No matter how gracefully everyone shook hands with the opponents after losing the game, on the way back on the bus, these big boys couldn’t hold back their tears.
As for Qin Chunxiao, he was the type who could shed one or two tears in a place where no one could see, and then immediately recover. So on the way back, he was busy passing tissues to others.
After playing five full sets on the court, Qiao Mingming was the most exhausted and scored the most points. He almost gave his all in the game, but they still lost. At this moment, he felt particularly upset. To comfort him, Aizimaiti, who was also wiping his tears, handed him a box of yogurt.
“Mingming, drink this. It’s my last one,” Aizimaiti said.
Qiao Mingming sniffed and took the yogurt, but then he stopped halfway. “Forget it, give it to Xiaozai. He likes yogurt.”
Qin Chunxiao let Fu Biyang throw the used tissues into the trash bag and turned to say, “Thanks for still thinking of me at a time like this.”
In the career of almost every athlete, there will be one or two matches that make them shed tears. Sometimes it’s tears of joy, and sometimes it’s tears of regret.
As long as it doesn’t crush their spirits, occasionally crying is not a bad thing.
Newton maintained a tolerant attitude toward this. He let the players go back and have a good sleep. They had to catch a flight tomorrow. He didn’t say anything else or mention reviewing the game. Perhaps, at this moment, letting everyone savor this failure was more important.
Of course, the next day, Newton found that the boys’ mood was better than he expected. During breakfast, their conversation had already turned to the “Big Tooth Ghost” legend, a topic that was a far cry from the game.
With a boiled egg in hand, Qin Chunxiao rolled it on his face. The bruise from saving the ball was still there, and it hadn’t faded yet.
It was June 6th, and in order to make it to the match on June 9th, they would be taking a direct flight to Ottawa, Canada, to adapt to the venue in advance.
At the airport, they encountered the Japanese and South Korean teams, who were also preparing to travel to other countries.
The Japanese team, who had received two losses and one win in the Brazil station, was quite friendly, especially Mao Xunfeng, You Ziyu, Min Yaoyang, and Xiong Wu. In their eyes, these players were all members of the Japanese League. One of the older libero players even walked up to Min Yaoyang and encouraged him to keep working hard and improve his receiving.
It was said that this libero player was Min Yaoyang’s teammate in the Japanese League, and it was him who helped Min Yaoyang improve his defense this season.
As for the South Korean team, who had received three losses, the atmosphere was not so good. Their head coach Kim, kept making phone calls while waiting for the flight, and only greeted Newton before boarding the plane.
Newton sighed, “Coach Kim-sshi has it tough. South Korea’s online attacks are quite severe. In our country, online attacks are at most harsh words telling someone to die, but in South Korea, it can escalate to sending razor blades in the mail. Losing one game this time must have put a lot of pressure on them.”
Being in an environment where failure was not tolerated requires a strong heart.
Upon hearing Newton’s words, the players felt that whether it was online attacks or sending razor blades in the mail, both were terrifying.
Fu Biyang touched his chin. “That’s why I don’t like going online much. Most of the time, I just play games offline. Otherwise, with my temper, I might end up PK-ing someone in person one day.”
Qin Chunxiao, who had once been part of the fandom for Lu Xuandong, said casually, “That’s why everyone should save money. This way, when we encounter unreasonable people, we at least have money to hire a lawyer. Xiaoji, if you really encounter scum in the future, don’t take matters into your own hands. With your strength, things could turn deadly, and no matter how bad that person is, it’s not your place to discipline them. Leave it to the police, okay?”
Fu Biyang hooked his arm around Qin Chunxiao’s shoulder. “You little guy seem to have quite a bit of experience.”
Qin Chunxiao replied, “It’s all just unpleasant experiences that no one wants to have for a lifetime.”
At this point, the Chinese team had already completed two stations with a total of six matches, winning four and losing two, ranking in the upper-middle among all participating teams.
Since the VNL featured the world’s top 16 volleyball teams, the intensity of the competition was high. Based on past experience, as long as they secured 10 wins out of 15 matches in the preliminary stage, they would likely secure a spot in the finals.
