My Soulmate is A Libero
The first set ended, and the second set was about to begin. Qin Chunxiao walked to the sidelines to have the team doctor treat his elbow. He had taken a hard fall earlier, scraping off some skin, and the wound looked bloody. The indoor air conditioning was blowing cold, causing a stinging sensation. He couldn’t continue the second set without treatment.
Poland’s coach, Elliott, calmly arranged tactics for his players and gave them encouragement.
Sebastian looked at the Chinese team’s bench not far away and said, “They’re tough.”
“That’s why I can see you’re enjoying this game,” Elliott, a man in his forties, tall and refined, smiled. “You’re still confident in beating them, right?”
Sebastian replied, “Of course, my dear Lily is watching me. I can’t afford to lose.”
His beloved wife Lily was pregnant and had taken maternity leave to come to Tokyo with him for the Olympics. Just the thought of his wife watching him gave Sebastian boundless strength.
Elliott turned to the two opposite hitters and said, “Don’t let your guard down when blocking. The Chinese team has no shortage of height, and this is the Olympics. They will surely give their all.”
The opposite hitters nodded in agreement.
Paul, the old man, was a strict coach during training, but when it came to games, he followed Elliott’s lead and was able to shine even more. They had trained together, and they had also made quite a name for themselves in this Olympic Games. They had secured their positions as starters on the national team. Naturally, they had great confidence in Elliott. Whatever the head coach said was gospel.
With the wound dressed, Qin Chunxiao returned to the court. This time, it was China’s turn to serve.
Squid tossed the ball, and this time, he used a jump float serve.
In Squid’s clever mind, using the same routine for too long would be recognized by the opponent, and serving was no exception. It had to be varied to make it harder for the opponent to adapt.
The libero from the Polish team managed to receive the serve, but he was a level below Qin Chunxiao in skill. He couldn’t handle Squid’s jump float serve consistently and ended up mishandling the ball, sending it out of bounds. Everyone thought Poland was about to lose the point, but Sebastian chased after the ball without hesitation and sent it back into play, even though it meant taking a hard fall himself.
A pregnant woman in the audience looked worried, but another family member from the Polish team held her and patted her reassuringly.
This was the nature of competitive sports; athletes used their bodies to play, and injuries were inevitable. Not far away, Lu Xuandong also clenched his fists. When Qin Chunxiao scraped his skin on the ground, he had bled. Although the wound had been cleaned up, it still bothered him. This was the pain of an athlete’s family.
Countless comments in the live video chat were cheering for their favorite players.
“Go Team China!”
“We believe in the Wolf!”
“Er Leng’s sets are amazing!”
“Captain Ma is unstoppable!”
“The Furious Rooster rules the world!”
“Iceberg’s serves are the best!”
“Tong Shufei, find a way to score against the foreigners again!”
Perhaps it was the distinctiveness of the Chinese men’s volleyball team in this Olympics that led to many players being referred to by nicknames like Wolf, Leng, and others. But even casual viewers could guess which players they were talking about.
The most recognizable was Fu Biyang, who loved to shout during matches.
In the second set, the Chinese team played even more aggressively. After Qiao Mingming was moved to the third position, his threat level briefly matched Sebastian’s! Poland could choose to defend against him, but if Qiao Mingming could keep Poland’s defensive players busy, would Tong Shulan, Fu Biyang, and You Ziyu have no threat? Er Leng’s sets were quite clever. He always found the weak spot in the opponent’s defense. If all else failed, he could attack himself, and he wouldn’t miss a chance to set up Qiao Mingming alone.
Lao Niu had trained Qiao Mingming to be a beast in the third position not only to make him a designated attack weapon but also to force the opponents to consider him, thereby giving other players on the team attacking opportunities.
A good attacker’s role was not just to score points.
In the past, Lao Niu often had Captain Mingming restrain the enemy’s blockers. Other teams understood his tactics, but once Qiao Mingming was in the third position, they had no choice but to pay attention to him. Many coaches and captains from various provinces in China, while cursing Lao Niu in their hearts, couldn’t help but admire his tactics.
Most importantly, as long as Poland couldn’t score points against China, the rotation wouldn’t continue, and they would be stuck in this round, watching Qiao Mingming perform like a beast in the third position.
This was how China was cornering Poland!
