My Soulmate is A Libero
The first time Qin Chunxiao encountered Dr. Wang, he was still a sixth-grade elementary school student.
At the time, Dr. Wang asked him, “Didn’t you also eat dumplings? How come you’re not feeling anything?”
Qin Chunxiao replied, “Because I have a strong stomach.”
Then Dr. Wang learned that little Qin had never been sick until he turned twelve. This kind of constitution was quite rare in his eyes.
Although theoretically, some children with a good immune system who are well taken care of by their families might never have been sick from birth, Qin Chunxiao was different. He had already completed six years of primary school, and anyone with experience raising children would know that in places where children gather, if one child gets sick, there’s a high likelihood of spreading to other children.
That’s why many children get sick more frequently after starting kindergarten or primary school compared to when they’re at home.
In the nine years that Qin Chunxiao attended kindergarten and primary school, his classmates and teachers collectively experienced mumps, conjunctivitis, hand-foot-and-mouth disease, chickenpox, flu, epidemic cerebrospinal meningitis… After all, Guangzhou was a big city with a large population flow, making it easy for diseases to spread.
At the worst of times, there were only a few scattered students attending class in Qin Chunxiao’s class. The teachers were all sick, and another teacher from a neighboring class had to substitute.
In such circumstances, Qin Chunxiao managed to remain unaffected, bouncing around energetically every day. After class, he would run a few laps on the playground to expend his excess energy. When his parents took him for a physical check-up afterward, they discovered that he already had antibodies.
Qin Chunxiao’s overly healthy body convinced the school principal that physical activity could significantly enhance one’s constitution, leading to a school rule where every class had to run five laps around the playground in the morning.
It was unclear whether it was due to the school initially attracting a group of athletic talents or the school rule itself, but this primary school produced several talents. Besides Qin Chunxiao, the volleyball national team player, there were also divers, gymnasts, 800-meter runners, 10,000-meter runners, high jumpers, long jumpers, and a few athletes who joined the provincial teams. Among them, the 10,000-meter runner had even made it to the national team and was preparing for the Tokyo Olympics.
So miraculous was the situation that even Qin Chunxiao’s father felt that his son’s immune system was somewhat extraordinary. Although Qin Mama and Qin Chunfeng rarely fell ill, they still got vaccinated, and it wasn’t like they remained unscathed in the midst of contagious patients.
If everyone’s immune system was likened to an army, Qin Chunxiao’s immune system could probably be considered at the level of the PLA (People’s Liberation Army).
That was why the Qin family never blamed the doctors for paying attention to Qin Chunxiao all these years.
In the previous life when he was truly 18, Qin Chunxiao was still a somewhat awkward kid, his mind consumed with thoughts of how to make it into the national team to prove himself. He had no time to care about a doctor he had only met a few times during primary school. It wasn’t until he played volleyball in the Brazilian league for two years that he considered having Dr. Wang draw a tube of blood during the offseason.
It was also after spending two years in Brazil that he realized he was a bit exceptional. After all, foreign countries didn’t have as strict epidemic control measures as China. Many players tested positive, including Qin Chunxiao’s teammates. But the strange thing was that even if Qin Chunxiao mingled without a mask in this group, he never tested positive.
Initially, everyone thought it might be due to the effectiveness of domestic vaccines. But once he learned that vaccinated people could still test positive, albeit with a reduced chance of severe symptoms, Qin Chunxiao had already played two months of matches without a mask. It was only when Lao Mars learned that the vaccine didn’t provide 100% protection that he told Qin Chunxiao to start wearing a mask again.
The judges in charge of awards probably thought that if Qin Chunxiao didn’t remove his mask, they’d have to award him titles like “Best Libero” or “First Team.” That would be embarrassing for their own athletes. When Qin Chunxiao left the Brazilian league, his biggest achievement was making it to the Second Team.
However, when he saw Dr. Wang again, Qin Chunxiao’s first thought wasn’t excitement or nostalgia but astonishment.
He looked at Dr. Wang’s completely bald head and couldn’t connect him with the thick-haired handsome middle-aged man he had met when he was twelve.
Dr. Wang casually touched his head, “I’ve been working with students these past few years. And my luck has been bad. I’ve had to deal with medical disputes every year, and I got so stressed that I started going bald, so I just decided to shave my head.”
Qin Chunxiao said, “Really? Being a doctor is tough.”
Dr. Wang led him to the blood collection room, “Don’t worry, I just need 100cc of your blood.”
It didn’t sound like much, so Qin Chunxiao was generous, “You can take more.”
Dr. Wang turned back, “How about 400cc?”
My goodness, Qin Chunxiao meant that even 200cc was fine. This was Newton’s nodding number, and Dr. Wang actually wanted to quadruple it. Impressive!
Qin Chunxiao: “The coach’s requirement is only 200cc.”
Dr. Wang showed regret, and then Qin Chunxiao noticed that there was another person in the blood collection room. The face looked familiar – it was Su Su, the senior he recently saw trending on Weibo.
Xiao Qin was puzzled. Wasn’t Professor Su from a university in Hunan? Guangzhou is far from there. Why is she here?
Su Su had the same calm expression as Dr. Wang, taking out iodine: “Little Qin, right? Come, I’ll draw blood for you.”
Qin Chunxiao: “Professor Su?”
Su Su smiled: “Hey, I heard from Wang Jing that you’re willing to give 200cc? That’s perfect. He and I will each take 100cc.”
Qin Chunxiao looked shocked. This senior actually wanted to study… his blood?
Dr. Wang said, “If it weren’t for Sister Su calling Coach Niu and Coach Chen, they wouldn’t have allowed us to draw your blood. They were worried about your comfort.”
