Natasha, Qin Chunxiao’s great-aunt, used to be a pilot for Aeroflot. She had since retired and opened a cake shop in St. Petersburg, which was located just 300 meters east of the Hamster Club’s stadium.
Previously, Coach Nikolai was worried about how to invite the MVP of the U20 World Championship and Asian Championship to play in the Russian Super League. It was Natasha who took the initiative to inform him about how to send a letter to the Qin family in China. When Qin Chunxiao and Li Ling arrived in Russia, Natasha personally came to pick them up.
In her mind, Qin Chunxiao and Li Ling were her brother and sister-in-law’s grandchildren, so it was only natural for her to take care of them.
Anton also came along with Natasha, considering the importance of maintaining a good relationship as the team’s leader.
Their timing was perfect because Qin Chunxiao and Li Ling were originally supposed to have a layover at Sheremetyevo Airport before boarding a flight to St. Petersburg. However, with this terrible weather, if it weren’t for Natasha and Anton’s company and reassurance, Qin Chunxiao would have definitely rescheduled the flight!
Even though Qin Chunxiao was bold, he had experienced being sent to the Western Heaven by Air France before. It was difficult for him to imagine getting on a plane in such extreme weather conditions.
Natasha remained calm and said, “The pilot is my student. This little rain is nothing.”
With Russia’s unpredictable weather, pilots couldn’t perform their job without the skills to arrive, take off, and land on time in various extreme weather conditions.
Her confidence infected Qin Chunxiao and Li Ling, and seeing that other passengers in the airport remained unperturbed, they proceeded to board the plane with determination.
The plane landed on time in windy St. Petersburg, and a shuttle bus came to pick them up.
Qin Chunxiao braved the wind and rain as he climbed onto the bus, feeling that the weather in Russia was too cold. The breath he exhaled turned white, indicating how cold it was.
While Guangzhou in October allowed people to wear short sleeves, Moscow in October only allowed for thick sweaters and pants.
Qin Chunxiao considered himself quite sturdy, yet he was now wearing a down jacket. Li Ling wore a flannel checkered jacket and shivered in the cold wind while rummaging through his backpack, trying to find a scarf to wrap around his neck. Half of his shoulder was already wet from the rain. Qin Chunxiao impatiently pulled him onto the bus.
Natasha drove them in a van from the airport’s parking lot. Throughout the journey, the car’s sound system played “Queen of Rain.” In the drizzle, Qin Chunxiao unexpectedly saw seagulls flying in the wind and rain.
He accidentally caught sight of the bird, but its presence made St. Petersburg even more beautiful.
When they arrived at their destination, Natasha bid farewell to the young men casually.
“Misha, come to the cake shop if you need anything. I hope you have a pleasant time in Russia.”
The van departed, and Qin Chunxiao turned his head to look at the Hamster Club. There was a giant cartoon hamster above the club, with the hamster’s paws holding a pudding. It was said to be related to the club’s biggest sponsor, a food company called Babah.
Anton said to Qin Chunxiao, “Let’s go, the coach and the others have been waiting for you for a long time.”
The Hamster Club attached great importance to the two foreign players they had signed, especially the uniform department. Qin Chunxiao and Li Ling were their first attempt at signing Chinese athletes, and they arrived here as part of the “Champion Puzzle.”
The term “uniform department” in the context of the sports field refers to people wearing suits, mainly referring to the team management who typically handle the introduction of new players.
Qin Chunxiao and Li Ling were taken to their dormitory to drop off their luggage. The dormitory building was not far from the club, and they stayed in a small two-bedroom apartment on the second floor. The apartment had complete utilities and was kept very clean. The windows were bright and clean, and even on cloudy days, the indoor lighting was good.
After settling in briefly, they arrived at the uniform department’s office, where a chubby old man greeted them, saying, “Welcome to the Hamster Club, Misha and Two Leng.”
This old man was Lakov, in charge of player logistics. Li Ling scratched his head, wondering how all these people knew his English name.
Two sets of jerseys, one with a black base and blue trim, and the other with a white base and black trim, were placed in front of them.
“Try them on. I think they will suit you well.”
The Hamster Club specifically reserved jerseys number 8 and 9 for the Twin Stars, as these were their numbers in the national team.
Seeing these two sets of jerseys, Qin Chunxiao couldn’t help but admire the thoughtfulness of the club. Even though they were here as foreign players, seeing how devoted the club was to them, how could they not give their all during matches?
No wonder the Hamster Club was able to quickly rise again after facing major changes in their previous life. With such emotional intelligence and care for their players, success was deserved.
The uniform department then sent the two young men for physical tests. Although they had roughly estimated Qin Chunxiao and Li Ling’s jumping abilities during the U20 World Championship and Asian Championship, seeing the actual data still surprised them.
Look at their arm spans, which were at least 10 centimeters longer than their height, and their approach jumps. As volleyball players, their outstanding talents were visible to the naked eye. Moreover, one was 16 years old and the other was 18 years old, with a lot of room for growth in the future.
Nikolai, who knows when he arrived at the venue, looked at Li Ling’s shoulders and had several thoughts running through his mind.
Up close, this young man had high shoulder mobility and a broad frame. According to the data given by Newton, his bone density was also good. He possessed the valuable talent of having strong shoulders, which was one of the most precious traits for volleyball players.
With such great shoulders, if he refined his skills, his ball trajectory would become more diverse and flexible. Coupled with Li Ling’s reputation for having a peculiar thought process, it would make him even more difficult to defend against.