Sebastian made a hand gesture from behind, signaling the setter. Regardless of anything else, they had to score this rotation. They couldn’t afford to be stuck by the other side.
Next, the opposing team’s attacks became stronger. Qin Chunxiao wiped his sweat and muttered, “Oh, man, Sebastian’s spikes are almost breaking my wrist.”
Just thinking that there were four more monsters like this on the Olympic stage made him worry about his wrist.
However, the libero from the Polish team, in response to Tong Shulan’s powerful attack, decided to receive the ball with his forehead. He tilted backward and took a while to regain his composure.
Commentator Wu Di said, “Oh my, Tong Shulan’s spike was quite fierce.”
“Queen Tong scored against Poland again! Ha-ha-ha!”
“Shulan is amazing!”
“Lan’er, Captain Ming, is on fire!”
China managed to stall Poland again, and they finally won the rotation. But at this point, the score was 24-23 in favor of China, and they were at set point!
If they won this set, China would lead by two sets, making it even harder for Poland to catch up. Even though Sebastian had a big heart, he was feeling the pressure now. He had to turn the situation around in the third set. He looked towards the stands where Lily was sitting, raised his thumb, signaling to his beloved that she didn’t need to worry because he had already made a plan before the match.
In the timeline that Qin Chunxiao knew of when the Chinese team couldn’t participate in the Tokyo Olympics, the Italian team had high hopes and vowed to achieve good results in Tokyo. However, they were bombarded by the closed attacks of Roman and Sebastian, ending up only in the quarter-finals.
A team that had the potential to compete for the gold medal had almost been ruined by these two beasts. It showed their destructive power.
Sebastian served aggressively, and Qin Chunxiao was soon hit on the forehead (it wasn’t intentional). He fell to the ground, but he had much more vitality than the Polish libero. While the opponent was still resting on the substitute’s bench, applying an ice pack, Qin Chunxiao managed to get up on his own.
The ball had hit him on the forehead on the first bounce and then flew out of the court. Qiao Mingming dove to retrieve it, and when Qin Chunxiao got up, he pushed the ball back to the Polish side with a powerful push.
Sebastian continued to attack, and Qin Chunxiao continued to engage him relentlessly. This turning and accelerating move had officially made its debut on the Olympic stage.
In the adjacent area, the athletics team coach and athletes, who had just finished the 200-meter preliminaries, were dumbfounded.
“Wasn’t he a 100-meter sprinter before?” The top 200-meter runner hesitated, but something didn’t add up. A 100-meter specialist wouldn’t have such excellent “curve technique.”
The coach sighed, “He also ran the 200 meters, and his performance was even better than in the 100 meters. This kid has amazing coordination, especially when it comes to navigating curves.”
Unfortunately, Wu Chiyao had messed things up and pushed this talented athlete into volleyball. Now, he was playing volleyball on the Olympic stage, and the athletics team couldn’t get him back. The main issue was that Newton, who was 1.95 meters tall and full of muscle, was extremely vigilant, making it difficult for anyone to approach.
The top 200-meter runner said, “If Coach Niu hadn’t kept such a close watch, would you guys have tried to recruit him?”
Relying on the determination of the players, the Chinese team eventually managed to win this set. Qin Chunxiao, holding his forehead, returned to the bench, grumbling, “I can’t believe it, that hit was as powerful as Roman’s.”
“Have you ever been hit by Roman’s spike?” Wang Yan asked with a wry smile, placing an ice pack on Qin’s head.
Qin Chunxiao replied, “Which libero hasn’t been hit by a ball?.”
Getting hit by a volleyball spike could be painful, and liberos were the ones who got hit the most.
In the third set, Sebastian made a strong comeback, bringing the score to 2-1 in favor of China. Although China still had the upper hand, Poland’s morale was back.
However, when they looked at the Chinese team, their morale was soaring, and they didn’t feel disappointed at all about losing one set. That’s because when it came to burning their blood, the Chinese team was the most formidable!
In the fourth set, You Ziyu once again used his high-rotation jump serve. Under the glaring lights, anyone who tilted their head upward lost their ability to judge the ball’s trajectory accurately through sight alone. They had to rely on experienced players’ instincts to receive the ball.
The libero from the Polish team finally managed to receive the ball, and it soared high, heading diagonally toward the Chinese team’s side. Sebastian dashed forward and managed to jump just in time before the ball crossed the net. He used his arm span to try to spike the ball over the net, but Qiao Mingming also jumped alongside him, and both of them reached for the ball at the same time.
