All the participants in the national youth training camp stayed at the Temple of Heaven Hotel, and the coaching staff was no exception. Not only could they stay here to observe the athletes’ situation at any time, but it also effectively prevented these young and energetic boys from getting into trouble.
Newton also participated in the National Youth League. Back then, the conditions were not as good as they are now, and the passionate feeling of the athletes remains unchanged. When he was an athlete, he believed he would play until he was forty and never drink in his life.
He stumbled back to the room drunk, with Jiang Xiaohai’s support, and lay down beside the toilet, vomiting uncontrollably.
Jiang Xiaohai patted him on the back and sighed softly.
Newton wiped his mouth and asked, “Xiaohai, did I bother you?”
He felt apologetic and wanted Jiang Xiaohai to leave so he could clean up and not make the young man uncomfortable.
Jiang Xiaohai corrected him, “Please call me Xiaojiang or Xiaohai, thank you.”
Jiang Xiaohai had experience as an athlete. He had just passed the college entrance examination and was admitted to Beijing Sports University’s prestigious 211 program. At that time, he was one of the best men’s volleyball setters in Asia.
Before officially becoming Newton’s assistant coach, Jiang Xiaohai had heard rumors and thought that Newton was a strengthened version of Zhao Laogui with a team.
While many people were competing and scheming to become prominent leaders, Newton was different. He worked hard to create a supportive environment for the children, one where they couldn’t be maliciously suppressed, and where coaches genuinely cared about their well-being and provided them with the space to perform well.
After being silent in the national team for so long, suddenly encountering someone like Lao Niu, even Jiang Xiaohai, who was content with a casual approach to his career, had his expectations for the future reignited.
Just then, the doorbell rang.
Normally, only other members of the coaching staff would come to their room at this time, and as the head coach, Newton must have had something urgent to attend to.
Jiang Xiaohai hurried to open the door, but he was met with a pair of deep blue eyes shining under the light.
Jiang Xiaohai raised his voice, “It’s Xiao Qin, what’s the matter?”
The faint sound of vomiting from the toilet immediately stopped.
Qin Chunxiao rolled his eyes and asked, “Do you have any hangover medicine and stomach medicine?”
If there were any, the old cow wouldn’t have to cling to the toilet.
Jiang Xiaohai subconsciously thought that Qin Chunxiao knew someone who was drunk and had a stomachache. He was about to reprimand him, saying, “Which brat secretly drinks alcohol? Don’t you have any professionalism as an athlete?” But then he saw Qin Chunxiao sneaking into the room from under his arm.
He exclaimed, “Xiao Qin, what are you doing?”
“Delivering takeout,” Qin Chunxiao replied, raising the bag in his hand.
As a retired athlete who left the arena in the 1990s, Lao Niu had no restrictions when it came to eating and medication. WADA, the anti-doping organization, didn’t care about retired old guys like him. So if he needed medication, he took it. Qin Chunxiao not only brought medicine but also brought soup noodles for Lao Niu.
Noodles are alkaline and good for the stomach.
Humming a tune, Qin Chunxiao boiled water and brewed a packet of Xiaochaihu, an herb that helps the
liver metabolize alcohol. He also brewed a bag of Guitai, a medicine for stomach issues, and opened the takeout package. “Hot Lanzhou beef noodles, coriander, spring onion, and pickled vegetables are all in another small bag. Add them if you want, or just leave them.”
Facing Qin Chunxiao, the youngest member in the training camp who hadn’t even turned 16 yet, Lao Niu quickly took out new clothes from his suitcase, changed out of his clothes that reeked of alcohol in the bathroom within a minute, and then pointed at Qin Chunxiao. “Why are you here, kid… What are you doing?”
Qin Chunxiao replied, “Oh, I’m just here to check. Our Coach Chen said Coach Niu didn’t drink before, so I came to see.”
Despite Lao Niu’s sturdy appearance, beneath the surface, he resembled a timid and cowardly 195 cm tall guy who wouldn’t fight and wanted to avoid trouble. But in a few years, he would develop a beer belly from drinking and suffer from severe liver disease.
