My Soulmate is A Libero
After the first group match, both the Chinese team and the American team were feeling a bit sore. Fortunately, the match didn’t go to the fifth set, or they would risk losing a victory tomorrow.
Qin Chunxiao went to find Lu Xuandong for dinner after finishing the game, but he was starving.
Lu Xuandong held a bowl of hot fish head tofu soup and said, “Here, have some soup first, I’ll serve you rice.”
Tonight’s menu included steamed mandarin fish, braised beef brisket, blanched vegetables, and a plate of grilled skewers with beef, lamb, octopus, and even chicken leg rice balls for dessert.
It was all personally cooked by Lu Xuandong. This treatment made You Ziyu envious. He said, “If only I had someone to bring me food during the Olympics. I don’t ask for much, just a bowl of hot dry noodles would be enough.”
As a native of Wuhan, he could make his own shumai and cook traditional Hu soup noodles in Hainan. Honestly, all he wanted in Japan was healthy food.
Qin Chunxiao teased him, “Weren’t you always aiming to marry a career-oriented big sister and become a househusband like your dad? You even practiced cooking and sparred with Fu Biyang every day in the cafeteria. Now you want to find a nurturing motherly type of girl?”
You Ziyu, who wasn’t keen on cooking, had always looked up to his dad and even practiced cooking to become a good husband in the future. He said, “I like career-oriented women, so I only ask for someone to bring me food during the Olympics. I don’t expect them to cook. They can bring takeout, and I can even pay for it. The main thing is having someone bring me food to eat.”
Ding Rong passing by commented, “Are you in love?”
You Ziyu retorted, “You’re the one in love! It’s obviously Yang Yang and Er Leng! Just look at the way he looks at Gao Hanyue from the women’s team. It’s clear he’s not innocent.”
Qiao Mingming, who also happened to pass by, asked, “Why mention him?”
Ding Rong was shocked, “Er Leng? What does he have to do with this?”
Qin Chunxiao rested his chin on his hand lazily and said, “He’s not in love. Mainly, one of his good friends graduated from the police academy and just started working. He’s been facing a lot of troubles lately, and he got injured while protecting someone. He probably just wants someone to talk to when he calls Er Leng.”
Everyone knew that Er Leng had high emotional intelligence, and talking to him could be very relaxing. Despite being a terrible gamer, he had courageously intervened in a brawl four years ago when a group of drunk men harassed and attacked an innocent girl. As expected, he got beaten up by those guys, but the girl ended up protecting him.
If it weren’t for Qin Chunxiao’s timely arrival, wielding a stool to knock several of the strong men into the hospital, Er Leng would have ended up in the hospital with the girl.
Qin Chunxiao explained, “Later, that beautiful girl who protected Er Leng got into the police academy. Before we left for training in Hainan this year, she even invited Er Leng to an amusement park.”
Er Leng happily went to the amusement park and returned with even more happiness, telling Qin Chunxiao that the amusement park was owned by the beautiful girl’s family. The park’s owners, the girl’s parents, personally accompanied him on the ride and praised him for being well-mannered, kind, and a rare good young man.
Ding Rong joked, “So, Er Leng is about to fulfill You Ziyu’s dream?”
Qin Chunxiao said nonchalantly, “Probably…”
You Ziyu was both envious and worried about Er Leng. He said, “Doesn’t that mean Er Leng will also have to live a life like my dad, constantly worrying about his family?”
Qin Chunxiao replied, “It’s his choice.”
Er Leng may seem foolish on the surface, but he understood everything. You Ziyu had seen him when he answered a call from his son’s colleague and hid in a corner, wiping away tears. But he still agreed to go to the amusement park with the police officer. It was clear that he had figured things out.
Moreover, Er Leng had a good mindset. Even after learning that the police officer had broken her arm, he asked Lu Xuandong about foods that could help with bone healing. He didn’t let it affect his performance in the matches. Now, he had become the reliable first-choice setter for the national team. In the match against Canada, Li Ling made several brilliant sets, securing a 3-0 victory for the Chinese team.
