Volume One: Our Own League 119: The Substitution That Took Immediate Effect

During the friendly match against Class Sixteen’s football team, Xu He was not in the starting lineup and sat on the bench. His mood was quite sour, his eyes fixated intently on the field.

Li Liying, sitting behind him, clearly sensed his displeasure and suddenly asked, “Are you feeling down?”

Xu He didn’t hide it and nodded directly. “Yes.”

Li Liying probed further, “Is it because you weren’t in the starting lineup?”

“Exactly,” Xu He replied.

Then, Li Liying asked unexpectedly, “Is that why you want to leave our Class Ten football team?”

Xu He was taken aback; he hadn’t anticipated her question. Normally, she would comfort or console him, wouldn’t she? Li Liying was certainly unpredictable.

Frowning slightly, Xu He said, “That’s not the reason I want to leave.”

Li Liying, puzzled, pressed on, “Then what is it?”

Xu He stared at the field for a long moment before saying, “Because I haven’t been given the respect I deserve here.”

Li Liying was momentarily stunned, not expecting such a candid confession. She was about to ask more, but Xu He stood up and began warming up on the sidelines. She didn’t pursue the matter further. Clearly, Xu He didn’t want to delve deeper, so she let it drop.

Still, a pang of unease stirred in Li Liying’s heart. It seemed Xu He was resolute about leaving the Class Ten football team. Her own mood darkened; she sincerely hoped he would stay.

This made it difficult for her to focus on the match.

However, Xu He was intensely attentive, valuing the game greatly. He desperately wanted their team to win and reclaim their dignity and honor.

At this moment, Xu He did not reveal his inner turmoil; instead, he stood firmly with the team, thinking of their collective interests. He didn’t want the situation to affect his teammates’ mindset or performance. He hoped they would give their all, playing at their best to secure victory.

On the sidelines, Xu He waved and shouted encouragement to his teammates.

Li Liying watched in surprise. She hadn’t expected Xu He to cheer so enthusiastically for the team and his comrades at such a time. Suddenly, she felt she didn’t truly understand him after all.

Meanwhile, Xu He’s focus was entirely on the match—observing the opponent’s weaknesses, occasionally directing teammates, and offering tactical advice. He was fully immersed, even more so than some on-field players.

With a sudden thud, defender Deng Ning launched a long ball toward the front. Unfortunately, his long pass lacked precision; winger Lin Xuefeng failed to reach the ball, which rolled out of bounds.

Still, the young ladies in the crowd loudly cheered Lin Xuefeng’s name, encouraging him.

Today, Mu Yang was absent, so Deng Ning took his place as a starting midfielder. Deng Ning’s skills paled in comparison to Mu Yang’s, which caused many errors and disrupted the smooth flow the Class Ten team once had.

Fortunately, Class Sixteen’s team lacked offensive strength, so these mistakes weren’t fatal—but the match remained a tough battle for Class Ten.

Class Sixteen threw the ball in from the sideline, and Li Jie made a sudden interception. He quickly passed it sideways to the midfield, where Zhu Ge controlled the ball.

Xu He jumped up eagerly on the sidelines, shouting, “Old Li, great interception, awesome!”

After gaining possession, Zhu Ge turned, intending to pass back and then sprint forward for a one-two play. But he suddenly realized it wasn’t Mu Yang behind him, but Deng Ning. He abandoned the plan immediately.

Had he passed as usual, the ball might have been lost again.

Deng Ning’s skills were far inferior to Mu Yang’s, making such a combination unlikely to succeed. So Zhu Ge dribbled, spun, and quickly advanced, drawing defenders before passing forward.

Zhang Zhen received the ball, shifted it lightly to the side, and before goalkeeper Zhuo Jun could close in, unleashed a fierce shot from the edge of the penalty box. The ball whistled toward the upper right corner of the goal.

The speed was so fast that Zhuo Jun was startled.

Xu He leapt up excitedly, waving his hands—the ball was on its way in!

But with a sharp slap, goalkeeper Xu Donglai made a spectacular save, deflecting the ball out over the line.

Xu He applauded him—what a brilliant save! Xu Donglai was truly formidable.

In Xu He’s eyes, the shot was almost a sure goal, but Xu Donglai’s skillful block was astonishing. No wonder he was the top goalkeeper at Jinguan City No. 17 Middle School; his ability was unmatched.

Xu He frowned. Winning this match was going to be very difficult. If they couldn’t get past Xu Donglai, all efforts would be in vain.

He glanced at Zhang Zhen on the field, noticing his furrowed brows—this match was indeed tough. Xu Donglai was simply too strong.

