I Really Am Just a Substitute – CH33

Chapter 33

“Beautiful! To receive Ning Zhou’s serve, the opposing receiver dove to the ground. Teacher Zhang, is this situation favorable for the China team right now?”

Tong Rong and Zhang Kang continued their one-question-one-answer commentary, breaking down the situation for the viewers.

“It’s not exactly favorable,” Zhang Kang explained in detail, “but Ning Zhou’s serve is really helping our blocking efforts.”

He elaborated, “Ning Zhou’s serve targeted the opponent’s outside hitter. That hitter is in the front row this rotation — so he needs to handle both attacking and serve-receiving.

Even though he got the pass up, he ended up on the floor. By the time he gets back up, runs, and jumps, it’ll be too late to join the attack.”

Tong Rong followed up, “So the opponent’s front-row outside hitter won’t be able to spike, and our blockers can just focus on guarding other attacking points.”

“Exactly.”

[There’s actually so much strategy in volleyball! I thought you just hit harder than the other team to win…]
[LOL, upstairs must think it’s a bunch of cavemen fighting on the court.]
[As someone who’s watched men’s volleyball for over a decade, Ning Zhou’s jump float serve is honestly pretty basic.]
[Yeah, on the international stage, that speed and variation are nothing special. Any national team player can serve like that…]
[Is this guy maxing out his luck stat or what?! He served an average ball and the opponent still botched the pass.]
[First a net-touch ace, now another serve that forces a dive — is Ning Zhou some kind of good-luck charm?]
[Forget reposting koi memes — just pray to Ning Zhou instead… /praying/]

Meanwhile, the so-called “mascot” in the chat had completely locked into game mode.

After serving, Ning Zhou instinctively sprinted forward — his setter instincts kicking in — but forced himself to hold back, reminding himself repeatedly: Shao Qiu is still on the court. Remember your position.

Eyes sharp, he felt as if he was back in his sports school days, back to being a libero again.

“Blockers, shift over there!”

Du Jun, the most experienced player, directed the blockers, deliberately leaving the opposing outside hitter’s attacking lane wide open. The China team’s three blockers positioned themselves right at the net, exuding an invisible wall of pressure.

On the other side, the opposing setter hesitated, the pressure palpable. With their front-row outside hitter neutralized, he couldn’t set to position 4. But he still had options:

Set to the opposite hitter, run a quick with the middle, send a back-row attack, or even try a second-touch dump. But the unrelenting pressure from across the net made him timid. Instinctively, he chose the safest option — setting to the opposite hitter at position 2.

When a player hesitates, it’s obvious. Du Jun instantly sensed the setter’s cautious body language — as if the words “I’m going safe” were written across his forehead.

“Block their opposite!”

Du Jun shouted, shifting closer to the sideline. As the ball arced toward position 2 and the opposite hitter rose for the spike, despair dawned on his face — The China team had formed a triple block.

In volleyball, the front row only has three blockers, so a triple block is the strongest form of defense. Three players, shoulder to shoulder, jumping together, six arms raised high like an iron wall, sealing the net entirely.

The opposite hitter didn’t dare challenge the wall head-on. Adjusting his wrist, he aimed for the narrowest angle — a sharp cross-court shot toward the sideline.

[Whoa, what an extreme angle. They almost got that block…]
[That’s basically the small cross — even sharper than the waistline angle!]
[This opposite hitter is seriously skilled.]
[I underestimated the VNL group stage. So many hidden talents in these matches.]
[Our block was solid, though. That shot was just impressively precise.]
[What a pity — the serve gave us an opening, but they still managed to escape… wait a second—]
[Look at the landing spot!]

Someone was already waiting exactly where the ball would drop.

Ning Zhou had predicted the sharp cross-court shot, positioning himself early near the three-meter line by the sideline.

With one foot just brushing the boundary line, he kept his eyes locked on the ball, calculating its trajectory — confident it would land inbounds.

“Don’t let it drop!”

“Xiao Ning, pick it up!” Du Jun, having just blocked at the net, immediately worried about the next step. “Just send it high!”

