Chapter 37 (1/2)
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
During their training, He Wen kept glancing left and right in hopes that she would catch a glimpse of the mysterious goalkeeper―however, it was all in vain. She had no choice but to ask Li Yongle, and although her promptness could be a cause for understanding, it was still better than being seen as a spy.
“Why is Zhang Lintao absent from today’s training too? Haven’t seen him for days.”
“He went off for individual training again.”
“Individual training? With just a few days left before the preliminaries? How will he guarantee his form without training with his teammates?”
“You don’t have to worry.” Li Yongle smiled at her. “He has his own training methods to keep his form.”
“Oh? What kind of training is that?”
“A training specially designed to handle Shu Guang’s Yang Pan.” Li Yongle gazed into the distance as he remembered the unbelievably powerful shots that Yang Pan kept firing in that game last year. It even horrified the typically calm, Zhang Lintao. Yang Pan may be fearsome, but he had to overcome Zhang Lintao and Zhang Yang first.
This year, Li Yongle decided that he would focus on determining the victor between himself and Zhang Jun once and for all; he was unwilling to wait another year. No more waiting, come what may.
…
One punch, two punches, three punches, four punches… how many times did he hit the sandbag in front of him? He could not remember clearly. He only knew how to unleash his full strength on the punching bag until he wore himself out. On the first day, he kept it up for 25 minutes until his strikes waned, half an hour on the second, 37 minutes on the third and 41 minutes on the fourth…
Today, he kept it up for 72 minutes, but still had strength to keep going.
There were stripes of blood on the sandbag where his bruised fists made contact, proof of his diligence.
…
*Thud!*
Yang Pan’s shot hit the woodwork, but the Shu Guang player did not react. What was he feeling? It was neither shock nor embarrassment, but fear! It was actually fear! For the first time, he felt fear!
…
It was undeniable that Yang Pan was dangerous. He was unable to keep all of his shots out entirely in that game. If it had not been for Zhang Yang and Li Yongle’s Chain defense on Yang Pan, he did not know if he could have kept it up.
But it was not the same this year. He was now confident that he could block every shot from Yang Pan. It did not matter how powerful the opponent was, he no longer felt fear.
He was the only one who could guard Zhongyuan’s post!
*Thud!*
Another heavy punch landed on the punching bag―shaking it obviously.
…
“Alright, today’s trainingis over. Everybody, go home.” The players began to head for the locker rooms with a wave from Liang Ke.
However, Zhang Jun stopped Yang Pan and An Ke.
“What? I’m so tired!” An Ke was clearly reluctant.
“Let me ask you guys this,” Zhang Jun asked seriously, “Yang Pan has his terrifying shooting skills while Li Yongle has his deflected shot. They’re so good. Does that mean I’m weak for a main character?”
“Where’s your head going with this?” Yang Pan laughed.
“No! No! This matters to my status as the main character!” Zhang Jun waved furiously while he prodded the ball with his feet. “Please, An Ke, do you mind guarding the goalpost for a bit?”
It was such a rare occasion of politeness from Zhang Jun that An Ke felt a little chagrined. He took out his gloves and got between the posts once more.
The pitch was empty; only the trio remained after the others had left.
Starting out with a tap, Zhang Jun entered the box with the ball from the left.
Yang Pan did not know what his friend was attempting and resigned himself to watching from a corner.
On the other hand, seeing Zhang Jun rushing at him towards goal, An Ke called out, “One on one! There’s no need to have special training for this!”
He had already rushed out and dived towards the striker.
But Zhang Jun suddenly took a shot in the middle of his run!
An Ke made the right call and dived towards the shot!
…
“Ren Yu De, have you seen Zhang Jun and the others?” Su Fei had not seen Zhang Jun and Yang Pan since she packed things up―she did not see them anywhere when she tried to look for them.
“They’re with An Ke on the pitch.” Ren Yu De pointed towards the grounds. “No idea what they’re doing. Go take a look.
Su Fei then headed over.
…
An Ke and Yang Pan were looking at the ball that stood quietly in the goal. Both of them were startled.
“This…”
How did it go in? That was unbelievable!
Whenever he was tricked by Zhang Jun in the past, An Ke would chatter off the rest of the day with innumerable excuses as to why he was beaten. This time however, he was left speechless. Everything happened so fast―he only saw the ball vanishing in front of him in a flash… and then, it went in!
Meanwhile, as a spectator Yang Pan saw how the goal was scored. But, he thought, is such a scoring method achievable? Indeed, it was an inconceivable goal! And was it truly something that an absentminded person thought of?
“How was that? It’s my ultimate skill! I cooked it up after thinking long and hard! Not bad, right?” Zhang Jun asked the stunned pair happily. “It’s my secret weapon and I won’t let others see it easily.”
Yang Pan was speechless as he gazed upon his friend’s innocent grin.
“Hey! The three of you! What are you guys doing? The others already left!” Su Fei’s call from afar reminded them of the time; it was late―the skies were already dark.
Zhang Jun ran back to the locker room happily.
An Ke followed and quietly asked Yang Pan, “That ball just now… did you see it clearly?”
Yang Pan patted him on the back. “I couldn’t, it was too dark.”
Looking up, An Ke watched the gloomy skies. “Right! It was too dark just now…”
…
Li Yongle was standing by the roadside with his bag, waiting for the traffic light to turn red. There were rows of hawker stalls beside him, and when the streetlights illuminated, it would be their golden hour.
As he waited, someone’s laughter traveled to his ears. It was familiar and unfamiliar at the same time, as though the laugh penetrated space and time to travel in his direction. It had been more than a year since he heard it. That giggling was like a store-sign―hearing the sound itself was like seeing the person.