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My Soulmate is a Libero - Chapter 118

Published at 28th of July 2023 12:40:52 PM


Chapter 118

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The members of the Beluga Club stood still, watching the exuberant celebration on the other side of the net.

For Roman, this feeling was not unfamiliar. In previous matches, he had encountered strong opponents and tasted defeat, so failure wasn’t something strange to him. However, in the Russian Super League, this was the first time he experienced this taste of defeat.

Ludvika patted his shoulder. “They’re really strong, but the next time we face them, victory will surely be ours.”

Roman sighed, “Yes, they’re really strong. We never faced such opponents even in the Champions League before.”

Fortunately, the top two teams in the Russian Premier League had the opportunity to participate in the Champions League, and since more than one team could qualify, it meant their journey was not over yet.

When Qin Chunxiao finally got his feet back on the ground, he noticed that many of his teammates were in tears.

As players of the Hamster Club, a club that had won five Asian Championships, the psychological pressure on everyone was almost overwhelming during their sixth attempt to reach the gold medal match. If they had won only the silver medal again, many people’s confidence would have been shattered. This was the main reason why Alexander and Soso made the decision to go all out and play with a closed mindset.

They couldn’t afford to lose anymore; losing again would have been devastating.

But fortunately, they won. They finally achieved the long-desired gold medal.

Anton cried the most. As the team captain and the main setter, he was undoubtedly the core of the team. But in this crucial match, he almost became a burden, only being able to block and set, unable to receive. If the team had lost the gold medal due to his injury, he would have been devastated, and the fans might have seen him as a culprit.

Now, everything was fine. He had the gold medal, and that said it all. He could cry tears of joy!

Nikolai rushed over and signaled for the team doctor to apply ice packs to the group of young guys – Anton’s wrist, Alexander’s knee, Soso’s abdomen, Qin Chunxiao’s leg joints.

Especially the last one! Even though the coach prohibited him from using the forbidden technique of acceleration during the turn, he still did it. Now, he might end up in the post-match medical examination package.

At this moment, Nikolai felt fortunate that the medical standards of the Hamster Club were excellent in the volleyball circle. Their team doctor not only helped Soso recover, but also allowed Alexander, who was supposed to retire due to his injury, to persist through one season. Such a performance made those who understood the field of medicine use the word “amazing” to describe it.

Under the gaze of the public, Qin Chunxiao shook hands with his teammates and opponents, then ascended the award podium once again with Li Ling, creating a record for Chinese players as starters winning the Russian Premier League.

Since Qin Chunxiao and Li Ling had low market values this year, after winning this gold medal, almost everyone believed that Nikolai was the coach who made the best deal this year. This further solidified his reputation as a coach with a “keen eye for talent.”

In the live chat, countless fans were excitedly spreading the news.

“Guys, these are the first Chinese foreign players in the Russian Super League, and they helped the Hamster Club overthrow the Beluga’s dominance and win the championship! Do you know what this means?”

“Understood! This is not just their personal honor; they have paved the way for other Chinese players who might join the Russian Super League in the future!”

“It’s unbelievable! Qin and Li are only 17 and 19 years old, and they are already heroes!”

“The most envious person today must be Xuan Dong! He was at the scene witnessing this miraculous battle!”

On the volleyball front, Wu Di and Li Laiheng, the two commentators, were also extremely excited.

Wu Di suppressed the trembling in his voice. “Alright, everyone, let’s congratulate the Hamster Club and our two young players, Qin Chunxiao and Li Ling, for winning the 2017-2018 Russian Super League gold medal. It’s the first time ever!”

Li Laiheng added, “That’s right, this gold medal holds great significance. The Russian Super League has a significant reputation among volleyball fans worldwide. With this gold medal, I’m sure countless volleyball fans will remember their names!

And I can guarantee that, after experiencing the Russian SuperLeague, the strength of these two young players has improved significantly. This will be of great benefit to their future…”

The award ceremony that followed was even more lively. The DJ at the Russian Super League always knew how to liven things up. The background music during the awards not only included traditional sports arena anthems but also catchy dance songs. Qin Chunxiao even heard “You Are the Most Beautiful Cloud in My Sky” playing in the background.

At first, Qin Chunxiao held the gold medal with confusion in his heart. Why did the DJ play this song? Did he think Qin Chunxiao liked this kind of music? But when he saw Li Ling’s silly and happy expression beside him, he understood. It seemed that the song was played for Li Ling.