The upcoming Canada station would see them facing Germany, Australia, and Canada as opponents.
None of them were strong teams!
Newton smiled, Jiang Xiaohai smiled, Chang Xiaoyue smiled, and the players also smiled.
After enduring such a grueling Hell Mode, they could finally take it easy on Easy Mode.
As the young Chinese players embarked on the matches of the Canada station, the influence of their last game began to emerge. On the internet, volleyball enthusiasts gave high praise to the Chinese team.
Brazilian sports magazine, Volleyball section:
Mars: “… Yes, I believe that China will become a threat because in this competition, they have already shown their strength in threatening us. We were unexpectedly dragged into the fifth set, and they won it in a thrilling manner. They are tenacious, especially their libero, who possesses exceptional talent. I believe they will continue to progress, so I will be more cautious in using tactics.”
Excerpt from Mars’s Interview after the VNL Brazil Station
Reporter Victoria
World’s Largest English Volleyball Forum – Volleyball Forum
Jery: The matches in the Brazil station were a pleasant surprise for the audience. Setting aside the perspective of supporters from both teams, looking at the game purely as volleyball enthusiasts, the high level of offense and defense, as well as the players’ competitive spirit, are all worth our appreciation.
Kelly: I love their libero, the way he executes his second attacks is thrilling. Once his hands go above the net, he risks getting called for a foul, but he still does it. I think it was a daring move under the immense pressure brought on by the Brazilian team, but he executed it beautifully.
Mike: After China changed their coach, their overall strength has improved significantly. I believe Newton is an outstanding coach.
Tom: This time, China won my respect with their strength. It seems I have added another team worth following in the matches.
Weibo (Chinese social media platform):
“I love Little Qin’s team! He plays so skillfully and with such dedication, saving so many deadly balls! That second attack is simply reminiscent of the Athens Olympics. It’s a shame that Krum isn’t here; I’d love to see the two of them face off on the court.”
“Coach Newton was really impressive this time! If he hadn’t challenged that crucial point towards the end of the third set, we would’ve lost 3-0 to Brazil!”
“Captain Qiao Mingming is truly responsible. He scored many crucial points, and his setting is trustworthy. And can you believe it? He can even receive balls now! His improvement is remarkable!”
“You Ziyu’s serves were impressive too, making several key plays. He serves with such power! No wonder he’s a star in the Japanese League!”
Although China ultimately lost to Brazil, they won over many fans with their tenacity. In the upcoming Canada station, they played with unprecedented enthusiasm.
Facing the familiar opponent, Australia, who they had encountered in the Asian Championship, the German and Canadian teams were not the strongest. After the Brazil matches, Qiao Mingming, Ding Rong, and Qin Chunxiao all received notices to “rest and recover their energy,” and their playing time was reduced by the coach.
However, even with the second lineup, China did not fall behind against Germany! They had a smooth victory against Australia. They were old adversaries, as China had missed several Olympics due to Australia blocking their qualification in the qualifying tournaments.
As for the Canadian men’s team. They had been ranked behind China for several years now, and while China’s ranking was rising, they seemed to remain the same, making it effortless for China to compete against them.
With 3-1 victories against Germany, Australia, and Canada, the Chinese team achieved an unprecedented three consecutive wins in a single station!
For teams like Brazil, the USA, and Russia, it was normal to secure three consecutive wins in weaker stations. But China was different; their historical results had been average, and now every step they took was creating new history.
Qin Chunxiao’s Weibo followers increased by another zero.
As a key player and a national team favorite, every time the team won a match, Qin Chunxiao’s follower count surged the most. Back when he was playing for the provincial team, he became popular several times solely based on his looks. Now, his popularity had even extended to domestic fans outside of Lu Xuandong’s fan base, with groups of them traveling to Canada to watch him play.
After finishing the matches in Canada, when Qin Chunxiao was leaving the court, he was surrounded by fans, signing autographs for several minutes before being rescued by Chang Xiaole with a teasing smile.
