Chapter 9
Ning Zhou traced the grooves on the volleyball in his hands, seriously considering for a moment—Should he tell Ning Yang about his rebirth?
Since childhood, the two of them had done everything together. Adopted together by Ning Xu, living together, learning volleyball together, even getting assigned to the same classes all the way through sports school and university…
Even after Ning Zhou’s relationship with Ning Xu broke apart, Ning Yang still stood by him like a true brother, helping him through those dark times. They had never kept secrets from each other. If it was Ning Yang, maybe he wouldn’t mind knowing about the rebirth…
As Ning Zhou thought this, he lost control of his strength during a set, and the ball to Xu Zichang came out too high.
Xu Zichang stretched his shoulder to barely reach it, tipping it over the net with his fingertips. The close call made him break out in a cold sweat, but he clenched his fists and shouted, “Who saw that? My exquisite tip shot! No way the other side could defend it!”
Ning Zhou’s mouth twitched, and he raised a hand apologetically. “My bad…”
From behind, Ning Yang leaned over, practically draping himself over the ball cart, “Did I guess right? Why won’t you tell me—did you fight with Dad again? Or did some idiot say something that upset you?”
He went down the list of every possible culprit in the training camp, then smacked the volleyballs in the cart in frustration, “If I’d known, I wouldn’t have bought that game. I should’ve been here the first week to keep an eye on you. You’re hopeless with people!”
Ning Zhou rescued the innocent ball under his hand and flicked Ning Yang’s forehead with a laugh, “Do you take me for a kid? It’s not what you think!”
He spun the ball, balancing it on his fingertip, just like when they were young and competed to see who could keep the ball spinning longer.
“I just felt like eating ice cream. Felt like talking, so I talked. Didn’t feel like extra practice, so I didn’t. Is that not allowed?”
Reflected in Ning Yang’s pupils, the volleyball spun and spun, making him look dazed…
“Then it’s a deal,” he said abruptly, spinning around and sprinting off to crouch on the other side of the court, fists clenched. “Come on! Don’t hold back, smash it at me!”
Ning Zhou raised an eyebrow, hugging the ball to his chest.
If Ning Yang ever learned about his rebirth, he might actually force him to give up volleyball altogether, just to avoid all the pain of his last life. Better to keep it hidden…
The afternoon training time was limited. After finishing basic drills, they practiced a few tactical combinations. By the time they were done, the sky outside the gym was already tinged with dusk. As practice wound down, Coach Luo gathered both groups of players and announced, “Tomorrow morning, Assistant Coach Garry and Assistant Coach Ning will each field a team for a scrimmage.
There’s no limit on substitutions, so the coaches can test different combinations. Best of five sets. I expect a good performance from all of you!”
Ning Zhou searched his memory and vaguely recalled this match, but the result and details were blurry…
“Ahem, of course, to boost motivation, the winning team will get a special reward!”
Coach Luo dragged out the suspense, his gaze sweeping deliberately over certain players, “The reward is this: on the winning side, the best-performing player will earn a direct-entry ticket to the future national first team. You’ll also get to choose which assistant coach’s group to train with during camp!”
In an instant, both groups erupted in shock…And Ning Zhou, who was pretty sure Ning Luo had just glanced at him: ?
He couldn’t remember the details of this scrimmage, but in his last life, Coach Luo had never announced a “direct-entry to the first team” prize like this! A simple practice match had suddenly become monumental.
“Direct entry to the first team? Damn, that’s some bait!”
“What’s with the ‘choose your assistant coach’ thing? Compared to the first team ticket, that’s nothing.”
“Tomorrow we’ve gotta go all out! No sub limits means everyone has a chance!”
“Coach Luo’s raising so… He wants to pick out one king insect from all of us!”
Not only were the players stunned—even the coaching staff looked at Coach Luo in disbelief. Coach Luo’s smile didn’t falter. Calm and composed, he said, “Alright, dismissed!”
For the first time, dismissal didn’t send everyone stampeding to the cafeteria. Fired up about the “first team spot,” they stayed behind, chattering noisily.
“A surprise match tomorrow!”
Ning Yang slouched over to Ning Zhou. “Are you gonna practice tonight?”
“Nope. Didn’t we agree to get ice cream?”
“!” Ning Yang leaned back in shock. “You’d still go with me? Weren’t you dead set on chasing a starting spot on the national team?”
Ning Zhou hooked his arm and tugged him toward the cafeteria.
“Cramming the night before won’t do much. Better to eat well, sleep well, and stay in top form.”
Ning Yang’s brain short-circuited into mush, dragged along like a puddle of thoughtless sludge, “Zhou Zhou, if you change, you change big…”
But sneaking out was easier said than done. They waited until after sunset, swapped into track shorts for camouflage, and walked straight out of the national training center gate, eyes forward.
The guard wasn’t planning to stop them, but under the lamplight, he caught sight of their faces and frowned.
“Wait a sec! What team are you boys with?”
Ning Yang replied smoothly, “Track and field.”
Only the volleyball team was under closed training. Other athletes could come and go freely.
The guard clasped his hands behind his back, hesitating. “Funny, I don’t remember the track team having boys this handsome…”
Ning Yang smacked Ning Zhou’s back with irritation, though he kept a casual face.
“Ha ha, Uncle, your memory’s slipping. With our height, no way we’re playing volleyball—we’d barely clear a hurdle!”
Ning Zhou lowered his handsome face in embarrassment…
But the longer the guard looked, the less familiar they seemed. Suddenly, he waved toward someone in the distance, “Hey! You there, young man!”
Ning Zhou turned. The shadowy figure, half-hidden in the dark, heard the call, hung up his phone, and the faint orange glow of a cigarette flared at his lips…
That man stubbed out his cigarette, stepped out of the shadows, once again cutting off the vibrating call, his face dark, “What’s going on?”