Qin Chunxiao’s talent, on the other hand, lies more in his legs. He not only had an impressive Achilles tendon but also flexible and sturdy titanium alloy knees and a supple waist. This enables him to have both powerful short-distance sprint speed and agility in changing directions.
When he practiced short sprints, his 200-meter time was even better than his 100-meter time because he excels at running curves compared to others.
Nikolai and the uniform department eagerly waited for Qin Chunxiao’s speed-related data, their eyes wide open.
One assistant wiped his sweat repeatedly and said, “He truly deserves his background in sprinting.”
Another assistant exclaimed, “With this data, why is he still playing volleyball? If I had this talent, I would have gone for the 10-second mark long ago.”
Nikolai silently thanked God in his heart. Without his guidance, such an extraordinary talent would never have ended up in his hands.
Nikolai didn’t think there was anything wrong with bringing in a short-distance running prodigy to play volleyball. After all, where talented athletes ultimately achieve honor was all mystical.
This was similar to the past century when there was a 13-year-old boy named Duncan who won the national championship in freestyle swimming.
However, in 1989, a hurricane swept away the swimming pool in Duncan’s hometown, and he dared not practice freestyle in the sea, fearing that he would be eaten by sharks accidentally. So little Duncan turned to basketball and eventually became an NBA superstar.
This is fate!
Nikolai: I have received the defensive UR Misha Qin, it’s also destiny!
Anton introduced the new players to their teammates: “This is Misha Qin and Two Leng, both excellent players. You have seen their games.”
“Misha, this is our opposite Alexander, main attacker Oleg, and opposite hitter1 Danny.”
Qin Chunxiao quickly remembered their names. Alexander was the opposite hitter for the Russian national team, with a physique resembling that of a humanoid tiger, strong and fierce. He didn’t speak much, and his brown eyes were deep. Last year, the Hamster Club’s performance suffered due to his injury issues.
The main attacker Oleg had a big beard and was said to have connections in the upper echelons. Moreover, this person was famous on the internet in their future because after he shaved his beard, he looked like a two-meter version of Mr. Bean. Many people suspected that he came to play volleyball because his family’s ancestral business couldn’t accommodate that face.
Danny, the substitute opposite hitter, was two meters and nine centimeters tall, with long and sturdy arms. He had the typical physique of a blocking expert. He greeted Qin Chunxiao and Li Ling with kindness and friendliness, giving the impression of being a kind-hearted person.
In addition, there was an Argentinean transfer player named Soso, who specialized in serving. He was of Latin descent, with tanned skin and blue eyes. He was very enthusiastic when he smiled, and his pupils looked like a cat’s.
The substitute setter, Gran, was 1.9 meters tall and born in ’85. He was the big brother in the team, experienced, and after Anton arrived, he occasionally played as a libero on the court. However, this was only because he had the best passing ability in the club, not because his passing was exceptionally strong.
The Russian Super League was nicknamed “Rough Russia,” which gives an idea of how rough the men are in that place. The passing technique in Qin Chunxiao’s eyes… well, let’s not mention it.
Anton cleared his throat and said in English, “Misha, Two Leng, welcome to the Hamster Club family. We are a great team, and I believe that as long as we work together, we can achieve good results. Also…”
He blabbered on, clearly trying his best to be a qualified leader. Qiao Mingming went through a similar phase when he was appointed as the captain of the national team, but he quickly realized that managing the mischievous ones depended on Dundun and managing Dundun depended on the vice-captain Ding Rong.
So Qiao Mingming implicitly agreed that Dundun had the final say on small matters, and the vice-captain had the final say on big matters. As for what constituted a big or small matter, that was left to the judgment of the coach.
But Qin Chunxiao still gave Anton face. He kept a smile on his face and nodded at everything Anton said, making Anton feel satisfied. The way Anton looked at Misha Qin became much gentler.
Before Misha Qin arrived, Anton also worried that the other party might had been spoiled by his teammates in the Chinese team, had a bad temper, and be difficult to manage. However, he was pleasantly surprised to find that Misha had such a good temperament.
In his heart, Anton sincerely thanked the coach: Thank you, Nikolai, for bringing back such a great foreign player for me.
They trained together, running around the gymnasium, doing moderate strength training, and playing 3vs3 practice matches. Qin Chunxiao, Anton, and Alexander were on one team, while Li Ling, Oleg, and Gran were on the other team. Qin Chunxiao’s team had stronger individual abilities, so they won all the matches. However, Li Ling’s team also had high praise for him.
After training, they stretched together, then made plans to have a meal together, welcoming the two Chinese boys.
With a quarter of Slavic heritage and surprising proficiency in the Russian language, Misha Qin easily gained the favor of the club members. A 16-year-old boy coming to his grandfather’s homeland, speaking the language of this land, with crystal-clear blue eyes and decent professionalism, it was hard for anyone not to show a little kindness towards him.
As for Two Leng, his character ensured that he would be comfortable anywhere because his mind generally didn’t have complicated thoughts. This was also one of the important factors that made his thinking difficult to grasp.
Anton drove them to the shopping mall and recommended that they buy down comforters, but not too thick ones, as indoor heating had already started here, and the club’s dormitory had underfloor heating.
However, on the way back to the dormitory, Li Ling curiously asked Qin Chunxiao, “Xiao Zai, are you tired?”
Upon hearing this, Qin Chunxiao self-assessed and confirmed that he still had plenty of energy, enough to go out for a half marathon. He then asked in confusion, “Do I look exhausted?”
