Agent Maggie leaned against the cold wall, the corner of her mouth curving into an amused smile.
She looked out at the field and took out her phone.
On the field.
Mark walked up to Lin Wansheng and lightly bumped his shoulder with his fist.
“Yesterday’s game proved what you can do. But honestly, your technique as a wide receiver is still a little rough. I was originally thinking we’d take our time working on it after school started.
“But since you’re here today, perfect.”
Kevin also jogged over with a ball in his arms. Although there was still a trace of displeasure on his face, he didn’t say anything unpleasant this time.
“Good timing,” Mark said, his tone carrying the seriousness of a captain. “Kevin, show him the most basic stop route.”
Though Kevin was reluctant, he still nodded.
He ran to the line of scrimmage. At Mark’s command, he burst forward for ten yards, then came to an extremely sharp stop, turned around, faced Mark, and caught the pass steadily.
“See that?” Mark said to Lin Wansheng. “The key is deception during the sprint. You have to make the guy defending you think you’re going to keep going deep, then the instant you stop and turn, use your body to seal him behind you. You try.”
...
...
...
The three of them practiced for nearly forty minutes. All of them were somewhat out of breath, so they stopped to rest.
Mark handed Lin Wansheng a bottle of water, then suddenly asked curiously,
“By the way, during yesterday’s game, how did you notice that Mike’s eye was injured?”
Lin Wansheng thought about it carefully, then shook his head.
“I can’t really say what specific thing made me notice.”
“It was just a kind of intuition, I guess. First I felt something was off about him, then I deliberately started watching him and noticed that his reaction to defenders coming from the right was half a beat slow.”
After Mark heard this, a trace of amazement appeared in his eyes. “My god... Coach Bob was right. Your nose for the field is frighteningly sharp.”
He looked at Lin Wansheng as if he had suddenly thought of something.
Half joking, he said, “Honestly, with that kind of observational ability, you should really be playing quarterback.”
Hearing this, Kevin, who had been silent the whole time, abruptly turned his head and glanced at Mark, his gaze complicated.
Mark smiled and waved his hand. “But it’s definitely too late to switch positions now. Quarterback technique isn’t something you can develop in a day or two.”
He looked at Lin Wansheng, his tone becoming serious. “But having that kind of sharp observation is a huge advantage for a wide receiver.”
“Adjusting your route on the fly during a play is the hardest thing, but I think you already have the talent for it.”
“What’s left is to make your fundamentals solid.”
...
...
In the gym at East River High School.
Lin Wansheng added the weight plates to the barbell. The total weight reached 320 pounds. He wanted to take a shot at a new personal record.
He took a deep breath, braced his core, and with a low growl,
he felt the strength of his entire body drive up fiercely from the soles of his feet, transmitting through his tightened body into both arms.
The barbell rose steadily. The whole process was even easier than he had expected.
“Hey, your back!” a voice suddenly came from the side.
Lin Wansheng set down the barbell and turned his head to see Mark and Kevin standing not far away.
Mark walked over and pointed at his lower back. “When you pulled just now, your back was a little rounded. At this weight, it’s easy to get injured.”
Kevin also walked over. Although he still looked displeased, he couldn’t help speaking up.
“There’s a problem with your grip too. You should use a mixed grip. That’ll keep the bar from rolling in your hands and make the pull steadier.”
He paused, then added, “And your force sequence is wrong. Your hips are rising faster than your shoulders, so it turns into straightening your legs first and then yanking it up with your lower back.”
“In that case, all the weight ends up pressing on your waist.”
Mark nodded and looked at Lin Wansheng. “Your strength isn’t bad, but your technique is too crude.”
“If you keep training like this, sooner or later you’ll train yourself into an injury.” He picked up a kettlebell from the floor.
“What a wide receiver needs is full-body explosiveness. Come on, try this.”
“Kettlebell swings. They’re good for your hip explosiveness.”
Seeing Lin Wansheng temporarily focus on the new movement, Mark quietly took two steps back and leaned close to Kevin, who was still standing beside him.
In a very low voice, he said, “Look at this kid. He’s improving so fast. I remember during summer break he couldn’t even deadlift 260 pounds, right? Now he can actually pull 320.”
“He’s already at least past the entry threshold for D2.”
Kevin’s gaze fell on Lin Wansheng, his eyes mixed with disdain and a faint, almost imperceptible scrutiny.
He snorted through his nose.
“Not bad, I guess. His form is still shit,” Kevin replied in a low voice.
Then the corner of his mouth lifted in a provocative curve. “But don’t overhype his strength either. It’s just so-so.”
After saying that, Kevin walked straight to the deadlift platform Lin Wansheng had just used.
Kevin didn’t say anything. Expressionless, he simply took two small five-pound plates from the rack beside him.
Then he took two ten-pound plates as well and unhurriedly added them to both ends of the barbell.
Kevin did not even warm up. He walked to the barbell, used an over-under grip with both hands, and firmly grasped the bar.
He did not need to take a deep breath and growl to gather strength like Lin Wansheng had. He merely lowered his body, his back straight as a steel plate, and then calmly exerted force.
“Clang!”
The barbell was pulled smoothly and explosively off the ground, the motion completed in one fluid movement without the slightest hesitation.
After reaching the top, he stood steadily for a second before releasing his hands, letting the barbell fall back to the ground with a heavy crash.
After doing all of this, Kevin did not even breathe hard.
He merely glanced at Lin Wansheng beside him.
Then, without looking back, he walked toward the bench press rack on the other side.
Mark watched all of this and shook his head helplessly, then said to Lin Wansheng,
“Don’t mind him. That’s just how he is. Focus on yourself and keep training.”
Lin Wansheng said nothing, but the fingers gripping the kettlebell relaxed.
He silently looked at that 315-pound barbell. The joy of having just broken his record had been diluted, but it had not disappeared.
Instead, the corners of his mouth lifted slightly, and he said to himself inwardly, “It’s fine. Just you wait. It’s only been two weeks. It’ll happen soon enough.”
Just then, the crisp sound of high heels striking the floor rang out.
The three of them turned toward the sound in unison.
They saw Maggie slowly walking in from the entrance.
Her golden hair fell casually over her shoulders, and she wore a well-tailored dark skirt suit.
The fitted suit jacket outlined the curve of her waist just right.
The single button at her chest seemed to be enduring some kind of pressure, pulling the fabric taut into a breathtaking arc.
Mark’s and Kevin’s eyes instantly went straight.
Maggie completely ignored them and walked up to Lin Wansheng.
She stopped, her gaze sweeping over his muscles, still tense from exertion, before finally landing on his face.
“Do you have a moment? Let’s talk.”