Push it over, push the ball over!
At that crucial moment, their only thought was to push the ball over. In the end, Sebastian’s skill prevailed, and he managed to push the ball over the net, but suddenly, a petite figure appeared from behind Qiao Mingming. He executed a move similar to kicking a shuttlecock, hooking his foot to kick the ball upward.
“Er Leng!”
Li Ling shouted, “Here!”
The ball wasn’t high enough, so Er Leng crouched down, raised both hands, and successfully pushed the ball back into play.
Tong Shulan jumped up and exclaimed, “Wow!”
He seemed to be preparing for a powerful spike, and the Polish team quickly jumped up to block the net. However, Tong Shulan gently floated the ball. As someone prone to injuries, how could Tong Shulan not practice soft touch shots? It was because he occasionally played the ball softly and gracefully that fans who preferred powerful plays gave him the nickname “Tong Shufei.”
But this ball was once again picked up by the Polish libero. He almost had to dive and crawl to save the ball, and he even got stepped on by a teammate during the process. Nevertheless, he got up, kept running, and moved his feet constantly.
“The libero on the opposite side is quite good,” Qin Chunxiao couldn’t help but admire the hidden talents in the Olympic competition.
But he was still better! The libero was a role that had to face all attackers head-on. He had the responsibility to receive any ball sent by the opponent.
As time went on, Qin Chunxiao, who had unleashed his running and turning acceleration skills, successfully adapted to Sebastian’s rhythm in this set. From this moment on, the outcome was clear.
Qin Chunxiao managed to lower Sebastian’s attacking efficiency by at least twenty percent. The other attackers on the Polish team were no match for Tong Shulan, Qiao Mingming, You Ziyu, and Fu Biyang. The Polish team won with their heads, not spikes!
China didn’t drag the game to the fifth set. In the fourth set, they earned match points and withstood Poland’s fierce attacks during Sebastian’s anxious offensive. Their teamwork, chemistry, and ruthless play ended with the final ball smashing onto the Polish team’s floor.
Wu Di cheered happily, “Our Chinese men’s volleyball team has once again defeated a strong opponent with a score of 3-1. Our Chinese team is amazing!”
Li Laiheng added, “The spirit and determination of this Chinese team are incredible. They can clearly compete head-to-head with their opponents, whether it’s the USA or Poland. Their strength is evenly matched, and winning these two games was all about grit. Every point was hard-earned.”
Wu Di concurred, “Absolutely, our men’s volleyball team has strong resolve and doesn’t back down from tough battles. Tomorrow, they’ll face one of the toughest opponents in this Olympics.”
Brazil.
Qin Chunxiao, rubbing his slightly bruised forehead, changed into dry clothes in the locker room. “It’s a good thing we didn’t go to the fifth set. If we kept battling with Poland, we would have been exhausted tomorrow.”
Tong Shulan placed an ice pack on his knees and shivered, “Brothers, I’ll have to save my next closed point for at least the semifinals. Tomorrow, I can only play in rotation; I can’t stay on the court with you guys all the time.”
Liu Yuelou and Min Yaoyang pressed on his shoulders, with Liu Yuelou saying, “We’re still here.”
Min Yaoyang added, “And Xiao Mi will have to play tomorrow too.”
Huang Mi signaled to Tong Shulan with a heart shape, “Don’t worry, Shufei brother. I’ll do my best.”
Tong Shulan rolled his eyes, “Good luck, Mi Gui Ren.”
To recover their energy quickly, everyone obediently went back to rest. Under Newton’s orders, they all climbed into bed and went to sleep before ten o’clock.
The Olympic Village was home to some of the world’s most physically capable individuals. They were full of energy, and because of their year-round training, they had great physiques. Therefore, the nightlife in the Olympic Village was famous, with rumors that hosting the Olympics required at least a five-figure number of condoms.
However, these nightlife activities had nothing to do with the Chinese athletes. They were here to follow the rules.
Qin Chunxiao had just finished a phone call with Lu Xuandong and spread out a blanket on his bunk. He lay down and kept swiping his phone, waiting for Er Leng to return. This guy had said he was going out to play Monopoly with Yang Yang, but there was still no sign of him, and Xiong Wu hadn’t sent him a message asking him to stay overnight on their side.
