My Soulmate is A Libero
The defensive powerhouse clash between Team China and Team France was one of the most anticipated matches of this year’s VNL for many fans who enjoy multi-round battles.
“I didn’t expect the two teams to meet in the second stage.” A Brazilian fan switched the channel to the sports channel, and a group of men in the bar held their drinks, waving flags of their respective teams, happily watching the screen.
Today, the French team wore blue jerseys, while the Chinese team put on yellow jerseys. Qin Chunxiao had a light yellow headband that matched the jersey color tied around his forehead. He walked onto the court wearing black wristbands and knee pads.
The starting lineup for Team China today was unprecedentedly strong – Qiao Mingming, You Ziyu, Fu Biyang, Kong Duojin, Qin Chunxiao, Li Ling.
This was a lineup that was highly tall, impenetrable in blocking, and solid in defense. The players on the court were well-rounded, stable, experienced in top-level competitions, and had strong determination.
A fan exclaimed, “Misha changed his headband.”
He used to only wear a blue headband!
And that headband even had a cartoon wolf pattern on it, looking extremely cute. With Qin Chunxiao standing among a group of two-meter-tall players and wearing this cartoon headband, in the eyes of many fans, Misha’s appearance was adorably charming!
The one who gave him the headband, Zheyue Crown Prince, was taking a break from his busy schedule and looking at the projection screen in his office, sighing. If he didn’t have so much work, he would have already flown to Argentina to catch the match.
However, in the minds of his opponents, Misha Qin only seemed cute on the surface. Once he stepped onto the court, he became the most vigilant adversary.
You Ziyu walked to the serving area, preparing for a powerful jump serve.
There was a loud noise as the ball met his palm, and another when it hit the ground. Surprisingly, the French team failed to receive the ball.
Seeing that this no-contact serve scored a point, You Ziyu immediately clenched his fist and shouted excitedly. Kristian, who was in the audience, also clenched his fist: “Yes! That’s how you do it!”
It was not for nothing that Kristian purposely made a detour to Hubei during his trip to China. Not only did he get to enjoy local dishes like hot dry noodles, shaomai, and lotus root starch, he also helped You Ziyu with a pre-season upgrade. When he left, the Hubei provincial team even gave him several pounds of homemade osmanthus lotus root starch as a token of gratitude for his technical exchange.
You Ziyu had a good understanding and a similar playing style to Kristian. While You Ziyu was calmer on the court, Kristian was wilder. Nevertheless, their technical attributes were quite similar, making Christoph truly invested in mentoring his disciple.
The French team hadn’t expected that You Ziyu’s jump serve, only after one season, would increase in speed so much. Their libero looked serious, “I underestimated him. That kid’s arms have bulked up, I should have been more cautious.”
Despite some “Yellow race is weaker than the other races in terms of strength” brainwashing propaganda, it was all just nonsense to deceive people. If they were really weaker in terms of strength, why would China dominate in weightlifting? Many European and American fitness enthusiasts admired the Chinese weightlifting team tremendously.
The French team, who had faced the Chinese men’s volleyball team several times, also knew how formidable these guys were.
The Chinese men’s volleyball national team consisted of the cream of the crop from a country of over a billion people, the best players in volleyball. The six players on the court today were not just regular starters; they were the core of the national team. Did anyone really think they were easy to deal with?
When You Ziyu served for the second time, he used a jump float serve. Strangely enough, the ball started floating mid-air and then took a turn before landing on the ground.
The float serve – the serve that played the most tricks on liberos in the world!
The French libero pounded the floor and got up, glaring at You Ziyu. This Chinese player was a serving expert, especially when it came to tricky serves. Was he going to use a jump spin serve this time?
You Ziyu: “I’ll stick with the jump float.”
The high-speed serve starting at 125 km/h was ruthlessly launched by You Ziyu, and the French libero was no pushover. His experience in receiving jump serves was no less than that of Qin Chunxiao. He made a dive, received the ball, and the French setter quickly got into position.
Finally, Sidney got a chance to attack. He took a leap forward, but he saw Fu Biyang already holding his hands up at the net.
Fu Biyang was well aware that he couldn’t match up against Sidney in terms of height, so he delayed his jump to maximize his reach and height advantage.
Compared to his rugged phase from a few years ago, Fu Biyang’s blocking technique had become quite refined. Sidney’s attack grazed Fu Biyang’s fingertips, and Qin Chunxiao immediately pursued the ball. Before it touched the ground, he slammed it back over the net with a powerful fist.
Li Ling was ready to set the ball, but then his eyes shifted. He suddenly spun the ball over the net with both hands. Knowing that the French team, with their highly aggressive playstyle, was ready for an attack, their libero dug up the ball and organized a counterattack.
Team China refused to be outdone and set up a strong defensive formation for the counterattack.
In the first set, the scores of both teams remained tightly contested. However, due to the height difference, Fu Biyang’s blocking efficiency against Sidney was not very high. Most of the time, it was a soft block. On the other hand, when You Ziyu rotated to the front row, he capitalized on his height advantage that wasn’t much inferior to the opponent’s and his exceptional arm span to score three block points.
This made the French team increasingly wary of this tall player. In the audience, Kristian nodded in satisfaction, “Starting to look good.”
In beach volleyball, a team consists of only two players, which means the players must develop comprehensive skills in receiving, attacking, and blocking. You Ziyu focused on this aspect, but the only thing that disappointed Kristian was that, although You Ziyu trained diligently, his stamina was only half of Kristian’s. Moreover, You Ziyu had a large physique, and if he jumped at full strength for an extended period, it would put significant strain on his joints.