This guy had set a small goal for himself – to become the undisputed number one setter in Asia according to the fans after the Tokyo Olympics.
On the third day, the Chinese team faced Italy.
Li Ling, who aspired to become Asia’s top setter, was up against the world’s number one setter, Mattia.
Italy’s libero, Dario, greeted Qin Chunxiao across the net, “Hey, Misha, you look taller again.”
Qin Chunxiao, who hadn’t grown a centimeter and was stuck at 1.8 meters, replied, “Where? You seem taller too.”
Dario happily said, “Yeah, I measured my height yesterday and found out I grew 1 centimeter! I never thought I could still grow taller as an adult.”
Qin Chunxiao thought, “Damn, I’m so jealous!”
Jealousy could be a powerful motivator, and Qin Chunxiao proved it. In the first set of the match, he successfully displayed higher defensive efficiency than Dario, helping the Chinese team win the first set. This made Lao Niu scold him before the start of the second set.
“Do you want to die? Did you really pull out your max speed without slowing down? Do you think your knees are made of Gundam alloy?”
It was just the group stage, and he was playing this hard? What if we make it to the finals? What will you do if you run out of stamina?
After being scolded, Qin Chunxiao quietly switched off and returned to a normal state.
Online, a group of people watched as athletes were scolded by their coaches and found it amusing.
[The first time I’ve seen Niu scolding someone, he’s usually very gentle and reluctant to say anything harsh.]
[What is “turning without slowing down”? Does it strain the knees a lot?]
[Hey, the guy above, try running in a zigzag pattern at a hundred-meter sprint speed on the field, make several turns without slowing down, and keep doing it for a month.]
[You don’t need a month; one week will make you feel uncomfortable. This technique really puts a lot of strain on the knees. Although it can be used as a killer move in top-level competitions, it burns through an athlete’s professional lifespan. The last player who used this tactic retired at the age of 21. Even the figure skaters in the Winter Olympics next door can last longer. Figure skating is known for having a short professional lifespan, but our country’s men’s singles champion is 22 years old this year and still has a chance at the Beijing Winter Olympics.]
Qin Chunxiao was restricted from using his special move, and in the second set, he was benched, forced to watch Du Xiaofeng on the court.
Don’t underestimate Du Xiaofeng just because he was stuck on the bench behind Qin Chunxiao. He was still considered one of the top players in the libero position in Asia, even with the emergence of a strong defensive team in Japan.
However, Dario was in the best form of his life at the Tokyo Olympics. If it weren’t for Qin Chunxiao, he could have claimed to be the world’s number one libero during this period. When Qin Chunxiao was on the bench, Italy’s defense became even stronger.
Qin Chunxiao couldn’t sit still and requested, “Coach, let me go in.” Italy’s power hitters had incredibly strong hits, and their balls were difficult to receive.
Newton shook his head and sent Gao Depi in instead. This time, China’s defense efficiency improved.
“Gao Depi is familiar with the Italian players, and he can enhance his skills to target their specific techniques. At least when facing the Italian team, his efficiency is no worse than yours.”
Newton crossed his hands, “Xiao Zai, you need to understand one thing. Coaches don’t want to use their trump cards unless it’s absolutely necessary. You need to learn to accept sharing playing time with your teammates. This is also a way for them to share your stamina indirectly.”
Volleyball is a team sport, not a one-person show. This not only refers to the fact that they need all six players on the court to play the game but also that the presence of substitutes is meaningful.
Qin Chunxiao quieted down and didn’t mention going in to play again.
Newton wasn’t a careless coach, and as a player, Qin Chunxiao respected his decisions.
The Chinese team ultimately lost this group stage match, but Newton seemed quite relaxed. The group stage involved playing five matches, but with 8 out of 12 teams advancing, they had already defeated the United States and Canada. There was no reason to lose to Venezuela or Japan in the upcoming matches.
Wasn’t this sufficient? Securing qualification was the primary goal.
