Mei Xuandong had a dream. In the dream, he received a text message.
【Hi, I’m Qin Chunxiao.】
With the appearance of this text message, his vision gradually lost its color. The world turned black and white, and amidst a bustling crowd, Qin Chunxiao looked at him from across the sea of people. Then, he turned and walked away, getting further and further, until the last trace of color faded away.
It was an ominous dream.
Even before the list of suspected soulmates narrowed down to less than 10, Mei Xuandong had paid the most attention to Qin Chunxiao. He could sense that Qin Chunxiao was most likely his soulmate.
However, out of caution, they both stayed at the stage of “I know you should be my soulmate, and I also know you already know it.” Mei Xuandong didn’t have any evidence to prove the connection between him and Qin Chunxiao.
Fortunately, they didn’t need to worry too much. Mei Xuandong was only 20 years old, far from the age of hating marriage, and he had five million debts. Qin Chunxiao was still underage, so Mei Xuandong had to rush to get closer to him. It couldn’t be called shameless; it could only be described as unscrupulous.
After waking up from the dream, Mei Xuandong subconsciously searched for Qin Chunxiao’s news and happened to see the registration location and time on the volleyball association’s announcement.
Based on the assumption that travel expenses would be covered, Mei Xuandong judged that it would be the coach’s basic operation to book a non-stop flight ticket for the athletes, so the check-in time would be before 2:00 PM on February 18th. If he didn’t want to go to the cold north in advance, he could take the flight on February 17th.
Mei Xuandong had that nightmare during his lunch break on February 17th. When he realized that Qin Chunxiao was probably on the plane, he felt inexplicably unsafe. The fading dream left him restless and uneasy.
They were just strangers, but when a normal person surfs the internet and comes across a sudden post from an unfamiliar user, expressing their lack of love and desire to leave this world, that normal person would likely feel scared and seek ways to contact the other party, trying every means to provide comfort.
So, even if Captain Qin wasn’t his soulmate, Mei Xuandong couldn’t feel at ease. Since he happened to be working in the capital, he decided to go to the Temple of Heaven Hotel in a spirit of determination.
There, he put on the beast costume and looked at Qin Chunxiao.
At that moment, Mei Xuandong felt that Qin Chunxiao was terrified, and he himself was so frightened that he turned around and ran away.
To clear up this misunderstanding, he squatted by the side of the road and hastily sent private messages. He sent several messages to show his concern for his soulmate. After sending them, he felt that his words were too abrupt, so he decided to retract all the messages.
Anyway, Qin Chunxiao hadn’t seen them, so it didn’t matter if he withdrew them… right?
Mei Xuandong returned to the hotel, took off the headgear, and sat expressionless on the sofa, holding his mobile phone in his hands.
Long Zitan entered the room. “Xuandong, the new song you wrote for the Lantern Festival this time is pretty good. But what are you wearing?”
It seemed that Qin Chunxiao wasn’t the only one frightened by the
sheep costume that night.
Being with Li Ling and Fu Biyang had one advantage: the trouble they caused was enough to offset any fear, diverting people’s attention towards them.
After going over a math problem ten times before teaching it and spending half an hour expressing gratitude while sending homework photos to the parents, Qin Chunxiao lay on the bed. He was so tired that he fell asleep in seconds.
Li Ling came out after washing his socks. Seeing Qin Chunxiao’s sleeping face, he sighed. “Today, we had another flight and report. Xiaozai must be tired. No wonder he went to bed without taking a bath.”
Fu Biyang whispered, “I have to take a shower every day. He really doesn’t care.”
Li Ling glared at him. “Nonsense! Island H is so hot. You have to wash away your sweat every day, but our Xiaozi doesn’t stink.”
Qin Chunxiao tightly closed his eyes, feeling as if two huskies were arguing in his dream, making his sleep anything but peaceful.
It was very noisy.
The next day, Qin Chunxiao was dragged to the physical examination listlessly.
A total of 30 people came to the national youth training camp. Although Qin Chunxiao was pulled to the far left of the first row during the queue due to his body size, no one dared to underestimate him. Many of those who came to the training camp were his defeated opponents.
