Volume One: Our Own League Episode 098: The Brightest Star of the Match

Yang Xin looked awful. When he came off the field, he kept his head down so no one could see his expression.

He did not even slap hands with Xu He.

He simply walked past Xu He with his head lowered.

Xu He frowned deeply, not expecting Yang Xin to react like that.

A trace of displeasure also rose in his heart.

But Xu He did not dwell on it. He bent down, touched the turf, and then sprinted back onto the pitch.

Once inside the field, Xu He moved straight to the front line and signaled his position to his teammates, telling them to pay more attention to his runs.

It was obvious he felt no stage fright at all.

From the very start, he carried himself like a man intent on seizing control of the match and taking it over.

Utterly confident.

On the other side, Zhuo Jun fixed Xu He with a hard stare, then reminded his teammates once more: “Watch him. It’s this kid. Mark him tightly and don’t give him any space. Everyone be careful; he is not easy to deal with.”

Yes, in Zhuo Jun’s eyes, Xu He was far harder to handle than Yang Xin.

Xu He was as slippery as an eel; you simply could not get a grip on him.

Compared with Xu He, Yang Xin was like a wooden stake, far too easy to defend against.

Zhuo Jun knew that what came next would be the real test of Class Sixteen’s defensive resolve.

He shouted, “Keep it up!”

The players of Class Sixteen’s football team immediately dropped into defense, cautious and disciplined. Of course, their eyes burned with fire whenever they looked at Xu He; they would not give him a chance.

There were still more than twenty minutes left in the match, plenty of time to score.

It was also enough time for Xu He to make his mark.

Xu He himself was brimming with confidence. He kept raising his hand to call for the ball and threw himself actively into the attack. But his teammates rarely sent the ball to him, because Zhuo Jun kept glued to his side.

Xu He was speechless. He turned to Zhuo Jun and said, “Could you stop sticking to me all the time?”

Zhuo Jun narrowed his eyes slightly. “Go back to your half, and I’ll stop sticking to you.”

Xu He rolled his eyes at him, then instantly turned and charged toward Class Sixteen’s penalty area.

A through ball from the midfielder Zhu Ge came immediately, sent into the space Xu He was running into.

What a chance!

With a bang, Zhuo Jun slid in and hooked the ball away from Xu He’s feet. The ball rolled at speed into Xu Donglai’s arms.

Zhuo Jun had not taken the bait; he had not been fooled by Xu He’s words at all. Instead, he had turned the tables with a sliding tackle and ruined Xu He’s golden opportunity.

Xu He stumbled, then looked back at Zhuo Jun with a wry smile.

This kid was formidable.

Zhuo Jun seemed to read his meaning. He brushed the turf off himself with a faint smile and said, “Right back at you.”

Their eyes met, and sparks flew.

Both of them were suddenly flooded with fierce fighting spirit.

Xu He stared at Zhuo Jun and said through clenched teeth, “Today, I will score. I will!”

Zhuo Jun refused to yield. “With me here, you can forget about scoring today.”

The two had locked horns.

Xu He snorted coldly and turned at once to join the next attack.

On the other side, Lin Xuefeng had the ball. He glanced at the box, then immediately swung his left leg, preparing to cross directly. The defenders in the penalty area all compressed toward the middle at once, while Zhuo Jun stuck tightly to Xu He, not allowing him any opening.

Who would have thought that Lin Xuefeng would immediately cut inside with the ball and drive straight into Class Sixteen’s penalty area?

The defenders of Class Sixteen realized they had been fooled and rushed out to close him down. But it was already too late. Lin Xuefeng surged into the box and unleashed a left-footed thunderbolt.

With a bang, the ball skimmed over the turf and shot at speed toward goal.

The pace was terrifyingly fast.

And the shot had come so suddenly that it looked certain to go in.

The students of Class Ten leaped up in excitement.

The ball rocketed toward Class Sixteen’s goal, and just as it was about to roll into the net, Xu Donglai’s outstretched hand appeared and blocked it dead.

With a snap, the ball bounced fiercely back into the box.

Xu He, sprinting in, saw the rebound come his way and was overjoyed. He immediately threw himself down and slid in for the finish.

His reaction was incredibly fast, so fast that none of the Class Sixteen players had time to respond. By the time they did, it was already too late.

Even Zhuo Jun was half a beat slower than Xu He. He too went to ground and stretched out a leg, but it posed no threat to Xu He and could not reach the ball either.

Zhuo Jun’s heart sank with bitterness.

This kid really was difficult to deal with.

With a bang, Xu He struck the ball cleanly, sending it flying toward the open net.

This one was surely in!

Absolutely certain to go in!

Everyone on the pitch thought so, because no one could stop it now.

Zhu Ge and Mu Yang both raised their fists and jumped, staring excitedly at Xu He, ready to rush toward him in celebration.

On the bench, Yang Xin saw this and went livid. He snatched up a white towel and draped it over his head, unwilling to watch any longer. In his heart, he surely hated Xu He to the bone.

He had fought with everything he had on the pitch for so long, only to be outshone by Xu He in a matter of minutes.

The blow was devastating.

And when he had been on the field, Zhuo Jun had completely suppressed him. Now what? Zhuo Jun had been utterly blown away by Xu He in one move. Was Xu He that good, or was he just that useless?