Newton had a steady mindset. After the match, he told the players, “The leadership’s requirement for us is to secure a spot in the top eight. After all, we rarely get a chance to compete in the Olympics, and every victory we achieve now is making history.”
Honest player Qiao Mingming commented, “Every loss is also making history.”
Ding Rong interjected, “Shut up and listen to the coach.”
Qiao Mingming said, “Okay.”
Newton continued, “So, the goal is clear. We need to aim for the championship on the basis of securing a top-eight spot!”
Perhaps in this world, there were many coaches who, after leading their teams to the national level, were satisfied and said, “This is the most glorious and proud moment of my life.” Their thinking was quite correct; reaching the national level was already quite remarkable.
However, many years ago, Lao Niu had already represented the national team in international competitions, and he was still on the volleyball court, striving for higher goals. Naturally, he had a higher purpose in mind.
Newton revealed his ambition, saying, “Why did I climb up to the position of the national team head coach with all my might? Yang Yun led you to create miracles and win the World Youth Championship. I trained you relentlessly to defeat so many strong opponents for what purpose?”
“It’s for you to step onto a bigger stage, to ensure that you, a group of passionate athletes, aren’t ruined by bureaucracy in your precious sports careers. It’s also to let the world know that the Chinese men’s volleyball team is not a weak team! It’s to adorn our country’s reputation in men’s volleyball with gold medals.”
Lao Niu wanted to win because he understood that the time when the Chinese team was at the pinnacle, this championship window, wouldn’t last long. The question of whether the injured players in the team could continue to serve after the Tokyo Olympics was uncertain. Additionally, the quality and spirit of the newcomers entering the national team in the future were unknown. Newcomers were like capsule toys, no one knew their quality until they were opened. Recognizing this, he knew they had to give it their all.
“For the country, for glory, so your easygoing times have come to an end because my demand for you is that losing to Italy in this match is enough. In the upcoming matches, you cannot lose.”
“Listen carefully, not even one match can be lost! After the group stage, I won’t restrict anyone from using their special moves. If the game requires it, you can use any move. I won’t restrict you from going all out. Damn it, I’ve never touched an Olympic gold medal in my life, and neither have you. So, it’s time for those foreigners to see your spirit!”
When he said these words, it wasn’t the proudest moment of Lao Niu’s life, but it was the most passionate moment in front of the players.
The players were energized, especially those who had been restricted from using their special moves. They looked at each other and grinned.
Rationally, they knew that going all out wasn’t good for their bodies, but as athletes, they felt it would be a shame not to give it their all at least once in their lives.
Now, the moment they could give it their all had finally arrived.
There were quite a few players on this national team who had been restricted from using their special moves. Qin Chunxiao’s “turning without slowing down” was considered mild, he could even accelerate and perform a fish leap to save the ball at a hundred-meter sprint speed. With his speed, a fall could result in a serious injury.
Then there was You Ziyu, who learned a high-spin jump serve from Kristian, Ding Rong, as the setter and one of the top four main attackers, could unleash her powerful spike despite his injuries. Even Tong Shulan, ignoring his injuries, could reach a height close to that of the Precision Beast. Even Er Leng had a skill of swiftly changing the ball’s trajectory through his shoulders in the air. And Qiao Mingming could use a single-foot jump and landing in a rampage mode throughout the entire game.
These were a group of berserk warriors who dared to trade their lifebars for combat power. Normally, they were restrained by Newton and couldn’t use their special moves recklessly, but without Lao Niu watching them, this group of people couldn’t make it to the Olympics without injuring themselves.
As a coach, he should be responsible for inspiring and motivating his athletes. Newton’s motivation was well-prepared, but he hadn’t injected any extra energy recently because he knew this group of people was already fierce enough. Injecting more energy could lead to trouble.
For example, those war gods who feared that the world wouldn’t be chaotic enough. In case they felt unsatisfied after playing volleyball and wanted to kill someone for fun or chop someone finely and let Aizimaitii make Xinjiang lamb dumplings for a feast…
Now, it didn’t matter. With the gold medal hanging there, Newton had no psychological burden injecting that 5,000-energy chicken blood.
