I Really Am Just a Substitute – CH39

Chapter 39

Du Jun returned to Team China’s bench, stepping into the “monkey mountain.” “What’s with all the noise?”

“Captain!” Nie Feiang and Xu Zichang rushed to greet him. “How’d it go?”

Du Jun gave a thumbs-up. “We got it.”

“That wasn’t easy!” Chen Wenyao said, touched. “Finally guessed the coin toss right for once…”

Ning Yang stretched lazily. “So we have first serve? Let me take the first reception.”

Pang Tianze grinned. “With teammates like you, I feel secure!”

Staff finished prepping the court and called for warm-ups.

Team China instinctively lined up in two rows. Ning Zhou, ever proactive, claimed a prime spot in the inner lane.

For these athletes, the pre-match jog was nothing, barely even a warm-up. They jogged while chatting casually, “Reporters are still interviewing Team D’s coach…”

“It’s a different reporter now.”

“Coach Kong is so lonely over here. Poor guy…”

“Focus on the run!”

Du Jun moved up to the middle of the group, his voice stern. “Show some respect. Don’t use nicknames for the coach.”

“Yes, Captain.” Nie Feiang was the first to admit fault, wearing an innocent expression. “What’s Coach Kong’s surname again?”

“…”

Du Jun’s running rhythm faltered. Silence. His mind went blank—What was the coach’s surname!?

“Pfft—”

Laughter erupted down the line, with players failing to stifle their chuckles. Du Jun kept his face straight and scolded again. “Discipline! Spectators are entering. Don’t embarrass Team China!”

“Yes, sir!”

Relieved, Du Jun fell back to the end of the line.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Shao Qiu’s pale face and froze. “What’s wrong with you? Didn’t sleep?”

Shao Qiu’s expression was tired, but his eyes were resolute. “I’m fine.”

Livestream Comments:
[Who is it?! Who went from never caring about sports to refreshing the VNL livestream every day now…]
[Me! Total sports noob here, but now I finally feel the charm of athletics watching these athletes pour their hearts out.]
[I’m on my school’s volleyball team and watching one international match made me realize how high the level is…]
[Keep at it, junior! Even pro athletes only get stronger one step at a time. /cheer squad/]

The flood of wholesome comments almost moved Tong Rong to tears.

“It’s so great to see so many viewers drawn in by the matches. Whether it’s through Sports Forward! or these live broadcasts, we hope everyone can feel the power of sports!”

“Of course they’re hyped before the match,” Zhang Kang said lazily, pouring cold water on the moment. “But if we lose, don’t be surprised when they all switch sides.”

“Uh…”

[Talking smack before the match even starts?]
[Can we switch commentators? Even reverse-jinxing shouldn’t sound this blatant.]
[Didn’t we beat Team T easily? Just play like that again.]
[Did you even watch that match? If we hadn’t done that massive lineup swap and taken risks, we would’ve been out in the group stage…]
[Is Ning Zhou playing today?]

Zhang Kang didn’t even look at the barrage of comments but could already imagine what the viewers were arguing about, “My view is pessimistic, just for reference. Today we’re facing Team D, a team with a clear advantage. Whether in terms of players or coaching staff, they are far superior to the last team we faced…”

Tong Rong picked up the conversation, starting to introduce both teams, “Team D is currently ranked 12th in the world, while Team China, with the points gained from defeating Team T, has climbed to 17th.”

[Only five spots behind them, not a big difference.]
[Yeah, the way the commentator said it, I thought Team D was some invincible powerhouse…]

“Many netizens think the skill gap between the two teams isn’t that big,” Tong Rong summarized the comments. “Mr. Zhang, do you agree?”

Zhang Kang, with a list of the world’s top 30 national teams in hand, studied it as he explained, “Don’t underestimate a five-place difference — that’s the difference between a second-tier team and a third-tier team.”

Under PD’s cue, the director switched the live feed to a video montage showing all of Team D’s service aces —A combination of beauty and brutality.

Just as Team D’s philosophy states: serve aggressively, the serve determines the match.

