32 : Muscles are firm

 Due to the temporary adjustment of player positions by No. 1 Middle School, Xu Sen looked at the match positions and finally changed the setter to Song Shi, with Chen Zhoumu as the outside hitter.

Everything else remained the same. Xu Sen returned to the sidelines and looked at the players, who were all of similar height. He

nodded in satisfaction, feeling relieved.

He had watched the match yesterday and decided to put Song Shi in the attacking position. While the requirements for liberos were high, the attacking position was where they could truly showcase their abilities.

After all the players were on the court, the coaches of each team went to the starting lineup draw area. In

the first round, No. 3 Middle School got the starting ball. After the second referee blew the whistle, No. 3 Middle School's number one player arrived at the service area.

After everyone was ready, with a 'bang' of the first pass, the match began.

No. 3 Middle School's first passer was a relatively short boy. After the ball was served, the setter received the volleyball. No. 3 Middle School's outside hitter was the number 33 from yesterday's match.

Song Shi leaned on his knees and looked over there. That person was No. 3 Middle School's outside hitter. He played very tricky and had a lot of strength.

After receiving the ball, Chi He volleyed it towards No. 1 Middle School, but No. 1 Middle School's middle blocker, He Dong, blocked it and the ball bounced off.

No. 3 Middle School, unlike No. 1 Middle School, doesn't focus solely on academics; it's a comprehensive high school, so its students in arts and sports are significantly more professional than No. 1 Middle School's.

No. 3 Middle School's setter tossed the ball high, and the middle blocker immediately ran behind the setter, coordinating a back-row attack.

The moment the ball was tossed, the middle blocker jumped high, moved laterally, and spiked the ball in mid-air.

Caught off guard, the ball slammed into the front court with a loud thud. The first set ended, and No. 3 Middle School won.

The referee blew the whistle, No. 3 Middle School scored a point, and shouts erupted from the court.

"Wasn't that transfer student from No. 1 Middle School supposed to be pretty good? He seems so-so standing there."

"Who knows? Didn't they say Chen Zhoumu from No. 1 Middle School played against Tan Xiuyuan before? His skills should be pretty good too. Maybe he just hasn't caught up yet?"

"He's probably just faking it. He's probably only good at studying."

The second round of the match began, and all the players rotated clockwise. This time, No. 1 Middle School's first passer served first. After rotating clockwise, the setter became the first passer.

He took the ball to the service area, the second referee blew the whistle, and the match began.

Tan Xiuyuan sat on the rest area watching the match. It was certain that No. 3 Middle School's team was stronger than No. 1 Middle School's, but he was observing No. 1 Middle School's playing style.

He knew Song Shi and wasn't taking it too seriously, treating the match like regular training.

He couldn't tell that Chen Zhoumu's skills were not low, as he hadn't taken any initiative to attack from the setter position since the start of the match.

The ball came again, and Song Shi reached out to throw it. Suddenly, he was hit hard on the back, and the ball landed not far from him. He staggered and missed the chance to catch the ball.

The referee blew the whistle.

The break time arrived, and the score was now 4-2, one in two.

The referee blew the whistle, and all players returned to the break area.

Song Shi sat down and casually picked up a glass of water. He Xi had been listening to the discussion behind him while watching the game.

They didn't seem to be from No. 1 Middle School; there were two boys and a girl, one of whom had dyed his hair brown and looked a bit like a delinquent.

The boy chewed gum: "Damn, what's so interesting? They're so trashy, I told you so. That transfer student is all looks and no substance."

"Tao Ling Shuang, do you like this kind of weakling?"

The girl looked up from her phone: "None of your business! Liang Jin, you better watch your mouth. Don't think you can control me just because you're with my brother. Who the hell do you think you are?"

After saying that, Tao Ling Shuang glanced at the stage and went down the stairs next to her. Liang Jin

stopped chewing gum: "Fuck!" He kicked the back of the chair in front of him hard.

This caused the people in front of him to turn around and start cursing. Liang Jin had just calmed down and was now furious.

