There are different types of rain. Although it was considered a drizzle at that point, the drops were rather rapid. The weather report from the day before predicted that there could be a little up to a mid-sized downpour and it looked like it would not stop before the end of the game.
For once, Chen Huafeng had forgotten to bring an umbrella; it was not until Xiao Zhang opened one for him that he realized his clothes were already soaked. Still, his thoughts were not on the match, but on that referee.
Kaka's beautiful tackle had been called a shoving foul; the ball had been out of bounds, but he gestured play on. When Kaka fell to a tackle and the ball was still with Yang Pan, he ignored the offensive advantage, whistling for the game to stop instead.
And then there was the offside, which he totally ignored. He allowed Ma Ni to score freely, adding to Yingcai's advantage.
This referee!
Chen Huafeng was seething. "Wearing black clothes... he really is blacker than all others…"
The stands did not jeer or roar in disapproval against the goal. They only cheered.
Bribed referees only appeared black and revolting to those who lost. For those who gained from it, such referees were proper heroes of justice. Not only would they validate their offside goals and nullify the opposition's scoring, they would also turn slips in the opposition's box into penalties and the other team's falls into dives.
For them, such referees were the iron face of integrity. They were fair and square in their ways—a role model for all other match officials. And on that day, the referee was the "cutest guy" in the eyes of the students from Yingcai High.
The rain steadily grew, but it did not stop the waves of Shu Guang's offense.
Keeping their rage in check, they converted that frustration into action, wildly retaliating against the injustice.
It did not matter how much of a "monster" Sima Hongxin was, he too could feel the pressure from them.
Yang Pan took a shot from the right, just outside the box! The ball, despite being heavier after soaking in rain darted off like a cannonball towards Yingcai's goal.
For the first time, Sima Hongxin could not catch it; he used both hands to knock the ball off the baseline. It was clear that he dreaded those extraordinarily powerful drives as well.
Kaka took the corner as Zhang Jun leaped up behind a defender and headed the ball!
Sima Hongxin got a glove on it, but once again failed to catch it. It seemed like he was still feeling the power from Yang Pan's shot earlier! Nonetheless, his reflexes were not dulled in spite of the pain. An ordinary keeper in his place would have probably conceded!
Flustered, the defenders cleared the ball away from the chaotic box.
Kaka passed a through ball! And out of nowhere, Zhang Jun moved amidst the defending crowd and dribbled into the area!
Sima Hongxin was taken aback. He did not expect such speed from Zhang Jun, who appeared to have taken only two steps before breaking inside the penalty area; to top it all off, it was on a muddy pitch. In a panic Sima dashed out, but his single moment of hesitation turned into a fatal mistake.
Zhang Jun suddenly slid and stumbled from the slippery ground, while Hongxin dived in. Just as the striker was about to fall, he prodded the ball once and it lobbed over his hand as well as his head towards the empty goal!
The stands erupted in shock!
It bounced off the woodwork amid the panicked cries! The returning defenders quickly kicked it far out once it rebounded into the penalty area.
The stands breathed a sigh of relief before exclaiming in stunned gasps once again!
It was Yang Pan! He appeared right where the ball was after the clearance! With a whirl of his muscular right foot, he volleyed!
The ball whistled straight towards goal!
Sima Hongxin quickly picked up his mud-stained body. With his hands outstretched, he dived to keep it out. However, he was one step behind this time, and the ball scraped past his fingertips into the open goal!
The Shu Guang bench burst into cheers, but their celebration was cut short when the referee whistled loudly.
The linesman raised his flag up high before holding it level in front of his chest.
Offside!
"Offside?" Xiao Zhang cried. "How is that an offside?"
The referee cleared all his doubts by awarding Yingcai with a free kick at the spot where Zhang Jun fell in the box. It was an offside on the striker!
"Zhang Jun was offside? How's that possible! He may have been on an offside position when Yang Pan made his shot, but he did nothing! How could that be an offside?" Xiao Zhang was even more troubled.