Su Su’s actions were quick. When she drew the blood, Qin Chunxiao only felt a slight pinch, not painful at all. After it was done, he didn’t feel weak either. The aunt at the provincial team’s cafeteria prepared blood-boosting meals for him for a few days. After eating well and sleeping soundly, Qin Chunxiao quietly increased his nighttime jogging time and started doing the challenging college entrance exam questions in the evenings.
He had overcompensated with recovery. If he didn’t expend the excess energy and use exam papers to induce sleep, he would be so excited the next morning that he’d be bouncing around!
In late April, Hu Da, the captain of Hunan Provincial Youth Team and a setter, stood at the entrance of a hotel. “This year’s training is in Guangzhou. How unusual.”
His teammate patted his shoulder as he passed by, “Training rotates every year. It’s Old Guang’s turn this year. We can try Cantonese-style morning tea. I heard they serve rice noodle rolls for breakfast in the training camp.”
When they arrived at the restaurant, about a dozen big guys were already inside, happily eating. They were generally around 2 meters tall, and 1.95 meters was considered short among them. Many of them could turn a regular chair into a stool.
At that moment, a “petite” figure hurried in. He grabbed a beef bun and a carton of milk. He chugged the milk while walking and held the bun in his hand, carrying a large backpack. He looked like a nervous high school senior approaching the college entrance exams. He ate hastily and left the restaurant in a hurry.
Hu Da pushed his teammate, “Isn’t Qin in his final year of high school this year?”
Others nodded, “Yes.”
Most of the young players who participated in the youth training were high school students. The reputation of the college entrance exam was well-known to everyone. Seeing Qin Chunxiao, who didn’t even have time to sit down and eat, the players couldn’t help but feel a bit sympathetic.
In another year or two, it would be their turn.
But what’s strange was that even though their ages weren’t much different, most of the young players already looked up to Qin Chunxiao.
Here, “looking up” refers to a psychological perspective, not a physical height angle. Otherwise, the tall guys would have to crouch down to look up at Qin Chunxiao.
Can’t be helped– even though he was only 18, Qin Chunxiao had already held down the scoring rates of several super attackers on the court, and he was also earning the highest club salary in China. Additionally, due to his playing position, most attackers thought, “If only he could be my libero.” This way, even if the opponent’s block stopped the attack, he could follow up and save the ball, like having a big support behind them, making them feel at ease.
As for liberos, they generally saw Qin Chunxiao as their goal. After all, Qin Chunxiao had already proven that even on the defensive end, he could earn a high salary and became the team’s core through practical actions.
Hu Da nudged the person sitting next to him, “Huang Mi, you and Qin are both from ’01, and you’re both in your final year of high school. What do you think now?”
Huang Mi looked puzzled, raised his head with a simple smile, and with his mouth full of buns, he mumbled in a somewhat unclear manner, “Huh? Getting a score to get into a top university is a bit challenging for me. Tong -ge, my senior, said that I should try to get into the national youth team this time to secure a spot at Beida (Peking University), so the pressure is quite high, haha.”
Huang Mi was the captain of Shandong Provincial Youth Team and a main attacker. The “Tong-ge” he referred to was his senior from the same province, Tong Shulan.
“Qin wants to get into Beida, he’s probably getting a guaranteed spot. I guess he’s busy because he’s considering other universities,” said Min Shanqi, the captain of Jilin Provincial Youth Team, who was enjoying a bowl of porridge. “Unfortunately, they don’t have fish cakes here.”
Min Shanqi was of Korean descent and loved fish cakes.
Interestingly, the canteen supervisor for this youth training camp was still Aunt Wei, who had a good relationship with Newton. So, she knew the physical data of these young men as well.
Flipping through her notebook, she smiled, “Last time, Little Qin was the youngest on the team. Now, in this batch, he’s actually the oldest.”
But Qin Chunxiao was still the shortest among them. Let’s not tell him about that.
The U21 Men’s Volleyball World Championship was also known as the U21 World Championship. Athletes under 21 years old could participate, but in the previous U21 World Championship, the domestic athletes under 21 who were strong were pretty much scraped off by Newton.
Newton valued the health of his players’ bodies more than anything. Combined with the fact that the athletes who played with him in the previous U21 World Championship had already made it to the top four in the VNL finals as adults, he announced from the beginning that no one other than Dun Dun would play in this edition of the U21 World Championship.
After all, the U21 World Championship was also a rare training ground. Instead of letting this group of highly accomplished players take up the main positions, it was better to give more opportunities to the younger ones.
This drove Coach Hou, who oversaw the national youth team, crazy. He had to resort to the same tactics as Newton and scoured all the provinces for talented players, which led to a lot of criticism.
However, this search did yield a few talents. Two of them were relatively young, born in 2003 and 2004. They were only fifteen or sixteen years old now. Originally, their provincial teams intended to send them to the World Youth Championship, but Coach Hou decided to move them up to the youth team after seeing their potential.
Coach Yu, who was also coaching a team for the World Youth Championship this year, was so frustrated by this that he almost went to Coach Hou’s place for a real face-off.
Qin Chunxiao rushed to Coach Hou’s office, knocked on the door, and entered. Coach Hou quickly got up, “How did the mock exam go?”
Qin Chunxiao struggled to swallow the last bite of his bun, “27th in my grade, pretty good.”
Coach Hou nodded in approval, “That’s good, that’s good.”
Coach Hou had worked hard to get through the obstacles of both Newton and Coach Chen Aiguo to secure this 18-year-old world-class defensive player – at least for the time being.
