This Works Too?!

Li Zhiqun left the field, leaving the first team one forward short.

Hu Lai had already scored two goals. No matter how he had scored them, it seemed he should no longer remain at left back.

Unless they genuinely wanted to lose to the second team led by Luo Kai.

So the first team made a simple personnel adjustment, pushing Hu Lai, who had originally been playing left back, up to the forward line.

At last, he no longer had to waste stamina running back and forth.

But because of that, a defender appeared beside him.

A tall second-team defender stood next to Hu Lai, looked down at him, and smiled. "Classmate, you're really lucky."

This guy was truly tall. Hu Lai had to tilt his head back just to see his expression. He really wanted to ask how tall the other man was, but first he had to correct his misconception. "I'm not relying on luck. I'm relying on skill!"

Even Hu Lai himself felt his luck had been ridiculously good. He had found two unmarked spaces at the far post in a row, but how could he show weakness in front of an opponent? Even if it really was dumb luck, he had to call it his own hard strength.

The big guy clearly did not listen to Hu Lai's explanation. He simply said with a smile, "But your good luck ends here, classmate."

Seeing that there was no reasoning with him, Hu Lai rolled his eyes.

The big defender had been right. Once he started marking Hu Lai specifically, Hu Lai's "good luck" came to an end.

He could still run to where the ball would land, but under the big man's close marking, he could not hold onto the ball at all.

Sometimes he would run into open space and his teammates would send the ball over, but just as he was about to receive it, the other player would give him a light bump. He would lose his balance and possession along with it.

Sometimes he spotted open space and ran toward it, but before his teammates could pass him the ball, the big guy had already blocked him off from it.

"Hey, what's going on?" Song Jiajia asked Li Qingqing beside him in the stands.

Li Qingqing shook her head and said somewhat helplessly, "Hu Lai's talent did play a part in those first two goals, but it was also because no one had paid attention to him or marked him specifically at the time. It's different now. Someone is following him step for step, so it's hard for him to get the ball again."

In the end, his fundamental ability was still lacking. Talent alone was far from enough in football. The targeted special training from before could only improve his coordination a little. Expecting him to become a qualified player in less than a month was simply wishful thinking...

She worriedly turned her gaze toward her father. In her dad's eyes, Hu Lai had probably been exposed for what he really was, hadn't he?

Li Ziqiang showed no emotional reaction after seeing Hu Lai's performance.

Because he had expected this long ago.

Put simply, aside from his excellent off-the-ball movement, the kid had nothing else going for him. Being able to poach two goals was already heaven showing him exceptional favor.

He was still far, far away from being a player who met Li Ziqiang's standards.

That second team center back, however, was worth paying attention to. He had not underestimated his opponent just because Hu Lai was much weaker than him. Even now, he was still following him step for step, marking him thoroughly. His attitude toward the match was beyond reproach. He looked big and tall, but he was not clumsy at all, which was especially rare for a center back.

Li Ziqiang remembered that this player had previously been responsible for marking the first-team player who had left the field injured. He had defended well too, barely allowing his opponent any chances. The two goals conceded had nothing to do with him.

He was another excellent prospect.

Li Ziqiang found the defender's name in his notebook:

Mao Xiao.

He drew a circle around the name, which meant Mao Xiao had all but been selected for the school team.

Luo Kai received the same treatment. His name had already been circled—when he scored his third goal.

With Hu Lai being marked so tightly by Mao Xiao that he could not even get the ball, Luo Kai scored another three goals for the second team. That brought his total to six in this trial match, which was merely a formality for him: two hat tricks.

Cheers erupted from the stands, and hardly anyone was still discussing Hu Lai's luck.

After briefly becoming the center of attention, Hu Lai quickly faded from the spotlight again. He still was not the protagonist of this stage.

"Well, he did score two goals at least. I think Hu Lai can rest easy now." Song Jiajia shrugged. Even someone like him, who did not know much about football, could tell that Hu Lai's two goals alone would not be enough to impress the coach and earn him a spot on the school team.

Li Qingqing sighed inwardly as well.

Hu Lai scoring two goals in today's match had already far exceeded expectations, but he was probably still a long way from being selected for the school team.

She had originally trained Hu Lai so he could cram at the last minute before the school team's recruitment, but now she was considering whether to keep teaching him football. She was now one hundred percent certain that Hu Lai had talent—very remarkable talent. All he needed was long-term training.

Li Qingqing thought that if they trained for another year and Hu Lai tried out again when the school team recruited new players next year, his chances of making the team should increase greatly, right?

She saw Hu Lai making impatient movements on the field. She understood exactly how he must be feeling right now. He had to be unwilling to accept this, didn't he?

Li Qingqing began seriously considering how she should comfort and encourage Hu Lai after he failed to make the school team this time, so that he could pull himself together again.

Hu Lai really was anxious.

There were only about five minutes left before the match ended, yet he had still only scored two goals. He was one goal away from completing the mission.

Perhaps some people thought scoring two goals through dumb luck was already impressive enough. An ordinary person might have been happy, and even if he failed to make the school team, he might console himself by saying, "A glorious defeat," or "A defeat to be proud of."

But Hu Lai would not think that way.

Making the school team was certainly important, but what he wanted more right now was the mission reward.

If he could not complete a hat trick, then even scoring two goals earlier would be meaningless. It would be no different from scoring none at all.

How could completing a hat trick be so easy?

The big guy had completely stuck to him. Under that tight marking, he could barely even hold onto the ball. How was he supposed to score a third?

It wasn't as if Hu Lai hadn't tried to figure something out. He had attempted all kinds of moves to shake him off—for instance, running inward before suddenly changing direction and cutting outside, hoping to fool the big guy.

