Volume One: Our Own League Chapter 118: Principal Wang Announces the Formation of the School Football Team

On the weekend, Xu He naturally did not go hiking with Li Liying. He truly stayed home to practice extra; he genuinely had no time. Besides, Xu He wasn’t particularly fond of hiking—it seemed rather daunting to him.

It seemed likely that for quite some time, no one would be going hiking.

At home, Xu He trained diligently, striving to improve himself. He believed he had made significant progress and was confident that next season he would become a starting player on the team.

Of course, this was Xu He’s own assessment.

That weekend, Li Liying stayed home as well—her mother had her practice piano, preparing for an upcoming grade examination.

That week passed productively for both of them, and soon the new week arrived.

During Monday’s regular meeting, Xu He finally heard the news he had been eager to learn. Principal Wang announced it publicly.

Principal Wang said: “According to directives from the National Sports Bureau and the Ministry of Education, to enhance the physical fitness of our Chinese youth and to cultivate their sense of teamwork, major schools across China will vigorously promote campus football. Our Jinguan City No. 17 Middle School will actively respond to these directives by forming a school football team. We encourage students from all grades who are passionate about football and interested in joining the team to participate enthusiastically...”

Upon hearing this news, Xu He was so excited that he practically leapt up.

He had finally received the message he’d been waiting for.

Naturally, the other teammates were equally thrilled. They had been awaiting this confirmation, and now that it was official, everyone was overjoyed.

Many embraced each other passionately, congratulating one another.

Xu He shared an enthusiastic hug with Li Jie, which promptly drew a reprimand from their homeroom teacher, Zhang Jun: “What are you two doing? Do you have no sense of discipline? Can’t you see the principal is still speaking? Stand properly! If this happens again, you’ll be standing up front next time. Understood?”

Only then did Xu He and Li Jie compose themselves and stand properly.

Still, their hearts were racing with excitement—the formation of the school team was finally taking shape.

Principal Wang continued: “Students who are interested, please prepare seriously. The school team will hold three rounds of tryouts, and only those who pass all rounds will be admitted to the team. The tryouts are tentatively scheduled for next Friday. Once the school finalizes the head coach of the team, the selection process will commence.”

Hearing this schedule, Xu He and the others were even more thrilled.

They would finally have the chance to try out and make the team.

Xu He was elated the whole day, even during his after-school extra training session; his enthusiasm greatly increased. It seemed he had found new motivation to work harder, aiming to improve rapidly so he could be selected for the team.

His competition was fierce, and many of his rivals were strong players. He had to push himself even more.

During training, Xu He put in tremendous effort.

Naturally, Li Jie was no different—they both fought hard to join the team.

Xu He also noticed Lu Yiming and his small entourage training even more vigorously. Perhaps Principal Wang’s announcement had inspired them too—they wanted to join the team as well.

Xu He shook his head slightly. No way!

Although Lu Yiming trained diligently almost every day, his actual experience with football was limited, and he still had a long way to go before making the team.

Still, Xu He was touched by Lu Yiming’s attitude.

He realized he needed to train even harder; otherwise, Lu Yiming might surpass him sooner or later.

So, Xu He intensified his training.

That day, he practiced until very late before leaving, yet Lu Yiming and his followers were still on the field, training tirelessly.

Xu He couldn’t help but marvel, “Lu Yiming trains way too hard, doesn’t he?”

Li Jie nodded in agreement.

“I thought you were the hardest worker here, but it turns out there’s someone even more dedicated. If Lu Yiming keeps this up, he’ll definitely be a formidable rival.”

Indeed, Li Jie was already thinking ahead to future leagues.

Xu He agreed—if Lu Yiming maintained this persistence, he might become a serious threat to their football team by the season after next.

As night fell, Xu He said goodbye to Li Jie and headed straight home.

Li Jie, on the other hand, returned to the school dormitory instead of going home that day.

Li Jie was a semi-boarding student—sometimes he went home, other times he stayed at school. This was mainly because his parents were very busy with work and often traveled. If they were away on business trips, Li Jie would remain at the dorm.

It happened that Li Jie’s parents had just left on a trip this week, not expected back until Thursday. So he would be spending most of the week at school.

Seeing Xu He leave, Li Jie packed up his things to rest.

If not for Xu He, Li Jie wouldn’t have practiced extra sessions. He loved football but not as passionately as Xu He; to him, Xu He was a bit obsessed.