However, if Qin Chunxiao didn’t perform well in this mock exam, Coach Chen Aiguo would definitely send Dun Dun back to school.
Furthermore, Coach Chen originally didn’t want Qin Chunxiao to participate in the training camp. In Old Chen’s mind, after Qin Chunxiao had 200cc of blood drawn by Su Su, he should have been properly taken care of and focused on preparing for the college entrance exams. It was Qin Chunxiao’s insistence, fueled by the excessive energy he received from the cafeteria aunt, that made him strongly request to participate in the training.
Coach Hou excitedly rubbed his hands together, “We agreed. When it comes to the U21 World Championship, you’ll play as the opposite hitter and lead the team as captain.”
Qin Chunxiao simply replied, “Sure.”
When the athletes arrived at the training venue, they saw that under Coach Hou’s guidance, Qin Chunxiao had already started doing short-distance sprint training.
One of the kids who usually paid attention to sprinting exclaimed, “His start is pretty good.”
Qin Chunxiao, who had just completed a 30-meter sprint in 4.07 seconds, had arrived at the entrance of the venue just in time to hear this. He immediately gave the person a thumbs-up, “You have a good eye. But my acceleration in the second half is actually better than the first 30 meters.”
The kid exclaimed in awe, “Wow!”
This kid was the youngest participant in this year’s youth training camp, named Zhang Xiaowang. He was a member of the Liaoning Provincial Youth Team and a main attacker. Born in 2004, he was only 15 years old this year, yet he was already 208 centimeters tall (6 feet 10 inches) and had excellent jumping ability. He could already touch 3.7 meters (12 feet 1 inch), and it was expected that his data would increase even more when he reached adulthood.
This meant that his jumping talent was even above Qiao Mingming and Tong Shulan.
After learning about Zhang Xiaowang, Newton took the initiative to talk to the coach of the Liaoning Provincial Team and expressed that he was willing to provide whatever resources were needed – whether it was in terms of diet, coaching resources, or finding strong athletes to practice with and provide meals for. Newton was committed to supporting them.
After all, no athlete can stand on the court in perfect health forever. Qiao Mingming, born in 1995, would retire someday. When that time comes, if Zhang Xiaowang from 2004 could rise up, the main attacker position for the Chinese men’s volleyball team wouldn’t be vacant.
This was the so-called echelon building.
Newton had been paying attention to finding young players who could take over the main and backup positions for the national team, such as the opposite hitter, outside hitter, and setter. Unfortunately, for the libero position, there hasn’t been a strong replacement yet.
If it weren’t for the fact that Qin Chunxiao himself was from the “00s” and could still play for the national team for at least ten more years, some pessimistic fans might have declared that the libero position was entering a barren period.
Considering Qin Chunxiao’s young age, everyone wasn’t too worried at the moment. They believe that there is still plenty of time to find the next national-level libero.
However, during training, Qin Chunxiao noticed that Coach Hou’s positioning for Zhang Xiaowang was as a secondary attacker, while the primary attacker was another player named Lu Feiying from Henan.
The first time Qin Chunxiao saw this player, he had one thought – this kid was a bit chubby.
Lu Feiying was the strongest athlete in this training camp. Born in 2003, he stands at 2.01 meters (6 feet 7 inches) tall and is the heaviest in the camp. Despite his size, he’s surprisingly agile, earning the nickname “Agile Chubby.” His ability to execute powerful spikes from fixed points is particularly impressive; he belongs to the type who can rely on sheer strength to break through the opponent’s defense.
Qin Chunxiao had no idea where the coaches found this talent, but after training with these young athletes for a week, he recognized their abilities and believed that with them, they could achieve good results in the U21 World Championship.
Unfortunately, Qin Chunxiao only trained with the team for half a month before being called away by Newton to join the national team’s training camp.
This year, the national team’s training camp was also held in Guangzhou. This decision was made not just to accommodate Qin Chunxiao, but also because the first leg of the VNL (Volleyball Nations League) was held in Jiangmen, China.
In this leg, the Chinese team would compete against strong teams from Germany, Iran, and Italy. The outcome of these matches would play a key role in determining whether China would make it to the VNL finals again this year.
However, as the matches in Jiangmen began, it was noticed that Qin Chunxiao wasn’t even on the roster.
And by “not on the roster,” it didn’t mean that he wasn’t playing in the matches – he literally wasn’t listed as part of the team.
After the match, Iran’s team captain, Ah Sang, came over to the Chinese team, “Hey, where’s Misha Qin? Is he injured or something? Why isn’t he participating in the VNL?”
Saying that China was sending a second team to the VNL for training purposes didn’t make sense, especially since all the other key players were there. Qin Chunxiao was the only one missing.
The Chinese men’s volleyball national team collectively responded, “He’s preparing for the college entrance exams.”
Asan asked with a puzzled expression, “Gao? What? What are you guys talking about?”
The Chinese men’s volleyball national team repeated, “College entrance exams!”
On June 5th, Qin Chunxiao walked into the exam room for the second time to take the college entrance exams. His mom, sister, grandmother, and great-grandmother all wore qipaos (traditional Chinese dresses) to accompany him. His grandfather brought a small pot containing chilled mung bean soup and shared it with the ladies.
He grumbled, “When Mia took the college entrance exams, you weren’t all this nervous.”
Qin Chunfeng retorted, “Do I need to be nervous for my exams? With my grades, even if I’m not the top scorer, I can still easily get into a prestigious university. Xiaoxiao has never ranked in the top three in his class since he entered high school. He’s always been distracted by volleyball. If he doesn’t get into the school he likes, he’ll be really upset.”
Qin’s mother stamped her foot, “Hey, even if he doesn’t get into Zhonghai University, Xiaoxiao can still go to Antarctica. We’re not lacking in money.”
