Volume One: Our Own League Chapter 69: The Semifinals of the Seventh Grade Football League

Tuesday, a light drizzle fell.
Under the curtain of rain, the turf on the field looked fresher.
Two teams slowly entered the football pitch, clearly preparing for a match.
Yes, this was the first semifinal of the Grade Seven Football League at Jinguancheng No. 17 Middle School, with Class Sixteen Football Team facing off against the joint team from Class Five and Class Eight.
The match was about to begin.
Even with the rain, the game was not postponed.
The main reason was that today's rain was very light, not posing much of a risk to Autumn Rain Amen's health. Otherwise, the school would not have permitted the game.
Still, the school had dispatched a medical team to monitor the match, ready for any unexpected incidents. This meant that, from today onward, the Grade Seven Football League had dedicated team doctors.
It made the league look ever more professional.
Moreover, the school sent a supervisory group to the sidelines for oversight.
This clearly showed the school's strong support for campus football.
Xu He was also seated in the stands today, watching the match.
Almost all the members of Class Ten's football team had come to watch, since the match featured their potential opponents in the final—they were here to gather information.
Indeed, Class Ten's team already viewed themselves as finalists.
Such confidence.
Li Jie sat beside Xu He, as usual, and turned to ask, "So, who do you favor today, Old Xu?"
Immediately, all the players from Class Ten's team turned their attention to Xu He.
He was almost a beacon; it seemed like he always predicted the outcome accurately, which naturally drew everyone's curiosity. Everyone wanted to see what Xu He would say next.
Feeling the pressure from so many eyes, Xu He touched his nose and coughed, saying, "Do you all really need to look at me like that? I'm not some gambling master."
Lin Xuefeng chimed in, "Exactly, you're not a gambling master, but you are a beacon."
The other players echoed this sentiment, leaving Xu He feeling helpless—what kind of people were these?
Zhu Ge looked at Xu He and said, "Share your view—who do you think we'll face in the final?"
Hearing Zhu Ge's request, Xu He felt obliged to offer his opinion.
He nodded and looked onto the field.
Truthfully, he had gradually come to understand these two teams. If he followed his gut, he favored Class Sixteen's team. Their luck was almost suspiciously good—could it really just be luck?
Could luck alone have brought them this far?
Besides, Xu He found Class Sixteen's team a bit mysterious, not easy to figure out.
In contrast, he knew the joint team from Class Five and Class Eight quite well. Their strength wasn't remarkable, but he had a good relationship with Yuan Fang, a member of that team. Would it be inappropriate to say he favored Class Sixteen?

Actually, the joint team had stronger offensive capabilities, so logically, he should have favored them. But his heart kept leaning towards Class Sixteen, something even Xu He couldn't explain.
After a while, Xu He finally said, "I favor—Class Sixteen's football team."
No one was surprised, for Xu He's opinions were always unconventional and unique. They were used to it now, merely curious why he favored Class Sixteen.
Zhu Ge asked, "Why?"
Xu He replied, "A feeling."
This left everyone speechless—wasn't that just a wild guess?
Zhu Ge paused, then asked, "Is your thinking really that simple?"
Xu He nodded slightly. "Of course. Mainly, I feel Class Sixteen's team still carries a sense of mystery, which none of the other teams have."
The group stage was over; each team had played three matches, and their characteristics, strengths, and styles were clear. Yet, Xu He sensed a lingering mystery about Class Sixteen's team.
As for where this mystery originated or what it was, even Xu He didn't know.
It was purely an impression.
A simple feeling.
Rather uncertain!
Zhu Ge and the players from Class Ten didn't know how to respond; the reason Xu He gave was hard to accept. None of them had sensed any mystery from Class Sixteen's team—they were unconvinced.
Zhu Ge turned to Mu Yang, hoping for an answer from him.
Cool Mu Yang shook his head slightly, saying nothing.
Clearly, Mu Yang hadn't felt the mystery Xu He described, which left Zhu Ge puzzled.
But he didn’t comment further.
Zhu Ge said, "I still favor the joint team from Class Five and Class Eight. Although their strength isn't great—they aren't the second strongest in our group—and their advancement owes much to luck, I think their strength still surpasses Class Sixteen's."
As he said this, Zhu Ge glanced at Zhuo Jun on the field.
Zhu Ge knew that guy was formidable, above the rest in skill. But a team relying on just one strong player couldn't go far; today would be the end of the road for Class Sixteen's team.
Thinking of a team relying on one person, Zhu Ge's mind flashed to Yang Hao.
That memory made Zhu Ge waver in his previous opinion.
Sometimes, a football team can achieve something with a single outstanding player—like Class Six Football Team, who had made the semifinals.
But to Zhu Ge, Class Six's journey was over, as their next opponent was his own Class Ten team, and Zhu Ge was full of confidence.
Returning to the current match, Zhu Ge still favored the joint team from Class Five and Class Eight, whose attacking strength was greater, with more varied tactics—they should win.
He believed many shared his view.
Sure enough, the other members of Class Ten's team agreed, all supporting the joint team, convinced they would be the ones to join them in the final, making both finalists from Group B.
It would prove Group B's strength.

