Chapter 5 (1/2)
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Zhongzhou, Middle Street, building No. 425, High School Soccer magazine headquarters.
The last few years had seen greater government support in promoting soccer for youths on a national level. It was so successful that it could be considered a revolution in itself, gaining more and more attention over the years. It received so much attention that new magazines catering only to youth soccer sprouted all over the country, and Luoyang’s High School Soccer was one of them. Being the earliest of its kind in the region, High School Soccer spearheaded the charge and quickly became the most popular sports magazine in Henan.
“Little Chen, heading out again?” said the voice of a fat, elderly man.
The young man, whose name had been called was just about to exit the office. He then turned around to answer his superior.
“Yes, chief. I just got back not too long ago, but I’m heading out again to try and get more information. With the Nationals coming soon, we don’t want to be missing out on anything now, do we?” Chen Huafeng answered.
“I really envy you, youngsters. Good job. So, where are you heading to today?” Chief Editor Liu Yang chuckled.
“Shu Guang High.”
“Huh? Where?” A person looked up over a pile of paperwork on his desk. He pushed his glasses up with a finger before continuing, “There’s nothing that you can possibly get from that school. They’ve never made it to the second round of the qualifiers every year. That school is a journalist’s dead-end!” The man speaking was Zhou Peng, the editor in charge of the magazine’s new division in Luoyang.
The chief nodded and said, “Little Chen, you’re new here, so maybe you don’t know this. Shu Guang High is no more than a supporting actor in the world of high school soccer.”
“Chief, you’re giving them too much credit! I say they’re just extras!” said Sun Liang Liang from the artwork team.
“Wow, you guys can’t be serious!”
“Nope! We’re absolutely serious!” Zhou Peng said as he shook his head.
“Let me say this,” Sun Liang Liang spoke before hitting his hand on the table, “if they make it into the second round of qualifiers this year, I’ll buy everyone here lunch!” he said it loudly in a mocking manner, and everybody else in the office looked up from their desks.
Chen Huafeng, who was rather offended by his actions, then replied, “Fine! I’ll play this game with you! If Shu Guang High gets eliminated right after the first round of qualifiers, it’ll be my treat instead!” And with that, he walked out of the office.
…
“Today’s training will involve trying to score while running,” Liang Ke told the team.
“Scoring?” An Ke had a bad feeling about this. “Then…” he mumbled as he looked around in search of someone.
“Don’t worry, Yang Pan is in top shape today. He’s not absent or late,” Zhang Jun said. He was standing just right next to him.
An Ke felt annoyed for being easily read and decided to humiliate Zhang Jun later during training. He would make sure that he did not score at all.
Zhang Jun once again poked at his pride by saying, “You’re afraid of Yang Pan’s shooting aren’t you?”
“Wh-who’s afraid of that? Me? You must be joking!” An Ke replied with a stutter.
“To be honest, there’s nothing shameful in admitting that you’re afraid of Yang Pan’s scoring.”
“Just watch me block his shots later!” An Ke replied angrily.
Zhang Jun did not mind An Ke’s tone. He remembered how he blocked Yang Pan’s first shot the other day. “He may just be able to pull it off,” he said to himself.
After a brief warm-up, An Ke put on his gloves and stood in front of the goal. The memory of Yang Pan’s shot kept replaying in his head as he repeatedly checked his gloves to see if they fit.
The first one up was a third-year senior, Wang Yue Hua. He was waiting for An Ke to finish fidgeting with his gloves and he grew tired of waiting. “Are you ready yet?”
“Fine! Fine!” An Ke waved as he took up his goalkeeping stance.
Liang Ke blew his whistle and Wang Yue Hua started carrying the ball. He gradually sped up as he was closing in on the goal. He changed directions and took a shot! An Ke read his movements completely and dived to the left, catching the ball with both hands before bringing it into a hug.
“Nice save!” Everyone applauded.
For the next few rounds, shots that were aimed at the goal were all denied entry. A few even missed their marks and either hit the post or went off the field. Coach Liang Ke could only shake his head and secretly sob. I’m not sure if it’s because An Ke is too good or the whole team’s just that horrible!
While this was going on, Chen Huafeng’s eyes lit up as he saw everything from under a tree not too far away. “This goalkeeper is really something! His technique and precision is not something an average high school goalkeeper can achieve. He seems to be relying on just instinct most of the time.” He took out the Shu Guang High Soccer Team Roster and marked the No.1 checkbox with a tick.
“Yang Pan!” Liang Ke called.
Hearing that name, An Ke’s heart started to beat faster and Zhang Jun wore an anticipating look on his face. “Will he be able to block him this time?”
Yang Pan had his usual habit of carrying the ball further away from the goal. Only this time, he stopped at 35 m away. Liang Ke blew his whistle and Yang Pan started carrying the ball. He stopped just after a few steps and flicked the ball upwards with the tip of his boot. He then kicked the ball when it was still up in the air!
The ball flew high and far, however it curved as it came down towards the goal like a comet, leaving a visible trail as it shot through the air. An Ke jumped at the ball with all his strength, and with both hands stretched forward, he tried to intercept the ball. But, the ball completely missed his gloves and hit the side post before bouncing into the net.
*Dong, dong, dong*
The whole post was still shaking when An Ke sat himself up and looked at it. But, the one who had the biggest shock was Chen Huafeng. His mouth was wide open and it took him almost a few minutes or so to realize what had happened. “Was this really shot by a high school student? That speed, power, or angle is hard even for a lot of professional players!” He was very glad he came to Shu Guang High that day.
The team erupted in awe. “Nice shot!”
“Beautiful!”
“What a beast!”
“Zhang Jun!”
Zhang Jun stepped up to the ball and winked at An Ke. “I’m sorry for having to humiliate you again!”
An Ke gave him the middle finger and said, “Bring it on! I’m not afraid of you!”
As soon as Liang Ke blew his whistle, Zhang Jun carried the ball from the edge of the penalty box towards the goal. However, he did not choose to shoot even though he was in range and An Ke instinctively knew that he planned to shoot the ball only when he was very sure that he could score.
Just as Zhang Jun was closing in on An Ke, his left shoulder dipped a little, making it look as if he was going to shoot the ball to the left. An Ke reacted by diving to his left to block the shot, but he was surprised to see the ball flying into the goal from his right. Zhang Jun’s amazing footwork had sent the ball to the right instead. He basically feinted a left using the movements of his body.
Zhang Jun’s shooting stunned Chen Huafeng as well. His ability to be so calm and composed even when he was in front of the keeper was absolutely terrifying!
“Ren Yu De!”
Ren Yu De started from the corner of the penalty box and kept moving to the left. He did not close in towards the goal like everybody else did, but brought the ball all the way towards the left corner of the field. Everybody was puzzled by what was going on, including An Ke. “Hold up! This is shooting practice, not crossing!”
“No, wait! He’s going to shoot from a small angle!” Yang Pan exclaimed.