After the grand award ceremony, the boss of the Hamster Club waved his hand, and all the audience present at the venue received free donuts and coffee milk as gifts. The boss himself was the king of snacks, and these two items were his signature products, so it was a form of advertising.

Even Xuan Dong received some sweets and drinks from the staff. He held a cup of warm coffee milk in his hand, opened it, took a sip, and savored the sweet taste flowing through his taste buds.

After the match, Qin Chunxiao devoured ten donuts in one breath. Given the intensity of the Russian Super League, it was natural for athletes to be ravenously hungry after a game, especially after dealing with Roman. His stomach was completely empty now!

The club promptly prepared food, and a group of athletes whose energy and blood bars were almost depleted entered a large room filled with balloons. The room was full of meat, desserts, beverages, and a professional DJ playing music. Everyone’s focus was on the word “eating,” and some even fell asleep while eating.

Nikolai didn’t disturb them and instead went to the top floor of the hotel, pushing open the door of the presidential suite. There sat a chubby, bald man wearing a thick gold chain, holding a cigar in his hand.

“Oh, my friend, congratulations to you, and congratulations to me, for obtaining this precious gold medal,” the bald man said.

At his gesture, Nikolai sat down. “Hi, boss. Thank you for your valuable support to our team. Without the team doctor you arranged, Alexander wouldn’t have made it to the end.”

The bald man smiled, “It’s my pleasure. I guess you came here to talk about those two Chinese boys?”

Nikolai replied, “I believe it’s essential to re-sign them.”

The bald man took a deep puff of his cigar, “I have a feeling those two won’t come cheap. My dear Nikolai, sentimental talks don’t work these days. Neither I nor my employees talk about sentiments much, because if you don’t pay them, they can’t work. I don’t think we can negotiate the re-signing based on sentimental value.”

In the past, the Chinese giant Yao Ming went to the NBA for sentimental reasons and continued to re-sign with his original team. However, everyone knew that without sentiment, Yao Ming could have joined the Los Angeles Lakers and won championships with Kobe Bryant.

As times changed, there were fewer players who were attached to sentimental values.

Nikolai said, “I guarantee they are worth it, boss. If you ask me to choose one player from all players worldwide to be the cornerstone of the Hamster Club, I would choose Misha for sure. He not only possesses outstanding skills but also strong leadership and the ability to motivate teammates. Such qualities are extremely rare.”

The bald man said, “The cornerstone? I didn’t expect you to have such a high opinion of him.”

If they were cornerstone-level players, then the price would certainly increase. Players who could lead the team to explode at crucial moments were treasures among treasures in various team sports worldwide.

The bald man made up his mind, “As long as the total doesn’t exceed 1.4 million USD for those two boys, let’s re-sign them. But don’t forget, after Alexander retires, we need to strengthen the team. You must reserve 600,000 USD of salary space for others.”

Nikolai agreed, “That’s also my intention.”

After settling their agreement, the bald man handed him a cigar, and Nikolai took it, sucking on it as well. As a coach, he had also carried a great deal of pressure today, and after everything was over, smoking a cigar was a good way for men to relax.

After winning the Russian Super League Championship, in fact, Qin Chunxiao and Li Ling’s tasks for the season were already over. However, under Newton’s suggestion, they didn’t rush to leave.

After the Hamsters released the signal for contract renewal, Newton decided to fly over personally with a lawyer to negotiate the contract with them.

Also, upon Alexander’s invitation, Qin Chunxiao and Li Ling attended his retirement party.

As an experienced star player, Alexander owned a small villa in the suburbs of St. Petersburg, surrounded by cultivated fields where he raised pigs, cows, sheep, and other livestock.

Facing Qin Chunxiao’s admiring eyes, Alexander smiled and said, “As long as you want, you will have all this in the future.”

Alexander had no doubt about Qin Chunxiao’s potential as a player. All the clubs in the world would probably vie to have Qin Chunxiao play for them; he wouldn’t be short of money.

Alexander’s jersey, along with the gold medal, was carefully placed in a special room dedicated to honoring achievements. Inside were all the certificates of honor he had received from childhood until now, even including elementary school awards.

Being in this room made people feel as if they had experienced an entire life, because the starting point and the end, the glory and the tears of Alexander’s journey as a player, were all within it. Qin Chunxiao, standing in this room, felt a sense of awe.

One day in the future, he would probably have a room like this as well.

Curious, Qin Chunxiao asked Alexander, “Aren’t you going to miss volleyball?”