Li Ling raised his thumb and said, “You’re super energetic, but I feel that your attitude when chatting with the club members is, uh, different from usual.”
Li Ling couldn’t pinpoint exactly how it was different, but compared to when Qin Chunxiao interacted with others in China, there was a noticeable change.
Li Ling remembered when he and Qin Chunxiao participated in the U20 training camp. Qin Chunxiao would carry large bags, lead him and Fu Biyang, and had an irritated look on his face. During matches, he would explode with anger and even get into fights. However, he quickly became friends with everyone and could connect with them.
But Qin Chunxiao’s attitude towards the players in the Russian club seemed more like surface-level friendship. Although they were still friends, the depth was far from the same.
Qin Chunxiao never expected that Li Ling would be able to perceive such subtle changes. He looked at Two Leng from head to toe, and a thought flashed through his mind—It is said that when Huskies arrive in cold regions, the water in their brains freezes, and their intelligence could regain its dominance.
But it was also possible that it was not Li Ling’s intelligence skyrocketing in a new environment, but rather that he has been growing all along. Today, Qin Chunxiao realized this.
With a parental-like mindset, Qin Chunxiao put his hands in his pockets and explained, “Friendship requires certain conditions. First, we need to have a common standpoint. It forms the foundation of our work and life together. It’s also better if we have a similar cultural background, as it gives us topics to discuss. And when interacting, if our personalities match, we might become friends.”
Li Ling interrupted, “Just like you and me.”
Qin Chunxiao nodded, “Exactly, but it’s different here in Russia. I’ve never been here before, and everything, from the environment to the culture, is unfamiliar. You know, I’m not sure if speaking casually might offend someone, so I prefer to be cautious and adopt a more polite attitude.”
However, being overly polite often creates distance. Moreover, when Qin Chunxiao spoke to these new teammates for the first time, he tried to cater to their interests based on his observations. In this situation, it was challenging to establish a healthy and close relationship. But Qin Chunxiao wasn’t discouraged because, given compatible personalities, he believed he would eventually make new friends.
Just like him and Lu Xuandong, they were initially unfamiliar with each other, but now they were friends who could complain about exams being troublesome.
Li Ling blinked and felt that what Xiaozai said made him feel warm. It wasn’t the content of the words that made him feel warm, but the fact that Qin Chunxiao was willing to say these things to him. It was heartwarming.
And Xiaozai was so amazing! He had just arrived in an unfamiliar place, yet he immediately displayed such a mature attitude towards interpersonal relationships. Li Ling, on the other hand, relied on instinct when making friends and was still clueless.
Li Ling had never analyzed himself like Qin Chunxiao did, but he didn’t think there was anything wrong with it. He simply chuckled and said, “So, Xiaozai, you’re just adapting to the new environment. That puts my mind at ease.”
Qin Chunxiao hugged Li Ling and said, “Let’s go rest now. Before sleeping, you should message your family and let them know you’re settled.”
Li Ling happily agreed, “Okay! I took a lot of photos today and even took a picture with Alexander. He’s the best attacker in Russia. My parents and my brother will be thrilled when they see it.”
In fact, the entire Li family were basketball fans and had limited knowledge of volleyball. Li Ling’s parents and Li Yan might not even know who Alexander was because with the rise of the Russian genius setter, Roman, and the left-handed beast, there was less hype surrounding Alexander, the violent tiger.
Qin Chunxiao tidied up the room, unpacked his luggage, and contacted his family. He sat cross-legged on the floor, looking around the 30-square-meter room, and thought that staying here for a year or two wouldn’t be bad at all.
Moreover, St. Petersburg was a coastal city. If he sat closer to the window, he could faintly hear the sound of the waves and feel the moist sea breeze.
His father, as usual, didn’t answer the phone, so Qin Chunxiao only sent a WeChat message. His mother answered the call and went on for a long time with her instructions. His sister asked if he could adapt to the environment and told him to send back some smearable hyaluronic acid.
Then there were his grandparents who worried about whether Qin Chunxiao could adapt to the language environment. Qin Chunxiao replied that he could understand the road signs he saw, so they didn’t need to worry about him getting lost.
He also sent messages to the coach, teammates, friends, and one by one, he texted until 10 p.m. Then he started to feel sleepy.
He sent a message to the bottom of his contact list.
Qin Chunxiao: [Safely arrived at the Hamster Club. The coach and teammates are all nice. The physical tests went well, and I still have the number 8 on my jersey. It’s the number the club specifically reserved for me.]
There was no response from the other side. Qin Chunxiao covered himself with the quilt, rested his head on the bouncy latex pillow, and suddenly received a reply.
Lu Xuandong: [I’m attending a music festival in Canada.]
This guy went to Canada again?
Qin Chunxiao: [Seems like you’re having a great time after leaving the circle.]
Lu Xuandong: [I want to explore more places. Have you heard the song “What a Wonderful World”?]
What a wonderful world?
Qin Chunxiao tried to translate it and felt that this English phrase could be understood as “This is such a wonderful world.”
Qin Chunxiao: [I haven’t heard it, but I’d like to listen.]
Lu Xuandong sent a video.
Qin Chunxiao received it open, and the camera was a bit shaky. Lu Xuandong was sitting beside the piano, his fingers smoothly playing the keys, producing a fluent melody. He sang a jazz song.
The tune resembled a love song, but it didn’t sound like a confession to a specific person. Instead, it seemed like an expression of love for the world itself.
