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Published at 19th of June 2023 07:08:22 AM


Chapter 40

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The national youth team training camp lasted for five weeks, and in early March, two boys in the camp celebrated their birthdays. Qin Chunxiao was born on March 2, 2001, and on March 2, 2017, he turned 16 years old again. As a minor, he had to perform an extra routine in international competitions, and without an adult to accompany him, he couldn’t leave the country. Being 15 or 16 years old didn’t seem to make much of a difference as an athlete. 

As an athlete, Qin Chunxiao’s coach didn’t mention it, and he himself didn’t ask for a cake to celebrate his birthday. He hadn’t touched cream cake since he was eight years old. The cafeteria aunt made a bowl of longevity noodles with small cabbage and boiled red shrimp, which tasted delicious, especially the noodles themselves, which were very smooth and chewy. 

Fu Biyang took a bite and then wiped his mouth. He turned to ask the cafeteria aunt for advice. When he stood up, he saw H Province team captain and main attacker You Ziyu also standing up. The two of them looked at each other, and their inexplicable aura of agreement made them understand each other’s goals. 

You Ziyu smiled, “My dad likes to cook, so it runs in the family.” 

You Ziyu’s parents were both basketball players. His mother was currently the only female basketball coach in the country, and his father was a chef who cooks at home. 

Fu Biyang proudly pointed to himself, “I am the champion of the coconut chicken group in the H Island Chicken King Contest.” 

The cafeteria aunt, with her hair tied up in a pear blossom bun and wearing a camouflage apron, looked similar to the female lead in “Addicted to Love”. She was the kind of beautiful woman who couldn’t hide her boldness and tenderness even when wearing green clothes and red pants. It was said that she was an associate professor of nutrition at a 985 university, and she was recruited to be an external aid when the cafeteria couldn’t find a suitable person to manage it. 

She casually said, “It’s egg white. I added egg white when kneading the dough.” 

At this moment, her phone rang, and Stephen Chow’s voice came from it – “I added onions.” 

The cafeteria boss was watching “God of Cookery”. 

Newton passed by and said, “Sister Wei, I want to eat noodles too.” 

The cafeteria aunt tapped the pot on the stove with a spoon and said, “You can have this, wolfberry and red date porridge. Xiao Qin told me that you drink a lot of alcohol, and your liver won’t be able to take it for long. You need to nourish it with food.” 

Newton said, “If I just eat porridge, I’ll keep running to the bathroom.” 

The cafeteria aunt turned around and said, “Then I’ll make you some leek and egg stir-fry.” 

Leeks, wolfberries, and red dates are all good for the liver. 

Fu Biyang wondered, “When did Chunxiao become so close to the coach?” They were even concerned about Newton’s liver health.

You Ziyu said, “It’s normal. After each training session, Lao Niutou would call me, Qiao Mingming, Liu Yuelou, Qin Chunxiao, Mao Xunfeng, and Xiong Wu to explain the tactical intentions and the purpose of each training. Actually, Lao Niutou is pretty good and has good professional abilities. When he talks about training, he is organized and clear-headed. Athletes who spend more time with him will recognize him.” 

Fu Biyang was surprised and said, “What? Lao Niutou not only teaches techniques but also teaches how to be a coach?” 

You Ziyu thought it was about right. The common feature of the six of them was that they were smart. They had already directed the team’s tactical direction in U21. They also managed their own teams’ players. Lao Niutou’s guidance on training knowledge was beneficial to them in the long run. 

It was probably just Yu Ziyu’s illusion, but he felt that Lao Niutou’s approach was like planting seeds. If anyone among those people pursued the path of a coach, Lao Niutou’s guidance would be of great help. 

If nothing unexpected happened, the captain of this National Youth Team would be chosen from these six people. Yu Ziyu loved slacking off and sincerely believed that Lao Niutou would not choose him. Xiong Wu was not suitable either. Although he was forced to help Min Yaoyang manage the N Province Youth Team and had the power of a captain, according to the rules of the International Volleyball Federation, free players could not serve as captains. 

You Ziyu thought that the captain of this team would probably be chosen between Qiao Mingming and Qin Chunxiao. Qiao Mingming was calm, honest, and easy-going, a big brother figure that everyone was willing to give face to. Qin Chunxiao also had a broad mind and a good head, and was the strongest physically. The only problem was that he was too young. He was the youngest in the entire training camp, only 16 years old. 

On March 8th, 1997, Liu Yuelou officially turned 20 years old. 