Alexander retorted, “Why would I miss it? I’m just leaving the field, not saying goodbye to volleyball. Volleyball will always be with me. It’s just that it won’t be the protagonist of my life anymore. People always need to step into new stages. But maybe when I reach Powell’s age, I will return to the stage where volleyball fills my heart and eyes.”

He gazed gently at the door, as if trying to see through it and find Powell. Qin Chunxiao heard that Powell was Alexander’s teacher who guided him onto the path of volleyball, but the specific story between them was known only to them.

“Misha, you’ll have that day too,” Alexander said.

Qin Chunxiao neither agreed nor disagreed with Alexander’s words. He just took a photo of Alexander’s medal display cabinet and posted it on Twitter.

Misha_Qin:

You are a fantastic volleyball player, and I believe you will continue to excel in life. Wishing you health and happiness always, @Alexander.

At the end of the party, Alexander planned to drive Qin Chunxiao and Li Ling back to the city in his seven-seater SUV. They were the only two players in the Hamster Club without a car. After all, before they came to Russia, even Li Ling, who was older, hadn’t reached the age to get a driver’s license. As for Qin Chunxiao… whether he got a driver’s license or not, he didn’t seem like the type who would be suitable for driving a vehicle, as he was more of a driver of heaven.

However, Qin Chunxiao politely declined Alexander’s offer, “I’ve already arranged for someone to pick us up.”

Alexander blinked, “Hmm, let me guess. Is it your roommate with Tulengchika?”

When mentioning this person, a smile brightened Qin Chunxiao’s face, “Yes, he’s our good friend. Whenever we’re in Russia playing, he’ll accompany us whenever he has time, just like an older brother.”

Alexander admired, “That’s nice. When I was young and played abroad, there was no one to take care of me.”

While they were talking, Li Ling stood on the roadside. When a red car approached, he joyfully bounced over and called back, “Xiao Zai, Dong Zai is here!”

Lu Xuandong leaned out of the car window, waving to Qin Chunxiao.

Qin Chunxiao waved back at him and then smiled at Alexander before running towards them.

Alexander stood on the roadside with his hands in his pockets, looking at the vibrant figure of Qin Chunxiao, and sighed softly, “Youth is wonderful.”

As soon as he got into the car, Lu Xuandong threw a Misha mouse nesting doll into Qin Chunxiao’s arms. Qin Chunxiao blinked, opened the outermost white jersey nesting doll, and found a receiving Misha inside, then a Misha wearing the Asian Championship national team jersey, followed by Misha in the World Youth Championship and Guangdong team jerseys.

He showed a pleasantly surprised expression.

Li Ling also had a similar Er Leng mouse nesting doll, and he leaned on the car seat asking, “Dong Zai, how long are you staying in Russia this time?”

Lu Xuandong casually replied, “I’m going back to the country tomorrow. After all, I’m also starting my own business. I’ll be going to London for further studies in the second half of the year. I probably won’t have the opportunity to accompany you guys like this in the future.”

Qin Chunxiao stopped playing with the nesting doll and suddenly felt a little reluctant in his heart.

If Lu Xuandong wasn’t going to accompany them anymore, wouldn’t they be without delicious porridge in the future?

In 2018, the Hamster Club renewed the contract with Qin Chunxiao and Li Ling, the twin stars, for three more years, at an annual salary of 750,000 and 650,000 respectively. The club held a press conference specifically for their signing and lavished praise on the two young players.

Qin Chunxiao personally felt that the club’s compliments were excessive, and he didn’t really want to attend the press conference with so many reporters making noise. However, Newton, who specially came for this, was insistent. “This is your coffee position. You must go!”

Alright, then he would go.

Qin Chunxiao cooperated with the club’s publicity and answered many questions from reporters before finally setting off on his journey back home. It was already May.

In May 2018, the much-anticipated Labor Day finally arrived. Although everyone had holidays through shifts, they still had to work a day less. But having a holiday was better than not having one at all.

While everyone was preparing for a trip or enjoying a lazy time at home, Qin Chunxiao still had to work.

As the spokesperson for Fly Wolf, the best-selling sports shoes under Zhe Yue, Qin Chunxiao had the obligation to participate in a few promotional events.

Qin Chunxiao: Making me work during Labor Day? Is that something a person does?

Newton told him, “Your other teammates have also returned from various leagues, so after the promotional events, you’ll have to appear on programs together to promote volleyball. Even Zhe Yue’s crown prince said he would join the program with us.”

Qin Chunxiao: “Crown prince?”

Count down: 181:15:37.





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