The world was often terrible, bringing people pain and hardships. But Lu Xuandong had overcome those things, so now he could love everything.
Lu Xuandong loves this world.
Afterwards, Lu Xuandong sent a video call request, and Qin Chunxiao answered. In the shaky video, Lu Xuandong sang the classic song “Besame Mucho.”
Qin Chunxiao couldn’t tell if his Spanish pronunciation was correct, but halfway through, Lu Xuandong stumbled. Not only did he stumble, but he also coughed several times, as if he had choked on his saliva. He looked quite embarrassed.
Qin Chunxiao: [Is your throat uncomfortable? Do you want me to ask someone to send you throat lozenges?]
Xiao Qin’s in Russia, and he didn’t know where to buy Gold Label throat lozenges. If he wanted to send them, he could only ask his friends in China.
There was a long pause before Lu Xuandong replied.
Lu Xuandong: [No need.]
Mysterious small group chat:
Group owner: [Dong Brother went to Canada to have fun~ I saw the fan-taken photos of the international students there, and Dong Brother’s singing skills seem to have improved! Is this man a god?]
Anonym 2: [His singing skills have definitely reached A-level! Anything below A, and I’ll wash my hair upside down!]
Anonym 5: [Among the entertainment circle, how many post-95 singers have singing skills at this level? It seems like only him? Dong Brother is amazing, but wait, it seems like he has already left the entertainment circle.]
Anonym 8: [Dong Brother is carefree now. He can go wherever he wants. This time, he even collaborated with the hottest band at the music festival and had a one-on-one performance with the band’s lead guitarist. They were equally matched. Can you believe it?]
Anonym 3: [Tsk, tsk, this man is a treasure. It’s a pity he left the entertainment circle. QAQ]
Anonym 1: [Not only did Dong Brother leave, but Little Qin also went to Russia to play volleyball. These two are so far apart. Even if they’re prodigies like La Lang, it’s difficult to bridge such a distance. Sigh—]
Anonym 4: [Fortunately, Dong Brother hasn’t completely given up on music. He knows he needs to make appearances at music festivals, or else he’ll have to rely solely on the resources he left before leaving the circle.]
Group owner: [Hahaha, his second video is so funny! He sang halfway and suddenly stumbled. Then he covered his face, looking so embarrassed. Did he lose his breath? Hahaha, it seems like it has been a long time since he last performed on stage and made such a small mistake. But he’s still so adorable~]
Anonym 2: [Ah ah ah! Yomi-taifu has posted again!]
Anonym 3: [Huh? Those two are so far apart now. Does Yomi-taifu still have the motivation to create? She’s amazing! What did she write this time?]
Anonym 2: [Yomi-taifu wrote an AU short story about Dong Brother and Qin Team forming a band. In the story, they are hidden soulmates, so whenever Dong Brother thinks of Qin Team while singing a love song, he immediately stumbles. It’s a fun twist on the concept of hidden soulmates not being able to speak before the countdown!]
Group owner: [Yikes!]
Anonym 4: [Yikes! This CP suddenly became popular again!]
Anonym 5: [Yomi-taifu, my hot topic jumper.]
Lu Xuandong’s appearance at a jazz music festival in Canada became a hot topic in China once again. Truly, even though he left the circle, there were still legends about him within the circle.
Meanwhile, Qin Chunxiao quickly adapted to the increasingly cold St. Petersburg.
Coach Nikolai lived up to his reputation as a great coach, alongside Mars and Lorenzo. If Mars was skilled at finding suitable positions and development directions for players, and Lorenzo excelled at training muscular men, then Nikolai was a typical godfather-style coach.
Nikolai was well-versed in emotional intelligence and was excellent at motivating players with inspirational speeches, encouraging them to fully immerse themselves in Sparta-like training. He was also willing to use his resources to cultivate players.
In practice, he could arrange for the team to train against exceptionally strong opponents.
Nikolai’s teaching philosophy was as follows: Have more challenging matches and let the players solve the problems themselves during the games. As long as the players pass my tests, one day they will become problems that other teams find difficult to solve.
In addition to that, Nikolai personally drove them to go on team-building outings, claiming it would cultivate teamwork.
In a short period of time, Qin Chunxiao learned various skills from his new teammates, such as shooting birds under Oleg’s guidance (with props provided by Oleg’s father), driving, riding motorcycles, playing darts, fishing, climbing trees, building shelters and making fires in the wilderness, as well as CPR and trauma first aid.
Qin Chunxiao: Wait, why did I come to Russia? Why am I learning all these things? And how did I manage to learn them all in such a short time?
When Qin Chunxiao was puzzled, Alexander passed by and naturally said, “Cardiopulmonary resuscitation is very practical in competitive sports. My previous coach retired and came to watch our game. But midway through, he had a heart attack. If it wasn’t for Nikolai performing CPR on him, he wouldn’t have made it.”
Qin Chunxiao: “How is that coach doing now?”
Alexander had an expressionless face. “Not too well. He likes to drink, his liver isn’t in good shape, and recently he has been showing symptoms of senile dementia. He only remembers the names of the players he has coached.”
Qin Chunxiao looked apologetic. “I’m sorry…” for bringing up such a heartbreaking topic.
Alexander replied, “It’s okay.”
He said solemnly, “He comes to watch every game of mine and applauds for me. That’s enough.”
And on October 20th, the Hamster Club’s first match in the Russian Super League was about to officially begin.
The day after tomorrow is October 20th.
Qin Chunxiao’s expression turned serious.