Newton held a form with the players’ names, places of origin, ages, heights, and weights. Jiang Xiaohai stood in front of a group of big boys and spoke loudly, “We need to measure spike height and block height again.”
Before coming, the provincial teams had already reported the detailed data of the athletes. However, Newton knew that the height they reported for their spikes allowed the athletes to touch the height with one hand after a run-up. But that was not the same as the actual spike height.
For example, Qin Chunxiao’s approach height could be more than 3.45 meters, but that was the height of his fingertips. In an actual spike, he needed to use his palm, so his effective spike height was 3.4 meters. The same applied to block height. Many coaches just measured the athletes’ jump height with both hands raised on the spot, but the actual situation in the competition was definitely different. It would be foolish to take those data too seriously.
Newton cleared his throat. “Warm up first, measure the altitude data, and test strength, speed, and physical fitness…”
Newton was never the kind of layman who ignored the players’ skills and blindly focused on their physical fitness. He understood the importance of building a strong foundation for athletes. When he was studying at Springfield College, he had witnessed a boy with average physical condition reaching a height of 3.6 meters with a height of 1.85 meters after scientific training. While gaining experience as an assistant coach in the league, he also realized the significance of focusing on the athletes’ foundation.
This batch of National Youth Reserves was selected by Newton after watching several games and evaluating their performance in all aspects. He had high hopes for these players and was looking to find talents to rebuild the men’s volleyball national team.
Qin Chunxiao was the first to surprise him.
This 1.76-meter kid was the first to complete the 3,000-meter test. During the strength test, he successfully squatted while carrying 1.5 times his own weight. And during the 100-meter sprint, he even ran it in 10.91 seconds!
It seemed that Qin Chunxiao’s growth not only increased his height but also improved his other attributes.
Then Newton remembered that in the last national youth training camp, Gao Depi had won first place in the physical test and was called up to the national team. However, Gao Depi ended up spending a full year on the bench.
It was a joke that a national team head coach wanted a talented player to pass just to have them sit on the bench during their rise. Qin Chunxiao’s temper wasn’t much better than Gao Depi’s. When he was upset, he would immediately vent his frustrations online. If Newton hadn’t swiftly deleted the blog and personally presented an award in advance, taking the heat off Qin Chunxiao, the situation might have turned out differently.
Realizing this, Newton pretended to stagger and let his coat slip onto the speedometer as Qin Chunxiao was running. He then picked up the clothes and reset the number on the instrument to zero.
He waved to Jiang Xiaohai and said, “11.20 seconds, Xiao Qin is indeed a sprinter, he ran really fast.”
Jiang Xiaohai understood the situation and filled in the form with the time of 11.20 seconds. This was their arrangement beforehand. The actual physical measurement data would be kept as a reference during training, but the reported form would be submitted to the volleyball association, letting the person with the surname Zhao know. The numbers could be slightly adjusted.
Players like Qin Chunxiao, Fu Biyang, and Aizimaiti, who had exceptional physical talents, were key targets for protection by Newton. He didn’t plan on letting them be taken away by the national team before they fully matured.
As the physical test was about to end, Newton received a phone call, had a brief conversation with Jiang Xiaohai, and then left.
Meanwhile, Qin Chunxiao watched Li Ling doing the strength test and saw Newton leaving without saying a word. Du Xiaofeng, who was standing next to him, frowned and asked, “Why did Coach Niu leave like that?”
Qiao Mingming pulled Du Xiaofeng and waited for Li Ling to finish the test before calling them aside and speaking in a low voice.
“Our coach said that when Newton came back from overseas, he had ambitions to climb up. He wanted to become the head coach of the national team, so he might not be fully dedicated to the national youth training camp. It’s all about the leaders of the volleyball association. Zhao Laogui has a strong background, and Lao Niu can’t advance unless he works hard.”
Qiao Mingming pointed at his head and smiled wryly, “Hey, in this world, there are coaches who focus on leading the team and training, and there are coaches who like to play politics. Let’s take care of ourselves.”