However, if You Ziyu were to lose weight, it would likely lead to a decline in the strength he had worked hard to build up. Even after careful consideration, Kristian could only advise You Ziyu to prioritize strength.
#After all, the depth of the Chinese team’s bench has also improved, and while You Ziyu has substitutes, the team still lacks strong scoring points.#
At this moment, the two commentators on the volleyball front line were also extremely nervous. They were explaining the technical aspects while silently praying for Team China to overcome Team France today.
After all, China’s visible good condition, if overtaken by the opponent in excellent condition, would deal a significant blow to their morale.
On the other hand, the fans didn’t think that far.
【Squid is so awesome today, everyone! His blocking against Sidney is sharp!】
【And his serving speed has broken his personal record! It seems he practiced hard during regular times.】
【Our Wolf is so cute today! And he quietly saved several balls, making it impossible for France to widen the score gap with us.】
【Captain Qin is really dependable. He’s constantly attacking the French team along with the other spikers, and they’re playing with great enthusiasm today.】
【Exactly, the entire team’s spirit is high. They must have leveled up during the club season.】
The determination and strength of the Chinese men’s volleyball team revitalized those who supported them.
However, they lost the first set… Well, they had only reunited not long ago and were still adjusting to each other’s upgraded abilities. It was inevitable that there would be some lack of coordination, and occasionally, some comic scenes might occur. For example, the second setter’s set went out, but the spiker jumped too high, missing the ball with his hand and unintentionally giving the opponents an easy point…
The two second setters of the Chinese team, Ding the God of War and Li the Fool, had unconsciously entered the peculiar mode of “clever set most of the time, occasional trap.”
At this point, nobody cared about the on-site recording equipment’s sound quality. Whenever the Chinese team’s second setters failed to connect with the spiker again, the whole team cursed under their breath.
Only Qin Chunxiao, when rotating to the front row, was not affected by any second setter. This petite player who had lifted Li Ling from level 30 to 85 was a world-class master at adjusting his attack level. Moreover, he primarily used quick attacks and line shots, relying on his court sense and ball sense to find weak points in the opponent’s defense.
Coincidentally, Qiao Mingming was substituted out for the second set and took a break. He looked at Qin Chunxiao’s playing style with a puzzled expression, “Is his hang time better than before? And his take off rhythm seems a bit slower.”
The pace of volleyball matches was generally trending towards speed and power, with players going all out for aggressive attacks and quick ball speeds. But did Qin Chunxiao’s speed seem slower?
Newton explained, “Oh, that’s a piece of advice from Nikolai. Due to his height of 1.80 meters, if he goes head-to-head with opponents at the net for a powerful attack, it puts a lot of strain on his body. So, Nikolai suggested that Xiaozai can slow down his takeoff a bit while maintaining a fast descent.”
“Slow up” referred to the rhythm of the takeoff at the net. It could be slowed down by a beat or two, allowing successful avoidance of the opponent’s block. On the other hand, “fast down” referred to the speed increase from the moment the ball was contacted to when it was spiked down. This could be accelerated during that instant.
Not only Qin Chunxiao, but Er Leng was also taught this technique. However, the two had different physical conditions. Qin Chunxiao had a strong hang time and excellent vision, allowing him to observe the opponent’s defensive formation in midair and identify weak points.
Li Ling possessed high wrist flexibility and a varied shot trajectory, combined with strong wrist strength for powerful spikes. Both players saw an improvement in their efficiency when attacking downward.
In order for these two to counter the Beluga in the Russian Super League, Nikolai held nothing back in teaching them.
Of course, in most cases, the French team still found Qin Chunxiao’s attacks particularly vexing.
Their opposite hitter attempted to block Qin Chunxiao several times, only to watch the ball graze over his outstretched hand, smoothly rolling along his arm in a circular motion, and then gently landing on the floor.
Isn’t this teasing people!
China secured the second set, making it 1-1.
During the break, the French opposite hitter threw his towel to the ground in frustration.
Xiao Qin not only frustrated the attackers during defense but also made them unable to bear his attacks.
The French coach sighed, “Vincent, control your emotions.”
Vincent grabbed his hair, “I’m trying my best!”
If it were someone else, even if they were toyed with by Qin Chunxiao on the volleyball court, their emotions wouldn’t spiral out of control. But Vincent was different; he was the type who had seen a doctor for emotional control issues and usually took medication.
Sidney, relying on his bulky stature, came forward and put his arm around Vincent, “Hey, don’t get worked up. That guy is tough, but we’ll deal with him together.”
Vincent pushed Sidney away, lowered his head, and walked to the side, squatting down. Nobody disturbed him because they knew that was how Vincent coped. When he felt he couldn’t control his emotions well, he would find a corner to be alone, so as not to hurt others with his anger.
They could only wait for Vincent to adjust himself. In the minds of the French team’s players, someone who was emotionally uncontrollable despite being physically well was a matter of character, but if it was a result of illness, there was nothing they could do.
At least Vincent was still working hard for them, for volleyball, right?
The French coach arranged, “Vincent, take a rest for a set.”
Seeing the commotion in the French team, the audience began to discuss.
