How Long Can He Last?

"Push forward! Push forward! Keep running after you pass! Move! Don't just stand there kicking the ball! Where'd you pick up that bad habit?!"

Li Ziqiang's booming voice echoed across the pitch.

After the novelty of the first week wore off, noticeably fewer people gathered around the field to watch training. Aside from those who genuinely liked football, the rest were mostly Luo Kai's fans.

Li Qingqing and Song Jiajia came to watch Hu Lai train every time.

Song Jiajia always carried two phones with him, though, and most of the time, he sat beside Li Qingqing, engrossed in gaming on one of them.

After a week, Hu Lai was still doing basic training by himself, but he no longer needed Yan Yan constantly guiding him. Other than passing and receiving drills, where Yan Yan still had to pair up with him, Hu Lai could handle everything else alone, including dribbling through cones.

Li Qingqing turned her gaze toward Hu Lai.

She didn't know if it was just her imagination, but Hu Lai's movements seemed smoother and more practiced than they had been a week ago.

Of course, training would definitely make someone different from before they started, but wasn't this change happening a little too quickly?

It was so fast that Li Qingqing felt it had to be an illusion—how could Hu Lai improve that quickly?

She smiled and shook her head. She had to be worrying about Hu Lai too much, which was why she had this misconception.

Her father was right. He was still a blank sheet of paper.

A blank sheet was easy to paint on, but producing a good painting still took time. She couldn't expect an artist to create a masterpiece in one stroke.

She shifted her attention slightly away from Hu Lai and toward the team, which was conducting full-squad drills.

Her father was leading them through attacking pattern drills.

Just yesterday, her father had gone to the provincial capital, Brocade City, to attend the draw for the Andong Province qualifiers for the National Middle School Football Championship, as well as the Andong Province Andong Cup Middle School Football Championship.

Starting this weekend, Andong Province's national tournament qualifiers would kick off. They would continue until before winter break, when all the qualifiers would be completed and a single place in next spring's national tournament would be decided.

It was a spot every football-loving teenager dreamed of.

Li Qingqing knew that Dongchuan Middle School had specifically hired her father as coach to achieve that goal.

But because of the last-minute coaching change, everyone was pressed for time. Recruitment had been delayed, and there was little time left for the whole team to train together. With such rushed preparations, the team was about to face a major tournament, and the person they could currently rely on was another of her classmates.

Standing on the grandstand and looking down, Li Qingqing could see clearly that Luo Kai was the undisputed core of the attacking tactics her father was building.

Everyone had to revolve around that core.

Of course, Luo Kai was qualified to be that core.

Even by Li Qingqing's standards, Luo Kai was exceptionally good among players his age.

Facing the incoming ball and pressure from a defender, Luo Kai feinted as if he were going to move up and receive it. But when the football rolled over, he suddenly stepped back and turned, fooling the defender into lunging at empty air before easily taking the ball that had slipped through.

After turning around, Luo Kai did not even take a touch. He immediately swung his leg, using the momentum of his turn to unleash a powerful shot.

The football flew toward the goal like a cannonball leaving its barrel.

"This ball..." Goalkeeper Meng Xi, stationed in front of the goal, had only gotten halfway through his movement when the football had already flown into the net he was guarding.

"...is mine." By the time he finally finished the sentence, the football had already bounced several times on the ground inside the goal behind him.

What had originally been a declaration of ownership instead sounded like him voluntarily taking responsibility for conceding the goal...

After scoring, Luo Kai clenched his fist and gave it a hard pump, seemingly celebrating the goal.

Even though it was merely a goal during attacking drills, not an actual match.

As expected, cheers rose from the sidelines.

While pumping his fist in celebration, Luo Kai also looked toward the grandstand, locking onto that tall, slender figure.

She was not hard to spot. Li Qingqing's height and bearing made her stand out too much among the crowd.

He did not know what had happened between Li Qingqing and Hu Lai, nor did he care why Li Qingqing had grown so close to Hu Lai. He was certain of only one thing: Li Qingqing liked football.

She silently watched from the sidelines at every training session.

Since she liked football, she should know very well who performed best on the pitch, and who was worthy of being entrusted with hopes and feelings.

Other than him, Luo Kai, was there anyone else?

No.

Luo Kai had no intention of being as stupid as Li Zhiqun and going directly to cause trouble for Hu Lai, even though he was increasingly sick of that arrogant little brat. If he really did that, though, he would only be lowering himself and giving Hu Lai face.

He would win back the goddess in his heart in his own way.

Through football.

He believed that if Li Qingqing truly understood football, she would definitely see his efforts. She would not let him down.

And Hu Lai?

That clumsy fool was actually the perfect foil for him.

They said red flowers needed green leaves to set them off, but Hu Lai was not even fit to be a green leaf. He could only be dirt.

Behind his dashing figure as he pumped his fist, the "green leaf," Meng Xi, angrily punched the artificial turf of the school field. "Fuck!"

"I don't know why, but I just feel like Luo Kai seems especially fired up..." During a break in training, Yan Yan chatted with Chu Yifan about the team's star player.

Chu Yifan smiled. "You were worried he'd come into the team and throw his weight around. Isn't this pretty good now? If he's training this seriously, how can anyone else be embarrassed enough to slack off?"

Yan Yan looked in Luo Kai's direction and sighed. "He really is strong... So strong that I feel like he shouldn't even be at an ordinary high school. He should be at a professional football academy, or in a club's youth team."

"If it weren't for the National Middle School Football Championship reforms five years ago, someone like him probably would have gone into a youth team," Chu Yifan said. "I think our country has really made up its mind to develop football properly. People have been talking about school football for years, but it always ended up being just a formality. Throw together some 'football exercises' and call it school football. It's completely different now. Middle school football competitions across the country are becoming more and more well-known... I heard professional clubs will even be attending this year's national tournament to scout prospects for their youth teams. Luo Kai and the others really were born in the right era."