He could already imagine how the spectators would judge him, and fury surged through him.

Damn Xu He!

Xu He had already spread his arms, ready to leap away in celebration.

He did not think anyone could stop the ball from flying into the goal.

But the next instant, his eyes widened, and he stared in utter disbelief, his mouth falling open as he cried out, “No way—how can that even happen?”

Just as Xu He completed the follow-up shot, Xu Donglai, who had gone to ground, did not give up.

With a forceful push from one hand against the turf, he hurled his body upward, at the same time snapping his right leg up and across the face of goal.

Then, with a bang, the ball struck his leg and rebounded violently out of the area.

Xu He clutched his head in disbelief.

How in the world did he save that?

At that moment, Xu He found himself thinking the same thing Zhang Zhen would have: was Xu Donglai an alien?

That reaction was insanely fast.

It was almost inhuman.

Xu He did not believe it, and none of the players from Class Ten believed it either. They all wore the same stunned, incredulous expressions as Xu He, as if they had seen a ghost.

Even the players of Class Sixteen had not reacted in time; they could not believe it either.

He saved that too?

Then Zhuo Jun sprinted straight to the goalmouth and bent down to hug Xu Donglai, muttering, “Amazing! You’re incredible! Xu Donglai, you’re a world-class goalkeeper!”

He was truly overwhelmed.

In such a short span, Xu Donglai had made two consecutive saves at the very limits of possibility. He looked almost divine.

Even Song Yu in the stands had his mouth hanging open.

The goalkeeper’s performance could only be described as godlike. Each of those two saves, taken alone, had been tremendously difficult. Yet this man had produced them one after the other. It was truly beyond expectation.

And in Song Yu’s view, neither of Class Ten’s two shots had been poor; both had been executed superbly. Either of those efforts, against another goalkeeper, might not have been saved at all. Xu Donglai was genuinely impressive.

Song Yu could see in Xu Donglai the makings of a top-class goalkeeper.

He suddenly felt that Jinguan City No. 17 High School was actually quite decent; there were indeed a few promising prospects there. Unfortunately, none of them had ever received any professional training, and their techniques were still far too amateur.

Still, he was confident he could bring them along.

What remained uncertain was whether these youngsters would be willing to walk the path of professional football.

That road was far too difficult. Even with immense talent, one might still never become a true player.

Song Yu fell into thought as he watched the pitch.

Meanwhile, the match continued.

The emotions on both sides had changed dramatically. The players of Class Ten were beginning to lose confidence, uncertain whether they could overcome that freakish goalkeeper. The defenders of Class Sixteen, on the other hand, were growing more and more confident, their belief drawn from Xu Donglai’s outstanding performance.

The players of Class Sixteen were convinced that as long as Xu Donglai stood before the goal, they would not concede.

Thus, the match gradually took on the feeling of a dead heat.

Even though Class Sixteen had very few attacking opportunities.

Xu He immediately roared, “Attack! We’ve got the upper hand. The next one will go in for sure, and they can’t stop us!”

Zhuo Jun and the players of Class Sixteen all turned and glared fiercely at Xu He.

If looks could kill, Xu He would have been long dead.

Xu He immediately raised his hand, demanding the ball, as if he were saying, fire at me if you dare. The defenders of Class Sixteen were also startled by his determination and quickly tightened their marking.

With a bang, Li Jie launched a long pass straight toward the front.

Xu He used his body to hold off Zhuo Jun. At first he had wanted to bring the ball down and deal with it himself, but Zhuo Jun’s interference was too strong, and he had no confidence in controlling it cleanly. So he cushioned the ball with his chest instead, laying it off to his partner, Zhang Zhen.

Seeing the ball come in, Zhang Zhen did not control it. Instead, he turned side-on just outside the edge of the box and swung through it in one sweeping strike.

With a bang, the ball flew toward goal like a shell leaving the barrel of a cannon.

The faces of the Class Sixteen students all changed.

With a slap, Xu Donglai parried the ball over the end line.

The students of Class Sixteen immediately sent thunderous applause Xu Donglai’s way. He was undoubtedly the brightest star of the entire match.

Xu He stared hard at Xu Donglai, making up his mind that he would break through the goal Xu Donglai was guarding no matter what.

Corner kick!

Class Ten had won a corner.

Now the game had entered its final minutes, and time was running short for Class Ten. If they could not score, the two sides would have to go into extra time.

If that happened, then Class Sixteen’s strategy would have succeeded.

Xu He drifted back and forth inside the box, left and right, signaling to Lin Xuefeng to send him the ball. But Zhuo Jun kept following him every step of the way, which made Lin Xuefeng hesitate.

Then, suddenly, Lin Xuefeng curled a pass toward the top of the box.

Mu Yang!

Mu Yang was there again!

Watching the ball come in, he did not wait for it to land. He attacked it first time, swinging through with all his might.

Bang!

Mu Yang struck the ball cleanly, and it rocketed toward goal.

At first it seemed destined to sail over the crossbar, but then it suddenly dipped, falling toward the upper right corner of Class Sixteen’s goal.

The hearts of the Class Sixteen students clenched in despair.