The man turned and opened his mouth, venting his anger: "Damn it, what are you yelling about? They played so badly, why are you even watching? If you ask me, No. 1 Middle School shouldn't have even participated. Are

n't you ashamed?" One of the students from No. 1 Middle School couldn't stand it anymore: "If you're so good, you go play!"

He scoffed: "Can't we criticize them for playing badly? How precious is No. 1 Middle School? Bad is bad!"

Now, a commotion started to rise. Many people were looking this way; Song Shi's name was known to almost everyone in both schools.

The boys were very jealous. Ever since Song Shi became famous at No. 3

Middle School, many people disliked him. Handsome, good grades, a cold personality, an unattainable beauty—many girls from other schools liked him too. So, this seemingly flawless person

was the one the boys' clique most wanted to bring down. Among those sitting here today were many like Liang Jin, who wanted to see him make a fool of himself.

Many wanted to kick him while he was down, but no one dared to speak up.

They had finally managed to smear his image, and now that so many people had stood up, once one person started,

more and more would follow.

"Exactly! Can't we even say how badly they played? Don't the students from No. 1 Middle School know how badly they were beating?"

"They were like wooden blocks on the field, what's the point of playing? They should just admit defeat."

"One person dragged down the whole team's level. If you ask me, even if No. 1 Middle School had Chen Zhoumu, it wouldn't matter. Everyone knows best who's the weakest."

Jealousy is a terrible thing; it can tear people apart and reveal the most vicious and disgusting things in their hearts.

He Xi suddenly stood up and swung his fist, smashing it down. The person lost their balance and fell to the ground. Zhang Jingxiao was startled and reached out to grab the other person.

The boy was stunned by the blow, his anger rising. He was helped up and was about to retaliate.

But the commotion was getting louder and louder. Several teachers ran over and pulled them back: "Which school are you from?!"

Today, some high-ranking officials came to inspect, and all the leaders were on high alert, afraid of making any mistakes. Little did they expect that what they feared would happen.

After separating the group, he explained that the student had fallen because he was too excited. He gave the leader an apologetic smile and acted as if nothing had happened.

The referee blew his whistle. The players' rest area was quite far from the audience seats, so Song Shi and the others were unaware of what had happened. Xu Sen walked over and patted everyone on the shoulder.

Finally, his gaze swept over Song Shi: "Play well, the rest doesn't matter. Don't let it affect your mentality, just play seriously."

Song Shi looked at the place where the commotion had just occurred. He Xi waved, but the sound was too far away; he could only make out He Xi and Zhang Jingxiao's mouths moving as they spoke.

Finally, he gave a thumbs-up.

Song Shi smiled and nodded before walking towards the arena. Actually, he had heard some of the noise, but he was too lazy to care.

Until he saw He Xi hit someone, he realized that he was a man who didn't like to talk and preferred to prove himself with his skills.

The second round of the competition began. The coaches drew lots to determine the starting players. In the first game, the first player served first, and after the order was determined, the players rotated clockwise.

Song Shi returned to the setter position and walked towards the service area.

He weighed the ball in his hand; he hadn't played a match in a long time, but he still practiced regularly.

Yesterday's match had brought back his old skills.

He had to admit he used to love volleyball, but illness had forced him to give it up.

He stretched his back and tossed the ball high, his eyes following its trajectory.

Song Shi jumped high, his back arching backward in the air, the wind whipping his hair to his ears. He slammed

the ball high.

"Bang!"

Everyone's eyes followed the ball as the yellow-green volleyball flew from the outermost service area, clearing the net and slamming solidly into the backcourt of the No. 1 Middle School section.

A high arc, a near-perfect form.

Song Shi landed, and the noisy arena fell silent for a moment before erupting into a frenzy of screams.

The referee blew the whistle; No. 1 Middle School won the first set of the second round.

All eyes were on the person in the court area, the number nine on his back.

Xu Sen sat in the rest area and smiled. It seemed his arrangement was indeed excellent; this was true skill.

"Wow! That's fucking awesome!"

"I offer my highest respect. I'm getting goosebumps."