Defense is one of the core drills in daily training, so Du Jun knew very well—This was not an easy ball to receive. Most heavy spikes from the men’s team land deep in the backcourt, carrying immense power. Defenders need to brace themselves, making sure not to send the ball flying out of bounds. This particular ball from the opposite side’s opposite hitter had a shallow landing point and even greater force. Even with proper positioning, the moment the ball hit the defender’s arms, it could easily rebound across the net, handing the next attack straight to the opponent…

The safest way, just as Du Jun said, was to push the ball straight up into the air, letting the setter run over and make the set. Ning Zhou understood this logic. As a substitute temporarily subbed in to experience the game, the smart move would be to stay steady, avoid mistakes, and wait for the next chance.

But Ning Zhou refused to play it safe…

The coach had subbed him in to replace Chen Wenyao, who was too tall to get low for defense, essentially treating him as a libero. His experience as a setter told him: Shao Qiu preferred well-placed passes.

And his pride as a temporary libero told him: only by sending a perfect pass could he truly earn another chance! Ning Zhou held his breath, his thighs almost parallel to the ground. In that moment, it was as if his body had been given a new core. With the instincts of a seasoned libero, Ning Zhou was reborn, revealing the skills buried within…

The volleyball slammed into his arms, the violent force transmitting through his body. Ning Zhou flowed with the impact, letting it “knock” him backward. He rolled back, planted a hand on the floor, and sprang up again.

Smooth. Clean. Not a trace of wasted motion. Most of the spike’s force had been “absorbed” by him, and the ball obediently floated upward, arching perfectly into the space above Shao Qiu…

A perfect first pass against a heavy spike!

A flawless defensive play!

“Brilliant!”

In the commentary booth, Zhang Kang couldn’t help blurting out, clapping for Ning Zhou’s defense.

“Wow!” Tong Rong gasped. “He actually picked it up! And Ning Zhou’s movement was so cool!”

To the untrained eye, it was just exciting. To the experts, it was artistry.

“‘Picking up the ball’ is just the beginner level of defense,” Zhang Kang explained. “What Ning Zhou just demonstrated was the most difficult part—absorbing the force.”

“Absorbing the force?” Tong Rong blinked, recalling the scene. “It really did look like the ball was tamed, floating up softly and smoothly. That’s what you mean?”

Zhang Kang nodded. “Yes. Neutralizing the spike’s momentum and speed, while redirecting the ball along a controlled trajectory. You can’t pull off such a refined defense without years of dedicated practice…”

“What a well-rounded skillset!” Tong Rong praised. “But I thought Ning Zhou was normally a setter. Are setters usually this good at defense?”

“Setters rarely get specialized defensive training,” Zhang Kang said with a shrug. “Whether they can dig the ball usually comes down to luck. At least I could never defend that cleanly back in my day…”

[That was insane!]

[That backward roll was so smooth. Even as a casual fan, I could tell he nailed that dig.]

[Holy crap, he actually defended a spike with that kind of power!?]

[Men’s volleyball defenders are insanely tough… /jaw drops/]

[Lucky Ning Zhou! The ball just happened to land right where he was standing!]

[No, that’s called anticipation. He read the block coverage and positioned himself for the dig.]

[You guys are getting brainwashed… It’s just one defensive play, and you’ve forgotten he’s just a pretty face.]

[I don’t believe any setter can defend like that consistently. This must’ve been a total fluke…]

On Team China’s bench, the substitutes erupted in cheers.

Middle blocker Chen Wenyao slapped his hands together. “Good kid! That’s even better than what I could’ve done out there!”

“Better than just you, Brother Chen!” Ning Yang said excitedly. “Zhou Zhou’s digging is steadier than mine, and I’m the libero!”

Xu Zichang and Nie Feiang grabbed the nearest teammate and jumped around. “Zhou Zhou! Pride of the bench squad!”

The unlucky one caught in their grip, Song Hanrun, wilted under the sudden attention. “Let me go…”

While they made a ruckus on the sidelines, Ning Zhou tuned it all out—Because the rally wasn’t over yet.

In volleyball, a point isn’t decided until the ball hits the floor. Ning Zhou, having played two lifetimes’ worth of games, knew that relaxing too early meant defeat.

Unfortunately, Shao Qiu had yet to grasp that lesson…

He’d guessed that Ning Zhou would manage the dig, but he hadn’t expected the ball to come flying toward him so perfectly without him having to move.

