Chapter 11: The Beginning of Returning to the Bench
The substitute server Garry sent on was Yu Bai.
The players assigned to receive the serve were visibly nervous.
The image of Yu Bai’s powerful spikes was vivid in everyone’s minds; if that kind of force was put into his serve…
Ning Zhou had now rotated to the back row.
As the setter, his job was to set the ball, not to receive the serve. But before the opponent served, the rotation rules required him to stand in his assigned spot. He couldn’t move directly to his setting position until after the serve was made.
Ning Zhou recalled Yu Bai’s serving style and signaled to the receivers, “Step back a bit!”
The libero, still shaken from Nie Fei’ang’s earlier short serve, didn’t budge, “I’ll move when the ball comes my way.”
Ning Zhou didn’t push further. He pressed his lips together, “Good luck!”
Libero: ?
Why did he sound like he was sending me off on a long voyage?
The whistle blew.
The moment Yu Bai’s serve came over, the libero understood Ning Zhou’s warning…
There was no time to adjust on the fly; as the ball shot past his body toward the floor, the libero’s eyes hadn’t even caught up with the ball.
The line judge hesitated, then signaled the ball was in.
A direct service point!
The players watching erupted:
“ACE!”
“Wow… That’s the fastest serve I’ve ever seen in the country, must be at least 120 kilometers per hour!”
“This rookie is unstoppable! His spikes are fierce, his serves are just as strong!”
“If you don’t try to receive, you’re letting down your teammates; if you do, you’re letting down your own body…”
“The libero in Vice Coach Ning’s team didn’t even touch the ball—he’s going to have nightmares.”
“Maybe I should switch to middle blocker tonight. If I have to face that serve, I’d rather never have to receive again…”
The score shifted to 6:4.
Although Ning Zhou’s side still held a two-point lead, the momentum had clearly swung to Yu Bai’s side after that monster serve…
The libero forced a smile, “My bad…”
“My god, is that serve meant to score points or take lives?” Xu Zichang patted his chest and looked at the libero with sympathy. “Thank goodness it wasn’t aimed at me…”
Du Jun thought for a moment, speaking gravely, “Ning Zhou was right earlier. Let’s stand farther back; Yu Bai’s serves are landing near the sideline.”
The libero nodded, took a few deep breaths, and shouted to pump himself up.
The whistle sounded again.
Yu Bai heard it, rolled the ball between his palms for a few seconds, then tossed it high.
His approach was akin to his spiking motion, his Achilles tendons giving him explosive power as he soared just behind the serving line.
In midair, his body arched like a drawn bow, waist and abs tensed, power accumulating like molten lava ready to burst through a weak spot in the earth’s crust…
Ning Zhou, timing it just right, darted toward the front row to his setting position, ducking low to avoid blocking the receivers’ view.
The serve seemed to carry its own special effects as it zipped past above his head.
Once again, the serve was within the libero’s receiving range.
Eyes wide, the libero tried to track the ball, contorting his body at the last second to dodge, throwing up his arms as he fell to the floor: “OUT!”
The ball struck the ground and bounced far away.
But the line judge, undeterred by the libero’s call, firmly pointed the flag at the floor: the ball was in.
The libero held his head in frustration, “How did I see that as out?”
“It was right on the line,” said Du Jun, experienced and sharp-eyed. “Almost the same spot as before.”
The libero was crushed. “Sorry, that was a mistake on my part!”
Ning Zhou had just reached the front row, but with no pass coming, he had to return to his original position.
He clapped his hands to draw everyone’s attention, “From my observations, in both the last scrimmage and these last two serves, Yu Bai has targeted that area. I suspect he can’t control his serve direction yet, so he’ll likely hit the same spot again.”
Xu Zichang rubbed his hands nervously, “Are you sure? Focusing on just one line seems risky…”
“It’s worth a try,” said Du Jun, nodding to the libero. “Stand right in front of the sideline, just get the ball up, and the rest of us will figure it out!”
After Yu Bai’s consecutive service points, the score closed to 6:5.
The spectators’ blood was up as they chanted:
“ACE! ACE!”
Amid the cheers, Yu Bai soared again…
Ning Zhou sprinted toward the front row.