Qin’s grandmother was calm, “It’s okay. If Misha can’t go to the Antarctic expedition, he can inherit our cake shop. We’ll have a backup plan for him.”
Qin’s great-grandmother added, “Son-in-law, I don’t like what you just said. Xiaozai hasn’t finished the exam yet. How can you weaken his morale? The key to the exam is momentum. When his father took the college entrance exam, I even wore my wedding dress to cheer him on.”
The four women in the Qin family were all extremely nervous. Qin’s grandfather quietly opened the pot lid, “Son-in-law, wife, daughter, Mia, come, drink some mung bean soup.”
After a while, two tall figures around 2 meters approached, “Grandpa, grandma, great-grandma, aunt, sister, come, let’s have lunch.”
Li Ling set up a folding table and said, “There’s traffic control outside. We spent a long time looking for a parking spot. Dongzai was getting anxious, he was worried that the food would get stuffy in the boxes.”
Lu Xuandong arranged the food on the table. Each of the five large lunch boxes contained nutritious and light dishes that were delicious and refreshing to eat. In the eyes of Qin’s family elders, this tall guy named Dongzi was also Qin Chunxiao’s volleyball teammate.
Currently, the only ones Qin Chunxiao could bring home to play were Li Ling and Lu Xuandong. Therefore, Qin’s family assumed that Dongzi and Lingzi had a similar level of intimacy.
Only Qin Chunfeng glanced at Lu Xuandong more closely. As a young person, she recognized him as the former top idol of the music industry and the Prince of Zheyue, who had retired.
So, on the first occasion when Qin Chunxiao brought Lu Xuandong home, she asked him a question.
“Before, in Xiaoxiao’s Moments, I saw a night scene. It was quite a rare angle. Was it taken at your place?”
The soulmate relationship between Qin Chunxiao and Lu Xuandong was undeniable in front of this high-intelligence sister.
So, on the evening when Lu Xuandong first entered the Qin household, he not only prepared a sumptuous dinner in the kitchen but also specially made Qin Chunfeng’s favorite seafood emperor soup.
After finishing the soup, Qin Chunfeng wiped her mouth and asked Qin Chunxiao, “How far have you two developed?”
Qin Chunxiao scratched his head, “Just friends.”
Qin Chunfeng questioned, “Just friends?”
Qin Chunxiao replied, “Otherwise, what kind of relationship should I develop with him? Big sister, you know, I’m always busy with competitions everywhere, and he’s studying at a university in London. What kind of relationship can we have?”
Recalling the delicious seafood emperor soup and how Lu Xuandong had even helped tidy up the dining table before leaving, Qin Chunfeng felt a certain indescribable feeling. When Wen Lang pursued her, she had sensed it. How could her little brother be so clueless?
However, when she learned from her little brother about how he met Lu Xuandong and how they interacted, she felt like she had eaten a mouthful of dog food. They hadn’t officially started dating, but it wasn’t entirely not dog food either.
Considering Lu Xuandong’s well-known past struggles, when he met Qin Chunxiao, he didn’t rush into a close relationship. Instead, he maintained proper decorum. This left a favorable impression on Qin Chunfeng.
Seeing Lu Xuandong squatting to hand chopsticks to the elders, Qin Chunfeng scooped a cup of mung bean soup and handed it over, “You’ve worked hard. It’s not easy coming here on such a hot day. Don’t stay here too long. Go do whatever you need to do. It’s too hot here.”
Elders like Qin’s grandmothers and great-grandmothers weren’t as physically robust as Qin’s grandfather, father, and Qin Chunfeng. They would need to find a place to rest later.
Qin Chunfeng knew very well that bodies as resilient to cold and heat as hers and her little brother’s were rare. Lu Xuandong had probably gone through a lot of hardship before, so his physical foundation might not be as strong.
Lu Xuandong took out a small fan and said solemnly, “I’m fine. Before I came, Lingzi and I prepared some equipment.”
Qin Chunfeng: “…”
Oh well, let it be. After all, my little brother is already an adult. He doesn’t mind if you accompany him to the exam. What do I care?
In the afternoon, Chen Aiguo also arrived, and Qin’s grandfather and father had finished work and rushed over.
For a moment, Qin Chunxiao’s entourage of well-wishers for the exam had become the largest group at the scene, and this group was all dressed in red, making them especially eye-catching.
When Qin Chunxiao finally crawled out of the essay prompt “Embrace Labor, Start from Me” and walked out of the exam room, he immediately spotted them, especially Li Ling wearing a red dog-head hat.
Li Ling bounced excitedly, waving his hands, “Xiaozai! Congratulations on finishing the exam! Come join us for dinner. Lao Niu said he booked your flight ticket for tonight. We’re heading straight to Mendoza, Argentina for the next station of the VNL!”
This was a plan Qin Chunxiao had discussed with Newton a long time ago.
He blinked and walked up to Li Ling, taking off his hat and putting it on his own head before nodding to his family and soulmate.
“I think I did well on the exam. It was steady.”
Upon hearing this, he saw his parents, grandparents, granduncles, and elder sister as well as Chen Aiguo all show expressions of joy.
His sister and mother high-fived, Qin’s grandmother pondered for a moment, patted Qin Chunxiao’s shoulder, and said, “Work hard. In the future, find a daughter-in-law who can make desserts, so she can inherit my and Ivan’s cake shop.”
Qin Chunxiao glanced at Lu Xuandong, feeling a bit embarrassed. The dog-head hat was probably too thick, making him feel hot. He quickly took off the hat and whispered, “I’ll do my best.”