Du Xiaofeng had a gloomy expression. “But he shouldn’t just abandon us like that. If he’s not going to teach us, why did he call us here? Sometimes I wonder if our men’s volleyball team is cursed. How come we have to deal with Lao Zhao after Lao Niu?
Are they planning to ruin the future of the men’s volleyball team together?”
Qiao Mingming sighed. “It would be great if Coach Yang could continue coaching. He led the National Youth Championship and won the World Youth Championship with that group of players. They lasted a long time in the international arena.”
Du Xiaofeng clicked his tongue. “Come on, old man Yang only achieved something before being poached by Lao Zhao. He has a weak heart. If he continued to fight, he would die early. It would be better for him to go back to the provincial team and train young players for a few years. Then he could retire and take care of himself.”
Li Ling was dumbfounded. He never expected to hear such shocking gossip after the personal test.
Wait, could they casually talk about this kind of intrigue for others to hear?
Qin Chunxiao didn’t pay much attention to it. In fact, he didn’t have a good impression of Newton until Newton personally flew to Brazil to find him. It was evident that Newton’s busy appearance before officially taking office raised suspicions among many dedicated athletes.
But well, Newton truly loved volleyball. He loved it so much that he transformed himself from a teetotaler into a regular person at the wine table, flattering others and speaking kindly. He was a middle-aged young leader who knew how to sweet-talk.
If it weren’t for Newton driving away the person with the surname Zhao and mediating with the leaders of the Volleyball Association and sponsors, they wouldn’t even have had the opportunity to compete abroad in 2023.
But it wasn’t the right time to clarify things for Newton. After Du Xiaofeng complained, Qin Chunxiao casually said in a nonchalant tone, “At least Lao Niu has a doctorate from Springfield College. Unlike that person with the surname Zhao, who ruined athletes’ bodies without a care.”
Qiao Mingming paused upon hearing this. He looked at Qin Chunxiao and inexplicably recalled the scene when Newton took Qin Chunxiao’s phone, deleted his posting, and shielded him from the surname Zhao’s wrath.
Captain Qiao blinked, and an unclear thought formed in his mind.
Could it be… Does Chun Xiao know something?
Newton had a keen eye. All 30 players he selected passed the physical test, and their data were generally good. After the test, Fu Biyang took Li Ling to sneak a look at their test results.
Li Ling picked up a piece of paper and exclaimed, “Hey? Chick, when did your block height drop to 3.3 meters?”
Wasn’t this chicken’s block height more than 3.43 meters? If it weren’t for the height of his block limiting Qin Chunxiao’s spiking height, Qin Chunxiao wouldn’t have been forced to rely on tricks and acting skills to score against the H Island team.
Fu Biyang looked dissatisfied and clicked his tongue at the form. “I went up against Ai Zimaiti, and his block isn’t lower than mine, so why is it recorded as 3.28 meters? I’m going to talk to the coach!”
Qin Chunxiao grabbed the collars of the two men and restrained them, saying, “What are you two doing?”
Li Ling staggered and turned his head to explain with aggrieved expression, “Xiaozi, our test data doesn’t match the actual situation! Someone maliciously changed our data!”
Qin Chunxiao let go, picked up the form, and looked at it before letting out a sigh of relief. “What’s the big deal for me? It’s okay. You, Xiaoji (Fu Biyang), and Aizimaiti, whose data got changed, are all types with excellent physical fitness but lacking refined skills. Those of you who rely on talent are the most likely to be dismissed by superiors, and you are also particularly prone to injuries. Lao Niu changed your physical test numbers to be lower than Zhang Feng’s. Haven’t you thought about why?”
Zhang Feng was one of the main secondary attackers of the national team. He was known for his blocking, but the person with the surname Zhao seemed dissatisfied with him. They’re treating him like waste, and with the personalities of Li Ling and Fu Biyang, do they really think they’ll be fine if they’re asked to leave by the surname Zhao?
Fu Biyang and Li Ling were taken aback for a moment, and then Qin Chunxiao scolded the two idiots, saying, “Hold me back about this. Let’s go back and study together!”
