When the little fatty charged past the white line of the end zone cradling the football.
The entire field erupted in cheers.
Little Fatty's father.
A man who, even in the sweltering height of summer, still wore an impeccably tailored three-piece suit.
Couldn't care less about dignity.
He excitedly rushed onto the field, hoisted his son onto his shoulders, and celebrated around the field with the team.
Amidst this jubilation.
Lin Wansheng's Red Team completed a 12-9 comeback victory.
Hank quickened his pace and walked up to Lin Wansheng.
The habitual sternness on his face had already been replaced by unabashed admiration.
He patted Lin Wansheng on the shoulder. "Jimmy!"
"You're the first coach to make these seven-year-old brats win a game with tactics in such a short time!"
"Great job!"
...
In the end, Lin Wansheng obtained this high-paying job without any surprise.
Training twice a week, two hours each session, at one hundred dollars an hour.
Moreover, what suited Lin Wansheng even better was that after school officially started.
The training time would move from the morning to after school.
For these private elementary school children.
Although school let out around two to three in the afternoon, just like at public elementary schools.
That didn't mean their day of learning was over.
"Happy education" had been synonymous with American public education since the eighties.
But this was merely a fairy tale for ordinary people.
True elite education was an arms race spanning the entire K-12 journey.
While those public school kids enjoyed themselves happily.
For these children targeting the Ivy League, their supplementary education careers began from kindergarten.
Even starting in elementary school, overseas volunteer work and community service had become required courses for them.
All of this was to submit a flawless, perfect resume when applying to university.
Therefore, this assistant coach salary, to these PTA mothers for whom the annual baseline was already sixty thousand dollars.
Was simply the most worthwhile investment imaginable.
However, if Lin Wansheng weren't a high school student.
Then his assistant coach salary wouldn't be a mere one hundred dollars.
But Lin Wansheng was quite satisfied with this.
After all, before the System arrived, there was no way he could've made kids obey him so well.
...
...
...
After the interview, Mr. Hank led the few assistant coaches who had passed on a brief tour of the elementary school's indoor facilities.
Lin Wansheng checked his watch and saw it was almost noon.
Thinking of Teacher Li's "zero tolerance" for tardiness, he couldn't help but feel his scalp prickle.
He greeted everyone and strode briskly toward the school gates.
Just as he walked out of the academic building, a burst of hurried footsteps suddenly came from behind.
Immediately after, a pair of soft hands covered his eyes from behind.
"Guess who I am?" Kate's voice, laced with laughter, rang out beside his ear.
Lin Wansheng didn't know whether to laugh or cry as he removed her hands and turned around. "That's dangerous. What if I thought it was a robbery?"
"Then you wouldn't have had the chance to know me." Kate shrugged indifferently, leaning slightly forward.
Moving closer, she spoke in a tone that was half-joking, half-serious.
"So, future great coach, consider letting me be your Rally Girl?"
Rally Girl was a unique tradition in American campus sports culture.
Responsible for preparing snacks for players before games.
Decorating their lockers with ribbons and posters.
Also including making personalized cheer slogans and the like.
It essentially counted as an exclusive logistics minister.
And almost every star player had a Rally Girl of his very own.
"What kind of snacks do you like?" Seeing that he didn't speak, Kate pressed further.
"Brownies with lots of chocolate? I make those really well."
She looked Lin Wansheng up and down and asked curiously.
"Speaking of which, which university do you play for? It can't be NYU. I'm sure I haven't seen you on our school's football team."
Although Lin Wansheng had been in America for over a decade.
He was still terrible at guessing the ages of people with non-East Asian faces.
Looking at Kate's mature bearing, he could only ask tentatively,
"You go to NYU? That's impressive—balancing college while raising a kid?"
The playful smile on Kate's face instantly froze for a moment, then melted again.
Only now carrying a trace of helplessness.
"Kid? Do I look that old?" She rolled her eyes at Lin Wansheng.
"I'm only a junior, okay!"
"Hank is my stepfather. My mom doesn't trust him, so she had me come over today to supervise for her."
She took a step closer, lowered her voice, and spoke in a tone of sharing a secret: "After all, there are a few mothers in the PTA...
You know, especially enthusiastic."
As she spoke, she tilted her chin meaningfully toward the group of hot moms.
Lin Wansheng shook his head. "I haven't gone to university yet."
"High schooler?" Kate was genuinely surprised this time.
Her beautiful eyes reappraised Lin Wansheng from head to toe.
Her gaze lingered a few seconds longer on his broad shoulders.
"A high schooler who can completely stun those little brats and PTA moms."
The smile on her face became more playful. "You're much more interesting than I thought."
She took a step closer. "I originally thought you were from some university team earning extra cash on the side."
"Since that's not the case, then my Rally Girl proposal seems even more sincere."
"Don't you think?"
She looked at Lin Wansheng, the curve of her lips widening.
In a casual tone that nonetheless carried innuendo in every word, she slowly said,
"Want to come sit at my apartment? We could... Netflix and chill."
Lin Wansheng had wanted to refuse, but the scene from the interview flashed through his mind.
He had seen an Italian-American coach with an excellent teaching level.
Eliminated on the spot by Hank simply because he habitually said "Shit" during tactical explanations.
Although he himself wouldn't curse with F-words in front of children either.
But after all, it had been a well-intentioned reminder from someone else.
Thinking of this, he felt he owed her a favor; directly refusing didn't seem quite right.
"I still have work this afternoon, truly no time."
He added, "But to thank you for your help, let me treat you to tacos? I know a great food truck nearby."
Kate raised her eyebrows but still agreed.
...
...
...
At the street corner, an alluring aroma drifted from the Mexican food truck.
The sizzling sound of grilled meat and the sweet-sour scent of salsa made people stop and line up instinctively.
"Two chicken, two beef, plus two Cokes. Thanks."
The food truck owner deftly packed the food. "Eighteen dollars."
Lin Wansheng took it and casually handed over a ten-dollar bill and the eight dollars in coins from the System's earlier reward.
For food truck food, Lin Wansheng definitely wasn't going to tip.
"Wait!"
Kate had been boredly stirring her ice with a straw.
Just as the food truck owner was about to take the money.
Kate grabbed Lin Wansheng's arm.
"Let me see!"
A few seconds later.
Her voice shot up an octave. "Are you crazy?"