This was a good age. His height, bones, and muscles were all well-developed, and he had fewer injuries than the older players. His skills were more comprehensive than when he was a teenager, and he had officially entered his golden age. 

If Liu Yuelou could participate in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, he would be 24 years old, in his prime. 

In fact, Liu Yuelou, Qiao Mingming, Luo He, Du Xiaofeng, and Mao Xunfeng, these post-95 athletes, were all in their prime during the Tokyo Olympics cycle. At that time, their skills were mature, and their blood was full, making it the best time to achieve results. 

An Olympic cycle is four years, and an athlete’s golden four years will never come again once it’s gone. Unfortunately, due to Zhao Laogui’s meddling, the Chinese men’s volleyball team during the Tokyo Olympics cycle remained in a state of “old, weak, sick, and young.” They didn’t even qualify for the Olympics, let alone anything else. And players like Du Xiaofeng, who were already injured, retired after missing the Tokyo Olympics. 

The Paris Olympics was the last chance for the post-90s men’s volleyball team. Although most of them were approaching or already in their thirties, their passion was still there. Qin Chunxiao and Fu Biyang, these post-00s, also entered their prime, and the overall strength was not bad. 

Unfortunately, the accident with Air France took away the golden generation of the men’s volleyball team, along with Newton. 

When Lao Niutou left, it was unknown if there would be a second person who was both inside and outside like him, who would climb to the position of head coach of the national team for the sake of volleyball and regardless of everything else, and then form a team that was strong enough to compete on the world stage. 

Lao Niutou was at least a person who had served as an assistant coach in the Italian Super League and almost became a head coach of a strong team. For a team sport like volleyball, a good coach is more important than a mythical-level athlete. 

Qin Chunxiao’s most memorable impression was of a women’s volleyball team in Central Europe. They were originally weak, but they hired a world-class coach who trained them for two cycles. They made history by entering the top eight at the Rio Olympics. But after the Rio Olympics, the coach’s contract expired and he left. That team’s spirit in this year’s international competitions was clearly not as good as before.

For things that have not yet happened, Qin Chunxiao didn’t want to think too much, but he himself was willing to be led by Lao Niu. If Chen Aiguo gave him the opportunity to pursue volleyball in despair, and Mars discovered his talent, Newton was someone who he admires for both his abilities and convincing his character.

Lao Niu also admired Qin Chunxiao as a player. Aside from his overly strong martial arts attributes, Qin Chunxiao was one of the most outstanding characters in this training camp. Being able to endure hardship was one aspect, but athletes were the most hardworking group of people. However, Qin Chunxiao also had a brain. After each training session, he would summarize the shortcomings with others and take the initiative to find the coaching staff to improve their weaknesses.

People who use their brains in training will always have better results, and Qin Chunxiao can also pull others together to do homework, play, and train during their free time, which was also a manifestation of cohesion.

Lao Niu was quite fond of this child, but Newton can tell that Qin Chunxiao had no intention of being the team captain. During the lecture, when Lao Niu was leading a group of captains, Qin Chunxiao would step back in some details and ask for Qiao Mingming’s opinion. As long as Qiao Mingming speaks, he would also take the lead in giving face.

Newton opened his notebook and wrote a “vice” under Qin Chunxiao’s name: “I remember Aiguo said that this child wants to go down the defensive route in the future. It’s also true that his defensive level is wasted at the net.”

Jiang Xiaohai sighed: “But now we can’t give up his net ability either. Otherwise, it would be great if he specializes in defense. I checked it out, Xiong Wu and Du Xiaofeng can’t say they can defend Qiao Mingming and Liuyuelou, but Xiao Qin can.”

In several practice matches during the training camp, Qin Chunxiao repeatedly defended against strong main attackers like Qiao Mingming and Liuyuelou, which was an incredible skill.

It should be noted that unlike the small-built men’s volleyball team, China is vast and rich in resources. Nowadays, nutrition has caught up, and the new batch of male volleyball players are not inferior in height to Europeans and Americans. Although some players looked thin due to insufficient muscle training, this could be improved through training.

Their talent development system was not good, and there were no good coaches to further develop the talents of these young people before, which resulted in their potential being capped. However, among the young volleyball players who generally have not yet polished their skills and rely on talent to play, the Chinese men’s volleyball team was not inferior. They also have a history of winning several World Youth Championships.

In summary, those strong main attackers in the training camp were also outstanding young male volleyball players in the world. Qin Chunxiao’s ability to defend against them was proof that he could also make foreign young male volleyball players dumbfounded on the international stage.

