Volume One: Our Own League 112: Advice from Zhong Haokun

Lin Xuefeng was extremely eager to play under Coach Song Yu.

He immediately said, "I really hope the selection day comes soon. I can't wait to play for Coach Song Yu."

He was full of fighting spirit and brimming with anticipation.

Even Mu Yang, usually so cool and composed, showed a flicker of longing in his eyes.

Who wouldn’t want to play under the coach of the national youth team?

Zhu Ge nodded slightly and said, "From now on, everyone needs to work hard and strive to pass the selection to join the school team. That way, we can continue to fight side by side."

Xu He and the others all nodded in agreement; they all shared this hope.

Everyone was filled with anticipation for the school team tryouts, eager to start immediately and secure a spot on the team.

However, since the school hadn’t announced anything yet, all they could do was wait.

After some casual chatting, Zhu Ge and the others left.

Xu He and Li Jie headed toward the restroom—it was almost time for class, and they needed to take care of some personal matters.

Just as Xu He and Li Jie entered, they saw Tang Jike puffing away with a group of people inside the restroom, filling the entire space with smoke.

This wasn’t the first time Xu He had witnessed such a scene.

Among the boys, some often hid in the restroom to smoke, and the school was well aware of this.

The grade director and Principal Wang had repeatedly emphasized the ban on smoking within campus, especially in the restrooms, during meetings.

The school had even organized several crackdowns specifically targeting those who smoked in restrooms.

Several unlucky students had been caught, forced to stand and be reprimanded in front of the entire school, losing face publicly.

Yet, despite all this, the problem persisted.

Students still found their way to the restrooms to smoke in secret.

Today, Tang Jike was smoking here and seemed to be enjoying himself quite a lot.

More importantly, when Tang Jike spotted Xu He and Li Jie entering, he showed no sign of fear. Instead, he struck a pose he thought was cool and continued smoking, seemingly feeling superior.

Xu He frowned slightly.

He really didn’t understand what was so good about smoking—the smell was strange. It was hard to comprehend why so many people were addicted to it.

Yet, watching these guys smoke, they did look a little bit cool.

Tang Jike immediately approached Xu He and Li Jie, pulling two cigarettes from his pocket and offering them over.

"How about it? Want one?" he asked.

Honestly, Xu He felt a flicker of temptation.

He was curious about the taste of smoking—what kind of sensation could possibly captivate so many people?

Besides, smoking looked quite stylish and mature. Lighting a cigarette seemed to mark a rite of passage, a symbol of adulthood.

Truthfully, Xu He wanted to take one and try.

Li Jie felt the same way—curious and eager to try.

Tang Jike continued to tempt them: "Come on, it feels really good. I bet once you try it, you'll want another. You'll definitely like it. Real men smoke!"

His words stirred something inside Xu He and Li Jie.

Xu He reached out, about to take a cigarette.

Suddenly, a sharp slap landed on his hand, forcing it open.

"Ouch!"

Xu He gasped, the pain sharp and sudden.

Who the hell dared to slap him?

He turned to see Zhong Haokun standing there, eyes wide and blazing with fury.

Xu He was puzzled—what was Zhong Haokun so angry about?

Zhong Haokun glared fiercely at Xu He and Li Jie, then grabbed the cigarettes from Tang Jike’s hand.

In a cold tone, he said, "You damn fool, if I catch you giving them cigarettes again, don’t blame me for being merciless!"

With that, Zhong Haokun shoved Tang Jike hard, pushing him out.

Tang Jike stumbled, nearly losing his balance and falling.

Furious, he spun around, glaring daggers at Zhong Haokun, as if his eyes alone could kill.

Zhong Haokun looked at him calmly and said, "What, wanna fight?"

Tang Jike had wanted to slap Zhong Haokun to vent his anger, but seeing Zhong's tall, muscular frame, his mouth twitched and he immediately backed down.

He wasn’t on the same level as Zhong Haokun. If he started a fight, he’d be the one to suffer.

Not stupid, Tang Jike snorted coldly, said nothing more, and turned away.

Zhong Haokun smiled coldly and took a leisurely drag from his own cigarette.

Xu He and the others were baffled.

Why had Zhong Haokun reacted like that?

Zhong Haokun seemed to sense their confusion and said plainly, "Cigarettes aren’t a good thing. You’d better stay away from them."

