My Soulmate is A Libero
Due to a slight overlap in the schedules of the men’s and women’s volleyball matches, CCTV5, as always, chose to broadcast the women’s match on television. Of course, the men’s match could still be watched, but viewers had to switch channels on the app themselves.
Wu Di continued his commentary diligently, “Now, let’s take a look at the starting lineups for both the Chinese and French teams.”
The large screen was split into two halves. On the left side, in red, were the six starting players for the Chinese team, along with photos of the libero. Below the photos were their names and positions. On the right side, in white, was the lineup for the French team.
Qin Chunxiao was wearing a blue jersey that set him apart from his teammates. Many people who had gotten into volleyball because of his good looks had come to understand that this was the characteristic of a libero.
Li Laiheng commented, “The lineup of this French team is quite young. The libero, Sidney, the opposite hitter, Carl, and the setter, Bradley, all have an average age of 22. The starting opposite hitter, Elliott, and the starting middle blocker, Vincent, are the only two veterans over 28.”
In Coach Newton’s view, this team had a lot of potential. While their floor might not be as stable as the previous French team’s, their ceiling had been raised considerably. If they hit their peak, they would be a formidable opponent.
The French team’s libero, Carl, was wearing a black jersey and stood out among his white-clad teammates. He was only 21 years old, having been selected for the national team just last year. While in other teams, he might still be considered a rookie, in the world of liberos, the pressure on him was immense.
The reason for this pressure was simple. Currently, the world’s top liberos—Qin Chunxiao, Dario, and Carl—were all in the same age group. Therefore, it was widely believed that a libero should reach their peak after turning 20.
“That’s all nonsense. Humans shouldn’t use the standards of geniuses to judge ordinary people!” Carl whispered, “A libero’s fundamentals, footwork, technique, and match experience all need time to accumulate. It’s more reasonable to reach the peak at 25.”
It was perfectly normal for some late bloomers to reach their peak at 30. After all, modern medicine was advancing, and athletes’ professional careers were getting longer. Wasn’t there a weightlifter in the neighboring weightlifting event who had won three consecutive titles (for China) and was aiming for a fourth?
Sidney patted Carl’s shoulder, saying, “Shh, the coach isn’t expecting too much from you. He’s just under a lot of pressure himself. Carl, take a look at Misha Qin. He’s already an insurmountable challenge for all spikers.”
Carl followed Sidney’s gaze and saw the petite and adorable Misha Qin, who was wearing his iconic blue headband and red wristbands. With a graceful touch, Misha Qin passed the ball to the setter, Mao Xunfeng. Mao Xunfeng pushed the ball forward, and Liuliulou smashed it to the ground with a heavy sound.
Misha Qin had the best reception quality, and all the setters who had worked with him said that he gave the most comfortable passes. His absolute talent was something that ordinary people couldn’t reach. Carl should have been trembling at the sight, but he felt excited instead.
Among these pocket-sized players, there were always a few who made all the giants take them seriously.
Carl walked onto the court, feeling his fighting spirit reignite.
Young people always had so much passion to burn. Their team captain, Elliott, did a quick stretch.
A drop of sweat fell onto the smooth floor, and there was a rapid sound when his shoes made contact with the ground. His steps were lightning-fast as he leaped into the air. The white wristbands on his wrists were eye-catching.
The volleyball landed on his forearm and rebounded to the net. Li Ling was already waiting there, decisively pushing the ball to the other side of the net for a point.
The score in the second set was now 24:23, with the Chinese team holding a set point. If they won one more point, they would take this set, and the score would become 2:0.
Before the match began, Sidney had thought that this match might not be easy, but he hadn’t expected the Chinese team to have become this strong without anyone noticing.
Not only were Misha Qin and Tulengchika, the twin stars, difficult to deal with, but their lineup of attackers was also very mature, with a solid block defense. They were a team with a high degree of completion. In comparison, the French team had started rebuilding last year and wouldn’t enter the championship window until the Paris Olympics.
With these two teams facing off, the outcome might not be entirely without suspense, but it was pretty close.
Sidney, Vincent, and Captain Elliott were the only players in this team capable of effectively countering the Chinese team. In other matches, Sidney might have been able to dominate with his god-like spiking power, but today, the Chinese team had set up an unwavering defensive front that Sidney couldn’t break through.
The current Chinese team, standing before the French team, seemed to exert tremendous pressure on them.