Chang Xiaole teased, “Hey, I thought you were a great runner. Why didn’t you run away this time?”
Qin Chunxiao’s expressionless face replied, “Because I was surrounded, and I can’t push away the fans. So, I can’t run away with my legs.”
Chang Xiaole said, “I think they just rely on the fact that you won’t lay a hand on them; that’s why they dared to surround you. You see, Mingming and Yangyang never have anyone surrounding them.”
Speaking of this, Chang Xiaole felt that his analogy wasn’t quite right, as Qiao Mingming and Min Yaoyang often wore sunglasses and acted tough. Who would dare to approach them? On the other hand, the genuinely ferocious Qin Chunxiao looked a bit soft and cute compared to his tough teammates.
“By the way, your Number One Fan hasn’t come to see you recently?” Chang Xiaole casually mentioned Lu Xuandong.
Qin Chunxiao looked at Chang Xiaole without saying anything, making Chang Xiaole uncomfortable. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
Qin Chunxiao blinked his big, bright eyes and answered Chang Xiaole’s previous question, “He has his own things to do. Regardless of our connection, we won’t spend our days chasing after each other just because of that connection.”
Lu Xuandong had entered the stage of entrepreneurship, and the products from his factory, such as healthy seasonings, were already being stocked in major supermarkets. To compete with those established brands for market share, he was also preparing to bid for advertising on CCTV, which kept him busy.
During this time, the two could only communicate with each other via their phones when they had free time. On the night after losing to Brazil, they had a phone call where Qin Chunxiao lay on the bed, listening to Lu Xuandong play the piano on the other side for half an hour.
Chang Xiaole curiously asked, “Do you really like him? You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.”
Qin Chunxiao: “Ah? What’s there to hesitate about? He’s a great person, very considerate, good at cooking, and has good taste. He’s emotionally intelligent and speaks very comfortably. Of course, I like him.”
Chang Xiaoyue thought …I see, you two are still in the extremely pure friend stage.
No matter how gracefully everyone shook hands with the opponents after losing the game, on the way back on the bus, these big boys couldn’t hold back their tears.
As for Qin Chunxiao, he was the type who could shed one or two tears in a place where no one could see, and then immediately recover. So on the way back, he was busy passing tissues to others.
After playing five full sets on the court, Qiao Mingming was the most exhausted and scored the most points. He almost gave his all in the game, but they still lost. At this moment, he felt particularly upset. To comfort him, Aizimaiti, who was also wiping his tears, handed him a box of yogurt.
“Mingming, drink this. It’s my last one,” Aizimaiti said.
Qiao Mingming sniffed and took the yogurt, but then he stopped halfway. “Forget it, give it to Xiaozai. He likes yogurt.”
Qin Chunxiao let Fu Biyang throw the used tissues into the trash bag and turned to say, “Thanks for still thinking of me at a time like this.”
In the career of almost every athlete, there will be one or two matches that make them shed tears. Sometimes it’s tears of joy, and sometimes it’s tears of regret.
As long as it doesn’t crush their spirits, occasionally crying is not a bad thing.
Newton maintained a tolerant attitude toward this. He let the players go back and have a good sleep. They had to catch a flight tomorrow. He didn’t say anything else or mention reviewing the game. Perhaps, at this moment, letting everyone savor this failure was more important.
Of course, the next day, Newton found that the boys’ mood was better than he expected. During breakfast, their conversation had already turned to the “Big Tooth Ghost” legend, a topic that was a far cry from the game.
With a boiled egg in hand, Qin Chunxiao rolled it on his face. The bruise from saving the ball was still there, and it hadn’t faded yet.
It was June 6th, and in order to make it to the match on June 9th, they would be taking a direct flight to Ottawa, Canada, to adapt to the venue in advance.
At the airport, they encountered the Japanese and South Korean teams, who were also preparing to travel to other countries.
