Chapter 6
When faced with a trash-talking teammate, Ning Zhou remained calm and unbothered. His amber eyes quietly settled on the player behind him, as if they could see straight through him…
The sharp comeback the guy was expecting never came—instead, under that gaze, his heart climbed into his throat, “What are you staring at? Did I say anything wrong?”
“No, everything you said was correct.”
Ning Zhou lazily counted off on his fingers, “I am Assistant Coach Ning’s foster son, I did slip past the block several times yesterday, there are rumors floating around about me recently…That’s right. Thank you for working so hard to spread the word about me.”
The guy froze mid-tilt of his neck, then blurted out louder than intended, uneasy, “You—you think that’s what I meant? Can’t tell good words from bad?”
“What’s all that noise back there!”
Assistant Coach Ning Xu’s brows shot up as he barked: “No discipline at all! If you’ve got something important to say, step out and say it!”
Ning Zhou calmly looked down at his nose, his nose at his heart, thinking the matter would end here.
But unexpectedly, the player behind him twisted the story: “Coach! Ning Zhou deliberately picked a fight with me!”
Ning Zhou’s brow twitched. He suspected this “slacker” attribute was cursed—the more he tried to stay out of things, the more drama he caused…
Face wrinkled in frustration, he couldn’t help but mutter back, “Why are you using tricks little kids use?”
The guy lifted his chin proudly, his eyes full of provocation: whoever tattles first is in the right!
Ning Xu stepped to the front of their row: “What’s going on?”
The “little schoolboy” immediately seized the chance: “Ning Zhou turned around and insulted me!”
Ning Xu, looking stern and impartial, met Ning Zhou’s eyes: “You. Tell me what happened.”
Ning Zhou looked thoroughly unwilling to participate in such childish antics, “I don’t even know him…”
“Coach! Ning Zhou didn’t insult him at all—he’s the one who’s been spreading things nonstop!”
A player in the first row pointed at “little schoolboy,” outraged.
“That’s right, I heard it too. Ning Zhou only told him to be quiet—he’s the one who ran to tattle first!”
“Exactly! Everyone around here knows who was out of line!”
Surprised, Ning Zhou looked over—the ones standing up for him were Nie Feiang and the teammates he had eaten with last night…Panic flickered across “little schoolboy’s” eyes. He had thought Ning Zhou was always alone, without connections, so no one would speak up for him…
Wasn’t this shorty who came in through the back door supposed to be driven out by everyone together? But the more he thought, the more indignant he became. He blurted angrily, “Assistant Coach Ning, you can’t possibly show favoritism for Ning Zhou just because of your personal relations—ah!”
Before he finished, a tremendous force yanked at the back of his collar. His neck was strangled by his front collar as he was nearly dragged off his feet…
Stumbling forward, he crashed out of the line and was hauled by a large hand, slammed onto the ground.
“Cough! Who the hell—cough cough…”
Clutching his throat, choking painfully, he raised his head in fury—but the curse words stuck in his throat—Yu Bai stood over him, eyes half-lidded, but in their depths flickered a chilling glint, “Don’t you understand what the coach said? If it’s important, step out and say it.”
The dangerous pressure came not only from Yu Bai’s height—when “little schoolboy” caught sight of those taut muscles, he felt like one punch would smash him to pieces…
Every hair on his body stood on end. He couldn’t even breathe, let alone curse.
“I… uh…” His arms trembled like reeds as he scrambled up from the floor, stammering, “I don’t really have anything to say, so… I won’t step out, okay!”
Before the words had even finished, he darted back into the line like lightning…
Ning Zhou was stunned: This guy has two faces!?
Ning Xu’s expression turned dark: “You three—my office after dismissal!”
After practice was dismissed, Ning Zhou, Yu Bai, and “little schoolboy” obediently stood in a row, listening to Coach Luo lecture, “Volleyball isn’t like basketball or soccer. No matter how strong an individual’s ability, you can’t win points on your own…”
He paused, eyes lingering deliberately on Yu Bai for a few seconds, then continued earnestly, “A volleyball team is like a choir. What matters most is harmony. If even one person insists on going solo, the whole song falls apart.”
Pleased with his own impromptu metaphor, Coach Luo flicked his fingers through his “air bangs”:
“Do you understand what I mean now?”
The “little elementary chicken” scrambled to show off and was the first to answer, “Coach, I understood! I’ll definitely work hard to improve my singing!”
Coach Luo: ?
Ning Xu: …
The semi-permanent smile on Coach Luo’s face turned dangerous, “Coach Ning, put him in solitary confinement for a day to reflect!”
Ning Xu patted the “little chicken’s” back and escorted him out of the office, sighing, “Not many people can actually make Coach Luo angry. You’re really a talent…”
After sending one away, Coach Luo’s gaze shifted to the two who remained, “Did you two understand?”
Ning Zhou shivered, “Got it! We need to unite as one and blend into a harmonious team atmosphere!”
Yu Bai quickly echoed, “He’s right.”
Ning Zhou: …
Seeing Coach Luo’s smile about to sour again, Ning Zhou hurriedly poked Yu Bai.
Yu Bai, catching the hint, added calmly, “I can’t just act on my own subjective impulses.”
Coach Luo gave a reluctant nod, “If I catch you laying hands on a teammate again, I’ll hand down formal punishment!”
Ning Zhou poked Yu Bai again, and Yu Bai lowered his eyes obediently, “It won’t happen again…”
“Good. Since you two admitted your mistakes sincerely, no confinement. But today your conditioning and strength training are doubled. Until you finish, don’t even touch a volleyball!”
