Chapter 73: A Competition Growing Ever More Intriguing

“Hey, big guy, how do you plan to deal with me?” Fan Xuyang taunted as he stuck close to Long Bisheng. Since Long Bisheng wasn’t moving fast, Fan Xuyang kept up effortlessly, running his mouth as he went. “I’m waiting.”

Long Bisheng turned his head, replying earnestly, “I mean it. I really know how to deal with you now.”

“Why is the sky so dark? Because there’s a herd of cows flying up there,” Fan Xuyang sneered. “And why are the cows flying? Because you’re blowing so much hot air down here—damn!”

Before he could finish his joke, Long Bisheng had already slipped through the crowd with a few deft moves, instantly shaking off Fan Xuyang’s pursuit. Fan Xuyang tried to catch up, but the packed penalty area blocked his way. In that moment, Zhang Yi had already delivered the ball. Long Bisheng leaped high at the near post and flicked the ball toward the far post, where Zhou Wei charged in and volleyed it, only to misjudge the contact. The ball grazed the far post and went out of play.

“Coward! You actually ran away!” Fan Xuyang yelled incredulously in Long Bisheng’s direction.

“Do I have to crash into you? Is there a rule on the football field that says I have to?” Long Bisheng looked back at him in confusion, then jogged away.

“I—” Fan Xuyang wanted to retort, but the referee arrived. “No verbal attacks on your opponent, please. This is just a warning—next time, I’ll have to show a card.”

“I didn’t attack him—” Fan Xuyang’s protest was cut short as Chen Jian yanked him aside. “Shut up!” Then, turning to the referee, he apologized, “Sorry, this kid’s a bit slow, he loses his head sometimes. I promise it won’t happen again.”

The referee’s mouth twitched as he suppressed a smile, nodded, and walked away.

“I wasn’t even attacking him! He really is a coward—he promised a one-on-one and then just ran off!” Fan Xuyang grumbled indignantly.

Chen Jian fixed him with a look. “Do you want me to question your intelligence? Who says he has to go head-to-head with you? You still think he’s a rookie? Would a rookie, knowing he’s slower than you, use the others to screen you off? If you keep underestimating him, you’ll be the one to lose in the end! Look at his moves—solid fundamentals, plenty of experience!” Chen Jian’s eyes narrowed. “Don’t let your mistake ruin years of effort from all of us! We’ve been preparing for this match a long time!”

“I get it.” Fan Xuyang nodded heavily, taking a deep breath. “I’ll mark him closely. As for the attack… I’ll leave it to you guys.”

Chen Jian clapped his hand, then ran forward to rejoin the game.

Because Fan Xuyang had dropped back from left midfield to defense, the Meixian team’s formation changed significantly. Their attacking midfielder, Zhou Wenlong, started covering a much wider area, taking on the responsibilities of both striker and left midfielder. Chen Jian, who had played as a defensive midfielder, now pushed up more often, taking a larger role in organizing the attack. Even though they were a man down, Meixian’s offense remained smooth and coordinated.

“This guy really knows how to shuffle the formation,” Ding Yu observed, having taken in everything on the field. He glanced toward the Meixian bench, catching sight of the coach, who looked extremely tense as he watched the game.

“No, it’s not this guy calling the shots,” Ding Yu quickly corrected himself. Judging by the coach’s anxious demeanor—especially in a match meant mainly for clubs to showcase their youth prospects, where results shouldn’t matter much—he clearly lacked the composure to make such calm, strategic adjustments under pressure.

If not the coach, then the players themselves must have made these changes on the field—impressive indeed. Even professional players don’t always have such a keen sense for reading a match. If the team didn’t have a few genuine prodigies, then at the very least, these strategies must have been drilled into them during training.

This game just kept getting more interesting.

Meixian’s relentless attack finally bore fruit. Fifteen minutes into the second half, Mu Shuo broke free on the right after receiving a brilliant pass from Chen Jian, shaking off Zhou Wei and another defender before sending a cross into the box. Li Jie, who had won 90% of his duels with Lin Jianwei, finally slipped up—Lin Jianwei beat him to the ball and powered a header toward the goal. Wu Bufan, at such close range, couldn’t keep it out. Meixian led Yun Jia Tianyu, 2-1!