Sidney placed his hands on his thighs and looked across the net.
Qiao Mingming, wearing the number 1 jersey, stood next to Qin Chunxiao, who was in the number 8 jersey. On the left was Li Ling in the number 9 jersey, and You Ziyu had put on the number 11 jersey and was standing in the service area.
[I’ve never seen it so clearly before. The Chinese team is a powerhouse now.]
[They are pushing the French team hard in the semifinals!]
[Ah, 2:0! You Ziyu scores with her serve! You go, Team China!]
[I haven’t made a single reception error today! Playing at this level in the semifinals, and Russia’s libero isn’t even top-tier. Misha Qin deserves the title of the best libero in this Olympics!]
The title of best libero is usually awarded to the most outstanding libero among the top four teams. Misha Qin had likely secured this honor in just two sets. Sidney might be the only attacker on the court who had not been completely shut down by Misha Qin. The credit for this should go to the French team’s coach.
This old coach had a philosophy of learning and growing throughout life. He had unhesitatingly made his new, inexperienced French team copy the tactics of China’s famous coach, Lao Niu – the swaying-man tactic. (Chen Aiguo: …)
Perhaps at the end of the road of coaching was the idea of “borrowing someone else’s tactics.” Sidney alone was not that terrifying, but if he could sway between the setter and the opposite hitter through cooperation with his teammates, occasionally using a feint spike and a real pass, and at the same time, leading his teammates to increase their offensive power by one level, that would be extremely frightening. Moreover, Sidney’s defense was top-notch, and when necessary, he could even make a life-saving dive outside the court.
The French team had advanced to the semifinals using this tactic. Now, they had taken the third set with it. If the Chinese team didn’t adjust, they might create an embarrassing record – winning against Brazil and Italy but losing to France. If Brazil and Italy saw this result, they would probably cry after the match.
Apart from Sidney’s effective swaying, the opposite hitter, Vincent, was also adept at it. He excelled in both blocking and spiking and had surprisingly good defensive skills. With him protecting Sidney, Sidney’s survival environment became much more comfortable because the Chinese team’s defense was no longer solely focused on Sidney.
The most important thing was that when powerful players were concentrated in a team, there was often a risk of internal conflict as newcomers wanted to take the top position. The Chinese team didn’t have this problem mainly because Vice-Captain Ding and Qin’s father were willing to assist Qiao Mingming, and You Ziyu, who also had leadership qualities, was exhausted from studying medicine and playing volleyball, so he had no energy to create discord.
But in other teams, players had fought for the top spot due to their ambition. Although Vincent had a bit of a temper, his ultimate life goal was only to become the second-in-command on the team. By the time they entered the Paris Olympics cycle, he had even become the vice-captain of the French team, ensuring Sidney’s protection.
The third set had just finished, and Qin Chunxiao squatted by the coach’s bench. He heard Chang Xiaole and Wang Chuntian analyze, “The French team will be a formidable opponent in the next cycle. I think their potential is even higher than that of the American team.”
The American team’s genius IQ had already been discovered by netizens when they saw the IQ test results barely reaching the passing mark. Sidney had passed the entrance exam for the University of Paris, so dealing with highly intelligent geniuses was much more challenging than dealing with hot-blooded fools. This was similar to how Qin Chunxiao was more challenging to deal with than Fu Biyang.
Fu Biyang immediately protested, “Okay, analyze away, but why make it personal?”
No one paid any attention to him because at this moment, Qin Chunxiao spoke up, his wolf eyes filled with determination.
“At this Olympics, the French team won’t have a chance.”
Little Qin was ready to eliminate their chances.
Xiong Wu woke up and turned around. “I sense the killing intent! Oh, it’s just Xiaozai, no problem then.”
Everyone turned to look, and they saw the fierce determination in Qin Chunxiao’s wolf-like eyes.
At this point, the Chinese team hadn’t shown the kind of blood-boiling energy they had when facing Brazil. Qiao Mingming, Tong Shulan, Ding Rong, and others hadn’t used their signature moves, and the forbidden techniques hadn’t been employed much either.
Feeling that he was in good condition, Qin Chunxiao decided to take action in the fourth set. He began actively defending against Sidney and Vincent.
“If you guys want to sway and protect each other, then I’ll defend against both of you!”