The set was so clean—perfect height, perfect speed, perfect arc—that it actually made Shao Qiu uncomfortable. It was as if another setter was on the court, looking down at him and asking:

Here’s a perfect ball. Can you score?

“…”

For a split second, Shao Qiu saw nothing but the ball… and Ning Zhou, waiting for his spike to score.

Score.

I have to score!

Shao Qiu’s eyes glazed over, his mind blanking as he jumped straight up.

“Hah—!”

Everyone on and off the court collectively sucked in a sharp breath as they watched Shao Qiu wind up for the spike. A second touch attack!?

On the sidelines, Coach Luo shot to his feet in shock. “What are you doing?!”

Shao Qiu rarely trained for spikes, and his vertical jump wasn’t high. But in that moment of tunnel vision, he didn’t care. He swung with everything he had, arm whipping down.

The ball, which had been floating softly, was suddenly powered up again, rocketing toward the opponent’s court—

Only to meet the waiting hands of the opposing middle blocker, who had been perfectly positioned. He leapt easily and stuffed the ball straight down.

[Did the setter lose his mind? Literally any normal set to a hitter would’ve been better than that.]

[Second-touch attacks work when they’re unpredictable. This guy might as well have shouted “I’m going for a dump!” with a megaphone…]

[Why rush when the opportunity is right in front of him!?]

[What a pity about Ning Zhou’s defense… Don’t give up! Protect, protect!]

A blocker won’t help absorb the impact. The more powerful the spike, the faster it will rebound after hitting the block.

In the blink of an eye, the ball can be completely shut down…

For this kind of “soft block,” the reaction time left for teammates is short. Most of the time, before they can even make a defensive move, the ball has already hit the floor.

However, Shao Qiu’s intent to go for a second hit was too obvious. Not only did the opposing blockers follow up, but the Chinese team’s defenders also moved into position in advance—

Du Jun and Ning Zhou reacted the fastest, rushing to save the ball together. The moment Shao Qiu jumped, Ning Zhou had already shifted his position and stepped up toward the front row, his defensive instincts ingrained in his mind…

When he saw the ball blocked, Ning Zhou dove forward like a fish leaping through a dragon gate.

Danger!

Don’t go for it!

Just as he assumed the diving posture, his ears buzzed and his heart pounded violently…

Pain flashed between his brows. His movements twisted midair, forcing the dive into an awkward roll. He lost the chance to save the ball—but not his line of sight.

Ning Zhou noticed that Du Jun was diving for the ball in the same direction. If he kept going forward, they would collide…

“!”

Every muscle in Ning Zhou’s body shifted as he adjusted his posture, turning his forward roll into a side roll, narrowly avoiding Du Jun.

But his momentum from diving was too strong. He tumbled once, then—disoriented—rolled over again…

A strong arm caught him, stopping his momentum. Like pulling a carrot out of the ground, that arm hauled the dizzy Ning Zhou upright.

Ning Zhou: ?

Still trapped in the frustration of a failed dive, his legs felt stiff, his feet weak like noodles. After stepping a few times, he finally remembered to stand straight.

During this time, that arm stayed around him until he steadied himself before letting go. Once his mind cleared, his first instinct wasn’t to check who had grabbed him but to find the ball—

The volleyball was bouncing gently near Du Jun, who was lying on the floor and shaking his head at his teammates. They hadn’t been able to save it…

That point was lost. Ning Zhou smiled helplessly, but then a hand landed on his shoulder and turned him in another direction.

Yu Bai, head slightly lowered, carefully lifted Ning Zhou’s arm and gave it a little shake, as if checking for injuries…

“I’m fine, don’t worry.” Ning Zhou patted the back of his hand.

“So it was you who pulled me up.” Ning Zhou recalled his chaotic rolls and flushed slightly. “Thanks. I thought I was about to get stepped on by a teammate…”

[Young master’s arm strength is insane—he lifted him with one hand!]

[What just happened? Ning Zhou suddenly seemed out of control and rolled into a ball…]

[Probably dodging his teammate. It’s just a group-stage match—getting injured in a collision would not be worth it.]

