Chapter 4
Contrary to the players’ pre-match expectations of a “bloodbath,” Shao Qiu’s team and Yu Bai’s team were neck and neck, the scoreline tight, the outcome uncertain. The audience held their breath, savoring the rally. But at a crucial point late in the first set, an accident occurred—
When Yu Bai received a serve, his finger got jammed…
It wasn’t broken, but the pain was sharp enough that he couldn’t continue playing. Coach Luo immediately called off the scrimmage and had everyone return to their scheduled training drills. The team doctor checked Yu Bai’s hand and sprayed on some pain relief. Ning Zhou, watching from the side, winced in sympathy. In his past life he had suffered endless finger injuries—now whenever he saw someone else’s fingers hurt, it was like the pain resonated straight through his own.
After a quick treatment, the medic left. Yu Bai, acting like nothing had happened, shook his hand out and prepared to rejoin training.
“Is your hand okay?” Ning Zhou couldn’t help asking, sneaking a worried glance at his fingers.
Yu Bai clearly didn’t want to talk to him, but reluctantly replied: “The doctor said it’s fine.”
“No… if it were fractured, then he’d think it’s a problem.” Ning Zhou twisted his hands together, still anxious. “I mean… does it hurt?”
“It’s manageable.”
Ning Zhou didn’t want to keep throwing warmth at a cold shoulder. He sighed, muttering to himself as he turned away, “Your basics aren’t solid, why risk an overhead pass? So dangerous…”
“Because I wanted to set you up.”
Ning Zhou froze mid-step, thinking he’d misheard: “…What?”
“Because I wanted to pass the ball perfectly for you.”
Yu Bai met his gaze, eyes dark and steady, his tone earnest: “I messed up several receives already. I wanted you to be able to set without moving.”
“!”
The ice between them melted in an instant. Did he know how devastating that was to say to a setter!?
Ning Zhou couldn’t hold back anymore; his concern spilled out all at once, “You’ve got to protect your fingers! If you’re not comfortable with overheads, you can try wrapping them with tape. It helps with grip when your hands get sweaty, and it protects the joints. I usually tape my knuckles—it doesn’t interfere with fingertip feel when setting… uh, sorry, I’m rambling.”
Yu Bai listened quietly, head lowered, then flexed his fingers: “I don’t know how.”
Ning Zhou blinked. In his memory, Yu Bai had played both basketball and volleyball before eventually committing to volleyball after this training camp. So it made sense he didn’t know how to tape fingers… but to just say ‘I don’t know’?
Ning Zhou hesitated, then ventured, “Then… want me to do it for you?”
“Okay.”
That was way too fast an answer! Ning Zhou twitched his lips, then hurried to grab a roll of athletic tape and pulled Yu Bai down onto a bench.
“Was it this finger that got jammed just now?”
He gently pinched Yu Bai’s index finger, and after hearing a muffled “Mm,” he began taping.
Ning Zhou’s skin was a couple shades paler than Yu Bai’s, and with the tape as contrast, the difference stood out.
“Your knuckles are so broad—your fingers are a whole size thicker than mine!” Ning Zhou babbled to keep the silence from turning awkward. “Guess that’s what you get from playing basketball, huh?”
Yu Bai’s fingers twitched: “How do you know I played basketball?”
It was his first day at camp, most players barely knew him.
Ning Zhou scrunched his nose, hedging: “Coach mentioned it… okay, done!”
“…”
Yu Bai flexed his taped index finger. The tape was snug around the joint, offering protection without restricting movement.
Then he pressed down on the hem of Ning Zhou’s shirt: “The others aren’t taped.”
Ning Zhou failed to stand, pinned by the grip, weakly protesting: “But you only jammed your index, right?”
“The other fingers need protection too.”
“…I just showed you how with the index. You should’ve learned it by now, right?”
“I didn’t.”
“……”
Yu Bai’s expression stayed cool and stern, like an unreasonable guard dog, low growls rumbling in his throat. They stared at each other for a few seconds until Ning Zhou gave in: “…Fine. Hand them over.”
