As the timer hit zero, the final whistle blew.
The field erupted in an instant. The players of the East River Titans surged toward the sideline like a tide, hoisting their head coach, Bob, high into the air.
“WE ARE WINNERS!!!”
In the stands, cheers rose and fell like a mountain roar and a tidal wave. The fans shouted in excitement.
“Mark!”
“Coach Bob!”
Some were roaring for “Heavy Truck Avery” and “Brian” as well.
Lin Wansheng did not join the sea of celebration.
He simply took off his helmet and stood where he was, quietly feeling this hard-won victory.
This was not a victory he had gained by watching from the sidelines like before.
This was glory he had taken back with his own hands.
Just then, amid the noisy crowd, he suddenly saw Li Shuyao.
She was not screaming wildly like the others, but she gathered all her courage and called his name with all her strength:
“Jimmy!”
“Jimmy!”
Her voice was like a pebble tossed into a lake, sending out a small ring of ripples.
A few spectators who had likewise been stunned by his performance began to shout along: “That number 79! That Chinese kid!”
“Rookie King Jimmy!”
Lin Wansheng froze. Those scattered cries were like sparks in dry grass, swiftly igniting the spectators around them.
More and more people began turning their gazes toward number 79, who had rampaged across the field.
They, too, began shouting with Li Shuyao, the sound gathering from the screams of a few into a clear wave of noise.
“Rookie King Jimmy!”
“Rookie King Jimmy!”
“Rookie King Jimmy!”
Lin Wansheng looked at the unfamiliar faces cheering for him in the stands, and finally his gaze fell back on the girl who had mustered her courage for him.
At last, the corners of his mouth rose beyond his control.
【Butler...】
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Inside the locker room, the clamor of victory was still going on.
Coach Bob stood in the center, looking at this group of exhausted yet wildly excited boys under his command.
His face held a pride unlike anything before. He clapped hard, drawing everyone’s attention to him.
“Listen up! I’ve got two pieces of good news to announce!” Bob’s voice was booming, drowning out all the noise.
“First, we fucking won! We took down last year’s state champions!”
Another burst of wild cheers and whistles instantly exploded in the locker room.
“Second!” He waited for the cheers to die down a little before continuing, “I just confirmed with the hospital. Bill and the others only have minor injuries!”
“They’ll be able to come to my house on Sunday and join the victory party!”
Another round of cheers rang out.
“Now,” a smile appeared on Bob’s face, “it’s your turn to enjoy this weekend to the fullest.”
“Go celebrate. Go show off. This victory belongs to you!”
He paused, and his eyes sharpened once more. “But remember, when school starts on Monday, training continues as usual!”
“I want to see every one of you on the practice field on time! Do you hear me?!”
“WE HEAR YOU!!!” the players roared in unison with the last of their strength.
“Dismissed!”
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Lin Wansheng changed his clothes, shouldered his bag, and ignored the first-string starters beside him who were discussing where to go celebrate.
According to team tradition, on the night of an important win, the first team would go out and party. That was their privilege.
He had just turned to leave, intending to go outside and look for Li Shuyao.
But a hand suddenly grabbed his arm. It was Mark.
“Where are you going?” Mark had a smile on his face.
Before Lin Wansheng could answer, Mark turned around and shouted at the top of his lungs to the whole locker room:
“Hey! Guys! Our biggest hero today is trying to slip away!”
He threw an arm around Lin Wansheng’s neck, dragged him into the middle of the crowd, and raised his arm high.
“Our Rookie King! Jimmy Lin!”
Avery was the first to charge over, roaring with laughter, “Grab him!”
In the next second, countless hands reached out, treating him just like they had treated the coach.
They lifted Lin Wansheng high into the air and headed toward the door.
Carried out of the locker room by the crowd around him, Lin Wansheng’s vision swayed in midair, and at a glance, he saw Li Shuyao waiting outside the door.
In the instant before he was carried away, he only had time to shout at her:
“We’re going to Champion Barbecue! Coming with us?!”
Before Li Shuyao could even react, Lin Wansheng was completely hauled away by this group of overly excited high schoolers.
He vanished at the end of the corridor.
He did not see that not far away, Kate was standing with her arms crossed, watching the scene with great interest.
Behind Kate, her agent Maggie was leaning against the wall.
A playful smile curved her lips, and a calculating light flickered in her eyes.
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Fortunately, these guys who had just played an entire game did not have infinite stamina.
Not long after they left the stadium, the arms carrying him began to ache.
Amid the teasing and laughter led by Avery—“He’s too heavy! I can’t carry him anymore!”
The group finally put Lin Wansheng down in front of the school gates.
At least they did not let him carry this pig-being-carried sort of embarrassment out onto the street beyond the school gates.
The group marched grandly toward Champion Barbecue.
Before they even entered, the restaurant owner, Big Mike, came out to greet them. He looked at this group of jubilant heroes.
Then he roared in his signature booming voice:
“Finally here! Were you doing embroidery in the locker room? What took you so damn long?”
He slapped Mark’s shoulder pad hard and grinned broadly.
“Hurry up! Drinks and food are all ready for you! Your cheerleaders have been waiting forever!”
Mark naturally headed toward the innermost sofa booth that belonged to the captain. There, his blonde cheer captain girlfriend was waiting for him.
As for Lin Wansheng, Avery grabbed him and pulled him to another booth on the other side.
Over there, three girls had already been waiting for quite some time.
One of them was Avery’s logistics captain, Emily, who was smiling sweetly.
Lin Wansheng did not know the other two girls. One was a pretty white girl with big wavy curls, wearing a crop top and low-rise jeans, her makeup exquisite.
The Latina girl beside her was stunning in a completely different way. She had long black hair and healthy wheat-colored skin.
Her tight top outlined curves that were rarely seen among girls her age, and her whole body exuded a warm, confident charm.
“Hey, Jimmy!” The curly-haired girl took the initiative to extend her hand.
“I’m Amanda. Starting today, we’re your support crew!”
“I’m Chloe,” the Latina girl chimed in as well. “That’s right! From now on, we’re your Rally Girls!”
Amanda leaned forward, moving a little closer, and asked with a wink, “What do you like to eat? Brownies or cupcakes? Need us to help with your homework? Literature reports are the worst—we can handle them!”
She pointed at the sweat-stained T-shirt Lin Wansheng was still wearing.
“And your changed clothes. Give them to us, and we’ll wash them clean for you.”
Lin Wansheng was caught off guard by this sudden enthusiasm and felt somewhat at a loss. He waved his hand awkwardly.
Before he could figure out how to refuse, a cool, clear voice suddenly came from behind the booth.
“That won’t be necessary.”
Everyone turned at the sound and saw Li Shuyao standing there quietly, still holding Lin Wansheng’s backpack in her hand.
“I’ve already got Wansheng’s clothes.”
Only then did Lin Wansheng remember that when he had been carried away like a hero by that bunch earlier, he had forgotten his bag at the locker room entrance.
Avery looked at the subtly awkward scene before him, then at the stunned expressions on Amanda’s and Chloe’s faces.
He leaned in toward Lin Wansheng’s ear with a wicked grin and waggled his eyebrows.
“Winning feels awesome, doesn’t it?”