Ning Zhou sucked in a sharp breath—Yu Bai!?
Yu Bai’s gaze shifted from the security guard to Ning Zhou and Ning Yang. He opened his mouth, about to speak…
Ning Zhou, his back to the guard, stared straight at Yu Bai and gave a small shake of his head.
Yu Bai swallowed back the name that was about to leave his lips and exchanged a doubtful look with the guard.
“Kid, with that height you’ve gotta be from the volleyball team!” The guard looked up at Yu Bai, then pointed at Ning Zhou and Ning Yang. “Are those two part of your squad?”
A flash of realization passed through Yu Bai’s eyes. He curled his lips in a faint smile, watching Ning Zhou’s expression with amusement…
Ning Zhou’s face shifted unpredictably. He had never been able to figure Yu Bai out—especially in these few days since his rebirth. Would Yu Bai be willing to help him? He had no idea…
Ning Zhou gave two small coughs, twining his index fingers nervously in front of him, sending frantic signals—I’ll still help tape your fingers later, so please, I’m begging you!
Yu Bai lowered his eyes, and lied more smoothly than Ning Yang ever could, without the slightest change in expression, “I’ve never seen them before.”
On the street, Ning Yang let out a long sigh of relief, “That guy’s solid. If there’s trouble, he really does step in! Zhou Zhou, you know him?”
“Mm. We played one practice match together.”
Outside, the city was bustling with traffic. Shops blasted music to attract customers, blending into a chaotic chorus. Ning Yang spread his arms wide and exclaimed, “Yeah! That’s the taste of freedom!”
Ning Zhou sniffed too. “All I can smell is fried chicken…”
“What do you know, huh? Ever heard of metaphor? It’s just a feeling!”
Ning Yang’s complaint made him laugh at himself. “Should I say you’ve changed, or not? The Zhou Zhou who only has volleyball in his head—one word from you and you give yourself away!”
“Who talks in that artsy nonsense like you? I’m just thinking normally!”
They bickered their way down the street, buying fried chicken, snacks, milk tea—everything they passed.
All those high-sugar, high-fat foods on the athletes’ taboo list exploded with blissful flavor on their taste buds…
Holding their stuffed bellies, they each bought an ice pop and leaned against a flowerbed, letting the night breeze brush their cheeks.
The cool sweetness melted on Ning Zhou’s tongue. Suddenly, a line he’d once heard somewhere floated into his mind: One cannot possess both youth and the awareness of youth.
A twenty-year-old Ning Zhou with a twenty-five-year-old soul finally understood how precious that breeze was, and why the sweetness on his tongue turned bittersweet…
A little girl passing by pointed at them, tugging her mother’s hand, “Those two big brothers are so tall!”
“Yes, they must be about 1.8 meters…”
As the mother and daughter walked off, Ning Yang bit off a big chunk of his popsicle and crunched it noisily.
“After spending so long on the court, you start to feel short. But really, it’s just those freaks who are too tall!”
“Not sure if all that milk we drink even works…” Ning Zhou muttered. “When I found out we were adopted, I even sincerely wished my genes would somehow grow me to two meters!”
“Hahaha, no wonder people say we’re destined. Adopted by the same person from different orphanages, ended up the same height, and even want to play the same position in volleyball…”
Ning Yang’s voice suddenly cut off. He gnawed at his popsicle, sneaking sidelong glances at Ning Zhou’s expression…
Ning Zhou just smiled carelessly. “It’s fine, it’s been so long already.”
With the popsicle stick still in his mouth, Ning Yang mumbled, “And you and Dad… it’s still like that?”
“Mm.”
Ning Yang’s face twisted into a troubled look, “You don’t have to cut things off that completely. Dad still transfers money to your account every month. At least take part of it to pay tuition…”
“Don’t worry about my money!” Ning Zhou smiled mysteriously. “I found a part-time gig that’s short on time but pays quick.”
A chill ran through Ning Yang’s heart. “Is it legal?”
“…You really don’t need to worry about that.”
“Forget it, you’re doing fine now. No need for me to overthink things!” Ning Yang tossed his popsicle stick into the trash and walked lazily.
“Zhou Zhou, those two new assistant coaches… don’t get too close to them.”
“?” Ning Zhou, with the last bite of ice in his mouth, gave him a questioning look.
“Come on, if we get back too late and get caught, it’ll be trouble.” Ning Yang didn’t explain. He just strode ahead, waving one hand casually, “Thanks for coming out with me tonight!”
Zhou Zhou:
I don’t care if you’ve retired or not. If your hand doesn’t hurt anymore, get out here and play!
—Sender: Mie Mie (Ning Yang)
Aside from their foster father Ning Xu, Ning Yang was the only one who had messaged Ning Zhou when he was at his lowest…
Looking at his brother’s back, Ning Zhou smiled in relief, “Mie Mie, wait for me!”
He was the one who should have been saying thank you. The next day, before the group match began, Assistant Coach Ning Xu cleared his throat to announce his starting lineup.
“Wait a second!” Ning Yang stepped out, drenched in cold sweat, his lips pale.
“Coach Ning, I… I can’t go in right now. I need to… ugh… use the restroom…”
Bent over, clutching his stomach, his run turned into a pigeon-toed shuffle. Ning Zhou’s most anticipated partner, the libero he wanted most to play with, made a glorious early exit…
Ning Zhou stared dumbfounded at Ning Yang’s retreating back.
So much for ‘perfect health’!? What are we gonna do about the match!?
![[Sports] I Really Am Just a Substitute](https://i2.wp.com/panda-translations.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/20231215185420_300_420.jpg?resize=151,215 "[Sports] I Really Am Just a Substitute")