His memories from his previous life reminded him: in his early days, Yu Bai’s serves were powerful but predictable. If you judged the spot correctly, receiving them was easy.
The libero had already set himself in position, and Ning Zhou was confident as he ran—
This one would be no problem!
The ball followed the same trajectory as before, flying just over Ning Zhou’s head.
The libero kept adjusting his arms but mishandled the ball—it struck his wrist and ricocheted out of bounds.
Ning Zhou: !?
Why can’t I get the right answer on this open-book test?
He dashed after the ball as the players parted to let him through, but he was too late…
“That’s the third ACE in a row!”
“The score’s tied! Yu Bai’s a savior right out of the gate!”
“The libero’s position was fine, but the ball still got away—are Yu Bai’s serves really that hard to receive?”
As Ning Zhou walked out through the path cleared for him, all he could hear were the accolades for Yu Bai.
He couldn’t believe it—he hadn’t even touched the ball these last few points, hadn’t contributed at all, just ran himself ragged…
Three long sprints and a failed save, all for nothing, losing three points.
A miscalculation!
Ning Zhou had predicted Yu Bai’s serve location, but he’d overestimated the libero’s basic skills.
The training group had mixed abilities, and their libero was only average. Expecting him to reliably receive Yu Bai’s serve was too much…
If this went on, not only would they be stuck in Yu Bai’s service rotation, but the libero—now the “weak link”—would lose all confidence and play even worse.
Ning Zhou returned to the court troubled, the libero despondent despite his teammates’ attempts to lift his spirits…
Du Jun suggested, “How about I take the serve and you move a bit to the side?”
Xu Zichang quickly agreed, “Brother Du has played a lot against European teams—he’s probably better at handling powerful jump serves!”
Du Jun patted the libero on the back, “I can’t guarantee I’ll get it either, but it’s our best shot…”
Ning Zhou frowned and joined the huddle, sharing his own proposal…
“No way!” the libero protested. “I’ve never heard of that strategy!”
“You’re seeing it now, aren’t you? Trust me this once!”
The libero was about to argue again when Ning Zhou grew serious, “No matter what, the first pass has to be made! Otherwise, if I’d brought my phone on court today, my WeChat step count would hit number one!”
His reasoning was so bizarre that the libero was left speechless, completely unable to follow his logic.
“Six-all, we’re tied again…” Coach Luo turned to Assistant Coach Ning Xu, who was responsible for this team: “No timeout or substitution?”
The players on court were huddled in discussion. Ning Xu shook his head, “They seem to have their own plan. I don’t want to disrupt their thinking. If the next point goes wrong, I’ll call time.”
Coach Hou was busy making notes, “It’s true—raw athletic power is what makes men’s volleyball so captivating…”
As they spoke, a player squeezed through the spectators, watching the situation on court, deep in thought…
The whistle blew.
Yu Bai’s fourth serve was on its way!
Ning Zhou’s team lined up exactly as before.
The spectators were puzzled:
“Why don’t they change the serve-receive formation? They could use four receivers!”
“Sigh, three points lost in a row and still no adjustment. Even Vice Coach Ning should have paused to give them some direction…”
“Are they just hoping Yu Bai will make a mistake? That’s way too passive!”
The chatter didn’t affect Yu Bai’s serve. He was like a precision machine, repeating the same motions, striking the ball with the heel of his palm, channeling explosive force through his whole body.
The ball spun through the air, arrowing across the net along the same line…
But this time, Ning Zhou didn’t immediately run to his setting spot. He moved a few steps, standing right next to the libero, and took the serve himself…
Yu Bai: ?
Coaching staff: ???
Spectators: “What?!”
The setter covering for the libero on serve-receive?
Everyone had heard of teammates helping each other receive, but the setter doing it himself? Unheard of!
They stared, dumbstruck—what was even more stunning was how smoothly Ning Zhou handled the serve…
Yu Bai’s serve was powerful, easy to mishandle or send back over the net and lose the attack. But Ning Zhou received it with a perfect back roll, absorbing the momentum, popping it high above the court.
Xu Zichang, ready and waiting, played the role of setter and set the ball near the three-meter line.
