Chapter 27 (1/2)

Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation  Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation

The Zhongyuan High players were celebrating their triumph in fanatic fervor. It felt as if they had just escaped the clutches of death following a lap around the depths of hell; the team had never rejoiced over a win in such a manner.

Shu Guang’s team on the other hand, was a sloppy mess of tears and sobs, especially the third-years. They would be taking off their red-and-white jersey, which they had worn for three years after the game. And like every other third-year student, they would be striving hard for their future.

Even the ever-optimistic Yang Pan was crying. When the referee blew the final whistle, he saw his best friend dabbing at his eyes.

Ren Yu De did not cry; he was too exhausted to even shed tears. He simply lay down on the ground, gasping long and hard, staring straight at the azure sky.

An Ke did not either. He sat down for a long time, leaning against the post and staring blankly at the whooping Zhongyuan players.

He could not tell if Su Fei was crying; she kept her back towards him.

And then there were those reporters. Why were there still so many of them after a defeat? They always loved asking those bizarre questions of theirs―what other feelings could one have after losing?

…

Zhang Jun could not sleep.

The scenes of the day were still deeply ingrained in his head, not to be forgotten easily. All along, he did not weep but, not because he wasn’t sad, or able to keep the match out of his mind―the latter especially was not his intention.

It was just a simple matter of not having any tears to shed when it all came down. Perhaps there were no tears for one who fell into the depths of despair. There was simply no way to materialize his feelings and express the desolation he felt inside.

He could not recall how he got home after the match, how he went over to Su Fei’s for dinner and how he lied down on bed afterwards.

Everything felt like a dream…

…

“Fei Fei! Not sleeping yet? You’ve been up all day!” Su Fei’s mother called across her house.

“I’m getting some air.” Su Fei was leaning against the balcony’s railing and watching the quiet night sky. It was midnight and all was silent―a great time to think.

The night breeze was cold, but Su Fei did not mind.

Why? After so much effort, with everyone pouring their blood, sweat and tears, why did they still lose? Yang Pan’s drive was so powerful that the post never stopped shaking. Ren Yu De’s footwork was so good that even four markers could not get him. And there was An Ke, who stopped Yang Pan’s shot once before. And then there was… there was the captain’s stubborn defending―so how could they lose?

She also saw that the ever cheerful Liu Qi was not his usual jovial self either. The cheerleading team captain had continuously shouted for the entire 80 minutes of the game and broke his voice in the process.

She heard what Zhang Jun said as he held himself in anguish.

“I can’t accept this!”

Why? Why did they still lose?

Two trails of crystalline liquid rolled down her cheeks, shining brightly under the moon.

…

From elementary school up until high school, there was no remembering how many soccer games he played. It was not the first time he had lost, so why did this irreconcilable feeling surfaced for the first time today?

He did not believe himself to be such a fragile person. But why did the tears flow when the referee blew the final whistle?

…

In a semi-final match between Kai Ta and Hua Ying in the National Middle School Soccer Championship; injury time.

“Everything depends on you!” Zhang Jun patted Yang Pan on the shoulder.

Zhang Jun won a free kick 25 m out. Yang Pan took a shot and it hit home. Kai Ta won 3: 2 and knocked out the Guangzhou team, stealing their place into the finals.

…

“Come what may, tomorrow depends on you!” Zhang Jun said as he patted Yang Pan’s shoulder.

He had never let him down before whenever his best friend told him that.

But this time…

“Zhang Jun, I’m sorry…”

…

He went through hell and high water just to break into the penalty box. Yet, just when he was ready for an effort, Liu Chao came diving in first and knocked the ball off the line.

Pulling every trick out of the book did not even move the opponent. He had to force his way through and Liu Chao was there to cut him off again.

…

*Beep! Beep! Beep!*

Ren Yu De jolted up from his bed; it was just a dream. Glimpsing at the clock under the moonlight, he saw that the hands were pointing at 1.00am.

However, he could not return to his sleep. He remembered when the final whistle was blown, he simply lay down on the ground, gasping long and hard, staring straight at the azure sky. Afterwards, the blue sky turned into dark night. Then, he was in his bed and jolted awake by that dream.

But was it just a dream? Why did the sensation of falling feel so vivid? And… that feeling of abject failure…

Clenching his blanket, Ren Yu De buried his head under it.

The match… They lost!

…

Thrice. He received the ball thrice from the net.

And he just had to childishly brag and say things like, “I want to protect the post.”

Ultimately, nothing was protected; his teammates’ hard work, the chants from the cheerleaders and Su Fei’s smile. He was a goalie who failed in his duty.

His middle school did not care much about soccer. He played for a year and quickly left the team, which had no future, believing that his circumstances were torturous.

It was not to say that Shu Guang’s own soccer did not suck. Quite simply, they had passion; that much was clear on the faces of his teammates. All of it could be traced to a deeply entrenched love for the game.

He kept blurting silly things like “a life of freedom for me” and “I love soccer, but I love babes more” to conceal his true feelings. When he stood in front of the post with a pair of keeper gloves after two years and “dueled” with Yang Pan, he had resolved to do one thing:

Return to the soccer pitch and stand in front of the post once more.

…

Soccer can bring happiness, but also pain. He was not some newcomer―he understood that. But why was it, when the time came, he could not come to terms with that fact?

Putting on his headsets, he turned up the volume of his Walkman. However, the music did not bring relief to his troubled mind, it tangled it even more instead.