Natasha, Qin Chunxiao’s great-aunt, used to be a pilot for Aeroflot. She had since retired and opened a cake shop in St. Petersburg, which was located just 300 meters east of the Hamster Club’s stadium.
Previously, Coach Nikolai was worried about how to invite the MVP of the U20 World Championship and Asian Championship to play in the Russian Super League. It was Natasha who took the initiative to inform him about how to send a letter to the Qin family in China. When Qin Chunxiao and Li Ling arrived in Russia, Natasha personally came to pick them up.
In her mind, Qin Chunxiao and Li Ling were her brother and sister-in-law’s grandchildren, so it was only natural for her to take care of them.
Anton also came along with Natasha, considering the importance of maintaining a good relationship as the team’s leader.
Their timing was perfect because Qin Chunxiao and Li Ling were originally supposed to have a layover at Sheremetyevo Airport before boarding a flight to St. Petersburg. However, with this terrible weather, if it weren’t for Natasha and Anton’s company and reassurance, Qin Chunxiao would have definitely rescheduled the flight!
Even though Qin Chunxiao was bold, he had experienced being sent to the Western Heaven by Air France before. It was difficult for him to imagine getting on a plane in such extreme weather conditions.
Natasha remained calm and said, “The pilot is my student. This little rain is nothing.”
With Russia’s unpredictable weather, pilots couldn’t perform their job without the skills to arrive, take off, and land on time in various extreme weather conditions.
Her confidence infected Qin Chunxiao and Li Ling, and seeing that other passengers in the airport remained unperturbed, they proceeded to board the plane with determination.
The plane landed on time in windy St. Petersburg, and a shuttle bus came to pick them up.
Qin Chunxiao braved the wind and rain as he climbed onto the bus, feeling that the weather in Russia was too cold. The breath he exhaled turned white, indicating how cold it was.
While Guangzhou in October allowed people to wear short sleeves, Moscow in October only allowed for thick sweaters and pants.
Qin Chunxiao considered himself quite sturdy, yet he was now wearing a down jacket. Li Ling wore a flannel checkered jacket and shivered in the cold wind while rummaging through his backpack, trying to find a scarf to wrap around his neck. Half of his shoulder was already wet from the rain. Qin Chunxiao impatiently pulled him onto the bus.
Natasha drove them in a van from the airport’s parking lot. Throughout the journey, the car’s sound system played “Queen of Rain.” In the drizzle, Qin Chunxiao unexpectedly saw seagulls flying in the wind and rain.
He accidentally caught sight of the bird, but its presence made St. Petersburg even more beautiful.
When they arrived at their destination, Natasha bid farewell to the young men casually.
“Misha, come to the cake shop if you need anything. I hope you have a pleasant time in Russia.”
The van departed, and Qin Chunxiao turned his head to look at the Hamster Club. There was a giant cartoon hamster above the club, with the hamster’s paws holding a pudding. It was said to be related to the club’s biggest sponsor, a food company called Babah.
Anton said to Qin Chunxiao, “Let’s go, the coach and the others have been waiting for you for a long time.”
The Hamster Club attached great importance to the two foreign players they had signed, especially the uniform department. Qin Chunxiao and Li Ling were their first attempt at signing Chinese athletes, and they arrived here as part of the “Champion Puzzle.”
The term “uniform department” in the context of the sports field refers to people wearing suits, mainly referring to the team management who typically handle the introduction of new players.
Qin Chunxiao and Li Ling were taken to their dormitory to drop off their luggage. The dormitory building was not far from the club, and they stayed in a small two-bedroom apartment on the second floor. The apartment had complete utilities and was kept very clean. The windows were bright and clean, and even on cloudy days, the indoor lighting was good.
After settling in briefly, they arrived at the uniform department’s office, where a chubby old man greeted them, saying, “Welcome to the Hamster Club, Misha and Two Leng.”
This old man was Lakov, in charge of player logistics. Li Ling scratched his head, wondering how all these people knew his English name.
Two sets of jerseys, one with a black base and blue trim, and the other with a white base and black trim, were placed in front of them.
“Try them on. I think they will suit you well.”
The Hamster Club specifically reserved jerseys number 8 and 9 for the Twin Stars, as these were their numbers in the national team.
Seeing these two sets of jerseys, Qin Chunxiao couldn’t help but admire the thoughtfulness of the club. Even though they were here as foreign players, seeing how devoted the club was to them, how could they not give their all during matches?
No wonder the Hamster Club was able to quickly rise again after facing major changes in their previous life. With such emotional intelligence and care for their players, success was deserved.
The uniform department then sent the two young men for physical tests. Although they had roughly estimated Qin Chunxiao and Li Ling’s jumping abilities during the U20 World Championship and Asian Championship, seeing the actual data still surprised them.
Look at their arm spans, which were at least 10 centimeters longer than their height, and their approach jumps. As volleyball players, their outstanding talents were visible to the naked eye. Moreover, one was 16 years old and the other was 18 years old, with a lot of room for growth in the future.
Nikolai, who knows when he arrived at the venue, looked at Li Ling’s shoulders and had several thoughts running through his mind.
Up close, this young man had high shoulder mobility and a broad frame. According to the data given by Newton, his bone density was also good. He possessed the valuable talent of having strong shoulders, which was one of the most precious traits for volleyball players.
With such great shoulders, if he refined his skills, his ball trajectory would become more diverse and flexible. Coupled with Li Ling’s reputation for having a peculiar thought process, it would make him even more difficult to defend against.
