Chapter 40 Homecoming

The time before university exams was the busiest and most diligent for students. Even Zhang Fan and Zhu Hui, who normally had no interest in studying, began to seriously pore over their books. Zhang Jun naturally couldn't relax, especially with Su Fei's tutoring and supervision. Passing the exams shouldn't be a problem.

On the evening of the last exam, Zhang Jun, Yang Pan, and Su Fei boarded a late-night train north, embarking on their journey home. Time seemed to fly when the three of them were together. From 10:30 PM to 9:30 AM the next morning, the train pulled into the Luoyang station platform.

They had left Hefei in a light rain, but Luoyang greeted them with a blanket of snow from the sky to the ground.

As Zhang Jun walked out of the station exit, looking at the snowflakes falling from the sky, he remembered that Luoyang hadn't seen such beautiful snow in a long time. He wondered if the snow had really changed, or if he was just homesick, making everything he saw seem lovely.

"Let's go! What are you daydreaming about?" Yang Pan, carrying a sports bag and wearing headphones, coolly patted Zhang Jun's shoulder.

It had only been five months since he left, but why did it feel like so long? A year ago, it was on this very square that Shuguang embarked on their second national competition journey. That was also the last performance of the five of them together. The train station was still the same, but the people standing here were not…

Zhang Jun looked at Yang Pan and Su Fei walking down the steps, picked up his suitcase, and hurried to catch up.

This year's Spring Festival was a bit bleak. Su Fei, as usual, went to her grandmother's house in the old city for the New Year. Yang Pan also went to Xinxiang with his mother to reunite with his father and grandfather. With his grandmother gone, his grandfather was particularly lonely, and the Spring Festival reunion was the only compensation. Zhang Jun's father went to participate in a photographers' Spring Festival sketching activity, leaving the mother and son to spend a simple, almost minimalist Spring Festival. Even the dumplings they ate on New Year's Eve were not homemade, but bought from the supermarket.

The Spring Festival evenings were getting more and more boring each year, but Zhang Jun still stayed in front of the TV. For nineteen years, he couldn't think of any other way to celebrate the New Year's Eve. The Spring Festival had to be celebrated every year, just like eating food every day, it had become a fixed routine, and the excitement of his childhood had long faded away.

Two days after the Spring Festival, on the third day of the Lunar New Year, Yang Pan, Su Fei, and his father had not returned. Zhang Jun didn't want to watch TV anymore. He told his mother and ran out.

He originally intended to take a stroll, aimlessly wandering. But his legs instinctively led him to this place. He stopped and looked at the golden characters on the pillar opposite: Luoyang Shuguang Middle School. The main gate was closed, but the side gate was open. The campus looked empty. Zhang Jun hesitated for a moment, then stepped inside.

Sure enough, it was very deserted. Apart from the gatekeeper huddled in the reception room, he was the only visitor on campus. The bulletin board on the right was familiar. He used to see interesting notices on it, such as: "xxx drank alcohol for warmth in class and challenged the director of the Political Education Office to a duel; xxx kicked open the single dormitory door of a female teacher, causing harm to the teacher's body and mind…" But now, none of those things were there, only a tattered piece of red paper remained. Zhang Jun could only recognize the top line: "Warmly celebrate the selection of five members of our school's football team into the Luoyang High School team to participate in the national…"

Seeing the paper "fluttering" in the cold wind, Zhang Jun remembered the banner hanging above the main gate. That banner had become a part of his memory, forever "fluttering" in his heart.

Continuing forward, bypassing the small garden where the Monday flag-raising ceremony was held, was the Shuguang football field.

The field where Zhang Jun had shed sweat for three years was empty today, with only tattered nets hanging on the goals at both ends, making it seem as if one could still vaguely recall the matches that had once been played there.

A gust of wind blew, lifting a corner of the net.

…

Suri made a long pass to the right front of the field. Almost everyone thought it was a mistake, but Yang Pan rushed over like lightning, and at the moment the ball was about to go out of bounds, he stretched out his foot and crossed the ball!

Zhang Jun, following up in the middle, jumped up while sprinting, gliding in the air, and then powerfully headed the ball, the football hitting the back of the net!

…The wind stopped, and the net fell back down.

Zhang Jun couldn't help but open his arms and fly gently like a bird on the empty field. Just as he was closing his eyes and indulging in memories, a crisp impact sound startled him. He opened his eyes and saw a football flying towards him from the direction of the goalpost. Instinctively, he raised his foot to stop the ball, using his left foot as an axis, his right leg raised to meet the incoming ball, his arms spread to maintain balance, while the inside of his right foot received the ball, then his foot guided the ball downward. It was a beautiful high ball stop, the football stopping exactly one meter in front of him, convenient for the next move. Zhang Jun completed the entire process purely by instinct. He hadn't even thought about why there would be a football on this originally empty field.

Just as he was satisfied with his ball control, a black shadow rushed up from behind and kicked the ball away. Again, instinctively, Zhang Jun chased after him without thinking. The two ran and entangled each other, from the left side of the field to the right. No matter how Zhang Jun kicked, the other party had a way to pull the ball away before his foot arrived, making him always work in vain. Gradually, Zhang Jun felt that this feeling was somewhat familiar, a nostalgic familiarity, but he didn't stop, but accelerated his kicking frequency, and the other party also accelerated his movements. The two entangled, Zhang Jun couldn't snatch the ball from the other party, and the other party couldn't get rid of Zhang Jun. Suddenly, the football hit a small stone and bounced up, and both of them kicked at the football. The football was kicked at the same time, bouncing towards the edge of the penalty area.