My Soulmate is A Libero
After the first group match, both the Chinese team and the American team were feeling a bit sore. Fortunately, the match didn’t go to the fifth set, or they would risk losing a victory tomorrow.
Qin Chunxiao went to find Lu Xuandong for dinner after finishing the game, but he was starving.
Lu Xuandong held a bowl of hot fish head tofu soup and said, “Here, have some soup first, I’ll serve you rice.”
Tonight’s menu included steamed mandarin fish, braised beef brisket, blanched vegetables, and a plate of grilled skewers with beef, lamb, octopus, and even chicken leg rice balls for dessert.
It was all personally cooked by Lu Xuandong. This treatment made You Ziyu envious. He said, “If only I had someone to bring me food during the Olympics. I don’t ask for much, just a bowl of hot dry noodles would be enough.”
As a native of Wuhan, he could make his own shumai and cook traditional Hu soup noodles in Hainan. Honestly, all he wanted in Japan was healthy food.
Qin Chunxiao teased him, “Weren’t you always aiming to marry a career-oriented big sister and become a househusband like your dad? You even practiced cooking and sparred with Fu Biyang every day in the cafeteria. Now you want to find a nurturing motherly type of girl?”
You Ziyu, who wasn’t keen on cooking, had always looked up to his dad and even practiced cooking to become a good husband in the future. He said, “I like career-oriented women, so I only ask for someone to bring me food during the Olympics. I don’t expect them to cook. They can bring takeout, and I can even pay for it. The main thing is having someone bring me food to eat.”
Ding Rong passing by commented, “Are you in love?”
You Ziyu retorted, “You’re the one in love! It’s obviously Yang Yang and Er Leng! Just look at the way he looks at Gao Hanyue from the women’s team. It’s clear he’s not innocent.”
Qiao Mingming, who also happened to pass by, asked, “Why mention him?”
Ding Rong was shocked, “Er Leng? What does he have to do with this?”
Qin Chunxiao rested his chin on his hand lazily and said, “He’s not in love. Mainly, one of his good friends graduated from the police academy and just started working. He’s been facing a lot of troubles lately, and he got injured while protecting someone. He probably just wants someone to talk to when he calls Er Leng.”
Everyone knew that Er Leng had high emotional intelligence, and talking to him could be very relaxing. Despite being a terrible gamer, he had courageously intervened in a brawl four years ago when a group of drunk men harassed and attacked an innocent girl. As expected, he got beaten up by those guys, but the girl ended up protecting him.
If it weren’t for Qin Chunxiao’s timely arrival, wielding a stool to knock several of the strong men into the hospital, Er Leng would have ended up in the hospital with the girl.
Qin Chunxiao explained, “Later, that beautiful girl who protected Er Leng got into the police academy. Before we left for training in Hainan this year, she even invited Er Leng to an amusement park.”
Er Leng happily went to the amusement park and returned with even more happiness, telling Qin Chunxiao that the amusement park was owned by the beautiful girl’s family. The park’s owners, the girl’s parents, personally accompanied him on the ride and praised him for being well-mannered, kind, and a rare good young man.
Ding Rong joked, “So, Er Leng is about to fulfill You Ziyu’s dream?”
Qin Chunxiao said nonchalantly, “Probably…”
You Ziyu was both envious and worried about Er Leng. He said, “Doesn’t that mean Er Leng will also have to live a life like my dad, constantly worrying about his family?”
Qin Chunxiao replied, “It’s his choice.”
Er Leng may seem foolish on the surface, but he understood everything. You Ziyu had seen him when he answered a call from his son’s colleague and hid in a corner, wiping away tears. But he still agreed to go to the amusement park with the police officer. It was clear that he had figured things out.
Moreover, Er Leng had a good mindset. Even after learning that the police officer had broken her arm, he asked Lu Xuandong about foods that could help with bone healing. He didn’t let it affect his performance in the matches. Now, he had become the reliable first-choice setter for the national team. In the match against Canada, Li Ling made several brilliant sets, securing a 3-0 victory for the Chinese team.