"You caught it too, Captain Chu," Yan Yan said.

Chu Yifan smiled and shook his head. "I only caught the tail end of it."

"That's still better than not catching it at all."

Chu Yifan did not intend to keep discussing the matter with Yan Yan, so he took the initiative to change the subject. "By the way, how's that Hu Lai you're responsible for doing?"

"He's improved, but that's about it. I don't think he'll have any chance to play in this tournament..." Yan Yan thought for a moment, then corrected himself. "No, I don't think he'll get any playing time at all during his three years of high school. We have thirty-six people now. No matter how you rotate the lineup, it'll never be his turn. Honestly, I don't even know why the coach recruited him..."

Chu Yifan turned to look in Hu Lai's direction.

It was a break in training, and everyone else was resting, but that kid did not get the same treatment. The coach had personally dragged him off to train.

They were doing passing and receiving drills. The coach passed the ball to Hu Lai, who had to bring each pass under control before passing it back.

With a dull thud, the coach kicked the football toward Hu Lai.

The sound could be heard clearly even from far away, showing just how much force the coach had put into that pass.

Ten meters away from the coach, Hu Lai lifted his foot to trap the ball as Yan Yan had taught him before. But when the football struck his boot, it was as though it had hit an iron plate. The ball still rebounded ten meters away and landed back at the coach's feet.

Then, the very next second, everyone on the field heard the coach roar, "Was that a trap and a pass all in one motion? What the hell was that?! You trapped the ball ten meters away! Do you think a football pitch is some vast grassland? Is there not a single person within ten meters of you? Again!"

Then came another bang!

Chu Yifan withdrew his gaze and exchanged a look with Yan Yan.

This was not the first time they had seen something like this. Many people had even grown used to it. The new coach was strict, and he usually looked fierce. Whenever they made mistakes during training, he never held back when yelling at them.

But everyone could still tell that the coach treated them differently from the way he treated Hu Lai.

When he scolded the other players, it was at least because they had made mistakes in training and deserved to be reprimanded.

But when he scolded Hu Lai, it seemed like he did not need any reason at all. If he wanted to curse at him, he simply did.

Take that pass, for example. Everyone could see that the coach had put far too much power into it. At a distance of ten meters, it was practically impossible to control the ball properly. Even Luo Kai would have found it difficult to stop it at his feet.

Of course, sending the ball ten meters away with a trap was indeed pretty terrible. But considering Hu Lai was a complete beginner, the coach's demands seemed a little too harsh...

At first, Hu Lai had tried to defend himself, saying the coach's pass had been too powerful. But after being harshly berated, he was given extra punishment as well. So now Hu Lai no longer argued. Whatever the coach said went.

"I have a bold theory," Yan Yan said. "Maybe Hu Lai offended the coach somehow..."

"Don't talk nonsense." Chu Yifan waved a hand. "The coach didn't know him before this, did he?"

"Otherwise, I really can't explain why our coach looks at Hu Lai like he's looking at an enemy. This isn't training him—it's abuse..." Yan Yan spread his hands. "I'm starting to agree with what those first-year students said. This kid will probably regret being selected for the school team."

"I told you, that kid would regret joining the school team sooner or later."

A short distance away from Chu Yifan and Yan Yan, quite a few first-year players who had recently joined the team were gathered together. Their attention had also been drawn by the commotion on the training field.

Someone in the crowd said this, and it immediately earned agreement from many others.

"Honestly, I'm starting to feel sorry for him. Think about how thrilled he was when he first joined the team..."

"Yeah. Our coach is really terrifying. Even when he just stands there silently staring at me, my heart pounds. Let alone getting yelled at like that..."

"Hey, how about we start a betting pool? Bet on when that kid will quit the team on his own. I don't think he'll last very long..."

The suggestion quickly drew support from the others.

"Good idea! I don't think he can make it either. Forget him—if it were me, I wouldn't even last a week after being yelled at like that..."

"Then I bet he won't show up next week!"

"Be more confident. I bet he won't show up tomorrow!"

"Pfft!"

"You guys are going too far. I think he can probably hold on for another two weeks. Once the qualifiers start and he realizes he has no chance of getting on the field, I think he'll quit the team..."

Luo Kai sat among the group, quietly listening to his teammates' discussion without offering an opinion.

Still, he was more than happy to see Hu Lai leave the team.

Because if Hu Lai really could not hold on and quit, wouldn't that prove to Li Qingqing that she had entrusted the wrong person? Once she saw what kind of person Hu Lai really was, Luo Kai believed Li Qingqing would definitely come back to his side.

Luo Kai firmly believed that his footballing ability would win the goddess's favor.

Li Qingqing stood on the grandstand. Beside her, Song Jiajia had already sat down cross-legged on the ground, his head lowered as he played intently on his phone.

Even the roar just now had only made him lift his head briefly before he returned his attention to his mobile game.

Li Qingqing frowned as she stared at Hu Lai and her father.

She knew exactly what kind of coach her father was. Demanding, ruthless, and severe—among many players he had trained, he could only be called a "devil coach."

But Li Qingqing knew that this strictness was good for the players being trained.

Her father had developed many outstanding players, which proved his ability.

He was fierce, and he did not speak pleasantly, but his training truly worked.

So you absolutely had to hold on, Hu Lai. Don't lose heart. No matter how uncomfortable you felt inside, no matter how exhausted your body was, you had to keep going.

As long as you endured it, I believed you would definitely see a rainbow!

PS: "High Official Cup" looked too awkward, so I decided to change them all.

It would simply be called the "Andong Cup."

This was hereby explained.