"Ah…" Zhang Jun's sigh of regret was not over yet, when another figure appeared in his line of sight. That person rushed towards the bouncing football and shot powerfully at the edge of the penalty area. The football changed direction and flew towards the goal, then bounced on the goal line and drilled into the net.

"The Science and Technology High School attached school took the lead in scoring!" the man shouted, spreading his arms after scoring.

"Even if An Ke, that idiot, was there, your shot wouldn't have gone in!" The person next to Zhang Jun spat on the ground and said disdainfully.

Someone somewhere sneezed loudly.

Only Zhang Jun looked at the two of them with a silly smile: "Hehe! Long time no see, Ren Yudi and Li Yongle!"

Li Yongle--the person who scored the goal smiled at Zhang Jun: "Sure enough, you were born as a forward, you can entangle with Ren Yudi for so long. If it were me… By the way, do you want us to have a one-on-one?" He turned to Ren Yudi next to Zhang Jun.

Ren Yudi grinned: "No, your style of flying tackles right from the start… But Zhang Jun, you've improved a lot, you've actually followed me for so long!"

"Hehe, it's been half a year, and your skills haven't been lost!" Zhang Jun scratched his head.

"I still come to school to play football when I have nothing to do. Lao Liang asked me to teach the new students' skills, and if I perform poorly, I will be looked down upon by those little brats." The joy of reunion made Ren Yudi talk more.

"You really haven't given up on football…"

"I told you, it's not that easy to leave."

"Then why not just come back to the field?" Zhang Jun said excitedly.

But the light in Ren Yudi's eyes immediately dimmed, and he slowly shook his head: "It's impossible, I've tried it, I can't even last a full ninety-minute game now…"

"But you performed very well just now? That series of movements of yours are no different from before…"

"Forget it, Zhang Jun. Can't you see?" Li Yongle walked into the goal, picked up the football, and caught it in his hand. "The three years of high school have exhausted almost his entire football life."

"You mean…"

"He's using tomorrow to gamble on today. Actually, you never planned to leave a way out for yourself from the beginning, did you?" Li Yongle looked at Ren Yudi on the side.

"You saw through it?" Ren Yudi smiled, but his smile revealed endless helplessness and a hint of unwillingness.

"We have the same past, and we seem to have some similarities in personality. However, you are more stubborn, more crazy…" Li Yongle looked up at the blue sky.

For a moment, the three of them were silent, letting the wind pass through them, lifting their clothes and hair. Finally, Ren Yudi broke the embarrassing silence: "By the way, I remembered, this year's high school championship, Luoyang has made modifications to the participation qualifications. The drawbacks of the previous single school representing Luoyang in the competition are getting bigger and bigger. Now it has been changed to selecting the best players from all participating teams to form the Luoyang representative team…"

Zhang Jun remembered the red paper on the bulletin board.

"…Maybe it was inspired by Fan Cunje. I heard Lao Liang say that Fan Cunje almost doesn't touch football after getting into university and focuses on studying. Luoyang doesn't lack good players, but they lack the opportunity to prove themselves nationally. Many people are buried like this…"

Li Yongle nodded: "It is indeed a bit cruel, but why not change it earlier? If that's the case, it would be nice for us to compete together!"

Zhang Jun thought about it: Their Shuguang four charging forward, Li Yongle sitting in the back waist, both offensive and defensive, Liu Peng leading the defense, plus An Ke's saves… He smiled: "Forget it, we have to give others a chance to live!"

The other two understood what he meant and laughed.

After laughing, Zhang Jun said: "Kaka called me, he is already a professional player and is gaining momentum."

The two showed envious expressions.

"I also plan to be a professional player." Zhang Jun told the two his goal.

Li Yongle's eyes lit up: "Great! I was just thinking about what to do after university, I'll be a professional player too!"

"However, Kaka is now leading 1:0!" Ren Yudi sighed, the longing in his sigh was stretched longer and longer, until it was infinite.

"Don't worry, we'll pull back a point after the halftime break!" Li Yongle squeezed his fist.

"By the way, which school are you in? Our school has entered the East China Final in Xiamen in March this year." Zhang Jun looked at Li Yongle.

"Hehe! Same for us, North China Final. Beijing L University, I'll be waiting for you in Dalian!"

"You're so confident?"

Li Yongle didn't answer the question, but smiled: "Speaking of which, Zhang Jun, I have never played football with you on this field!" He looked at the empty field.

Zhang Jun thought about it. The only time the two sides didn't play against each other at the Xigong Stadium was back in the first year of high school, when he didn't play due to a foot injury. He nodded.

Li Yongle turned to Ren Yudi again: "Since we can't enjoy ourselves in a regular game, why not have a good time here?"

Ren Yudi answered with a smile.

Li Yongle threw the football in his hand forcefully towards the other goal, and then rushed out first, but he saw that Zhang Jun had already rushed in front of him. "Amazing explosive power, hasn't changed at all…" He smiled in his heart and accelerated to keep up. Speed wasn't Ren Yudi's strength, but he also followed closely behind.

The game has begun, enjoy it!

Ten days later, in the evening, Zhang Jun, Yang Pan, and Su Fei boarded the train south again. The train slowly pulled out of the station, and Zhang Jun could still vaguely see Ren Yudi standing on the platform and looking this way. He remembered Li Yongle's words: "He is using tomorrow to gamble on today." He used to think that he was the most passionate about football, but now he realized that he couldn't even compare to Ren Yudi. He knew that doing so might be dangerous, and he might never be able to play football again in the future, but he still unreservedly put all his enthusiasm into today, into his three years of high school… This is really a gamble!

But in the end, he didn't win, but he didn't lose either. Compared to Ren Yudi and Li Yongle's determination, he was far behind. It seems that he still has to work hard!

In the roar of the train, the new semester seems to have begun, and a new competition is about to begin…