Mei Xuandong had a dream. In the dream, he received a text message.
【Hi, I’m Qin Chunxiao.】
With the appearance of this text message, his vision gradually lost its color. The world turned black and white, and amidst a bustling crowd, Qin Chunxiao looked at him from across the sea of people. Then, he turned and walked away, getting further and further, until the last trace of color faded away.
It was an ominous dream.
Even before the list of suspected soulmates narrowed down to less than 10, Mei Xuandong had paid the most attention to Qin Chunxiao. He could sense that Qin Chunxiao was most likely his soulmate.
However, out of caution, they both stayed at the stage of “I know you should be my soulmate, and I also know you already know it.” Mei Xuandong didn’t have any evidence to prove the connection between him and Qin Chunxiao.
Fortunately, they didn’t need to worry too much. Mei Xuandong was only 20 years old, far from the age of hating marriage, and he had five million debts. Qin Chunxiao was still underage, so Mei Xuandong had to rush to get closer to him. It couldn’t be called shameless; it could only be described as unscrupulous.
After waking up from the dream, Mei Xuandong subconsciously searched for Qin Chunxiao’s news and happened to see the registration location and time on the volleyball association’s announcement.
Based on the assumption that travel expenses would be covered, Mei Xuandong judged that it would be the coach’s basic operation to book a non-stop flight ticket for the athletes, so the check-in time would be before 2:00 PM on February 18th. If he didn’t want to go to the cold north in advance, he could take the flight on February 17th.
Mei Xuandong had that nightmare during his lunch break on February 17th. When he realized that Qin Chunxiao was probably on the plane, he felt inexplicably unsafe. The fading dream left him restless and uneasy.
They were just strangers, but when a normal person surfs the internet and comes across a sudden post from an unfamiliar user, expressing their lack of love and desire to leave this world, that normal person would likely feel scared and seek ways to contact the other party, trying every means to provide comfort.
So, even if Captain Qin wasn’t his soulmate, Mei Xuandong couldn’t feel at ease. Since he happened to be working in the capital, he decided to go to the Temple of Heaven Hotel in a spirit of determination.
There, he put on the beast costume and looked at Qin Chunxiao.
At that moment, Mei Xuandong felt that Qin Chunxiao was terrified, and he himself was so frightened that he turned around and ran away.
To clear up this misunderstanding, he squatted by the side of the road and hastily sent private messages. He sent several messages to show his concern for his soulmate. After sending them, he felt that his words were too abrupt, so he decided to retract all the messages.
Anyway, Qin Chunxiao hadn’t seen them, so it didn’t matter if he withdrew them… right?
Mei Xuandong returned to the hotel, took off the headgear, and sat expressionless on the sofa, holding his mobile phone in his hands.
Long Zitan entered the room. “Xuandong, the new song you wrote for the Lantern Festival this time is pretty good. But what are you wearing?”
It seemed that Qin Chunxiao wasn’t the only one frightened by the
sheep costume that night.
Being with Li Ling and Fu Biyang had one advantage: the trouble they caused was enough to offset any fear, diverting people’s attention towards them.
After going over a math problem ten times before teaching it and spending half an hour expressing gratitude while sending homework photos to the parents, Qin Chunxiao lay on the bed. He was so tired that he fell asleep in seconds.
Li Ling came out after washing his socks. Seeing Qin Chunxiao’s sleeping face, he sighed. “Today, we had another flight and report. Xiaozai must be tired. No wonder he went to bed without taking a bath.”
Fu Biyang whispered, “I have to take a shower every day. He really doesn’t care.”
Li Ling glared at him. “Nonsense! Island H is so hot. You have to wash away your sweat every day, but our Xiaozi doesn’t stink.”
Qin Chunxiao tightly closed his eyes, feeling as if two huskies were arguing in his dream, making his sleep anything but peaceful.
It was very noisy.
The next day, Qin Chunxiao was dragged to the physical examination listlessly.
A total of 30 people came to the national youth training camp. Although Qin Chunxiao was pulled to the far left of the first row during the queue due to his body size, no one dared to underestimate him. Many of those who came to the training camp were his defeated opponents.