Skillfully, he taped all ten of Yu Bai’s fingers—just as he had taped his own countless times in his previous life.
“Hey! You two in the rest area—slacking off training?” the assistant coach barked.
“Coming!” Ning Zhou hurried to finish, shoving the rest of the roll into Yu Bai’s arms. “Go on, back to training.”
He quickly slipped into the lineup and leaned toward his roommate, Nie Feiang.
Ning Zhou, “What’s the training content now?”
Nie Feiang waggled his eyebrows, “Defense. Hey, are you close with that new violent outside hitter?”
Ning Zhou, “Not close, just met him.”
Nie Feiang, “Really? He almost got into a fight with Shao Qiu as soon as he came, and then I saw him drag you to the rest area. I thought he was picking a fight with you!”
Ning Zhou waved his hand, “No, I just helped him wrap his fingers.”
Nie Feiang, “Oh…” His expression shifted, brows raised high. “Ning Zhou, I think you’ve changed!”
Ning Zhou’s heart skipped, but he pretended to be calm, “Why do you say that?”
Nie Feiang, “You used to hold a volleyball all day long and hardly talked to anyone!”
Arms folded, he sighed, “We’ve been roommates a few days, and this afternoon was the most you’ve ever talked. There were even players who asked me, ‘That really good-looking setter, does he not speak Chinese?’ And I actually thought about it seriously for a moment…”
It wasn’t unfair of Nie Feiang to complain—Ning Zhou’s past life really had been reclusive. Not that his personality was so cold, but his eyes had only ever been fixed on one thing: the starting setter position on the national team. All the time others spent on socializing, he sacrificed entirely for practice. Even after becoming a national team substitute, he hardly ever chatted outside games, always grinding himself to the limit.
But now, having decided to let go, Ning Zhou no longer wanted to suppress himself. If he felt like talking, he’d talk. Spending a little training time helping someone wrap their fingers didn’t matter anymore. Whether he ended up a substitute or failed to make the national team at all, this lifetime he only wanted to live freely…
Ning Zhou smiled brightly, “Besides volleyball, now I can see other things too!”
Nie Feiang blinked, stunned, murmuring, “That’s what it feels like… Ning Zhou, you really are good-looking!”
The player in front of them finished his round, and the assistant coach blew the whistle furiously, pointing at Nie Feiang, “Hey, big dumb guy over there! Get in and receive the ball!”
Nie Feiang, “Who are you calling big dumb guy!?”
He stormed onto the court, grumbling as he went to receive…
Ning Zhou stifled laughter, watching his roommate’s clumsy digging attempts, unable to bear the sight, “How does someone even manage to tie their own legs into a knot?”
“Big dumb guy” was now officially stuck to Nie Feiang…
The afternoon training wasn’t too intense. At dinner, several players sat across from Ning Zhou and Nie Feiang, chatting about what extra training they’d do later that night.
Nie Feiang, “Ning Zhou, what are you working on tonight?”
Ning Zhou swallowed his bite, “Not training.”
He had just been thrown into practice right after being reborn, and needed some time to sort out his thoughts.
Pfft—! Cough cough!
Looking disgusted, Ning Zhou quickly lifted his tray to block the “spray attack” from the players across from him, “You guys?!”
The players scrambled to clean up the mess, sneaking glances at Ning Zhou, whispering, “Did the grind-king really just say that?”
“Is the world ending?”
“Should we stockpile supplies?”
Nie Feiang, smug, pointed his thumb at Ning Zhou, “Hah! You guys don’t know yet? Let me tell you—the grind-king has changed his ways!”
Ning Zhou: …
Seeing the group’s eager faces as they listened to Nie Feiang, Ning Zhou coughed heavily to cut them off, “I’m sitting right here. Why not just ask me directly?”
Players, “Oh my god, we actually talked to the grind-king!”
“Has both the ‘grind-king’ and the ‘cold aloof’ persona collapsed?”
“Betting a chicken leg—if I talk now, will Ning Zhou actually answer me?”