When two strong defensive teams collided, it often resulted in a situation where the ball didn’t touch the ground for a long time, and one rally was prolonged indefinitely. The longer rallies and the ups and downs of the game excited the audience.
However, to save energy for the finals, the Chinese team eventually decided to end the match as quickly as possible in the fourth set. They launched a fierce offensive and managed to break through the French team’s strong defense with difficulty, gaining the upper hand.
You Ziyu used a combination of jump float and jump serve, combined with Er Leng’ incredible passing skills, to confuse the French libero to the point where he couldn’t find his bearings. Only Sidney could limit them at the net, but once Sidney rotated to the back row, there was no one on the French team who could control these two players who seemed to have free rein on the court.
In the end, the Chinese team won the semifinal in a way that surprised everyone. Although their match duration and the fact that they went to five sets, with three sets exceeding 30 points, were similar to the Russian and Italian teams, the Chinese team managed to win the game with a score of 3:1.
At the same time, some good news arrived: the women’s volleyball team, after a grueling five-set battle, finally won the semifinal with their strong determination and fierce fighting spirit, although it was a hard-fought victory.
Even though it was a narrow win, the burden on the women’s volleyball team was much heavier than on the men’s team because they had a higher popularity, which meant that most of the audience focused on them. The pressure on the girls was immense, but now that they had reached the finals, some of that pressure could be relieved.
At the moment of victory, all the fans cheered, especially in the men’s volleyball arena, where almost everyone knew that the Chinese team had achieved something remarkable in just four years.
In just four years, they had transformed from a team that no one took seriously into Olympic medalists!
“What a miracle! This is a miracle!” exclaimed an excited male fan.
His companion standing nearby had a pale face and muttered, “Ching Mei, my Ching Mei, why can’t you hold onto your love for men with such diverse styles? Are they all useless? And they’ve even come out of the closet. Why did you cut your hair, and why do you look so handsome after cutting it? Maybe I won’t get a son-in-law but a daughter-in-law…”
Both the men’s and women’s volleyball teams from China had secured a place on the podium. As the head of the Volleyball Association put it, “We’ve already recouped our investment. from now on, every point we score is pure profit.”
This new leader was quite sensible. Instead of holding a morale-boosting meeting before the finals, he handed over the team’s management to the head coach and simply sent encouraging text messages to the players. Even Qin Chunxiao, who had met him only a few times, had a better impression of this inexperienced elderly gentleman.
In such tense moments, they needed an environment where they could focus on adjusting themselves.
With the finals approaching, Qin Chunxiao didn’t say much. He quickly sent a text message to Lu Xuandong, greeted him, and then flopped onto his bed, soundly asleep, making the most of the time to replenish his physical and mental energy.
Some people couldn’t sleep, like Fu Biyang. He put on a sleeveless hoodie, pulled on his cap, and asked Wang Chuntian to join him for a night run.
Qiao Mingming, Mao Xunfeng, and Ding Rong watched past matches of the Russian team. Ding Rong made a few notes and said, “Anton’s setting skills are sharp.”
At this moment, there was a knock on the door, and Er Leng tiptoed in, holding a small notebook, and shyly smiled, “Um, can you take me with you?”
Aizimaiti brought over a few boxes of yogurt and said, “The coach wants you all to rest early.”
Mao Xunfeng didn’t even look up. “Sure, we will. You should get some rest too.”
Newton was on the phone at this time. “Yes, yes, we will do our best.”
Chang Xiaole finished watching the men’s beach volleyball final in the afternoon. Seeing that his boyfriend had ultimately lost to a young Argentine pair, ending his last Olympics with a silver medal, he now had that silver medal in his jacket pocket.
Meanwhile, the Chinese men’s beach volleyball duo, Wei Yaozi and Ming Zhouzhou, had exceeded expectations and reached the semifinals. However, they were defeated by the champion team at a critical point, just one step away from the podium. After the match, they returned to their room and hadn’t come out yet.
Chang Xiaole was thinking about his headache-inducing junior beach volleyball players. He opened his tactical board, sat in front of Jiang Xiaohai, and together they simulated the possible tactics the Russian team might employ tomorrow. They concluded that Nikolai, the Russian coach, was a mysterious character, and they needed to be cautious and adaptable.
At the same time, discussions about whether the men’s and women’s volleyball teams could win the championship had already begun online.
