Chapter 2
A few loose strands of hair swayed in front of the head coach’s forehead as he grandly gestured, casually pointing out players to form two teams: Shao Qiu’s and Yu Bai’s.
Ning Zhou, unlucky enough to be the first one singled out, ended up as a member of Yu Bai’s team…
His roommate, Nie Feiang, shuffled over to Ning Zhou’s side, his chicken-nest hair sticking up everywhere, grinning foolishly, “What a coincidence! I’m on this side too…”
“…Yeah. What a coincidence.”
Ning Zhou glanced around at both lineups and realized they had just enough for two complete seven-man teams.
It looked casual, but in truth, the coach had memorized everyone’s positions.
“Wait a sec, Coach, our lineup has overlaps!”
On Yu Bai’s team, a shorter player pointed at Ning Zhou: “I’m a libero, and there’s already another libero on the team!”
The libero is the defensive specialist of the team. Usually, shorter players are better suited for defense, so the height requirement isn’t as strict as for other positions. Back when Ning Zhou first picked up volleyball, his dream position had been libero. But later, for various reasons, he was forced to switch to setter. With his height, in his past life, people had often mistaken him for a libero…
Used to the misunderstanding, Ning Zhou calmly explained, “I’m a setter.”
The libero froze, scratching his head awkwardly: “Ah—sorry!”
“It’s fine.” Ning Zhou’s smile was gentle, his voice like a trickling stream—soothing to the ear. “I haven’t worked with you guys before, so how about we warm up together first?”
Before his teammates could respond, the other side’s setter, Shao Qiu, cut in coldly, “Let’s not waste time. The sooner we finish this, the sooner everyone can move on to afternoon training.”
The coach nodded, strands of hair swaying lightly, “Go jog a few laps, warm up, then start.”
“Yes, sir!”
Both teams lined up in two rows, jogging around the gym. At the front were Yu Bai and Shao Qiu.
Neither of them was willing to fall behind, and their silent competition quickly turned the jog into a race…
Before long, Ning Zhou was left at the tail. In his previous life, he would’ve gritted his teeth and forced himself to keep pace with the main pack, never falling behind.
Now…
Salted-Fish Zhou just pursed his lips, adjusted to a pace that suited him, and let the pack get farther and farther away…
Ah, the stamina of a 20-year-old body—just miserable! Jogging at his own Buddhist pace, he was soon lapped by the speeding pack.
When Yu Bai, leading at the front, passed him, he glanced sideways at Ning Zhou, but didn’t say a word…
Nie Feiang, panting heavily, clung to the very back, his chicken-nest hair even more disheveled.
He tugged at Ning Zhou, trying to drag him along faster, “How’d you already get lapped? The ‘King of Hard Work’ not only sleeps in, but now he’s slacking on warm-ups too?”
“I’m not slacking!” Ning Zhou shook him off. “At this pace I can still warm up properly.”
Seeing the fine beads of sweat on Ning Zhou’s nose, Nie Feiang gave up on the pack too, sticking behind Ning Zhou, gasping like an ox, “I’m not running with those lunatics anymore. I didn’t even run this hard during the physical exams!”
Ning Zhou just smiled faintly and kept jogging.
By the end of the warm-up, a trail of players had unconsciously fallen in behind him—so many that they outnumbered Yu Bai’s group…
Ning Zhou, like a mother duck leading ducklings, regrouped with Yu Bai’s side. Yu Bai, having warmed up, stripped off his jacket. The muscles of his shoulders and arms were so well developed that even the curve of his chest beneath the jersey looked fuller than the others. He was only slightly out of breath, as if the sprint just now had been nothing more than an appetizer.
But Shao Qiu was clearly not as comfortable…
Nie Feiang stole a glance at Shao Qiu, drenched in sweat, and suddenly came to a revelation, “So that’s it! It was all part of Yu Bai’s plan—wear down the opposing setter’s stamina first, then we’ll have the advantage in the match!”
Yu Bai’s dark eyes flickered slightly, tacitly confirming it.