"Wow, so fierce! So exciting! Who said this transfer student is weak?!"

"The serve hit the backcourt, that power, that waist."

"Who the hell said he's weak? Don't blame the road for being uneven if you're not good enough, okay?"

"Others just think that friendly matches shouldn't be played so fiercely. Some people's jealousy shouldn't be too strong."

"Song Shi! Song Shi!"

His gaze swept across the stands, then he stood still, rubbing his reddened wrists. He looked up and met the gazes looking at him.

Before he could react, he was lifted high into the air, first feeling the scent of gardenias that surrounded him every day.

Then he felt the other person's body temperature, breathing, and heartbeat.

Instinctively, he placed his hands on the shoulders of the person beneath him. Chen Zhoumu's shoulder muscles were firm.

His opponent's hand gripped his waist tightly, followed by the intense pressure of the crowd pushing and shoving.

In the first round of the second game, No. 1 Middle School secured the first blood.

The cheers from the No. 1 Middle School students nearly lifted the roof off the stadium, a stark reminder of the humiliation of the first round and the disdainful comments they had received. Now, they were thoroughly humiliated.

Not a single one dared to utter a sound.

Chen Zhoumu stood to the side, watching Song Shi, his eyes shimmering with emotion. He was overjoyed, as if he himself had won a battle.

He finally understood why he liked Song Shi. It wasn't just Song Shi in this moment; every time they spent together, his heart would flutter.

The other person was dazzling, as if radiating light from head to toe, so bright it was blinding.

The moment the game ended, he wanted to hug Song Shi. He thought it, and he did it.

As if he had done it countless times before, he ran towards that person and hugged him tightly.

"Ahhhhhh!" The screams from the audience seemed to grow even louder.

Tan Xiuyuan sat in the rest area, looking at his persimmon so dazzling, then at the person hugging Song Shi, his hand clenching tightly.

He then heard the girl who had just been talking behind him taking out her phone and snapping photos.

"I'm going to faint! Ahhh!"

"Is this considered the main couple giving out sweet moments? Is my CP real?!"

Meanwhile, those who had just been mocking Song Shi were speechless.

"Say something, why aren't you saying anything? Can you even play?"

"Tch, it's just one win."

Standing opposite, Chi He squinted at Song Shi. He had seen him once before during the Second Middle School exam.

He was indeed good-looking, but he hadn't only seen him in Xia City. He

seemed to have seen him elsewhere, but he had forgotten, and he didn't want to waste time on this unrelated person.

In the following match, the First Middle School team won consecutively, and the score was now 11:10, First Middle School eleven.

Chen Zhoumu received the ball from He Dong, then slammed it into the Third Middle School court.

The Third Middle School middle blocker jumped up to block it.

After receiving the ball, Chi He jumped and met Song Shi's eyes on the other side. In just a second, the ball flew towards No. 1 Middle School.

During the break, Xu Sen replaced the libero with the original receiver.

When the ball came, everyone's eyes turned to No. 1 Middle School.

The libero's duty is to prevent the ball from touching the ground. The libero hesitated for a moment before running towards the ball not far ahead.

But it seemed too late.

Song Shi's body was the first to hit the ground. He jumped up and lunged forward, intercepting the ball a second before quickly tossing it upward.

He Dong reacted quickly, caught the ball, and tossed it back to Chen Zhoumu.

A high jump and a powerful slam of the ball against the net hit the court of No. 3 Middle School.

The referee blew the whistle, and No. 1 Middle School won the second round.

The break was over, and the score was now tied at 1-1. The person who had been discussing the game in the back was gone.

The subsequent games returned to the situation of the first round. No. 3 Middle School won the third round, but even during the break, no one dared to say anything.

The match entered the fourth set. The third middle blocker was substituted. Tan Xiuyuan, having placed his half-finished water bottle on his way to the court,

was stopped by the coach: "Friendly match."

"I know."

The score was now 2-1. As Tan Xiuyuan entered the court, the stands began to stir.

"I thought we wouldn't see Tan Xiuyuan play today."

