Volume One: Our Own League Chapter 19: Securing a Spot in the Starting Lineup

After bidding farewell to Zhu Ge and Li Jie, Xu He packed up his things and headed straight home. He had just walked out of the school gates when a voice as clear and melodious as an oriole called out to him from behind. Turning around, he saw, as expected, the ponytailed girl—Li Liying.

For reasons he couldn’t quite explain, Xu He always sensed a certain air of competence about Li Liying, even when she was clad in her school uniform.

What a remarkable girl.

Li Liying waved at him with a smile. “Xu He, you played really well today—you were just like Tsubasa Ozora.”

Thinking back to his “lucky” performance in the match, Xu He’s cheeks flushed with embarrassment at the compliment, feeling somewhat unworthy of such praise.

He quickly shook his head. “Not at all! I’m still far from good enough!”

Li Liying raised a delicate eyebrow. “Hey, aren’t you being a bit too modest? You came on as a substitute, made an assist, scored a goal, and clinched the win for us—isn’t that good enough?”

Xu He replied immediately, “It was all thanks to my teammates. I just got lucky, that’s all.”

Li Liying snorted, “Hmph, how insincere!”

Seeing this, Xu He could only sigh in resignation. “Alright, fine—I’m amazing! I’m the best on the team!”

Li Liying couldn’t help but burst out laughing at his helpless expression.

She giggled. “Alright, I’ll stop teasing you. But seriously, you did perform really well today. I just spoke with Zhu Ge and the others—they all said you were great.”

Xu He said, “I still have a long way to go. There’s so much I need to improve, I have to keep—”

Li Liying waved her hand. “Okay, okay! If you keep this up, I really might be sick!”

Xu He gave an awkward laugh and said nothing more.

They walked side by side, chatting as they went. Suddenly, Li Liying spun around to face Xu He, crossing her arms and walking backwards playfully while fixing her gaze on him.

To be honest, this playful side of Li Liying was quite endearing.

But Xu He found it a little odd.

Her gaze was so intent that it made him uneasy.

Unable to resist, Xu He asked, “Why are you looking at me like that? Do I have something on my face?”

Li Liying clasped her hands behind her back and shook her head mischievously.

Confused, Xu He pressed, “If there’s nothing on my face, why are you staring at me?”

Li Liying pondered a moment before saying, “I always thought you were good at soccer, but I never expected you to be this good. You were excellent today—and so efficient, even Mu Yang praised you!”

Xu He was speechless. He glanced at Li Liying. “So you’re staring at me like that just because of this?”

Li Liying nodded seriously. “You really are impressive, Xu He. I feel like I’ve gotten to know you all over again today.”

Xu He chuckled softly but said nothing, thinking to himself, “I didn’t expect to be this good today, either.”

Suddenly, Li Liying said, “Hey, I have some good news for you.”

Xu He was momentarily taken aback, thinking, “That was a quick change of subject.”

He asked, “What good news?”

Li Liying’s big eyes sparkled as she looked at Xu He. “Guess.”

Xu He shook his head. “I have no idea.”

Li Liying rolled her eyes. “Just take a wild guess.”

Left with no choice, Xu He ventured, “Don’t tell me… I’m going to be starting for the team when the season begins?”

Li Liying abruptly halted, her eyes wide as she stared at Xu He in astonishment. Seeing her reaction, Xu He, who hadn’t thought much of his own guess, also stood frozen, his mouth agape. After a long moment, he stammered, “No, no… Could it be… I guessed right?”

Li Liying’s gaze suddenly sharpened, her eyes narrowing into slits, emitting a chilling intensity.

Murderous intent!

A biting aura swept over Xu He, making his heart skip a beat. He jumped back in fright, waving his arms in panic, stammering weakly, “Wh-what are you going to do?”

Ignoring his fluster, Li Liying stepped forward and fixed him with a piercing stare. “Tell me—how did you know?”

This news was top secret, known to no more than three people. How on earth did Xu He find out? Li Liying was both curious and suspicious.

Xu He’s eyes grew even wider at her reaction, as if two bronze bells.

He exclaimed, “Did I really guess right? I’m going to start? Who told you that? Don’t joke around, I’m not nearly good enough!”

Though Xu He had confidence in himself and believed he deserved a starting spot, based on recent training sessions, his chances seemed slim.

That’s why he was so surprised.

Seeing that his astonishment wasn’t feigned, Li Liying herself was puzzled. “You really just guessed?”

Before Xu He could answer, she nodded slightly to herself. “I suppose you could have—after all, only Mu Yang mentioned it to me, and no one else knows.”

Indeed, just as she was leaving, Li Liying had run into Mu Yang and asked about the team’s plans for the upcoming league, and he’d mentioned that Xu He would be starting.

There was no way Xu He could have heard it from anyone else. It must have been a guess.

Even so, Li Liying looked Xu He up and down, thoughtful.

It wasn’t a random guess—it was because Xu He had strong confidence in himself. In his mind, his ability warranted a starting position.