Qin Chunxiao’s talent, on the other hand, lies more in his legs. He not only had an impressive Achilles tendon but also flexible and sturdy titanium alloy knees and a supple waist. This enables him to have both powerful short-distance sprint speed and agility in changing directions.
When he practiced short sprints, his 200-meter time was even better than his 100-meter time because he excels at running curves compared to others.
Nikolai and the uniform department eagerly waited for Qin Chunxiao’s speed-related data, their eyes wide open.
One assistant wiped his sweat repeatedly and said, “He truly deserves his background in sprinting.”
Another assistant exclaimed, “With this data, why is he still playing volleyball? If I had this talent, I would have gone for the 10-second mark long ago.”
Nikolai silently thanked God in his heart. Without his guidance, such an extraordinary talent would never have ended up in his hands.
Nikolai didn’t think there was anything wrong with bringing in a short-distance running prodigy to play volleyball. After all, where talented athletes ultimately achieve honor was all mystical.
This was similar to the past century when there was a 13-year-old boy named Duncan who won the national championship in freestyle swimming.
However, in 1989, a hurricane swept away the swimming pool in Duncan’s hometown, and he dared not practice freestyle in the sea, fearing that he would be eaten by sharks accidentally. So little Duncan turned to basketball and eventually became an NBA superstar.
This is fate!
Nikolai: I have received the defensive UR Misha Qin, it’s also destiny!
Anton introduced the new players to their teammates: “This is Misha Qin and Two Leng, both excellent players. You have seen their games.”
“Misha, this is our opposite Alexander, main attacker Oleg, and opposite hitter1 Danny.”
Qin Chunxiao quickly remembered their names. Alexander was the opposite hitter for the Russian national team, with a physique resembling that of a humanoid tiger, strong and fierce. He didn’t speak much, and his brown eyes were deep. Last year, the Hamster Club’s performance suffered due to his injury issues.
The main attacker Oleg had a big beard and was said to have connections in the upper echelons. Moreover, this person was famous on the internet in their future because after he shaved his beard, he looked like a two-meter version of Mr. Bean. Many people suspected that he came to play volleyball because his family’s ancestral business couldn’t accommodate that face.
Danny, the substitute opposite hitter, was two meters and nine centimeters tall, with long and sturdy arms. He had the typical physique of a blocking expert. He greeted Qin Chunxiao and Li Ling with kindness and friendliness, giving the impression of being a kind-hearted person.
In addition, there was an Argentinean transfer player named Soso, who specialized in serving. He was of Latin descent, with tanned skin and blue eyes. He was very enthusiastic when he smiled, and his pupils looked like a cat’s.
The substitute setter, Gran, was 1.9 meters tall and born in ’85. He was the big brother in the team, experienced, and after Anton arrived, he occasionally played as a libero on the court. However, this was only because he had the best passing ability in the club, not because his passing was exceptionally strong.
The Russian Super League was nicknamed “Rough Russia,” which gives an idea of how rough the men are in that place. The passing technique in Qin Chunxiao’s eyes… well, let’s not mention it.
Anton cleared his throat and said in English, “Misha, Two Leng, welcome to the Hamster Club family. We are a great team, and I believe that as long as we work together, we can achieve good results. Also…”
He blabbered on, clearly trying his best to be a qualified leader. Qiao Mingming went through a similar phase when he was appointed as the captain of the national team, but he quickly realized that managing the mischievous ones depended on Dundun and managing Dundun depended on the vice-captain Ding Rong.
So Qiao Mingming implicitly agreed that Dundun had the final say on small matters, and the vice-captain had the final say on big matters. As for what constituted a big or small matter, that was left to the judgment of the coach.
But Qin Chunxiao still gave Anton face. He kept a smile on his face and nodded at everything Anton said, making Anton feel satisfied. The way Anton looked at Misha Qin became much gentler.
Before Misha Qin arrived, Anton also worried that the other party might had been spoiled by his teammates in the Chinese team, had a bad temper, and be difficult to manage. However, he was pleasantly surprised to find that Misha had such a good temperament.
In his heart, Anton sincerely thanked the coach: Thank you, Nikolai, for bringing back such a great foreign player for me.
They trained together, running around the gymnasium, doing moderate strength training, and playing 3vs3 practice matches. Qin Chunxiao, Anton, and Alexander were on one team, while Li Ling, Oleg, and Gran were on the other team. Qin Chunxiao’s team had stronger individual abilities, so they won all the matches. However, Li Ling’s team also had high praise for him.
After training, they stretched together, then made plans to have a meal together, welcoming the two Chinese boys.
With a quarter of Slavic heritage and surprising proficiency in the Russian language, Misha Qin easily gained the favor of the club members. A 16-year-old boy coming to his grandfather’s homeland, speaking the language of this land, with crystal-clear blue eyes and decent professionalism, it was hard for anyone not to show a little kindness towards him.
As for Two Leng, his character ensured that he would be comfortable anywhere because his mind generally didn’t have complicated thoughts. This was also one of the important factors that made his thinking difficult to grasp.
Anton drove them to the shopping mall and recommended that they buy down comforters, but not too thick ones, as indoor heating had already started here, and the club’s dormitory had underfloor heating.
However, on the way back to the dormitory, Li Ling curiously asked Qin Chunxiao, “Xiao Zai, are you tired?”
Upon hearing this, Qin Chunxiao self-assessed and confirmed that he still had plenty of energy, enough to go out for a half marathon. He then asked in confusion, “Do I look exhausted?”
