on campus at noon. After all, this high school drew the best students from all over East River City rather than enrolling by proximity, so some students who lived far away did not go home for lunch.

Dongchuan Middle School clearly understood this, so it had opened a cafeteria on campus specifically to provide lunch for the students.

On ordinary days, students who had finished lunch either took a nap in the classroom or did their homework. There would be some people on the field, but never many.

Today, however, was different. The stadium stands were packed, and the sidelines below were crowded as well. It was extremely lively.

Everyone knew that today was the school football team's recruitment trial.

The boys who liked football, along with the girls who liked boys who liked football, had all gathered at the stadium.

"...Even so, isn't there way too many people here...?" Standing in the stands, Li Qingqing looked at the packed crowd around her. She was a little dazed, as though she had arrived at a professional match.

"That's because everyone knows Luo Kai is taking part in today's recruitment trial."

Standing beside her, Song Jiajia used his size to squeeze out enough space for two people, making things less crowded around Li Qingqing. But the two girls he had shoved behind him were very displeased. After looking at Song Jiajia's build, though, they could only roll their eyes furiously. They did not dare say anything and could only grumble inwardly.

This fat guy's arms were almost thicker than their waists... Not someone they could mess with.

As soon as Song Jiajia finished speaking, a wave of cheers rose from the stands. "Luo Kai—!!!"

Even the two girls behind him became excited and screamed along, "Is Luo Kai out yet?!"

Below the stands, Luo Kai emerged in his football kit, wearing a yellow training bib and dribbling a football as he came onto the field to warm up.

It was as though he possessed some kind of magic—every step he took drew another burst of cheers from the stands.

Li Qingqing looked around in surprise. "When did Luo Kai become this famous?"

She already knew that Luo Kai was very popular in their class, but judging by this scene, it felt as though half the girls in the school had become his fans...

"Our class keeps playing matches against other classes, so naturally Luo Kai's name spread around," Song Jiajia explained. "And he's handsome, too."

"I see." Li Qingqing nodded, then shifted her gaze away from Luo Kai and toward the other side.

She saw that thin, frail figure.

He was warming up according to the methods she usually taught him.

Most people's understanding of warming up was still limited to stretching their chests, twisting their waists, loosening their ankles, and stretching their legs.

Among all those people, Hu Lai, who had learned professional warm-up methods from Li Qingqing, stood out conspicuously—it made the boys warming up the old-fashioned way look like a bunch of country bumpkins...

Li Zhiqun walked over to Hu Lai and clicked his tongue. "Stop struggling, Hu Lai. You won't make the team."

Hu Lai glanced at him. "Li Zhiqun, the match is about to start. You're wandering around here without warming up. Aren't you afraid you'll get injured during the game or something?"

Li Zhiqun chuckled. "You can get injured in a match like this?"

Hearing that, Hu Lai chuckled as well. He said nothing more and continued seriously performing the warm-up exercises Li Qingqing had taught him.

Li Zhiqun snorted at the sight, cursed him inwardly for putting on airs, then headed toward Luo Kai. "Brother Kai..."

The warm-up did not last long. When Li Ziqiang walked onto the field and blew his whistle, all the students taking part in the trial match gathered together.

Li Ziqiang began calling names, assigning those called to one team.

The students assigned to that team stepped out and stood to one side.

Then he continued calling names and formed another team.

In this way, eight teams were formed in total, with eleven people on each team. Every team had a number, from Team One to Team Eight.

Li Zhiqun was on Team One, while Luo Kai was on Team Two. Li Zhiqun was a little disappointed that he had not ended up on the same team as Brother Kai, but when he turned and saw Hu Lai was also on Team One, he immediately broke into a grin.

The teammates on Team One were assigning positions.

Hu Lai raised his hand and stood on tiptoe. "I'm a forward!"

"Don't listen to him. He's no forward!" Li Zhiqun's voice rang out. Under everyone's gaze, he walked into the circle, pointed at Hu Lai, and said to the others, "He's in my class. I know exactly what he's capable of. Back when our class had just formed its football team, he claimed he was a forward too. He even bragged that he'd been the starting forward and captain of his middle school team. We were naive, so we believed him. But the moment he got on the field, he was exposed... Some school team captain—he couldn't play football at all! He couldn't even score into an open net!"

