I Really Am Just a Substitute – CH19

Chapter 19

[The ladder really appeared when the guests first entered!?]
[What the hell, is this a sports variety show or a mystery thriller?]
[Let’s recap Ning Zhou’s episode one actions: instantly finding the right camera, counting moving ducks while lying flat in five seconds, being the first to spot the easiest climbing route, noticing the ladder that neither crew nor viewers saw…]
[Creepy when you think about it—the word “vase” is stuck in my throat, I can’t say it anymore. How does he do it? /shocked cat head/]
[The show’s effect is maxed out—there must be a script, right?]
[Not even a scriptwriter would dare write this: first captivate the audience with looks, then reveal sharpness in small details, slowly overturning the “vase” label…]
[The most unbelievable part—Ning Zhou’s face right now is all “What are you guys even talking about?”]

The camera cut back to the set, Ning Zhou quietly folded the ladder and put it back.

Leaned against the shadows, folded down to half size, it blended into the wall so well you’d miss it without looking closely.

Yu Tong studied it for a while, then asked the audience’s burning question, “Ning Zhou, at that time, everyone was focused on the ‘entrance.’ How did you notice and remember the ladder? Did you predict it’d be useful later?”

“I didn’t deliberately remember…”

Ning Zhou pointed to the corner of his eye, “Someone once said my field of vision is wider than others. I just subconsciously notice the details around me.”

“So that’s it!”

Yu Tong suddenly understood, “So that explains everything. Counting the ducks must’ve been thanks to this too, right?”

Ning Zhou tilted his head, thought for a moment, and answered uncertainly, “Maybe…”

[Wide field of vision? This is the first time I’ve heard of such a skill…]
[I don’t really get it, but damn, that’s impressive!]
[I declare that the title ‘pretty vase’ no longer suits Ning Zhou—it’s a thing of the past.]
[Come on, it’s just a little cleverness in a variety show. Why are you hyping him up? There’s no record of him in the men’s national volleyball team!]
[Isn’t the men’s team in training camp right now? I heard there’s a major overhaul, with players for the national first team being reselected. Ning Zhou might actually make it!]
[Don’t be ridiculous. With his height, at best he’s a benchwarmer in training. If he ever makes it to an international tournament, I’ll call everyone in this livestream my dad! /LOL/]

…

The live comments quickly shifted from the show to the men’s volleyball team, with negative remarks far outweighing positive ones.

Director Zhang, seeing the situation turning sour, urged through the work mic, “Quick, think of a way to change the topic!”

The PD hurriedly flipped through the script, looking for backup strategies, practically sweating bullets…

“Um…”

Ning Zhou leaned closer to the director’s team, looked at the PD with shining eyes, “We cleared the rock-climbing challenge—do we get a reward?”

The savior came too suddenly. The PD snapped the script shut, moved almost to tears.

Ning Zhou’s brow twitched, “Sorry, was that too rude a question…”

“No, no!” The PD grabbed his hand, solemnly declaring,
“That was the perfect question! Exactly what you should’ve asked!”

Ning Zhou: ?

The PD instructed the guests to stand in a row and handed each person a card, “Congratulations to the Sports Team for completing all the tasks in the first episode! Your reward is a Yu Group shopping card, usable nationwide in any Yu store!”

As the “Yu family’s young lady,” Yu Tong instantly lost interest, spinning the card between her fingers, “A reward like this seems kind of redundant for me, doesn’t it?”

She glanced at Ning Zhou and noticed him cradling his card, eyes practically glowing—utterly delighted by the prize.

After filming ended, Yu Tong shoved her own card into his hand.

“Eh? Sister Yu, I can’t—”

“Take it!” Yu Tong smiled with her usual bold flair.
“Consider it a welcome gift from your teammate’s sister. Yu Bai must’ve given your team plenty of trouble, right?”

Ning Zhou hesitated, “At first, a little… but now he’s very well-behaved.”

“Don’t make excuses for him!” Yu Tong looked utterly disgusted.
“I know him better than anyone—stubborn and hotheaded, never fit in since he was a kid. The fact that you’re willing to be his friend makes me want to bang drums and set off firecrackers in celebration!”

“….”

After she left, Ning Zhou stared at the two cards in his hand, scratching his cheek.

But really, he thought Yu Bai was being well-behaved…

“Ning Zhou!” The liaison bounced over, patting him on the back.
“Good job today! I’ll help you remove your makeup!”

Ning Zhou tucked the cards away, pointed at his eyebrows, “Then I’ll trouble you.”

“?” The liaison dampened a cotton pad with remover.
“Just the eyebrows? Nowhere else?”

“Mhm. The makeup artist said foundation actually looked worse than bare skin, so she only did my brows and hair.”