Li Ling raised his thumb and said, “You’re super energetic, but I feel that your attitude when chatting with the club members is, uh, different from usual.”
Li Ling couldn’t pinpoint exactly how it was different, but compared to when Qin Chunxiao interacted with others in China, there was a noticeable change.
Li Ling remembered when he and Qin Chunxiao participated in the U20 training camp. Qin Chunxiao would carry large bags, lead him and Fu Biyang, and had an irritated look on his face. During matches, he would explode with anger and even get into fights. However, he quickly became friends with everyone and could connect with them.
But Qin Chunxiao’s attitude towards the players in the Russian club seemed more like surface-level friendship. Although they were still friends, the depth was far from the same.
Qin Chunxiao never expected that Li Ling would be able to perceive such subtle changes. He looked at Two Leng from head to toe, and a thought flashed through his mind—It is said that when Huskies arrive in cold regions, the water in their brains freezes, and their intelligence could regain its dominance.
But it was also possible that it was not Li Ling’s intelligence skyrocketing in a new environment, but rather that he has been growing all along. Today, Qin Chunxiao realized this.
With a parental-like mindset, Qin Chunxiao put his hands in his pockets and explained, “Friendship requires certain conditions. First, we need to have a common standpoint. It forms the foundation of our work and life together. It’s also better if we have a similar cultural background, as it gives us topics to discuss. And when interacting, if our personalities match, we might become friends.”
Li Ling interrupted, “Just like you and me.”
Qin Chunxiao nodded, “Exactly, but it’s different here in Russia. I’ve never been here before, and everything, from the environment to the culture, is unfamiliar. You know, I’m not sure if speaking casually might offend someone, so I prefer to be cautious and adopt a more polite attitude.”
However, being overly polite often creates distance. Moreover, when Qin Chunxiao spoke to these new teammates for the first time, he tried to cater to their interests based on his observations. In this situation, it was challenging to establish a healthy and close relationship. But Qin Chunxiao wasn’t discouraged because, given compatible personalities, he believed he would eventually make new friends.
Just like him and Lu Xuandong, they were initially unfamiliar with each other, but now they were friends who could complain about exams being troublesome.
Li Ling blinked and felt that what Xiaozai said made him feel warm. It wasn’t the content of the words that made him feel warm, but the fact that Qin Chunxiao was willing to say these things to him. It was heartwarming.
And Xiaozai was so amazing! He had just arrived in an unfamiliar place, yet he immediately displayed such a mature attitude towards interpersonal relationships. Li Ling, on the other hand, relied on instinct when making friends and was still clueless.
Li Ling had never analyzed himself like Qin Chunxiao did, but he didn’t think there was anything wrong with it. He simply chuckled and said, “So, Xiaozai, you’re just adapting to the new environment. That puts my mind at ease.”
Qin Chunxiao hugged Li Ling and said, “Let’s go rest now. Before sleeping, you should message your family and let them know you’re settled.”
Li Ling happily agreed, “Okay! I took a lot of photos today and even took a picture with Alexander. He’s the best attacker in Russia. My parents and my brother will be thrilled when they see it.”
In fact, the entire Li family were basketball fans and had limited knowledge of volleyball. Li Ling’s parents and Li Yan might not even know who Alexander was because with the rise of the Russian genius setter, Roman, and the left-handed beast, there was less hype surrounding Alexander, the violent tiger.
Qin Chunxiao tidied up the room, unpacked his luggage, and contacted his family. He sat cross-legged on the floor, looking around the 30-square-meter room, and thought that staying here for a year or two wouldn’t be bad at all.
Moreover, St. Petersburg was a coastal city. If he sat closer to the window, he could faintly hear the sound of the waves and feel the moist sea breeze.
His father, as usual, didn’t answer the phone, so Qin Chunxiao only sent a WeChat message. His mother answered the call and went on for a long time with her instructions. His sister asked if he could adapt to the environment and told him to send back some smearable hyaluronic acid.
Then there were his grandparents who worried about whether Qin Chunxiao could adapt to the language environment. Qin Chunxiao replied that he could understand the road signs he saw, so they didn’t need to worry about him getting lost.
He also sent messages to the coach, teammates, friends, and one by one, he texted until 10 p.m. Then he started to feel sleepy.
He sent a message to the bottom of his contact list.
Qin Chunxiao: [Safely arrived at the Hamster Club. The coach and teammates are all nice. The physical tests went well, and I still have the number 8 on my jersey. It’s the number the club specifically reserved for me.]
There was no response from the other side. Qin Chunxiao covered himself with the quilt, rested his head on the bouncy latex pillow, and suddenly received a reply.
Lu Xuandong: [I’m attending a music festival in Canada.]
This guy went to Canada again?
Qin Chunxiao: [Seems like you’re having a great time after leaving the circle.]
Lu Xuandong: [I want to explore more places. Have you heard the song “What a Wonderful World”?]
What a wonderful world?
Qin Chunxiao tried to translate it and felt that this English phrase could be understood as “This is such a wonderful world.”
Qin Chunxiao: [I haven’t heard it, but I’d like to listen.]
Lu Xuandong sent a video.
Qin Chunxiao received it open, and the camera was a bit shaky. Lu Xuandong was sitting beside the piano, his fingers smoothly playing the keys, producing a fluent melody. He sang a jazz song.
The tune resembled a love song, but it didn’t sound like a confession to a specific person. Instead, it seemed like an expression of love for the world itself.