Ning Zhou: …
That look clearly said, “Exactly.”
For the future of this team, Ning Zhou felt a deep, gnawing doubt…
Meanwhile, Nie Feiang stretched while muttering with full confidence, “We conserved our energy, so we won’t lose this match. It’s in the bag!”
“Don’t underestimate the opponent.”
Ning Zhou lowered his voice: “Most of Shao Qiu’s team are former national team members before the disbandment. Their coordination will definitely be better than ours.”
Thinking it through, Nie Feiang’s smile fell apart:
“Then what’s with this lineup, Coach? Their side is full of experienced veterans, and ours is all rookies who’ve never even played big tournaments! That’s not fair!”
“He probably has his reasons…”
Ning Zhou squatted to stretch his legs, shrugged, and said carelessly, “As long as I get to play volleyball, that’s enough. It’s just a practice match—win or lose, whatever.”
“You really don’t take it to heart, huh?” Nie Feiang sighed. Then, catching sight of how far Ning Zhou was stretching, his eyes widened: “Wait—you’re that flexible!?”
…
Both teams gathered on opposite sides of the net to discuss starting positions.
Since this practice match wasn’t part of the official training plan, the rest of the camp’s players had free activity time.
Naturally, they were drawn over to the sidelines, forming a circle and pointing excitedly at the court…
“Shao Qiu’s side has such a strong lineup—it’s basically the old first-string roster. Looks like it’s going to be a one-sided bloodbath!”
“The other side’s miserable. Look at that setter—heard he’s only around 1.7 meters tall!”
“Yikes, how did he even get into the training camp roster?”
“Haven’t you heard? His name’s Ning Zhou. He’s the adopted son of Assistant Coach Ning Xu!”
“No way, such an obvious case of nepotism?”
“Ahem—”
The gossiping players suddenly noticed something and immediately shut their mouths…
At the gym entrance, the rest of the coaching staff arrived late, led by none other than the assistant coach, Ning Xu.
He was in his forties, gray at the temples, with a deep furrow between his brows that never seemed to relax. He was the strictest of the coaches.
Ning Xu took in the situation on the court and walked up to the head coach, “Coach Luo, practice matches weren’t part of the first week’s training plan. What’s going on today?”
Coach Luo smiled faintly. “Since we’ve got new players joining, the most effective way for young men to get to know each other is through competing in skill.”
Ning Xu’s brows drew tighter. His gaze shifted to the court.
“Shao Qiu’s side is all veterans. On the other side… that crew cut kid—is he the new one you brought in, Coach Luo?”
“That’s right. Yu Bai was this year’s MVP in the university volleyball league. With the right training, he’ll definitely be able to challenge those powerhouse European hitters!”
It was the first time Ning Xu had heard such high praise from Coach Luo. The furrow between his brows eased a little.
“Sounds like he’s a real asset. Why’s he only joining now?”
Coach Luo hesitated, looking slightly complicated.
“He… was playing in the college basketball league just a few days ago…”
“What? Basketball?” Ning Xu’s gray hair seemed to tremble. “Uh… well, more skills never hurt…”
Coach Luo chuckled and gestured toward Ning Zhou, who was stepping up to the service line, “But the one I’m most curious to see in this match isn’t Yu Bai—it’s that kid.”
Ning Xu fixed his eyes on Ning Zhou, then suddenly sighed, “With my relationship to him, it’s hard to praise him in front of you. All I’ll say is—Ning Zhou is a genius.”
Beeep—
The whistle signaling the start of serve echoed. The first to serve was Ning Zhou. He pounded the ball against the ground a few times—felt good in his hands. Even though in his last life he had retired for a while before being reborn, whether or not he had a chance to play, he had always kept contact with the ball every day, maintaining his feel for it.
Ning Zhou set his stance for the serve, excitement flushing his cheeks—At last, once again, he was standing on a volleyball court!
Step, toss, jump, strike.
A jump float serve shot across the net, skimming barely above the tape—
Coach Luo kept his trademark smile, “Nice serve—flat and low arc, hard to receive.”