【In my opinion, with my Wolf’s playing style, whenever he doesn’t have tall guardians like Qiao Mingming, Min Yaoyang, and Li Ling, he’s already been wrapped up like a dumpling.】
【He’s quite sharp mentally. It’s just that his attacking style against strong teams is too similar to Meng Yuqing’s in the later stages of the game. It’s quite slippery, but Meng is 206 cm tall, while Qin is only 180 cm.】
【He’s like a deep-fried dough stick that’s been reheated 200 times. And today, he’s wearing yellow, making him even more like a dough stick.】
【Qin, look at your small frame. Without those strong guys protecting you, what will you do?】
Regarding this issue, Qin Chunxiao answered with his actions, “When Mingming is really playing, I’m the one guarding that group of silly giants.”
In the third set, Qiao Mingming returned to the court, also controlling his own rhythm.
In terms of attacking, their efficiency was currently equal to that of the French team. Moreover, the main opposite hitter for the opposing side, Vincent, was substituted out. This was an excellent opportunity for Team China to widen the point difference.
Playing against strong teams was when players progressed the most. Qiao Mingming gradually grasped the rhythm and the joy of quick attacks and changes in pace. He couldn’t help but feel delighted.
Team China won the third set, bringing the score to 2-1.
In the fourth set, the French team sent Vincent back onto the court, aiming to strengthen their net defense. On the other hand, Team China substituted out Kong Duojin and brought in Tong Shulan.
Newton advised Tong Shulan, “You can alternate between soft and hard hits to disrupt the opponent’s rhythm. Coordinate well with your teammates and try to win this set to end the game as soon as possible.”
You Ziyu tilted his head and took a big sip of water. Sitting on the ground, he moved his ankle a bit and frowned, “Since I gained muscle, I’ve been feeling more ankle pain. Did I bulk up too quickly before?”
Chang Xiaole squatted beside him and examined his body, “Well, gaining 5 kilograms of muscle in half a year is quite rapid. After VNL ends, you can consider reducing it a bit.”
A 2.14-meter tall player does indeed need to pay more attention to these issues, especially since the giant of the Chinese men’s basketball team suffered significant injuries due to over-rapid muscle gain and lack of control over playing time during his NBA days, ultimately leading to early retirement.
As for Qiao Mingming, You Ziyu, Tong Shulan, and Qin Chunxiao, they all had decent game awareness. After receiving Newton’s instructions, they started executing the coach’s “disrupt the opponent’s rhythm” strategy.
This made the French team very uncomfortable. Other players could adapt, considering they had been tempered in various major tournaments. However, Vincent’s threshold for anger had been reached.
With the score at 20-19, facing Vincent’s robust blocking arms, Qiao Mingming tried to control his wrist and alter the trajectory, attempting to score with a hand touch.
However, he didn’t adjust the wrist angle properly, and the ball grazed Captain Mingming’s palm, brushed past Vincent’s cheek, and finally flew out of the court.
Although it could be considered a touch to the opponent’s body before going out of bounds, Team China successfully scored a point, but the French team was stunned.
The French coach, familiar with Vincent’s personality, stood up, exclaiming, “Oh no, oh no.”
He was prepared to immediately substitute Vincent out.
At this moment, Qiao Mingming looked at Vincent with regret, apologizing repeatedly, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to. I was originally aiming for your wrist…”
Vincent took a deep breath, his expression turning ferocious. He snapped, “Who cares if you meant it or not!”
The French coach: “Oh my, no…”
Team China was also taken aback. How could there be such anger across the net?
Fu Biyang saw Qiao Mingming pushed back two or three steps by Vincent and immediately got angry, shouting, “Hey, if you have something to say, talk about it. What are you doing?”
The imposing figure of the Angry Chicken from Team China puffed out his chest, about to step forward and engage in a discussion (of course, using words – violence on the court could lead to suspension).
However, Fu Biyang was too imposing and tough-looking, not to mention his glorious experience of escaping gunfires and battles. He was considered the “War God of the Chinese Men’s Volleyball Team” in the eyes of foreigners. When he stepped forward, other members of the French team also gathered, afraid that Vincent and the Angry Chicken would fight.
With a group of 2-meter-tall giants crowding around and given the prior conflicts, what did the audience think in such a situation?
Audience: I think they’re about to fight!
【Oh my gosh! What’s happening here?】
【Fu Chicken! Teach him a lesson! How dare he bully our captain? We can’t let this slide!】
【Show your fighting spirit, bring down the opposition, make them wave the white flag!】
【Mingming! My Captain Mingming, is he okay?】
The referee thought the same way and quickly jumped onto the court, trying to separate this group of “small giants.” However, he was a bit slow, as Sidney from the French team had already extended his arm in panic, attempting to separate Fu Biyang and Vincent, but his arm accidentally hit Li Ling’s face.
Li Ling, who was ranked second-to-last in terms of fighting power among Team China, covered his face and fell down. People who knew him well, like his older brother Li Yan, even muttered to themselves, “My foolish little brother managed to maintain his record of not winning in fights today as well.”
Li Yan wasn’t concerned about Er Leng’s safety; after all, this guy had been tough since he was a kid, and Xiao Zi was also on the court.
Fu Biyang got angry right away. He shouted, “Er Leng!” and was about to confront Sidney as well.
The referee could only rush over and grab Fu Biyang’s waist, but he realized there were many others trying to restrain Fu Biyang too. Both the Chinese and French coaches were holding their prospective player, attempting to stop this War God’s further actions.
Then they were all dragged away by Fu Biyang for about five or six meters. Witnessing this incredible strength, Fu Biyang truly deserved the title of “Eastern Hercules”!
Vincent from the French team also got angry, “What’s the matter? Are you going to attack Sidney too? I’ll fight you!”