"It is an offside." Chen Huafeng seethed. "The referee saw that Zhang Jun was on an offside position. Furthermore, when Yang Pan made his effort, Zhang Jun was interfering with Sima Hongxin's line of sight, which counts as disturbing the keeper."
"That's… That's not even funny! How could Zhang Jun avoid blocking Sima Hongxin?! That referee's doing this on purpose!"
The complaints continued on the stands, while the faces of the Shu Guang players remained unreadable. Even An Ke, who had blown up in rage just a while ago only kicked the post once.
Yang Pan stared at the referee blankly before turning back.
Zhang Jun treaded back too, coldly and silently.
Since the judges and robbers were a team, saying anything was meaningless.
However, that did not mean that they would take things quietly. This time, they had one over them. Zhang Jun was offside regardless of whether he interfered before the goal or not. Next time, he would simply score a goal that everyone would be speechless against, be it judge or robber.
He would see what those sons of b*tches had to say then.
The free kick was taken; the half-time whistle sounded although the Yingcai player who took it had carelessly kicked it out of bounds.
It's 2: 0 going into the break. The home team, Yingcai scored two goals to lead against Shu Guang within the first thirty minutes.
The same air of rage was not present in the locker room like that time they played against Yang Guang.
Everyone was quiet. The silence was deafening; there was almost no sound apart from the players' heavy breathing.
Fifteen minutes passed in that manner. It was when they prepared to step into the field once more that Liang Ke said, "Stick to the plan. Play the way we usually play in the second half."
He was the first to leave the room after those words.
Zhang Jun had been fidgeting behind the team for a while. After the others left, he put on a brave face and asked Su Fei, "Su Fei, umm... do you have a headband? My hair's long now; it sticks in my eyes when it gets wet. It feels uncomfortable."
Su Fei smiled and reached behind to untie her ponytail. She then handed the broad, black headband she was using over to him.
"Will this do?"
Drying his hair and forehead with a towel, Zhang Jun pulled his hair back and carefully wrapped it from the tip. His longer strands of hair were now pressed to the back, hence they would not drop easily and get in the way of his sight.
Su Fei giggled at his new hairstyle. Her golden laughter instantly freed Zhang Jun from his gloomy mood and he laughed himself silly too.
Suddenly, the manager drew out three fingers and waved it at him.
Zhang Jun stared blankly, not quite understanding what it meant.
"Three." Su Fei smiled. "Remember what you said, don't go back on your word!"
"Zhang Jun!" Yang Pan returned after noticing his absence. "What could that tardy brat be up to…"
He entered to see a forbidden scene; a boy and a girl alone in a room….
The captain quickly coughed and added, "Hurry, you're the only one left."
He then turned and left the room.
Zhang Jun smiled at Su Fei uncomfortably, before following his friend.
"Wait." She stopped him.
He turned.
"Give me your left hand."
He did so obediently.
Su Fei took out the bracelet and wrapped it around his hand.
"This…"
"Remember your words, three." She smiled again. "Go, the match is starting."
Every one of Zhang Jun's teammates were surprised by his new hairdo; the more observant ones could also see the appearance of a red bracelet on his left wrist.
Still, they did not ask a thing; the match was starting, but all of them noticed that Zhang Jun's eyes were sparkling with a desire to win. His face was no longer cold as the driven snow and there was an elusive smile on his face.
Everyone pretty much knew what was going based on the change and they all smiled together, clearing the unpleasantness of the first half.
Liang Ke was standing silently at the technical area again, allowing the rain to lash at him freely. He was paying his "respects" to the referee in this manner.
Su Fei was the last to sit. Looking at Zhang Jun on the field, she suddenly remembered the Yang Guang match. It was during this period of the game that the coach told her, "You must trust Zhang Jun and believe in him no matter when."
How could she forget about that with her good memory? How could she not remember such an important thing?
She almost doubted the one person she shouldn't before the game. Just a little bit more and she would have never been able to forgive herself.
The coach was right. She had to believe in Zhang Jun, because he was the most trustworthy person. She would believe in him for life.
*Beep!*
The second half then began as the rain intensified.