My Soulmate is a Libero
The first time Qin Chunxiao faced a formidable opponent on the court was when he encountered Fu Biyang. At that time, Qin Chunxiao was 17 years old, while Fu Biyang was 18.
Dealing with this towering giant, standing at over 1.9 meters, proved to be extremely challenging. Qin Chunxiao had transitioned to the main attacker role, requiring him to face blockers and defensive specialists at the net head-on. Originally not the strongest defensive player, Qin Chunxiao relied on his jumping ability to overcome his opponents.
However, Fu Biyang was different. His physical prowess was akin to that of a beast, a near-beast himself. Although his jumping ability was not as impressive, standing at 3.6 meters, he matched Qin Chunxiao’s height.
In their initial encounters, Qin Chunxiao was defeated twice in a row, almost feeling overwhelmed and questioning his abilities.
But he possessed an advantage—he played with his intellect. Qin Chunxiao developed a finesse style of play against Fu Biyang, constantly utilizing touches and occasionally employing lobs, avoiding direct confrontations.
Even with Fu Biyang’s good temperament, he couldn’t help but feel frustrated and angry as his fingers suffered cracks and injuries. Eventually, a fight broke out between the two after a game.
Pushed with both hands, Qin Chunxiao stumbled backward, but his frustration grew. Why couldn’t he accept defeat? He had won within the boundaries of the rules, without committing any fouls. He didn’t intentionally injure Fu Biyang’s fingernail. He was about to apologize, but who asked you to push me?
Fighting was undoubtedly wrong, but Qin Chunxiao, who was only 17 and the team captain, couldn’t back down. If he yielded now, how could he lead the team in the future?
He resolved to confront him head-on!
Determined, he struck Fu Biyang’s calf, causing him to stagger back. Qin Chunxiao then rushed in and landed a punch on Fu Biyang’s face. The two furious warriors exchanged blows, and screams echoed across the court.
Fortunately, Ding Rong, a member of the Bayi team, happened to witness the altercation. He leaped down from the stands and intervened, separating the two of them.
As a result, Qin Chunxiao’s vision darkened, and Fu Biyang suffered a mild concussion. Both of them were suspended for three games and fined. Alongside Ding Rong, they became known as the pinnacle of Chinese volleyball power—the Big Three in men’s volleyball.
One had Russian heritage, one resembled King Kong, and the other hailed from the August 1st team. The presence of these three giants was intimidating, and no one dared to act presumptuously.
Regrettably, the three brothers never had the chance to compete together on the international stage. It was hard to predict the kind of performance they would have displayed as a team. Their collective strength could have easily propelled the Chinese men’s volleyball team into the top three in the world.
Strangely, whenever the G province team faced off against the H island team, the matches drew a large number of spectators, and ticket prices were higher than elsewhere. The atmosphere was electrifying.
When Qin Chunxiao failed to make it onto the national team, he was the first to express his dissatisfaction to Coach Zhao. Fu Biyang also complained about Qin Chunxiao, closely followed by Li Ling. When Qin Chunxiao departed for Brazil, Fu Biyang even went to the airport to see him off. People speculated that their relationship was complex, and Qin Chunxiao and Fu Biyang referred to each other as cherished comrades.
Qin Chun xiao cherished the memories of Fu Biyang, and even in his final moments, Fu Biyang’s words of endearment, “coconut chicken,” warmed his heart. However, none of this prevented Qin Chunxiao from once again making Fu Biyang unhappy on the court.
Who said you were the most challenging opponent in the H island youth team? If it’s not you, then who else should I bother?
Although he felt some sympathy, Qin Chunxiao knew that Fu Biyang’s jumping ability was not at its peak, and his blocking height was only 3.3 meters. Qin Chunxiao had the advantage and could overpower him. Therefore, this time, he didn’t push him to the point of bleeding.
A comical scene unfolded on the court.
Qin Chunxiao, playing as a setter, constantly outsmarted the opposition. Mo Lin, the original main attacker, began to attempt borrowing as well. Li Ling took on the role of setter and preferred to set the ball to Qin Chunxiao because his borrowing skills were superior to Mo Lin’s. However, Qin Chunxiao’s spiking and borrowing were consistently effective.
At times, Li Ling even took matters into his own hands and scored points, while asking Mo Lin, Liu Kairui, and Li Xiaoping to set the ball for them.