This performance reminded Lao Niu of a talented female libero from the Dominican Republic. Since her youth, she has won the titles of “Best Libero”, “Best Reception”, and “Best Defense” countless times. Many world-class attackers had experienced being blocked by her. Although she drinks and was often late off the court, and even gave birth to a child before Rio, when she returned to the court, she was still a “god” among female libero players.

Qin Chunxiao’s defensive talent was too good. Lao Niu was considering it. If this child went in the direction of the defense, he might really be able to develop a strong defensive core for the Chinese men’s volleyball team, which had weak floor skills.

He nodded and wrote in his notebook: “Volleyball is a sport where miracles can still be created as long as the ball doesn’t touch the ground. The importance of defense is no less than that of offense. Xiao Qin, Xiao Xiong, and Xiao Du all have reliable floor skills, which is enough for the World Youth Championship.”

Lao Niu’s idea was that these three people were qualified to wear the national team uniform and participate in the World Youth Championship.

Jiang Xiaohai understood: “Before this year, I definitely didn’t expect that the short guys would be more quickly confirmed for the national youth team than the tall guys.”

Lao Niu said, “Their strength is not bad, but we still need to look at their blocking. This is our strong point. Fu Biyang’s blocking hand posture needs to be changed. His two arms are too far apart, which makes him prone to missing the ball. Has Aizimaiti succeeded in losing weight?”

Jiang Xiaohai replied, “He succeeded long ago.”

After half a month of training camp, Aizimaiti finally reappeared as a handsome and vigorous young man under the guidance of a professor-level nutritionist and Lao Niu’s treatment.

Jiang Xiaohai finally dared to post Aizimaiti’s photos.

Although there were still old fans who joked, “Aiteam seems to have gotten a bit thicker than before. The knee pads squeezed out his absolute territory. Did he gain muscle or was the training camp food too good? Hahaha?”

But as long as the face was online, the leg thickness was not something that the fans really care about. They even have the mood to discuss the absolute territory of these handsome men in the men’s volleyball team.

Those who practice volleyball generally had long legs. The whitest one was definitely Team Qin. Despite being the shortest in the national youth training camp, his legs were long and straight. His pure black knee pads were visually no worse than black stockings, and the sports bandage on his calf made his ankles look even more slender. 

Team Min liked to use red knee pads. With his healthy chocolate skin, he already has a natural shine. Combined with the bright red, and his dimples and tiger teeth when he smiled, he looked particularly sweet, a perfect example of a sweet handsome guy.

In addition, the lazy temperament of the captain of the H Province team, You Ziyu, was also amazing. His playing style was very clever, and he had a bit of stubble. Although he was also a post-95s, he gave people a feeling of being wise and mature, and his black knee pads with orange stripes make his leg lines look particularly beautiful. 

Netizens: The legs of volleyball boys are so beautiful [slurp.jpg]. 

It was impossible for Jiang Xiaohai to deliberately hype the looks of these boys. He just had a bit of a photography hobby, and he was often criticized by netizens for not taking good angles. The photos of the boys’ volleyball team that Jiang Xiaohai posted were not just about the handsome guys, but also include everyone, just to show that “our young athletes are training very seriously and hard, look how good their spirit is.” 

But the beauty of the legs of the male volleyball players was something that no one expected. The first place was not the white-to-glare Qin Chunxiao, nor the chocolate handsome guy Min Yaoyang, but… Fu Biyang! 

Netizen 1: Fu Team’s dark skin, smooth muscle lines, exaggerated and eye-catching body proportions, plus pure white knee pads, have a unique flavor. 

Netizen 2: Fu Team is the kind of boy who stands at the bow of the ship and smiles with white teeth, with a tropical sea breeze atmosphere. By the way, I also love his muscular arms and slim waist. 

Netizen 3: He’s so manly, I love him. 

Netizens: This is the most handsome guy in the gay circle! 

Qin Chunxiao, who saw this, sprayed his sports drink out of his mouth. He pounded his chest, thinking that he had actually lost to Fu Biyang one day, which was really unbelievable. And  Mei Xuandong, who was cool and melancholic with a beautiful singing voice and a noble gentleman’s face, was called the voice of Siren and considered a handsome guy in the gay community. But Fu Biyang, who was neither cool nor melancholic, had nothing to do with being a handsome guy. How did he become one?

What are the standards for handsome guys in the circle?





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