The highlight reel quickly sent the comment section off-topic:

[Muscular foreign hotties!? I’ve never even kissed a foreigner in my life… /crying emoji/]
[I follow one of their players on Instagram — their private photos are very revealing!]
[Sis, share the handle!]
[Aren’t we supposed to be talking about their insane serves? Which side are you guys even supporting?]
[Fans will always chase the pretty faces~]

Sensing the chaos, Tong Rong quickly began reading the stats:

“Team D, similar to Team China, went through a major roster change in recent years. This nearly brand-new lineup went undefeated in the VNL group stage, topping their group.”

In their group were teams ranked higher than Team D, but those teams’ star players skipped the group stage.

With their aggressive serving strategy working to perfection, Team D secured the highest group points, landing them in their first knockout match — against the lowest-ranked team from another group:

Team China.

By every metric, Team China was the underdog…

“And not just that…”

Zhang Kang frowned. “When Team D rebuilt their roster, they hired Sara, the coach from the top-tier club MAA.

She’s an expert in European men’s volleyball systems and is especially skilled at tactical adjustments — she can take a second-tier team and make them play like a first-tier one.”

Tong Rong’s unease grew. “Mr. Zhang, facing a team that’s practically top-ten caliber, what can Team China do to keep their hopes alive?”

Zhang Kang spoke gravely, “In one sentence — whoever disrupts the opponent’s first pass, wins.”

By now, the reel of Team D’s serving highlights still wasn’t over…

[This is insane, we’re really going to match their serving game? /shaking/]
[Why try to fight them in their strongest area? Team D leads all national teams in service aces!]
[But they also make a lot of service errors. What if they’re off their game today? Wouldn’t that give us a chance?]
[You can’t count on your opponent messing up… sports is about relying on yourself!]
[Sigh, this is what being the weaker team feels like — winning one match is tough, and against a strong team, it’s all up to fate.]
[Well, it’s elimination. Whoever loses goes home. At least losing early means we won’t get destroyed by an even stronger team. /wiping tears/]
[Undefeated Team D vs. barely-advanced Team China…]
[I don’t need to tell you how low your expectations should be. /forced smile/]

The director reminded them through the headset, “Players are about to enter the court!”

Tong Rong pressed her lips together. “Next, let’s introduce the starting lineups for both teams…”

The feed switched back to the arena, where the DJ was hyping up the crowd.

Now that it was the knockout stage, attendance was much higher. The big screen panned randomly across the audience, raising the energy in the stadium.

Then the camera seemed to settle on Ning Zhou’s handsome face…

Standing straight like a model student, Ning Zhou looked up at the screen, eyes widening when he saw himself, then breaking into a small smile.

When Ning Zhou smiled, his eyes curved delightfully, making him instantly endearing. The crowd couldn’t help but smile with him.

Xu Zichang, who loved camera attention, draped his chin over Ning Zhou’s shoulder and waved excitedly.

Nie Feiang also pulled Pang Tianze and Song Hanrun into the shot, the big screen filled with their playful faces.

The audience burst into laughter, and even the gloomy tone of the live chat lifted:

[Yep, we’re all shallow. Stole our hearts with Team D earlier, but we’re back with Zhou Zhou now.]
[Back to the right side +1 /innocent/]
[If the players are so relaxed, why are we the ones panicking? Just cheer for them with all we’ve got!]
[Aww, Ning Zhou is on the bench again. Will our little sub get to play today?]
[Didn’t Mr. Zhang say serving is key? If Ning Zhou’s float serve comes in, won’t that give away points…]

Soon, the starters took their positions on the court.

Beep—The VNL Round of 16 — lose and you’re out — had officially begun.

Team D served first, their captain — a wing spiker barely 1.9 meters tall, jersey number 1 underlined — stepping to the service line.

“Their captain is serving first!” Nie Feiang rubbed his hands together. “Probably just trying to settle the team’s nerves, huh?”

Team China’s coaching staff had done their homework — this was a newly built Team D, and most of the available data was from this year’s VNL.

Ning Zhou recalled the information the coach had provided, “Player No. 1, team captain, opposite hitter, ranked sixth in the VNL serve points leaderboard.”

Song Hanrun looked worried. “With him serving in the opening rotation, it’s obvious they’re trying to intimidate us right away…”

Team D’s No. 1 didn’t make any unnecessary movements before serving. The moment the referee blew the whistle, he launched into motion.