The setter played like the main attacker, and the main attacker played like the setter. The game was filled with so many absurd moments that it left people dumbfounded.
“How can a setter play like this?” Qin Chunxiao pondered in his head. “As a national level Libero, it would be quite dishonest of me to play as a secondary setter!”
Coach Zheng looked puzzled, “Your two setters were trained according to the program, right?”
The concept of a “response setter” is more popular in Europe and the United States. They stand in front of the net and are required to have sufficient height and attacking power. They can block at the net like a secondary attacker and also spike the ball like a main attacker. They are expected to excel in passing and contribute to both offense and defense.
In Asia, the main attacker is often considered the trump card, while strong teams in Europe and the United States prioritize the setter as the team’s trump card. These setters are versatile and can serve as the core of the offense. Some setters are responsible for connecting the entire team, minimizing weaknesses and maximizing the team’s strength.
Coach Zheng couldn’t help but question when he saw these two setters who displayed more firepower than the main attacker.
Chen Aiguo had initially intended to train these two players as serious setters. He wanted them to eventually take over the setter position in the provincial team, which had been plagued by injuries. Having two powerful setters would also give him the flexibility to rotate them.
However, he later discovered that among all the players in the Provincial Youth Team, these two setters were the most inclined towards offense.
While other teams focused on attacking and scoring, their two setters always seemed eager to score by themselves. Chen Aiguo decided to take advantage of this training match to assess their abilities in this regard.
Little did Chen Aiguo know that Qin Chunxiao had never considered playing as a support due to his height disadvantage. His blocking skills were only effective against teams with shorter average heights, like neighboring Japan. He struggled against the tall attackers of domestic teams, and staying at the net for too long would lead to mistakes.
Nevertheless, when he led the team in games, Qin Chunxiao assumed the roles of both a father and a mother, forcing himself to become an all-rounder capable of attacking and defending when necessary.
On the other hand, Li Ling was the true support player in the making. He excelled as an ordinary setter (SR) and displayed even better offensive skills as a support (SSR). Although he had not yet discovered his evolutionary direction, his offensive abilities were already impressive.
Once they trained another professional setter, Li Ling could focus on the support role.
In the current match, Mo Lin called out from the net, “The ball is here!”
Li Ling jumped up and responded, “Let’s go!”
While everyone anticipated another lob, Li Ling surprised them by smashing the ball directly.
With Mo Lin’s presence, they had three players on the court who could set for the attackers. Except for Zhou Ziming, who rotated as a libero, they successfully executed a four-point offense. Whenever someone set the ball, others dared to spike. Their opponents were caught off guard, losing two consecutive games.
This style of play was chaotic, but it held up mainly because of the team’s experienced player.
Qin Chunxiao appeared to have the shortest adaptation period in the team, but in reality, he was their captain. He knew how to bring the team together.
In that moment, Fu Biyang had lost his pre-match relaxed state. He fixed his gaze on Qin Chunxiao, panting heavily, with his jersey soaked in sweat in the air-conditioned arena.
Qin Chunxiao stood opposite him, wearing the No. 18 jersey, a drop of sweat sliding down his forehead to the corner of his eyes, squinting and giving him a wolf-like appearance.
The two locked eyes, neither willing to back down.
When the back-row secondary attacker served again, the libero of the H Island Provincial Youth Team raised the ball, set it with a second pass, and the main attacker spiked once more.
A smirk formed on the corner of Qin Chunxiao’s mouth as he turned to block at the net. Fu Biyang followed closely, but soon realized that Qin Chunxiao had only feigned a block.
Mo Lin shouted and rushed to retrieve the ball, but the set was a bit high. Li Ling ran ahead to save it, while Qin Chunxiao positioned himself behind him, ready to jump as soon as Li Ling lifted his foot. Fu Biyang immediately attempted to block the ball.
He had fallen into Qin Chunxiao’s trap once again.
Qin Chunxiao feinted a jump and quickly dashed toward the right side of the net. He wasn’t foolish enough to repeatedly spike against a blocker like Fu Biyang, known for his powerful and unpredictable swings. Even if he could outjump him, the physical strain would be too much.
With this maneuver, he successfully deceived the opposing block and created an open space for himself. Seeing no one on the right side of the net, Li Ling passed the ball directly there.