Alcohol, as a class 1 carcinogen, is extremely harmful to the human body. Qin Chunxiao hoped that after Lao Niu climbed to the position of the head coach of the national team, he would take good care of himself. He couldn’t let Niu’s liver have any problems.
Chen Aiguo and Newton were former teammates on the national team, but once Newton became ambitious, Chen Aiguo unilaterally ignored him. When Lao Niu heard Qin Chunxiao’s words, his first reaction was touched.
Lao Niu sighed softly, “Aiguo still remembers that I love eating beef.”
Having said that, Newton sat down and opened his chopsticks.
Qin Chunxiao replied, “No, this Lao Chen hasn’t mentioned it to me. I bought you beef noodles just because your surname is Niu.”
He pushed the medicine forward. “Drink the medicine first. Actually, I bought these things to find a quiet place to hide for a while.”
“Quiet place?” Newton and Jiang Xiaohai looked at Qin Chunxiao in confusion.
Now it was Qin Chunxiao’s turn to sigh. “Do you know who my roommate is?”
Of course, Newton and Jiang Xiaohai knew. Before the training camp started, Chen Aiguo called them specifically to arrange for Qin Chunxiao to room with Li Ling and Fu Biyang, two familiar friends, so they could take care of each other.
Wait a minute, Li Ling?
That’s enough, the two coaches understand why Qin Chunxiao came out to hide.
Jiang Xiaohai thought, this child Xiao Qin is not easy.
The two coaches simply agreed to Qin Chunxiao hiding in their room for a while, but after a while, Li Ling called to urge him to die. Even if the hands-free was not turned on, they all heard Qin Chunxiao’s cell phone screaming.
“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaabe.”
Qin Chunxiao’s face turned dark. His sister bought a new tablet this year with a scholarship, and the old one was passed on to him. Not only could the tablet be used for taking notes, annotating study materials, and occasionally watching his favorite Antarctic and Arctic documentaries, it also contained a collection of hundreds of movies, including some adult films, which he brought to the training camp for leisurely entertainment.
But he really shouldn’t have let these two idiots find out that he has a tablet with a pile of classic movies, and he shouldn’t have lent them the tablet after they finished their homework.
“Why are two 1.9-meter big men scared by a small doll?” Qin Chunxiao retorted.
For some reason, Jiang Xiaohai felt that Qin Chunxiao stood tall: “Xiao Qin is a reliable kid.”
Newton: “Those two young guys have a good relationship with him, so that’s good. With those two big guys around, I don’t have to worry about anyone bullying him during the training camp.”
Thinking of this, Lao Niu sighed for a moment: “I remember the shortest libero on our team was very timid. He was always teased for his height during training, and he didn’t dare to fight back. I fought for him. Later, I married his school’s beauty queen sister.”
Jiang Xiaohai could tell that Lao Niu’s intention to help the libero fight was not purely selfless.
However, what Lao Niu said was true. Qin Chunxiao had indeed become someone that no one dared to provoke in this training camp, but he established this position for himself the next day.
The incident was caused by a practice match, and there were two conflicts involved.
On the second day after the official start of the training camp, young athletes from different provinces were divided into teams, planning to have some practice games to see how the kids performed in a competitive setting.
Qin Chunxiao’s group included Li Ling, Ai
Zimaiti, libero Du Xiaofeng, the main attacker of the H provincial youth team, You Ziyu, and the secondary attacker of Luohe.
Except for Li Ling, everyone was defeated by Qin Chunxiao in the game. They didn’t expect to be teamed up with Qin Chunxiao again, and now they had become his teammates.
The team facing them consisted of Qiao Mingming, Fu Biyang, Liu Yuelou, Bashu team setter Mao Xunfeng, N provincial youth team supporter Min Yaoyang, and libero Xiong Wu.
In addition to the two members from the N Provincial Youth Team, the other four members of this team were also victims of Qin Chunxiao’s skills.