Newton held a form with the players’ names, places of origin, ages, heights, and weights. Jiang Xiaohai stood in front of a group of big boys and spoke loudly, “We need to measure spike height and block height again.”
Before coming, the provincial teams had already reported the detailed data of the athletes. However, Newton knew that the height they reported for their spikes allowed the athletes to touch the height with one hand after a run-up. But that was not the same as the actual spike height.
For example, Qin Chunxiao’s approach height could be more than 3.45 meters, but that was the height of his fingertips. In an actual spike, he needed to use his palm, so his effective spike height was 3.4 meters. The same applied to block height. Many coaches just measured the athletes’ jump height with both hands raised on the spot, but the actual situation in the competition was definitely different. It would be foolish to take those data too seriously.
Newton cleared his throat. “Warm up first, measure the altitude data, and test strength, speed, and physical fitness…”
Newton was never the kind of layman who ignored the players’ skills and blindly focused on their physical fitness. He understood the importance of building a strong foundation for athletes. When he was studying at Springfield College, he had witnessed a boy with average physical condition reaching a height of 3.6 meters with a height of 1.85 meters after scientific training. While gaining experience as an assistant coach in the league, he also realized the significance of focusing on the athletes’ foundation.
This batch of National Youth Reserves was selected by Newton after watching several games and evaluating their performance in all aspects. He had high hopes for these players and was looking to find talents to rebuild the men’s volleyball national team.
Qin Chunxiao was the first to surprise him.
This 1.76-meter kid was the first to complete the 3,000-meter test. During the strength test, he successfully squatted while carrying 1.5 times his own weight. And during the 100-meter sprint, he even ran it in 10.91 seconds!
It seemed that Qin Chunxiao’s growth not only increased his height but also improved his other attributes.
Then Newton remembered that in the last national youth training camp, Gao Depi had won first place in the physical test and was called up to the national team. However, Gao Depi ended up spending a full year on the bench.
It was a joke that a national team head coach wanted a talented player to pass just to have them sit on the bench during their rise. Qin Chunxiao’s temper wasn’t much better than Gao Depi’s. When he was upset, he would immediately vent his frustrations online. If Newton hadn’t swiftly deleted the blog and personally presented an award in advance, taking the heat off Qin Chunxiao, the situation might have turned out differently.
Realizing this, Newton pretended to stagger and let his coat slip onto the speedometer as Qin Chunxiao was running. He then picked up the clothes and reset the number on the instrument to zero.
He waved to Jiang Xiaohai and said, “11.20 seconds, Xiao Qin is indeed a sprinter, he ran really fast.”
Jiang Xiaohai understood the situation and filled in the form with the time of 11.20 seconds. This was their arrangement beforehand. The actual physical measurement data would be kept as a reference during training, but the reported form would be submitted to the volleyball association, letting the person with the surname Zhao know. The numbers could be slightly adjusted.
Players like Qin Chunxiao, Fu Biyang, and Aizimaiti, who had exceptional physical talents, were key targets for protection by Newton. He didn’t plan on letting them be taken away by the national team before they fully matured.
As the physical test was about to end, Newton received a phone call, had a brief conversation with Jiang Xiaohai, and then left.
Meanwhile, Qin Chunxiao watched Li Ling doing the strength test and saw Newton leaving without saying a word. Du Xiaofeng, who was standing next to him, frowned and asked, “Why did Coach Niu leave like that?”
Qiao Mingming pulled Du Xiaofeng and waited for Li Ling to finish the test before calling them aside and speaking in a low voice.
“Our coach said that when Newton came back from overseas, he had ambitions to climb up. He wanted to become the head coach of the national team, so he might not be fully dedicated to the national youth training camp. It’s all about the leaders of the volleyball association. Zhao Laogui has a strong background, and Lao Niu can’t advance unless he works hard.”
Qiao Mingming pointed at his head and smiled wryly, “Hey, in this world, there are coaches who focus on leading the team and training, and there are coaches who like to play politics. Let’s take care of ourselves.”