[Athletes are crazy flexible. Those two rolls Ning Zhou did? I could never pull that off in my life. /cry-laugh/]

[I thought buzz-cut guy was expressionless, but apparently he just doesn’t show much.]

[Haha, but the moment he noticed something was wrong with Ning Zhou, his expression changed.]

[Hiss… sisters, I have a thought.]

[Don’t dare say it, don’t dare ask. /covering-mouth-smile/]

[I didn’t want to ship them, but the way he looked at him was anything but pure… /falls to the ground/]

[STOP! They’re just helping each other as teammates, don’t overthink it…]

“BEEP—”

“BUZZ—”

The on-site buzzer followed the referee’s whistle. Team China lost that point and immediately called for a timeout.

“Are you thinking straight?” Coach Luo barked sharply at Shao Qiu, face stern. “If you wanted to tip it over on the second hit, just do that! Why are you spiking? Don’t you know your own limits?”

Shao Qiu didn’t dare argue, his face dark, “It won’t happen again…”

“Make another rookie mistake and I’ll have Ning Zhou replace you next set!”

“…Yes, sir.”

Hearing that, Shao Qiu inexplicably felt relieved…

In volleyball’s substitution rules, within one set, a substitute player can only be switched in once.

Ning Zhou had already gone on court as a serving substitute. For the rest of this set, even if Shao Qiu underperformed, they couldn’t replace him with Ning Zhou…

At least for now, Shao Qiu was safe. After the scolding, Du Jun handed Shao Qiu a sports drink and patted his shoulder.

“This isn’t like you. The Shao Qiu I know is the calmest guy on the court.”

Shao Qiu took a small sip of the drink, “My mind was… elsewhere just now.”

“Relax. We’ve played plenty of matches at this level.”

Du Jun’s voice dropped, so only the two of them could hear, as he added quietly, “Coach Kong was just venting. He’s not going to casually sub you out for Ning Zhou…”

Shao Qiu wiped the water from his mouth and gripped the bottle tightly. “Yeah, I know.”

He answered softly but couldn’t stop his eyes from flicking toward Ning Zhou. Then, pretending nothing had happened, he turned back to face the court…

“?”

Ning Zhou, sensing something, turned in the direction of that fleeting gaze—only to catch Shao Qiu’s back.

“Ning Zhou.”

Coach Luo interrupted his thoughts, calling him over for a one-on-one talk.

“You executed your tasks well. I can tell Coach Ning drilled your fundamentals thoroughly.”

“Thank you, Coach.”

Hearing the compliment didn’t make Ning Zhou as happy as he’d imagined, because he understood the meaning behind the words…

He stole a glance at the court, reluctant to leave.

As expected, the next moment, Coach Luo said, “Once this rotation ends, take a rest.”

“…Yes, sir.”

Timeout over. The serving substitute’s turn ended, and the starting lineup rotated back in.

“BEEP—”

The match resumed. With his back to the court he longed for, Ning Zhou returned to the bench.

“Zhou Zhou!” Xu Zichang threw his arms around him. “How do you do it? How can you play at 100% of your practice level during a match?”

Ning Zhou made a big evasive gesture. “That’s too exaggerated, there’s no such thing as a hundred percent…”

Nie Feiang nodded in agreement. “That last defense was below your usual standard. When you went for the block coverage, if you’d gone for a dive, you might’ve saved it!”

“Oh, right.” Xu Zichang tilted his head in confusion. “But Zhou Zhou, during specialized diving practice, the coach always praises how fluid your movements are, says your coverage range is bigger than everyone else’s.”

Nie Feiang and Xu Zichang locked eyes, their gazes clear, and said in unison, “Why didn’t you dive? Do you not like diving?”

Ning Zhou: “…”

Seeing Ning Zhou’s conflicted expression, Song Hanrun came over and shooed Nie Feiang and Xu Zichang away. “Match is starting.”

Their attention immediately shifted, and they forgot that they hadn’t gotten an answer from Ning Zhou, focusing on the game instead. Ning Zhou gave Song Hanrun a grateful smile. Song Hanrun simply shook his head and brushed off the topic, flipping the page casually…

Ning Zhou stepped back, hiding behind them, pulled down his kneepad, and checked his knee—

The top of his knee was slightly red, and by tomorrow, it would probably turn into a bruise. All those rolling saves during defense, especially that one failed dive that forced a sudden movement change, had made his knee ache sharply. No more reckless dives during matches from now on…

Ning Zhou put his kneepad back on, crouched down to massage his knee, and thought: I should get a new pair of kneepads next time…

Over an hour later, the match ended.

