Chapter 106 【Contempt】

In the afternoon, Gu Feng and Lin Jiaying made their way to Zifeng Middle School. To keep their relationship under wraps, they entered the school one after the other as usual.

This 20th-anniversary celebration of Zifeng Middle School was a massive event. For this, the school had canceled classes for three days.

Just like yesterday, many places on campus were dotted with colorful flags, and the entrance of each teaching building was hung with colorful balloons.

Dozens of colorful flags stood beside the school's football field, and two large drums, each three meters in diameter, were placed nearby.

When Gu Feng arrived at the field, Big Shark was vigorously beating the drums, the sound was thunderous.

The stands on both sides of the field were already packed with students from various classes.

The football match between Zifeng Middle School and South Korea's San Yuan Middle School was scheduled for 2:30 PM. As an important part of the anniversary, the school took this match very seriously, with even Xu Qin there in person.

There was still half an hour before the match started. With Ling Wei leading them, the members of Zifeng Middle School's football team were huddled together, going over tactics.

Since Gu Feng didn't know much about football, the tactics and player arrangements were left up to Ling Wei.

Ling Wei, with his excellent football skills, had taken over as captain from the graduating seniors, and none of the other players had a problem with that.

Upon seeing Gu Feng, Ling Wei immediately gave a wave and yelled, "Teacher Gu."

Hearing Ling Wei's call, Gu Feng walked over.

As he approached Ling Wei and the others, Gu Feng noticed that their moods were off. There was no excitement or nervousness before a big match—only anger, seething anger!

"Ling Wei, what's wrong with all of you?" Gu Feng asked with a frown.

"Damn it, those Korean bastards said they'd shut us out ten-nothing!" Ling Wei cursed angrily.

As the captain, hearing the opponent claim they'd beat them ten-zip was infuriating.

"They've got some nerve!"

"Korean football is trash too, yet they talk about how terrible Chinese football is, like they're hot stuff."

"Exactly! They think just because Korean football made it to the World Cup semifinals once thanks to some shady refereeing, they're a strong team. How ridiculous!"

...

Listening to the players vent one after another, Gu Feng remained silent until everyone had finished. Then he spoke up, "I don't care what they say about Chinese football being trash, and I don't care how many goals they claim they'll score. I have only one demand: play your game and show them what you're capable of!"

"Teacher Gu, don't worry, we will definitely beat them!" Ling Wei said with reddened eyes, clenching his fists like a bull about to go wild.

Hearing Ling Wei's words, the others chimed in, "Coach Gu, just sit on the sidelines and watch. We'll use our actions to wipe that smug look off their faces."

Looking at these fired-up kids, Gu Feng smiled with satisfaction and said, "Remember this: despise your opponent strategically, respect them tactically, and overwhelm them with your momentum!"

At that moment, Gu Feng shared this classic quote with the kids. Back in the military, he often heard this phrase and always kept it in mind.

"Yes, Coach!" everyone replied in unison.

Gu Feng nodded with satisfaction and said, "Alright, Ling Wei, take the team and start warming up."

Afterward, under Ling Wei's lead, the players began their warm-up, while Gu Feng headed over to the opponents' bench at the center of the field.

By then, San Yuan Middle School's coach had already finished discussing tactics. Seeing Gu Feng approach, he didn't move, a look of sheer arrogance on his face.

Gu Feng calmly walked up to the Korean coach and smiled, saying, "Coach Han, I hope this will be a great game."

"Don't worry, I'll have my players let in a few to save you hosts some face," the Korean coach replied without standing up or shaking hands, speaking in badly broken, haughty-sounding Cantonese.

The Korean coach's arrogance caused a flare of anger in Gu Feng, but remembering Xu Qin's advice, he said nothing, merely smiled and turned to leave.

"Football? Hah! Do Chinese people even know how to play football?" the Korean coach sneered as Gu Feng walked away.

Faintly hearing the words, Gu Feng's brow furrowed tightly, a flash of anger in his eyes.

However, Gu Feng didn't stop and headed straight for Zifeng Middle School's bench.

About twenty minutes later, Ling Wei and the others finished their warm-up and came back over to Gu Feng.

Although it was almost October, the weather in Hong Kong was still very hot. The players were dripping with sweat after just a short warm-up. However, their physical fitness was much better than that of the Class 8, Grade 4 students, so none were panting heavily.

Watching the players chugging bottled water, Gu Feng stood up and clapped his hands, saying, "Don't drink too much, or you'll get cramps on the field later, or even stomachaches."

Although Gu Feng hadn't trained the players much, they listened and set their bottles down upon hearing his words. In their minds, Gu Feng was a strict teacher, as evident from how well Ling Wei listened to him.

After a brief rest, Ling Wei led the starting players to the edge of the field, ready to enter with San Yuan Middle School's team.

Meanwhile, the students in the stands applauded collectively. At the sidelines, Big Shark and another burly student picked up drumsticks and began beating the drums vigorously. For a moment, the sound of drums and applause blended together, creating a ton of energy.

To make sure the game was fair, Zifeng Middle School's leadership specially hired a referee with an international professional certificate from Hong Kong to officiate.

Led by the referee, the players took to the field.

Upon reaching the center circle, the players began shaking hands as a gesture of goodwill.

From a distance, Gu Feng could see Ling Wei and the others looking furious, while the San Yuan Middle School players appeared incredibly arrogant, almost looking down their noses at everyone.

From the handshake, it was clear both teams harbored hostility. Ling Wei even angrily cursed at one of the Korean players.

That player was none other than the guy named Jin Zhengwei.

"Hey, Kid, talking tough is useless. Football is played with your feet," Jin Zhengwei said, making a globally understood gesture of contempt: raising his right hand high with his middle finger pointing downward.

Ling Wei's expression changed, and he felt an urge to rush forward and punch the other guy. But remembering something, he instinctively glanced at Gu Feng on the sidelines and then took a deep breath to calm down.

"Come on, let's cheer together!" Ling Wei gathered his teammates.

Immediately, the Zifeng Middle School players formed a circle, placing their hands on each other's shoulders and stacking their hands together, shouting loudly, "Go! Go! Go!"

Their angry and resounding shouts reflected their current mood.

At the same time, the spectators in the stands applauded for them. As students of Zifeng Middle School, they naturally hoped their school would win.

Afterward, once both teams were in position, the referee checked his watch, signaled to the goalkeepers, and upon receiving their confirmation, blew the whistle sharply.

With a clear whistle, the match began.

P: The strong recommendation period is ending soon. Friends who like this book, please add it to your bookshelf for easy reading later. Also, I continue to recommend Crazy's older urban novel, "Wandering in the Flower World." Friends short on books can check it out—1.6 million words, quite substantial.