The Japanese team, who had received two losses and one win in the Brazil station, was quite friendly, especially Mao Xunfeng, You Ziyu, Min Yaoyang, and Xiong Wu. In their eyes, these players were all members of the Japanese League. One of the older libero players even walked up to Min Yaoyang and encouraged him to keep working hard and improve his receiving.
It was said that this libero player was Min Yaoyang’s teammate in the Japanese League, and it was him who helped Min Yaoyang improve his defense this season.
As for the South Korean team, who had received three losses, the atmosphere was not so good. Their head coach Kim, kept making phone calls while waiting for the flight, and only greeted Newton before boarding the plane.
Newton sighed, “Coach Kim-sshi has it tough. South Korea’s online attacks are quite severe. In our country, online attacks are at most harsh words telling someone to die, but in South Korea, it can escalate to sending razor blades in the mail. Losing one game this time must have put a lot of pressure on them.”
Being in an environment where failure was not tolerated requires a strong heart.
Upon hearing Newton’s words, the players felt that whether it was online attacks or sending razor blades in the mail, both were terrifying.
Fu Biyang touched his chin. “That’s why I don’t like going online much. Most of the time, I just play games offline. Otherwise, with my temper, I might end up PK-ing someone in person one day.”
Qin Chunxiao, who had once been part of the fandom for Lu Xuandong, said casually, “That’s why everyone should save money. This way, when we encounter unreasonable people, we at least have money to hire a lawyer. Xiaoji, if you really encounter scum in the future, don’t take matters into your own hands. With your strength, things could turn deadly, and no matter how bad that person is, it’s not your place to discipline them. Leave it to the police, okay?”
Fu Biyang hooked his arm around Qin Chunxiao’s shoulder. “You little guy seem to have quite a bit of experience.”
Qin Chunxiao replied, “It’s all just unpleasant experiences that no one wants to have for a lifetime.”
At this point, the Chinese team had already completed two stations with a total of six matches, winning four and losing two, ranking in the upper-middle among all participating teams.
Since the VNL featured the world’s top 16 volleyball teams, the intensity of the competition was high. Based on past experience, as long as they secured 10 wins out of 15 matches in the preliminary stage, they would likely secure a spot in the finals.
The upcoming Canada station would see them facing Germany, Australia, and Canada as opponents.
None of them were strong teams!
Newton smiled, Jiang Xiaohai smiled, Chang Xiaoyue smiled, and the players also smiled.
After enduring such a grueling Hell Mode, they could finally take it easy on Easy Mode.
As the young Chinese players embarked on the matches of the Canada station, the influence of their last game began to emerge. On the internet, volleyball enthusiasts gave high praise to the Chinese team.
Brazilian sports magazine, Volleyball section:
Mars: “… Yes, I believe that China will become a threat because in this competition, they have already shown their strength in threatening us. We were unexpectedly dragged into the fifth set, and they won it in a thrilling manner. They are tenacious, especially their libero, who possesses exceptional talent. I believe they will continue to progress, so I will be more cautious in using tactics.”
Excerpt from Mars’s Interview after the VNL Brazil Station
Reporter Victoria
World’s Largest English Volleyball Forum – Volleyball Forum
Jery: The matches in the Brazil station were a pleasant surprise for the audience. Setting aside the perspective of supporters from both teams, looking at the game purely as volleyball enthusiasts, the high level of offense and defense, as well as the players’ competitive spirit, are all worth our appreciation.
Kelly: I love their libero, the way he executes his second attacks is thrilling. Once his hands go above the net, he risks getting called for a foul, but he still does it. I think it was a daring move under the immense pressure brought on by the Brazilian team, but he executed it beautifully.
Mike: After China changed their coach, their overall strength has improved significantly. I believe Newton is an outstanding coach.
Tom: This time, China won my respect with their strength. It seems I have added another team worth following in the matches.
Weibo (Chinese social media platform):
“I love Little Qin’s team! He plays so skillfully and with such dedication, saving so many deadly balls! That second attack is simply reminiscent of the Athens Olympics. It’s a shame that Krum isn’t here; I’d love to see the two of them face off on the court.”