Qin Chunxiao shouted, “Go!” and leaped to smash the ball over, cooperating with Li Ling to execute a successful quick attack.
Coach Zheng praised, “This kid is excellent at deceiving opponents.”
Lao Chen concurred, saying, “Indeed.” Since joining the team, Qin Chunxiao had displayed a knack for acting. Sometimes, he didn’t just act while setting; he carried the ball himself and ran with it.
Now his teammates were accustomed to his acting.
Lao Chen hoped that this group of boys could grow together, becoming well-rounded players proficient in both acting and ball skills.
The official game consisted of five sets, with the first team to win three sets emerging victorious. The provincial teams followed this system for their training matches. Both coaches initially anticipated a four or five-set battle, but to their surprise, the G provincial youth team managed to dominate their opponents.
In the third set, Fu Biyang finally realized that it was futile to solely focus on Qin Chunxiao. He suggested to his teammates that they distract Qin Chunxiao during the game using serves and other methods, allowing them to handle the other, less capable players.
However, it was too late.
Li Ling, the setter with nerves of steel, had finally found his rhythm and seamlessly transitioned into the main role of the team.
Qin Chunxiao simply needed to move to Li Ling, Mo Lin, or Liu Kairui after the first pass and the libero’s reception, allowing these three players to score.
As for Fu Biyang? He couldn’t keep his eyes solely on Qin Chunxiao and neglect Li Ling. Whenever he stared at Li Ling, Qin Chunxiao would take the opportunity to attack on his own. In a typical team’s three-touch play, the third touch would usually be an attack. Qin Chunxiao didn’t concern himself with this rule. He happily switched to attacking the second touch and sent the ball back to the opponents.
At the end of the third set, the referee announced the end of the game. Fu Biyang stood there, staring at Qin Chunxiao in disbelief. “Just wait, I’ll never be fooled by you again in the U21 category.”
Qin Chunxiao replied, “Even if I don’t play against you, my skills are more than enough to compete with you.”
Upon careful consideration, it was indeed true!
Fu Biyang swung his fist and turned around unwillingly, while Li Ling had already cheered and wanted to bump chests with Qin Chunxiao. As he approached, he realized that there was quite a height difference between the two, so he kindly took a step forward and patted Qin Chunxiao’s chest instead.
“Come on, Chunxiao, let’s go!”
Qin Chunxiao turned around and walked away.
Chen Aiguo clapped his hands at that moment. “Xiaozi, you played well, and you should continue playing like this in the future!” It had been a while since he had seen such a skillful and flamboyant setter since leaving the national team.
Qin Chunxiao truly deserved to be his SSR setter, but it was a shame that he wasn’t tall enough to smash in the youth team. As an adult player, he would have to rely on tactics and finesse to score. However, it didn’t matter much since his passing skills as a setter were excellent.
As for Li Ling, he certainly had the potential to become a response player. Chen Aiguo looked at Li Ling with joy.
Qin Chunxiao glanced at him and said, “It doesn’t mean he can perform like this every time.”
Chen Aiguo looked at Qin Chunxiao suspiciously. “What? Did he anger you again just now?” Li Ling often caused frustration, and the coaches were used to it.
Qin Chunxiao sighed, “No, I won’t deny other people’s skills just because I’m angry, but…forget it.”
The Nervous Knife had a unique playing style, sometimes being a godsend and sometimes causing a stalemate. This time, Li Ling was performing exceptionally, but the next time, even his second pass might be misunderstood. No one could predict how the Nervous Knife’s magic and stalemate would unfold.
Qin Chunxiao looked at his frustrated partner, who was eagerly bumping chests with everyone, and decided to let Chen Aiguo discover everything for himself in the next game. He glanced at his phone and asked loudly, “Coach, it’s still early. Should we go to the auditorium?”
The suggestion sparked excitement among everyone nearby.
Since they had only played three sets and conserved a lot of energy, the young men gathered around Chen Aiguo.
“Coach, can we go see the stars?”
“Will we be allowed to enter?”
“Let’s go in quietly and have a look, so we don’t take up other people’s seats.”
Considering that they were usually busy with training and had performed exceptionally well in the training match, and knowing that Chen Aiguo was a fan of Zhou Yun, a veteran actor, he picked up his phone and said, “Let me check.”