Li Jie’s parents hoped he would get into a good university, so he worked hard academically and didn’t want to disappoint them. If not for Xu He being his close friend, he wouldn’t have invested so much time in football practice.

Li Jie glanced toward the field—Lu Yiming was still training. That was even crazier than Xu He.

He shook his head in disbelief—there really were such fanatics.

However, he deeply admired Lu Yiming’s grit and determination. Such perseverance and hard work were rare; the future looked bright for him.

Li Jie knew he could never match Lu Yiming’s dedication, so he respected him greatly.

Not wanting to disturb them, Li Jie went straight to the dormitory, took a shower, ate dinner at the school cafeteria, and then rested.

Both Li Jie and Xu He had a very fulfilling day.

Of course, Xu He was especially excited—he had received the news he longed for and could hardly wait for the school team tryouts. That night, he barely slept, too thrilled to rest.

Fortunately, he woke up on time the next morning; otherwise, he would have been late.

As he left the house, his mother, Tang Qian, scolded him thoroughly—he had nearly overslept.

When Xu He entered the classroom, the bell for class was just ringing, causing Ye Ziqing to furrow her brow slightly.

Ye Ziqing said, “Some students, can you please arrive a bit earlier? Stop always stepping into class right as the bell rings. Wouldn’t it be better to come early and preview the lesson?”

Xu He immediately lowered his head and dashed to his seat.

He clearly understood that Ye Ziqing was addressing him, which made him a bit embarrassed—quite awkward.

Seeing Xu He settle quickly, Ye Ziqing did not press further. After all, in her eyes, Xu He was a good student with excellent academic performance. She didn’t want to make him too uncomfortable and simply said, “Turn to page 45 in your books. Today, we will study...”

As Ye Ziqing began the lesson, Xu He finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Luckily, she spared him this time—otherwise, he would have been utterly humiliated.

Although Xu He’s heart was racing with excitement over the upcoming match and the tryouts, he focused on his studies during class.

He knew very well that if he didn’t study hard, he would never have the opportunity to play football in the future.

To join the school team and compete in national tournaments, he had to maintain good grades.

Thus, Xu He was very diligent in his studies.

Ye Ziqing was pleased to see Xu He applying himself seriously. Though mischievous at times, he was earnest in learning, which she appreciated.

That day, Xu He was attentive throughout all his lessons.

When the classes ended, Xu He was ecstatic. He was the first to rush out of the classroom, heading straight for the playground.

Li Jie followed, chasing after him, shouting, “Old Xu, wait for me! Why are you running so fast?”

Xu He did not slow down but waved at Li Jie to hurry up, signaling him not to fall behind.

Li Jie was exasperated and muttered, “Does he think everyone runs as insanely fast as he does?”

Indeed, to Li Jie, Xu He’s speed was nothing short of extraordinary.

When Xu He arrived on the field, no one else had shown up yet—he was the first.

Li Jie soon caught up, panting heavily.

“Look, running this fast is pointless! No one else is here either. You should save your energy for the match instead of wasting it now,” Li Jie said.

Xu He rolled his eyes and replied, “You’re so weak. If that’s the case, I really worry about you.”

Still catching his breath, Li Jie bent over, hands on knees, and asked, “Worry about what? What’s there to worry about?”

Xu He answered straightforwardly, “With your stamina and speed, do you think you’ll pass the tryouts? How could I not worry?”

Li Jie shot him a glare. “Stop being a jinx! I’ll definitely make the team!”

Xu He and Li Jie chatted casually as their teammates gradually arrived, soon filling the field with lively energy.

Xu He chatted intermittently, waiting eagerly for the match to begin.

His gaze often fixed on Zhu Ge, curious whether he would be a starter in this game.

This was a matter of great concern to Xu He.

Once all teammates had gathered, Zhu Ge announced the starting lineup for Class Ten’s football team.

Xu He listened with anticipation, confident in his recent good form, rapid progress, and hard work in training. He believed he deserved a spot in the starting eleven.

But when the list was announced, his name was absent.

His brows furrowed tightly in disappointment.

He truly thought he would start this match. His current state was much better than Yang Xin’s. Why wasn’t he selected ahead of him? Could it be that Zhu Ge favored Yang Xin more?

He was deeply disheartened.