Others from the French team shouted, “Ah, ah, ah, don’t cause more trouble!”
In the midst of the chaos, Qin Chunxiao and Ding Rong exchanged a glance.
Ding Rong went over to help Li Ling up, while Qin Chunxiao and Vincent both charged towards Fu Biyang.
Oddly enough, when Qin Chunxiao charged, Newton immediately let go and crawled to the side, dragging the French coach and referee along with him.
Fu Biyang hadn’t reacted yet when he saw Qin Chunxiao grab one of his legs and skillfully brought him down with a move that any professional combat athlete would admire.
At that moment, on the volleyball frontline, in order to prevent potentially underage viewers from witnessing violence, the director had already switched camera angles.
However, Wu Di was still watching the VNL Argentina tournament, where China was playing against France. Seeing Xiao Qin’s action, he couldn’t help but exclaim, “Nice! Qin Chunxiao’s ground techniques are very impressive!”
His commentary partner, Li Laiheng, turned his head in surprise to look at him. Wu Di blushed and said, “I used to commentate on MMA.”
Coincidentally, at this moment, Vincent was also approaching the area where Qin Chunxiao and Fu Biyang were. Qin Chunxiao turned around and executed a beautiful scorpion tail sweep, bringing down Vincent as well.
The battle was over, and Qin Chunxiao stood in the middle expressionlessly, saying coldly, “Have you calmed down?”
Fu Biyang got up and said obediently, “I’m calm.”
The scene fell silent.
Then the audience in the stadium began to cheer.
“Misha!”
“You guys played so brilliantly!”
“Roar—”
These were people who found the commotion not exciting enough.
Qin Chunxiao couldn’t be bothered with these types of people. After all, he and Fu Biyang had contributed to even more spectacular battles in their past lives. To him, this little incident was nothing.
Qin Chunxiao helped Vincent up, his demeanor calm as he said, “Calm down. Let’s stop fighting and continue the match. After all, this is a volleyball court, not a fighting ring.”
He appeared calm, but after witnessing how Qin Chunxiao easily brought down both Fu Biyang and Vincent, nobody dared to argue with him. After all, Vincent was already the toughest man in the French men’s volleyball national team. If Vincent couldn’t withstand a single move from Qin Chunxiao, even if the others joined forces, they’d probably all end up defeated.
Seeing no objections from the French team, Ding Rong patted Qiao Mingming’s shoulder and said, “It’s okay.”
Qiao Mingming twitched his mouth, “Old Ding, what do we do? It seems like we got into a fight on the court. Are we going to be penalized and kicked out?”
Ding Rong: “Uh, I think we might not only be penalized and taken off the court, but Lao Niu might also receive a call from the leadership, and we might have to write self-criticisms. But I don’t think they’ll kick out the entire team.”
Seeing Qiao Mingming becoming more anxious, Ding Rong reassured, “The French team started the physical altercation first, so our self-critiques shouldn’t exceed 3000 words. After all, our leadership should have a good idea of our literary abilities.”
Li Ling, who had gotten up by now, was holding his swollen cheek, “Do I have to write one too? I’ve always been the one getting hit, never laid a hand on anyone else!”
Everyone replied, “Don’t worry, the leadership knows you’re always the one getting hit during fights, so they won’t ask you to write one.”
The referee wasn’t too harsh; he communicated with both team coaches who had shared life-and-death experiences. He penalized Sidney, Vincent, Qin Chunxiao, and Fu Biyang, making them sit out a set, and gave yellow card warnings to the others. The game resumed.
Coincidentally, Qin Chunxiao and Fu Biyang were already quite experienced in being penalized and taken off the court. The two sat on the bench while their teammates handed them water and towels.
Chang Xiaole nudged Fu Biyang with his elbow, “Hey, did you discuss this with Ding Rong?”
Qin Chunxiao replied, “Yeah, since Er Leng’s setting wasn’t stable today, if Ding Ge went in, we wouldn’t be able to continue. So I decided to step in and break up the fight.”
On the other hand, Sidney, who was the main scoring point on the opposite side, had also been benched. This was a good thing because it reduced the pressure on Du Xiaofeng, who replaced Qin Chunxiao.
Fu Biyang grinned, “Well, I still can’t beat you.”
Qin Chunxiao smiled, “After all, when I was playing in Russia, I didn’t just study; I occasionally participated in some clubs in St.Petersburg, like paintball, real-life CS, boxing, and watching boxing matches. My time in Russia was quite fulfilling. Plus, Lu Xuandong would occasionally join me, and we had great coordination in those clubs. We became quite famous there.”
Meanwhile, on the other side, Sidney, who was being penalized by the referee for the first time, had already wet his third white handkerchief with tears.
Vincent felt somewhat guilty for involving this kid in his bad temper. Sighing, he thought he was already quite mature, yet today, he got angry and pulled several much younger players into trouble, including players from the neighboring team… Luckily, Misha intervened in time to prevent the situation from escalating further. Otherwise, Vincent would definitely feel uneasy afterward.
Looking at the two “young players” from the neighboring team, Vincent realized that Qin Chunxiao and Fu Biyang seemed remarkably calm compared to Sidney, who had already cried his heart out. It appeared that they were more accustomed to being penalized and taken off the court after fights, almost like a pair of seasoned fighters.
At this moment, Newton, who was well-acquainted with these two, said, “Dig out your previous self-criticisms, excerpt a few paragraphs, and put together a 2000-word piece for me. I need to report to the leaders.”