Chen Jian, Mu Shuo, Fan Xuyang, Zhou Wenlong, and Lin Jianwei cheered and embraced their teammates. On the sidelines, their coach was moved to tears. In this round of FA-arranged youth team matches, Yun Jia Tianyu’s teams had dominated, winning all ten of their games so far. Every match with their participation had ended in victory. Not even teams from Dalian, Shanghai, Shandong, or Liaoning had managed to outpace Yun Jia Tianyu in the group stage. If Meixian could win this match, they’d be the first team to surpass Yun Jia Tianyu’s point tally!

And Meixian… was the only football school in the tournament not affiliated with any club. To build such an outstanding team without a club’s financial backing—surely some club would recognize their talent!

The coach could almost see it now: a golden road unfurling at his feet, gleaming and brilliant.

“Shouldn’t we make a substitution?” Coach Zhao asked Ding Yu, clearly anxious. “If we lose this one, we’ll be the only one of the five youth teams to suffer a defeat in the group stage—that would be embarrassing!”

“What’s there to be embarrassed about?” Ding Yu laughed. “You think anyone goes through life without embarrassment? Back in ’96, last league match of the season—my last time ever coaching from the sidelines—I had no idea what to do midway through the game. The boss finally had to yell at me to snap me out of it… You know how embarrassing that was? Total mental blank; for a while, I didn’t even know where I was… So what? I was a rookie back then.”

He gestured toward the slightly dazed Yun Jia Tianyu players on the field. “They’re rookies too. Genuine rookies. The only way to become a veteran is to get knocked around a little. With our strength, these opportunities to learn from adversity are rare.”

Coach Zhao eyed him suspiciously. “Why do you look so pleased about it?”

“Do I? You must be seeing things.” Ding Yu quickly wiped the smile off his face. “But you see, their forwards and midfielders are really something. Look at their movements—it’s clear they’ve had professional training. Classic southern school football style. Plus, these guys are physically gifted, and the team plays with great cohesion. Meixian football… It’s been a long time since I’ve heard that name. Maybe they’re finally producing some real talent.”

“If they’re that good, just put in a request and poach them,” Coach Zhao replied lightly. “That football school isn’t anyone’s youth team—taking a few players won’t hurt.”

“Not so fast.” Ding Yu shook his head. “Let’s not talk about that now. Let’s just watch the match.”

“Even if we don’t make substitutions, we should at least change tactics,” Coach Zhao said, focusing back on the field. “We’re behind not because we’re weaker, but because we’re using a system we’re not comfortable with. There’s still half an hour left—plenty of time to change tactics. Long Bisheng is working hard, but he doesn’t have the power to turn the game around yet.”

“You’re right about that,” Ding Yu nodded. “But I still want to give him a chance—look, his performance has been improving throughout these fifteen minutes of the second half. The fact that the opponent put a new man on him proves he’s making an impact.”

“But the match—”

“Come on, Lao Zhao, in games like this, the result isn’t the point. What matters is seeing the players’ potential. I just want to see if Long Bisheng can surprise me—based on what I’ve seen, he’s already capable of being a tactical center forward. If he can turn things around with a goal in a tough spot… now that would really be a pleasant surprise!”

Coach Zhao’s expression was skeptical. Clearly, he thought Long Bisheng was the sort of player who would reliably follow the coach’s instructions, but might not be able to produce something truly unexpected.

He didn’t press the point, though. After all, Ding Yu had a valid argument—winning or losing wasn’t everything in a match like this. School pride was at stake, but that paled in comparison to the chance of discovering hidden potential in a player.

“Besides, Long Bisheng did well in several attacks just now, creating plenty of chances. He was just unlucky. Even if he doesn’t show anything else, with how he’s played so far, we should be able to equalize,” Ding Yu added.