Volume One: Our Own League 160: A Sudden Wave of Intense Crisis

Jingguancheng 17th High School, Principal's Office.

Principal Wang sat quietly at his desk, gazing down at the letter of recommendation in his hands. His facial expressions shifted back and forth, caught between hesitation, awkwardness, and a sense of embarrassment.

However, after a brief moment, he smoothed away all expression and adopted an approachable, friendly smile.

He immediately raised his head, staring at the person before him with a look of pleasant surprise.

Indeed, there was a person standing right opposite Principal Wang.

This man appeared to be around forty years of age, wearing a very ordinary buzzcut. There were no decorations or accessories on his face or body, giving him a remarkably plain and unpretentious appearance. He wore ordinary sportswear, sweatpants, and sneakers—everything about him seemed utterly common.

The only thing that was not ordinary was the pair of confident eyes set upon his resolute, square-jawed face.

Those eyes were exceptionally large and full of spirit.

At a single glance, one could tell he was an extraordinary individual.

This contrasted sharply with his unassuming attire.

Which only served to highlight this man's profound self-assurance.

Principal Wang said with pleasant surprise, "Hello, Coach Quan Hechi! So you are the talent recommended by Coach Zheng Xiao. Please, come and take a seat!"

Yes, the man before him was none other than the head coach candidate recommended to Jingguancheng 17th High School by Coach Zheng Xiao.

Quan Hechi replied modestly, "You flatter me, Principal Wang. I scarcely dare to accept the title of a talent!"

Principal Wang immediately responded, "You are being too modest, Coach Quan! Truly, you are too modest!"

Principal Wang was not merely exchanging polite pleasantries; Coach Quan Hechi was genuinely being humble.

The letter of recommendation brought by Quan Hechi contained his resume—clearly included by Coach Zheng Xiao specifically to prevent Principal Wang from underestimating him.

Although Coach Quan Hechi's resume might not shine as brightly as those of Zheng Xiao and Song Yu, it was nonetheless formidable, carrying considerable weight.

Despite lacking widespread fame domestically, Coach Quan had spent years studying abroad.

Unlike Zheng Xiao and Song Yu, who had gone to Europe to study football, Quan Hechi had chosen South Korea. Perhaps owing to his ethnic Korean heritage—which granted him a natural grasp of the Korean language—he opted to study there.

During his time studying in South Korea, he had played in the South Korean university football league as well as the professional football leagues. Although these were lower-tier leagues, it was still a remarkable achievement for someone of that era. After retiring, he remained in South Korea and became a professional football coach, serving as a youth training coach for several lower-tier South Korean professional teams, and even briefly acting as caretaker head coach for a K2 League club, achieving respectable results with the squad.

Later on, Coach Quan resolutely returned to China to dedicate himself to the development of Chinese youth football.

He had even established his own football training school in his hometown of Yanbian, reportedly cultivating several highly prominent young rising stars.

It was said that Hong Zhenmin, the sixteen-year-old rising star who had just burst onto the scene with the Yanbian Mammoths in the Chinese Super League, was a product of his football school.

To be frank, upon reading these details, Principal Wang could hardly fathom why this man would come to their school to serve as the head coach of an ordinary high school team.

Principal Wang was certain that, based solely on the emergence of the sixteen-year-old rising star Hong Zhenmin, Coach Quan Hechi would never lack for suitors domestically. Professional clubs in the Chinese Super League would undoubtedly extend invitations for him to serve as a club youth coach.

One must realize that during the recently concluded Chinese Super League season, sixteen-year-old Hong Zhenmin, starting from his substitute appearance in the thirteenth round, had skyrocketed like a rocket. By the end of the season, he had firmly secured the starting position of right winger for the Yanbian Mammoths.

Across those seventeen matches, he made a total of five substitute appearances and twelve starts, scoring two goals and providing six assists—statistics that surpassed those of many long-established Chinese football stars. The media hailed him as the "Chinese Supernova" and the "Chinese Beckham," and several outlets named him the "Best Young Player" of the current Super League season.

Subsequently, reporters dug deep into the supernova Hong Zhenmin's background.

To everyone's astonishment, Hong Zhenmin was not a product of the Yanbian Mammoths' own youth academy; rather, he had been signed at the beginning of the year from a private football school in Yanbian. Rumor had it that to secure Hong Zhenmin, the Yanbian Mammoths had paid the school a training compensation fee of 500,000 Chinese Yuan.

Hong Zhenmin had joined this school four years prior at the age of twelve, stepping into it virtually as a blank slate. After spending four years there, he leaped onto the stage of Chinese professional football and achieved such staggering results.

Naturally, media reporters became deeply interested in this football school and began unearthing further information.

The school's principal, Quan Hechi, did not receive excessive media attention. Instead, Jin Songgen—the enlightenment coach whom Quan had pushed to the forefront—was swarmed by reporters and thrust into the limelight.

That was why Principal Wang had initially felt that this man lacked domestic renown.

However, upon seeing the credentials enclosed by Zheng Xiao and recent news reports, Principal Wang truly did not dare to look down upon the coach before him.

Yet, he still could not comprehend one thing.

Logic dictated that with Hong Zhenmin's rise to fame, Quan Hechi should have enjoyed a surge in reputation, attracting widespread attention and stepping into the Chinese professional football scene to coach in the youth academies of top-tier professional clubs. After a couple of years of seasoning, who was to say he might not have managed a professional club in the Super League?

