School Team Roster

Although Dongchuan Middle School had its own cafeteria for students to eat lunch in, not every student chose to eat there. After all, the infamous school cafeteria was practically a tradition at schools all across China. Just outside Dongchuan Middle School's gates, along that little street, there were restaurants converted from private homes. Walk a little farther, turn off that street and onto another road, and there were even more restaurants for students to choose from.

The school did not force students to eat in the cafeteria, either. This middle school did not operate under closed-campus management.

So when noon came around, quite a few students chose to leave campus and eat at the various little restaurants nearby.

The frugal ones had a bowl of noodles or rice noodles, while the lavish ones ordered a couple of stir-fried dishes.

Song Jiajia frowned at the bowl of luosifen in front of him, unable to pick up his chopsticks for a long while.

Hu Lai, sitting across from him, had his head down and was happily digging into his huge bowl. Slurp, slurp—he was sucking down the rice noodles. Gulp, gulp—he was drinking the broth. Out of everyone in the shop, nobody was enjoying their food more than him.

"Hey, Hu Lai. I'm treating today. Couldn't we eat something other than luosifen?"

"Why? Luosifen's delicious!" Hu Lai replied, finding a moment to look up.

"But when I smell this, all I can think of is you eating shit. And with all that slurping, it sounds like you're eating runny shit..." The moment Song Jiajia finished speaking, he felt a chill down the back of his neck, as though two murderous gazes had shot out from behind the kitchen counter.

Hearing that, Hu Lai stopped his chopsticks, pulled up the front of his school uniform, and sniffed it. Then he nodded, agreeing with Song Jiajia's description. "It really does smell like shit."

Song Jiajia felt the gaze at the back of his neck grow several degrees colder. He hurriedly lowered his head, held his breath, and began eating his luosifen.

He was afraid that if he did not start eating, the chef's knife would be at his throat.

But honestly, though it smelled like shit, it actually tasted pretty good... This sent Song Jiajia into a philosophical quandary: if a lump of shit smelled like chocolate and had the texture of chocolate when eaten, was it chocolate or shit? If it counted as chocolate, it was clearly still shit. But if it was shit, then what was the difference between it and chocolate?

Song Jiajia thought about this as he ate, emptying his mind. Maybe that was the only way he could pay less attention to the smell lingering around his nose...

After quickly finishing his rice noodles, Song Jiajia walked out of the luosifen shop and finally let out a long breath.

Then he tugged up the collar of his school uniform and sniffed it, saying in disgust, "Damn it, my clothes have picked up that shitty smell too..."

After saying that, he took off his school uniform and shook it out, as if that could shake the smell away.

"I still don't get it. Why did you insist on eating luosifen today?"

Hu Lai snorted. "Of course it's useful!"

"What use could it possibly have? Are you planning to fumigate Li Zhiqun? Sure, if you turn yourself into shit, people really won't dare step on you—but you'll still be shit..."

"What are you talking about, Fatty?" Hu Lai rolled his eyes at Song Jiajia, then swaggered toward Dongchuan Middle School's gates.

Some students who had finished eating were also heading back to school. Of course, even more people were still wandering around the street outside the gates. This was their precious lunch break, so they were in no hurry to return.

They had barely reached the school gates when they saw that the area in front of the notice board inside was already packed with people.

"Did the school team finally post the roster?" Relying on his height, Song Jiajia only had to rise slightly onto his toes to see what everyone was looking at.

The spot on the notice board was still completely blank, no different from before they had gone to eat.

"What? It's not up yet..." Song Jiajia was a little disappointed.

For every boy at Dongchuan Middle School who loved football, the roster of new school team recruits was the thing they cared about most. Who knew how many people had been too anxious to eat lunch properly—or had not eaten at all—and were waiting here instead.

Because of that, those people had secured better positions, without needing to stand on tiptoe or peer through gaps in the crowd.

"Come on, Fatty. Let's go claim a good spot." Hu Lai strode toward the notice board, flicking the hem of his school uniform as he went. A wave of shitty stench drifted out.

The smell wafted into Song Jiajia's nose. He frowned, held his breath as best he could, and followed Hu Lai forward.

"Not even a fly could squeeze in there. What good spot are you going to claim..."

He muttered behind Hu Lai.

Li Zhiqun was squeezed into the crowd, taking a bite of a filled bun while he waited.

This was his lunch.

To secure a good position, he had skipped lunch and gone to the convenience store outside the school gates to buy this chocolate-filled bun and a bottle of mineral water.

Even so, he had failed to claim one of the very front spots—some people were even more eager than he was. They had not even gone to buy lunch, simply waiting here on empty stomachs. So now, he could only stand squeezed among the crowd, eating his "lunch" as he waited.