My Soulmate is a Libero
The first time Qin Chunxiao faced a formidable opponent on the court was when he encountered Fu Biyang. At that time, Qin Chunxiao was 17 years old, while Fu Biyang was 18.
Dealing with this towering giant, standing at over 1.9 meters, proved to be extremely challenging. Qin Chunxiao had transitioned to the main attacker role, requiring him to face blockers and defensive specialists at the net head-on. Originally not the strongest defensive player, Qin Chunxiao relied on his jumping ability to overcome his opponents.
However, Fu Biyang was different. His physical prowess was akin to that of a beast, a near-beast himself. Although his jumping ability was not as impressive, standing at 3.6 meters, he matched Qin Chunxiao’s height.
In their initial encounters, Qin Chunxiao was defeated twice in a row, almost feeling overwhelmed and questioning his abilities.
But he possessed an advantage—he played with his intellect. Qin Chunxiao developed a finesse style of play against Fu Biyang, constantly utilizing touches and occasionally employing lobs, avoiding direct confrontations.
Even with Fu Biyang’s good temperament, he couldn’t help but feel frustrated and angry as his fingers suffered cracks and injuries. Eventually, a fight broke out between the two after a game.
Pushed with both hands, Qin Chunxiao stumbled backward, but his frustration grew. Why couldn’t he accept defeat? He had won within the boundaries of the rules, without committing any fouls. He didn’t intentionally injure Fu Biyang’s fingernail. He was about to apologize, but who asked you to push me?
Fighting was undoubtedly wrong, but Qin Chunxiao, who was only 17 and the team captain, couldn’t back down. If he yielded now, how could he lead the team in the future?
He resolved to confront him head-on!
Determined, he struck Fu Biyang’s calf, causing him to stagger back. Qin Chunxiao then rushed in and landed a punch on Fu Biyang’s face. The two furious warriors exchanged blows, and screams echoed across the court.
Fortunately, Ding Rong, a member of the Bayi team, happened to witness the altercation. He leaped down from the stands and intervened, separating the two of them.
As a result, Qin Chunxiao’s vision darkened, and Fu Biyang suffered a mild concussion. Both of them were suspended for three games and fined. Alongside Ding Rong, they became known as the pinnacle of Chinese volleyball power—the Big Three in men’s volleyball.
One had Russian heritage, one resembled King Kong, and the other hailed from the August 1st team. The presence of these three giants was intimidating, and no one dared to act presumptuously.
Regrettably, the three brothers never had the chance to compete together on the international stage. It was hard to predict the kind of performance they would have displayed as a team. Their collective strength could have easily propelled the Chinese men’s volleyball team into the top three in the world.
Strangely, whenever the G province team faced off against the H island team, the matches drew a large number of spectators, and ticket prices were higher than elsewhere. The atmosphere was electrifying.
When Qin Chunxiao failed to make it onto the national team, he was the first to express his dissatisfaction to Coach Zhao. Fu Biyang also complained about Qin Chunxiao, closely followed by Li Ling. When Qin Chunxiao departed for Brazil, Fu Biyang even went to the airport to see him off. People speculated that their relationship was complex, and Qin Chunxiao and Fu Biyang referred to each other as cherished comrades.
Qin Chun xiao cherished the memories of Fu Biyang, and even in his final moments, Fu Biyang’s words of endearment, “coconut chicken,” warmed his heart. However, none of this prevented Qin Chunxiao from once again making Fu Biyang unhappy on the court.
Who said you were the most challenging opponent in the H island youth team? If it’s not you, then who else should I bother?
Although he felt some sympathy, Qin Chunxiao knew that Fu Biyang’s jumping ability was not at its peak, and his blocking height was only 3.3 meters. Qin Chunxiao had the advantage and could overpower him. Therefore, this time, he didn’t push him to the point of bleeding.
A comical scene unfolded on the court.
Qin Chunxiao, playing as a setter, constantly outsmarted the opposition. Mo Lin, the original main attacker, began to attempt borrowing as well. Li Ling took on the role of setter and preferred to set the ball to Qin Chunxiao because his borrowing skills were superior to Mo Lin’s. However, Qin Chunxiao’s spiking and borrowing were consistently effective.
At times, Li Ling even took matters into his own hands and scored points, while asking Mo Lin, Liu Kairui, and Li Xiaoping to set the ball for them.