Ning Zhou: !?
He felt like confinement would’ve been better…
Back on the court, Ning Zhou’s face was as pale as a vegetable.
Nie Feiang broke into a sweat just from looking at him, “What’s wrong? Was the punishment harsh?”
“Super harsh!” Ning Zhou gloomily raised two fingers.
“They’re making us double all our training outside volleyball!”
“?”
Nie Feiang curled his lip, “I thought it was something serious. Just grit your teeth and finish. Maybe we can still make afternoon volleyball practice.”
“Maybe for you it’s just grit your teeth. For me, it’s like the 81 tribulations!”
Grumbling, Ning Zhou stepped into the punishment training. First item: jogging. The punished duo had no rhythm, each running on their own. The gym track was short, so once again Ning Zhou fell into the cycle of being lapped by Yu Bai…
When Ning Zhou finished the normal number of laps and saw neither Coach Luo nor Ning Xu was paying attention, he drifted to the wall, shifting from running to walking, adjusting his breath.
Rule number two of being a slacker: Keep practicing, but if it’s beyond your limit and risks exhausting your body—why not avoid it? Keeping yourself at peak condition means you won’t miss playing opportunities!
“?”
Clearly unfamiliar with the Rule of being a slacker, Yu Bai looked over in confusion as he passed Ning Zhou, “Done already? I haven’t even broken a sweat.”
That was the last straw for Ning Zhou. Leaning on the wall, he didn’t even want to walk, “Stop. I know you’re mocking me for being trash at stamina…”
“I wasn’t.”
Ning Zhou studied Yu Bai’s face and couldn’t detect a trace of sarcasm, “You… are naturally sharp-tongued without knowing it!”
Yu Bai didn’t get it, turned his head back, and kept running, “I have one lap left. I’ll wait for you after.”
Ning Zhou’s eyes lit up, and he doggedly bit down on Yu Bai’s pace…
Assistant coach Ning Xu’s group had just gone on break, so he came to supervise the joggers.
“How many laps?” he asked sternly.
Ning Zhou perked up, held up one finger as he ran past, “Just one last lap!”
Hearing Ning Zhou’s cheery tone behind him, Yu Bai didn’t say a word, only slowed his pace quietly…
“Hm? I thought you two weren’t running together earlier?”
Watching their backs, Ning Xu was baffled, muttering, “Forget it, Zhou Zhou’s not the type to slack off anyway…”
Second item: strength training. With Ning Xu supervising, no slacking this time. Ning Zhou managed to get through double sets of finger-strength training, but once they moved to weightlifting, he was done for. By the last set of bench presses, his arms were trembling like butterfly wings with every push…
Afraid of slapping himself into a cold, Ning Zhou just lay on the bench, unmoving. He tilted his head, and upside-down in his view was Yu Bai, already finished, sipping protein shake water. Ning Zhou sent desperate signals: Save me save me…
Yu Bai drank in silence, but that pitiful gaze was impossible to ignore. Even the water sliding down his throat felt hotter…
His Adam’s apple bobbed, he swallowed, and let out a barely audible sigh.
“Your form’s wrong. Your arms need to straighten here.”
He walked over, blocking Ning Xu’s sightline, and while pretending to correct posture, grabbed the middle of the barbell with one hand—sharing some of the weight…
Ning Xu: ?
Before he could react, Ning Zhou had already rushed through the final set.
“Done!” Ning Zhou bounced off the bench, dragging Yu Bai out.
“Come on, time for stretching!”
Ning Xu: ???
Something didn’t feel right! On the court, other players were scrimmaging. Ning Zhou watched while doing stretches, Yu Bai following suit and copying his poses.
After a while, Nie Feiang was subbed out and, glancing their way, caught sight of Yu Bai’s contorted face mid-stretch. Nie Feiang pointed at him and burst out laughing, “So brave! You actually tried to copy Ning Zhou’s flexibility level? Your bones are about to snap, hahaha!”
Yu Bai’s face darkened, and the grimace of pain instantly took on a menacing edge.
Nie Feiang’s laugh faltered, survival instinct kicking in, “B-big bro Yu, you’re way better than me!”
Snapped out of watching the match, Ning Zhou finally noticed—Yu Bai’s leg was still pressed down and stuck…
“Are you okay?” Ning Zhou pulled him up, laughing. “If your legs went stiff, you could’ve just called me!”
Yu Bai kept a straight face, forcing out between clenched teeth: “I’m fine.”
Nie Feiang glanced sideways, unable to watch: this guy’s mouth is tougher than his body…
“Oh right, Ning Zhou…” Nie Feiang wiped his sweat, finally remembering the important matter. “I just looked up that variety show you’re supposed to record. The official account already announced the permanent guests.”
Ning Zhou’s mind was back on the game, so he just gave a distracted “oh.”
Nie Feiang twisted his towel, his tone complicated,“The official account tagged a brand-new account with 0 follows, 0 fans, and 0 posts. Don’t tell me that’s you?”
*
The “elementary school kid” spent a whole day in confinement, reflecting. By evening, there was a knock on the door. Dinner from the assistant coach? Or Coach Luo coming to announce the end of punishment? He eagerly opened the door, only to see an unexpected face—The newcomer wore a sunny smile, but his eyes carried no warmth at all, “Hello. Can I ask—where did you get the guts to mess with him?”
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