My Soulmate is A Libero
The defensive powerhouse clash between Team China and Team France was one of the most anticipated matches of this year’s VNL for many fans who enjoy multi-round battles.
“I didn’t expect the two teams to meet in the second stage.” A Brazilian fan switched the channel to the sports channel, and a group of men in the bar held their drinks, waving flags of their respective teams, happily watching the screen.
Today, the French team wore blue jerseys, while the Chinese team put on yellow jerseys. Qin Chunxiao had a light yellow headband that matched the jersey color tied around his forehead. He walked onto the court wearing black wristbands and knee pads.
The starting lineup for Team China today was unprecedentedly strong – Qiao Mingming, You Ziyu, Fu Biyang, Kong Duojin, Qin Chunxiao, Li Ling.
This was a lineup that was highly tall, impenetrable in blocking, and solid in defense. The players on the court were well-rounded, stable, experienced in top-level competitions, and had strong determination.
A fan exclaimed, “Misha changed his headband.”
He used to only wear a blue headband!
And that headband even had a cartoon wolf pattern on it, looking extremely cute. With Qin Chunxiao standing among a group of two-meter-tall players and wearing this cartoon headband, in the eyes of many fans, Misha’s appearance was adorably charming!
The one who gave him the headband, Zheyue Crown Prince, was taking a break from his busy schedule and looking at the projection screen in his office, sighing. If he didn’t have so much work, he would have already flown to Argentina to catch the match.
However, in the minds of his opponents, Misha Qin only seemed cute on the surface. Once he stepped onto the court, he became the most vigilant adversary.
You Ziyu walked to the serving area, preparing for a powerful jump serve.
There was a loud noise as the ball met his palm, and another when it hit the ground. Surprisingly, the French team failed to receive the ball.
Seeing that this no-contact serve scored a point, You Ziyu immediately clenched his fist and shouted excitedly. Kristian, who was in the audience, also clenched his fist: “Yes! That’s how you do it!”
It was not for nothing that Kristian purposely made a detour to Hubei during his trip to China. Not only did he get to enjoy local dishes like hot dry noodles, shaomai, and lotus root starch, he also helped You Ziyu with a pre-season upgrade. When he left, the Hubei provincial team even gave him several pounds of homemade osmanthus lotus root starch as a token of gratitude for his technical exchange.
You Ziyu had a good understanding and a similar playing style to Kristian. While You Ziyu was calmer on the court, Kristian was wilder. Nevertheless, their technical attributes were quite similar, making Christoph truly invested in mentoring his disciple.
The French team hadn’t expected that You Ziyu’s jump serve, only after one season, would increase in speed so much. Their libero looked serious, “I underestimated him. That kid’s arms have bulked up, I should have been more cautious.”
Despite some “Yellow race is weaker than the other races in terms of strength” brainwashing propaganda, it was all just nonsense to deceive people. If they were really weaker in terms of strength, why would China dominate in weightlifting? Many European and American fitness enthusiasts admired the Chinese weightlifting team tremendously.
The French team, who had faced the Chinese men’s volleyball team several times, also knew how formidable these guys were.
The Chinese men’s volleyball national team consisted of the cream of the crop from a country of over a billion people, the best players in volleyball. The six players on the court today were not just regular starters; they were the core of the national team. Did anyone really think they were easy to deal with?
When You Ziyu served for the second time, he used a jump float serve. Strangely enough, the ball started floating mid-air and then took a turn before landing on the ground.
The float serve – the serve that played the most tricks on liberos in the world!
The French libero pounded the floor and got up, glaring at You Ziyu. This Chinese player was a serving expert, especially when it came to tricky serves. Was he going to use a jump spin serve this time?
You Ziyu: “I’ll stick with the jump float.”
The high-speed serve starting at 125 km/h was ruthlessly launched by You Ziyu, and the French libero was no pushover. His experience in receiving jump serves was no less than that of Qin Chunxiao. He made a dive, received the ball, and the French setter quickly got into position.
Finally, Sidney got a chance to attack. He took a leap forward, but he saw Fu Biyang already holding his hands up at the net.
Fu Biyang was well aware that he couldn’t match up against Sidney in terms of height, so he delayed his jump to maximize his reach and height advantage.
Compared to his rugged phase from a few years ago, Fu Biyang’s blocking technique had become quite refined. Sidney’s attack grazed Fu Biyang’s fingertips, and Qin Chunxiao immediately pursued the ball. Before it touched the ground, he slammed it back over the net with a powerful fist.
Li Ling was ready to set the ball, but then his eyes shifted. He suddenly spun the ball over the net with both hands. Knowing that the French team, with their highly aggressive playstyle, was ready for an attack, their libero dug up the ball and organized a counterattack.
Team China refused to be outdone and set up a strong defensive formation for the counterattack.
In the first set, the scores of both teams remained tightly contested. However, due to the height difference, Fu Biyang’s blocking efficiency against Sidney was not very high. Most of the time, it was a soft block. On the other hand, when You Ziyu rotated to the front row, he capitalized on his height advantage that wasn’t much inferior to the opponent’s and his exceptional arm span to score three block points.
This made the French team increasingly wary of this tall player. In the audience, Kristian nodded in satisfaction, “Starting to look good.”
In beach volleyball, a team consists of only two players, which means the players must develop comprehensive skills in receiving, attacking, and blocking. You Ziyu focused on this aspect, but the only thing that disappointed Kristian was that, although You Ziyu trained diligently, his stamina was only half of Kristian’s. Moreover, You Ziyu had a large physique, and if he jumped at full strength for an extended period, it would put significant strain on his joints.