"Who do you think is better, Tan Xiuyuan or Chen Zhoumu?"

"Is that even a question? If Tan Xiuyuan plays, the first middle school has absolutely no chance of winning."

"How so?" "

Don't you know they played together before? Tan Xiuyuan won that match, not Chen Xiuyuan, so it's obvious who's better."

"My god, I didn't even know! There's a post about this on a joint post from both the first and third middle schools."

"And I heard that Song Shi, the transfer student from the first middle school, is Tan Xiuyuan's childhood friend."

The match continued. In the fourth round, it was the first middle school's turn to serve. This time, the server was Chen Zhoumu, and the third middle school's lineup changed.

The outside hitter was Tan Xiuyuan, and the middle blocker was Chi He.

Chen Zhoumu stood in the service area, and the whistle blew, starting the match.

After the serve, the setter from the third team receives the ball and attacks. The middle blocker from the third team blocks the ball, receives the pass, and the middle blocker passes the ball.

Song Shi attacks again.

The setter from the third team receives the ball, which is then passed to the outside hitter Tan Xiuyuan, who jumps and throws the ball.

This time, Chen Zhoumu dove to the ground to bounce the ball, and He Dong received it and passed it to the outside hitter.

Just as the ball crossed the net and entered the No. 1 Middle School's court, a figure suddenly sprang to his knees and jumped high.

Tan Xiuyuan threw another powerful ball, and Chen Zhoumu again dove to the ground to receive it, this time passing it to the opposite hitter.

After the ball passed, the middle blocker received it, and Chen Zhoumu didn't pass again, but instead leaned back and swished the ball high, and Tan Xiuyuan slid to his knees to receive it.

The ball bounced again, and Chi He, the middle blocker from No. 3 Middle School, bounced and swished the ball.

"My god, this is so intense! The two sides have been playing for almost five minutes and haven't even dropped the ball."

"I have to say, I think Chen Zhoumu's skill is about the same as Tan Xiuyuan's. Speaking of which, how did Chen Zhoumu lose the match?"

"I don't know."

The ball came to Chen Zhoumu again, and he reached out and swished it high. Due to the intense exercise and his lingering cold from a few days ago,

his vision was a little blurry. After tossing the ball, he met Tan Xiuyuan's gaze.

He blinked, suppressing the inexplicable discomfort in his body, and continued the game.

Chi He watched the ball gently bounce towards him, but instead of tossing it to anyone else, he ran to the ball's base and leaped high.

He slammed the ball towards the court. Chen Zhoumu sensed the ball's direction and tried to run towards it, but was violently struck in the back.

His mind wasn't quite clear, so he stumbled. He had already regained his footing, but the ball slammed into his back.

His vision went black, and Chen Zhoumu fell to the ground.

It happened so suddenly that no one had time to react. Song Shi ran over and helped the fallen man up.

People in the stands began to scream and discuss. Xu Sen ran over and supported Chen Zhoumu's other arm.

He Xi, who had been sitting in the stands, suddenly ran over and stood in front of Chi He: "Do you fucking want to die?"

"He Xi!" Zhang Jingxiao chased after him from behind.

Chi He glanced coldly at He Xi and sneered, "What does this have to do with me?"

"You think I don't know you're having an affair with that bastard Chen Jiajin? If it weren't for him, why would you be participating in this lousy competition?"

Chi He's face turned completely cold: "You're a member of the He family."

Before the two could even start fighting, the teacher had already separated them. It was already chaotic enough; it couldn't get any more chaotic.

The competition was paused, and the school brought up the cheerleading squad that was supposed to perform at the end. The atmosphere was relatively harmonious now.

Chen Zhoumu had only felt a little dizzy for a moment, but he had recovered. He drank water and looked at Song Shi, who had a cold face in front of him.

"I'm fine. I think it's just a little low blood sugar."

Song Shi pursed his lips, expressionless, but if Tang Ze were there, he would know that he was very angry.

He didn't speak but walked up to the person who had switched to the free agent position. The person had just been looking down when a shadow suddenly fell in front of him.