Players from Class Sixteen swarmed to Xu Donglai, slapping hands with him in celebration.

Xu Donglai’s performance was outstanding.

Class Ten was awarded a corner kick. Lin Xuefeng curled the ball into Class Sixteen’s penalty area, aiming for the highest point, Yang Xin. But goalkeeper Zhuo Jun punched it away, consistently suppressing Yang Xin.

Zhuo Jun’s performance was exceptional—he was powerful.

Xu He smirked slightly. Yet Yang Xin still started over him? He wondered what Zhu Ge was thinking. Had he not witnessed how thoroughly Zhuo Jun had dominated Yang Xin in the final match? Was today to be a repeat?

Yang Xin shot a fierce glare at Zhuo Jun after landing—Zhuo Jun’s presence was a heavy burden.

Zhu Ge frowned as well, surprised by the situation.

The ball was lofted beyond the penalty area. Deng Ning feigned a powerful shot, tricked the defender with a feint, then unleashed a furious strike that zoomed toward the goal.

Class Sixteen’s players tensed, their expressions darkening—danger.

Again, Xu Donglai sprang to action, diving sideways to bat the ball over the line, saving his team once more.

Xu Donglai’s skill was truly formidable.

Deng Ning stared intently at Xu Donglai, reluctant to look away, as if imprinting his image in his memory.

Class Ten earned another corner kick.

Lin Xuefeng curled another ball into Class Sixteen’s box. This time Yang Xin leapt higher than Zhuo Jun and headed the ball toward goal, but under Zhuo Jun’s interference, it sailed over the crossbar and out.

During the first half, Class Ten had many chances but struggled to get past the twin hurdles of Zhuo Jun and Xu Donglai, remaining goalless.

More troubling was that Yang Xin, the starting striker, failed to meet Zhu Ge’s expectations, once again stifled by Zhuo Jun. This made Zhu Ge reconsider—should he substitute Yang Xin for Xu He?

In the final match, Xu He had performed far better than Yang Xin, and his duels with Zhuo Jun were more balanced, even favorable at times.

Zhu Ge contemplated a substitution.

After careful thought, he decided to make the change. The current situation couldn’t continue; it was damaging his teammates’ confidence, making Xu Donglai seem invincible—and that was perilous.

He shouted toward the sidelines, “Xu He, get ready! You’re coming on!”

Hearing this, Yang Xin’s face instantly fell, his expression sour. Xu He, however, showed no surprise. He nodded slightly and ran over, preparing to enter the field.

In truth, Xu He had expected an opportunity, given Yang Xin’s poor showing. He’d thought it would come later, but Zhu Ge’s dissatisfaction was evident—he didn’t hesitate to bring Xu He on.

Xu He approached Zhu Ge, who said, “Your mission in the second half is to score. Confident?”

Xu He nodded firmly. “Of course. I’m here to score!”

Unseen by Xu He, Yang Xin scoffed coldly at the remark, his face full of disdain. He clearly looked down on Xu He, doubting he could score, considering it boastful arrogance.

Xu He entered the pitch confidently.

Suddenly, Class Sixteen’s captain Zhuo Jun shouted loudly, warning his teammates, “Watch out! Mark the new number 17. This kid’s tough to deal with. Don’t give him any chances, understood?”

Clearly, Zhuo Jun took Xu He very seriously—perhaps even feared him.

Yang Xin’s expression twisted in anger; he hated Zhuo Jun at that moment. Did Zhuo Jun look down on him? Think he was inferior to Xu He?

Yang Xin felt deeply unsettled; he believed he was much stronger than Xu He.

Yet, Xu He immediately created a scoring chance.

After receiving a through ball from Zhu Ge, Xu He dribbled past two defenders inside the box and suddenly passed the ball sideways. It rolled swiftly to Zhang Zhen in the middle, who fired a swift shot toward Class Sixteen’s goal.

Goalkeeper Xu Donglai couldn’t react in time—the ball traveled too fast.

Just as Class Ten’s players erupted with excitement, a sharp clang rang out—the ball struck the goalpost and bounced out over the line.

No goal.

Xu He felt a pang of regret. It was a perfect chance.

Xu Donglai had no chance to save it, but Zhang Zhen’s angle was too tight, and the ball hit the post—they had squandered a golden opportunity.

Zhang Zhen immediately apologized to Xu He with a raised hand.

Xu He waved it off. “It’s okay. Keep playing like this, and we’ll definitely score. This victory belongs to Class Ten. Let’s go, everyone!”

The morale of the Class Ten team soared.