My Soulmate is A Libero
The first time Qin Chunxiao encountered Dr. Wang, he was still a sixth-grade elementary school student.
At the time, Dr. Wang asked him, “Didn’t you also eat dumplings? How come you’re not feeling anything?”
Qin Chunxiao replied, “Because I have a strong stomach.”
Then Dr. Wang learned that little Qin had never been sick until he turned twelve. This kind of constitution was quite rare in his eyes.
Although theoretically, some children with a good immune system who are well taken care of by their families might never have been sick from birth, Qin Chunxiao was different. He had already completed six years of primary school, and anyone with experience raising children would know that in places where children gather, if one child gets sick, there’s a high likelihood of spreading to other children.
That’s why many children get sick more frequently after starting kindergarten or primary school compared to when they’re at home.
In the nine years that Qin Chunxiao attended kindergarten and primary school, his classmates and teachers collectively experienced mumps, conjunctivitis, hand-foot-and-mouth disease, chickenpox, flu, epidemic cerebrospinal meningitis… After all, Guangzhou was a big city with a large population flow, making it easy for diseases to spread.
At the worst of times, there were only a few scattered students attending class in Qin Chunxiao’s class. The teachers were all sick, and another teacher from a neighboring class had to substitute.
In such circumstances, Qin Chunxiao managed to remain unaffected, bouncing around energetically every day. After class, he would run a few laps on the playground to expend his excess energy. When his parents took him for a physical check-up afterward, they discovered that he already had antibodies.
Qin Chunxiao’s overly healthy body convinced the school principal that physical activity could significantly enhance one’s constitution, leading to a school rule where every class had to run five laps around the playground in the morning.
It was unclear whether it was due to the school initially attracting a group of athletic talents or the school rule itself, but this primary school produced several talents. Besides Qin Chunxiao, the volleyball national team player, there were also divers, gymnasts, 800-meter runners, 10,000-meter runners, high jumpers, long jumpers, and a few athletes who joined the provincial teams. Among them, the 10,000-meter runner had even made it to the national team and was preparing for the Tokyo Olympics.
So miraculous was the situation that even Qin Chunxiao’s father felt that his son’s immune system was somewhat extraordinary. Although Qin Mama and Qin Chunfeng rarely fell ill, they still got vaccinated, and it wasn’t like they remained unscathed in the midst of contagious patients.
If everyone’s immune system was likened to an army, Qin Chunxiao’s immune system could probably be considered at the level of the PLA (People’s Liberation Army).
That was why the Qin family never blamed the doctors for paying attention to Qin Chunxiao all these years.
In the previous life when he was truly 18, Qin Chunxiao was still a somewhat awkward kid, his mind consumed with thoughts of how to make it into the national team to prove himself. He had no time to care about a doctor he had only met a few times during primary school. It wasn’t until he played volleyball in the Brazilian league for two years that he considered having Dr. Wang draw a tube of blood during the offseason.
It was also after spending two years in Brazil that he realized he was a bit exceptional. After all, foreign countries didn’t have as strict epidemic control measures as China. Many players tested positive, including Qin Chunxiao’s teammates. But the strange thing was that even if Qin Chunxiao mingled without a mask in this group, he never tested positive.
Initially, everyone thought it might be due to the effectiveness of domestic vaccines. But once he learned that vaccinated people could still test positive, albeit with a reduced chance of severe symptoms, Qin Chunxiao had already played two months of matches without a mask. It was only when Lao Mars learned that the vaccine didn’t provide 100% protection that he told Qin Chunxiao to start wearing a mask again.
The judges in charge of awards probably thought that if Qin Chunxiao didn’t remove his mask, they’d have to award him titles like “Best Libero” or “First Team.” That would be embarrassing for their own athletes. When Qin Chunxiao left the Brazilian league, his biggest achievement was making it to the Second Team.
However, when he saw Dr. Wang again, Qin Chunxiao’s first thought wasn’t excitement or nostalgia but astonishment.
He looked at Dr. Wang’s completely bald head and couldn’t connect him with the thick-haired handsome middle-aged man he had met when he was twelve.
Dr. Wang casually touched his head, “I’ve been working with students these past few years. And my luck has been bad. I’ve had to deal with medical disputes every year, and I got so stressed that I started going bald, so I just decided to shave my head.”
Qin Chunxiao said, “Really? Being a doctor is tough.”
Dr. Wang led him to the blood collection room, “Don’t worry, I just need 100cc of your blood.”
It didn’t sound like much, so Qin Chunxiao was generous, “You can take more.”
Dr. Wang turned back, “How about 400cc?”
My goodness, Qin Chunxiao meant that even 200cc was fine. This was Newton’s nodding number, and Dr. Wang actually wanted to quadruple it. Impressive!
Qin Chunxiao: “The coach’s requirement is only 200cc.”
Dr. Wang showed regret, and then Qin Chunxiao noticed that there was another person in the blood collection room. The face looked familiar – it was Su Su, the senior he recently saw trending on Weibo.
Xiao Qin was puzzled. Wasn’t Professor Su from a university in Hunan? Guangzhou is far from there. Why is she here?
Su Su had the same calm expression as Dr. Wang, taking out iodine: “Little Qin, right? Come, I’ll draw blood for you.”
Qin Chunxiao: “Professor Su?”
Su Su smiled: “Hey, I heard from Wang Jing that you’re willing to give 200cc? That’s perfect. He and I will each take 100cc.”
Qin Chunxiao looked shocked. This senior actually wanted to study… his blood?
Dr. Wang said, “If it weren’t for Sister Su calling Coach Niu and Coach Chen, they wouldn’t have allowed us to draw your blood. They were worried about your comfort.”