Li Liying nodded inwardly: “Yes, this is the real Xu He.”

She stared at him. “You’re obviously confident in your own ability—clearly you know how good you are—so why all the false modesty before? You really are something!”

Xu He missed her words, still stunned by her reaction.

He blurted out, “Are you serious? I’m really starting in the league?”

Li Liying rolled her eyes. “Mu Yang said so. You and Zhang Zhen will both be starting.”

Xu He was overwhelmed with excitement. He’d actually earned a starting position—this was incredible.

He nearly leapt for joy.

Now, he looked forward to the upcoming league even more.

Seeing how openly excited Xu He was, Li Liying smiled with satisfaction. “Even if you already know, I still want to give you this good news—Xu He, you’ll be in the starting lineup.”

Xu He was filled with energy. He said enthusiastically, “Thank you, thank you!”

Li Liying waved her hand. “No need to thank me—this is all your own doing. Congratulations, Xu He. I hope you perform well in the league and lead our team to the championship.”

Xu He nodded firmly. “I’ll give it my all and fight for the title.”

He was ablaze with ambition and fighting spirit.

Li Liying, pleased, nodded and said, “Keep it up—we’re all rooting for you!”

With that, she said goodbye and headed home, leaving Xu He standing there, still a bit dazed.

Truth be told, he hadn’t expected such good news to come so suddenly—he already had a starting spot?

He was thrilled.

But then his heart sank, for the upcoming math exam now loomed even larger. If he didn’t do well, he’d be sent to remedial math classes and have no time for soccer at all—he’d lose this hard-won opportunity, which was the last thing he wanted.

Xu He clenched his right fist, cheering himself on: “Come on, Xu He, this time you have to score over 100. You can do it!”

Encouraging himself, Xu He headed home.

Suddenly, a flash of white caught his eye.

Across the street, a small figure in a white No. 47 Chinese national team jersey was stumbling along, dribbling the ball. He looked every bit the amateur; his awkward movements, clumsy touches, and poor control all made that clear.

Yet the little boy was completely absorbed in what he was doing—serious, earnest, meticulous.

Seeing this, Xu He felt a jolt in his heart.

He saw in that boy the shadow of his younger self. When he had first started playing soccer, he’d been just like that.

No, actually—he hadn’t even been that serious back then.

Watching the stumbling figure recede into the distance, Xu He suddenly realized he’d been getting ahead of himself. He shouldn’t be so focused on whether he was starting or not, but rather on training hard and improving himself.

He took a deep breath to steady himself.

He needed to work step by step, just like that little boy.

Wait, wasn’t that boy’s name Lu Yiming?

Xu He nodded slightly, not quite sure if he’d remembered the name correctly, and headed straight home. After wolfing down a few bites of dinner, he rushed to his room, pulled out his math book, and began to study in earnest.

To play in the league, Xu He applied himself with unprecedented diligence.

This time, he was determined to score over 100 in math.

His sudden zeal for studying caught his mother, Tang Qian, by surprise as she fed Xiao Yi and Xiao Fei outside the door. She asked her husband in amazement, “Lao Xu, what’s gotten into the boy today? Is something wrong with him?”

Xu Tie shot her a glance. “Honestly! You worry endlessly when he doesn’t study, and now that he’s working hard, you’re suspicious. What do you want him to do?”

Tang Qian rolled her eyes. “Well, I just think it’s odd, that’s all.”

Xu Tie said, “It’s a good thing—means the boy is growing up!”

Hearing this, Tang Qian’s gaze softened considerably as she looked at Xu He.

She said, “Let’s hope so. I just hope he’s not putting on a show.”

Despite her words, the satisfaction on her face was unmistakable.

Xu Tie chuckled and went back to his meal.

That day, Xu He studied late into the night, only closing his books and going to bed when his mother urged him. The next day in class, he was attentive and focused as ever.

Work hard when studying, play hard when on the field.

This was Xu He’s goal for now.

After classes ended, he arrived at the training ground full of enthusiasm and hope, ready for a new day of practice. With the league just around the corner, he was more eager than ever.

When Lin Xuefeng saw him, he said, “Congratulations, Xu He. I heard from Mu Yang—you’re starting for us in the league.”

Hearing this only fueled Xu He’s fighting spirit.

He had to train even more diligently to improve himself for the upcoming matches.

Li Jie also noticed the change in Xu He, sensing his surging energy.

Upon learning Xu He would be starting, Li Jie naturally offered his congratulations and best wishes.

Before long, Mu Yang also arrived at the training ground.

Xu He’s gaze lingered on Mu Yang, eager to hear about his starting spot from his own mouth. But soon, his attention was caught by the tall figure following behind Mu Yang and Zhu Ge.

Zhu Ge stepped forward and introduced him to everyone. “This is our new teammate—Yang Xin. His position is…” Zhu Ge glanced meaningfully at Xu He. “His position is—forward!”