The setter played like the main attacker, and the main attacker played like the setter. The game was filled with so many absurd moments that it left people dumbfounded.
“How can a setter play like this?” Qin Chunxiao pondered in his head. “As a national level Libero, it would be quite dishonest of me to play as a secondary setter!”
Coach Zheng looked puzzled, “Your two setters were trained according to the program, right?”
The concept of a “response setter” is more popular in Europe and the United States. They stand in front of the net and are required to have sufficient height and attacking power. They can block at the net like a secondary attacker and also spike the ball like a main attacker. They are expected to excel in passing and contribute to both offense and defense.
In Asia, the main attacker is often considered the trump card, while strong teams in Europe and the United States prioritize the setter as the team’s trump card. These setters are versatile and can serve as the core of the offense. Some setters are responsible for connecting the entire team, minimizing weaknesses and maximizing the team’s strength.
Coach Zheng couldn’t help but question when he saw these two setters who displayed more firepower than the main attacker.
Chen Aiguo had initially intended to train these two players as serious setters. He wanted them to eventually take over the setter position in the provincial team, which had been plagued by injuries. Having two powerful setters would also give him the flexibility to rotate them.
However, he later discovered that among all the players in the Provincial Youth Team, these two setters were the most inclined towards offense.
While other teams focused on attacking and scoring, their two setters always seemed eager to score by themselves. Chen Aiguo decided to take advantage of this training match to assess their abilities in this regard.
Little did Chen Aiguo know that Qin Chunxiao had never considered playing as a support due to his height disadvantage. His blocking skills were only effective against teams with shorter average heights, like neighboring Japan. He struggled against the tall attackers of domestic teams, and staying at the net for too long would lead to mistakes.
Nevertheless, when he led the team in games, Qin Chunxiao assumed the roles of both a father and a mother, forcing himself to become an all-rounder capable of attacking and defending when necessary.
On the other hand, Li Ling was the true support player in the making. He excelled as an ordinary setter (SR) and displayed even better offensive skills as a support (SSR). Although he had not yet discovered his evolutionary direction, his offensive abilities were already impressive.
Once they trained another professional setter, Li Ling could focus on the support role.
In the current match, Mo Lin called out from the net, “The ball is here!”
Li Ling jumped up and responded, “Let’s go!”
While everyone anticipated another lob, Li Ling surprised them by smashing the ball directly.
With Mo Lin’s presence, they had three players on the court who could set for the attackers. Except for Zhou Ziming, who rotated as a libero, they successfully executed a four-point offense. Whenever someone set the ball, others dared to spike. Their opponents were caught off guard, losing two consecutive games.
This style of play was chaotic, but it held up mainly because of the team’s experienced player.
Qin Chunxiao appeared to have the shortest adaptation period in the team, but in reality, he was their captain. He knew how to bring the team together.
In that moment, Fu Biyang had lost his pre-match relaxed state. He fixed his gaze on Qin Chunxiao, panting heavily, with his jersey soaked in sweat in the air-conditioned arena.
Qin Chunxiao stood opposite him, wearing the No. 18 jersey, a drop of sweat sliding down his forehead to the corner of his eyes, squinting and giving him a wolf-like appearance.
The two locked eyes, neither willing to back down.
When the back-row secondary attacker served again, the libero of the H Island Provincial Youth Team raised the ball, set it with a second pass, and the main attacker spiked once more.
A smirk formed on the corner of Qin Chunxiao’s mouth as he turned to block at the net. Fu Biyang followed closely, but soon realized that Qin Chunxiao had only feigned a block.
Mo Lin shouted and rushed to retrieve the ball, but the set was a bit high. Li Ling ran ahead to save it, while Qin Chunxiao positioned himself behind him, ready to jump as soon as Li Ling lifted his foot. Fu Biyang immediately attempted to block the ball.
He had fallen into Qin Chunxiao’s trap once again.
Qin Chunxiao feinted a jump and quickly dashed toward the right side of the net. He wasn’t foolish enough to repeatedly spike against a blocker like Fu Biyang, known for his powerful and unpredictable swings. Even if he could outjump him, the physical strain would be too much.
With this maneuver, he successfully deceived the opposing block and created an open space for himself. Seeing no one on the right side of the net, Li Ling passed the ball directly there.
