Volume One: Our Own League 158: Is There Truly No Genuine Empathy in the World?

To be honest, Xu He never imagined that behind Lin Xuefeng’s departure lay such a sorrowful story.

In the past, Lin Xuefeng had mentioned how close he was to his grandfather. His grandfather adored him dearly, treating him as the apple of his eye. Lin Xuefeng’s passion for football was deeply influenced by his grandfather.

When Lin Xuefeng was still young, he was left behind in their rural hometown as his parents moved to Jinguancheng to work, striving for a better life for the family. He stayed with his grandparents, growing up by his grandfather’s side. Their bond was extraordinarily close. Throughout his childhood, his grandfather often played with him, took him to play football, and taught him how to master the game. In those formative years when he most needed companionship, it was his grandfather who was always there.

His grandfather held an irreplaceable place in Lin Xuefeng’s heart.

Later, when Lin Xuefeng’s parents succeeded in business in Jinguancheng and accumulated wealth, they brought him to live with them. However, his grandparents, attached to their homeland, declined the invitation to move and chose to remain in the village.

As a result, Lin Xuefeng’s visits to his grandfather became less frequent, but their relationship never waned—in fact, it grew stronger. Whenever he had the chance, Lin Xuefeng would return to the countryside to accompany his grandfather, just as his grandfather had once accompanied him. He would play football with him, proudly showing off the fruits of his recent hard work.

No one expected that his grandfather would suddenly pass away.

The news struck Lin Xuefeng like a thunderbolt. Upon hearing it, he dropped everything and rushed back to the countryside to see his grandfather one last time. Those days must have been unbearably painful for him. No wonder Lin Xuefeng was reluctant to speak of it.

Though Xu He and the others could not fully empathize, they understood Lin Xuefeng’s feelings. They each blamed themselves for their earlier recklessness, realizing they should not have been so careless as to broach the subject.

Lin Xuefeng smiled faintly and said, “It’s okay. I really am fine. You don’t have to be like this.”

Xu He and the others looked at Lin Xuefeng carefully, finally relaxing a bit. They had truly been scared out of their wits just moments before.

Yet, Li Jie’s eyes were bloodshot, tears streaming uncontrollably from his sockets.

Xu He immediately stepped forward and gave Li Jie a big hug, wordlessly comforting his close friend.

Xu He understood deeply that Li Jie was genuinely empathetic.

Li Jie had also been a left-behind child and still was one to some extent. When he was very young, he had lived with his grandparents, with whom he shared a remarkably close bond—closer even than with his parents. Li Jie’s love for football stemmed from his grandfather, a passionate fan who often took the little Li Jie to watch the top-tier Chinese Jia-A football league.

Even at a young age, Li Jie knew many insider stories about the Jia-A league and could speak about it with authority—all thanks to his grandfather.

Eventually, Li Jie’s grandparents passed away one after another, plunging him into deep sorrow. For a long time, Li Jie remained engulfed in grief over their deaths. Xu He had stood by his side throughout, so he understood why Li Jie was now so emotionally overwhelmed.

Li Jie’s parents were still busy and rarely at home. As a result, Li Jie was a semi-boarding student—sometimes at home, often at school, with the latter being more frequent.

Li Jie disliked solitude and silence; he always sought the company of others, especially sticking close to Xu He. When near Xu He, he chattered incessantly, unable to settle down, for silence reminded him of the days he spent with his grandparents.

This was why Xu He, when with Li Jie, always went along with his friend’s moods, playing and teasing him in hopes of keeping his spirits high.

Hearing about Lin Xuefeng’s grandfather’s passing brought back Li Jie’s own memories, making him deeply saddened and empathetic.

Xu He held Li Jie tightly, remaining silent and offering quiet comfort.

The teammates of Class 10’s football team had never imagined that usually cheerful and somewhat goofy Li Jie harbored such pain. They were shocked and deeply sympathetic.

They had no idea Li Jie carried so much heartbreak within.

Lin Xuefeng was also moved and stepped forward to give Li Jie a big hug.

This provoked wild screams from the girls on the sidelines, who cried out in protest. They couldn’t bear to see their idol embrace a boy—they felt the hug belonged to them.

The onlookers laughed at the girls’ jealousy. It was amusing to see them competing for a boy’s attention.

Lin Xuefeng was speechless, turning to glare fiercely at his teammates.