Du Jun followed the set, targeted the opposing blocker’s fingertips, and spiked it out of bounds off their hands…
7:6
At last, they had used an “unorthodox” tactic to survive Yu Bai’s service rotation…
“Wow, it worked!” Xu Zichang was more excited than if he’d spiked it himself, running wild around the court: “From now on, I’m a loyal supporter of the ‘Ning Zhou Fan Club’—that was amazing!”
The libero looked at Ning Zhou in admiration, pulling him up from the floor, “Great receive!”
“Thanks.” Ning Zhou replied calmly, stood up, and joined the team for a celebratory huddle, “It was all thanks to Du Jun’s point!”
Du Jun patted everyone’s head in turn, “Xu Zichang’s set was great too—this point belongs to all of us!”
Ning Zhou, relieved that he no longer had to sprint all over the court, grinned radiantly.
A burning gaze landed on him; Ning Zhou instinctively looked across the net and met Yu Bai’s eyes…
As the substitute server, Yu Bai was set to leave the court after this point.
He stood on the sideline, waiting for the switch, staring at Ning Zhou in shock—he hadn’t expected his serve to be so easily handled by the setter.
Ning Zhou smiled, winked, and lifted his chin, unable to hide his proud expression—
Surprised, aren’t you? I used to play libero, after all!
Yu Bai paused, the corners of his mouth turning up involuntarily, but soon the referee was urging him off the court…
On the sideline, the coaching staff was so stunned by that point they were speechless.
Coach Luo’s smile froze, even his “air bangs” seemed stiff. He turned to Ning Xu, “Did you train him as a libero for this kind of trickery?”
“…Of course not,” Ning Xu protested, his reputation on the line. “I never taught him that tactic!”
Coach Hou’s glasses slid halfway down his nose, unnoticed, as he muttered, “This is chaos, sheer madness…”
Garry, on the other hand, was thoroughly impressed, clapping and laughing, “Amazing! The setter is daring!”
From behind him, another laugh joined in, familiar to Ning Xu, who turned reluctantly to see—
“You’re too slow. Warm up quickly! Your group’s match is on.”
Ning Yang wiggled his prominent ears and flashed an OK sign, hopping in place: “I’ve already warmed up watching the match. That last play was classic Zhou!”
“Oh? And what do you mean by ‘classic Zhou’?” Coach Luo asked with curiosity.
Ning Yang wagged his finger mischievously, “Perfect passes, balls flying everywhere; messy passes, Zhou starts yelling!”
“Nonsense!” Ning Xu’s tone was stern, but his face held no blame. “Keep joking around with the coaches and you’ll have to explain why you had an upset stomach!”
Ning Yang gave a sheepish grin, shuffled to the sideline, “You coaches carry on—I’ll get out of your way…”
After that point, both sides made substitutions.
On Garry’s team, Yu Bai was replaced after his serving run;
On Ning Xu’s side, Ning Yang finally took the court, with the libero who had been filling his spot moving to the bench.
Ning Xu called the exiting libero over, “Your group will be up next game. Don’t let yourself get cold.”
“!”
The libero hadn’t expected another chance after such a poor performance; his gloomy face instantly brightened: “Yes! Thank you, Vice Coach Ning!”
Coach Hou muttered in disapproval, sighing at the libero’s retreating figure, “Vice Coach Ning looks so stern—why so soft-hearted in picking players?”
“He made a few good defensive plays earlier. He’s got talent; once he improves his fundamentals, he’ll reach his potential.”
“Talent?” Coach Hou scoffed, “I believe in putting up the numbers!”
Coach Luo stepped back, wedging himself between Ning Xu and Coach Hou to prevent further argument, “Coach Hou, you’re new here—you might not know Vice Coach Ning’s greatest strength is discovering talented youngsters!”
Coach Hou was half-convinced, half-skeptical, “I heard Ning Zhou and Ning Yang were both prodigies raised by Vice Coach Ning, but so far, apart from quick sets, I haven’t seen anything special from Ning Zhou.”
Ning Xu didn’t rush to argue. Calmly, he shifted his gaze to the court—
After coming on, Ning Yang didn’t say a word to Ning Zhou, but as they passed each other, they exchanged a silent high-five…
“It might not be obvious when Ning Zhou’s on court alone…”
Ning Xu, speaking with a quiet pride he didn’t even notice, continued, “But when Ning Zhou and Ning Yang play together, just keep watching, Coach Hou…”