Li Zhiqun vividly described how Hu Lai had wasted a golden chance at an empty goal right in front of him. When he got to the part where Hu Lai had actually slapped at the football with his hand and knocked it into his own face, loud laughter erupted from the team.

"Then let him play defense..." someone suggested.

But Li Zhiqun immediately objected. "No. Putting him in defense is no different from suicide. Believe it or not, he could score an own goal for us."

"But we can't exactly keep him off the field, can we? There are only eleven of us. We don't have any substitutes..." The person who had made the suggestion looked troubled.

Li Zhiqun said, "Let him play fullback. Even if he messes up on the flank, at least it won't directly threaten our goal."

Thus, Hu Lai's position was decided: left fullback.

Hu Lai was not left-footed, of course, but that did not matter. No one expected him to contribute anything in the match. As long as he did not cause trouble, that was enough...

Naturally, Hu Lai could refuse the arrangement, but then he would have to leave the field and not take part in the trial.

That would be the same as voluntarily giving up his chance to join the team.

Hu Lai clearly understood that, so he did not storm off in anger—perhaps that was exactly what Li Zhiqun wanted.

Seeing Hu Lai, Li Zhiqun walked over and said earnestly, "Hu Lai, as a classmate, I'm doing this for your own good. You don't want to embarrass yourself in front of so many people, do you?"

He pointed at the packed stands.

Compared to that match during PE class back then, today's spectacle was on a whole other level.

Hu Lai smiled with complete sincerity. "Well then, thank you to your entire family and all eighteen generations of your ancestors, Li Zhiqun!"

How could Li Zhiqun fail to understand what Hu Lai meant? But seeing himself as the victor now, he couldn't be bothered to argue with Hu Lai. He merely snorted and ran ahead—he was the first team's forward in this match.

A sudden burst of cheers erupted from the stands. Li Zhiqun knew that Brother Kai must have come onto the field.

Sure enough, when he looked up, he saw Luo Kai running in from the sidelines. The rest of the second team was beside him, but those cheers definitely weren't for them.

They all more or less understood that too. They hung far behind, letting Luo Kai walk alone at the very front of the group.

A confident smile rested on his face as he made his way toward the center circle with steady steps.

There, Chu Yifan, the school team captain serving as the match referee, was already waiting with a whistle in hand.

Amid the cheers, he smiled at the approaching Luo Kai. "You really are something to envy, Luo Kai."

Luo Kai maintained his smile and replied politely, "Some of those cheers are for Captain Chu too."

As if on cue, the cheering from the sidelines grew even louder.

Not every student was interested in football. Those who had originally planned to nap at their desks during the lunch break angrily rose from their seats and turned to glare in the direction of the field.

Thunderous cheers and screams carried clearly from that direction.

"Now this is the kind of scene that belongs in a novel, manga, or idol drama." Song Jiajia stood in the stands, speaking with a mocking tone.

Li Qingqing glanced at Song Jiajia before asking, "Didn't you say you didn't like football?"

"I don't like football."

"Then what did you come here for?"

"I came to watch Hu Lai run into a brick wall. Then he can finally give up and come play PUBG with me!" Song Jiajia shifted his gaze toward the figure in the red training bib.

Like the other players on the field, his deskmate was staring toward the center circle, where Chu Yifan and Luo Kai stood.

Seeing Hu Lai's dumbstruck expression, Song Jiajia let out a hard snort through his nose.

Amid the rising and falling, ear-splitting cheers, Hu Lai remained unmoved. Li Zhiqun glanced back at him and saw Hu Lai staring blankly toward the center circle.

Li Zhiqun sneered inwardly.

Scared stupid by Brother Kai's popularity, huh?

And this guy dared to be all sarcastic around Brother Kai every day... Who knew where he got the nerve!

What Li Zhiqun didn't know was that Hu Lai hadn't been scared stupid by the spectacle. He had been stunned by the mission the system had just issued.

Just half a minute ago, when the cheers exploded over the field, Hu Lai's system—which had been playing dead and hibernating for a long time—finally issued another new mission.

Mission: Score three goals in this match and complete a hat trick. Mission rewards: [Marrow-Cleansing Potion] ×1, Mysterious Gift Pack ×1, Points ×3000.