The world was often terrible, bringing people pain and hardships. But Lu Xuandong had overcome those things, so now he could love everything.
Lu Xuandong loves this world.
Afterwards, Lu Xuandong sent a video call request, and Qin Chunxiao answered. In the shaky video, Lu Xuandong sang the classic song “Besame Mucho.”
Qin Chunxiao couldn’t tell if his Spanish pronunciation was correct, but halfway through, Lu Xuandong stumbled. Not only did he stumble, but he also coughed several times, as if he had choked on his saliva. He looked quite embarrassed.
Qin Chunxiao: [Is your throat uncomfortable? Do you want me to ask someone to send you throat lozenges?]
Xiao Qin’s in Russia, and he didn’t know where to buy Gold Label throat lozenges. If he wanted to send them, he could only ask his friends in China.
There was a long pause before Lu Xuandong replied.
Lu Xuandong: [No need.]
Mysterious small group chat:
Group owner: [Dong Brother went to Canada to have fun~ I saw the fan-taken photos of the international students there, and Dong Brother’s singing skills seem to have improved! Is this man a god?]
Anonym 2: [His singing skills have definitely reached A-level! Anything below A, and I’ll wash my hair upside down!]
Anonym 5: [Among the entertainment circle, how many post-95 singers have singing skills at this level? It seems like only him? Dong Brother is amazing, but wait, it seems like he has already left the entertainment circle.]
Anonym 8: [Dong Brother is carefree now. He can go wherever he wants. This time, he even collaborated with the hottest band at the music festival and had a one-on-one performance with the band’s lead guitarist. They were equally matched. Can you believe it?]
Anonym 3: [Tsk, tsk, this man is a treasure. It’s a pity he left the entertainment circle. QAQ]
Anonym 1: [Not only did Dong Brother leave, but Little Qin also went to Russia to play volleyball. These two are so far apart. Even if they’re prodigies like La Lang, it’s difficult to bridge such a distance. Sigh—]
Anonym 4: [Fortunately, Dong Brother hasn’t completely given up on music. He knows he needs to make appearances at music festivals, or else he’ll have to rely solely on the resources he left before leaving the circle.]
Group owner: [Hahaha, his second video is so funny! He sang halfway and suddenly stumbled. Then he covered his face, looking so embarrassed. Did he lose his breath? Hahaha, it seems like it has been a long time since he last performed on stage and made such a small mistake. But he’s still so adorable~]
Anonym 2: [Ah ah ah! Yomi-taifu has posted again!]
Anonym 3: [Huh? Those two are so far apart now. Does Yomi-taifu still have the motivation to create? She’s amazing! What did she write this time?]
Anonym 2: [Yomi-taifu wrote an AU short story about Dong Brother and Qin Team forming a band. In the story, they are hidden soulmates, so whenever Dong Brother thinks of Qin Team while singing a love song, he immediately stumbles. It’s a fun twist on the concept of hidden soulmates not being able to speak before the countdown!]
Group owner: [Yikes!]
Anonym 4: [Yikes! This CP suddenly became popular again!]
Anonym 5: [Yomi-taifu, my hot topic jumper.]
Lu Xuandong’s appearance at a jazz music festival in Canada became a hot topic in China once again. Truly, even though he left the circle, there were still legends about him within the circle.
Meanwhile, Qin Chunxiao quickly adapted to the increasingly cold St. Petersburg.
Coach Nikolai lived up to his reputation as a great coach, alongside Mars and Lorenzo. If Mars was skilled at finding suitable positions and development directions for players, and Lorenzo excelled at training muscular men, then Nikolai was a typical godfather-style coach.
Nikolai was well-versed in emotional intelligence and was excellent at motivating players with inspirational speeches, encouraging them to fully immerse themselves in Sparta-like training. He was also willing to use his resources to cultivate players.
In practice, he could arrange for the team to train against exceptionally strong opponents.
Nikolai’s teaching philosophy was as follows: Have more challenging matches and let the players solve the problems themselves during the games. As long as the players pass my tests, one day they will become problems that other teams find difficult to solve.
In addition to that, Nikolai personally drove them to go on team-building outings, claiming it would cultivate teamwork.
In a short period of time, Qin Chunxiao learned various skills from his new teammates, such as shooting birds under Oleg’s guidance (with props provided by Oleg’s father), driving, riding motorcycles, playing darts, fishing, climbing trees, building shelters and making fires in the wilderness, as well as CPR and trauma first aid.
Qin Chunxiao: Wait, why did I come to Russia? Why am I learning all these things? And how did I manage to learn them all in such a short time?
When Qin Chunxiao was puzzled, Alexander passed by and naturally said, “Cardiopulmonary resuscitation is very practical in competitive sports. My previous coach retired and came to watch our game. But midway through, he had a heart attack. If it wasn’t for Nikolai performing CPR on him, he wouldn’t have made it.”
Qin Chunxiao: “How is that coach doing now?”
Alexander had an expressionless face. “Not too well. He likes to drink, his liver isn’t in good shape, and recently he has been showing symptoms of senile dementia. He only remembers the names of the players he has coached.”
Qin Chunxiao looked apologetic. “I’m sorry…” for bringing up such a heartbreaking topic.
Alexander replied, “It’s okay.”
He said solemnly, “He comes to watch every game of mine and applauds for me. That’s enough.”
And on October 20th, the Hamster Club’s first match in the Russian Super League was about to officially begin.
The day after tomorrow is October 20th.
Qin Chunxiao’s expression turned serious.