This guy had set a small goal for himself – to become the undisputed number one setter in Asia according to the fans after the Tokyo Olympics.
On the third day, the Chinese team faced Italy.
Li Ling, who aspired to become Asia’s top setter, was up against the world’s number one setter, Mattia.
Italy’s libero, Dario, greeted Qin Chunxiao across the net, “Hey, Misha, you look taller again.”
Qin Chunxiao, who hadn’t grown a centimeter and was stuck at 1.8 meters, replied, “Where? You seem taller too.”
Dario happily said, “Yeah, I measured my height yesterday and found out I grew 1 centimeter! I never thought I could still grow taller as an adult.”
Qin Chunxiao thought, “Damn, I’m so jealous!”
Jealousy could be a powerful motivator, and Qin Chunxiao proved it. In the first set of the match, he successfully displayed higher defensive efficiency than Dario, helping the Chinese team win the first set. This made Lao Niu scold him before the start of the second set.
“Do you want to die? Did you really pull out your max speed without slowing down? Do you think your knees are made of Gundam alloy?”
It was just the group stage, and he was playing this hard? What if we make it to the finals? What will you do if you run out of stamina?
After being scolded, Qin Chunxiao quietly switched off and returned to a normal state.
Online, a group of people watched as athletes were scolded by their coaches and found it amusing.
[The first time I’ve seen Niu scolding someone, he’s usually very gentle and reluctant to say anything harsh.]
[What is “turning without slowing down”? Does it strain the knees a lot?]
[Hey, the guy above, try running in a zigzag pattern at a hundred-meter sprint speed on the field, make several turns without slowing down, and keep doing it for a month.]
[You don’t need a month; one week will make you feel uncomfortable. This technique really puts a lot of strain on the knees. Although it can be used as a killer move in top-level competitions, it burns through an athlete’s professional lifespan. The last player who used this tactic retired at the age of 21. Even the figure skaters in the Winter Olympics next door can last longer. Figure skating is known for having a short professional lifespan, but our country’s men’s singles champion is 22 years old this year and still has a chance at the Beijing Winter Olympics.]
Qin Chunxiao was restricted from using his special move, and in the second set, he was benched, forced to watch Du Xiaofeng on the court.
Don’t underestimate Du Xiaofeng just because he was stuck on the bench behind Qin Chunxiao. He was still considered one of the top players in the libero position in Asia, even with the emergence of a strong defensive team in Japan.
However, Dario was in the best form of his life at the Tokyo Olympics. If it weren’t for Qin Chunxiao, he could have claimed to be the world’s number one libero during this period. When Qin Chunxiao was on the bench, Italy’s defense became even stronger.
Qin Chunxiao couldn’t sit still and requested, “Coach, let me go in.” Italy’s power hitters had incredibly strong hits, and their balls were difficult to receive.
Newton shook his head and sent Gao Depi in instead. This time, China’s defense efficiency improved.
“Gao Depi is familiar with the Italian players, and he can enhance his skills to target their specific techniques. At least when facing the Italian team, his efficiency is no worse than yours.”
Newton crossed his hands, “Xiao Zai, you need to understand one thing. Coaches don’t want to use their trump cards unless it’s absolutely necessary. You need to learn to accept sharing playing time with your teammates. This is also a way for them to share your stamina indirectly.”
Volleyball is a team sport, not a one-person show. This not only refers to the fact that they need all six players on the court to play the game but also that the presence of substitutes is meaningful.
Qin Chunxiao quieted down and didn’t mention going in to play again.
Newton wasn’t a careless coach, and as a player, Qin Chunxiao respected his decisions.
The Chinese team ultimately lost this group stage match, but Newton seemed quite relaxed. The group stage involved playing five matches, but with 8 out of 12 teams advancing, they had already defeated the United States and Canada. There was no reason to lose to Venezuela or Japan in the upcoming matches.
Wasn’t this sufficient? Securing qualification was the primary goal.