At that moment, there was a loud banging on the door, accompanied by someone urgently shouting, “Help! Is anyone there?”
It was in Portuguese and had a hint of sobbing.
Qin Chunxiao opened his eyes, got up, and opened the door. He saw Brazil’s beast, Dominique, with teary eyes. “There’s a snake demon outside.”
Qin Chunxiao was puzzled, “Huh? What snake demon?”
Dominique replied, “It’s a snake demon! It’s making slurping noises!”
Qin Chunxiao said, “Isn’t that just someone eating noodles late at night? Like, a certain athlete sneaking in an extra meal without the coach knowing.”
Seeing Dominique’s frightened appearance, Qin Chunxiao sighed, sent a message to Er Leng saying he had to go out for a while, and then used a flashlight to escort Dominique back to the Brazilian team’s dormitory.
The Brazilian team thanked him profusely. Mars shook his hands vigorously and said, “Thank you, Chinese boy. If it weren’t for you, we would have already reported to the police to find Dominique!”
Qin Chunxiao, who had been taking care of the team’s problem children like Li Ling, Gao Depi, and Min Yaoyang for years, had also witnessed how hard it was for Qiao Mingming to deal with this group of people. He understood Mars well and repeatedly said, “No need to thank me, no need to thank me.”
Finally leaving that place, it was already 10:30 at night. Just then, Qin Chunxiao received a call from Min Yaoyang.
As soon as the call connected, he heard Min Yaoyang crying on the other end.
“Wuwaa! Xiao Zai, come and save me.”
Qin Chunxiao asked, “Huh? What happened again?”
Min Yaoyang sniffled and lowered his voice, “Li Ling and I secretly came out to eat instant noodles. We hadn’t finished eating when suddenly we heard terrifying screams and hurried footsteps outside. We were so scared that we didn’t dare to move for a long time, fearing we would disturb ghosts or monsters. We finally managed to come out, and Li Ling said she wanted to go back to the dorm. We separated to return to the dorm, but then… I encountered something bad.”
Qin Chunxiao thought, “Oh boy, so it was you two who were eating noodles. What bad thing did you encounter?”
Min Yaoyang replied, “It’s foreign athletes in the hallway, they’ve been… um… at it for half an hour and it looks like they’re going for round two. What should I do? I’m stuck here! I don’t dare to let Coach know I got stuck because of this.”
Qin Chunxiao sighed, “…”
At this moment, Er Leng sent a message, “Xiao Zai, where are you? Haven’t you finished escorting Dominique yet?”
Qin Chunxiao replied, “Wait a moment, I need to escort one more person. Make me a bowl of noodles. I need a midnight snack.”
After walking so much, he was hungry again, and without filling up, he wouldn’t be able to sleep.
By the time he approached a certain location, scaring away a pair of wild ducks with his heavy footsteps to rescue Min Yaoyang from his predicament, and then sent him back to the dormitory, it was already 11:00 at night.
The kind-hearted Qin Chunxiao only mentioned that Yangyang and Er Leng were frightened by the screaming and didn’t dare to move, so he went to pick them up.
Xiong Wu couldn’t help but knock on Min Yaoyang’s head a few times, exasperated, “I’ve said it before, trust in science. Why do you always do this?”
Min Yaoyang looked pitiful, “But Tokyo is really eerie, you think about their opening ceremony!”
The next morning, during breakfast, Qin Chunxiao overheard Er Leng and Min Yaoyang talking about the eerie screams and footsteps in the hallway again. The Brazilian team came to thank Little Qin once more.
Yawning, Qin Chunxiao replied, “Yes, I said no need to thank me.”
Dominique was very shy, “We didn’t just come to thank you; there’s something else I want to tell you.”
Qin Chunxiao asked, “Oh, what is it?”
Dominique said, “In the afternoon’s match, I will give my all against you guys!”
As he said this, his eyes sparkled with excitement, like a puppy wanting to play.
After he left, You Ziyu also yawned and said, “Who doesn’t give their all at the Olympics?”
Looking at this group of sleepyheads, Newton felt a bit worried, “Can you guys still play in the afternoon’s match? You all look so tired.”
Qin Chunxiao assured him, “Don’t worry, we’ll take a nap to recharge. By the afternoon, we’ll continue to play against the Brazilian team with full energy.” Tong Shulan raised his thumb, and everyone on the national team followed suit.