The liaison dabbed at his skin, confirming there was no base makeup, and shook their head in wonder, “Incredible. Ning Zhou, have you ever thought about switching to the entertainment industry? Not showing your face on screen is a total waste!”

Ning Zhou smiled faintly, answering firmly, “I won’t give up volleyball.”

The liaison froze for a second, then laughed it off, “Just kidding. For you to even appear on a variety show already satisfies a lot of face-fan viewers!”

The first episode’s results were good, and the director’s team was swamped handling follow-up tasks. Seeing they were busy, Ning Zhou briefly said goodbye to Director Zhang, then was escorted back to the training center. Back at the dorm, the curtains were tightly shut. In the dim light, Nie Feiang was curled up in his top bunk like a cocoon, occasionally twitching…

Ning Zhou asked tentatively, “Nie Feiang?”

The “cocoon” poked out his head, eyes lifeless, and whimpered pitifully, “Zhou Zhou, you’re back…”

Ning Zhou washed his hands, pressed the back of his hand against Nie Feiang’s forehead, only relaxing when he felt the temperature was normal, “Why are you in the dorm? Weren’t you going out during break?”

“Don’t even mention it!”

Nie Feiang hopped off the bed, throwing his arms around Ning Zhou to complain, “This afternoon I met a girl I really liked—love at first sight! But guess what happened?”

Ning Zhou looked up. Nie Feiang, towering over him with his messy bedhead adding a few extra centimeters, loomed like a giant.

“Uh… you got rejected?”

“Bingo!” Nie Feiang wailed dramatically, all thunder and no rain.
“She wouldn’t even give me a chance to explain, left without even giving me her contact info!”

The noise made Ning Zhou’s head throb. He switched on the light and gave some practical advice:
“Next time, don’t stand up when you approach someone. You’ll have a higher chance of success.”

Nie Feiang’s face twisted, “You want me to go out in a wheelchair!?”

He clutched Ning Zhou’s shirt and grew even more worked up, “As if today wasn’t bad enough already—then I got called to the coach’s office…”

Ning Zhou froze, “What for?”

This time, Nie Feiang was genuinely on the verge of tears, “Coach Hou said that Assistant Coach Garry doesn’t want me anymore… I’m being transferred to Assistant Coach Ning’s team…”

Ning Zhou’s long-buried memories stirred—In his past life’s national training camp, this had been the turning point in Nie Feiang’s career.

The double blow of heartbreak and being demoted crushed him. He never bounced back, missed his chance to play in major tournaments, and after training camp didn’t even make the second team.

At the time, Ning Zhou had noticed his state wasn’t right, but said nothing—just buried himself in training, spending almost no time in the dorm aside from sleeping.

“King of the Grind” Ning Zhou believed in not letting others’ bad moods infect him, so he chose to stay aloof and rational.

But now… he couldn’t do that anymore.

Nie Feiang tried hard not to shed tears, muttering under his breath, “What should I do, Zhou Zhou? I’m the only player Vice Coach Garry ‘returned.’ It must mean I suck at volleyball—just tall for nothing, can’t make a name for myself. My life is over…”

“Nie Feiang.”

Ning Zhou’s voice was clear. He always sounded gentle and polite when calling someone’s name, soft enough to make people think he had a mild temperament.

So when he lowered his tone and called Nie Feiang’s full name with seriousness, Nie Feiang shivered, lifting his head cautiously, “Uh? Wh-what is it?”

Ning Zhou met his gaze, his presence calm and steady.

He gave a faint smile and smacked Nie Feiang hard on the shoulder, “Straighten your back!”

Nie Feiang jolted like he’d been shocked, snapping upright as if he were a student yanked out of formation during military training.

“‘Instructor Ning’” cast him a sidelong glance, “Ning Yang and I are both training under Vice Coach Ning, and it feels just fine. Are you saying Vice Coach Ning isn’t as good as Vice Coach Garry?”

“No, no, no!” Nie Feiang’s survival instinct kicked in, his gloom instantly replaced with eagerness. “Vice Coach Ning and Vice Coach Garry each have their own training style, there’s no better or worse!”

“So you do understand.” Ning Zhou changed into his training gear. “Your playing style doesn’t match Vice Coach Garry’s, so of course you need a different training method. It’s not being ‘returned,’ it’s simply being put where you belong.”

Nie Feiang scratched his head, still sounding discouraged, “Put where I belong? Maybe so… but I don’t even know what my playing style is.”

Ning Zhou casually picked up the volleyball at the bedside, spun it on his finger, and winked at him, “Change into your jersey. Let’s go!”

“Huh?”

Coach Luo happened to be passing by the training hall when he heard the sound of a ball being hit. He glanced inside absentmindedly—

“!”

His eyes widened, his steps froze. He muttered under his breath, “Could it be that their coordination is…”

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