Newton had a steady mindset. After the match, he told the players, “The leadership’s requirement for us is to secure a spot in the top eight. After all, we rarely get a chance to compete in the Olympics, and every victory we achieve now is making history.”
Honest player Qiao Mingming commented, “Every loss is also making history.”
Ding Rong interjected, “Shut up and listen to the coach.”
Qiao Mingming said, “Okay.”
Newton continued, “So, the goal is clear. We need to aim for the championship on the basis of securing a top-eight spot!”
Perhaps in this world, there were many coaches who, after leading their teams to the national level, were satisfied and said, “This is the most glorious and proud moment of my life.” Their thinking was quite correct; reaching the national level was already quite remarkable.
However, many years ago, Lao Niu had already represented the national team in international competitions, and he was still on the volleyball court, striving for higher goals. Naturally, he had a higher purpose in mind.
Newton revealed his ambition, saying, “Why did I climb up to the position of the national team head coach with all my might? Yang Yun led you to create miracles and win the World Youth Championship. I trained you relentlessly to defeat so many strong opponents for what purpose?”
“It’s for you to step onto a bigger stage, to ensure that you, a group of passionate athletes, aren’t ruined by bureaucracy in your precious sports careers. It’s also to let the world know that the Chinese men’s volleyball team is not a weak team! It’s to adorn our country’s reputation in men’s volleyball with gold medals.”
Lao Niu wanted to win because he understood that the time when the Chinese team was at the pinnacle, this championship window, wouldn’t last long. The question of whether the injured players in the team could continue to serve after the Tokyo Olympics was uncertain. Additionally, the quality and spirit of the newcomers entering the national team in the future were unknown. Newcomers were like capsule toys, no one knew their quality until they were opened. Recognizing this, he knew they had to give it their all.
“For the country, for glory, so your easygoing times have come to an end because my demand for you is that losing to Italy in this match is enough. In the upcoming matches, you cannot lose.”
“Listen carefully, not even one match can be lost! After the group stage, I won’t restrict anyone from using their special moves. If the game requires it, you can use any move. I won’t restrict you from going all out. Damn it, I’ve never touched an Olympic gold medal in my life, and neither have you. So, it’s time for those foreigners to see your spirit!”
When he said these words, it wasn’t the proudest moment of Lao Niu’s life, but it was the most passionate moment in front of the players.
The players were energized, especially those who had been restricted from using their special moves. They looked at each other and grinned.
Rationally, they knew that going all out wasn’t good for their bodies, but as athletes, they felt it would be a shame not to give it their all at least once in their lives.
Now, the moment they could give it their all had finally arrived.
There were quite a few players on this national team who had been restricted from using their special moves. Qin Chunxiao’s “turning without slowing down” was considered mild, he could even accelerate and perform a fish leap to save the ball at a hundred-meter sprint speed. With his speed, a fall could result in a serious injury.
Then there was You Ziyu, who learned a high-spin jump serve from Kristian, Ding Rong, as the setter and one of the top four main attackers, could unleash her powerful spike despite his injuries. Even Tong Shulan, ignoring his injuries, could reach a height close to that of the Precision Beast. Even Er Leng had a skill of swiftly changing the ball’s trajectory through his shoulders in the air. And Qiao Mingming could use a single-foot jump and landing in a rampage mode throughout the entire game.
These were a group of berserk warriors who dared to trade their lifebars for combat power. Normally, they were restrained by Newton and couldn’t use their special moves recklessly, but without Lao Niu watching them, this group of people couldn’t make it to the Olympics without injuring themselves.
As a coach, he should be responsible for inspiring and motivating his athletes. Newton’s motivation was well-prepared, but he hadn’t injected any extra energy recently because he knew this group of people was already fierce enough. Injecting more energy could lead to trouble.
For example, those war gods who feared that the world wouldn’t be chaotic enough. In case they felt unsatisfied after playing volleyball and wanted to kill someone for fun or chop someone finely and let Aizimaitii make Xinjiang lamb dumplings for a feast…
Now, it didn’t matter. With the gold medal hanging there, Newton had no psychological burden injecting that 5,000-energy chicken blood.