Ning Zhou sighed deeply, “What kind of strange image did I have in your eyes before…”
He recommended some independent training methods, instantly winning their goodwill…
Players, “As expected of the grind-king! So many hidden tricks!”
“Ning Zhou, you’re actually so generous. From now on, we’re brothers!”
Ning Zhou teased, “You’re calling me brother just to fish for my tips?”
Everyone laughed, “Of course not—‘getting along with Ning Zhou’ is worth bragging about for a whole year!”
Ning Zhou wasn’t annoyed by their jokes; his brows curved in a relaxed smile, his whole demeanor easy and unhurried, “If you have questions, feel free to squeeze me dry. As long as I know, I’ll help.”
Players, “Th-thanks!” They shivered a little, then quickly shoveled food into their mouths.
For some reason, even though Ning Zhou was the same age as them, he carried the aura of a dependable senior…
After saying goodbye to Nie Feiang and the others, Ning Zhou had just left the cafeteria when an assistant coach stopped him, “Coach Luo wants to see you.”
“?”
Following the assistant, Ning Zhou dug through his memories, and finally recalled this event— A sports variety show had invited Shao Qiu to record, but Shao Qiu declined. Then the coach asked if Ning Zhou wanted to fill in.
In his past life, Ning Zhou had always seen Shao Qiu as his biggest rival. Naturally, he refused to be outdone and rejected the offer outright, so as not to miss any training time…
Entering Coach Luo’s office, Ning Zhou indeed saw the variety show director he remembered meeting once. Director Zhang had short, chic hair, wore a linen dress, and radiated warmth. Compared to a variety show director, she felt more like a kind neighborly aunt.
When she heard the door open, she immediately looked up. Her gaze landed precisely on Ning Zhou’s face, and she smiled with satisfaction, “Hello, Ning Zhou. Would you be interested in variety shows? It’d be a real shame if your looks never made it on camera!”
Ning Zhou shook her hand: “Hello…”
His adoptive father, Ning Xu, was also in the office. He helped explain the situation. Ning Zhou pretended to be hearing it for the first time, falling into thought: “I see…”
Director Zhang, worried her show might miss out on this face, continued gently persuading, “The show is live-streamed, but each episode won’t take much time. During competition periods we’d never force you to appear, and the pay is negotiable…”
Ning Xu, who knew Ning Zhou well, gave a serious reminder from the side, “Director Zhang, Ning Zhou isn’t interested in anything outside of volleyball. He probably just doesn’t want to embarrass you by rejecting you directly…”
“Can I ask about the salary?”
“You see, I told you he—” Ning Xu suddenly froze, his whole body shivering as if struck by lightning. He couldn’t believe his ears. “Huh?”
Ning Zhou repeated calmly, “Can I ask about the salary?”
“Of course!” Director Zhang saw hope in this and quickly pulled out a prepared contract. “All the details are here. If there’s anything you’re not satisfied with, feel free to raise it anytime!”
Ning Xu stared dumbly at Ning Zhou, who was seriously reading through the contract. He stammered, “Th-that’s… a variety show contract, not related to volleyball!”
Still looking for the salary section, Ning Zhou replied casually: “Mm, I know.”
“…Then you keep reading, then…”
Ning Xu stiffly watched as Ning Zhou happily chatted with Director Zhang and even signed the contract in high spirits.
After Director Zhang left, Ning Xu quickly caught up with Ning Zhou, who was heading back to the dorm. After some hesitation, he asked with a complicated tone, “Zhou Zhou… are you not feeling well? Dizzy? Did you not realize what you just signed…”
“I signed a variety show contract,” Ning Zhou interrupted calmly, his gaze clear. “I know exactly what I’m doing. I really do want to be a regular guest on a sports variety show.”
Ning Xu frowned even deeper. “This isn’t like you at all… are you competing with Shao Qiu?”
“No!” Ning Zhou spread his hands helplessly.
“Then could it be…”
Ning Xu’s chest rose and fell a few times, his expression twisting into pain, “Zhou Zhou, after all these years, you still haven’t forgiven me? You don’t even want to continue playing volleyball?”
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