My Soulmate is A Libero
The first set ended, and the second set was about to begin. Qin Chunxiao walked to the sidelines to have the team doctor treat his elbow. He had taken a hard fall earlier, scraping off some skin, and the wound looked bloody. The indoor air conditioning was blowing cold, causing a stinging sensation. He couldn’t continue the second set without treatment.
Poland’s coach, Elliott, calmly arranged tactics for his players and gave them encouragement.
Sebastian looked at the Chinese team’s bench not far away and said, “They’re tough.”
“That’s why I can see you’re enjoying this game,” Elliott, a man in his forties, tall and refined, smiled. “You’re still confident in beating them, right?”
Sebastian replied, “Of course, my dear Lily is watching me. I can’t afford to lose.”
His beloved wife Lily was pregnant and had taken maternity leave to come to Tokyo with him for the Olympics. Just the thought of his wife watching him gave Sebastian boundless strength.
Elliott turned to the two opposite hitters and said, “Don’t let your guard down when blocking. The Chinese team has no shortage of height, and this is the Olympics. They will surely give their all.”
The opposite hitters nodded in agreement.
Paul, the old man, was a strict coach during training, but when it came to games, he followed Elliott’s lead and was able to shine even more. They had trained together, and they had also made quite a name for themselves in this Olympic Games. They had secured their positions as starters on the national team. Naturally, they had great confidence in Elliott. Whatever the head coach said was gospel.
With the wound dressed, Qin Chunxiao returned to the court. This time, it was China’s turn to serve.
Squid tossed the ball, and this time, he used a jump float serve.
In Squid’s clever mind, using the same routine for too long would be recognized by the opponent, and serving was no exception. It had to be varied to make it harder for the opponent to adapt.
The libero from the Polish team managed to receive the serve, but he was a level below Qin Chunxiao in skill. He couldn’t handle Squid’s jump float serve consistently and ended up mishandling the ball, sending it out of bounds. Everyone thought Poland was about to lose the point, but Sebastian chased after the ball without hesitation and sent it back into play, even though it meant taking a hard fall himself.
A pregnant woman in the audience looked worried, but another family member from the Polish team held her and patted her reassuringly.
This was the nature of competitive sports; athletes used their bodies to play, and injuries were inevitable. Not far away, Lu Xuandong also clenched his fists. When Qin Chunxiao scraped his skin on the ground, he had bled. Although the wound had been cleaned up, it still bothered him. This was the pain of an athlete’s family.
Countless comments in the live video chat were cheering for their favorite players.
“Go Team China!”
“We believe in the Wolf!”
“Er Leng’s sets are amazing!”
“Captain Ma is unstoppable!”
“The Furious Rooster rules the world!”
“Iceberg’s serves are the best!”
“Tong Shufei, find a way to score against the foreigners again!”
Perhaps it was the distinctiveness of the Chinese men’s volleyball team in this Olympics that led to many players being referred to by nicknames like Wolf, Leng, and others. But even casual viewers could guess which players they were talking about.
The most recognizable was Fu Biyang, who loved to shout during matches.
In the second set, the Chinese team played even more aggressively. After Qiao Mingming was moved to the third position, his threat level briefly matched Sebastian’s! Poland could choose to defend against him, but if Qiao Mingming could keep Poland’s defensive players busy, would Tong Shulan, Fu Biyang, and You Ziyu have no threat? Er Leng’s sets were quite clever. He always found the weak spot in the opponent’s defense. If all else failed, he could attack himself, and he wouldn’t miss a chance to set up Qiao Mingming alone.
Lao Niu had trained Qiao Mingming to be a beast in the third position not only to make him a designated attack weapon but also to force the opponents to consider him, thereby giving other players on the team attacking opportunities.
A good attacker’s role was not just to score points.
In the past, Lao Niu often had Captain Mingming restrain the enemy’s blockers. Other teams understood his tactics, but once Qiao Mingming was in the third position, they had no choice but to pay attention to him. Many coaches and captains from various provinces in China, while cursing Lao Niu in their hearts, couldn’t help but admire his tactics.
Most importantly, as long as Poland couldn’t score points against China, the rotation wouldn’t continue, and they would be stuck in this round, watching Qiao Mingming perform like a beast in the third position.
This was how China was cornering Poland!