“Coach Newton was really impressive this time! If he hadn’t challenged that crucial point towards the end of the third set, we would’ve lost 3-0 to Brazil!”
“Captain Qiao Mingming is truly responsible. He scored many crucial points, and his setting is trustworthy. And can you believe it? He can even receive balls now! His improvement is remarkable!”
“You Ziyu’s serves were impressive too, making several key plays. He serves with such power! No wonder he’s a star in the Japanese League!”
Although China ultimately lost to Brazil, they won over many fans with their tenacity. In the upcoming Canada station, they played with unprecedented enthusiasm.
Facing the familiar opponent, Australia, who they had encountered in the Asian Championship, the German and Canadian teams were not the strongest. After the Brazil matches, Qiao Mingming, Ding Rong, and Qin Chunxiao all received notices to “rest and recover their energy,” and their playing time was reduced by the coach.
However, even with the second lineup, China did not fall behind against Germany! They had a smooth victory against Australia. They were old adversaries, as China had missed several Olympics due to Australia blocking their qualification in the qualifying tournaments.
As for the Canadian men’s team. They had been ranked behind China for several years now, and while China’s ranking was rising, they seemed to remain the same, making it effortless for China to compete against them.
With 3-1 victories against Germany, Australia, and Canada, the Chinese team achieved an unprecedented three consecutive wins in a single station!
For teams like Brazil, the USA, and Russia, it was normal to secure three consecutive wins in weaker stations. But China was different; their historical results had been average, and now every step they took was creating new history.
Qin Chunxiao’s Weibo followers increased by another zero.
As a key player and a national team favorite, every time the team won a match, Qin Chunxiao’s follower count surged the most. Back when he was playing for the provincial team, he became popular several times solely based on his looks. Now, his popularity had even extended to domestic fans outside of Lu Xuandong’s fan base, with groups of them traveling to Canada to watch him play.
After finishing the matches in Canada, when Qin Chunxiao was leaving the court, he was surrounded by fans, signing autographs for several minutes before being rescued by Chang Xiaole with a teasing smile.
Chang Xiaole teased, “Hey, I thought you were a great runner. Why didn’t you run away this time?”
Qin Chunxiao’s expressionless face replied, “Because I was surrounded, and I can’t push away the fans. So, I can’t run away with my legs.”
Chang Xiaole said, “I think they just rely on the fact that you won’t lay a hand on them; that’s why they dared to surround you. You see, Mingming and Yangyang never have anyone surrounding them.”
Speaking of this, Chang Xiaole felt that his analogy wasn’t quite right, as Qiao Mingming and Min Yaoyang often wore sunglasses and acted tough. Who would dare to approach them? On the other hand, the genuinely ferocious Qin Chunxiao looked a bit soft and cute compared to his tough teammates.
“By the way, your Number One Fan hasn’t come to see you recently?” Chang Xiaole casually mentioned Lu Xuandong.
Qin Chunxiao looked at Chang Xiaole without saying anything, making Chang Xiaole uncomfortable. “Why are you looking at me like that?”
Qin Chunxiao blinked his big, bright eyes and answered Chang Xiaole’s previous question, “He has his own things to do. Regardless of our connection, we won’t spend our days chasing after each other just because of that connection.”
Lu Xuandong had entered the stage of entrepreneurship, and the products from his factory, such as healthy seasonings, were already being stocked in major supermarkets. To compete with those established brands for market share, he was also preparing to bid for advertising on CCTV, which kept him busy.
During this time, the two could only communicate with each other via their phones when they had free time. On the night after losing to Brazil, they had a phone call where Qin Chunxiao lay on the bed, listening to Lu Xuandong play the piano on the other side for half an hour.
Chang Xiaole curiously asked, “Do you really like him? You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.”
Qin Chunxiao: “Ah? What’s there to hesitate about? He’s a great person, very considerate, good at cooking, and has good taste. He’s emotionally intelligent and speaks very comfortably. Of course, I like him.”
Chang Xiaoyue thought …I see, you two are still in the extremely pure friend stage.