The ball shot toward Shao Qiu’s back-row outside hitter. Seeing it wasn’t a power jump serve, the hitter relaxed a little. But he hadn’t expected the floater to be faster than usual—almost in the blink of an eye it was streaking straight at his body…
Out of bounds? No—this trajectory would land right on the line. Hesitating for just an instant, he put his arms out and passed—But the pass wasn’t good.
Instead of reaching the setter’s spot, the ball popped straight up in place.
“Sorry, Shao Qiu!”
A complete offensive sequence in volleyball usually has three steps: First pass, then the setter delivers it to a good position, then the attacker spikes. If the first pass is accurate, the setter can run varied plays, making it hard for the block to predict. But with a bad pass, quick attacks are off the table—the setter can only feed the wing spikers and hope they power through.
Shao Qiu’s face was taut, clearly displeased. The high cheekbones under the court lights looked even sharper. He ran under the ball, called out the front-row outside hitter’s name, and sent it over, “Du Jun!”
Outside hitter Du Jun stepped in response, both wrists wrapped in tape. He leapt, drew back his arm, posturing for the spike—the tape didn’t hinder his wrist movement. Meanwhile, the opposing team had already formed a solid three-man block, a wall ready to shut down the attack…
Du Jun, the ball, and the blockers all aligned on the same straight line. And at the end of that line—someone’s eyes were already waiting.
In the back row, Ning Zhou readied for defense, his mind racing: First, the three-man block had sealed off nearly all hitting lanes. Second, Shao Qiu’s set was average, too far from the net, forcing the hitter to lean back and making it hard to generate power. Third, Du Jun was a former national team captain—experienced, crafty. This ball—Du Jun won’t spike it!
Almost at the instant Du Jun adjusted his hand pressure, Ning Zhou moved, sprinting forward to cover the tip. He dug the ball cleanly behind the block…
“Excellent read, and quick footwork too!” Coach Luo praised. “Ning Zhou may only be twenty, but he shows no panic on court.”
Ning Xu kept a stern face, but pride flickered in his eyes.
“His defense is outstanding. I originally trained him as a libero.”
“Oh? Then why switch positions?”
Ning Xu smiled mysteriously. “Because he has a gift most suited to being a setter.”
“?”
Ning Xu didn’t explain further, leaving Coach Luo itching with curiosity as he watched more intently—
After Ning Zhou dug the tip, the libero helped with the second touch. The attacker swung, but the shot was dug by the other side. But their defense wasn’t solid—the ball came back over the net, floating into Yu Bai’s side…
“Free ball!” Ning Zhou shouted, sprinting up to the setter’s spot, ready to organize the attack.
“Nice ball!”
“I got it!”
The libero picked up the harmless ball and set it precisely above Ning Zhou. An opportunity!
Ning Zhou raised both hands above his brow, adopting the posture of a setter about to deliver a pass. He calmed his heart, stilled his breath, and focused his mind to an almost terrifying degree…
It’s often said that volleyball is a sport of “upward motion.”
Players, referees, coaches, spectators—Everyone inside and outside the court lifts their heads, eyes following the ball in the air, blood boiling with every clash of offense and defense.
But Ning Zhou was different—He excelled at “looking down.”
In that instant, the ball above him seemed to slow down, as though caught in slow motion.
The court unfolded before Ning Zhou’s eyes like a living painting, stretching all the way across to the opponent’s side—
Across the net, Shao Qiu and his teammates were quickly adjusting their formation. The three front-row players had just finished their last block, and their feet shuffled back toward the middle, preparing to react to whatever set Ning Zhou made.
To Ning Zhou, each of the six opponents shone under a spotlight, every move laid bare before him.
The shifting trends of the blockers, the gaps in the back-row defense—There it was, a weakness!
The corner of Ning Zhou’s lips curved ever so slightly. At just the right moment, he jumped and set the ball…
“Ning Zhou…”
On the sideline, Ning Xu finally continued, after deliberately keeping the suspense, “He’s a genius when it comes to vision!”
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