This captain was older. Unlike Yu Bai, who relied purely on raw physical ability, this player’s jump, power, and wrist snap were all products of refined technique and years of experience.

Though he lacked the sheer strength of younger players, his well-trained muscles worked in perfect coordination, channeling all his energy into a single explosive motion—

Bang!

Ning Zhou’s face instantly changed, his thoughts flashing—So fast!

“Aw~”

At that signature call from Ning Yang, Du Jun abruptly stopped his attempt to chase the ball, letting it go…

The ball, carrying a terrifying sidespin, whizzed past Du Jun’s side.

The first referee checked the replay for in-or-out, then raised his arm toward Team China—

Beep—

Team D’s serve went out of bounds, giving Team China the first point!

1:0

Team D’s No. 1 laughed, rubbing his face, then rotated his wrists a few times, clearly adjusting his feel for the ball.

His teammates, used to this, came over to high-five him one after another.

“Oh?” Sara gestured that it was fine and then looked at Ning Yang with surprise. “First time seeing that serve and you read it correctly? No wonder Luo would use a 20-year-old libero…”

On the other side, Team China’s players huddled together. Du Jun patted Ning Yang on the back.

“Well done! No. 1’s serve is on another level compared to the footage I studied. I was ready to just take it high.”

Sweat beaded on Ning Yang’s forehead. “That was my first time seeing a serve with that much sidespin… I wasn’t entirely sure…”

“That ball was only a few centimeters out,” said setter Shao Qiu, who had excellent spatial awareness. He reminded seriously, “If you’re ever unsure, just receive it. Better safe than sorry.”

“Got it!”

[Teacher, from now on, my kid Hanrun won’t join this kind of match again. Receiving serves is life-threatening. /calm/]
[Was that serve really that crazy? The sound didn’t seem as heavy as Yu Bai’s serves.]
[As a casual volleyball player: That’s super hard to receive! Way more spin than Yu Bai’s, and it’s both fast and shifting…]
[Oh, so “Aw~” means “out of bounds”? I thought our libero was screaming from fear…]

After scoring, Team China rotated to serve.

The serve flew toward Team D’s No. 1. It wasn’t a weak serve, but No. 1 treated it like a practice ball, cleanly passing it right to the 3-meter line.

A perfect first pass allowed their setter to smoothly set up the offense—a quick back set to the opposite hitter.

Having played libero since childhood, Ning Yang’s defensive positioning was second nature.

With a light push from his legs, his body seemed to float for a second before he slid into the lane the blockers had left open…

Sara’s red lips curled upward, her interest piqued even more—This little libero has real defensive talent!

The opposite hitter from Team D swung down the line, deliberately avoiding the blockers’ hands, the ball flying straight toward Ning Yang.

Focused and leaning forward, Ning Yang reached out—only for the ball to graze right past his arm…

He missed entirely, landing flat on the floor like a sprawled frog, pounding the court. “Damn it, just a bit more!”

Sara: …

Talented, but just barely.

[Caption for the libero: “Ribbit~”]
[He looked so cool just before receiving… then turned into a comedy skit.]
[Secret tactic of Team China: Make the opponents laugh until they can’t play.]
[Team D’s passing is very solid.]
[Yeah, they’ve got multiple strong servers. Practicing against those every day builds serious passing skills.]

The next several rallies saw both teams struggling with serve errors.

Every player on Team D served aggressively, treating it less like a match and more like an all-out serving drill—either into the net or out of bounds.

Fortunately, with Ning Yang able to read the spin and call out out-of-bounds balls, Team China’s receivers felt less pressure.

But Team China, unwilling to be outdone, also started taking riskier serves, leading to more errors on their side too.

The crowd listened to the constant booming serves, their nerves on edge, quickly understanding the situation—Whichever team stabilized their serve first would break the deadlock.

5:5

11:12

17:17

*

At 19 points, the score tied again.

Then Coach Luo made the first substitution of the match—

“Go get ’em, Pang Tianze!”

Pang Tianze stepped out from the bench, high-fiving his teammates one by one. His round, cheerful face radiated confidence.

“Don’t worry! I’ll secure the battlefield for us first!”

