Chapter Eleven: Men (Third Update)

Du Gu Ming forced himself to suppress the anger burning inside him; he loved basketball. Standing at one meter eighty-five, his height might not be considered exceptional abroad, but in his homeland, it was certainly among the top. Having spent the last several years living in America—where everyone knows basketball reigns supreme—Du Gu Ming had become an excellent basketball player.

He had once played privately with Kobe and LeBron, and these superstars had praised his skills. But that’s all beside the point; Du Gu Ming was already well-trained. In terms of physique, not even LeBron could match him; in agility, Kobe himself admitted defeat. At the time, the head coach of the Lakers had hoped he would join the team, but Du Gu Ming politely declined, considering that as a cultivator, playing against ordinary people would be unfair.

Yet, in all his eighteen years since birth, Du Gu Ming had never so much as touched a soccer ball. Asking him to play soccer was nothing short of a joke.

He raised a fist and knocked it gently on Zhang Liming’s head, resigning himself to his fate. There was no way out—the teacher had already arrived. No chance to change things now. He sighed.

“Zhang Liming?”
“Present!”
“Du Gu Ming?”
“Present!”
The teacher picked up a registration book and called the roll.

“How does the teacher know our names?” Du Gu Ming asked Zhang Liming after their names had been called.

Zhang Liming glanced at him and whispered, “Actually, you could have gone to another class just now, but while you weren’t paying attention, I registered your name with the class monitor. You forgot about the crowd just now? They were signing up. Once your name’s down, it can’t be changed.”

Du Gu Ming felt an urge to spit blood. Was this the legendary “good roommate who always digs a pit for you”? Perhaps you know someone like this.

Well, fate has brought him here; he could only accept it. In his heart, Du Gu Ming wanted to shout to the heavens, “What the hell!”

Zhang Liming pointed to a person standing in front of Du Gu Ming. “That’s our soccer class monitor, Fu Shixiao. We all call him Brother Nine Tigers. He’s the main player on the school’s soccer team, a specially recruited athlete. Rumor has it he’ll join the national team after graduation. His footwork is incredible. I think he might be the hope for Chinese soccer.”

Du Gu Ming followed his gaze. The man wore a standard soccer uniform, Adidas cleats, looking quite professional. He wasn’t tall—about one meter seventy—but his calf muscles were well-developed, his legs thick and powerful.

Du Gu Ming thought this person must be quite skilled. If he joined the national team, perhaps he could bring some fresh energy into the country’s soccer squad.

Even though Du Gu Ming had lived abroad for years, he often heard of the tragedies of the national soccer team, even across the Atlantic. Ah, Chinese soccer—the eternal wound in the hearts of its people.

Soccer class was dull and tedious. It was clear that most of the students, like Du Gu Ming, knew nothing about the game.

After teaching a few basic moves, the teacher divided the class into two teams for a match. By chance, Du Gu Ming ended up on the same team as the so-called Brother Nine Tigers, the soccer expert.

Before the match began, Fu Shixiao looked at his teammates with arrogant confidence and ordered, “Don’t try to show off. Whenever you get the ball, pass it to me. I’ll be the main attacker. Understood?”

Du Gu Ming didn’t like his domineering tone, as if he were superior to everyone else. It made him uncomfortable, but he preferred to avoid trouble, so he kept quiet.

The game started. Du Gu Ming stayed in the back as a defender. First, he had no interest in soccer; second, he didn’t want to play seriously—he just wanted class to end quickly.

He wasn’t at Ningxia University just to study; his father surely had reasons for sending him here, but Du Gu Ming had no intention of staying four years. He glanced at Zhang Liming, who played winger in the center of the field, and felt his headache deepen. He simply wanted to finish up and leave as soon as possible.

At first, everyone followed the plan, passing the ball directly to Fu Shixiao whenever they got it. Fu Shixiao was indeed skilled. Even when surrounded by four or five players, he could break through with impressive dribbling, then shoot powerfully and score.

Du Gu Ming was happy to stay idle, watching from the back, kicking the ball to Fu Shixiao whenever it came his way. But after half an hour, Fu Shixiao was drenched in sweat, large beads trickling down his forehead, his shirt soaked through.

Then, during one play, a teammate passed the ball to Fu Shixiao, but Fu Shixiao mishandled it, losing possession. It wasn’t surprising—he was tired, and four or five opponents pressed him; breaking through was difficult.

But then Brother Nine Tigers marched back and kicked the teammate who’d passed him the ball square in the stomach, snarling, “What kind of lousy pass was that? If you hadn’t screwed up, I wouldn’t have lost the ball!”

Du Gu Ming was no hero, nor Superman, and had no desire to play the good guy. But any man with a shred of spirit wouldn’t stand idly by upon witnessing this.

He immediately stepped forward to help the fallen teammate up, who muttered a “thank you.” Du Gu Ming then called out to Fu Shixiao’s retreating figure, “Apologize to him.”

“What?” Fu Shixiao turned, as if he’d seen a monster. “You want me to apologize?”

At that moment, Zhang Liming and a crowd saw trouble brewing between Fu Shixiao and Du Gu Ming and rushed over. The teacher was nowhere to be found.

Zhang Liming tugged urgently at Du Gu Ming’s sleeve. “Are you out of your mind? Do you know who he is? He’s Brother Nine Tigers—one word from him and the whole school soccer team will show up. I’m telling you, his crew doesn’t hold back in a fight.”

The teammate Du Gu Ming had helped also whispered, “Let it go, I’m fine. You don’t need to stick up for me. Brother Nine Tigers will definitely retaliate.”

Du Gu Ming smiled at the teammate he had helped. “Look into my eyes. Really look. Do you want to get even?”

Du Gu Ming knew that while a man can be helped up if he falls, if the spirit falls, no amount of help will restore it. Why is China so strong now, yet so weak before Japan and America? Because the spirit has fallen.

The teammate kept his head down, unable to meet Du Gu Ming’s gaze, muttering uncertainly.

Du Gu Ming grew a bit angry, raising his voice, “Look at me! Are you a man or not? If you are, answer me!”

On hearing these words, the teammate seemed empowered. His back straightened, his gaze no longer dodged, staring determinedly into Du Gu Ming’s eyes. He nodded fiercely and replied with conviction, “Yes.”

Ps: Three chapters today. Seeing how hard Jiemuo works, please give your support by adding this to your favorites. Thank you. Please, everyone, add to favorites.