Qin Chunxiao shouted, “Go!” and leaped to smash the ball over, cooperating with Li Ling to execute a successful quick attack.
Coach Zheng praised, “This kid is excellent at deceiving opponents.”
Lao Chen concurred, saying, “Indeed.” Since joining the team, Qin Chunxiao had displayed a knack for acting. Sometimes, he didn’t just act while setting; he carried the ball himself and ran with it.
Now his teammates were accustomed to his acting.
Lao Chen hoped that this group of boys could grow together, becoming well-rounded players proficient in both acting and ball skills.
The official game consisted of five sets, with the first team to win three sets emerging victorious. The provincial teams followed this system for their training matches. Both coaches initially anticipated a four or five-set battle, but to their surprise, the G provincial youth team managed to dominate their opponents.
In the third set, Fu Biyang finally realized that it was futile to solely focus on Qin Chunxiao. He suggested to his teammates that they distract Qin Chunxiao during the game using serves and other methods, allowing them to handle the other, less capable players.
However, it was too late.
Li Ling, the setter with nerves of steel, had finally found his rhythm and seamlessly transitioned into the main role of the team.
Qin Chunxiao simply needed to move to Li Ling, Mo Lin, or Liu Kairui after the first pass and the libero’s reception, allowing these three players to score.
As for Fu Biyang? He couldn’t keep his eyes solely on Qin Chunxiao and neglect Li Ling. Whenever he stared at Li Ling, Qin Chunxiao would take the opportunity to attack on his own. In a typical team’s three-touch play, the third touch would usually be an attack. Qin Chunxiao didn’t concern himself with this rule. He happily switched to attacking the second touch and sent the ball back to the opponents.
At the end of the third set, the referee announced the end of the game. Fu Biyang stood there, staring at Qin Chunxiao in disbelief. “Just wait, I’ll never be fooled by you again in the U21 category.”
Qin Chunxiao replied, “Even if I don’t play against you, my skills are more than enough to compete with you.”
Upon careful consideration, it was indeed true!
Fu Biyang swung his fist and turned around unwillingly, while Li Ling had already cheered and wanted to bump chests with Qin Chunxiao. As he approached, he realized that there was quite a height difference between the two, so he kindly took a step forward and patted Qin Chunxiao’s chest instead.
“Come on, Chunxiao, let’s go!”
Qin Chunxiao turned around and walked away.
Chen Aiguo clapped his hands at that moment. “Xiaozi, you played well, and you should continue playing like this in the future!” It had been a while since he had seen such a skillful and flamboyant setter since leaving the national team.
Qin Chunxiao truly deserved to be his SSR setter, but it was a shame that he wasn’t tall enough to smash in the youth team. As an adult player, he would have to rely on tactics and finesse to score. However, it didn’t matter much since his passing skills as a setter were excellent.
As for Li Ling, he certainly had the potential to become a response player. Chen Aiguo looked at Li Ling with joy.
Qin Chunxiao glanced at him and said, “It doesn’t mean he can perform like this every time.”
Chen Aiguo looked at Qin Chunxiao suspiciously. “What? Did he anger you again just now?” Li Ling often caused frustration, and the coaches were used to it.
Qin Chunxiao sighed, “No, I won’t deny other people’s skills just because I’m angry, but…forget it.”
The Nervous Knife had a unique playing style, sometimes being a godsend and sometimes causing a stalemate. This time, Li Ling was performing exceptionally, but the next time, even his second pass might be misunderstood. No one could predict how the Nervous Knife’s magic and stalemate would unfold.
Qin Chunxiao looked at his frustrated partner, who was eagerly bumping chests with everyone, and decided to let Chen Aiguo discover everything for himself in the next game. He glanced at his phone and asked loudly, “Coach, it’s still early. Should we go to the auditorium?”
The suggestion sparked excitement among everyone nearby.
Since they had only played three sets and conserved a lot of energy, the young men gathered around Chen Aiguo.
“Coach, can we go see the stars?”
“Will we be allowed to enter?”
“Let’s go in quietly and have a look, so we don’t take up other people’s seats.”
Considering that they were usually busy with training and had performed exceptionally well in the training match, and knowing that Chen Aiguo was a fan of Zhou Yun, a veteran actor, he picked up his phone and said, “Let me check.”