Nie Feiang looked at him with starry eyes, pitching his voice high, “I’m counting on you, bro~”

Xu Zichang grimaced and shoved him backward with a punch. “Shut it. Pang Tianze is rock solid. This set’s ours if he takes charge.”

Song Hanrun’s freckles trembled as he clung to Ning Zhou for support.

“Help… why are they putting so much pressure on the sub…”

“Don’t worry,” Ning Zhou said quietly, “when it’s your turn, nobody will say anything extra.”

“!” Song Hanrun trembled harder. “No way. Why would I be on court in an elimination match…”

Like a wind-up toy, his nervous energy wouldn’t stop bouncing. Ning Zhou wanted to laugh but held it in.

Buzzz—The buzzer sounded, and Pang Tianze entered the court with a commanding presence. Heavy protective braces covered his legs from knee to ankle.

Combined with his solid, powerful build, every step he took landed with the weight of a mecha, as though he might leave dents in the floor.

[There are volleyball players built like THIS!? One slap and he could send me into orbit. /confirmed/]
[Those braces look like they weigh several kilos. Can he even jump in those?]
[Wait—holy crap, that’s Pang Tianze!]
[Exposing His Volleyball Age — Almost Ten Years Ago, Pang Tianze Was a Dark Horse in the Global Volleyball Scene!]
[I remember too — a power-hitter type outside spiker. When the Chinese team’s world ranking once slipped past the top twenty, it was him who helped stabilize it.]
[But he only stayed active for a short time. Then, for some reason, he suddenly faded from the court.]
[Judging by those braces and supports… probably injury-related.]

On the sideline of the D Team, Sara spotted Pang Tianze and waved her hand backward, signaling the receivers on the court, “Position yourselves a bit farther back!”

She locked her gaze on Pang Tianze, tossed a piece of gum into her mouth, then narrowed her eyes at Coach Luo.

“A player who hasn’t been used for the entire VNL, and you’re fielding him today… Luo, you really take this match seriously, huh…”

On the Chinese team’s bench, Coach Luo leaned close to Pang Tianze, half-covering his mouth while giving a few last instructions.

Pang Tianze nodded, then stepped onto the sideline to swap places with Chen Wenyao.

“Fatty, serve well!” Chen Wenyao lowered his voice conspiratorially, “If you score, I’ll sneak you the snacks from my bag and won’t tell Du Jun or Shao Qiu…”

“!”

A spark ignited in Pang Tianze’s eyes. “Just relax on the bench! I’ll serve until this set ends!”

Chen Wenyao chuckled, slapped his hand in a high-five, and jogged back to the substitutes’ bench.

The curious players swarmed over. “Brother Chen, what did you say to Brother Pang? Why is he suddenly fired up?”

Chen Wenyao put on a mysterious air. “Just gave him a little goal…”

“Beep—”

Pang Tianze took his position to serve, rhythmically dribbling the ball against the floor, one slow bounce at a time.

His routine was the exact opposite of Team D’s No. 1, who preferred to get straight to the point.

Pang Tianze’s heavy, deliberate dribbles dictated the pace, syncing the entire crowd to his tempo —

Like a long jumper raising their arms on the track, guiding the audience to clap in unison.

Rousing the crowd to lift his own energy, to ride that momentum for an extraordinary performance…

It was the habit of a true competitor — his declaration of control over the court:

I may be a substitute server, but right now, I’m the main character. Everyone will move to my rhythm!

“So cool…” Song Hanrun stared in awe, as if gazing at someone from another world. “When will I be able to develop that kind of game presence?”

Chen Wenyao sighed heavily. “When you’ve been forced away from the court you love most… and then given a rare chance to return, you’ll forget everything else — and just enjoy that fleeting moment.”

Song Hanrun froze. It was his first time playing on a world-level stage; even if he understood the literal meaning of Chen Wenyao’s words, he couldn’t truly relate.

But there was someone else he’d seen with that same commanding aura —Ning Zhou.

At just twenty years old, on his first trip with the national team… Could Ning Zhou have experienced something similar?

Song Hanrun glanced at Ning Zhou, then shook his head furiously.

What am I thinking? No way…

“?” Ning Zhou, sensing something, began to turn his head — only for Nie Feiang to yank him over excitedly.