But the results had been minimal. Either the big guy stayed right beside him no matter where he ran, using his physical advantage to squeeze him away.

Or Hu Lai finally managed to fool him, only for his teammates not to pass him the ball.

Opportunities vanished in an instant. Once they were gone, they were gone.

The spectators also knew there was very little time left in the match, which meant they did not have much time left to watch Luo Kai perform.

So a perfectly synchronized chant rose from the stands: "Luo Kai, score one! Luo Kai, score one!"

Amid the chants from the entire stadium, Luo Kai received the ball near the edge of Team One's penalty area, cut across, and took a shot.

But his shot was blocked by a Team One defender with his body.

The cheers in the stands turned into regretful sighs.

Luo Kai saw the football fly behind him, but he did not chase after it—he was a forward, and defending was not his job to begin with. Besides, the match was almost over. He wanted to slack off a little.

After scoring six goals in one match, surely he was entitled to that privilege?

He watched the football fall at the feet of a Team One player. After taking it forward a few steps, that player was marked by a Team Two defender.

Seeing this, Luo Kai decided to stay up front and wait for his teammates to win the ball back and send it over. If he ran back, wouldn't Team Two's attack lose its focal point?

He figured Team One's attack would not last much longer.

And that seemed to be exactly the case. Under pressure, the Team One player with the ball hurriedly sent it forward.

The football rose into the air, sailing toward Team Two's penalty area as a high ball.

Although Team One players were chasing after it, in many people's eyes, Team One's attack had already come to an end.

Because Hu Lai was the one sprinting at the front to receive the ball.

That guy who was good for nothing except getting lucky, who had just been exposed for what he really was in the match.

The tall defender beside him showed no sign of relaxing. He charged toward the ball alongside Hu Lai, still staying glued to him.

Next to that towering figure, Hu Lai looked pitiful and small. No one believed he could snatch a shooting opportunity from the feet of such an outstanding center back.

What was more, Team Two's goalkeeper had moved a little off his line, cutting off Hu Lai's possible shooting angles—even if Hu Lai somehow got a chance to shoot under that tall defender's marking, there would be no angle left.

But Hu Lai paid no attention to any of that—or rather, he had no time to. He sprinted desperately toward the landing spot, then stretched his left foot forward before the defender could close in, seemingly intending to bring the ball under control.

Even Li Ziqiang, watching this, had to admire Hu Lai's ability to judge where the ball would land. He had accurately read the landing point, something Mao Xiao could not match.

But merely judging the landing point was not enough.

Mao Xiao had not lost position. He was right behind Hu Lai. As long as Hu Lai brought the ball down, he could stick to him and deny Hu Lai any chance to shoot.

If a defender could do that much, he was already good enough to be called outstanding.

From the stands, Li Qingqing saw Hu Lai preparing to control the ball, and an uncontrollable thought surfaced in her mind—what would I do in his situation?

I could cushion the ball down, then use the momentum to cut past the defender rushing in. He definitely wouldn't expect that. Once I got past him, I could shoot.

But that probably wouldn't work for Hu Lai...

Because Li Qingqing knew Hu Lai could not control this ball.

A high ball coming from behind was the hardest kind to bring down. Even Li Qingqing could not say she would control it perfectly one hundred percent of the time, much less Hu Lai.

Based on what she knew of Hu Lai's ability, it would already be good if he did not knock the ball straight out over the end line...

If I were Hu Lai, I'd just shoot directly. Take a wild swing—maybe it would go in?

As that thought crossed Li Qingqing's mind, her gaze at Hu Lai grew intense.

Don't overthink it. Just shoot, Hu Lai!

She shouted desperately in her heart.

But when she saw Hu Lai's toes raised high, disappointment filled her—he was setting up to control the ball. That was absolutely not the way to shoot directly, with the instep locked straight...

She bit down hard on her lower lip, completely unaware of the pain.

The football dropped, and Hu Lai raised his left leg.

Team Two's goalkeeper, who had come out to close down the angle, spread his arms wide to cover more space.

Just as Li Qingqing had expected, the falling football struck the top of Hu Lai's raised left foot. With no cushioning at all, his foot failed to stop the ball and instead kicked it back upward.

The moment Hu Lai felt the football touch his foot, he knew he had failed to control it.

Damn...

That thought had barely surfaced when the football suddenly filled his vision!

Then everything went black before his eyes, and stars burst across his vision.

It all happened in the blink of an eye. He did not even have time to dodge.

The football rebounded and smashed straight into Hu Lai's face, hitting dead center!

The force sent Hu Lai's entire body arching backward, while the football flew off in the opposite direction.

If one looked closely, when the football left Hu Lai's face, some unidentified liquid seemed to spray out with it...

The second team's goalkeeper, who had rushed out, did not react to any of this at all. When the football sailed high over his head and dropped in a parabola toward the goal behind him, he was still standing there with his arms spread wide to cover more area, utterly helpless against the ball directly above him...

The football quickly vanished from his sight and fell into the goal behind him, like the sun sinking into the sea.

In front of him, Hu Lai was already falling backward at an angle, collapsing face-up onto the ground as red liquid sprayed into the air.

Mao Xiao, who had tracked back, witnessed this bizarre scene from the closest possible distance.

The center back, who had played steadily and brilliantly throughout the match, could do nothing about any of it. Other than stare helplessly, there was nothing he could do.

He never would have imagined that this short guy's luck could be this absurdly powerful—he could score even like this!

This! Worked?!

As Hu Lai, whose vision was still dark, slammed solidly onto the ground, he heard a pleasant voice ring out in his mind:

"Hat trick completed. Mission complete. Received mission rewards: 3,000 points, one [Marrow-Cleansing Potion], and one [Mystery Gift Pack]."