Sebastian made a hand gesture from behind, signaling the setter. Regardless of anything else, they had to score this rotation. They couldn’t afford to be stuck by the other side.
Next, the opposing team’s attacks became stronger. Qin Chunxiao wiped his sweat and muttered, “Oh, man, Sebastian’s spikes are almost breaking my wrist.”
Just thinking that there were four more monsters like this on the Olympic stage made him worry about his wrist.
However, the libero from the Polish team, in response to Tong Shulan’s powerful attack, decided to receive the ball with his forehead. He tilted backward and took a while to regain his composure.
Commentator Wu Di said, “Oh my, Tong Shulan’s spike was quite fierce.”
“Queen Tong scored against Poland again! Ha-ha-ha!”
“Shulan is amazing!”
“Lan’er, Captain Ming, is on fire!”
China managed to stall Poland again, and they finally won the rotation. But at this point, the score was 24-23 in favor of China, and they were at set point!
If they won this set, China would lead by two sets, making it even harder for Poland to catch up. Even though Sebastian had a big heart, he was feeling the pressure now. He had to turn the situation around in the third set. He looked towards the stands where Lily was sitting, raised his thumb, signaling to his beloved that she didn’t need to worry because he had already made a plan before the match.
In the timeline that Qin Chunxiao knew of when the Chinese team couldn’t participate in the Tokyo Olympics, the Italian team had high hopes and vowed to achieve good results in Tokyo. However, they were bombarded by the closed attacks of Roman and Sebastian, ending up only in the quarter-finals.
A team that had the potential to compete for the gold medal had almost been ruined by these two beasts. It showed their destructive power.
Sebastian served aggressively, and Qin Chunxiao was soon hit on the forehead (it wasn’t intentional). He fell to the ground, but he had much more vitality than the Polish libero. While the opponent was still resting on the substitute’s bench, applying an ice pack, Qin Chunxiao managed to get up on his own.
The ball had hit him on the forehead on the first bounce and then flew out of the court. Qiao Mingming dove to retrieve it, and when Qin Chunxiao got up, he pushed the ball back to the Polish side with a powerful push.
Sebastian continued to attack, and Qin Chunxiao continued to engage him relentlessly. This turning and accelerating move had officially made its debut on the Olympic stage.
In the adjacent area, the athletics team coach and athletes, who had just finished the 200-meter preliminaries, were dumbfounded.
“Wasn’t he a 100-meter sprinter before?” The top 200-meter runner hesitated, but something didn’t add up. A 100-meter specialist wouldn’t have such excellent “curve technique.”
The coach sighed, “He also ran the 200 meters, and his performance was even better than in the 100 meters. This kid has amazing coordination, especially when it comes to navigating curves.”
Unfortunately, Wu Chiyao had messed things up and pushed this talented athlete into volleyball. Now, he was playing volleyball on the Olympic stage, and the athletics team couldn’t get him back. The main issue was that Newton, who was 1.95 meters tall and full of muscle, was extremely vigilant, making it difficult for anyone to approach.
The top 200-meter runner said, “If Coach Niu hadn’t kept such a close watch, would you guys have tried to recruit him?”
Relying on the determination of the players, the Chinese team eventually managed to win this set. Qin Chunxiao, holding his forehead, returned to the bench, grumbling, “I can’t believe it, that hit was as powerful as Roman’s.”
“Have you ever been hit by Roman’s spike?” Wang Yan asked with a wry smile, placing an ice pack on Qin’s head.
Qin Chunxiao replied, “Which libero hasn’t been hit by a ball?.”
Getting hit by a volleyball spike could be painful, and liberos were the ones who got hit the most.
In the third set, Sebastian made a strong comeback, bringing the score to 2-1 in favor of China. Although China still had the upper hand, Poland’s morale was back.
However, when they looked at the Chinese team, their morale was soaring, and they didn’t feel disappointed at all about losing one set. That’s because when it came to burning their blood, the Chinese team was the most formidable!
In the fourth set, You Ziyu once again used his high-rotation jump serve. Under the glaring lights, anyone who tilted their head upward lost their ability to judge the ball’s trajectory accurately through sight alone. They had to rely on experienced players’ instincts to receive the ball.
The libero from the Polish team finally managed to receive the ball, and it soared high, heading diagonally toward the Chinese team’s side. Sebastian dashed forward and managed to jump just in time before the ball crossed the net. He used his arm span to try to spike the ball over the net, but Qiao Mingming also jumped alongside him, and both of them reached for the ball at the same time.