“I’m so hyped!” Nie Feiang’s eyes sparkled. “I’ve only seen Brother Pang practice; I’ve never seen his serve in an actual match!”

Pang Tianze’s training had always focused on rehab and protection. Only a small portion overlapped with the main squad, the rest spent in the recovery center.

Most scrimmages and friendlies, he never participated in.

“You forgot?” Ning Zhou reminded him calmly, “During the scrimmage, Brother Pang subbed in to serve.”

“!?”

Not just Nie Feiang — the others looked equally blank.

Ning Zhou sighed and jogged their memory, “During the intensive training camp, we were split into teams coached by Assistant Coach Ning and Assistant Coach Garry. There was a scrimmage, remember? Captain Du Jun got MVP and secured his direct ticket to the national team.”

“Oh! I remember now!” Xu Zichang clapped his hands in realization. “That was when Ning Yang had food poisoning!”

“Yeah, and Assistant Coach Garry had Brother Pang serve during that scrimmage… then Ning Yang received his serve perfectly…”

As they pieced it together, the countdown timer on the big screen behind Pang Tianze ticked away — Within eight seconds, the serve had to begin.

He deliberately waited until the clock hit 1 before he finally took his first stride and leapt.

His footsteps thudded heavily — especially that explosive takeoff step, enough to make the floor tremble.

The braces on his body were like shackles, weighing down his jump height.

Already not particularly tall, the reduced lift made his mid-air posture look heavy.

To compensate for the lack of height, his serving form tilted sharply — his powerful right shoulder yanking upward to artificially raise his hitting point.

In that instant, even his normally soft, approachable face transformed — fierce, intense, every ounce of muscle coiled with purpose.

Others: Scary!

Pang Tianze: Snacks. Now.

Bang!!

From the moment he stepped onto the court, he had been building the crowd’s anticipation, tugging their nerves taut.

And when the ball finally connected — the entire arena seemed to quake.

The ball shrieked through the air, brutally fast, impossible to follow, and smashed right into the camera in front of the first referee—Nearly taking out the referee on the spot!

Referee: : (

Crowd: !?

Sara: ……

The camera hung limply, twisted sideways, sputtered for a second, and then — dropped pitifully to the floor by the net post.

A staff member tiptoed over, gingerly picked it up, examined it, and trembled as they signaled: “Still… works…”

The match paused as staff scrambled to fix the equipment.

The head referee, hand on his chest to steady his breathing, whipped out a yellow card, glaring at Pang Tianze with just a hint of personal outrage.

Pang Tianze offered an awkward grin and hurried to apologize.

The Chinese team’s bench members were all petrified.

“Did we just… get a yellow card?” Nie Feiang whispered in horror. “Wait — does this mean Coach has to pay for the camera?!”

Xu Zichang chimed in, “Very likely. Coach Kong’s face turned green…”

Ning Zhou rubbed his forehead. “Brother Chen, what on earth did you say to Brother Pang just now? Did he go overboard?”

Chen Wenyao looked a little guilty, wiping cold sweat. “Haha… yeah, maybe better not to provoke him next time…”

In the stadium, the live broadcast director mischievously switched to the camera that got hit for the replay.

From the camera’s angle, the net was straight in front of it.
The quiet scene was suddenly broken. The view jerked violently, the net shook wildly, and then—boom!—the camera hit the floor…

[POV: Immersive experience of being nailed by the men’s volleyball team. /ascend/]
[That serve went straight for the ref, but the camera became the sacrificial shield. /hands together/]
[Watching volleyball for ten years, this is my first time seeing someone get a yellow card like this…]
[Men’s volleyball referees need to be labeled a high-risk profession! /doge/]
[I thought the turning point of the game was here, but turns out it was on the other side. /facepalm/]

19:20

Team D was the first to hit 20 points, bringing the game to the critical end-of-set phase.

“Hahaha!” Sara laughed so hard she forgot to chew her gum, tears forming in her eyes.

She wiped the tears away, then crooked her finger toward the court.

Team D’s No.1 jogged over. “Coach?”

“They’ve made their move. It’s time we respond.”

No.1 arched an eyebrow knowingly. “Can I start now?”

“Yes.”

Sara smiled with a sharp edge.
“Go ahead—aim well, and take him out.”