Logically speaking, Ai Zimaiti was tall and had long arms. Not only could he block the ball, but he also had a high spiking reach, and his lethality was not weak. Qin Chunxiao could defend, pass, and play. The two should have made a good combination, but that depended on Ai Zimaiti managing his body well.
Not all athletes could control their weight and body fat freely. Unlike Qin Chunxiao, who could stay thin when he wanted to, it was not easy for everyone. It was not only a matter of self-control but also related to individual physique.
Ai Zimaiti was born in X province and had been eating high-sugar and high-calorie food since childhood. He was prone to obesity. After the New Year, he would gain more than eight kilograms. If a person became overweight, their jumping height would decrease as well. So Aizmaiti’s blocking height was not elevated to 3.28 meters by Lao Niu, but his current reaching height was just that.
The first player, Luo He, was not strong due to his weight, but the second player was his opposite. As an athlete, Luo He had a very thin body and thin arms. He appeared to lack strength. While he could run swiftly and jump, his arm strength was insufficient, making it easy for him to be overpowered by the four muscular men on the opposing side, Qiao Mingming, Fu Biyang, Liu Yuelou, and Min Yaoyang.
Ding Rong had nothing to do, so he ran over to watch the game, and the corners of his mouth twitched when he saw this scene: “Who divided this team? All the powerful players are concentrated in the first team, and the offensive firepower on both sides is uneven.”
Jiang Xiaohai said with a bitter face: “Coach Niu asked me to divide it like this. He said that the first team should focus on defense while the other team focuses on offense. It’s about determining who has the higher quality in the conflict.”
Ding Rong: …But our Chinese men’s volleyball team is not known for defense. Moreover, most of the young players in this youth team are still relying on their physical talents. Only Xiao Dundun and Du Xiaofeng stand out.
Qin Chunxiao also knew that most of the young players were not skilled enough, so when he rotated to the front row, he exchanged glances with Li Ling, who was in the fourth position, and they nodded tacitly.
The Gemini star mode in G province was activated.
Li Ling performed exceptionally well today, delivering precise second passes, and the game was extremely comfortable. Qin Chunxiao used his skills to make a flashy excuse and frustrated the rough men on the opposing side.
During the rotation from position 2 to 4, which is when he was in the front row, Qin Chunxiao nearly overwhelmed the opposing team with his own abilities.
Lin Yuelou, who faced him, didn’t know what to say. It would be too much of a fuss to smash things and yell like before during a practice match. He refrained because there was no outlet for his frustration.
Fu Biyang was already resigned to his fate. As the main target of Qin Chunxiao’s skills, he had been the number one victim ever since Qin Chunxiao learned to borrow his abilities, and now he couldn’t even get angry.
Qiao Mingming was a kind person and had no intention of getting angry during a practice match.
The three of them managed to keep their composure, but Min Yaoyang, the captain of the N provincial youth team and the main attacker who was continuously targeted by Xiao Dundun, didn’t want to endure it any longer.
This 2.05m boy with a dark complexion was a well-known “handsome fool” in the domestic volleyball scene. He was athletic, cheerful, and good-looking. His technical skills were limited, his plays were relatively straightforward, and he lacked versatility. He could only execute a straight attack beautifully. If the opposing team employed tactics and timely blocks, he would struggle to cope. He was the type of player Qin Chunxiao loved to exploit.
After being targeted a few times, Min Yaoyang became angry: “What’s wrong with you? Can’t you confront someone directly? Why do you keep resorting to these dirty tricks?”
Qin Chunxiao pushed back without showing any weakness: “I’m scoring within the allowed range of the rules, what’s the problem? Are you dissatisfied? If you are, take it up with the FIVB!”
The referee issued a warning: “Focus on playing the game and avoid causing trouble. Both of you, Min Yaoyang
and Qin Chunxiao, stop provoking each other. I saw you making faces at Min Yaoyang!”
Fu Biyang looked at Min Yaoyang’s bulging muscles, thinking that Xiaozai (Qin Chunxiao) was small and weak, but he wouldn’t be able to handle this rough man’s punch. So he stepped in to intervene: “Forget it, Yaoyang, let it go.”
This was the first conflict.