Su Su’s actions were quick. When she drew the blood, Qin Chunxiao only felt a slight pinch, not painful at all. After it was done, he didn’t feel weak either. The aunt at the provincial team’s cafeteria prepared blood-boosting meals for him for a few days. After eating well and sleeping soundly, Qin Chunxiao quietly increased his nighttime jogging time and started doing the challenging college entrance exam questions in the evenings.
He had overcompensated with recovery. If he didn’t expend the excess energy and use exam papers to induce sleep, he would be so excited the next morning that he’d be bouncing around!
In late April, Hu Da, the captain of Hunan Provincial Youth Team and a setter, stood at the entrance of a hotel. “This year’s training is in Guangzhou. How unusual.”
His teammate patted his shoulder as he passed by, “Training rotates every year. It’s Old Guang’s turn this year. We can try Cantonese-style morning tea. I heard they serve rice noodle rolls for breakfast in the training camp.”
When they arrived at the restaurant, about a dozen big guys were already inside, happily eating. They were generally around 2 meters tall, and 1.95 meters was considered short among them. Many of them could turn a regular chair into a stool.
At that moment, a “petite” figure hurried in. He grabbed a beef bun and a carton of milk. He chugged the milk while walking and held the bun in his hand, carrying a large backpack. He looked like a nervous high school senior approaching the college entrance exams. He ate hastily and left the restaurant in a hurry.
Hu Da pushed his teammate, “Isn’t Qin in his final year of high school this year?”
Others nodded, “Yes.”
Most of the young players who participated in the youth training were high school students. The reputation of the college entrance exam was well-known to everyone. Seeing Qin Chunxiao, who didn’t even have time to sit down and eat, the players couldn’t help but feel a bit sympathetic.
In another year or two, it would be their turn.
But what’s strange was that even though their ages weren’t much different, most of the young players already looked up to Qin Chunxiao.
Here, “looking up” refers to a psychological perspective, not a physical height angle. Otherwise, the tall guys would have to crouch down to look up at Qin Chunxiao.
Can’t be helped– even though he was only 18, Qin Chunxiao had already held down the scoring rates of several super attackers on the court, and he was also earning the highest club salary in China. Additionally, due to his playing position, most attackers thought, “If only he could be my libero.” This way, even if the opponent’s block stopped the attack, he could follow up and save the ball, like having a big support behind them, making them feel at ease.
As for liberos, they generally saw Qin Chunxiao as their goal. After all, Qin Chunxiao had already proven that even on the defensive end, he could earn a high salary and became the team’s core through practical actions.
Hu Da nudged the person sitting next to him, “Huang Mi, you and Qin are both from ’01, and you’re both in your final year of high school. What do you think now?”
Huang Mi looked puzzled, raised his head with a simple smile, and with his mouth full of buns, he mumbled in a somewhat unclear manner, “Huh? Getting a score to get into a top university is a bit challenging for me. Tong -ge, my senior, said that I should try to get into the national youth team this time to secure a spot at Beida (Peking University), so the pressure is quite high, haha.”
Huang Mi was the captain of Shandong Provincial Youth Team and a main attacker. The “Tong-ge” he referred to was his senior from the same province, Tong Shulan.
“Qin wants to get into Beida, he’s probably getting a guaranteed spot. I guess he’s busy because he’s considering other universities,” said Min Shanqi, the captain of Jilin Provincial Youth Team, who was enjoying a bowl of porridge. “Unfortunately, they don’t have fish cakes here.”
Min Shanqi was of Korean descent and loved fish cakes.
Interestingly, the canteen supervisor for this youth training camp was still Aunt Wei, who had a good relationship with Newton. So, she knew the physical data of these young men as well.
Flipping through her notebook, she smiled, “Last time, Little Qin was the youngest on the team. Now, in this batch, he’s actually the oldest.”
But Qin Chunxiao was still the shortest among them. Let’s not tell him about that.
The U21 Men’s Volleyball World Championship was also known as the U21 World Championship. Athletes under 21 years old could participate, but in the previous U21 World Championship, the domestic athletes under 21 who were strong were pretty much scraped off by Newton.
Newton valued the health of his players’ bodies more than anything. Combined with the fact that the athletes who played with him in the previous U21 World Championship had already made it to the top four in the VNL finals as adults, he announced from the beginning that no one other than Dun Dun would play in this edition of the U21 World Championship.
After all, the U21 World Championship was also a rare training ground. Instead of letting this group of highly accomplished players take up the main positions, it was better to give more opportunities to the younger ones.
This drove Coach Hou, who oversaw the national youth team, crazy. He had to resort to the same tactics as Newton and scoured all the provinces for talented players, which led to a lot of criticism.
However, this search did yield a few talents. Two of them were relatively young, born in 2003 and 2004. They were only fifteen or sixteen years old now. Originally, their provincial teams intended to send them to the World Youth Championship, but Coach Hou decided to move them up to the youth team after seeing their potential.
Coach Yu, who was also coaching a team for the World Youth Championship this year, was so frustrated by this that he almost went to Coach Hou’s place for a real face-off.
Qin Chunxiao rushed to Coach Hou’s office, knocked on the door, and entered. Coach Hou quickly got up, “How did the mock exam go?”
Qin Chunxiao struggled to swallow the last bite of his bun, “27th in my grade, pretty good.”
Coach Hou nodded in approval, “That’s good, that’s good.”
Coach Hou had worked hard to get through the obstacles of both Newton and Coach Chen Aiguo to secure this 18-year-old world-class defensive player – at least for the time being.