Thinking that he would soon become a member of Dongchuan Middle School's football team made the simple chocolate-filled bun in his hand taste even sweeter.

Just then, Li Zhiqun suddenly caught a strange odor drifting over from behind him...

He frowned and sniffed, then nearly threw up!

He smelled shit!

"Damn, who the hell farted?!" he could not help shouting.

Then he turned around and saw Hu Lai walking in from outside the crowd.

He really did walk in, because the previously packed crowd actually parted on either side of him, voluntarily making a path for him!

And every person who gave way covered their nose and mouth, their faces full of revulsion and disgust...

As Hu Lai approached, Li Zhiqun realized that the foul stench was growing even stronger.

Seeing the smile on Hu Lai's face, he suddenly understood. Pointing at Hu Lai, he said, "Damn it, did you fall into a shit pit or something?!"

Hu Lai only smiled without replying. It was not until he reached Li Zhiqun that he opened his mouth and said, "Could you move aside?"

That breath blasted out of Hu Lai's mouth and slammed right into Li Zhiqun's face.

Caught completely off guard, Li Zhiqun inhaled a mouthful and nearly vomited up the chocolate bun he had just eaten... He hurriedly covered his mouth, then reflexively backed away.

"Thanks." Hu Lai turned and smiled at him again.

Li Zhiqun's response was, "Blech..."

Just like that, Hu Lai led Song Jiajia through the packed crowd as if walking on level ground, swaggering all the way to the front and claiming an excellent spot.

Song Jiajia turned to scan the classmates standing a step away from them, then turned back to Hu Lai. "Now I know why you ate snail rice noodles at lunch... If I hadn't eaten some too, I wouldn't even want to stand next to you."

With his arms folded, Hu Lai grinned at Song Jiajia. "See? I told you eating snail rice noodles would come in handy, didn't I?"

Song Jiajia tilted his head.

After Hu Lai and Song Jiajia passed through, the crowd that had parted gathered together again, like seawater surging back in after the tide had receded.

He looked down at the half-eaten bread still in his hand, but instead of its sweet aroma, all he could smell was that intense stench of shit from earlier...

Even the chocolate filling that had tasted so good now seemed like watery crap under the influence of that smell.

"Blech..."

He definitely wasn't going to be able to finish lunch today.

Furious, Li Zhiqun raised his head and glared murderously at Hu Lai's back ahead of him.

Then he snorted coldly to himself.

He had originally thought Hu Lai wouldn't dare come here to look at the list. He hadn't expected Hu Lai not only to come, but to make such a show of it.

Did he really think he could make the school team?

Impossible... How could he possibly make the school team? What kind of head coach would have to be out of his mind to select a useless filler like him for the school team...

They said our school team's coach was very capable. How could he possibly make such a mistake?

Heh heh, just wait until then. He would watch Hu Lai's face fall like he'd lost both parents! Then, in front of all these people, he'd make that fat bastard hand over a hundred yuan on the spot!

He'd get both the money and the glory. It would feel amazing!

At that thought, Li Zhiqun's mood finally improved.

Even the smell wafting from up ahead seemed a little more pleasant...

No... blech!

Li Qingqing had also arrived in front of the notice wall, but she couldn't squeeze her way in. The area before the wall was packed with people.

She had come after eating lunch in the school cafeteria, and it was already like this by the time she arrived.

She had no intention of forcing her way through anyway. Even if she didn't get inside, she would soon find out the results.

Standing outside the crowd, she craned her neck and looked around for Hu Lai.

But in the end, she didn't spot him.

Hadn't he come?

Had he finally calmed down and realized there was no way he could make the school team?

So he had chosen to run away from it.

Just as Li Qingqing was thinking this, a commotion broke out in the crowd. Everyone had spotted the school team's head coach, Li Ziqiang, entering their field of view.

He had a large roll of paper tucked beneath his arm.

Everyone's gaze immediately focused on that roll of paper.

Their burning stares seemed capable of setting it ablaze from a distance.

Li Ziqiang felt those gazes, but showed no reaction. Expressionless, he walked forward.

As he moved, the students standing in his path consciously stepped aside, opening a route straight to the notice wall.

With the notice tucked under his arm, Li Ziqiang walked through the crowd and stopped before the blank space on the notice wall.

Then he pasted the roll of paper onto the wall.

He started from the very top. So when the list was first put up, the paper remained curled, only slowly unfurling from top to bottom as Li Ziqiang worked.

At the top were two large characters: "Notice."