All the participants in the national youth training camp stayed at the Temple of Heaven Hotel, and the coaching staff was no exception. Not only could they stay here to observe the athletes’ situation at any time, but it also effectively prevented these young and energetic boys from getting into trouble.
Newton also participated in the National Youth League. Back then, the conditions were not as good as they are now, and the passionate feeling of the athletes remains unchanged. When he was an athlete, he believed he would play until he was forty and never drink in his life.
He stumbled back to the room drunk, with Jiang Xiaohai’s support, and lay down beside the toilet, vomiting uncontrollably.
Jiang Xiaohai patted him on the back and sighed softly.
Newton wiped his mouth and asked, “Xiaohai, did I bother you?”
He felt apologetic and wanted Jiang Xiaohai to leave so he could clean up and not make the young man uncomfortable.
Jiang Xiaohai corrected him, “Please call me Xiaojiang or Xiaohai, thank you.”
Jiang Xiaohai had experience as an athlete. He had just passed the college entrance examination and was admitted to Beijing Sports University’s prestigious 211 program. At that time, he was one of the best men’s volleyball setters in Asia.
Before officially becoming Newton’s assistant coach, Jiang Xiaohai had heard rumors and thought that Newton was a strengthened version of Zhao Laogui with a team.
While many people were competing and scheming to become prominent leaders, Newton was different. He worked hard to create a supportive environment for the children, one where they couldn’t be maliciously suppressed, and where coaches genuinely cared about their well-being and provided them with the space to perform well.
After being silent in the national team for so long, suddenly encountering someone like Lao Niu, even Jiang Xiaohai, who was content with a casual approach to his career, had his expectations for the future reignited.
Just then, the doorbell rang.
Normally, only other members of the coaching staff would come to their room at this time, and as the head coach, Newton must have had something urgent to attend to.
Jiang Xiaohai hurried to open the door, but he was met with a pair of deep blue eyes shining under the light.
Jiang Xiaohai raised his voice, “It’s Xiao Qin, what’s the matter?”
The faint sound of vomiting from the toilet immediately stopped.
Qin Chunxiao rolled his eyes and asked, “Do you have any hangover medicine and stomach medicine?”
If there were any, the old cow wouldn’t have to cling to the toilet.
Jiang Xiaohai subconsciously thought that Qin Chunxiao knew someone who was drunk and had a stomachache. He was about to reprimand him, saying, “Which brat secretly drinks alcohol? Don’t you have any professionalism as an athlete?” But then he saw Qin Chunxiao sneaking into the room from under his arm.
He exclaimed, “Xiao Qin, what are you doing?”
“Delivering takeout,” Qin Chunxiao replied, raising the bag in his hand.
As a retired athlete who left the arena in the 1990s, Lao Niu had no restrictions when it came to eating and medication. WADA, the anti-doping organization, didn’t care about retired old guys like him. So if he needed medication, he took it. Qin Chunxiao not only brought medicine but also brought soup noodles for Lao Niu.
Noodles are alkaline and good for the stomach.
Humming a tune, Qin Chunxiao boiled water and brewed a packet of Xiaochaihu, an herb that helps the
liver metabolize alcohol. He also brewed a bag of Guitai, a medicine for stomach issues, and opened the takeout package. “Hot Lanzhou beef noodles, coriander, spring onion, and pickled vegetables are all in another small bag. Add them if you want, or just leave them.”
Facing Qin Chunxiao, the youngest member in the training camp who hadn’t even turned 16 yet, Lao Niu quickly took out new clothes from his suitcase, changed out of his clothes that reeked of alcohol in the bathroom within a minute, and then pointed at Qin Chunxiao. “Why are you here, kid… What are you doing?”
Qin Chunxiao replied, “Oh, I’m just here to check. Our Coach Chen said Coach Niu didn’t drink before, so I came to see.”
Despite Lao Niu’s sturdy appearance, beneath the surface, he resembled a timid and cowardly 195 cm tall guy who wouldn’t fight and wanted to avoid trouble. But in a few years, he would develop a beer belly from drinking and suffer from severe liver disease.