He looked up: "What's the matter?"

Song Shi sneered, then threw a punch, a punch with no force.

The blow landed squarely on flesh, the man's head snapped to one side, leaving a red mark on his fair face.

Before the chaos on one side could subside, another erupted on the other, and the teachers pulled the two apart again.

Tan Xiuyuan ran over and stood in front of Song Shi, looking at the man.

The man was about Song Shi's height. He touched the burning spot where he had been hit, showing neither anger nor any extreme behavior.

He simply smiled at Song Shi, then wiped away the blood from the cut at the corner of his mouth.

His tone was flat: "Song Shi, you're doing well here."

Song Shi looked at him expressionlessly. The man brushed aside his sweat-dampened hair, revealing a bright scar on his forehead: "I thought you'd forgotten me."

He then glanced up at Tan Xiuyuan beside him. The man's upturned eyes narrowed slightly; his gaze made Song Shi very uncomfortable.

It was like chewing gum stuck to the sole of a shoe, making every step he took irritating.

"He probably doesn't know what you did, right?"

These words made Tan Xiuyuan frown deeply. He had never seen this person before, and looking at his face, he couldn't possibly not remember him.

A teacher from No. 3 Middle School stood between the two, separating their conversation: "Go to the infirmary first."

The man nodded politely, then smiled at Song Shi: "See you next time."

"My god, what's going on? Who is that person?"

"I've never seen that person before? He doesn't seem to be from No. 1 Middle School."

"Then why is he in our No. 1 Middle School's competition area? And wearing our No. 1 Middle School uniform?"

"I don't know, but I have to say there are a lot of handsome guys today. I didn't notice him in the first few rounds."

"What's the relationship between that person and Song Shi? I can't understand what they're saying."

Song Shi lowered his brows, watching the man's back. He had scanned the No. 1 Middle School players at the start of the match but hadn't noticed him.

After being pushed last time, the libero was changed, and Song Shi had observed him at the beginning of this match.

But he didn't seem to remember him then. Now, seeing his face, he finally knew who this person was.

Zhu Jiujiang.

The man from Yangcheng, the one who bullied Tang Ze in the alley and was beaten up by Song Shi.

Song Shi was the one who did the disfigurement to that man's forehead. Although it happened a long time ago, if he were to see Tang Ze again…

Song Shi closed his eyes and clenched his fists tightly. Why do disgusting people always cling to you, impossible to shake off?

How did they find this place? What's their purpose?

Seeing Song Shi's state, Tan Xiuyuan ultimately didn't ask about that man, but simply patted Song Shi's shoulder.

"It seems a lot has happened since I left. Can you tell me about it sometime, Shizi?"

"We'll see."

Song Shi sat back down. Chen Zhoumu, who had just been stopped from going over, breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing him return.

"Do you know that person?"

"Yes, someone I knew before."

"Does your hand hurt?"

"Huh?" When Song Shi came to his senses, his hand was gently held, and Chen Zhoumu, sitting in front of him, gently applied medicine to his hand.

"Let me do it next time. Didn't I tell you already? I'm tough."

The unease he felt earlier seemed to dissipate in that instant, though he didn't know where this feeling came from.

It seemed like the other person had only said a few words, but he definitely felt much better now.

He didn't pull his hand away, feeling the warmth from the other's touch, and chuckled, "You're even weaker than me. You catch a cold from a gust of wind, and faint from a single ball hit."

"Looks like my image in Song's mind is beyond repair?"

Song Shi ignored the person and simply leaned back in her chair, watching them.

In the stands not far away, a man and a woman sat. The woman wore light makeup and a short skirt, her long, dark hair flowing down her shoulders. The man wore a hat, revealing a delicate chin. Beautiful things always attract attention, and many people glanced in their direction.

The man looked at the arena and asked, "Tao Lingshuang, is that Song Shi?"

The woman shifted her leg and replied, "Yes." She

then looked at the notebook in her hand; several names were listed, and Song Shi's name was circled in red.

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