Why would he forsake such a glittering future to apply for a job at an ordinary high school team?

It made no sense!

Principal Wang almost felt as though he were watching an absurd theatrical play.

In a sense, Coach Quan Hechi was even more famous than Coach Zheng Xiao.

Principal Wang immediately inquired, "Coach Quan, logically speaking, with your resume, you could easily secure a position with top-tier professional teams. Why on earth must you apply to an ordinary middle school like ours? This is simply... unbelievable!"

Quan Hechi, perhaps anticipating this exact question from Principal Wang, replied, "The reason I returned to China is precisely because I wish to devote myself to Chinese youth football and engage in youth training. At the same time, I want to focus on promoting the popularization of football, getting more children involved in the sport..."

Admiration—profound, boundless admiration.

Principal Wang held the utmost respect for the man before him.

To be able to abandon such promising prospects and lucrative futures, returning to China to immerse oneself wholeheartedly in Chinese youth football—a field with virtually no public spotlight—was truly worthy of the highest praise.

Devoting oneself to youth training was not a task of a day or two; it required a decade or decades of long-term, unflagging, and persistent investment. Furthermore, decades of such work might bring little to no attention, and very likely no substantial reward at all.

Therefore, Principal Wang deeply admired the fellow sitting before him.

To tell the truth, looking at Coach Quan Hechi, Principal Wang felt sorely tempted.

However, it was unfortunate that their school had already found a head coach. Coach Yangtong Mingxiong had already assumed office at the school team, leaving no vacancy for Coach Quan Hechi.

Moreover, the primary reason was that Principal Wang felt it was a gross waste of talent for Coach Quan Hechi to serve as a mere high school team head coach. A talent like Coach Quan belonged in a place better suited to him, developing in major arenas and teaching a greater number of people...

Jingguancheng 17th High School was simply far, far too small for him.

With deep regret, Principal Wang informed Coach Quan, "I'm terribly sorry, Coach Quan. It seems this trip may have been in vain for you. Because our school team recently hired a head coach, and he and his coaching staff have already taken charge here, so... I am truly sorry!"

Upon hearing this, Quan Hechi furrowed his brow, completely caught off guard by this turn of events.

Had he arrived too late?

To be honest, Quan Hechi felt a wave of profound disappointment. He had arrived here brimming with enthusiasm and filled with high aspirations. He had even believed that with his credentials, securing the position would be a foregone conclusion.

Who could have imagined he would actually encounter Waterloo here?

Quan Hechi stared intently at Principal Wang and asked, "Is there truly no other way? I very much wish to serve as the head coach of your school team. Furthermore, I have extensive experience in youth development and will certainly not squander the fine talents your school possesses!"

Suddenly, a sharp gleam flashed through Principal Wang's eyes. He realized the true reason why Quan Hechi had come to their school.

This fellow must have come for the talented prospects at their school.

He had heard about these talented youngsters more than once before. Song Yu had mentioned them to him, Zheng Xiao had spoken of them, Yangtong Mingxiong and Xu Dongsheng had all talked about them, and now Quan Hechi was mentioning them as well. Was this not obvious?

Clearly, this man had come specifically for the school's young talents.

Principal Wang was immensely surprised, deeply shocked!

Were the talented youths in their school truly that remarkable? Had they really reached such an extraordinary level? To the extent that they could attract a coach like Quan Hechi, causing him to abandon opportunities at professional teams and apply for a job at an ordinary middle school?

Principal Wang suddenly felt as though he were holding a few precious nuggets of gold in his hands.

He was excited, but even more so, filled with anxiety!

He worried that he might not be able to hold onto these golden nuggets. If the assets currently in his hands were already drawing this much attention, what about the future?

Who could say whether professional team youth coaches might come poaching from the school down the road?

Would he be able to keep hold of these precious treasures?

Principal Wang's heart was fraught with worry, though he did not let it show on his surface. He said to Coach Quan Hechi, "I am truly sorry, Coach Quan, but our school has already engaged a coach. I deeply regret making you travel such a long distance for nothing!"

Hearing this, Quan Hechi was profoundly disappointed, the despondency in his eyes plainly visible.

To tell the truth, when Zheng Xiao had first introduced him to the talented prospects discovered at Jingguancheng 17th High School, Quan Hechi had been intensely moved. He trusted the judgment of both Zheng Xiao and Song Yu; since both of them spoke so highly of these youngsters, he could be certain these prospects were truly exceptional.

Quan Hechi had been struck by a keen hunter's eagerness. Right then and there, he had set his mind on becoming the head coach of these youngsters, to properly nurture them and mold them into a second, third, and fourth Hong Zhenmin, allowing more teenage football prodigies to emerge in Chinese football...

Consequently, Quan Hechi had immediately handed over his school's affairs to the local teachers and his assistant, and boarded a flight straight to Jingguancheng.

Regrettably, he had arrived a step too late, yet he still refused to give up.

He asked, "Principal Wang, might I stay and observe your school team's training session?"

Principal Wang was naturally reluctant; he feared that these precious nuggets in his hands were too dazzling, and might arouse the covetous desires of Coach Quan. What if this man ended up trying to snatch these treasures away to his football school in Yanbian?

Yet, it was difficult for him to refuse outright, seeing as he was the one who had asked Zheng Xiao to recommend talent in the first place.

After a moment of consideration, Principal Wang said, "Of course you may!"