However, if Qin Chunxiao didn’t perform well in this mock exam, Coach Chen Aiguo would definitely send Dun Dun back to school.
Furthermore, Coach Chen originally didn’t want Qin Chunxiao to participate in the training camp. In Old Chen’s mind, after Qin Chunxiao had 200cc of blood drawn by Su Su, he should have been properly taken care of and focused on preparing for the college entrance exams. It was Qin Chunxiao’s insistence, fueled by the excessive energy he received from the cafeteria aunt, that made him strongly request to participate in the training.
Coach Hou excitedly rubbed his hands together, “We agreed. When it comes to the U21 World Championship, you’ll play as the opposite hitter and lead the team as captain.”
Qin Chunxiao simply replied, “Sure.”
When the athletes arrived at the training venue, they saw that under Coach Hou’s guidance, Qin Chunxiao had already started doing short-distance sprint training.
One of the kids who usually paid attention to sprinting exclaimed, “His start is pretty good.”
Qin Chunxiao, who had just completed a 30-meter sprint in 4.07 seconds, had arrived at the entrance of the venue just in time to hear this. He immediately gave the person a thumbs-up, “You have a good eye. But my acceleration in the second half is actually better than the first 30 meters.”
The kid exclaimed in awe, “Wow!”
This kid was the youngest participant in this year’s youth training camp, named Zhang Xiaowang. He was a member of the Liaoning Provincial Youth Team and a main attacker. Born in 2004, he was only 15 years old this year, yet he was already 208 centimeters tall (6 feet 10 inches) and had excellent jumping ability. He could already touch 3.7 meters (12 feet 1 inch), and it was expected that his data would increase even more when he reached adulthood.
This meant that his jumping talent was even above Qiao Mingming and Tong Shulan.
After learning about Zhang Xiaowang, Newton took the initiative to talk to the coach of the Liaoning Provincial Team and expressed that he was willing to provide whatever resources were needed – whether it was in terms of diet, coaching resources, or finding strong athletes to practice with and provide meals for. Newton was committed to supporting them.
After all, no athlete can stand on the court in perfect health forever. Qiao Mingming, born in 1995, would retire someday. When that time comes, if Zhang Xiaowang from 2004 could rise up, the main attacker position for the Chinese men’s volleyball team wouldn’t be vacant.
This was the so-called echelon building.
Newton had been paying attention to finding young players who could take over the main and backup positions for the national team, such as the opposite hitter, outside hitter, and setter. Unfortunately, for the libero position, there hasn’t been a strong replacement yet.
If it weren’t for the fact that Qin Chunxiao himself was from the “00s” and could still play for the national team for at least ten more years, some pessimistic fans might have declared that the libero position was entering a barren period.
Considering Qin Chunxiao’s young age, everyone wasn’t too worried at the moment. They believe that there is still plenty of time to find the next national-level libero.
However, during training, Qin Chunxiao noticed that Coach Hou’s positioning for Zhang Xiaowang was as a secondary attacker, while the primary attacker was another player named Lu Feiying from Henan.
The first time Qin Chunxiao saw this player, he had one thought – this kid was a bit chubby.
Lu Feiying was the strongest athlete in this training camp. Born in 2003, he stands at 2.01 meters (6 feet 7 inches) tall and is the heaviest in the camp. Despite his size, he’s surprisingly agile, earning the nickname “Agile Chubby.” His ability to execute powerful spikes from fixed points is particularly impressive; he belongs to the type who can rely on sheer strength to break through the opponent’s defense.
Qin Chunxiao had no idea where the coaches found this talent, but after training with these young athletes for a week, he recognized their abilities and believed that with them, they could achieve good results in the U21 World Championship.
Unfortunately, Qin Chunxiao only trained with the team for half a month before being called away by Newton to join the national team’s training camp.
This year, the national team’s training camp was also held in Guangzhou. This decision was made not just to accommodate Qin Chunxiao, but also because the first leg of the VNL (Volleyball Nations League) was held in Jiangmen, China.
In this leg, the Chinese team would compete against strong teams from Germany, Iran, and Italy. The outcome of these matches would play a key role in determining whether China would make it to the VNL finals again this year.
However, as the matches in Jiangmen began, it was noticed that Qin Chunxiao wasn’t even on the roster.
And by “not on the roster,” it didn’t mean that he wasn’t playing in the matches – he literally wasn’t listed as part of the team.
After the match, Iran’s team captain, Ah Sang, came over to the Chinese team, “Hey, where’s Misha Qin? Is he injured or something? Why isn’t he participating in the VNL?”
Saying that China was sending a second team to the VNL for training purposes didn’t make sense, especially since all the other key players were there. Qin Chunxiao was the only one missing.
The Chinese men’s volleyball national team collectively responded, “He’s preparing for the college entrance exams.”
Asan asked with a puzzled expression, “Gao? What? What are you guys talking about?”
The Chinese men’s volleyball national team repeated, “College entrance exams!”
On June 5th, Qin Chunxiao walked into the exam room for the second time to take the college entrance exams. His mom, sister, grandmother, and great-grandmother all wore qipaos (traditional Chinese dresses) to accompany him. His grandfather brought a small pot containing chilled mung bean soup and shared it with the ladies.
He grumbled, “When Mia took the college entrance exams, you weren’t all this nervous.”
Qin Chunfeng retorted, “Do I need to be nervous for my exams? With my grades, even if I’m not the top scorer, I can still easily get into a prestigious university. Xiaoxiao has never ranked in the top three in his class since he entered high school. He’s always been distracted by volleyball. If he doesn’t get into the school he likes, he’ll be really upset.”
Qin’s mother stamped her foot, “Hey, even if he doesn’t get into Zhonghai University, Xiaoxiao can still go to Antarctica. We’re not lacking in money.”