Alcohol, as a class 1 carcinogen, is extremely harmful to the human body. Qin Chunxiao hoped that after Lao Niu climbed to the position of the head coach of the national team, he would take good care of himself. He couldn’t let Niu’s liver have any problems.
Chen Aiguo and Newton were former teammates on the national team, but once Newton became ambitious, Chen Aiguo unilaterally ignored him. When Lao Niu heard Qin Chunxiao’s words, his first reaction was touched.
Lao Niu sighed softly, “Aiguo still remembers that I love eating beef.”
Having said that, Newton sat down and opened his chopsticks.
Qin Chunxiao replied, “No, this Lao Chen hasn’t mentioned it to me. I bought you beef noodles just because your surname is Niu.”
He pushed the medicine forward. “Drink the medicine first. Actually, I bought these things to find a quiet place to hide for a while.”
“Quiet place?” Newton and Jiang Xiaohai looked at Qin Chunxiao in confusion.
Now it was Qin Chunxiao’s turn to sigh. “Do you know who my roommate is?”
Of course, Newton and Jiang Xiaohai knew. Before the training camp started, Chen Aiguo called them specifically to arrange for Qin Chunxiao to room with Li Ling and Fu Biyang, two familiar friends, so they could take care of each other.
Wait a minute, Li Ling?
That’s enough, the two coaches understand why Qin Chunxiao came out to hide.
Jiang Xiaohai thought, this child Xiao Qin is not easy.
The two coaches simply agreed to Qin Chunxiao hiding in their room for a while, but after a while, Li Ling called to urge him to die. Even if the hands-free was not turned on, they all heard Qin Chunxiao’s cell phone screaming.
“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaabe.”
Qin Chunxiao’s face turned dark. His sister bought a new tablet this year with a scholarship, and the old one was passed on to him. Not only could the tablet be used for taking notes, annotating study materials, and occasionally watching his favorite Antarctic and Arctic documentaries, it also contained a collection of hundreds of movies, including some adult films, which he brought to the training camp for leisurely entertainment.
But he really shouldn’t have let these two idiots find out that he has a tablet with a pile of classic movies, and he shouldn’t have lent them the tablet after they finished their homework.
“Why are two 1.9-meter big men scared by a small doll?” Qin Chunxiao retorted.
For some reason, Jiang Xiaohai felt that Qin Chunxiao stood tall: “Xiao Qin is a reliable kid.”
Newton: “Those two young guys have a good relationship with him, so that’s good. With those two big guys around, I don’t have to worry about anyone bullying him during the training camp.”
Thinking of this, Lao Niu sighed for a moment: “I remember the shortest libero on our team was very timid. He was always teased for his height during training, and he didn’t dare to fight back. I fought for him. Later, I married his school’s beauty queen sister.”
Jiang Xiaohai could tell that Lao Niu’s intention to help the libero fight was not purely selfless.
However, what Lao Niu said was true. Qin Chunxiao had indeed become someone that no one dared to provoke in this training camp, but he established this position for himself the next day.
The incident was caused by a practice match, and there were two conflicts involved.
On the second day after the official start of the training camp, young athletes from different provinces were divided into teams, planning to have some practice games to see how the kids performed in a competitive setting.
Qin Chunxiao’s group included Li Ling, Ai
Zimaiti, libero Du Xiaofeng, the main attacker of the H provincial youth team, You Ziyu, and the secondary attacker of Luohe.
Except for Li Ling, everyone was defeated by Qin Chunxiao in the game. They didn’t expect to be teamed up with Qin Chunxiao again, and now they had become his teammates.
The team facing them consisted of Qiao Mingming, Fu Biyang, Liu Yuelou, Bashu team setter Mao Xunfeng, N provincial youth team supporter Min Yaoyang, and libero Xiong Wu.
In addition to the two members from the N Provincial Youth Team, the other four members of this team were also victims of Qin Chunxiao’s skills.