The Chinese team won their first group-stage match with a 3–1 victory. As for Ning Zhou, his time on the court was limited to just two points in the first set…

Nie Feiang and Xu Zichang were both subbed in for short stints but had average performances, nothing outstanding.

Song Hanrun, however, seemed forgotten by Coach Luo, sitting on the bench the entire match like a background prop.

When one by one the other substitutes got called to play, Song Hanrun was like: You don’t see me, you don’t see me…

After the match, Ning Zhou dragged Song Hanrun out of his corner, pulling him onto the court to shake hands with the opposing players.

“Stop shaking, it’s just a handshake. It’s not like you’re going to play a match…”

The simple post-match handshake routine felt like some kind of exposure therapy to Song Hanrun.

He shuffled nervously like the court floor was burning hot beneath his feet, panic written all over his face.

“B-but… the floor I’m stepping on right now… it’s the court of the 2021 Volleyball Nations League group stage!”

“…” Ning Zhou was speechless. “Seriously, if you hadn’t mentioned it, I almost forgot the full name of VNL.”

Players from both teams walked past each other along opposite sides of the net, exchanging handshakes and greetings.

The audience began filing out of the venue.

Among them, one spectator holding a notepad with most of his notes marked “Yu” stood out.

He was one of the assistant coaches for Team T, sent to scout their opponents. “Hey, coach, I’ve got all the data on the Chinese players.”

On the other end of the call, Team T’s head coach sounded busy. “Good. How’s the situation?”

“The top scorer is still that main attacker called ‘Yu Bai.’ The overall level of the team has improved a lot compared to a few years ago… But as for those two players with the least available data, only one of them was subbed in for a few minutes.”

The coach paused, recalling that the Chinese team had two “mystery players.”

“How did he play?”

The assistant flipped through his notes and said seriously, “The crowd screamed three times collectively, especially the lady next to me—she didn’t stop screaming…”

“Who asked about the crowd?” the coach cut him off. “How did he play?”

“He served twice, scored one point from a net roller.”

The coach’s interest vanished instantly, his tone cooling. “What’s so special about a lucky ball? No skill at all. Don’t bother reporting on him again.”

“Understood!”

Despite being dismissed by Team T’s coach, Ning Zhou was going viral on Chinese apps again.

A fan had edited clips of him coming in as a serving substitute, and the video blew up.

Before the VNL, most videos of Ning Zhou were just compilations from the show Sports Forward, which many assumed was just variety show promo and ignored.

But this time, the fan titled the video, “The normally modestly dressed him actually has this side…”

The video showed Ning Zhou’s appearance on court, his serves, his defensive rolls, his sideways tumble, and even him sitting at the far end of the bench, quietly rubbing his knee after being subbed out…

Drawn in by the misleading title, netizens—ahem—found themselves increasingly intrigued:

[Great legs—no, wait, I mean great play!]

[He can roll around like that and curl up into a tiny ball! So cute!]

[He’s so mini! His teammate just picked him up with one hand!?]

[Ning Zhou isn’t short, he’s 178, but with those two-meter-tall teammates, he looks like a little kid among them.]

[The size difference, the skin-tone contrast, someone please understand me. /smile/]

[All the fanfiction readers are flooding in… /pants fly/]

…

Ning Zhou’s follower count on Weibo skyrocketed as more casual viewers were drawn in, tuning into the men’s volleyball livestreams just to see him.

But in the next few matches, Ning Zhou stayed glued to the bench, not getting a single chance to play…

Until—The final match of the group stage, the deciding battle for the last spot in the Round of 16:

Team China vs. Team T

The winner would advance to the knockout stage, the loser’s VNL journey would end.

“Are you ready?”

The head coach of Team T held the scouting report, confident, as he addressed one of his players.

“Of course!”

The player stood up, his white teeth standing out against his dark skin.

“I’m going to block that ‘Yu’ until he cries…”