As Li Ziqiang continued, line after line of text was revealed:

"Following a comprehensive assessment of individual events and matches, sixteen first-year students have now been selected to join the Dongchuan Middle School football team. The students listed below are requested to gather at the stadium after school this afternoon. Do not be late.

The selected students are:

Luo Kai (Class 2, First Year), Mao Xiao (Class 8, First Year)..."

A burst of cheers rose from outside the crowd. Several people surrounded a tall boy, congratulating him one after another. "Mao Xiao, you really made the school team!"

"Well deserved! Well deserved!"

The tall boy surrounded by them smiled.

Although it had been confirmed that he had made the school team, he did not leave immediately. Instead, he stepped back out and remained standing outside.

"Going back to the classroom, Mao Xiao?" his companions asked.

But he shook his head. "No, wait a little longer."

"Wait for what?" his companions asked, puzzled.

"To see who my teammates are." Mao Xiao gazed at the list slowly unfolding in the distance.

Thanks to his height, it was no effort for him at all. He did not even need to stand on tiptoe.

Not only could he see the list, he could also see the slight figure standing at the front of the crowd.

A faint sense of anticipation stirred in his heart.

Luo Kai had not gone downstairs to join the commotion. Instead, he leaned over the railing and looked through the sealed glass curtain wall at the notice board packed with people below.

He did not care about the list, because he knew perfectly well that he would definitely make the school team. There was no suspense there. Since that was the case, why would he go down and squeeze in with those people? That would be far too beneath him. It did not fit his image.

What caught his attention was a familiar figure standing outside the crowd.

Li Qingqing.

Even from so far away, he spotted that beautiful, tall figure at a glance. Amid the dense crowd, she seemed to carry her own holy glow.

Logically, this list had nothing to do with her. Why was she there?

Was she also concerned about whether Hu Lai would make the school team?

She actually cared that much about him...

Why did she care so much about him?

Luo Kai pressed his entire weight against the railing, his eyes fixed fiercely on that shining figure.

Everyone gathered beneath the notice board stared intently at the names appearing on the list.

Cheers rang out from time to time, from people who had found their own names on it.

Li Zhiqun was also in the crowd, staring at the list. Among the names that had already appeared, he had not found his own.

But when he saw that Brother Kai was listed first, he figured the rankings must be based on the test results. He had been injured during the match, and that would definitely affect his final score, so he did not expect to rank near the top. As long as his name appeared on the list, that was enough—even if he was the very last one.

So he waited patiently, full of hope.

Whenever a new name appeared, he silently compared it to his own in his head.

But it was never his.

There were not many names—sixteen in total. Three names per row, and six rows displayed them all.

He was not on the first row, nor the second. Still not on the third...

Not on the fourth either.

The fifth row slowly unfolded before everyone.

"Hahaha! I made it! I made the school team!" someone suddenly roared excitedly beside Li Zhiqun.

Li Zhiqun frowned. He thought the person beside him was far too noisy, getting carried away with himself.

It was only the school team. Why was he so excited? Anyone who did not know better would think he had gotten into Tsinghua or Peking University on the college entrance exam.

So frivolous!

He snorted inwardly and turned his attention back to the list.

All the names on the fifth row had appeared, but his was still nowhere to be seen.

Could he really be the last one?

For no reason at all, Li Zhiqun began to panic.

As names appeared one after another, those selected cheered excitedly and left, opening numerous gaps in the once impenetrable wall of people.

Li Qingqing slowly made her way in from the outside. Now she could get closer to the notice and see the names on it more clearly.

She tilted her head up slightly, feeling nervous.

She completely failed to notice her father, who was putting up the notice, turn and cast a meaningful glance in her direction.

"Hey, Hu Lai, still no sign of you..." Song Jiajia whispered to Hu Lai, his tone thick with worry.

"Stay calm, Fatty. It's not over yet, is it?" Hu Lai said.

"This is the last one..." But Song Jiajia had no confidence at all, and even his voice became noticeably weaker.

Hu Lai turned to look at Song Jiajia. "Well, Fatty, I'll always remember our friendship! Please accept my condolences..."

But in his field of vision, Song Jiajia's expression had frozen. Then the fat on his face began to tremble uncontrollably... and not just his face—his whole body was shaking!

"Hu Lai..." Even his voice trembled.

Seeing him like that, Hu Lai hurriedly said with a miserable expression, "Fatty, I really can't come up with a hundred yuan. When I have money later, then I'll—"

"Hu Lai! You made it! You made it!!!" Song Jiajia suddenly roared, pointing at the notice. "You're the last one!!"

Hu Lai turned back and immediately saw the sole name on the last row of the list:

Hu Lai (Class 2, First Year)