Then, he took another deep drag, exhaling smoke.

Xu He and Li Jie rolled their eyes sharply.

Wasn’t that just a blatant lie? He’s smoking right in front of us, yet telling us cigarettes are bad?

They felt utterly speechless.

Ignoring their looks, Zhong Haokun went on, "Look, the pack says it clearly—smoking is harmful to your health."

Xu He and Li Jie nodded; they had seen those warnings before.

Zhong Haokun continued, "Don’t think it’s just a slogan. It’s a warning. Once you start, it’s hard to quit. It will stick with you for life and severely damage your lungs!"

He took another leisurely puff, looking quite pleased with himself.

Xu He and Li Jie rolled their eyes again—he really was saying one thing and doing another.

Zhong Haokun said, "Do you think I’m lying?"

They shook their heads immediately; of course, they didn’t believe he was lying.

Zhong Haokun wasn’t fooled. He said, "You think I smoke because I like it?"

Though they said nothing, their expressions made their skepticism clear.

Zhong Haokun’s smile vanished instantly.

He said coldly, "I don’t actually like smoking. But now, I can’t quit. I’ve tried before but failed. It’s something I can never give up."

Xu He and Li Jie were stunned, eyes wide with shock.

Zhong Haokun said, "Don’t think I’m joking. You can ask the adults in your family who smoke. It’s the same for them."

Hearing this, Xu He and Li Jie felt a bit convinced.

Zhong Haokun went on, "Don’t think smoking makes you cool or different, or that it makes you an adult. There’s nothing cool about it."

Xu He and Li Jie glanced at Zhong Haokun, who continued smoking, lost in thought.

Zhong Haokun said, "It’s especially bad for people like you who enjoy sports. Smoking too much will affect your athletic ability and cause serious harm. If you want to develop in football, you’d better stay away from it."

He flicked the spent cigarette away, lit another, and continued smoking.

Xu He and Li Jie just shook their heads.

Zhong Haokun looked at them and said, "I’ll say it again: I don’t smoke because I like it. I smoke because I can’t quit. I don’t want you to regret it like I do, or to be trapped like me."

Then, he angrily threw the lit cigarette to the ground, stomped on it fiercely, grinding it to ashes.

He growled coldly, "Damn it all!"

Spitting contemptuously on the ground, he warned again, "Don’t say I didn’t warn you. Stay away from this stuff. If I catch you with it, I won’t go easy on you."

With that, Zhong Haokun turned and left the restroom, heading back to class.

Xu He and Li Jie looked at each other, confused.

What had just happened? They had simply come to the restroom, yet it turned into this?

Still, their curiosity about smoking had greatly diminished.

Though Zhong Haokun was normally quiet and not very close to them, they knew his character well.

Today, for him to speak so much about smoking meant he truly cared and what he said was genuine.

Thus, Xu He and Li Jie felt a deep aversion to cigarettes.

Once you start, you can’t quit? That was like a drug.

Xu He turned to Li Jie and asked, "Old Li, do you still want to smoke now?"

Li Jie shook his head immediately. "Since Zhong Haokun said that, I think we better not. He wouldn’t lie to us. This stuff is really terrifying."

Xu He nodded slightly. "Good, I didn’t want to try anyway. I don’t like it—really don’t."

He looked disdainfully at the smoky haze filling the restroom.

Li Jie shot him a sharp glance. "Then who was the one reaching out first just now? If Zhong Haokun hadn’t shown up, you probably would’ve started smoking already."

Xu He glared back. "You don’t talk, no one thinks you’re mute!"

Honestly, Xu He still felt a chill down his spine.

If Zhong Haokun hadn’t appeared out of nowhere, maybe he would have taken that cigarette from Tang Jike—and then he might never have been able to quit.

Just thinking about it sent shivers down his back.

He really didn’t want to fall into this trap of addiction. If it happened, he’d regret it deeply.

At that moment, Xu He’s eyes caught the slogan written on the restroom wall: "Stay away from tobacco, cherish life!"

Indeed, the school had done well to post such warnings.

Xu He said firmly, "I’ll never touch this stuff in my life. Besides, I don’t like the smell—it’s so pungent, it makes my lungs uncomfortable. Let’s go, let’s get out of this awful place!"

With that, Xu He led the way out.

Seeing his resolve, Li Jie quickly followed, heading back to their classroom.