Chapter 134: Heaven and Hell

After the match concluded, Long Bisheng originally wanted to have a brief chat with Fan Pengfei, mainly because he felt that Fan Pengfei seemed somewhat dissatisfied with him and wanted to find out the reason. However, as soon as the whistle blew, the players of Nanchang PLA—who had already been relegated a round in advance—quickly retreated from the pitch. Meanwhile, Long Bisheng was surrounded by his ecstatic teammates; had he not possessed such a massive frame, he might well have been hoisted into the air by the celebrating players.

Having lingered in the relegation zone for fifteen rounds, Qingdao Haifeng managed to escape the drop before the final round of China League One, a minor yet notable piece of news in the Chinese football world. This achievement even earned Long Bisheng a brief feature on CCTV Sports Channel's Sports News. Though it only showed two clips of his goals, it made Long Yuyun, far away in Xinjiang, immensely proud—so much so that he generously split the treat tab with Fan Hanfang, who had lost a bet to him.

However, the celebrations for Qingdao Haifeng lasted only until that very evening, as everyone knew they were not entirely out of danger yet. Although they held a two-point lead over Dalian Botao, if they failed to secure at least a point in the final round, they would still be overtaken by Dalian.

A single point! They just needed one point! With that solitary point, even if Dalian Botao won their final match, Qingdao Haifeng would successfully retain their League One status based on their superior head-to-head record of a home win and an away draw during the regular season.

Yet, securing even a single point seemed a daunting task. Their opponents in the final round were Guangzhou Qingquan, currently sitting third in the standings. Although Guangzhou Qingquan occupied the third spot, they held only a one-point lead over Zhejiang Lvhua in fourth place. The margin between third and fourth was razor-thin, yet this minuscule difference could determine whether a team's hard work throughout the entire year would go to waste.

According to the promotion rules of China League One, the top three teams are directly promoted, while the fourth-place team remains in League One.

Consequently, Guangzhou Qingquan had no reason to show leniency toward Qingdao Haifeng. They needed a victory on their home turf to secure a spot in the Chinese Super League for the next season. The Super League and League One were two entirely different realms; the massive benefits in financial revenue, increased prestige, and additional sponsorship meant that no one would give up such a chance in the face of such immense rewards.

In such a delicate situation, undercurrents were inevitable—something impossible to completely avoid in any country's league. However, the Chinese Football Association maintained strict control over referees. Backed by high salaries designed to encourage integrity, the association imposed severe penalties for unprofessional conduct among officials. If a referee were to accept bribes from a club, judicial intervention awaited them. Naturally, attempting to influence the referees under these conditions was extraordinarily difficult. As for unwritten agreements or tacit understandings between certain clubs, they existed in every league; as long as things did not go too far, the FA chose to turn a blind eye.

For a high-stakes match like this, neither Guangzhou Qingquan nor Qingdao Haifeng would be foolish enough to attempt a direct deal with their opponents. Nevertheless, Guangzhou Qingquan inevitably pulled strings behind the scenes with Zhejiang Lvhua's opponents, urging them to fight tooth and nail on the pitch. Similarly, Qingdao Haifeng worked behind the scenes to encourage Dalian Botao's opponents to put up a stubborn fight. Yet, when all was said and done, the battle had to be fought on the grass.

Ten minutes after the match kicked off, the head coaches of both sides received a piece of news simultaneously, prompting them to utter a synchronized curse: "Damn it!"

Zhejiang Lvhua was leading one-nil at home, and Dalian Botao was leading one-nil at home—this was the content of the reports the two managers received.

Clearly, the clubs' off-pitch lobbying efforts had fallen short, or perhaps they simply hadn't done enough.

Instantly, both managers sprang to their feet. Guangzhou Qingquan's coach signaled his team to press forward, while Cai Sheng instructed his players to tighten their defensive lines even further.

Guangzhou Qingquan needed a victory, whereas Qingdao Haifeng required only a draw. One point was enough.

Even so, Cai Sheng still did not order Long Bisheng to drop back for defense. Although Long Bisheng's aerial prowess would have greatly aided the backline under the current circumstances, the coach chose to keep him deployed upfront. Having Long Bisheng stationed at the front provided an immediate outlet for holding up the ball. While his individual dribbling skills were not exceptionally flashy, his ability to shield and control the ball in tight spaces surpassed that of any other player on the team.

Moreover, Guangzhou Qingquan harbored a profound apprehension regarding Long Bisheng's towering stature. With him lurking ahead, their opponents' attacking line did not dare to press forward with reckless abandon. Merely by receiving and shielding the ball in place, Long Bisheng could buy precious breathing room for his defensive teammates while simultaneously contributing to the team's counter-attacking threats.

The first half passed in this manner. Bolstered by the momentum of their two-game winning streak and an intense hunger for survival, Qingdao Haifeng did not find themselves at a disadvantage away against the formidable Guangzhou Qingquan. Instead, riding a wave of sheer determination, they withstood Guangzhou's fierce onslaughts and frequently threatened the opponent's goal through counter-attacks, forcing the hosts to periodically temper their offensive pushes.