However, if You Ziyu were to lose weight, it would likely lead to a decline in the strength he had worked hard to build up. Even after careful consideration, Kristian could only advise You Ziyu to prioritize strength.
#After all, the depth of the Chinese team’s bench has also improved, and while You Ziyu has substitutes, the team still lacks strong scoring points.#
At this moment, the two commentators on the volleyball front line were also extremely nervous. They were explaining the technical aspects while silently praying for Team China to overcome Team France today.
After all, China’s visible good condition, if overtaken by the opponent in excellent condition, would deal a significant blow to their morale.
On the other hand, the fans didn’t think that far.
【Squid is so awesome today, everyone! His blocking against Sidney is sharp!】
【And his serving speed has broken his personal record! It seems he practiced hard during regular times.】
【Our Wolf is so cute today! And he quietly saved several balls, making it impossible for France to widen the score gap with us.】
【Captain Qin is really dependable. He’s constantly attacking the French team along with the other spikers, and they’re playing with great enthusiasm today.】
【Exactly, the entire team’s spirit is high. They must have leveled up during the club season.】
The determination and strength of the Chinese men’s volleyball team revitalized those who supported them.
However, they lost the first set… Well, they had only reunited not long ago and were still adjusting to each other’s upgraded abilities. It was inevitable that there would be some lack of coordination, and occasionally, some comic scenes might occur. For example, the second setter’s set went out, but the spiker jumped too high, missing the ball with his hand and unintentionally giving the opponents an easy point…
The two second setters of the Chinese team, Ding the God of War and Li the Fool, had unconsciously entered the peculiar mode of “clever set most of the time, occasional trap.”
At this point, nobody cared about the on-site recording equipment’s sound quality. Whenever the Chinese team’s second setters failed to connect with the spiker again, the whole team cursed under their breath.
Only Qin Chunxiao, when rotating to the front row, was not affected by any second setter. This petite player who had lifted Li Ling from level 30 to 85 was a world-class master at adjusting his attack level. Moreover, he primarily used quick attacks and line shots, relying on his court sense and ball sense to find weak points in the opponent’s defense.
Coincidentally, Qiao Mingming was substituted out for the second set and took a break. He looked at Qin Chunxiao’s playing style with a puzzled expression, “Is his hang time better than before? And his take off rhythm seems a bit slower.”
The pace of volleyball matches was generally trending towards speed and power, with players going all out for aggressive attacks and quick ball speeds. But did Qin Chunxiao’s speed seem slower?
Newton explained, “Oh, that’s a piece of advice from Nikolai. Due to his height of 1.80 meters, if he goes head-to-head with opponents at the net for a powerful attack, it puts a lot of strain on his body. So, Nikolai suggested that Xiaozai can slow down his takeoff a bit while maintaining a fast descent.”
“Slow up” referred to the rhythm of the takeoff at the net. It could be slowed down by a beat or two, allowing successful avoidance of the opponent’s block. On the other hand, “fast down” referred to the speed increase from the moment the ball was contacted to when it was spiked down. This could be accelerated during that instant.
Not only Qin Chunxiao, but Er Leng was also taught this technique. However, the two had different physical conditions. Qin Chunxiao had a strong hang time and excellent vision, allowing him to observe the opponent’s defensive formation in midair and identify weak points.
Li Ling possessed high wrist flexibility and a varied shot trajectory, combined with strong wrist strength for powerful spikes. Both players saw an improvement in their efficiency when attacking downward.
In order for these two to counter the Beluga in the Russian Super League, Nikolai held nothing back in teaching them.
Of course, in most cases, the French team still found Qin Chunxiao’s attacks particularly vexing.
Their opposite hitter attempted to block Qin Chunxiao several times, only to watch the ball graze over his outstretched hand, smoothly rolling along his arm in a circular motion, and then gently landing on the floor.
Isn’t this teasing people!
China secured the second set, making it 1-1.
During the break, the French opposite hitter threw his towel to the ground in frustration.
Xiao Qin not only frustrated the attackers during defense but also made them unable to bear his attacks.
The French coach sighed, “Vincent, control your emotions.”
Vincent grabbed his hair, “I’m trying my best!”
If it were someone else, even if they were toyed with by Qin Chunxiao on the volleyball court, their emotions wouldn’t spiral out of control. But Vincent was different; he was the type who had seen a doctor for emotional control issues and usually took medication.
Sidney, relying on his bulky stature, came forward and put his arm around Vincent, “Hey, don’t get worked up. That guy is tough, but we’ll deal with him together.”
Vincent pushed Sidney away, lowered his head, and walked to the side, squatting down. Nobody disturbed him because they knew that was how Vincent coped. When he felt he couldn’t control his emotions well, he would find a corner to be alone, so as not to hurt others with his anger.
They could only wait for Vincent to adjust himself. In the minds of the French team’s players, someone who was emotionally uncontrollable despite being physically well was a matter of character, but if it was a result of illness, there was nothing they could do.
At least Vincent was still working hard for them, for volleyball, right?
The French coach arranged, “Vincent, take a rest for a set.”
Seeing the commotion in the French team, the audience began to discuss.
