Chapter 37 - Complete defeat
Even Ye QiuXue, who was foreign to soccer, knew what an "overhead kick" was.
HuMing's kick made everyone's faces swollen as if they had gotten a tight slap.
Ye QiuXue saw it clearly; Han ShuYi interfered with HuMing moments before. Despite being unbalanced before kicking, HuMing still scored a beautiful goal in unfavorable circumstances.
So, was this guy really this skilled before?
But why did he play so poorly? Clearly, playing well would have made a better impression, right?
As Ye QiuXue puzzled at the side, her classmates excitedly chatted over HuMing's recent goal.
Ye QiuXue's face displayed a contented smile, even a hint of pride.
'See, I've always had good judgment!'
Ye QiuXue's thoughts remained a mystery to everyone. On the field, HuMing left everyone in awe.
Initially, they intended to embarrass HuMing on the field, but to their surprise, HuMing completely shattered their illusions. Looking at his movements, who would say he couldn't play soccer?
With these thoughts, their expressions grew even more despairing.
But among them, there was one exception.
Han ShuYi, heaving, had his gaze pinned on HuMing. With fists clenched, despite his mind replaying HuMing's recent goal, ShuYi refused to admit defeat.
He would never accept losing HuMing!
However, he appeared to have overlooked that it was his idea to let HuMing play. This time, he really had shot himself in the foot.
The match resumed.
This time, HuMing's team put in extra effort to secure the ball, frequently checking HuMing's position.
With a star player on the field, who wouldn't be happy?
Those who had previously played relaxed now appeared tense, finding it difficult to evade.
Under such pressure, the opposing team quickly lost possession of the ball as they struggled to regroup. Without anyone noticing, HuMing had already whizzed the ball away.
Seeing this, Han ShuYi gritted his teeth and charged towards HuMing. However, seeing HuMing about to stand upright, he instinctively thought HuMing would stop the ball and then pass it to him.
Little did he expect, that HuMing suddenly lowered his body and flung him far behind.
HuMing skilfully maneuvered with the ball, deceiving the defender with a clever feint toward the baseline. Then, using the outside of his right foot, he skilfully flicked the ball sideways toward the center.
When the opposing defender attempted to pivot and intercept the ball, HuMing skilfully retracted it and accelerated past him.
By now, exclamations were echoing from the sidelines, and someone even shouted HuMing's name!
In the past, this would have been impossible, but HuMing accomplished it today on the soccer pitch!
LiYue stood on the sidelines, stunned. She had never seen HuMing shine so brightly, even more so than when she first met him!
Did she make the wrong choice?
For a brief moment, this question crossed LiYue's thoughts, but she quickly dismissed it.
LiYue believed that her judgment was correct. Han ShuYi was undeniably better than HuMing!
It was Han ShuYi who pulled her out of the void. HuMing was just a matchstick lighting up her life.
"Han ShuYi is catching up!"
Suddenly, a girl's voice brought LiYue back to reality.
Seeing Han ShuYi gradually catching up to HuMing, an excited smile appeared on LiYue's face.
'Yes, that's right, catch up to HuMing!'
Meanwhile, as Ye QiuXie saw Han ShuYi swiftly approaching HuMing, trying to snatch the ball away from him, she stood with her arms crossed, her face emotionless. But inside, she was as nervous as a squirrel in traffic.
The end of class was fast approaching, and losing the ball at this point would probably result in missing the opportunity to launch an attack.
As Ye QiuXue locked eyes on the field, memories of HuMing's confident smile flooded her mind.
That guy seemed completely different from before.
Out of nowhere, a wave of relief washed over her.
She believed HuMing would not disappoint her.
On the field:
HuMing could feel someone chasing him. Their breath was heavy, running out of energy.
And without even looking, he could guess who it was.
Disregarding that they had only played half the game, HuMing was confident that even if it were a complete match, he could wear out Han ShuYi.
Han Shuyi had always thought of himself as the star of this game. HuMing could tell from his confident demeanor that he wanted to humiliate him.
Han ShuYi wanted to elevate his image by defeating him.
HuMing found this amusing. If the original were to be here, he would have been played to death.
However, it was a pity. As long as he, Han HuMing, was around, the protagonist of soccer would only be him!
With all his might, Han ShuyYi made a forceful attempt to tackle HuMing, but his method was a bit dirty and seemed to be targeting HuMing's legs.
However, for some unknown reason, when Han ShuYi raised his gaze to meet HuMing's, he noticed a brief hint of mockery in his eyes.
Han ShuYi's pupils sharply constricted. He saw HuMing trap the ball with one foot, pass it to his other foot with a smooth 180-degree turn, and dribble it to the side---all in one fluid motion.
"Damn, was that a Marseille turn?!"
"So smooth!"
"He passed Han ShuYi!"
Ignoring the excitement around her, Ye QiuXue glanced at her watch.
Ten seconds left!
HuMing's move shattered Han ShuYi's attempt to tackle the ball, and he could only stand there and watch HuMing dash towards the goal.
As a defender tried to intercept HuMing, he raised his right leg and made a direct shot-!
Five seconds left!
The ball arced through the air in a parabola, grazing the goalkeeper's arm and finally crashing into the net with fierce momentum!!
Silence spread.
The bell signaling the of the class ran sharply in everybody's ears.
Script...!
Leaving several players with a swoosh.
Scoring a perfect goal with the final kick.
It was like something out of a script!
This goal perfectly showcased HuMing's skill and pierced through the opponent's defense!
On Han ShuYi's side, people stared at HuMing, the boy they once despised.
With great confidence, he skilfully kicked the ball into their goal, even dreamily securing the game-winning point seconds before the end of class.
They couldn't help but suddenly feel depressed.
Han ShuYi looked at HuMing.
HuMing walked right up and looked down at him as if he were trampling his dignity.
"I said it before: it wouldn't end with just a draw. You must now know how shooting yourself in the foot feels." HuMing said, extending his hand towards Han ShuYi as if offering charity to the defeated.
Han ShuYi stared coldly at HuMing. The warmth that used to be on his face had long disappeared, replaced by a grim expression.
He didn't want to take HuMing's hand. ShuYi wanted to stand up on his own. But then HuMing's voice rang out again.
"If you don't take my hand, the other students might think we have a conflict. After all, our identities are so special."
HuMing's face still wore a smile, but it was a smile that annoyed Han ShuYi to the very depth.
It felt as if HuMing had him firmly in his grasp.
Han ShuYi forced a smile, reaching out to grab HuMing's hand and using HuMing's strength to get up.