Long Bisheng's explosive momentum caused endless headaches for the opposing defense. As a southern team and the sole remaining flag-bearer of Guangzhou football, they lacked neither technique nor physical conditioning superior to the older Guangzhou squads. Yet, facing a monstrous figure like Long Bisheng, defending against him remained an extraordinarily difficult task.

Fortunately, this was their home turf; the referee naturally leaned slightly toward the hosts. Because Long Bisheng's physical challenges often appeared overly robust, he was frequently whistled for fouls.

The first half ended amidst cautious attacks from Guangzhou Qingquan and resilient defense from Qingdao Haifeng. The score remained zero to zero—a result that left the Qingdao camp thoroughly satisfied, while Guangzhou Qingquan was deeply displeased, intensely so.

As the second half commenced, Guangzhou Qingquan's attacks grew even more ferocious. Yet, perhaps weighed down by the pressure of promotion, the technically refined Guangzhou players began to grow impatient. Meanwhile, Qingdao Haifeng's defensive organization remained ironclad. Unable to break through with ground combination plays and lacking sufficient aerial dominance inside the box, Guangzhou Qingquan found themselves entirely helpless against the opposing defense for a stretch.

Impatience inevitably breeds mistakes. A midfield pass from a Guangzhou Qingquan player was struck with too little force, allowing Li Erlong to suddenly dart in from an angle and stretch out a foot to intercept the ball!

Having won possession, Li Erlong immediately delivered a mid-range pass to the feet of Lü Baozi near the center circle. Spotting Long Bisheng already surging forward, Lü Baozi instantly launched a lofted through ball. Running at full tilt, Long Bisheng contested the header with barely any need to jump; he nudged the ball forward and unleashed his long legs, sprinting away at lightning speed!

The lone remaining defender had been jostled off balance by Long Bisheng during the aerial duel. By the time he stumbled and regained his footing, Long Bisheng was already galloping joyfully two meters ahead of him. Gritting his teeth, the defender gave chase with all his might.

Although Long Bisheng had engineered a clean one-on-one breakaway, the defender was not excessively alarmed. Long Bisheng was still at least thirty meters away from the goal, and a player of his height surely couldn't possess blistering speed. As long as he could stall him for a moment until his teammates tracked back, there was nothing to fear!

However, a few seconds later, the expression on the defender's face shifted dramatically, mirroring the alarm on the faces of the chasing backline. Long Bisheng's speed wasn't blistering, but it was far from slow. Although his running stride frequency wasn't high, each of his strides covered roughly the distance of one and a half normal steps. In the blink of an eye, a gap of more than ten meters vanished beneath his feet.

That alone would have been manageable. Yet, as the defender finally closed in behind Long Bisheng, he realized he still had no way to stop him. Long Bisheng's broad back blocked his path entirely; attempting to circle around him was out of the question, and pulling at him from behind failed to slow his momentum. As for a tactical foul—leaving aside the danger of a free kick from that range, committing a sliding tackle from behind during a clear one-on-one would earn a straight red card even on home turf.

Amidst his momentary hesitation, Long Bisheng had already dribbled into the penalty area. Facing the rushing goalkeeper, he suddenly unleashed a running push-shot toward the far corner!

The opposition goalkeeper lunged to the ground, but he was still a fraction of a second too late!

The ball flashed past his outstretched fingertips, skimming the turf before nestling into the side netting!

Having completed the shot, Long Bisheng felt a sudden lightness as he was pulled to the ground backward by the trailing defender. Yet, as he fell, he had already caught sight of the ball crossing the goal line. Propelling himself up with both hands on the turf, he instantly bounced to his feet, raised his hands high, and roared in jubilation!

Over the past few months, helping Qingdao Haifeng successfully maintain their league status had become his ultimate goal. Seeing that goal within arm's reach, he could not suppress his heartfelt celebration.

Little did he realize how deeply his momentary display of brilliance would shock everyone else.

Cai Sheng had once been an exceptional center-forward, yet throughout his entire professional career, he had never dribbled the ball for dozens of meters before scoring. Seeing Long Bisheng tumble to the ground after his shot and spring right back up with a single push left Cai Sheng's jaw hanging wide open. It was at that exact moment he realized that even at the peak of his own career, when it came to sheer physical attributes, he lagged far behind this teenager by a massive margin!

For that fleeting instant, Cai Sheng even forgot about the ongoing match. In the span of just these few months, Long Bisheng had undergone a monumental evolution. If he could be persuaded to stay at Qingdao Haifeng, what did League One even matter? Within a few years, he himself could lead Qingdao Haifeng to conquer the Chinese Super League!

Half an hour later.

A massive, agonizing sigh echoed over Yuexiushan Stadium. Guangzhou fans watched the visiting Qingdao Haifeng players celebrate wildly on the pitch, while the electronic scoreboard above the stands displayed a final score of one to one. Although Guangzhou Qingquan had managed to equalize near the end of the match, it could not alter the reality that they finished fourth in League One this season.

The same draw, yet contrasting emotions: for one side, it was heaven; for the other, hell.