Push it over, push the ball over!
At that crucial moment, their only thought was to push the ball over. In the end, Sebastian’s skill prevailed, and he managed to push the ball over the net, but suddenly, a petite figure appeared from behind Qiao Mingming. He executed a move similar to kicking a shuttlecock, hooking his foot to kick the ball upward.
“Er Leng!”
Li Ling shouted, “Here!”
The ball wasn’t high enough, so Er Leng crouched down, raised both hands, and successfully pushed the ball back into play.
Tong Shulan jumped up and exclaimed, “Wow!”
He seemed to be preparing for a powerful spike, and the Polish team quickly jumped up to block the net. However, Tong Shulan gently floated the ball. As someone prone to injuries, how could Tong Shulan not practice soft touch shots? It was because he occasionally played the ball softly and gracefully that fans who preferred powerful plays gave him the nickname “Tong Shufei.”
But this ball was once again picked up by the Polish libero. He almost had to dive and crawl to save the ball, and he even got stepped on by a teammate during the process. Nevertheless, he got up, kept running, and moved his feet constantly.
“The libero on the opposite side is quite good,” Qin Chunxiao couldn’t help but admire the hidden talents in the Olympic competition.
But he was still better! The libero was a role that had to face all attackers head-on. He had the responsibility to receive any ball sent by the opponent.
As time went on, Qin Chunxiao, who had unleashed his running and turning acceleration skills, successfully adapted to Sebastian’s rhythm in this set. From this moment on, the outcome was clear.
Qin Chunxiao managed to lower Sebastian’s attacking efficiency by at least twenty percent. The other attackers on the Polish team were no match for Tong Shulan, Qiao Mingming, You Ziyu, and Fu Biyang. The Polish team won with their heads, not spikes!
China didn’t drag the game to the fifth set. In the fourth set, they earned match points and withstood Poland’s fierce attacks during Sebastian’s anxious offensive. Their teamwork, chemistry, and ruthless play ended with the final ball smashing onto the Polish team’s floor.
Wu Di cheered happily, “Our Chinese men’s volleyball team has once again defeated a strong opponent with a score of 3-1. Our Chinese team is amazing!”
Li Laiheng added, “The spirit and determination of this Chinese team are incredible. They can clearly compete head-to-head with their opponents, whether it’s the USA or Poland. Their strength is evenly matched, and winning these two games was all about grit. Every point was hard-earned.”
Wu Di concurred, “Absolutely, our men’s volleyball team has strong resolve and doesn’t back down from tough battles. Tomorrow, they’ll face one of the toughest opponents in this Olympics.”
Brazil.
Qin Chunxiao, rubbing his slightly bruised forehead, changed into dry clothes in the locker room. “It’s a good thing we didn’t go to the fifth set. If we kept battling with Poland, we would have been exhausted tomorrow.”
Tong Shulan placed an ice pack on his knees and shivered, “Brothers, I’ll have to save my next closed point for at least the semifinals. Tomorrow, I can only play in rotation; I can’t stay on the court with you guys all the time.”
Liu Yuelou and Min Yaoyang pressed on his shoulders, with Liu Yuelou saying, “We’re still here.”
Min Yaoyang added, “And Xiao Mi will have to play tomorrow too.”
Huang Mi signaled to Tong Shulan with a heart shape, “Don’t worry, Shufei brother. I’ll do my best.”
Tong Shulan rolled his eyes, “Good luck, Mi Gui Ren.”
To recover their energy quickly, everyone obediently went back to rest. Under Newton’s orders, they all climbed into bed and went to sleep before ten o’clock.
The Olympic Village was home to some of the world’s most physically capable individuals. They were full of energy, and because of their year-round training, they had great physiques. Therefore, the nightlife in the Olympic Village was famous, with rumors that hosting the Olympics required at least a five-figure number of condoms.
However, these nightlife activities had nothing to do with the Chinese athletes. They were here to follow the rules.
Qin Chunxiao had just finished a phone call with Lu Xuandong and spread out a blanket on his bunk. He lay down and kept swiping his phone, waiting for Er Leng to return. This guy had said he was going out to play Monopoly with Yang Yang, but there was still no sign of him, and Xiong Wu hadn’t sent him a message asking him to stay overnight on their side.