【In my opinion, with my Wolf’s playing style, whenever he doesn’t have tall guardians like Qiao Mingming, Min Yaoyang, and Li Ling, he’s already been wrapped up like a dumpling.】
【He’s quite sharp mentally. It’s just that his attacking style against strong teams is too similar to Meng Yuqing’s in the later stages of the game. It’s quite slippery, but Meng is 206 cm tall, while Qin is only 180 cm.】
【He’s like a deep-fried dough stick that’s been reheated 200 times. And today, he’s wearing yellow, making him even more like a dough stick.】
【Qin, look at your small frame. Without those strong guys protecting you, what will you do?】
Regarding this issue, Qin Chunxiao answered with his actions, “When Mingming is really playing, I’m the one guarding that group of silly giants.”
In the third set, Qiao Mingming returned to the court, also controlling his own rhythm.
In terms of attacking, their efficiency was currently equal to that of the French team. Moreover, the main opposite hitter for the opposing side, Vincent, was substituted out. This was an excellent opportunity for Team China to widen the point difference.
Playing against strong teams was when players progressed the most. Qiao Mingming gradually grasped the rhythm and the joy of quick attacks and changes in pace. He couldn’t help but feel delighted.
Team China won the third set, bringing the score to 2-1.
In the fourth set, the French team sent Vincent back onto the court, aiming to strengthen their net defense. On the other hand, Team China substituted out Kong Duojin and brought in Tong Shulan.
Newton advised Tong Shulan, “You can alternate between soft and hard hits to disrupt the opponent’s rhythm. Coordinate well with your teammates and try to win this set to end the game as soon as possible.”
You Ziyu tilted his head and took a big sip of water. Sitting on the ground, he moved his ankle a bit and frowned, “Since I gained muscle, I’ve been feeling more ankle pain. Did I bulk up too quickly before?”
Chang Xiaole squatted beside him and examined his body, “Well, gaining 5 kilograms of muscle in half a year is quite rapid. After VNL ends, you can consider reducing it a bit.”
A 2.14-meter tall player does indeed need to pay more attention to these issues, especially since the giant of the Chinese men’s basketball team suffered significant injuries due to over-rapid muscle gain and lack of control over playing time during his NBA days, ultimately leading to early retirement.
As for Qiao Mingming, You Ziyu, Tong Shulan, and Qin Chunxiao, they all had decent game awareness. After receiving Newton’s instructions, they started executing the coach’s “disrupt the opponent’s rhythm” strategy.
This made the French team very uncomfortable. Other players could adapt, considering they had been tempered in various major tournaments. However, Vincent’s threshold for anger had been reached.
With the score at 20-19, facing Vincent’s robust blocking arms, Qiao Mingming tried to control his wrist and alter the trajectory, attempting to score with a hand touch.
However, he didn’t adjust the wrist angle properly, and the ball grazed Captain Mingming’s palm, brushed past Vincent’s cheek, and finally flew out of the court.
Although it could be considered a touch to the opponent’s body before going out of bounds, Team China successfully scored a point, but the French team was stunned.
The French coach, familiar with Vincent’s personality, stood up, exclaiming, “Oh no, oh no.”
He was prepared to immediately substitute Vincent out.
At this moment, Qiao Mingming looked at Vincent with regret, apologizing repeatedly, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to. I was originally aiming for your wrist…”
Vincent took a deep breath, his expression turning ferocious. He snapped, “Who cares if you meant it or not!”
The French coach: “Oh my, no…”
Team China was also taken aback. How could there be such anger across the net?
Fu Biyang saw Qiao Mingming pushed back two or three steps by Vincent and immediately got angry, shouting, “Hey, if you have something to say, talk about it. What are you doing?”
The imposing figure of the Angry Chicken from Team China puffed out his chest, about to step forward and engage in a discussion (of course, using words – violence on the court could lead to suspension).
However, Fu Biyang was too imposing and tough-looking, not to mention his glorious experience of escaping gunfires and battles. He was considered the “War God of the Chinese Men’s Volleyball Team” in the eyes of foreigners. When he stepped forward, other members of the French team also gathered, afraid that Vincent and the Angry Chicken would fight.
With a group of 2-meter-tall giants crowding around and given the prior conflicts, what did the audience think in such a situation?
Audience: I think they’re about to fight!
【Oh my gosh! What’s happening here?】
【Fu Chicken! Teach him a lesson! How dare he bully our captain? We can’t let this slide!】
【Show your fighting spirit, bring down the opposition, make them wave the white flag!】
【Mingming! My Captain Mingming, is he okay?】
The referee thought the same way and quickly jumped onto the court, trying to separate this group of “small giants.” However, he was a bit slow, as Sidney from the French team had already extended his arm in panic, attempting to separate Fu Biyang and Vincent, but his arm accidentally hit Li Ling’s face.
Li Ling, who was ranked second-to-last in terms of fighting power among Team China, covered his face and fell down. People who knew him well, like his older brother Li Yan, even muttered to themselves, “My foolish little brother managed to maintain his record of not winning in fights today as well.”
Li Yan wasn’t concerned about Er Leng’s safety; after all, this guy had been tough since he was a kid, and Xiao Zi was also on the court.
Fu Biyang got angry right away. He shouted, “Er Leng!” and was about to confront Sidney as well.
The referee could only rush over and grab Fu Biyang’s waist, but he realized there were many others trying to restrain Fu Biyang too. Both the Chinese and French coaches were holding their prospective player, attempting to stop this War God’s further actions.
Then they were all dragged away by Fu Biyang for about five or six meters. Witnessing this incredible strength, Fu Biyang truly deserved the title of “Eastern Hercules”!
Vincent from the French team also got angry, “What’s the matter? Are you going to attack Sidney too? I’ll fight you!”