Du Xiaofeng had a gloomy expression. “But he shouldn’t just abandon us like that. If he’s not going to teach us, why did he call us here? Sometimes I wonder if our men’s volleyball team is cursed. How come we have to deal with Lao Zhao after Lao Niu?
Are they planning to ruin the future of the men’s volleyball team together?”
Qiao Mingming sighed. “It would be great if Coach Yang could continue coaching. He led the National Youth Championship and won the World Youth Championship with that group of players. They lasted a long time in the international arena.”
Du Xiaofeng clicked his tongue. “Come on, old man Yang only achieved something before being poached by Lao Zhao. He has a weak heart. If he continued to fight, he would die early. It would be better for him to go back to the provincial team and train young players for a few years. Then he could retire and take care of himself.”
Li Ling was dumbfounded. He never expected to hear such shocking gossip after the personal test.
Wait, could they casually talk about this kind of intrigue for others to hear?
Qin Chunxiao didn’t pay much attention to it. In fact, he didn’t have a good impression of Newton until Newton personally flew to Brazil to find him. It was evident that Newton’s busy appearance before officially taking office raised suspicions among many dedicated athletes.
But well, Newton truly loved volleyball. He loved it so much that he transformed himself from a teetotaler into a regular person at the wine table, flattering others and speaking kindly. He was a middle-aged young leader who knew how to sweet-talk.
If it weren’t for Newton driving away the person with the surname Zhao and mediating with the leaders of the Volleyball Association and sponsors, they wouldn’t even have had the opportunity to compete abroad in 2023.
But it wasn’t the right time to clarify things for Newton. After Du Xiaofeng complained, Qin Chunxiao casually said in a nonchalant tone, “At least Lao Niu has a doctorate from Springfield College. Unlike that person with the surname Zhao, who ruined athletes’ bodies without a care.”
Qiao Mingming paused upon hearing this. He looked at Qin Chunxiao and inexplicably recalled the scene when Newton took Qin Chunxiao’s phone, deleted his posting, and shielded him from the surname Zhao’s wrath.
Captain Qiao blinked, and an unclear thought formed in his mind.
Could it be… Does Chun Xiao know something?
Newton had a keen eye. All 30 players he selected passed the physical test, and their data were generally good. After the test, Fu Biyang took Li Ling to sneak a look at their test results.
Li Ling picked up a piece of paper and exclaimed, “Hey? Chick, when did your block height drop to 3.3 meters?”
Wasn’t this chicken’s block height more than 3.43 meters? If it weren’t for the height of his block limiting Qin Chunxiao’s spiking height, Qin Chunxiao wouldn’t have been forced to rely on tricks and acting skills to score against the H Island team.
Fu Biyang looked dissatisfied and clicked his tongue at the form. “I went up against Ai Zimaiti, and his block isn’t lower than mine, so why is it recorded as 3.28 meters? I’m going to talk to the coach!”
Qin Chunxiao grabbed the collars of the two men and restrained them, saying, “What are you two doing?”
Li Ling staggered and turned his head to explain with aggrieved expression, “Xiaozi, our test data doesn’t match the actual situation! Someone maliciously changed our data!”
Qin Chunxiao let go, picked up the form, and looked at it before letting out a sigh of relief. “What’s the big deal for me? It’s okay. You, Xiaoji (Fu Biyang), and Aizimaiti, whose data got changed, are all types with excellent physical fitness but lacking refined skills. Those of you who rely on talent are the most likely to be dismissed by superiors, and you are also particularly prone to injuries. Lao Niu changed your physical test numbers to be lower than Zhang Feng’s. Haven’t you thought about why?”
Zhang Feng was one of the main secondary attackers of the national team. He was known for his blocking, but the person with the surname Zhao seemed dissatisfied with him. They’re treating him like waste, and with the personalities of Li Ling and Fu Biyang, do they really think they’ll be fine if they’re asked to leave by the surname Zhao?
Fu Biyang and Li Ling were taken aback for a moment, and then Qin Chunxiao scolded the two idiots, saying, “Hold me back about this. Let’s go back and study together!”