Li Jie looked at Xu He and said, "Old Xu, I really want to side with you this time. But I still agree with the captain: the joint team from Class Five and Class Eight has a better chance."
Xu He had expected this, so he wasn't surprised at all.
He said, "There's no point in talking so much now. Let's just watch the match."
Seeing Xu He's confidence, the others were amazed—they wondered where his confidence came from. In fact, even Xu He didn’t know; he was simply muddled, favoring Class Sixteen's team for no particular reason.
Xu He looked around but didn't see Li Liying, frowning slightly.
Could Li Liying have really gone off to organize a table tennis league?
Such a thought crossed Xu He's mind; Li Liying had previously told him about the school’s plans for a table tennis league, and the idea had been lingering ever since.
Xu He couldn't quite understand the school's logic—the table tennis players at the sports school were far superior; even ten years of development wouldn't let their school’s players catch up. Organizing a league seemed like a yearly exercise in futility, possibly not even getting the chance to run alongside the others.
Supporting campus football seemed much better.
Thinking this, Xu He couldn't help but chuckle.
He suddenly realized he could be so petty sometimes.
Meanwhile, the semifinal between Class Sixteen and the joint team from Class Five and Class Eight was about to start. Many people had come to the stands today, showing the match’s influence. Teams already eliminated were also in the stands, eager to see who would win.
Soon, the referee’s whistle signaled the start of the match.
At the beginning, neither side rushed—instead, they probed cautiously. Both teams were very careful, perhaps because both specialized in defense. The opening was rather dull.
Lin Xuefeng remarked, "I knew the match would be like this."
Zhu Ge and the others chuckled, agreeing. Before coming, they had predicted this: two defensively strong teams wouldn’t launch into wild attacks from the start, but would choose a conservative, steady approach.
That’s exactly how the match unfolded.
In fact, Zhu Ge was a bit disappointed in the joint team’s performance. He felt they had a significant advantage in strength and should have been more proactive, playing to their strengths.
If so, their chances of winning would be greater.
But clearly, the joint team didn't share Zhu Ge's confidence—they stuck to a solid defense. Their advancement to the semifinals owed much to luck, so their self-confidence was lacking. They figured if they kept the score tied and dragged it to a penalty shootout, they’d still have a chance.
Now was not the time for a reckless attack; if Class Sixteen managed to steal a goal, the joint team would surely lose.
Caution, caution, and more caution—this was the joint team’s pre-match strategy.
They were executing their plan perfectly.
Li Jie was almost bored to sleep, saying, "I never expected this match to be so dull. Both sides are too cautious, too pragmatic. They should attack—even losing wouldn’t be shameful."
Xu He glanced at Li Jie and said, "That’s easy for you to say, since you’re not involved. If you were, you’d probably be even more timid. There’s no need to be so reckless—sometimes, a little caution isn’t a bad thing."
Zhu Ge nodded at Xu He, agreeing with his perspective.
At that moment, the match saw its first shot on goal—from Class Sixteen’s team.
No one expected this—the first shot coming from the team with the weakest offense, Class Sixteen. It was truly surprising. Even Zhu Ge on the sidelines widened his eyes in disbelief.