[“In terms of talent, apart from not having a ‘god-like’ player, isn’t the Chinese team’s lineup on par with Russia’s? Let’s not talk about the libero, but even the president of the International Volleyball Federation said in front of reporters after watching the semifinals that Misha Qin is the most talented libero he’s ever seen, and the setter is also strong.”]
[“But our spiker lineup isn’t as luxurious as Russia’s. They have the current world number one opposite, Roman, a top-ten Rio Olympics main attacker, Franco, a versatile opposite with precise touches, Ruslan, and a top European setter, Anton…”]
[“It’s alright; we have the swaying-man tactic! And outstanding teamwork.”]
[“I still remember the Olympics eight years ago. When Russia and Brazil played, Brazil was also in the championship window, but they were pushed down to second place by the Russian team’s powerful high attacks. The Russians like to smash with all their might; fancy tricks don’t work on them.”]
[“The last time the Russian men’s volleyball team won the Olympics, it was their spiker lineup that carried them.”]
[“Wait a minute, it seems that there are quite a few people paying attention to this match. I didn’t realize that there were so many men’s volleyball fans. Besides the most famous Lu General and Lu General’s younger brother, even Lu General’s parents are following the match.”]
[“Zhao Zhaoyan is also following?”]
[“She’s following and even @-ed Qin Team’s account on Weibo, saying ‘Go, world’s number one libero.’ Tsk tsk, I thought the elites wouldn’t be interested in Qin Team, considering that Qin Team once pursued Lu General.”]
[“How could anyone not be interested? Qin Team is about to stand on the Olympic podium. His career has been so illustrious. Who could look down on him? And why should the person who pursues someone be humble and looked down upon? If people upstairs think that way, who will dare to pursue the one they like in the future?”]
[“Wait a minute, weren’t we discussing whether the Chinese team can win the championship? Let’s bring the topic back. I believe the Chinese team can win!”]
[“Exactly! This is the closest the Chinese men’s volleyball team has been to the championship. We don’t know when they’ll have a team with such exceptional physical talents and mentality at their peak in the next Olympics. They will definitely seize this opportunity!”]
[“Fans of men’s volleyball for ten years cried when they secured an Olympic spot, cried when they reached the top eight and the top four. Now, I don’t want to cry anymore. I’ll save my tears for the moment they win the championship. But even if they don’t win, I won’t have any regrets because I know they gave it their all.”]
[“More than just giving it their all, I’ve watched this team fight their way here with sheer determination. They’ve practically burned through their blood meters.”]
Zhao Zhaoyan still didn’t fully understand the rules of volleyball, and after posting her Weibo, she received a call from her eldest son who gently reminded her not to refer to Qin Chunxiao as the world’s number one libero to avoid putting pressure on him during the game.
Zhao Zhaoyan: “…Oh, I’m really sorry.”
But the game had to go on. Zhao Zhaoyan felt that Qin Chunxiao was her eldest son’s soulmate and that they were destined to be a family, so getting to know him a bit better was always a good thing.
Amidst the eager anticipation of the crowd, the Chinese men’s volleyball team finally arrived at the battlefield near the end of their journey—the Olympic finals.
Despite having played several Olympic matches by now, Qin Chunxiao still felt a rare nervousness. He carried his backpack and entered the spacious and brightly lit arena with his teammates. The venue was packed with people, and although everyone wore masks, it couldn’t dampen the fiery atmosphere.
Spotlights shone on all of them.
Roman took off his jacket, turned back, and smiled at them. Anton casually tossed and caught the volleyball in a graceful manner, while Ruslan stood a little farther away and waved to them.
Qin Chunxiao also smiled.
He took off his jacket.
“Let’s do this!”
Youth & Bittersweet Aftertaste
Link Ke Bacaan
Serina merupakan siswi SMA penyendiri dan memiliki kompleksitas karena demam panggung. Karena trauma masa lalu, Serina yang suka menari terlalu takut tampil di depan umum. Walau begitu, ia memiliki identitas lain yang tidak diketahui oleh siapa pun. Dia merupakan pemilik akun di balik sosok misterius ‘kelinci_putih’, tiktoker yang kontennya berisi video-video dance cover dengan satu juta follower. Menjadi tiktoker membuat Serina lupa dengan sosok pecundangnya di dunia nyata. Namun, demi menggaet hati cowok paling populer di sekolah, Serina memutuskan masuk ekskul dance untuk mengatasi demam panggungnya dan membangun kepercayaan diri.
Tojoillust 