Others from the French team shouted, “Ah, ah, ah, don’t cause more trouble!”
In the midst of the chaos, Qin Chunxiao and Ding Rong exchanged a glance.
Ding Rong went over to help Li Ling up, while Qin Chunxiao and Vincent both charged towards Fu Biyang.
Oddly enough, when Qin Chunxiao charged, Newton immediately let go and crawled to the side, dragging the French coach and referee along with him.
Fu Biyang hadn’t reacted yet when he saw Qin Chunxiao grab one of his legs and skillfully brought him down with a move that any professional combat athlete would admire.
At that moment, on the volleyball frontline, in order to prevent potentially underage viewers from witnessing violence, the director had already switched camera angles.
However, Wu Di was still watching the VNL Argentina tournament, where China was playing against France. Seeing Xiao Qin’s action, he couldn’t help but exclaim, “Nice! Qin Chunxiao’s ground techniques are very impressive!”
His commentary partner, Li Laiheng, turned his head in surprise to look at him. Wu Di blushed and said, “I used to commentate on MMA.”
Coincidentally, at this moment, Vincent was also approaching the area where Qin Chunxiao and Fu Biyang were. Qin Chunxiao turned around and executed a beautiful scorpion tail sweep, bringing down Vincent as well.
The battle was over, and Qin Chunxiao stood in the middle expressionlessly, saying coldly, “Have you calmed down?”
Fu Biyang got up and said obediently, “I’m calm.”
The scene fell silent.
Then the audience in the stadium began to cheer.
“Misha!”
“You guys played so brilliantly!”
“Roar—”
These were people who found the commotion not exciting enough.
Qin Chunxiao couldn’t be bothered with these types of people. After all, he and Fu Biyang had contributed to even more spectacular battles in their past lives. To him, this little incident was nothing.
Qin Chunxiao helped Vincent up, his demeanor calm as he said, “Calm down. Let’s stop fighting and continue the match. After all, this is a volleyball court, not a fighting ring.”
He appeared calm, but after witnessing how Qin Chunxiao easily brought down both Fu Biyang and Vincent, nobody dared to argue with him. After all, Vincent was already the toughest man in the French men’s volleyball national team. If Vincent couldn’t withstand a single move from Qin Chunxiao, even if the others joined forces, they’d probably all end up defeated.
Seeing no objections from the French team, Ding Rong patted Qiao Mingming’s shoulder and said, “It’s okay.”
Qiao Mingming twitched his mouth, “Old Ding, what do we do? It seems like we got into a fight on the court. Are we going to be penalized and kicked out?”
Ding Rong: “Uh, I think we might not only be penalized and taken off the court, but Lao Niu might also receive a call from the leadership, and we might have to write self-criticisms. But I don’t think they’ll kick out the entire team.”
Seeing Qiao Mingming becoming more anxious, Ding Rong reassured, “The French team started the physical altercation first, so our self-critiques shouldn’t exceed 3000 words. After all, our leadership should have a good idea of our literary abilities.”
Li Ling, who had gotten up by now, was holding his swollen cheek, “Do I have to write one too? I’ve always been the one getting hit, never laid a hand on anyone else!”
Everyone replied, “Don’t worry, the leadership knows you’re always the one getting hit during fights, so they won’t ask you to write one.”
The referee wasn’t too harsh; he communicated with both team coaches who had shared life-and-death experiences. He penalized Sidney, Vincent, Qin Chunxiao, and Fu Biyang, making them sit out a set, and gave yellow card warnings to the others. The game resumed.
Coincidentally, Qin Chunxiao and Fu Biyang were already quite experienced in being penalized and taken off the court. The two sat on the bench while their teammates handed them water and towels.
Chang Xiaole nudged Fu Biyang with his elbow, “Hey, did you discuss this with Ding Rong?”
Qin Chunxiao replied, “Yeah, since Er Leng’s setting wasn’t stable today, if Ding Ge went in, we wouldn’t be able to continue. So I decided to step in and break up the fight.”
On the other hand, Sidney, who was the main scoring point on the opposite side, had also been benched. This was a good thing because it reduced the pressure on Du Xiaofeng, who replaced Qin Chunxiao.
Fu Biyang grinned, “Well, I still can’t beat you.”
Qin Chunxiao smiled, “After all, when I was playing in Russia, I didn’t just study; I occasionally participated in some clubs in St.Petersburg, like paintball, real-life CS, boxing, and watching boxing matches. My time in Russia was quite fulfilling. Plus, Lu Xuandong would occasionally join me, and we had great coordination in those clubs. We became quite famous there.”
Meanwhile, on the other side, Sidney, who was being penalized by the referee for the first time, had already wet his third white handkerchief with tears.
Vincent felt somewhat guilty for involving this kid in his bad temper. Sighing, he thought he was already quite mature, yet today, he got angry and pulled several much younger players into trouble, including players from the neighboring team… Luckily, Misha intervened in time to prevent the situation from escalating further. Otherwise, Vincent would definitely feel uneasy afterward.
Looking at the two “young players” from the neighboring team, Vincent realized that Qin Chunxiao and Fu Biyang seemed remarkably calm compared to Sidney, who had already cried his heart out. It appeared that they were more accustomed to being penalized and taken off the court after fights, almost like a pair of seasoned fighters.
At this moment, Newton, who was well-acquainted with these two, said, “Dig out your previous self-criticisms, excerpt a few paragraphs, and put together a 2000-word piece for me. I need to report to the leaders.”