At that moment, there was a loud banging on the door, accompanied by someone urgently shouting, “Help! Is anyone there?”
It was in Portuguese and had a hint of sobbing.
Qin Chunxiao opened his eyes, got up, and opened the door. He saw Brazil’s beast, Dominique, with teary eyes. “There’s a snake demon outside.”
Qin Chunxiao was puzzled, “Huh? What snake demon?”
Dominique replied, “It’s a snake demon! It’s making slurping noises!”
Qin Chunxiao said, “Isn’t that just someone eating noodles late at night? Like, a certain athlete sneaking in an extra meal without the coach knowing.”
Seeing Dominique’s frightened appearance, Qin Chunxiao sighed, sent a message to Er Leng saying he had to go out for a while, and then used a flashlight to escort Dominique back to the Brazilian team’s dormitory.
The Brazilian team thanked him profusely. Mars shook his hands vigorously and said, “Thank you, Chinese boy. If it weren’t for you, we would have already reported to the police to find Dominique!”
Qin Chunxiao, who had been taking care of the team’s problem children like Li Ling, Gao Depi, and Min Yaoyang for years, had also witnessed how hard it was for Qiao Mingming to deal with this group of people. He understood Mars well and repeatedly said, “No need to thank me, no need to thank me.”
Finally leaving that place, it was already 10:30 at night. Just then, Qin Chunxiao received a call from Min Yaoyang.
As soon as the call connected, he heard Min Yaoyang crying on the other end.
“Wuwaa! Xiao Zai, come and save me.”
Qin Chunxiao asked, “Huh? What happened again?”
Min Yaoyang sniffled and lowered his voice, “Li Ling and I secretly came out to eat instant noodles. We hadn’t finished eating when suddenly we heard terrifying screams and hurried footsteps outside. We were so scared that we didn’t dare to move for a long time, fearing we would disturb ghosts or monsters. We finally managed to come out, and Li Ling said she wanted to go back to the dorm. We separated to return to the dorm, but then… I encountered something bad.”
Qin Chunxiao thought, “Oh boy, so it was you two who were eating noodles. What bad thing did you encounter?”
Min Yaoyang replied, “It’s foreign athletes in the hallway, they’ve been… um… at it for half an hour and it looks like they’re going for round two. What should I do? I’m stuck here! I don’t dare to let Coach know I got stuck because of this.”
Qin Chunxiao sighed, “…”
At this moment, Er Leng sent a message, “Xiao Zai, where are you? Haven’t you finished escorting Dominique yet?”
Qin Chunxiao replied, “Wait a moment, I need to escort one more person. Make me a bowl of noodles. I need a midnight snack.”
After walking so much, he was hungry again, and without filling up, he wouldn’t be able to sleep.
By the time he approached a certain location, scaring away a pair of wild ducks with his heavy footsteps to rescue Min Yaoyang from his predicament, and then sent him back to the dormitory, it was already 11:00 at night.
The kind-hearted Qin Chunxiao only mentioned that Yangyang and Er Leng were frightened by the screaming and didn’t dare to move, so he went to pick them up.
Xiong Wu couldn’t help but knock on Min Yaoyang’s head a few times, exasperated, “I’ve said it before, trust in science. Why do you always do this?”
Min Yaoyang looked pitiful, “But Tokyo is really eerie, you think about their opening ceremony!”
The next morning, during breakfast, Qin Chunxiao overheard Er Leng and Min Yaoyang talking about the eerie screams and footsteps in the hallway again. The Brazilian team came to thank Little Qin once more.
Yawning, Qin Chunxiao replied, “Yes, I said no need to thank me.”
Dominique was very shy, “We didn’t just come to thank you; there’s something else I want to tell you.”
Qin Chunxiao asked, “Oh, what is it?”
Dominique said, “In the afternoon’s match, I will give my all against you guys!”
As he said this, his eyes sparkled with excitement, like a puppy wanting to play.
After he left, You Ziyu also yawned and said, “Who doesn’t give their all at the Olympics?”
Looking at this group of sleepyheads, Newton felt a bit worried, “Can you guys still play in the afternoon’s match? You all look so tired.”
Qin Chunxiao assured him, “Don’t worry, we’ll take a nap to recharge. By the afternoon, we’ll continue to play against the Brazilian team with full energy.” Tong Shulan raised his thumb, and everyone on the national team followed suit.