Qin’s grandmother was calm, “It’s okay. If Misha can’t go to the Antarctic expedition, he can inherit our cake shop. We’ll have a backup plan for him.”
Qin’s great-grandmother added, “Son-in-law, I don’t like what you just said. Xiaozai hasn’t finished the exam yet. How can you weaken his morale? The key to the exam is momentum. When his father took the college entrance exam, I even wore my wedding dress to cheer him on.”
The four women in the Qin family were all extremely nervous. Qin’s grandfather quietly opened the pot lid, “Son-in-law, wife, daughter, Mia, come, drink some mung bean soup.”
After a while, two tall figures around 2 meters approached, “Grandpa, grandma, great-grandma, aunt, sister, come, let’s have lunch.”
Li Ling set up a folding table and said, “There’s traffic control outside. We spent a long time looking for a parking spot. Dongzai was getting anxious, he was worried that the food would get stuffy in the boxes.”
Lu Xuandong arranged the food on the table. Each of the five large lunch boxes contained nutritious and light dishes that were delicious and refreshing to eat. In the eyes of Qin’s family elders, this tall guy named Dongzi was also Qin Chunxiao’s volleyball teammate.
Currently, the only ones Qin Chunxiao could bring home to play were Li Ling and Lu Xuandong. Therefore, Qin’s family assumed that Dongzi and Lingzi had a similar level of intimacy.
Only Qin Chunfeng glanced at Lu Xuandong more closely. As a young person, she recognized him as the former top idol of the music industry and the Prince of Zheyue, who had retired.
So, on the first occasion when Qin Chunxiao brought Lu Xuandong home, she asked him a question.
“Before, in Xiaoxiao’s Moments, I saw a night scene. It was quite a rare angle. Was it taken at your place?”
The soulmate relationship between Qin Chunxiao and Lu Xuandong was undeniable in front of this high-intelligence sister.
So, on the evening when Lu Xuandong first entered the Qin household, he not only prepared a sumptuous dinner in the kitchen but also specially made Qin Chunfeng’s favorite seafood emperor soup.
After finishing the soup, Qin Chunfeng wiped her mouth and asked Qin Chunxiao, “How far have you two developed?”
Qin Chunxiao scratched his head, “Just friends.”
Qin Chunfeng questioned, “Just friends?”
Qin Chunxiao replied, “Otherwise, what kind of relationship should I develop with him? Big sister, you know, I’m always busy with competitions everywhere, and he’s studying at a university in London. What kind of relationship can we have?”
Recalling the delicious seafood emperor soup and how Lu Xuandong had even helped tidy up the dining table before leaving, Qin Chunfeng felt a certain indescribable feeling. When Wen Lang pursued her, she had sensed it. How could her little brother be so clueless?
However, when she learned from her little brother about how he met Lu Xuandong and how they interacted, she felt like she had eaten a mouthful of dog food. They hadn’t officially started dating, but it wasn’t entirely not dog food either.
Considering Lu Xuandong’s well-known past struggles, when he met Qin Chunxiao, he didn’t rush into a close relationship. Instead, he maintained proper decorum. This left a favorable impression on Qin Chunfeng.
Seeing Lu Xuandong squatting to hand chopsticks to the elders, Qin Chunfeng scooped a cup of mung bean soup and handed it over, “You’ve worked hard. It’s not easy coming here on such a hot day. Don’t stay here too long. Go do whatever you need to do. It’s too hot here.”
Elders like Qin’s grandmothers and great-grandmothers weren’t as physically robust as Qin’s grandfather, father, and Qin Chunfeng. They would need to find a place to rest later.
Qin Chunfeng knew very well that bodies as resilient to cold and heat as hers and her little brother’s were rare. Lu Xuandong had probably gone through a lot of hardship before, so his physical foundation might not be as strong.
Lu Xuandong took out a small fan and said solemnly, “I’m fine. Before I came, Lingzi and I prepared some equipment.”
Qin Chunfeng: “…”
Oh well, let it be. After all, my little brother is already an adult. He doesn’t mind if you accompany him to the exam. What do I care?
In the afternoon, Chen Aiguo also arrived, and Qin’s grandfather and father had finished work and rushed over.
For a moment, Qin Chunxiao’s entourage of well-wishers for the exam had become the largest group at the scene, and this group was all dressed in red, making them especially eye-catching.
When Qin Chunxiao finally crawled out of the essay prompt “Embrace Labor, Start from Me” and walked out of the exam room, he immediately spotted them, especially Li Ling wearing a red dog-head hat.
Li Ling bounced excitedly, waving his hands, “Xiaozai! Congratulations on finishing the exam! Come join us for dinner. Lao Niu said he booked your flight ticket for tonight. We’re heading straight to Mendoza, Argentina for the next station of the VNL!”
This was a plan Qin Chunxiao had discussed with Newton a long time ago.
He blinked and walked up to Li Ling, taking off his hat and putting it on his own head before nodding to his family and soulmate.
“I think I did well on the exam. It was steady.”
Upon hearing this, he saw his parents, grandparents, granduncles, and elder sister as well as Chen Aiguo all show expressions of joy.
His sister and mother high-fived, Qin’s grandmother pondered for a moment, patted Qin Chunxiao’s shoulder, and said, “Work hard. In the future, find a daughter-in-law who can make desserts, so she can inherit my and Ivan’s cake shop.”
Qin Chunxiao glanced at Lu Xuandong, feeling a bit embarrassed. The dog-head hat was probably too thick, making him feel hot. He quickly took off the hat and whispered, “I’ll do my best.”