Logically speaking, Ai Zimaiti was tall and had long arms. Not only could he block the ball, but he also had a high spiking reach, and his lethality was not weak. Qin Chunxiao could defend, pass, and play. The two should have made a good combination, but that depended on Ai Zimaiti managing his body well.
Not all athletes could control their weight and body fat freely. Unlike Qin Chunxiao, who could stay thin when he wanted to, it was not easy for everyone. It was not only a matter of self-control but also related to individual physique.
Ai Zimaiti was born in X province and had been eating high-sugar and high-calorie food since childhood. He was prone to obesity. After the New Year, he would gain more than eight kilograms. If a person became overweight, their jumping height would decrease as well. So Aizmaiti’s blocking height was not elevated to 3.28 meters by Lao Niu, but his current reaching height was just that.
The first player, Luo He, was not strong due to his weight, but the second player was his opposite. As an athlete, Luo He had a very thin body and thin arms. He appeared to lack strength. While he could run swiftly and jump, his arm strength was insufficient, making it easy for him to be overpowered by the four muscular men on the opposing side, Qiao Mingming, Fu Biyang, Liu Yuelou, and Min Yaoyang.
Ding Rong had nothing to do, so he ran over to watch the game, and the corners of his mouth twitched when he saw this scene: “Who divided this team? All the powerful players are concentrated in the first team, and the offensive firepower on both sides is uneven.”
Jiang Xiaohai said with a bitter face: “Coach Niu asked me to divide it like this. He said that the first team should focus on defense while the other team focuses on offense. It’s about determining who has the higher quality in the conflict.”
Ding Rong: …But our Chinese men’s volleyball team is not known for defense. Moreover, most of the young players in this youth team are still relying on their physical talents. Only Xiao Dundun and Du Xiaofeng stand out.
Qin Chunxiao also knew that most of the young players were not skilled enough, so when he rotated to the front row, he exchanged glances with Li Ling, who was in the fourth position, and they nodded tacitly.
The Gemini star mode in G province was activated.
Li Ling performed exceptionally well today, delivering precise second passes, and the game was extremely comfortable. Qin Chunxiao used his skills to make a flashy excuse and frustrated the rough men on the opposing side.
During the rotation from position 2 to 4, which is when he was in the front row, Qin Chunxiao nearly overwhelmed the opposing team with his own abilities.
Lin Yuelou, who faced him, didn’t know what to say. It would be too much of a fuss to smash things and yell like before during a practice match. He refrained because there was no outlet for his frustration.
Fu Biyang was already resigned to his fate. As the main target of Qin Chunxiao’s skills, he had been the number one victim ever since Qin Chunxiao learned to borrow his abilities, and now he couldn’t even get angry.
Qiao Mingming was a kind person and had no intention of getting angry during a practice match.
The three of them managed to keep their composure, but Min Yaoyang, the captain of the N provincial youth team and the main attacker who was continuously targeted by Xiao Dundun, didn’t want to endure it any longer.
This 2.05m boy with a dark complexion was a well-known “handsome fool” in the domestic volleyball scene. He was athletic, cheerful, and good-looking. His technical skills were limited, his plays were relatively straightforward, and he lacked versatility. He could only execute a straight attack beautifully. If the opposing team employed tactics and timely blocks, he would struggle to cope. He was the type of player Qin Chunxiao loved to exploit.
After being targeted a few times, Min Yaoyang became angry: “What’s wrong with you? Can’t you confront someone directly? Why do you keep resorting to these dirty tricks?”
Qin Chunxiao pushed back without showing any weakness: “I’m scoring within the allowed range of the rules, what’s the problem? Are you dissatisfied? If you are, take it up with the FIVB!”
The referee issued a warning: “Focus on playing the game and avoid causing trouble. Both of you, Min Yaoyang
and Qin Chunxiao, stop provoking each other. I saw you making faces at Min Yaoyang!”
Fu Biyang looked at Min Yaoyang’s bulging muscles, thinking that Xiaozai (Qin Chunxiao) was small and weak, but he wouldn’t be able to handle this rough man’s punch. So he stepped in to intervene: “Forget it, Yaoyang, let it go.”
This was the first conflict.