At that moment, Li Jie jumped out and shouted at the girls on the sidelines, “You can’t win! Lin Xuefeng is mine—he belongs to me!”

Hearing this, the boys on the Class 10 football team burst into laughter. Li Jie was truly one of a kind.

Only Xu He did not laugh; he silently watched Li Jie’s retreating back, lost in thought.

The girls, enraged at Li Jie’s outburst, shouted, “How dare he compete with us for Lin Xuefeng! Sisters, get him!”

The flurry of girls gave chase, and the playful scuffle began.

Zhu Ge couldn’t help but laugh.

After a while, Zhu Ge said, “Xu He, you really have a very good friend.”

Staring at Li Jie’s back, Xu He nodded firmly. “Yes. Why? Are you jealous?”

Zhu Ge was momentarily stunned, then said with a hint of wistfulness, “Yes, very jealous.”

Seeming unwilling to dwell on the topic, Zhu Ge shifted gears. “So, do you have business with Mu Yang?”

Xu He immediately replied, “I want to know why Captain Mu Yang suddenly withdrew from the school team tryouts.”

Zhu Ge was surprised that Xu He was seeking Mu Yang over this matter.

He said, “I want to know too. I’ve tried to find him to ask, but haven’t seen him recently.”

Xu He asked, “Didn’t he come to school today?”

Zhu Ge looked up at Xu He and asked, “Why are you so concerned about Mu Yang? It doesn’t seem like you two are that close.”

Xu He said, “Mu Yang is very strong. If he doesn’t join the school team, it would be a huge loss for us. I hope he will join so our school’s chances at the national competition improve.”

Zhu Ge looked at Xu He intently, as if seeing him in a new light.

He nodded slowly. “You’re right. I think the same way. But no one knows where he is lately.”

It was clear Zhu Ge was anxious.

Suddenly, Xu He said, “Do you know where Captain Mu Yang lives? We could go to his house to look for him. Or maybe he’ll come to school tomorrow.”

Zhu Ge glanced at Xu He again, then said, “I know where he lives. Let’s wait another day to see if Mu Yang comes to school. If not, we’ll go to his house and ask him face to face.”

Xu He nodded. That was the best plan for now.

Ding ding ding!

The bell for class suddenly rang, and Xu He and the others were startled. They quickly dashed to their classrooms, having lost track of time in their conversation. Even with Xu He’s 11-second hundred-meter speed, he couldn’t make it on time.

Xu He was definitely going to be late.

He felt helpless—he had only himself to blame.

To make matters worse, this was homeroom teacher Zhang Jun’s physics class. Zhang Jun’s imposing presence made Xu He shiver, and arriving late now was courting disaster.

At this moment, Xu He realized that Li Jie, the unfaithful friend, had already run back to the classroom without calling him. Xu He was furious. He had just been feeling sorry for Li Jie, only to find that Li Jie had pulled this stunt. He didn’t deserve any sympathy.

Inside the classroom, Li Jie saw Xu He standing at the door and even made a face at him.

Xu He ignored the scoundrel, turning his face away.

Zhang Jun, who had just opened his textbook, spotted Xu He and narrowed his eyes into slits, from which gleamed a terrifying sharpness.

The students in the classroom gasped and tensed, clearly frightened by the look. They sympathetically looked at Xu He, silently mourning his impending punishment.

Only Lin Xinya smiled slightly, thinking to herself, “Serves you right!”

Xu He’s heart skipped a beat at Zhang Jun’s expression—it was deadly serious.

He knew he was doomed and about to suffer Zhang Jun’s wrath.

But unexpectedly, Zhang Jun’s expression softened. He said calmly, “Come in. Next time, arrive earlier so you don’t disrupt the class, understood?”

Xu He was stunned. He hadn’t expected such leniency.

Without hesitation, he climbed in quickly, fearing Zhang Jun would change his mind. He bowed to the teacher, then dashed to his seat.

The other students stared wide-eyed in disbelief.

Li Jie poked Xu He’s back and exclaimed, “Wow, Old Xu, are you Zhang Jun’s long-lost nephew or something? Otherwise, how could he let you off so easily?”

Xu He glared fiercely at Li Jie. “If you keep talking, we’re done being friends!”

Zhang Jun then said, “Alright, everyone, focus. Listen carefully. After today’s class, if anyone gets the homework wrong, just wait and see what happens.”